A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Tang Xun married into the Xia Residence a few years ago, not only completely escaping her original family, but also learning a wealth of poetry and literature from Xia Jingfeng.

The nightmares she once had when she first entered the door, being ridiculed publicly and abandoned by her husband, obviously did not come true, and they were never likely to.

Now, she has already transformed from a naive and ignorant merchant’s concubine-born daughter into a mature, elegant, gentle, considerate, graceful, virtuous, and highly talented young lady of a distinguished family.

Her bright eyes and white teeth, her every move, her every frown and smile, her every gesture, all reflect the grace and refined elegance that are deeply ingrained in her bones.

Once people see her, they can’t take their eyes off her, and a single glance makes them forget the mundane world.

These years.

She has not only read extensively but also bore Xia Jingfeng a son and a daughter, managing the household with perfect order.

Such talent and achievements even some properly raised daughters of noble families might not be able to do as well.

Yet she can be meticulous, doing things thoroughly and methodically, with everything clearly organized.

Some of the noblewomen from Jinling who used to look down on her now genuinely admire her, and occasionally come to seek advice from her, learning from her experiences.

Even the servants in the residence praise her unanimously, saying that she is gentle and fair, a mistress that would be hard to find elsewhere even with a lantern.

Such high praise might have made someone else complacent and forget themselves long ago.

But every time she hears it, she always shakes her head and frowns.

”Don’t say such things indiscriminately, these are what I should do, what’s the need for praise?”

...

That day.

Tang Xun had just sent her two children out to study and was practicing calligraphy by the window.

Xiao Chuan brought in a bowl of tonic soup and said with a smile.

”Madam, Master just sent someone to ask if you have had today’s ginseng soup?”

Tang Xun blushed.

”Why does he ask every day?”

”My body is obviously fine, so why waste all that silver every day?”

Since she entered the household and had two children, Xia Jingfeng saw that her body was still so thin and never seemed to gain weight.

Worried about her frailty, he had some nourishing prescriptions made for her to drink.

Inside were ginseng, cinnamon, and various precious tonic herbs, which naturally were great supplements for the body.

But Tang Xun always felt it was a waste of silver, always feeling like she was squandering resources.

Xiao Chuan placed the tonic in front of her and stood with arms akimbo.

”Madam! Master is also thinking of your well-being!”

”Still, you should drink it, wasting silver is never good!”

Xiao Chuan said this because she knew Tang Xun would only listen to this reasoning.

Sure enough, Tang Xun began to feel distressed at the mention of silver.

”Alright, alright!”

”Don’t say anymore, I’ll drink it!”

Since the silver wouldn’t come back, it wouldn’t do to waste it either.

She put down the pen and paper, picked up the bowl of tonic, and drank it spoon by spoon, finishing it quickly.

”Satisfied now?”

Xiao Chuan giggled.

”It’s all fine now!”

Finishing her words, she carried the empty bowl happily to report back!

Tang Xun shook her head helplessly and resumed her calligraphy practice.

...

After about a quarter of an hour, Xiao Chuan returned again.

”Madam, Madam!”

Tang Xun smiled wryly.

”What is it now?”

”Why are you so jumpy today, girl?”

She remembered there hadn’t been any recent issues in the residence.

Xiao Chuan patted her chest and caught her breath.

”Madam, I was just about to go to the study to bring something to the young master and young miss, and as I reached the front yard, someone came to relay a message saying...”

She could only say so much in one breath and then took deep breaths.

Hearing this, Tang Xun’s heart instantly leaped into her throat, looking at Xiao Chuan anxiously, nervously speculating.

”Is it a message from the study?”

”Is something wrong with the children?”

When it comes to children, there isn’t a mother in the world who isn’t anxious, and Tang Xun was no exception.

She couldn’t help but speculate wildly.

”Could it be that the children are hurt or... sick?”

Xiao Chuan shook her head.

”No... no, that’s not it!”

She steadied her breath and explained the reason.

”The young master and young miss are fine, Madam, don’t worry! It’s Master who sends a message!”

”He said there’s a lady visiting the front yard, and Master wants you to go greet her!”

Hearing this, Tang Xun was completely stunned.

”A lady?”

This answer seemed completely different from what she had thought!

Just as she was focused on the children, she was suddenly informed that a lady had come?

”What lady?”

Xiao Chuan shook her head.

”I haven’t seen her myself, but...”

Suddenly, she leaned over to Tang Xun’s ear and whispered the gossip she had heard.

”Some say that lady is extremely beautiful, and someone saw Master treating her very well, even personally assisting her down the steps, appearing very intimate!”

”And also...”

”Our Master usually doesn’t smile much, but in front of that lady, he was all smiles, so much so that many people in the front yard were stunned. They even said that Master has never smiled like that in front of you...”

Before Xiao Chuan could finish, Tang Xun’s face turned slightly pale.

It was not that she distrusted her husband.

It’s just that this scene looked a lot like what a few of her close friends had mentioned!

They called this scenario: a mistress entering the house, with a child in tow.

Very few men in officialdom like Xia Jingfeng do not take concubines.

Not only do they have multiple wives and concubines, but most even keep mistresses outside.

Mistresses are typically those encountered in social venues, given by an official colleague’s gifts, female singers, female dancers, or sent by some subordinate, in short, they come from all sorts of backgrounds.

But they all have a common attribute, which is their low status.

Low status means they cannot enter the residence as concubines, so they can only be kept as mistresses, hidden from the public.

Generally, family matriarchs do not pay attention to such women, as they see them as mere playthings, not much better than stray cats or dogs.

As long as the official has a shred of respectability, they won’t let them cause any trouble; mostly, it’s just for fun.

But...

There are always a few who lose their sense of conscience, who, for the sake of these women, dismiss their wives, and instead favor their mistresses, even at the risk of public ridicule.

These people will not only let the mistress get pregnant but even bring them into the residence as proper concubines, exclusively favoring them, ignoring any other wives or concubines.

The process is much like what is happening in front of her.

’A lady comes, and Master wants her to greet her, even assisting her down the steps...’

Images assembled in her mind, she immediately conjured up the scene of ’Master helping a pregnant woman toward her, telling her he loves this woman and wants to take her as a wife.’

Her eyes turned somewhat red.

She forgot all about the former affection, the past vows, the harmony between them.

She couldn’t help but delve into this ridiculous quandary without escape.

Truly, there is some truth to the saying.

No matter how wise a woman is, when she falls deeply in love, she can lose her wisdom and her basic judgment.

She bit her lip, trying to calm her emotions, forced herself to cool down, then lifted her head and said.

”Alright!”

”I’ll go greet her right away! Xiao Chuan, help me change!”