Chapter 286 - 285: Beef Rice Noodles

Zhao Junyao’s stern brows rose slightly. "Qingqing, what else do you know?"

Xia Ruqing immediately caved, murmuring softly, "You’re the one who asked me to say it! This... this isn’t hard to guess, is it?!"

Zhao Junyao looked at her like that and curled his lips. "Then you guess... what did Zhen discover?"

When Xia Ruqing heard him ask this, she played along, lifting her small face proudly as she said, "You haven’t discovered anything!"

Zhao Junyao was speechless.

Qingqing, you win. But couldn’t she have phrased it a bit more gently? It seemed a bit like... a loss of face!

Seeing his silence, Xia Ruqing knew she had guessed correctly and beamed with delight.

"AHEM..." Zhao Junyao coughed dryly twice.

This silly woman, does she even know how to flatter someone? She doesn’t look stupid...

Xia Ruqing hurriedly explained, "Emperor, if you had really discovered something, you wouldn’t need your consort to relieve your worries and solve your problems..."

"Why?" Zhao Junyao was somewhat perplexed.

Xia Ruqing widened her eyes. "You would have dealt with it directly! It’s because you didn’t discover anything that you’re bothered!"

Zhao Junyao squinted and thought for quite a while before he had to sigh, "Qingqing, you’re very smart!"

Being praised, Xia Ruqing hugged her belly and bloomed with joy. Then she cheekily added, "I think so too!"

Zhao Junyao was speechless again.

He felt a mix of love, hate, and exasperation.

Suddenly, he curled his lips again and tossed an ultimate question her way. "Then do you think this is a coincidence, or is someone manipulating things behind the scenes?"

This ’someone’ he referred to was the Ninth Imperial Uncle; after all, in Guangnan, he was the only one who had previously lived in the palace.

Xia Ruqing thought for a long while, then directly conceded, "I don’t know..."

She wasn’t a god, after all.

Zhao Junyao finally let out a sigh of relief.

Ah, the emperor’s dignity was securely preserved. But... something still seemed a bit off. Since when did he need to struggle to save face in front of a woman? Hmm! Perhaps not with other women. But with Xia Ruqing... She was just like her own brother—two individuals who didn’t know the meaning of ’face’! And yet... these two fools. One was his beloved concubine, the other his favored minister. How did he end up... end up... unable to stop himself from liking them!

「At dinnertime.」

Zhao Junyao didn’t want to leave, so the imperial meal was naturally set up at Qingya Residence.

Li Shengan was about to arrange for the meal to be served when Zhao Junyao suddenly said, "Don’t serve anything Qingqing can’t eat. Bring a few of her favorite dishes!"

Li Shengan promptly acknowledged the command.

Xia Ruqing instantly deflated. "Emperor..."

Zhao Junyao raised an eyebrow. "What’s wrong?"

"There are only so many prenatal meals Imperial Doctor Zhang prescribes! Your consort has grown tired of them all..." Xia Ruqing finished, then lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers.

Zhao Junyao instantly understood. He said, "Alright, tell me, what do you want to eat?"

Xia Ruqing’s eyes suddenly lit up. "I want to eat beef noodles! The kind made with sweet potato flour, the noodles a foot long and half a finger wide... Blanched in hot water, drenched in beef bone broth, topped with a layer of thin beef slices, and finally drizzled with aromatic vinegar, chopped green onions, and millet chili sauce!"

Xia Ruqing hadn’t even finished speaking when her mouth started watering.

It wasn’t her fault; ever since getting pregnant, she had developed an intense craving for sour foods. She wished she could dip even her pastries in vinegar! To prevent her from drinking vinegar outright, Zi Yue and the others had hidden the jar of rice vinegar from the small tearoom. Now, if she wanted something sour, she had to beg the Imperial Physician!

It’s too awful, really too awful!

The corner of Zhao Junyao’s mouth twitched.

He really was at a loss with her.

"Call the Imperial Physician over!" Zhao Junyao ordered.

