A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace-Chapter 589 Picking Plum Blossoms
Zhao Junqi said no more. He downed one cup of wine after another. Wave upon wave of female singers and dancers came and went.
After an indeterminate time, fireworks finally began outside. When the fireworks ended, the Emperor led the princes from the Royal Clan to have some dumplings. Then they went to the ancestral hall behind to kneel before the ancestors of the Royal Family, before finally dispersing.
On the women’s side, after staying up for the new year and eating dumplings, they returned to their quarters. By the time Xia Ruqing returned to her palace, she was exhausted. Upon entering, she threw off her cloak, collapsed onto the bed, and let Zi Yue and Zi Su attend to her as they washed her face. By the time they had undressed her and helped her wash up, she was already fast asleep.
From the Zi Hour, she only slept until around the Yin Hour, merely three Shi Chens. And already it was time to rise again.
Zi Yue pulled back the bed curtains and called her to wake. "My lady, it’s time for the ancestral worship!"
Everyone had to attend the ceremony at the Grand Temple, even the pregnant Honored Lady Cheng. At most, the ceremony would just be shorter for her.
Xia Ruqing struggled to open her eyes and saw the pitch-black sky outside. In her heart, she cursed, Damn it, waking up in the middle of the night for ancestral worship! After cursing, she still had to force her eyes open, put on makeup, and comb her hair.
By the Chen Hour, the Palace Consorts had already assembled in Jiaofang Hall. Under the leadership of the Empress, the Concubines went to Ningshou Palace to fetch the Empress Dowager, then proceeded together to the Grand Temple.
The Grand Temple was a magical place, housing the ancestors of the Royal Family. It was a place where only direct descendants were allowed to enter. Only the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the Emperor could enter, and of course, the Princes too. The rest, even Princesses, were not permitted because they would eventually marry out and no longer be considered part of the Royal Family. The Concubines couldn’t enter either; no matter how noble, they were still concubines, not deemed presentable enough for such an occasion. They just had to wait outside.
Thus, Xia Ruqing began a freezing ordeal lasting more than one Shi Chen. She stood with utmost propriety in the icy snowscape. From time to time, she also had to follow instructions to kneel and kowtow. In this way, she persevered until the end of the Si Hour.
When her blood felt like it was about to freeze solid, the ceremony inside finally concluded. Then, the Concubines and the Empress Dowager went to Ninghe Hall.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Enjoin from outside the palace would come in to kowtow to the Empress Dowager and the Empress. They would receive their midday banquet there, and as a concubine of Xia Ruqing’s rank, she also had to accompany them.
Xia Ruqing, wearing her Phoenix Crown once more, sat for another two Shi Chens. Two Shi Chens later, they finally had lunch and saw off all the visitors who had come to pay their respects. When they were free to disperse, Xia Ruqing’s neck felt like it was almost breaking.
As soon as she got into her warm sedan chair, she took off the Phoenix Crown. Back at Qingya Residence, the moment she walked through the door, she stripped off all her clothes.
"It’s so cold outside, yet I’m sweating! That just shows how heavy these clothes are!"
Zi Yue smiled. "How could such expensive clothing not be heavy? That’s why they call it ’precious and weighty’!"
It was all embedded with gold, jade, and precious stones; it would be odd if it wasn’t heavy.
Xia Ruqing collapsed on the soft couch, too tired even to swallow.
"You all go out. I want to sleep for a while!"
"Yes!"
Zi Yue carefully stored the palace attire piece by piece, covered Xia Ruqing with the quilt, and then left the room.
Outside, Little Bun, Da Bai, and Xiao Bai were playing together with a small puppy. The little puppy wasn’t afraid of people or cats. Little White curiously sniffed at it, and the puppy approached, continuously licking her with its tender pink tongue. In the end, Little White became embarrassed and quickly licked it back. Then, a cat and a dog thus affirmed their connection with a look.
Da Bai looked on, utterly helpless. He stood by the window, a solitary figure gazing at the scenery, his silhouette rather poignant. No choice then, the wife has found a new joy, huh?
Xia Ruqing slept for a full three Shi Chens before she felt fully rested. When she awoke, the sky was already turning to dusk.
"Oh no, how did I sleep for so long? Zi Yue, why didn’t you wake me?"
Zi Yue just laughed. "It’s not late, my lady. What’s the rush? We don’t have anything special planned for tonight, do we?" Her Ladyship slept poorly yesterday, so today is a good day for her to catch up!
"That’s true!" Xia Ruqing paused before she responded. These past few days have put me on edge; it’s been one thing after another. Suddenly, it’s all over, and I’m still not quite used to it!
Zi Yue then brought her clothes. "These are your everyday clothes that you love to wear, and they’re warm. Hurry and get up! Tomorrow, your new sister-in-law is coming to the palace, isn’t she? You need to prepare too!"
Zi Yue’s words were like a wake-up call.
"Yes! My new sister-in-law is coming, my new sister-in-law!"
At that moment, Xia Ruqing was entirely excited. It was like a piece of duckweed that had drifted for a long, long time suddenly finding a sense of belonging. She, too, had family now.
Xia Ruqing almost jumped out of bed. "Quickly bring me my clothes! We need to check if anything is out of place here! Also, we need to get the ledger from the small storeroom. The first meeting gift can’t be shabby, and there’s... We also need to prepare some Silver for the Imperial Kitchen. I want to invite my sister-in-law for lunch! We’ve got to order several fine dishes, right?"
"My lady, rest assured, we all remember! Not a single detail has slipped our minds!" Zi Yue said as she brought the clothes for her.
Xia Ruqing smiled and went to get dressed.
"This outfit is really comfortable, so soft, and pretty to look at!" As Xia Ruqing twirled around, examining it, she expressed her genuine appreciation.
It was Supreme Snow Satin, pure white throughout. It was said to be made from silk spun by a rare species of snow silkworm from the Tianshan Mountains. Only a few bolts were produced each year, and she had obtained one. Wearing it, she looked ethereal, as if floating on air.
"The Duobao Pavilion looks too bare up there!"
"You all go ahead and order the meal; I’m going to the Imperial Garden to pick some plum blossoms!" Having said that, Xia Ruqing went to find her cloak.
White snow, red plum blossoms, a lady in white – ha, with such beautiful looks from the original body, it would be a shame not to show them off. Thinking about the scene from ’Dream of the Red Chamber’ where Bao Qin and Bao Yu were picking plum blossoms, Xia Ruqing truly envied and loved it. How she hoped for a handsome man to drop from the sky to accompany her picking plum blossoms, making others jealous! Cough cough! Wishful thinking. Handsome men are unlikely, but there are plenty of eunuchs! Haha!
"My lady, there’s no rush with the evening meal!" Zi Yue said. "I will find you a white outfit to match, but as for boots, we only have red ones. We have sheepskin and deerskin! I think the sheepskin ones look better! They have a band of white fluff around them, which matches the clothes nicely!"
"Hmm, I also think the sheepskin boots are better!"
Thus, Xia Ruqing put on her white clothes and went out with her Palace Maids. Underneath was the ethereal Supreme Snow Satin, and over it was a pure white cloak with fox fur along the edges. When the wind blew, the fox fur caressed her cheeks. Her hair was only partly done, with most of it resting on her shoulders, held together with just a white jade hairpin. As she walked, the wind lifted the hem of her skirt. She looked like a fairy untouched by worldly concerns.
