Chapter 345: The Giant Mooncake

Ultimately, who benefited from all this?

「In Qingya Residence.」

Xia Ruqing clutched her belly, her smile bright and sweet.

If one were to ask... with Lady Shih pregnant, who benefited?

Xia Ruqing felt that it was herself.

Originally, all eyes in the Harem were on her, eagerly awaiting her miscarriage, even her death. But now, Lady Shih had arrived. Oh no, it was Honored Lady Shih. With Honored Lady Shih pregnant, the Empress was watching, Noble Concubine Shih was also watching, and even the Empress Dowager, who usually kept out of Harem affairs, had become involved. Consort Zheng Pin watched, Consort Yun Pin watched, and Consort Ning and Consort Hui Pin were all watching too. What a commotion! Let them create a ruckus; the more noise over there, the quieter and safer it was for her. Life was so beautiful, she couldn’t begin to describe it.

Thinking this, Xia Ruqing felt all the benefits were hers to enjoy.

After having her breakfast, Xia Ruqing took a walk. Upon returning, she sipped water while chatting with Zi Yue.

"Originally, Lady Shih was the least favored. Among the ten who entered the palace, she was the only one the Emperor opposed even before her entry!" Xia Ruqing said. "After entering the palace, the Emperor’s dislike for her didn’t lessen!

In the end, even their consummation was orchestrated by the Empress Dowager, who got the Emperor drunk. It’s quite pitiful when you think about it.

But, her luck turned out to be quite good. She got pregnant in one go."

Zi Yue shook her head. "My lady, while Honored Lady Shih’s luck is good, her blessings are few indeed!

Has there ever been a dynasty or era where a pregnant concubine was so thoroughly despised by the Emperor? And it’s not as if she’s carrying someone else’s child.

"

Xia Ruqing laughed. "We can’t blame others for this. If anyone is to blame, it’s herself!

She can only blame herself for being born into the Shih Family and choosing to enter the palace. And, as it happened, she was brought in by the Empress Dowager and Noble Concubine Shih to be used as a mere vessel for childbearing.

"

Thinking this way, Xia Ruqing actually felt quite incredulous. "Thinking about it like this, could I actually be the lucky one?"

Zi Yue laughed. "Of course, my lady. With the Emperor’s favor, once you give birth to the Little Prince, you’ll be able to live a good life for a long, long time!"

Xia Ruqing smiled. "Let’s hope so!"

「At Xifu Palace, in a side hall.」

After a refreshing sleep and eating some spicy food, Honored Lady Shih felt much better.

Zhaoer stood by and asked, "My lady, are you feeling unwell? Should we invite the Imperial Physician to take your pulse again?"

Honored Lady Shih shook her head. "What pulse? I’m perfectly fine. Let’s not look for trouble!"

Zhaoer didn’t say much more and just nodded.

But she wondered to herself: since her mistress became an Honored Lady, the Noble Consort’s attitude had changed significantly. A few days ago, she would visit, but recently, she hadn’t even shown her face, and the supplements previously given had also stopped. Luckily, her mistress was now an Honored Lady. With an Honored Lady pregnant, the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ allocation included plenty of supplements. There was certainly enough to eat.

After resting for a while, Honored Lady Shih felt much better. Seeing the weather was nice outside, she called Zhaoer. "The Imperial Physician said I can’t lie down all the time. Zhaoer, let’s go out for a walk!"

Zhaoer responded and prepared a plush blanket, a cloak, a parasol, and so on. She also carried a food box with a couple of small pastries and a pot of tea.

After dressing appropriately, Honored Lady Shih led Zhaoer out of the side hall.

Passing by the main hall, they saw Ying Yue coming out.

"Greetings to Honored Lady Shih! Please, Honored Lady Shih, wait a moment."

Honored Lady Shih just smiled. "Ah, it’s Miss Ying Yue. Please rise!"

