A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 8: Chapter 7 Tribute Rouge

”Hmph!” Noble Concubine Shih gave a sidelong glance and sneered coldly.

Honored Lady Hu’s face turned even paler. Her previous words had also offended Noble Concubine Shih, who was the Emperor’s childhood friend—wasn’t her seniority even greater?

At that thought, her legs went weak with fear. The consequences of offending Noble Concubine Shih were almost too frightening to contemplate. Her forehead was pressed tightly against the ground, and she lacked the strength to even rise.

Xia Ruqing elegantly sipped her tea. The fragrance filled her mouth and teeth—hmm, not bad at all.

In the end, it was the Empress who came forward to smooth things over. ”Alright, Honored Lady Hu, stand up. You have been in the palace for a year now; you should understand the importance of speaking and acting cautiously!”

”This servant will heed the Empress’s teachings!” Honored Lady Hu said as she stood up tremblingly.

The Empress nodded in satisfaction. After some more conversation, everyone dispersed.

Upon leaving Jiaofang Hall, once all the noble ladies had departed, Honored Lady Hu glared fiercely at Xia Ruqing and walked away, flinging her handkerchief behind her.

Xia Ruqing played with the jade bracelet on her wrist, concealing a hint of mockery at the corner of her mouth. We are all supposed to be equals; what kind of airs is she putting on? In my memories, this Honored Lady Hu frequently tormented the body’s original owner. Back then, I was just a Lady, so her bullying was somewhat bearable. But now that we are both Honored Ladies... I can’t let myself be disadvantaged again, can I?

「The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival.」

The Emperor’s gifts were distributed. The Empress’s share was naturally the largest, followed by Noble Concubine Shih’s. The rest were distributed according to rank. Zhao Junyao rarely expended much thought on such matters, usually leaving the arrangements to Li Shengan according to protocol.

However, among this year’s tribute items were a few boxes of rouge from the Kingdom of Goryeo. The Kingdom of Goryeo was known as the land of roses, and its tribute rouge was made by juicing countless fresh rose petals and mixing them with a secret formula of fragrant dew. Not only was the color bright and even, and moisturizing to the skin, but it also carried a delicate rose scent when applied, making it deeply loved by the women of the Harem. This year, Goryeo had faced flooding, causing a significant decrease in rose production. Consequently, the rouge tribute was not as abundant as in previous years.

Li Shengan was quite troubled. ”We are exactly one box short! What should we do?”

The Empress Dowager received three boxes, while the Empress and the Noble Consorts each received two. The remaining consorts were allotted one box each, but even this was not enough. According to protocol, all ladies of the Sixth Rank and above were entitled to one.

”Only one of Lady Xia and Honored Lady Hu can receive a box, and it wouldn’t be right to favor one over the other,” Steward Hai Dasheng of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said, greatly troubled.

”How about Steward Li asks for the Emperor’s opinion?” Hai Dasheng suggested cautiously. Both were Honored Ladies, and with only one box of rouge, he could not make the decision. However, if the Emperor made the choice, wouldn’t that simplify matters? Who would dare to dispute it?

Li Shengan hesitated for a moment, then heaved a sigh and went to inquire. Such a trifle would usually never merit disturbing the Emperor. But when lacking direction in matters of tribute, who would dare to make a careless decision?

「Zichen Hall.」

Zhao Junyao was reviewing documents. Upon hearing of the matter, he didn’t even lift his eyelids and simply said, ”Give it to Lady Xia. As for Lady Hu, find something else of good quality to give her!”

In fact, he couldn’t quite remember who Lady Hu was. Besides the veterans from the Eastern Palace, he could hardly match names to faces among the dozen or so newcomers from the previous year. But he did remember Lady Xia. A faint smile touched his lips, and he subconsciously touched his shoulder, as if the row of bite marks were still there.

She really is a bewitching little demon, Zhao Junyao thought to himself.

「Zhaohua Pavilion.」

After her noon rest, Xiao Xizi had already inventoried the Mid-Autumn Festival gifts and arranged them neatly on the table in the outer room.