The June sky was as unbearably scorching as ever.

The Imperial Garden was layered with beautiful scenery.

Summer flowers bloomed brilliantly, with pavilions and terraces, shimmering green waters, the chirping of cicadas, and ancient trees dripping with lush greenery, making one forget the mundane upon sight.

However, such beauty was seldom appreciated, standing there in vain, left to be wasted.

The reason, after all, was because of that incident.

More than half of the consorts had once turned to Noble Consort Luo.

Now Xifu Palace was empty and deserted.

For those who survived by chance, the days in the palace were almost predictable.

They wanted to go to Duanning Palace to apologize, but the Empress did not meet anyone.

They wanted to forget this incident, yet were too afraid to do so.

Awkward and stuck, restless and unsettled.

Since there was no way to make amends, their best course of action was to stay behind closed doors, minimizing their presence as much as possible.

Moreover, the weather was unbearably hot.

Even if they could go out, there weren’t many who would want to.

Therefore, the once lively Imperial Garden suddenly fell silent.

The entire harem was quiet as if it didn’t exist.

Xia Ruqing heard Zi Yue mention these things and couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

"They’re quite sensible! That’s good!"

"As long as the days are peaceful and quiet, I won’t go looking for trouble with them!"

She had seen too much of this behavior of rising up and stepping down over the years. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

If she were to sulk over such matters, then her days wouldn’t be worth living.

Zi Yue laughed.

"My lady has such a good temperament!"

"Just hope we won’t encounter such things again in the future, and you won’t have to suffer so much!"

Xia Ruqing forced a bitter smile.

"What do my grievances count for?"

"The Emperor... he is the one truly wronged!"

Some things, if they haven’t happened to oneself, can never be known how painful they are.

She had accompanied him for so many years.

For the first time, she saw him in such pain, such despair.

He is the Emperor, after all.

He holds the power of life and death over all the citizens of the Great Chu Dynasty.

Literate enough to debate fiercely with ministers and point out strategies for the nation, martial enough to lead thousands of troops to the frontline.

He was once brimming with spirit, dazzling, ruling over the world, strategizing with ease.

Even when facing the most insidious and cunning enemies, the most sly and difficult old ministers, he never backed down.

This time, however, he seemed to have completely collapsed.

Pale complexion, frail body, frozen expression, eyes filled with utter despair.

"At that moment, I even wished the Empress Dowager truly was his biological mother!"

"If that were the case, he wouldn’t have to endure this second wave of pain!"

Zhao Junyao first endured the torment of ’birth mother,’ entangled for thirty years, unable to strike back at the slander he faced.

Later, forced to uncover the truth, he had to accept the pain of ’mother dead at birth, Empress Dowager as mother’s murderer.’

Such an ironic, painful conclusion, crafted by fate, is unbearable for anyone!

It is said that life is about coming and going.

The source is merely the parents, the destination is merely the afterlife.

If a person doesn’t know their own origin, that regret can penetrate the heart and reach the bones, persisting for an entire lifetime.

Too painful to even imagine.

"My lady!"

Zi Yue looked at her with worry.

Xia Ruqing let out a long sigh and smiled.

"Forget it, let’s not talk about this!"

"What’s done is done, and there’s no other way, just try to look forward!"

Zi Yue said nothing, slowly fanning her with a fan.

Zi Ning suddenly came in, lifting the curtain, carrying a bowl of green bean soup.

"My lady, it’s too hot, the small kitchen just made this, it’s perfect for cooling down!"

Xia Ruqing took it with a smile and tasted it.

"Hmm, tastes good, was rock sugar added?"

Zi Ning nodded.

"This bowl has rock sugar, there are other flavors, shall I bring them to you later?"

Zi Yue felt a bit curious.

"What other flavors?"

Zi Ning thought for a moment, counting on her fingers.

"There’s one with dried tangerine peel, another with plum, and... pear juice, cheese..."

"So many flavors? Can these things taste good with green bean soup?"

Zi Ning replied.

"Chef Su worked hard to come up with these, it shouldn’t taste bad, you should try it when you have time, if it’s good, reward us with a bowl too!"

"Alright!"

Xia Ruqing agreed happily.

No matter what happened outside, life in Duanning Palace remained largely unchanged.

After all, she wasn’t much involved in that matter.

As for Zhao Junyao.

Such a big issue couldn’t be resolved just by her saying a few comforting words or making some good food.

Only time can heal the deepest wounds.

...

June and July passed in no time.

The harem remained peaceful, like the sea after a violent storm, with the sun high and a rainbow hanging in the sky, harmonious, warm, and serene.

After a few visits to pay respects, realizing the Empress had no intention of revenge.

The consorts breathed a sigh of relief.

At the moment of realization, they became increasingly respectful of Xia Ruqing.

If before they showed a mere ten percent respect on the surface, now a hundred percent of genuine respect flowed from their hearts.

However.

Xia Ruqing didn’t care for it either.

She didn’t care whether these concubines respected her or not.

Nor did she want to harmoniously coexist with them.

In fact, every time she met them, she felt awkwardly restless.

This feeling magnified infinitely as her feelings for Zhao Junyao deepened.

No matter how long she stayed in ancient times, no matter the kind of influence she had, regardless of whether she was a modern or ancient person.

She simply couldn’t believe that any woman would willingly coexist peacefully with her man’s concubines, genuinely treating them as sisters.

Those women in the royal family, women of merit and noble families only did this to gain fame and reputation, for a virtuous name.

They wanted a virtuous reputation to survive and gain more respect, but not out of a genuine willingness to take concubines for their husbands.

In other words.

They were forced by this feudal society. They had no choice.

This is the game of rules, and even she had to abide by it.

To say break it? Haha!

China went through so much suffering, sacrificed countless martyrs to barely break free from feudal society.

What abilities does she have to break the rules on her own?

That would be too ridiculous.

She considered herself ordinary, without such abilities.

...

Time flew by quickly, and the Seventeenth Year of Jiayuan passed soon enough.

Throughout the latter half of the year, nothing major occurred in either the court or the harem.

The floods in Jiangnan were being managed in an orderly manner, with favorable weather in both the south and north.

The Emperor was in a bad mood, facing the court with an frosty expression every day, and no one dared to provoke him.

Even the efficiency of officials’ work increased significantly.

The harem, needless to say.

The consorts, on one hand, respected and were grateful to the Empress, and on the other, did not dare to court disaster.

Each behaved quietly and obediently as if they didn’t exist, avoiding trouble, not even bickering among each other.

The entire harem was a picture of harmony.

Xia Ruqing’s days couldn’t have been more peaceful.