She was nothing like the courteous host she had been with the Empress. So, with that one sentence, the Empress’s face changed color. Noble Concubine Shih wore a rose-red palace dress embroidered with large peonies in green silk thread. The blooms spiraled upward like clouds and rosy mist. Thıs content belongs to 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱 It had been a long while since Xia Ruqing had seen Noble Concubine Shih. Almost nine months into her pregnancy, aside from her larger belly, she looked unchanged, her face well cared for. Her brows and eyes were delicately painted, and her phoenix eyes still shimmered brightly, full of spirit and grace. She was like the most radiant and luxurious peony in the garden, dazzling and devastatingly beautiful. She was exactly the same as when she had been the beloved of the entire harem! When she heard the Empress Dowager’s reproach, she suddenly laughed. She coquettishly said, "Mother, the Imperial Physician advised me to walk more, as it’s good for childbirth! Tonight, the moonlight is so beautiful, I simply had to come! I... I just arrived a bit late. Emperor, you wouldn’t blame your consort, would you?" Zhao Junyao, with his long, handsome fingers, pinched his cup and sipped some wine, his lips curving into a smile. "Of course not!" Noble Concubine Shih immediately cast down her eyes in a bashful smile. "Thank you, Emperor!" Saying this, she took Consort Yun’s hand and went to her seat. The song and dance continued. Noble Concubine Shih was triumphant, caressing her belly and occasionally sending a smug look to the Empress. The Empress smiled faintly but did not pay her much attention. Seated towards the back, Xia Ruqing had little interest in the silent battle of glares permeating the air. She quietly ate some snacks, drank a few sips of the palace’s honey wine, and appreciated the dances she had seldom seen in either her past or present life. At the right moment, just like the other women, she shyly threw a coquettish gaze at the Emperor and moved forward to softly offer a toast. Beyond that, nothing more. The banquet continued until You Hour before concluding. Xia Ruqing, having eaten and drunk her fill, duly performed her courtesies before following the crowd back to Qingya Residence. She bathed and went to bed without further incident. The Emperor and Empress escorted the Empress Dowager back, then returned to Jiaofang Hall together. This was protocol, nothing more to say. It was Noble Concubine Shih, however, who was especially happy tonight. Even after the banquet had ended, she still seemed not entirely satisfied. Ying Yue had to persuade her. "Your Noble Lady, it’s late. You should rest early!" Noble Concubine Shih nodded, and Ying Yue called for her palanquin. The weather was fine and the moon bright. The path was smooth, without a single pebble. Noble Concubine Shih settled into her palanquin peacefully, with Ying Yue following closely by her side as the entourage passed through the Imperial Garden, heading towards Xifu Palace. The Empress personally attended to the Emperor, helping him undress and bathe. She then took the hangover soup from a palace maid. "Emperor," she said, "you drank quite a lot. Please have some hangover soup." Zhao Junyao leaned against a large bolster pillow, half-reclining on the couch. With his long, elegant hand, he took the bowl, had a sip, and then frowned. "Emperor, could it be... that the taste isn’t good?" the Empress asked with concern. The hangover soup was made from finely stewed sour plums and other fruits, similar to fruit tea. It was tangy, sweet, and sobering—its flavor should have been just as it always was. Zhao Junyao waved his hand and put the bowl down. The Empress hurriedly took it from him. Zhao Junyao didn’t speak but looked at her instead. The Empress was taken aback, completely unsure what the Emperor meant. Zhao Junyao was somewhat displeased. After a moment’s thought, he simply said, "It’s late. Let’s get to bed." The Empress, startled again, quickly nodded in agreement. On the bed, the Emperor and Empress nestled under the covers. Zhao Junyao was having trouble sleeping. He hadn’t eaten much at the feast, though he had drunk quite a bit. Upon returning that evening, he’d had another bowl of soup—all liquids. After his bath, he began to feel hungry. If he went to Lady Xia’s place... he thought. By now, he would have been enjoying a bowl of hot noodles—the noodles chewy, the broth delicious, a single bowl filling his stomach completely. And then, whether it was to sleep or to sleep with a woman, he’d be in the mood! But... the Empress probably didn’t understand that. The Empress, too, couldn’t sleep. The Emperor was off tonight, but why? she wondered. She didn’t know. Having been in the palace for many years, the Empress was nearly without fault, except for her childlessness. But she forgot that, aside from being the Empress, she was also his wife. She should have been a wife attuned to his needs, both physical and emotional. Sadly, she was not. Moreover, even if the Empress did prepare a midnight snack, it would probably be much the same as the banquet food: elegant in appearance, neatly arranged, yet without a hint of warmth, let alone flavor. In the past, he wouldn’t have felt anything was amiss. But now... having dined with Lady Xia, he had truly fallen into the habit! The moment he felt hungry, he wanted to go to her! He recalled Lady Xia’s words: "Food is meant to be eaten, not just looked at! What use is something that’s only pleasing to the eye but doesn’t satisfy the appetite?" That young woman really had a point, though coarsely expressed. What a pity... This was the palace, where appearance was paramount and taste secondary. After all, what mattered most to the Royal Family was decorum! An Honored Lady could afford to be less formal, but not the Empress. Truth be told, the Empress was quite unfairly constrained; who wouldn’t want to eat delicious food, right? The Empress saw Zhao Junyao’s lips curl into a smile. The Emperor is in a good mood after all! she thought. Feeling emboldened, she gently turned over and took hold of the Emperor’s hand. With the softest, most tender voice, she called out, "Emperor..." As she spoke those two words, her eyes filled with a misty haze. Zhao Junyao, who had been thinking about Lady Xia, was suddenly brought back to reality and felt somewhat awkward. He cleared his throat softly. "The Empress hasn’t gone to bed yet?" Her eyes were brimming with expectation, on the verge of turning to mist, to water, and overflowing. "Emperor, do you still remember our wedding day?" The wedding day. He had been the spirited Crown Prince then, and she the legitimate daughter of the Great General of the Fan Family, betrothed to him by the former Emperor. Their union was decreed by the late Emperor, witnessed by all, a match made in heaven, an inevitability that no one could alter—not Noble Concubine Shih, not the Empress Dowager, and certainly not he himself! When Zhao Junyao heard her bring this up, memories surfaced. "Of course, I remember," he said, his tone indifferent. Tears began to stream down the Empress’s face, a torrent of sweet and bitter, warm and cold—feelings only she could truly understand. "That day," she began, her voice thick with emotion, "I sat inside the bridal sedan and sneakily lifted the curtain. "You were dressed in a red Four-clawed Python Robe, wearing Purple Gold Boots, riding a black steed at the very front. The sunlight shone on you, and you looked as if you were glowing! "I only dared to steal one glance before quickly looking away!" The Empress laughed and cried simultaneously, uncertain of the true nature of her emotions. She didn’t continue speaking but just held Zhao Junyao’s hand, calling out repeatedly, "Emperor... Emperor..." She was at her wit’s end. She abandoned all her dignity, authority, and decorum as the Empress. Her voice trembled as she said, "Emperor, I... I just want a child..." Her hand trembled as it slowly moved up his arm. Zhao Junyao frowned. He felt a flicker of softness, but ultimately, nothing more.