The Regent's Little Wife

Chapter 600 Meeting Yuan Yi

Seeing that Xia Jin had no one to rely on, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reduced the supplies he needed by half. In ancient times, there was no air conditioning or heating in winter, and people could only rely on charcoal fires to keep warm. In the cold winter, the outside temperature was close to minus 20 degrees Celsius. If the amount of charcoal fires was reduced by half, this winter would be extremely difficult to endure.

However, Xia Jin knew that it was a great blessing for him to stay in the harem, and he did not care about the reduction in the amount of charcoal. Facing the oppression of others, he chose to endure silently because he knew that he had no one to rely on at the moment. His Majesty was busy with state affairs all day and had no time to take care of trivial matters in the harem.

Si Ning's every move was seen by the servants in the harem. Soon, the news of Xia Jin's encounter with the empress in the imperial garden spread throughout the harem.

When Si Qi found out about this, he was throwing a tantrum in the palace.

"I really underestimated Xia Jin. I didn't expect that even though his family has fallen, he could still stir up trouble in the harem and seduce Your Majesty. It seems that the lesson we taught him is not enough!" Si Qi slammed the table angrily, his face frighteningly gloomy.

Her maid Chunhong stood aside cautiously and whispered, "Master, I heard that His Majesty said a lot to Xia Jin in the Imperial Garden, and that the servant next to Xia Jin even complained to His Majesty, saying that the people in the harem bullied their master. Will this be bad for you, Master?"

When Si Qi heard what the maid Chunhong said, she snorted with disdain: "Humph, with his frail appearance now, can he do anything bad to me?"

Chunhong frowned, looked at Siqi worriedly, and whispered: "If it was just him, he would definitely not be able to defeat you, the master, but now your majesty will support him. The master has bullied him and made things difficult for him before. I am afraid that he will turn against you."

Si Qi sneered, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes: "I am not afraid of him, even if he has the support of His Majesty, so what? I am the daughter of the Si family, my father and brother are both important officials of the court, His Majesty will not offend our Si family because of a small Xia Jin."

Chunhong hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but remind him: "But, Master, Xia Jin is His Majesty's favorite concubine after all. If he spreads rumors in front of His Majesty, it might affect your status..."

Si Qi interrupted Chunhong impatiently: "Enough, stop talking! I know what to do, I don't need you to teach me what to do."

As the seasons quietly change, the cold winter quietly descends, and Si Ning can't help but feel nostalgic for modern life. In the winter days in his memory, although the outside is covered with snow, the room is warm as spring.

Now, although the house is warm, it lacks the comfort and convenience provided by modern technology. Throughout the winter, Si Ning seemed to be disturbed by the cold and was a little depressed.

When spring came and flowers bloomed, Si Ning walked out of the study and into the imperial garden, where he saw thousands of flowers in full bloom. As he walked, a faint fragrance filled his nose, making him feel relaxed and happy.

Cuizhu, the maid beside him, whispered softly, "Your Majesty, this should be the scent of cherry blossoms in Concubine Xia Jin's palace. I heard that Concubine Xia loves cherry blossoms, and her garden is full of these flowers. It is in bloom now, and the fragrance is intoxicating." Hearing this, Si Ning suddenly remembered that since the beginning of winter, he has been busy with government affairs and neglected to care for the servants in the harem. Apart from the routine weekly greetings, they have had almost no contact.

"Xia Jin has always been in poor health. How are you doing recently?" Si Ning asked with concern.

Cui Zhu replied, "Your Majesty, Master Xia's mood has improved greatly in recent days, but his physical condition is still fluctuating. He caught a cold a few days ago, and when he heard that Your Majesty was unwell, he became even more worried and lost a lot of weight."

Upon hearing this, Si Ning felt a surge of pity and decided to visit him in person.

"Go to Sakura Pavilion."

Sakura Pavilion, the name of Xia Jin's residence, was named after the cherry blossoms in full bloom in the garden.

When he arrived, Xia Jin was taking a nap on the couch. Hearing that His Majesty had arrived, he quickly stood up to greet him. "Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you. May Your Majesty be blessed with good health." Si Ning looked at Xia Jin carefully and saw that his face was slightly rosier than usual.

Xia Jin greeted with joy: "Your Majesty, I am very grateful that you can come here in person. Xiaoman, go and prepare your Majesty's favorite Longjing tea. Remember to add a few rose petals to enhance the fragrance of the tea." After the tea was finished, the fragrance of the tea filled the air. Si Ning praised it highly, knowing very well how dedicated and particular Xia Jin was in the tea ceremony.

In the blink of an eye, it was already noon and the sound of the meal was coming. Si Ning was not in a hurry to leave, but stayed in Yinghuaxuan and had lunch with Xia Jin.

The spring was bright and beautiful, and everything was reviving. Si Ning's young heart began to get restless, and she wanted to go out of the palace to feel the breath of spring. So she changed into light casual clothes, quietly left the palace with a few secret guards, and came to the suburbs.

Si Ning is just 17 years old this year, and this age is the right time for her to love playing. Moreover, she lives in ancient times, without the colorful entertainment activities of modern society. On weekdays, she is either attending court, reviewing memorials, or studying in class. In her spare time, she can only stroll around the imperial garden and appreciate the flowers and trees. Therefore, once she has the opportunity to leave the palace, she will naturally feel extremely excited and looking forward to it.

Before they knew it, it was lunch time. Si Ning did not want to go back to the palace, but decided to take his men to a restaurant outside the palace to taste the food. They came to a restaurant with booming business, but because they arrived a little late, all the private rooms were booked, so they had no choice but to choose to sit in the lobby on the first floor.

At this moment, a familiar voice came from not far away. Then, there was a crisp clang, as if someone accidentally dropped a bowl or dish on the ground. Then, an angry voice rang out: "I say, are you here to work in my store, or are you here to mess things up! How many of my bowls and dishes have you broken since you came here?"

I heard a familiar voice: "It's just a few bowls, right? I'll pay you ten times the amount when the time comes! I just don't have the money to travel now. When I get back, I'll definitely compensate you."

The shopkeeper said impatiently: "Okay, okay, stop talking. Our store can't accommodate a big Buddha like you. I'll pay you after we finish the work today, and you can go somewhere else." After that, the shopkeeper turned around and left impatiently.

The young man in servant's clothes shouted anxiously to the shopkeeper's back: "No, don't leave."

Si Ning felt very familiar when she heard this familiar voice, but because the distance was a bit far, she did not immediately recognize who was in front of her. At this time, Si Ning finished the tea on the table.

So several secret guards shouted in unison: "Waiter, our table is out of tea, hurry up and add more tea for us."

When the young man heard that this table needed more tea, he picked up the teapot and walked over. When he got closer, he suddenly saw Si Ning's face and exclaimed in surprise: "Ru Meng!" Then he put down the teapot in his hand and rushed towards Si Ning regardless of everything.

When his secret guards saw the waiter rushing over, they immediately stopped him and shouted, "You bold lunatic! How many heads do you have? How dare you bump into my master!"

After the young man was stopped by the secret guards, he continued to struggle and shouted loudly: "Let me go!"

At this time, Si Ning was eating, and suddenly heard this familiar voice again. She looked up and saw a boy in ragged clothes appear in front of her. Looking at the boy in front of her, Si Ning suddenly felt very familiar, but for a moment she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.

So she asked, "Who are you?"