Dining

Xie Ning took a refreshing bath that night and noticed some marks on her body. They were on her neck, shoulders, chest, and lower. She knew they were not caused by insects or mosquitoes.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Xie Ning turned her head to look at Qinghe, who was combing her hair beside the bath. Qinghe didn't seem to notice the marks and asked, "Lady, is the water too hot? Shall I add some cold water?"

"It's fine," Xie Ning replied. Since Qinghe didn't seem to find anything unusual, Xie Ning felt more at ease.

Qinghe then took out a small bottle and opened it for Xie Ning to smell. "Lady, do you like this scent? Shall I add some to the water?"

The bottle contained fragrant dew, which smelled strongly of jasmine.

“Where did you get this?”

Xie Ning was surprised. She had learned a lot in the past two years since she entered the palace, and she knew that fragrant dew was not something that ordinary people could afford.

Jasmine flowers were not common in the northern region, and she heard that the jasmine fragrance powder and fragrant dew used nowadays were all transported from Jiangnan. Even jasmine fragrance powder sold on the streets was more expensive than osmanthus or clove powder, let alone fragrant dew. This small bottle was probably not cheap.

"From Chief Palace Attendant Qi."

“She also gave this?” Xie Ning wasn't feeling too well today and was a little absent-minded. All she knew was that Qi had given her some fabric.

"Yes, she also gave me a bottle of plum blossom fragrant dew."

"We don't need to use it for now," Xie Ning said. She couldn't explain why, but she didn't want to use it. She liked the scent of jasmine, but she didn't want to attract attention with the fragrance.

All these changes and benefits were brought about by her "being slept with", and Xie Ning felt embarrassed and couldn't get over it.

Qinghe didn't know which words she had said wrong. She quickly changed the topic, "It's raining outside."

Xie Ning leaned out and looked, and indeed it was raining. Qinghe reached out and scooped up a handful of rainwater. The rain wasn't heavy, but Qinghe acted as if she were facing a great enemy and quickly ushered Xie Ning inside, then closed the windows.

"Don't close it completely, leave a gap for ventilation."

Qinghe agreed and left a gap about the width of her palm when closing the window. She thought for a moment and closed it a bit more, leaving only a gap about the width of two fingers.

With the windows closed on a rainy day, the room did feel stuffy, but Qinghe was more afraid that Xie Ning would catch a cold from the cold wind.

The next day, the rain was lighter, but it still hadn't stopped. There was a fishpond in the yard with water lilies on top. One water lily had bloomed, and the lily pad was only about the size of a palm, shiny and green.

Xie Ning stood there looking at the fish in the pond. The fish were small, the largest only about the length of a little finger, swimming around the lily pad. The fine rain dripped into the pond, and the concave center of the lily pad looked like a small green plate, with raindrops rolling back and forth on it.

The wind blowing on the face was also damp, occasionally mixed with raindrops.

Qinghe advised her, “Lady, let's go inside and not catch a cold."

"Okay."

Although she agreed, Xie Ning still wanted to stay in the yard for a while. It was stuffy and dark indoors on a rainy day. The Haunting Fragrance Pavilion was an old house which was usually fine when it didn’t rain. But when it did, it always felt like there was a stale smell in the house. With its gloomy and frowsty, no wonder she wanted to walk around in the yard.

The umbrella that Qinghe held for her was a semi-old oiled-paper one, with its landscape and willow tree paintings faded. Although the umbrella was not used frequently, it was placed there, old and stiff.

"My lady, what would you like for lunch? Shall I send Qingmei to inquire?"

"Is it almost noon already?" She hadn't realized it and looked up to the sky.

The sky was still overcast, with raindrops continuously falling.

On sunny days, time could be easily perceived, but on cloudy and rainy days, it was easy to lose track of time. Especially in winter, the window paper was pasted very thickly and tightly to prevent the cold wind from seeping in. Sometimes two layers were pasted, blocking most of the light from outside, so that upon entering the house, it felt like entering into darkness. If it was cloudy, one would have to use lights all day long.

There was no way around it. In other seasons, she could still walk around the yard like this, but not in winter.

"Let's have some hot soup noodles for lunch, piping hot." This gloomy and chilly rainy day made her feel a bit lethargic, and Xie Ning felt that her tongue needed a little stimulation to invigorate her. "Tell the diet room to make the soup extra hot, and add more spicy sauce, vinegar and pepper."

Qinghe hesitated for a moment.

It was not just the eunuchs and palace maids who had to eat light in the palace, Xie Ning and her companions were no exception. Most people did not like bland food like this but had to endure it. Spicy food not only had a strong odour but was also not beneficial to women who needed to maintain their beauty.

However, Qinghe's words were stuck in her throat for a moment, and in the end, she swallowed them back.

Qingmei received her orders and held up an umbrella to head toward the diet room.

The path from Haunting Fragrance Pavilion to the diet room was not far. Both were in the northwest corner.

As soon as Qingmei approached the gate, the two small eunuchs who had been squatting there jumped up and greeted her with smiles on their faces.

"Qingmei Jiejie"

"Jiejie, have you come to deliver food to Lady Xie of Talents?"

"Jiejie, please sit down."

