A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 1328: Chapter 1326: Taking You Somewhere 1

After the second day of the new year, Xia Ruqing could finally rest for a few days.

She returned to a carefree life once more.

If she had previously been concerned about her brother’s marriage, now she had no such worries at all.

Every day, she slept until she naturally woke up.

She would then freshen up, have breakfast, and take a stroll, sometimes to the grape arbor in the front yard, sometimes to the little vegetable garden in the backyard.

If the weather was occasionally bad and she had to stay indoors, she’d read storybooks, drink tea, make some snacks, and chat with Zi Yue and Zi Su.

This kind of life went on for half a month, leading up to the Lantern Festival.

That evening, Zhao Junyao finished his work and came to see her.

When he saw her engrossed in a storybook again, he couldn’t help but laugh.

"You used to say you wanted to study well, learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, read, and practice writing, but now you’re neglecting all that?"

After speaking, he didn’t forget to glance at the dusty books piled in the corner.

He casually pulled one out, flipped through it, and laughed.

"Have you read all of these?"

Xia Ruqing felt a bit guilty but thought about it and realized she indeed had, so she confidently nodded.

"Yes, I’ve read them all!"

Zhao Junyao’s eyes lit up, his brows arched.

"Oh? Then can I test you?"

Xia Ruqing frowned hard in protest.

"What’s the point of testing me? I’m reading, not memorizing!"

"Besides, I’m not competing for the top scholar!"

Zhao Junyao: "..." So assertive?

He was practically speechless.

"You’re not going for the top scholar, but you can’t just forget everything after one read!"

Xia Ruqing shamelessly continued.

"I just forgot, I can’t remember!"

"Look at how many there are, how could I possibly remember every single book?"

Seeing her so brazenly defiant.

Zhao Junyao couldn’t be bothered to ask further, so he tossed the book down helplessly.

"Fine, my Talented Empress?"

Xia Ruqing nodded with satisfaction.

"That’s more like it!"

Zhao Junyao reached out and gently tapped her head twice, dotingly.

"You!"

Even if she hadn’t read them, what would he say? She’s such a fool!

"By the way!"

Xia Ruqing quickly changed the subject.

"What’s Yue Er been up to lately? Why hasn’t she come to give me her regards these past two days?"

Chenchen, Henger, and Yeye live in the Outer Palace and come to pay their respects to her every other day.

Yet Yue Er, living in the Inner Palace, rarely comes by.

"That girl is becoming more and more unruly!"

Xia Ruqing felt a bit of a headache.

Zhao Junyao raised an eyebrow, also feeling helpless.

"That girl has recently become obsessed with polo, rallying the cousins in the royal clan to play polo together at the training ground every day!"

"I’m aware of it, but I can’t stop her, so let her be!"

Xia Ruqing widened her eyes in shock.

"Polo?"

Heavens and earth, what is polo? Is it that game played on horseback like in the old TV shows?

Oh my goodness!

Riding horses is one thing, but playing a ball game while riding?

"How dangerous!"

"And you, Emperor, you’re just... not going to manage this?"

Zhao Junyao thought for a moment, all the more helpless.

"I can’t manage it!"

He can’t bear to scold her, let alone hit her, so what else could he do?

Xia Ruqing glared at him fiercely.

"You’re the one who has spoiled her!"

Zhao Junyao felt quite exasperated.

"Don’t worry, nothing will happen, I’ve assigned people to watch over her!"

Xia Ruqing felt a wave of exasperation cross her forehead.

"Fine, fine, I don’t want to talk to you anymore!"

Talking more is pointless and it’s already too late, isn’t it?

Zhao Junyao chuckled and let the matter drop.

...

After dinner, before they went to bed.

The two of them lay in bed, drowsily chatting.

Zhao Junyao asked her.

"Qingqing, do you want to leave the palace for the Lantern Festival?"

She mumbled in response.

"I want to leave the palace and I want to go to Jiangnan!"

"I also want to see the younger siblings, and besides..."

She mumbled on about many random things, but before finishing she fell asleep entirely.

Zhao Junyao, however, heard everything.

"Go to Jiangnan?"

He frowned, contemplating the feasibility of this plan.

As an emperor, technically, he couldn’t just leave the palace whenever he wanted and be gone for half a year without returning. He wasn’t that free.

But...

Looking at his wife’s peacefully sleeping face in his arms, his heart softened greatly.

He knew she didn’t like the constraints of palace life and wanted to live in Jiangnan, which was probably her greatest lifelong dream.

But...

He couldn’t make it happen.

She always felt very disappointed at times like these.

Thinking about it for a long time, he realized that there was absolutely no possibility of fulfilling this, so he despairingly gave up.

He stroked her hair and softly promised, ’All right.’

"I will definitely take you there in the future!"

"For this Lantern Festival, I’ll take you to another place first!"

Xia Ruqing, perhaps hearing this, faintly responded with an ’okay.’

Zhao Junyao hugged her with a smile, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

...

On the day of the Lantern Festival.

Early in the morning, Xia Ruqing was dragged out of bed by Zi Yue, feeling quite cranky.

"Zi Yue, what are you doing!"

"I wake up naturally every day, so why are you waking me up now!"

"It’s not even light outside!"

Zi Yue wasn’t upset but replied respectfully.

"Madam, it’s the Emperor’s order, I am just following instructions!"

"Please get up quickly, breakfast is ready, the clothes are prepared, and the luggage is packed. You can have something to eat, and we’ll be ready to hit the road!"

Zi Yue said so much in one breath that Xia Ruqing was bewildered.

"Hit the road? Where? Are we... leaving the palace?"

Zi Yue shook her head.

"I don’t know, this was all prepared by the Emperor’s orders!"

"You’ll know when you get there!"

"Fine!"

Xia Ruqing paused and didn’t say much more, slowly getting up.

She cleaned up, dressed properly, and had breakfast.

After dawdling for a while, she finally rode the sedan chair to Zhaochen Palace.

...

Zhao Junyao was already ready.

Seeing Xia Ruqing arrive, he happily said.

"Qingqing, today I’ll take you to a place!"

Xia Ruqing looked blank.

"What place?"

"Did I mention wanting to go somewhere?"

Zhao Junyao couldn’t help but laugh.

"No, you haven’t. It’s a place you haven’t been to, you’ll see when we get there!"

With that, he pulled her outside.

Xia Ruqing found it intriguing and followed him out excitedly.

Occasionally she’d ask.

"Is it far?"

"Is there good food?"

Zhao Junyao put her into a warm sedan chair, teasingly saying.

"You’ll know when we get there!"

Xia Ruqing was so exasperated by this.

"This again!"

How many times had she heard this in one morning?

Fine! You all won’t tell me, so I won’t ask.

Let’s see what fun places there are around the Capital City.

...

That day, they took the warm sedan chair to the palace gates.

They switched to a carriage and traveled along the Capital City Streets, heading out of the city.

After leaving the city gates, they turned onto the main road, heading south.

Watching the scenery outside grow increasingly desolate, Xia Ruqing looked at the composed Zhao Junyao in the carriage.

She couldn’t help but ask curiously.

"Emperor, are you taking me to Jiangnan?"