A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

As the saying goes: if you won’t come, I’ll come find you!

After being turned down by Yue Er again and again, Yilan and Chen Weiyu finally couldn’t sit still anymore.

The two of them decided to secretly slip out of the residence and go to the Imperial Palace to find her.

This wasn’t their first time there, so they easily found their way to Fengyu Pavilion.

When Ying Luo saw them, she happily hurried inside to announce their arrival.

”Princess, look who’s here?”

Yue Er impatiently crawled up from the bed, her eyes still sleepy.

”Who is it?”

Before she finished speaking, the two of them couldn’t wait and came in.

”Yue Er!”

”Well now, I thought you were busy with something in the palace. Didn’t expect you to still be sleeping in broad daylight!”

Chen Weiyu laughed as she went to lift her quilt.

”It’s the New Year, hurry up and get up!”

Yue Er was thoroughly depressed.

”You two really are...”

Yilan raised an eyebrow.

”What about us? We meet up at this time every single year. How come you suddenly decided to hole up at home today and not go out!”

”Think about it, is it easy for the two of us to even get out the door now!”

Yue Er got up helplessly and put on her clothes.

”I really have no way to deal with you two!”

”Say it, where do you want to go?”

Yilan said,

”Let’s go to Xiefang Garden. I heard the plum blossoms there are in bloom, lots of people are going to see them. We should go join the fun too!”

Xiefang Garden was a famous garden in the Capital City. Making use of the terrain of a small rocky hill, they had built a garden with both mountains and water, and planted all kinds of flowering trees inside.

Flowers bloomed there all year round; it was the favorite place of scholars and writers in the Capital City.

Chen Weiyu shook her head.

”I don’t think that’s good. There are too many people there, it’s so crowded!”

”Why don’t we go stroll around the Banana Palm Nunnery outside the city instead? The scenery there is just as good, and it’s quiet!”

Yilan frowned.

”Banana Palm Nunnery? How come I’ve never heard of that place?”

Chen Weiyu began to explain slowly.

”That nunnery isn’t big, and it doesn’t accept incense offerings from just anyone. It’s only some predestined madams who go to donate incense money, so not many people know of it!”

”I had the good fortune to go there once with my mother. The place is really hard to find, but it’s truly peaceful!”

As she spoke, her eyes were full of longing.

”Desolate and quiet? I don’t like it!”

”Let’s just go out on the streets like usual. Every year at this time lots of foreign merchants bring all kinds of little trinkets—let’s go hunt for some treasures!”

After thinking it over, Yue Er found herself more in agreement with Yilan’s opinion.

”Wait for me a bit, I’ll change my clothes!”

”Hurry up!” Yilan was delighted.

Although they didn’t get to go to Banana Palm Nunnery, Chen Weiyu didn’t object.

To her, as long as she could get out of the house now, she didn’t care where they went!

...

Once they were all dressed up, Yue Er and the others went out through the palace gates together.

The three little girls, reunited in the Capital City, were like fish returned to water—shedding all restraints and frolicking freely.

The three of them strolled from the Eastern Market to the Western Market, watched circuses and street performances and acrobatics, and also picked up quite a few good things from the foreign merchants.

Only when it grew dark and night fell did the three of them reluctantly part and each go home.

Then came New Year’s Eve.

The palace grew even busier, and they no longer had any chance to go out.

On the first day of the new year, they had to perform ancestral rites; on the second day, they had to entertain relatives and friends and pay New Year’s visits; on the third, fourth, and fifth days, they had to stay home to show filial respect to their elders and it wasn’t appropriate to go out.

After the fifth day, only then did the families who knew each other in the Capital City go back onto the streets.

Well-born ladies gathered to drink tea and watch opera at the theater houses.

The men went together to stroll through teahouses and listen to little songs, their lives comfortably pleasant.

At this time the palace also became a little more relaxed.

But that was only temporary; around the seventh or eighth, they had to start preparing for the Lantern Festival again.

Whenever this time came, Xia Ruqing would sigh.

”We haven’t even rested for two days and we’re busy again!”

”Why are there so many festivals!”

Zi Yue would persuade her.

”My Lady, you used to look forward to the Lantern Festival the most!”

Xia Ruqing thought for a moment.

”That was because back then the Lantern Festival meant I could sneak out of the palace!”

”But now... I can leave the palace whenever I want, and no one will be jealous of me anymore, yet I don’t feel like going out.”

At that time, in order to protect her and keep the other women in the Harem from knowing and growing jealous of her, the Emperor...

Would secretly bring her out, and then secretly send her back.

Now, she was the Empress, and no matter where she went with her Emperor husband, no one would be jealous anymore.

But she no longer had that original feeling.

”Sigh!”

She let out a long sigh.

”Which just goes to show, the things we wanted at eighteen—better find a way to have them at eighteen!”

”Even if you manage to get them all at forty, they’re not the same as they were back then!”

Zi Yue didn’t really understand, so she handed over a bowl of tonic soup and smiled.

”My Lady, you’d better stop overthinking!”

”The account lists will be sent over in a bit. After the Ministry of Internal Affairs approves them, they still need you to look them over!”

Xia Ruqing shook her head to clear it, stopped letting her thoughts run wild, and took the tonic soup to drink.

...

The Lantern Festival passed according to palace rules and old custom.

They held a banquet, everyone sat together chatting and laughing, watched some music and dance performances, and in the end each person received a bit of reward—that was it.

There was nothing particularly dazzling about it, and nothing much had changed.

But for the Harem, no change was the best possible thing.

The Concubines lived in luxury and stability; that kind of steady life was far more reassuring than dramatic ups and downs, and it gave people a sense of security.

After the Lantern Festival.

Xia Ruqing needed a full two days of rest before she felt recovered.

She had a lot of feelings about this.

”I really am getting old. If this were before, I wouldn’t be this delicate!”

Zhao Junyao leaned against her and said with a smile,

”Nonsense!”

”Right now you look... at most thirty!”

Xia Ruqing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

”Alright, alright!”

”You keep praising me like that and I’ll get embarrassed!”

Her gaze fell on Zhao Junyao’s temples; her eyes narrowed slightly, her look turning hazy.

”You... have white hair now!”

Zhao Junyao froze for a moment, then gave a faint smile.

”It’s only a few strands, they don’t count—just pull them out and it’ll be fine!”

Xia Ruqing gently reached out and suddenly yanked out the white hairs at his temples!

”There!”

”I pulled them out by the roots. They’ll never grow back!”

Zhao Junyao laughed.

”Many thanks, my Empress!”

”You’re welcome, you’re welcome!”

Xia Ruqing waved her hand carelessly.

The two of them looked at each other and suddenly burst out laughing.

...

After the Lantern Festival, the entire Capital City, both inside and outside the palace, gradually calmed down, and everything returned to its proper rhythm.

On the imperial court, that emperor who had passed the age of forty was still as energetic as ever, diligently governing everything in the Great Chu Dynasty.

The young and promising Crown Prince stood humbly in the first row of the court.

He studied with an open mind, read widely, treated virtuous people with courtesy, and widely accepted remonstrance and advice.

As the Crown Prince of a vast empire and its future successor, he had to be ready to weather any storm.

After his imperial father passed away, he would shoulder the heavy responsibilities of both family and country for the decades to come.

He had to protect his people from the ravages of war.

He had to ensure that his people could live in peace and contentment, and that the realm would be prosperous and thriving.

He knew this would not be easy, but he was working at it, and would keep working at it.