Chatting

When chatting with ordinary people, who would casually offer to give a tribute-worthy piece of porcelain as a gift? How could they continue the conversation after that? What if the next thing they said accidentally gave the impression that she was begging for more rewards from the emperor?

The emperor looked around the room, and Xie Ning followed his gaze and took another look at the room.

The furnishings were simple, and she had arranged it according to her own tastes since moving in two years ago. Overall, it could be considered warm and generous. There wasn't much else to say about the room, except for the bookshelf on the north wall that Xie Ning liked the most.

When she had nothing to do in the room, she tried to do some handicrafts to pass the time, to keep herself from being idle, which would make her start thinking randomly. By making something, she not only passed the time but also decorated the room, making herself feel more relaxed and open-minded.

There was a small grass-woven basket on the shelf, about as big as two hands clasped together. The edge of the basket and the handle were tied with small scraps of cloth into a flower vine that looked very pleasing with its red and green colours.

These scraps were leftover cloth edges from clothes that had been cut up, and they were too small to be used for anything else, but they could be used here, which was like turning trash into treasure.

"What kind of grass is this woven from?"

"It's the grass that grows near the water in the lotus pond to the west. When the grass withers in the fall, they clean up the leftover lotus leaves and stems, and I got these grasses from them and wove them for fun."

The emperor praised her, saying, "It's a nice weave, very clever."

There are several pieces of pure white rounded pebbles for decoration in the basket, which at first glance look like bird eggs.

Seeing the emperor's questioning look, Xie Ning explained without waiting for him to ask again, "The grass basket is too light, so I put something to weigh it down, otherwise it won't be stable."

Beside the small blue basket, there was a pair of straw and colourful thread-woven shoes, of course only for decoration and not meant to be worn. They looked delicate and lovely.

In the compartment above, there was a small windmill made of coloured paper and bamboo sticks. It was beautifully crafted. The emperor picked it up, blowing, and the windmill began to spin lightly, but soon stopped.

"Did you make this too?" the emperor asked.

Xie Ning lowered his head and replied, "Yes."

"What is this?" the emperor asked, pointing to the box of... coloured eggs.

"They're goose eggs," Xie Ning said.

Indeed, they were goose eggs, but the shells had already been hollowed out and painted with bright colours. The emperor picked one up and found a small hole at the bottom of the shell that had been glued shut. The inside of the shell had been filled with something to give it weight, allowing it to stand upright without tipping over.

Some of the shells were red, some were green, some were yellow, some were black, and some were painted with two colours. They all looked vibrant and lively inside the box.

The emperor picked up a red shell, weighed it in his hand, and turned it over to read a line of poetry written on it.

"As I arrived, the red sun played with the window screens "

What's written without a beginning or an end?

Isn’t it a bit too ridiculous to have "Red Sun" written on this red egg?

The emperor then picked up a yellow shell, which had the words "Among the green willows, two yellow pears sang” written on it.

Yellow pears? There were indeed a few dots on the shell that looked like the blemishes on a pear, and a pear stem was drawn on top.

“......”

Although the Emperor had never considered himself omniscient, he had never encountered such a unique and unconventional pineapple in the nearly thirty years of his life. He cleared his throat and calmly placed the eggshell back in its original position.

The efficiency of the diet room was impressive, as within moments of Qingmei's return, the eunuch had already brought the meal box. Listening to the commotion outside, Xie Ning suddenly remembered the headache-inducing problem: why did the emperor suddenly come here? Was he planning to stay and eat together during the mealtime? But there was no food for the emperor here.

"Did you order the meal?" the emperor asked.

Xie Ning confirmed that she had.

"Then let them bring it in," he commanded.

The young eunuch from the diet room was almost scared to death!

He was just here to deliver lunch to Lady Xie; how could he have met Bai Gonggong who was superior to everyone in the palace? If he was here, it meant that the emperor must be here too.

The poor eunuch trembled as he entered the room and did not dare to look up. He knelt down and bowed his head, then opened the food box and took out everything one by one.

First, he presented a bowl of hot and steaming hand-pulled noodles, followed by four small dishes. Huang Gonggong followed Qingmei's instructions to the letter and there was plenty of pepper and vinegar in the soup. As soon as the lid was lifted, the pungent aroma wafted into their nostrils.

The young eunuch placed the bowls and chopsticks in order and the emperor had already sat down at the table. The eunuch knelt and retreated, while Bai Gonggong stepped forward to serve the emperor, scooping noodles and soup for him.

"Please, have a seat," the emperor said to Xie Ning, as if he were the host.

Xie Ning thanked him before taking her seat.

The noodles tasted quite delicious, but it felt awkward eating them in front of the emperor. Unlike other foods, noodles required slurping, and she couldn't possibly make those ungraceful sounds in front of the emperor. It sounded like a pig squealing while eating from a trough. Eating anything else wouldn't be as embarrassing as eating noodles.

