CH 47.1

Emperor Jing Li has gone too far!

He has gone too far!

Where will my reputation end up?

Even though Liao Qing Qing had come from the twenty-first century and was open-minded, she couldn’t get used to Emperor Jing Li’s shamelessness.

Empress Dowager is listening!

Chang Momo heard it too!

And many other palace maids and eunuchs…. Heard it….

Liao Qing Qing wished she could find a hole in the ground to hide.

“Ahem!” Seeing Liao Qing Qing’s embarrassment, Empress Dowager coughed at this moment and said to Emperor Jing Li, “Emperor, you are recovering. Don’t do anything rash.”

“Yes,” Emperor Jing Li complied.

“Mm.” The Empress Dowager nodded and said, “Chang Momo, divide the incense into two portions. Give one to the Emperor and the other to Lady Xi of Bright Countenance.”

“Yes.” Only then did Chang Momo return to her senses.

When Liao Qing Qing received the incense, she was too embarrassed to raise her head.

While Emperor Jing Li acted naturally.

Empress Dowager said, “There is nothing else here. So you should also go back to attend to what you need to do.”

“Yes.”

Liao Qing Qing and Emperor Jing Li bowed together and turned to leave.

Only then did Chang Momo ask, “Empress Dowager, are the red spots on Lady Xi of Bright Countenance’s neck really bitten by His Majesty?”

The Empress Dowager nodded.

“Has His Majesty recovered?” When Emperor Jing Li was poisoned, only these few people close to him knew about it.

“Mm. Imperial Physician Fan said that His Majesty had recovered last year.”

“That’s wonderful.” Chang Momo said happily, “His Majesty loves Lady Xi of Bright Countenance so much. Maybe next year, Empress Dowager will be able to have a grandchild.”

“This grieving one[1] thinks so too.”

Chang Momo couldn’t help but smile as she watched Liao Qing Qing’s and Emperor Jing Li’s back.

Her heart was filled with anticipation.

Liao Qing Qing and Emperor Jing Li were unaware of the anticipation of Empress Dowager and Chang Momo.

They left Shouxi Palace together.

Emperor Jing Li ordered Fu Sheng to get the memorials. He turned to Liao Qing Qing and said, “Qing Qing, I[2] will go back to Lisheng Pavilion with you.”

Liao Qing Qing reluctantly agreed, “Yes.”

Emperor Jing Li did not notice Liao Qing Qing’s strange behaviour.

When they returned to Lisheng Pavilion, Emperor Jing Li casually sat down on the soft couch after entering the bedroom. He said, “Qing Qing, pour me a cup of tea.”

Liao Qing Qing went forward and poured water for Emperor Jing Li without saying a word.

Emperor Jing Li looked at Liao Qing Qing in bewilderment.

Usually, Liao Qing Qing would somewhat smile naively and comfortably when meeting people. Why does she have a taut face now?

He called out, “Qing Qing?”

“Mm,” Liao Qing Qing answered sullenly.

“What’s wrong with you?” Emperor Jing Li asked.

Liao Qing Qing replied sulkily, “This imperial concubine is angry.”

Emperor Jing Li asked in confusion, “What are you angry about?”

“Your Majesty, why did you say that you bit me?”

“I had originally bitten you.” Emperor Jing Li looked at the red marks on Liao Qing Qing’s neck and asked guiltily, “Did Icause you pain from biting you?”

“No!”

“Then why are you angry?”

“Empress Dowager, Chang Momo and the others all know about it!”

“Know what?”

“They know that we… slept together.”

“Don’t we sleep together every day?”

“No, this imperial concubine is referring to the fact that private matters should not be brought out. It’s so humiliating to talk about it!” Liao Qing Qing was tempted to lose her temper, scolding Emperor Jing Li for being so frivolous and such.

But she didn’t dare.

She was cowardly.

She could only grumble.

“Disgraceful?” Emperor Jing Li repeated that word. Then, he extended his arms and held Liao Qing Qing’s hand, pulling the standing Liao Qing Qing towards the middle of his legs. He rubbed Liao Qing Qing’s slender fingers and said, “Then I won’t say it in front of everyone in the future.”

Liao Qing Qing raised her eyes in surprise.

Emperor Jing Li compromised so easily?

Emperor Jing Li asked softly, “Is it alright?”

Liao Qing Qing nodded. “Yes.”

“Then, you aren’t angry anymore?” Emperor Jing Li’s voice was filled with gentleness.

