Because of this reason, I couldn't go to pay respects, losing face from two lifetimes!
When the news reached the Empress, everyone openly mocked her, but secretly, they were dying of jealousy.
There was no way to find fault; in the following days, Xia Ruqing pretended to be ill, staying in Zhaohua Pavilion and refusing to go out.
They couldn't just come over to pick a fight!
That day after court, Zhao Junyao was approving some documents in the Imperial Study Room when he suddenly asked,
"Is Lady Xia still ill?"
This little seductress, was she angry?
Li Shengan lowered his head, thinking: Your Majesty, don't you have a clue?
That night, it wasn't until the fourth watch that the Emperor finally extinguished the lights. By the fifth watch, he was up and spirited for court, while Lady Xia lay "bedridden".
Having followed the Emperor for so many years, he'd never seen the Emperor so out of sorts. It seemed Lady Xia held a special place.
"I haven't heard of any summons for the Imperial Physician at Zhaohua Pavilion!" Li Shengan answered honestly.
"Hmm!" Zhao Junyao buried himself back in the documents.
After lunch, he approved some more documents, then went to the Imperial Garden for a walk but found it dull.
"Let's see what Xia is doing!"
"Yes!"
Li Shengan thought: The Emperor truly favored Lady Xia. Going directly would be too conspicuous; "incidentally" would be much better.
Seeing the Emperor arrive, Xiao Xizi was so frightened he almost lost his soul, completely flustered.
Finally realizing he had to announce loudly, he was stopped by the Emperor.
Zhao Junyao pushed the door open and walked in quietly.
He saw Xia Ruqing leaning on the table, writing something with a face full of frustration and resentment.
As he got closer, Zhao Junyao was taken aback, his mouth twitching hard.
"Is this your writing?"
Xia Ruqing was startled, her hand shook, and a big drop of ink fell on the paper. She wanted to get angry, but when she looked up and saw it was the Emperor, she swallowed it back.
She quickly put down the brush and knelt down.
"This servant pays respects to Your Majesty! I didn't know you had arrived and failed to meet you from afar. Please forgive me!"
"Get up!" Zhao Junyao waved his hand.
Seeing her holding her breath, Zhao Junyao was in a very good mood.
He turned around and sat down, and the Palace Attendant served tea.
Picking up another piece of writing she had done, Zhao Junyao asked curiously, "What have you written?"
"Women Precepts!" Xia Ruqing replied through gritted teeth.
After ruining several pages, she finally managed to produce one decent one, only to have it ruined like this.
Feeling both angry and wronged, she dared not show it, her face turning red.
Looking at her chicken-scratch writing and then at her flushed face, Zhao Junyao suddenly burst into laughter.
Li Shengan was shocked: Since becoming an adult, the Emperor had never been so happy; Lady Xia had quite the skill.
Xia Ruqing was so mad she wanted to stomp her feet.
It wasn't her fault. In her previous life, her handwriting was quite good, but she just couldn't hold the brush steady, so it ended up like this.
After laughing for a while, Zhao Junyao asked her, "Your family seems scholarly, yet you can't write?"
Xia Ruqing quickly rummaged through the memories of her predecessor.
Her expression dimmed as she softly said, "My mother passed away early, and my father was busy with work, unable to care..."
Usually, a girl was taught by her mother. A girl who lost her mother early would have a disadvantage even in marriage proposals, being said to have poor upbringing.
Seeing her crestfallen expression, Zhao Junyao refrained from laughing, not bringing it up again, and asked,
"Who told you to write?"
"No... Noble Consort!" Xia Ruqing replied honestly, her face red with a hint of grievance.
Being mocked like this was so embarrassing.
But… she didn't take the initiative to complain; the Emperor had asked, so she couldn't deceive him.
Seeing her head lowered, clutching her handkerchief like a wronged bunny, charming and cute, Zhao Junyao felt a twinge of pity.
He pulled her to his side and said softly, "How about I teach you calligraphy?"
Smelling the faint ambergris on him, Xia Ruqing thought for a moment, then happily nodded.
Writing with a handsome man? She liked that! After all, he was quite good-looking!
His callused, rough hand enveloped her soft, white hand, holding the brush, leaving stroke after stroke on the white paper.
Before long, a few lines appeared on the paper, the ink lively and the strokes bold, exuding great character.
Xia Ruqing stared blankly, secretly sighing: Even the legendary calligraphy masters were just like this.
A man so good-looking, and his writing as well...
As Xia Ruqing was smitten, she tightly gripped the brush, afraid to ruin the writing.
She held her breath, her face turning red and her nose sweating.
When Zhao Junyao looked down, his lips curled high, feeling very pleased, he tightened his grip on her delicate hand.
He whispered, "Don't let your hand shake, and press down strongly with the brush."
Saying this, the brush tip turned and another character emerged on the paper, forceful and penetrating.
At this moment, Li Shengan cautiously walked in.
"Your Majesty?" he softly called.
"What is it?"
Zhao Junyao did not stop writing, nor did he look up.
"Noble Concubine sent a message, saying she personally made soup for Your Majesty and invites you for dinner this evening!"
Zhao Junyao paused for a moment: "Understood!"
Xia Ruqing heard this and her heart trembled, thinking: She's trying to intercept him.
Noble Concubine Shih could only vent on these small matters; it wasn't doing her any favors.
Though the Empress wasn't a gentle lady, she was still much better than someone like Noble Concubine Shih. The difference was clear!
Zhao Junyao put down the brush, gently patted her shoulder, and said softly,
"Don't write this anymore. I'll find you some good books to practice with tomorrow!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xia Ruqing felt delighted and quickly thanked him.
This chicken-scratch writing was embarrassing; practicing calligraphy would be a good way to pass the time.
Of course, the main reason was that she really didn't want to copy "Women Precepts" anymore.
"Li Shengan, send these to the Noble Consort later, and say I'll be dining with her tonight!"
Zhao Junyao pointed to the stack of "Women Precepts" Xia Ruqing had copied, along with the few pages he had written in the afternoon.
"Yes!" Li Shengan answered quickly.
...
After seeing the Emperor off, the sky gradually darkened.
Xia Ruqing happily drank her tea, while Zi Yue stood by, a bit confused.
"Mistress, with the Noble Consort acting like this, why are you so happy?"
"Should I cry if I'm not happy?"
"But...?"
"No buts!" Xia Ruqing said, putting down the tea cup, pulling Zi Yue closer. She spoke softly.
"Think about it, what does the Emperor hate the most?"
Zi Yue thought for a while, then tentatively said, "Deception, jealousy?"
Xia Ruqing nodded, "Correct, but there's one more thing, being tailed!"
The Emperor was barely here for an hour before the Noble Consort came to snatch him away. Wasn't that just blatant following?
Spying on the Emperor was not a minor offense.
"The Noble Consort's conduct is quite unseemly," Xia Ruqing chuckled.
Zi Yue suddenly understood, "This servant is foolish."
Xia Ruqing laughed, "You're still young. Give it a couple of years and you'll understand!"
Zi Yue was clever, just young and inexperienced, but that wasn't a problem. As long as she was loyal, she would guide her well.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore!"
"Tonight, I want mutton soup, with some scallion pancakes, and the rest should be light side dishes! And pear soup!"
"Yes, I'll have Xiao Xizi fetch the meal right away!" Zi Yue laughed as she went out.