To avoid making any noise, she had to eat more carefully. The emperor, on the other hand, ate heartily, but without making much sound. Indeed, he was an extraordinary man, unlike any other.

Among the four small dishes, the pickled cucumber was refreshing, and the pig skin jelly was particularly chewy and bouncy in the mouth. The other two dishes were too far away from her, so Xie Ning didn't bother to reach for them. She only needed to eat these two dishes in front of her.

"If I have the opportunity, I shall practice eating noodles silently, quickly, and satisfyingly in the future," Xie Ning thought quietly to herself.

Unlike Xie Ning's constraint, the emperor was thoroughly pleased with his meal. On this damp and rainy day, the spicy noodle soup had caused him to break into a sweat, leaving him feeling lighter and more relaxed.

All the dishes were appetizing and refreshing. The emperor didn't linger after he had eaten his fill and simply said to Xie Ning, "I'm leaving."

Xie Ning quickly saw him off to the courtyard gates. The emperor turned back and said, "Go inside now. It's raining, and you don't want to catch a cold."

Xie Ning replied, bending her knees and speaking softly, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'll see you off."

Thank heavens, she had finally seen him off. Once she got back inside, she felt as if her whole body was sore. Qinghe came over to help her lean against the bamboo couch by the window and started massaging her legs with the beauty massager.

"Please loosen my hair, I want to rest for a while," Xie Ning requested.

Qinghe spoke in a low voice, "Lady, maybe you shouldn't nap yet. If you do, you might have trouble sleeping tonight. Should I light some incense and bring you a book?"

Xie Ning turned to look at her, and Qinghe lowered her voice even more, "What if Chief Palace Attendant Luo comes later? It won't be good if you're asleep then."

"Will she?" Xie Ning asked in disbelief. The emperor didn't seem to show any attachment to her when he left. Would Chief Palace Attendant Luo really come?

Her gaze fell upon the bookshelf, and she decided to put away the box of painted eggs. She had been bored and idle when she painted them, scribbling a few lines of poetry on them. She didn't have many visitors, and she never expected the emperor to see them.

Should she put them away now? But the emperor had already seen them. If she put them away now, it might seem too deliberate.

Qinghe was more perceptive than Xie Ning had anticipated.

However, since the emperor had already seen them, it would seem a bit deliberate if she put them away now.

Qinghe was more thoughtful than Xie Ning had anticipated.

The emperor must have taken a liking to her lady. Otherwise, why would he bother coming to the secluded Haunting Fragrance Pavilion? Moreover, he had talked with her for quite a while in the room. The food from the diet room in the Back Garden was certainly not as delicate as the cuisine from Imperial Kitchen, yet he ate heartily.

Combining these two facts, the emperor must be concerned about the palace lady. Otherwise, with so many important matters to attend to, how could he stay at Haunting Fragrance Pavilion for so long?

But Xie Ning was quite tired, and rainy days always made her feel lethargic. Since there was nowhere else to go, she decided to take a nap.

Qinghe didn't want her to sleep, so she desperately searched for something to talk about.

"Lady, did you try the tea that Chief Palace Attendant Qi Sent? Did the emperor notice anything unusual

Xie Ning yawned, "The emperor didn't pay attention to the tea, but he did ask about the teapot."

Qinghe asked cautiously, "The teapot was a bit old-fashioned and not very dignified. We didn't know that the emperor was coming, or I would have brought out the new set.

Thinking of the teapot, Xie Ning felt disturbing.

The emperor had just said that he would send her a new tea set. Was it just a passing comment, or would he really follow through with it?

Lunch had been quite good, but Xie Ning hadn't enjoyed it while the emperor was around.

Xie Ning wondered what she would eat for dinner. She didn't feel like having noodles anymore, not after the emperor's interference. She wouldn't want to see another bowl of noodles for at least ten days.

When she was hesitating, the one who could solve her problem arrived- Chief Palace Attendant Luo.

Upon seeing her, Qinghe and Qingmei immediately beamed with joy. With a deep level of cultivation, Luo's smile was much more sincere and friendly than these two immature girls.

When Luo first visited Haunting Fragrance Pavilion, she was unsure of Lady Xie of Talents’ future prospects. But now, she was genuinely and wholeheartedly eager to please her.

The palace was full of women, many of whom had slept with the emperor. Most, though, were only remembered by the emperor for that one time. Despite the fact that the present emperor had only recently ascended to the throne and had only slept with a few women, the late emperor was renowned for his prowess in this area. The highest record was reached in the late emperor Yuan Chun's tenth year of reign, when he slept with over two hundred court ladies without repeating any of them. Despite her youth at the time the late emperor slept with the harem, Luo had inspected the Chief Bedchamber Officer's archives and validated the correctness of the records for that year.