“Mm.” Liao Qing Qing nodded her head once more.

Emperor Jing Li looked at Liao Qing Qing with a smile.

Liao Qing Qing asked, “Your Majesty, why are you smiling?”

“I’m smiling because you are adorable.”

“….”

“You are adorable when you are angry.”

""

“…..”

“If you are angry in the future, just tell me, okay?”

“….”

“Got it?” Emperor Jing Li reached out and pinched Liao Qing Qing’s nose.

Only then did Liao Qing Qing say, “Got it.”

“Okay. Fu Sheng is here. I’m going to go through the memorials. Are you going to accompany me?”

“This imperial concubine has to take a look at the garden.”

“Alright. I’m going to go through the memorials.”

“Mm.”

As she watched Emperor Jing Li leave, Liao Qing Qing suddenly felt warm and happy in her heart. Suddenly, she didn’t care about Emperor Jing Li’s words “I bit it” in front of Empress Dowager and the others.

Emperor Jing Li also said that he would not say it again.

So she forgave him.

With a trace of joy, Liao Qing Qing got up and went to look at the vegetables in the courtyard. Presently, it was summer, a time when fruits and vegetables were in abundance. Some of the cucumbers, beans and aubergines she had tried to grow had actually grown.

However, the most important thing was the potatoes she had personally experimented with.

They were even bigger than the ones grown in the Department of Agricultural Products.

She purposely went to the Department of Agricultural Products and talked to the Bureau Chief of the Department of Agricultural Products about her growing techniques.

The Bureau Chief of the Department of Agricultural Products did not doubt Liao Qing Qing’s professionalism in the slightest.

He picked up a brush and started taking notes.

Recently Emperor Jing Li had been so busy that Liao Qing Qing had not yet had the chance to ask about growing potatoes. Hence, she inquired with the Bureau Chief of the Department of Agricultural Products.

“The experimental area has already been selected,” The Bureau Chief of the Department of Agricultural Product said.

Liao Qing Qing questioned, “Is it in Zhu prefecture?”

“Yes. His Majesty has given this matter to the Minister of Revenue and this humble subject.[3] After discussing it, we decided to keep in line with Lady Xi of Bright Countenance’s idea of selecting a thousand households in Zhu prefecture and giving each of them an amount of one mu of potato tuber to plant and teach them how to grow them.”

“Are they willing?” Liao Qing Qing asked.

“Of course, they were reluctant and didn’t quite believe that this potato could grow into anything. Therefore, this humble subject had discussed with the Minister and told them that if the potatoes failed to grow and survive, they would be compensated with two hundred catties of grain the following year.”

“And they agreed?”

“That’s right. Currently, the Department of Agricultural Products is busy with the sprouting of potatoes. The thousand mu[4] of experimental fields in Zhu prefecture can be emptied at the end of this month. The ploughing and night fertilisation will be carried out at the beginning of next month, and the potatoes will be ready to be grown by the middle of next month so that they can be raked out at the beginning of next year.”

Liao Qing Qing nodded. “Good planning.”

“Thank you, Lady Xi of Bright Countenance, for the compliment.” The Bureau Chief of the Department of Agricultural Products bowed with his hands forward.

Liao Qing Qing replied with a smile, “You don’t have to be so polite.”

The Bureau Chief of the Department of Agricultural Products thought to himself, ‘Can he not be polite?’

Although Lady Xi of Bright Countenance is merely a Lady of Bright Countenance and is incomparable to Virtuous Consort or Noble Consort Liang at this moment, she is the concubine that Emperor Jing Li held in the highest regard.

She is also the candidate for the future mother of the nation.

Not to mention the fact that she has the skills to do so.

She is the person who discovered the potatoes by herself and who will go down in history in the future. He admires such a woman from the bottom of his heart, so he naturally behaves respectfully and politely. With this in mind, she silently bowed to Liao Qing Qing again.

Liao Qing Qing said, “Alright. There’s nothing else, so I’ll return.”

“Respectfully seeing off Lady Xi of Bright Countenance.”

[1] 哀家(āijiā)- This grieving one/ I (self-referring by a widowed empress etc, used in historical novels and operas)

[2] 朕(zhèn)- I (imperial) or we (imperial use).

[3] 微臣(wēichén)-This humble subject/this small official. It’s a self-humbling term used by government officials and officials in feudal courts.

[4] 亩(mǔ)- Classifier for fields. Unit of area equal to one fifteenth of a hectare