A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 725: Chapter 725: How are you here?

Indeed, Ye Tang had also come to the battle of Guangnan this time.

Xia Tingfeng could hardly recognize her.

Before him stood a sun-darkened youth dressed in infantry attire, also selecting a horse in the stables.

Her aura had changed significantly; only her bright, spirited eyes and her hearty laughter remained the same.

”How did you get here?” Xia Tingfeng couldn’t contain his curiosity and stepped forward to ask.

Ye Tang glanced at him, then at Zhao Junyao standing before him. Her expression changed, and she immediately knelt.

”Your servant, Ye Tang, greets Your Majesty!”

Zhao Junyao gestured for her to rise with a wave of his hand.

He looked at Ye Tang, then at Xia Tingfeng, and smiled.

”You two are certainly fated to meet! You’ve saved each other’s lives and meet again here! You can be considered old acquaintances!”

Xia Tingfeng, head lowered, felt somewhat embarrassed. Such an ironclad bond, yet the Emperor made it sound so ambiguous. The Emperor must be joking, right? With this thought, he kept his head down and remained silent.

Ye Tang, however, laughed heartily. ”Your Majesty, please don’t tease your servant! The Marquis is my sworn elder brother, and I his younger brother. We’ve taken an oath of brotherhood!”

Zhao Junyao turned to Xia Tingfeng. ”Is that so?”

Xia Tingfeng nodded earnestly in confirmation. ”Brother Ye has saved my life twice; we have a bond forged through life and death! I have three other sworn brothers in the Capital City! All of them are quite interesting characters!”

Seeing Xia Tingfeng’s solemn and serious demeanor, Zhao Junyao completely lost the inclination to joke.

”Enough,” Zhao Junyao said. ”I will go choose a horse and not delay your reunion.”

With that, Zhao Junyao left on his own.

Xia Tingfeng and Ye Tang exchanged glances and quickly followed.

No way! He was the Imperial Guards Commander, the Emperor’s personal guard, responsible for the Emperor’s safety at all times. How could he allow the Emperor to act alone!

As for catching up, they could do that any time; it didn’t have to be right now. Besides, what was there for two grown men to catch up on? It had been a long time since they last met, but there really wasn’t much to say!

Alright, so Ye Tang wasn’t a man, but in Xia Tingfeng’s mind, she basically was!

After choosing the horses, Zhao Junyao left. There were pressing military matters to attend to, and being gone too long might arouse the suspicions of those old ministers.

Xia Tingfeng said farewell to Ye Tang and left as well.

He arrived at the Commander-in-Chief’s Tent.

The Emperor entered the tent to deal with military affairs, while Xia Tingfeng stood guard at the entrance.

A gust of wind blew, and a thought suddenly jolted his mind. I still haven’t asked Ye Tang why she came. After returning from Yanguan City, she went to the Ministry of War. She must have come with Lord Yang!

Xia Tingfeng then recalled that among those who had come from the Ministry of War this time, aside from a few well-known Fourth Rank generals, the rest were mostly personnel from the Bureau of Warhorses.

Ye Tang isn’t a Fourth Rank General... Does that mean she holds a position in the Ministry of War’s Bureau of Warhorses?

The Bureau of Warhorses was, in fact, an organization responsible for managing warhorses. Just like the Imperial Horse Supervisor under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it was involved with horse-rearing. However, one dealt with warhorses, while the other handled horses for Princes and Princesses to ride. The two were qualitatively different, a point that needs no further elaboration here.

In a nutshell, the Bureau of Warhorses was a cushy post, lucrative and very difficult to get into. Aside from not being able to engage enemies directly on the front lines, everything else was the same as for regular soldiers and generals. Martial arts, Horseback Archery, and general training all had to be top-notch!

Xia Tingfeng didn’t need to think twice to know that Lord Yang must have done it as a favor to him. Furthermore, considering Ye Tang was a woman, Lord Yang had given her such a fine post!

This is good. It also fulfills Ye Tang’s wish. As long as she’s happy, I have nothing more to say.

But there was one thing he still couldn’t understand. She’s clearly a woman, so why insist on joining the army and serving in a military camp? Wouldn’t it be better for her to find a good match and settle down?! If I can’t figure it out, then I won’t dwell on it.

Xia Tingfeng took a deep breath and focused on his duties.

「Inside the tent.」

Zhao Junyao didn’t actually have many pressing matters to attend to. He was merely concerned that disappearing for too long would arouse suspicion, so he sat in the tent, feigning to read a book for a while.

As he opened the book, his ears were filled with the noisy chatter of the soldiers outside. He couldn’t focus on his reading. His eyes were fixed on the book, but his thoughts had long since drifted thousands of miles away.

After daydreaming for a while, he suddenly remembered something and called out loudly, ”Attendants!”

Xia Tingfeng entered immediately. ”What are Your Majesty’s orders?”

Seeing it was him, Zhao Junyao then remembered Li Shengan wasn’t by his side. After pondering for a moment, he gave his orders. ”Carry out a task for me!”

”Your Majesty, please give your command!”

”Take some men, gather the best local fruit, and find a time to send it back to the Capital City with the courier!”

Xia Tingfeng hesitated for a moment but still assented.

Zhao Junyao, noticing his reluctance, explained calmly, ”It’s for Qingqing. Keep this quiet.”

Seeing his discreet manner, Xia Tingfeng quickly and respectfully assented. The reluctance in his heart vanished.

Zhao Junyao continued with his instructions. ”Send word to Li Shengan. Anything that happens in the palace is to be reported to Us in full detail. If We return and find that even one matter has been concealed, We will immediately have his head!”

Xia Tingfeng stifled a laugh and acknowledged the order. Although he hadn’t spoken much with Eunuch Li, he could already picture Eunuch Li’s woebegone expression!

Heh, it’s not easy being a guard by the Emperor’s side. It seems being a eunuch by His Majesty’s side isn’t much more comfortable either!

Xia Tingfeng felt a secret sense of schadenfreude. Well, that certainly evens things out!

Xia Tingfeng was highly efficient. Arrangements were made that very night, and by the next morning, everything was ready.

The courier departed with the Emperor’s gifts for Consort Xian and a personal letter, racing back to the Capital City at top speed.

To keep the fruits fresh, at every post station, the couriers had to replace the ice in the fruit baskets.

The eight-hundred-li express delivery was originally meant for urgent military dispatches. Now, it was being used to send fruit to Consort Xian.

Some grumbling among the men was inevitable. But when they heard that Consort Xian was pregnant, and with twins no less, any resentment vanished. They weren’t merely serving a woman, but the Emperor’s offspring—perhaps even the future Monarch of the Great Chu Dynasty. The Emperor had few heirs. Consort Xian, blessed with multiple children—potentially twins—was making a great contribution to the continuation of the Great Chu Dynasty. What was there to complain about?!

Yes, these fruits must be delivered with utmost care!

Although it bore some resemblance to the historical anecdote, ”A steed gallops through swirling dust, the consort smiles; none knew it was lychees arriving,” it wasn’t quite the same!

The journey that would normally take half a month was completed in just five or six days thanks to the urgent dispatch.

「That day.」

Xia Ruqing rose early, washed up, and had breakfast with Little Bun.

After dressing him neatly and sending him out the door, she planned to take a stroll in the garden.

But before her foot had even crossed the threshold, Li Shengan arrived with several Little Eunuchs.

Four Little Eunuchs carried in what appeared to be a very heavy basket.

”Greetings, Your Highness Consort Xian!”

Xia Ruqing frowned. ”What is this?”