Chapter 228 Consort Yun Pin Humiliated

Zhao Junyao, seeing her curiosity, gave her a page.

"What do you want? Pick something, I’ll give it to you!"

Xia Ruqing had several question marks popping up in her mind.

"Emperor, when did you become ’I’?"

Shouldn’t it be... ’We’?

Zhao Junyao’s mouth twitched.

This girl, what on earth is she paying attention to?!!

"Do you want it or not?"

Zhao Junyao raised his eyebrows, planning to take the list back.

Xia Ruqing hastily put on a thick-skinned smile.

"Yes! Yes! How could I not want it?!"

Xia Ruqing, her waist feeling as if it were about to break, attempted to get up and sit. Unexpectedly, she stumbled again. Her forehead was about to have an intimate encounter with Zhao Junyao’s "little brother."

Suddenly, Zhao Junyao grabbed her by the collar of her undergarment and moved her to the side.

A flicker of inexplicable excitement flashed in Zhao Junyao’s eyes.

"Qingqing... you..."

Could it be, Qingqing wanted to give him... give him...

COUGH COUGH, he dared not continue the thought, as he might not be able to hold back.

Xia Ruqing had no clue what was going on in Zhao Junyao’s head.

All she knew was that being held by the collar was very uncomfortable.

"Emperor..."

Her face was a picture of misery!

Zhao Junyao suddenly realized something was amiss and hurriedly let go of her.

"COUGH COUGH... Qingqing, it’s... my fault!"

"Qingqing, what do you like? Choose something?"

Zhao Junyao shamefully changed the subject.

Xia Ruqing was a money-grubber. She picked up the list, and wow, it was all good stuff. Her integrity instantly disappeared. The recent displeasure was cast aside, and her eyes shone with little stars.

"Emperor, can I have anything I want?"

Zhao Junyao nodded.

"An Emperor’s word is his bond!"

Inside, Xia Ruqing was shouting "OH YEAH!!"

After looking at the gift list for a while, Xia Ruqing was no longer as excited.

"Emperor, why... is there nothing fun?"

Zhao Junyao was perplexed. "Qingqing, what kind of fun thing do you want?"

Don’t all women love furs, fabrics, jewelry, gems, and the like? And those things similar to rouge and face powder contributed by the Kingdom of Goryeo. Don’t all women like them? By fun, does Qingqing mean...

Zhao Junyao asked outright, "What do you want!"

Xia Ruqing thought for a moment, looking dissatisfied.

"I want... to have... good food! You have already rewarded me with many of these items, and my low status forbids me from wearing them! Having them around is just vexing; it’s better not to have them at all!"

Zhao Junyao flipped through two more pages with her.

"Aren’t there still ornamental pieces? Screens and the like?"

"You don’t want things that are worth a fortune?"

These past few pages listed handicrafts from Jiangnan, all exquisitely crafted and priceless!

And this girl, she actually doesn’t want them!

Xia Ruqing just wasn’t interested in these items.

These are tribute items, property of the court, not for sale, just for show! At most, they would be used to show off. My Qingya Residence is hardly visited by anyone; no need to show off.

So, Xia Ruqing thought for a moment and then shamelessly said, "Emperor, I want Silver!"

Zhao Junyao fell silent. He looked a bit displeased, teeth gritted in frustration.

This girl, does she have any semblance of a woman at all?

But...

Zhao Junyao couldn’t resist her pitiful gaze. In the end, he had no choice but to have Li Shengan give her a case full of small silver ingots.

Xia Ruqing happily thanked him for his grace. After having breakfast with the Emperor, she returned to Qingya Residence.

「...」

Upon entering, she felt that the room was still a bit cold and lamented, "Zhaochen Palace is really warmer!"

Xiao Zhu Zi heard her and, without a word, added more firewood to the Ground Dragon heating system. In less than half a Shi Chen, the temperature rose.

Xia Ruqing, wearing only her undergarments, lay askew on the bed. After washing her face, she asked Zi Yue to fetch one of the bottles from the pile the Emperor had rewarded her with last time.

"What is this, My Lady?" Zi Yue was somewhat puzzled.

All of them looked like white, creamy salves, not much different from each other.

Xia Ruqing glanced at the label written in Great Chu script.

"Hmm... this is... a face mask, right?"

"A face mask?"

Zi Yue didn’t quite understand what a face mask was but didn’t ask further. Xia Ruqing didn’t elaborate either.

After washing her face, she applied a layer to her skin. She lay comfortably on the bed, reading a storybook, from time to time laughing heartily at the stories within.

Life was truly delightful.

「The next day,」

The Emperor’s rewards were distributed. According to rank, everyone in the Harem above the Sixth Rank received something. Zhao Junyao couldn’t be bothered with these matters, so he left it to Li Shengan to handle. Li Shengan couldn’t decide alone, so he consulted Hai Dasheng from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

There was no question about the Empress’s unique portion, nor were there any questions about the Noble Consort’s share. Even the rewards for the several Honored Ladies below were clear-cut. The most contentious were those for Xia Jieyu, Consort Zheng Pin, and Consort Yun Pin.

Hai Dasheng was somewhat troubled. "How should this be distributed? Who should receive the better portion?" The gifts were all different, and how to properly match them was a matter of expertise.

Li Shengan didn’t even need to think. "Naturally, it should be favored towards Xia Jieyu!"

No one was more aware of how much she was favored than him. Whenever tributes arrived, the Emperor personally invited her to choose first. Who else in the Harem received such treatment?

Hai Dasheng still hesitated. "Brother Li, it’s not that I don’t respect you, but... the Emperor has always emphasized protocol. How can we let a Jieyu have what even the consorts have not yet received? That would be quite improper!"

Li Shengan waved his hand dismissively. "Hey! Listen to me; you won’t go wrong! In the eyes of the Emperor, Xia Jieyu is an exception—at least, for now!"

Hai Dasheng then fell silent.

Upon reflection, it made sense. Xia Jieyu’s favor in the Harem was evident to all. And she knew how to conduct herself, occasionally handing out rewards. She was generous with her offerings, giving away Silver in Five Tael increments! It was no wonder both the Imperial Kitchen and the Ministry of Internal Affairs were eager to curry favor with her. She was someone truly outstanding!

Reflecting on this, Hai Dasheng made up his mind. "I’ll follow Brother Li’s lead!"

Li Shengan nodded. "That’s the right decision!"

「...」

The weather grew colder and colder. Approaching year-end, after several sunny days, it felt even colder than it usually did during snowy times.

That day, the Empress led the concubines to pay respects to the Empress Dowager. Having given up hope in Noble Concubine Shih, the Empress Dowager had shown a few signs of goodwill towards the Empress and was willing to meet people again.

After they bowed, the Empress Dowager courteously offered them seats. After some pleasantries, the Empress Dowager sipped her tea while glancing over the ladies.

"Which one is Xia Jieyu?"

Xia Ruqing, suddenly called out, hastily rose and knelt. "Paying respects to the Empress Dowager!"

The Empress Dowager looked at her, her dissatisfaction apparent as she set down her teacup. Quite a while passed before she gestured for her to rise. Xia Ruqing’s legs had grown numb from kneeling.

After what seemed an eternity, the Empress Dowager finally spoke.

"With so many concubines in the Harem and only one Emperor, you must all advise him to be fair and considerate.

"Think more for the Emperor’s sake!

"The Emperor doesn’t neglect the Harem, so why... are there no princes yet!"

After speaking, her gaze turned towards the Empress. "Perhaps it is not without your fault!"