Ying Yue smiled as she got up, then made no move to leave.

Honored Lady Shih asked, feeling somewhat puzzled, "Is... something the matter?"

Ying Yue just smiled. "Where does the Honored Lady intend to go?"

Honored Lady Shih was taken aback and then smiled as well. "I have nothing particular to do, so I thought I’d take a stroll in the garden!"

Ying Yue looked at her, still with no intention of leaving. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke, "Her Highness means that, considering you are with child, to be cautious... it’s better if you don’t go out for now! It would be unfortunate if something unexpected were to happen!"

Honored Lady Shih looked dubious. "Unexpected?"

Ying Yue didn’t say more and simply took the basket from Zhaoer’s hands. "Come, Honored Lady, let’s go back!" she said and began to personally escort Honored Lady Shih inside.

"Eh?"

Honored Lady Shih disagreed, but her body was firmly guided by Ying Yue, so she had no choice but to head back.

After taking her back to the side hall, Noble Concubine Shih had someone deliver many nourishing gifts. Bird’s nest, abalone, Ginseng, Lingzhi—everything one could wish for was present.

Ying Yue, taking Honored Lady Shih’s arm, spoke with warmth and affection. "Her Highness said she hasn’t celebrated your promotion yet and wasn’t sure what to give you, so... she decided to send some tasty treats first!"

With that, she opened the box. Inside, all the tonics were of the highest quality. For a moment, both Honored Lady Shih and Zhaoer were stunned, at a loss for what to do.

After a while, Honored Lady Shih awkwardly withdrew her hand and lowered her head. "The Noble Consort treats this servant so well, I... I really don’t know what to do!"

Ying Yue smiled. "Her Highness said we are all family and urged you not to overthink it! She caught a cold recently and couldn’t visit you, but in a few days, she will come in person!"

Saying so, Ying Yue rose, performed a curtsy, and took her leave.

Honored Lady Shih hastily instructed Zhaoer to escort her out.

Zhaoer saw her out properly. Upon her return, she looked at Honored Lady Shih. The expressions on the faces of the mistress and servant were far from joyful.

"Does this mean... they don’t want me going out?" Honored Lady Shih murmured.

Zhaoer dared not make assumptions and tried her best to console her. "The Noble Consort is just worried about you!"

Sighing, Honored Lady Shih touched her belly. "So be it!"

「The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, gifts from the Emperor and from the Empress were distributed.」

They were bestowed according to rank, much the same as in previous years. As per custom, the Empress hosted the noblewomen who had come to the palace at a modest banquet in Jiaofang Hall for the midday meal. The evening was for the family banquet within the palace.

At noon, Xia Ruqing finally tasted the handmade mooncakes sent by the Imperial Kitchen. Just as she had requested, each mooncake weighed a full pound. Inside was a filling personally prepared by the master chefs of the Imperial Kitchen.

That day, Xiao Zhu Zi had hurriedly relayed Xia Jieyu’s request to the Imperial Kitchen. The master chefs were all astounded.

Such a way of eating was unheard of. "A mooncake weighing one pound?" The mooncakes cherished by the ladies of the Harem were only the size of walnuts—dainty, delicate, and exquisitely cute. Even so, the ladies could divide a single mooncake into about ten bites. Those who finished their portion were considered to have good manners; most would just nibble a bite, purse their lips to feign enjoyment, and then set it aside. No wonder the ladies all managed to stay so slender. But now, Xia Jieyu had suddenly requested mooncakes weighing one pound each, and that was truly... Wouldn’t they have to carve new molds?

The Imperial Kitchen had no objections; serving Xia Jieyu was something they were willing to do.

A five-nut filling? No problem at all—all sorts of top-quality nuts, walnut kernels, and dried fruits like peach jerky were hand-selected by the master chefs. The Imperial Kitchen had a small stone mill where they ground the nuts by hand, and even the powdered sugar was ground by hand.