Fortunately, in the past couple of days, Qingmei had witnessed many sudden changes in demeanour that would have otherwise startled these two young eunuchs. Without this prior experience, they may have been quite taken aback.

"What does Lady Xie of Talents want to eat today? My master says there is fresh fish available, with the tenderest meat weighing around a pound."

The other eunuch chimed in, "My master has been peeling walnuts since yesterday and used the pulp to make steamed walnut cake. I am sure Lady Xie will enjoy it, as it is both fragrant and not greasy."

Qingmei found it hard to choose between the two.

Thankfully, a middle-aged eunuch came out of the room and scolded the two young eunuchs before smiling and welcoming Qingmei inside. "Miss Qingmei, what does Lady Xie want to have today?"

Qingmei remembered Qinghe's instructions to never take advantage of someone's favour and risk the wrath of the gods.

She replied politely, "Greeting, Huang Gonggong. Our lady would like to have some hot and sour noodle soup for lunch today, with extra chili and vinegar."

Huang Gonggong nodded in agreement, "It's raining today, the weather is strangely chilly. We should eat something warm to ward off the cold. Besides noodles, what other dishes would you like?"

"The lady didn’t mention. Huang Gonggong, please make the decision for our lady."

Huang Gonggong chuckled, "Alright, I will make sure they cook with care. This rain doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. Qingmei, you should go back first. Once the noodles and dishes are ready, I will have them sent over to you. It saves you from having to make another trip in the rain."

Qingmei nodded, acknowledging the practicality of Huang Gonggong's suggestion. She couldn't possibly manage an umbrella and a food box on her own in this weather.

She kneeled to show her gratitude, "Thank you for your kind assistance, Huang Gonggong."

"It's my pleasure. No need to be so polite, Qingmei."

After leaving the diet room, Qingmei opened her umbrella again as the rain intensified. Worried about getting her dress wet, she lifted the hem of it and walked on tiptoes, avoiding puddles along the way.

As she approached the entrance of Haunting Fragrance Pavilion, she hurriedly closed the umbrella and gave it a couple of shakes before leaving it by the door. Then, she brushed the raindrops off her shoulder and noticed a group of people standing in the courtyard.

They were all strangers.

Her heart raced with unease, and she glanced back and forth. Luckily, Qinghe emerged from the house carrying a tray of tea.

Qingmei quickly called out, "Jiejie!"

Qinghe waved her hand to signal her over, and Qingmei hurried to her.

"Qinghe Jiejie, this..."

Qinghe pulled her to a corner and whispered, "The emperor is here."

Qingmei's eyes widened in shock.

"He's talking to the lady in the room. Be smart and keep quiet," Qinghe advised.

Qinghe didn't expect Qingmei to do anything useful, as long as she didn't speak out of turn and cause trouble.

Feeling reassured by Qinghe's calmness, Qingmei nervously tugged on her sleeve, as if seeking guidance. "I'll do as you say, Jiejie."

Qinghe asked, "Has the meal been prepared?"

Qingmei quickly replied, "Huang Gonggong said he'll send it over if it's ready."

Although Qinghe appeared composed on the surface, she was actually quite nervous. The emperor's arrival had been sudden, and she only noticed him after he and his entourage had already entered the courtyard. Once he was inside the room, she hastily fetched the tea she had obtained from Chief Palace Attendant Qi two days earlier and carefully prepared it.

When she entered the room, Bai Gonggong, who was standing by the door, gave her a fleeting glance, which made her feel uneasy. She felt her hands shaking as she served the tea, but thankfully, nothing went wrong.

The room was dimmer than outside, with only half of the window propped open. Through this small opening, the light outside spilled onto the small tea table. A half-used porcelain cup sat on the table, with wisps of tea smoke rising from it.

The emperor spoke softly, "It's quiet in here."

He was right, if one had to find a good thing about the Haunting Fragrance Pavilion, it was its tranquillity. It was a fairly large courtyard, but she was the only one living here. Even with the palace maids and eunuchs, there were only six people. The rain had washed the bamboo along the walls into an even more vibrant green, and the wind that blew through had a hint of poetic elegance.

Xie Ning didn't know how to converse with the emperor. Most of the time since she arrived here, she had only interacted with women, with the occasional eunuch.

"Your Majesty, please try this tea," Xie Ning said, trying to break the silence.

The emperor picked up the cup and inspected it carefully. "Your tea set is quite unique," he commented.

"I think it looks nice, so I've been using it all this time," Xie Ning replied.

The set was a shade of bluish green, with the pot shaped like a lotus and the cups resembling lotus leaves. Of course, the set was not made with the most intricate attention to detail. Those who appreciated such things would note that the veins on the lotus leaves were not particularly fine or precise. Nevertheless, Xie Ning had used it for a long time, and while one of the cups was now broken, it didn't matter since she hadn't entertained any guests and didn't need to be too particular about it.

Who would expect the emperor to come here?

As he sat down, the room, which had seemed quite spacious before, suddenly felt cramped and crowded. The items in the room that were once considered quite fine suddenly seemed mediocre in the emperor's presence.

"If you like this type of porcelain, there are some excellent pieces among the offerings from Wuzhou this year. I will have them sent to you," the emperor said.

Xie Ning didn't expect the emperor to say this and hurriedly stood up to express her gratitude. But this only added to her pressure.