Xia Ruqing cried out in despair, "Ah? Call the Imperial Physician again? If he comes, he definitely won’t let me eat it!"

Zhao Junyao’s face hardened. "Behave!"

Xia Ruqing dared not say another word.

Imperial Doctor Zhang arrived quickly. He first took her pulse, then pondered for a good while before speaking, "Xia Jieyu’s constitution is well-conditioned, the fetus is developing well, and her pulse is steady and strong!"

Xia Ruqing was overjoyed. "Emperor, did you hear that? The baby is doing well!"

Zhao Junyao inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Noble Concubine Shih’s child back then had caused him extreme distress. He didn’t want to lose another child.

He touched her stomach and then said in a deep voice, "What the Imperial Physician forbids you to eat, I also forbid. Behave!"

Xia Ruqing wisely bowed her head. "Yes, Emperor!"

Sometimes, you really couldn’t afford to be disobedient!

Dinner began. Zhao Junyao’s movements were, as always, elegant.

Xia Ruqing, however, found it hard to eat. Without anything sour, it was too uncomfortable. She endured the discomfort and forced some food down, but in the end, she couldn’t help but suddenly retch and throw up.

"Qingqing!"

"My Lady!"

Everyone was frightened. People scrambled for handkerchiefs, reached out to help, and fetched water—it was utter chaos.

Disregarding everything else, Zhao Junyao carried her to the bed. "Imperial Physician... call the Imperial Physician..."

And so, Imperial Doctor Zhang, whose seat hadn’t even had time to warm up, was hurriedly summoned once more.

This time, without even needing to take her pulse, Imperial Doctor Zhang took one look and reported, "Emperor, this is morning sickness. It’s a normal reaction!"

Zhao Junyao looked utterly confused.

There was such a thing?

Imperial Doctor Zhang also broke out in a sweat.

Emperor, even though you already have two daughters, it’s understandable that you wouldn’t know about such uniquely female matters! Yes, that made sense!

After his initial bewilderment, Zhao Junyao asked, "How do we resolve this? Do we just let it be?"

Xia Ruqing inwardly rolled her eyes.

What else? Do you think pregnancy is all fun and games? This is mild. When my vomiting was at its worst, who knows where you were or what you were busy with!

Imperial Doctor Zhang wiped the sweat from his brow and answered, "Emperor, it’s nothing serious. Morning sickness is very normal.

"When Xia Jieyu’s vomiting was at its most severe, I prescribed medication for her. She’s much better now, so there’s no need for medication at present."

Xia Ruqing finally felt relieved.

Zhao Junyao’s heart, however, suddenly sank.

The most severe? Medication was prescribed? How did he know nothing about any of this!

Just as he was thinking, Xia Ruqing pitifully asked, "Imperial Physician, can I eat some sour food then?"

Imperial Doctor Zhang thought for a moment, then said cautiously, "Xia Jieyu, you’ve consumed quite a bit of sour food previously. This time, you must pay close attention to the quantity. You absolutely mustn’t overindulge!"

Xia Ruqing was so moved she could have cried tears of joy. "Yes, yes! I will definitely be careful this time!!"

Imperial Doctor Zhang checked her pulse again. Finding nothing to be concerned about, he withdrew.

The Imperial Kitchen, working with utmost speed, prepared and presented a half-bowl of beef noodles. It contained aromatic vinegar and a tiny bit of spice. The amounts were small, but Xia Ruqing still ate with great satisfaction.

That night, after washing up, Xia Ruqing went to bed early.

Zhao Junyao tucked in the corner of the blanket for her and gently stroked her hair.

His heart felt incredibly soft, yet pained. Was it terribly uncomfortable for her when she vomited? How many times did she throw up? Did she cry? So, it turned out that a woman’s journey through pregnancy and childbirth wasn’t just about surviving the life-and-death ordeal of labor. The entire process was fraught with numerous hardships!

After she fell asleep, Zhao Junyao sat with her for a while longer before leaving.