A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace Chapter 200 - 199 A Puddle of Mud

...

The Emperor did not come, and the Empress, her face rebuffed, was in no mood to enjoy herself. After the banquet toasts, everyone forced themselves to chat and laugh for a while longer before dispersing.

「Zhaochen Palace」

By the time the Emperor finished meeting with the ministers, it was already past lunchtime. Li Shengan reported the banquet’s events to him, adding, "They dispersed shortly after lunch; nothing noteworthy happened!"

Zhao Junyao waved his hand dismissively. "You may leave. I will rest for a while!"

"Yes!"

Li Shengan bowed and retreated. As he neared the door, he heard Zhao Junyao give another order.

"Bring Lady Xia here tonight..."

Li Shengan paused, responded with another "Yes," and then left the room.

...

As soon as he exited, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Little Zhuzi hurried over. "Master, will the Emperor be having his meal? It’s almost past noon!"

Li Shengan said, "Tell the Imperial Kitchen to be ready at any moment; he might want it soon!"

The Emperor had barely eaten breakfast and had been busy meeting with ministers ever since, right up until now. Moreover, the matter concerning the Little Prince had been troubling him for quite some time.

"Alas!" Li Shengan sighed. "Let’s go. We’ll leave for now."

Fortunately, there was still Lady Xia, who had always been favored.

Thinking this, Li Shengan instructed Little Zhuzi again, "Go tell the private kitchen to prepare some of Lady Xia’s favorite dishes!"

"Alright!" Little Zhuzi, suddenly astute, dashed off in a flash.

Li Shengan laughed and cursed, "You little rascal!"

Anyone serving the Emperor, or even those in Zhaochen Palace, knew full well.

Imperial meals had their regulations.

...

That night, Xia Ruqing arrived in a small sedan chair. Upon entering, she found Zhao Junyao reviewing memorials.

Xia Ruqing curtsied lightly. "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Junyao put down his brush and extended his hand. "Come here!"

Xia Ruqing walked over, and before she could get close, she was suddenly pulled into his embrace.

"AH!" Her front teeth bumped against his shoulder; it was surprisingly hard and quite painful.

She frowned.

Zhao Junyao quickly asked, "What’s wrong?"

Xia Ruqing was about to complain,

She said softly, "I bumped myself; it’s nothing serious!"

After saying that, and wanting to change the subject—thanks to Eunuch Li’s well-intentioned hint—Xia Ruqing asked, "Your Majesty, have you eaten yet? I haven’t eaten yet; I’m starving!" She then looked at him with a pitiful expression.

Zhao Junyao, in fact, hadn’t eaten lunch. After taking a short nap in the Imperial Study Room, having a few snacks, he had returned to reviewing memorials, and so it continued until this hour. Hearing Xia Ruqing ask, he also felt his stomach was empty, so he said, "What would you like to eat? I’ll have them make it for you!"

Xia Ruqing blinked. "Your Majesty, it’s dinnertime. Shouldn’t there be food prepared here?"

Xia Ruqing smiled mischievously.

Zhao Junyao playfully smacked her bottom and also smiled cunningly. "You little imp, you never like my dinner, always so picky! Have them make what you like to eat!"

Xia Ruqing was overjoyed. "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Then she asked, "Your Majesty, what do you like to eat?"

Zhao Junyao thought for a moment, then leaned into her ear and said softly, "What I love to eat... isn’t it right before my eyes?"

At first, Xia Ruqing didn’t understand, but when she saw his cunning smile, she suddenly got it. Her face turned bright red, and she punched him hard on the chest several times! "Your Majesty, you’re so indecent..."

She was genuinely hitting him, not just playfully scratching.

Zhao Junyao wasn’t angry; he caught her hands. He said, feigning pain, "Qingqing, are you trying to murder your dear husband?!"

Xia Ruqing snapped back to her senses. But she peeked at him.

Xia Ruqing was utterly baffled...

...

Dinner was sumptuous. Several dishes were Xia Ruqing’s favorites, and she happened to be starving.

She took a small bowl of rice and put a little of each dish on top. Then, she ladled some delicious gravy over it. The bowl, with rice and various dishes, looked very appealing.

Then, she stirred it with her chopsticks, and the bowl’s contents no longer looked so appealing. It became a sticky, multicolored mush.

She took a spoonful and put it into her mouth. She squinted her eyes in satisfaction and let out a long sigh. "Ah... so delicious..."

Zhao Junyao stared, dumbfounded. This way of eating... not only had he never seen it before, but its appearance was also... quite visually striking...

"Qingqing..."

Xia Ruqing was engrossed in her meal. Hearing him call, she turned her head. "Ah? Your Majesty, why aren’t you eating?"

Zhao Junyao was at a loss for words. He coughed dryly twice and also lowered his head to eat.

For some reason, he suddenly felt a pang of pity.

Thinking this, Zhao Junyao, quite out of character, gave her a chicken drumstick.

Xia Ruqing accepted it without ceremony, saying cheekily, "Thank you, Your Majesty!" With that, she started eating again...

In this round, Xia Ruqing was the undisputed victor!

「But, when night fell...」

Having eaten and drunk his fill, how could Zhao Junyao possibly let her go? How long had he been holding back? So long that his other consorts were all starting to suspect.

In reality, it wasn’t that he was incapable, just incapable *with them*.

But with Xia Ruqing?

Before it was even midnight, they had already called for water three times.

Xia Ruqing was limp like a pile of mud.

Zhao Junyao, however, was full of vigor. He pressed down on Xia Ruqing, nuzzling her ear and temple. "Qingqing, how do you feel? Is it good?"

Xia Ruqing was dead tired. Eyes narrowed and dazed, she mumbled, "Not good... It feels very bad..."

Zhao Junyao’s brow furrowed in concentration. "Hmm, then I must not have worked hard enough!" Saying this, he moved closer to Xia Ruqing’s ear again. "I recently acquired some new Secret Play Diagrams. They say that women don’t only feel pain, but also pleasure... Qingqing, you just wait. I will definitely make you feel pleasure too..."

"AH..." Xia Ruqing was on the verge of tears but couldn’t cry. Her voice trembled. "No... don’t..."