My Beloved Concubine Only Wants to Eat Melons

As August arrived, the Mid-Autumn Festival was just around the corner.

This year, the capital of Daliang had enjoyed favorable weather overall. By this time, many places had reaped a bountiful harvest. With the festival approaching, various seasonal delicacies were successively transported to the palace. As a result, the Internal Affairs Bureau had been very busy for several consecutive days.

On this day, Yanshu was accompanying the Empress Dowager for tea in the Palace of Benevolent Peace when the Head of the Internal Affairs Bureau came in to report, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Consort Yi, the fresh lake produce such as green crabs and whitebait offered by Suzhou Prefecture has just arrived. This year's quantity is considerable, and I estimate the imperial family won't be able to finish it all quickly. How should we handle this?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yanshu's face showed disappointment.

— Pregnant women shouldn't eat too many crabs, and just when she's pregnant this year, there's a bumper harvest of green crabs?

Isn't this deliberately tempting her? Wuwu!

She could only say, "These lake delicacies are best when fresh. Please ask the Emperor and the Empress Dowager to enjoy them soon. Have the imperial kitchen prepare some for lunch."

However, the Empress Dowager shook her head and said, "I'm getting old, and eating too much might upset my stomach. Keep some for the palace, and as usual, distribute the rest to the court officials."

The Head of the Internal Affairs Bureau acknowledged and was about to withdraw.

Suddenly, Yanshu had an idea and quickly added, "If there are still leftovers, why not distribute some to the teachers and students at the Imperial Academy and its affiliated academies? Although there's a three-day holiday for the Mid-Autumn Festival, some teachers and students from distant places probably can't return home to reunite with their families. It would be nice to give them some green crabs for a treat."

— Hehe, most importantly, this way, her idol Headmaster Qi would also get to taste them!

After all, with this year's bumper harvest of green crabs, the market price must be cheap. Those officials don't lack money to buy crabs, so instead of giving them all to the officials, why not let her upright and honest idol Headmaster Qi have a treat?

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager thought, [This is not a bad idea, but just a few green crabs might seem a bit inadequate, wouldn't it?]

Hmm? Inadequate?

Yanshu thought for a moment and quickly added, "Oh right, just green crabs might be a bit monotonous. Why don't we make some mooncakes to distribute along with them? It would help everyone ease their homesickness."

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager finally nodded in satisfaction, "That's not a bad idea. The imperial kitchen isn't busy anyway, and it's about time to make mooncakes. Let them make some extra. I'm sure the students will like it."

She then sighed inwardly, [Ah, that person has been alone for so many years. I wonder if anyone has ever made mooncakes for him? I hope he can taste them this time.]

Yanshu quickly nodded, "This is the imperial family's care. They will surely appreciate it."

Ahem, when the mooncakes are ready, she must instruct the person handling the task to ensure that Headmaster Qi gets to eat the mooncakes. After all, this is the Empress Dowager's heartfelt concern.

Hearing this, the Head of the Internal Affairs Bureau hurriedly agreed and went to carry out the orders.

It was still early, and the system, showing great perception, said, [Speaking of which, the Empress Dowager is actually very skilled at making pastries, especially lotus seed paste mooncakes. She makes them exceptionally well.]

Is that so?

Yanshu had another idea and said, "Come to think of it, it's been a while since I last made some pastries after learning from Your Majesty. Why don't I try making some mooncakes today? It would be fitting for the season, and if they turn out well, I could help the imperial kitchen."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager nodded slightly, thinking to herself, [Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I made any...]

Yanshu sensed an opportunity and quickly added, "Oh right, the lotus seeds harvested from the Taiye Pool have been dried. I remember the Emperor mentioning before that Your Majesty makes excellent lotus seed paste mooncakes. May I have the honor of receiving Your Majesty's guidance?"

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow and said, "I've only made them a few times. The Emperor still remembers?"

Yanshu, maintaining a straight face, nodded vigorously, "How could I dare to make this up? Of course, I only know because... the Emperor mentioned it."

The Empress Dowager nodded and finally said, "Very well, since we have nothing else to do, I'll personally teach you today. Once you've learned, you can make them for the Emperor in the future."

Yanshu quickly smiled and repeatedly expressed her gratitude, "Then I'm truly blessed today!"

With that, the two of them went to the pastry room and got busy. By lunchtime, they had made about thirty shortcrust mooncakes.

They tasted a few on the spot, and the flavor was indeed excellent. The Empress Dowager, wary of too much sweetness, had the palace maids accompany Yanshu to send the rest to the Ganlu Palace for her to handle.

Upon returning to the Ganlu Palace, Yanshu set aside a plate for the Emperor and had the rest wrapped in oiled paper and sent to the Internal Affairs Bureau, placing them with the batch to be sent to Songhe Academy.

Hehe, the lotus seed paste in these mooncakes was personally made by the Empress Dowager. This way, her idol would be able to taste the handiwork of his beloved.

Wuwu, as a hardworking CP fan, one must learn to turn passive into active and find sweetness in the most unexpected places!

Of course, she didn't forget to set aside a portion for her maiden family and sent someone with a message asking her mother to come to the palace tomorrow for a chat.

Thus, the next day, her mother, Ms. Zhu, arrived as agreed.

Yanshu first inquired about the situation at home, and seeing that everything was fine, she had Rendong bring out the mooncakes and said softly, "I learned to make these yesterday with the Empress Dowager. I specially saved some for the family. Please take them back for everyone to taste."

Hearing this, Ms. Zhu was naturally delighted, "You've even learned to make pastries now?"

Yanshu replied with a bit of embarrassment, "After being your daughter for so many years, this is the first time I've made something for you to eat. I hope you won't blame me."

— As she watched the baby in her belly grow day by day, she increasingly understood the difficulties her parents had faced.

Hearing her say this, Ms. Zhu was also filled with emotion, her eyes reddening as she said, "We're family, why are you being so formal with us? Now, we don't ask for anything else, we just hope that you and the imperial heir will be safe and sound."

Seeing her mother like this, Yanshu also felt her eyes starting to water.

However, it wouldn't do for the mother and daughter to burst into tears over this, would it?

So she immediately changed the subject, "By the way, did you try the green crabs the palace distributed yesterday? Were they fat and delicious?"

Ms. Zhu quickly nodded, "We did, they were excellent. We're truly grateful for the Emperor and Empress Dowager's care."

Yanshu smiled and continued, "I'm glad you enjoyed them. This year, the Internal Affairs Bureau is also distributing some to the academies, so each family probably won't get much. If you like them, just have someone buy them from the southern wharf in the city. The lake produce there is the freshest and cheapest. Don't hesitate to buy them."

However, to her surprise, her mother shook her head and said, "There's no need to buy any. You don't know, but we have plenty of green crabs at home this year. A few days ago, someone sent several large baskets. We didn't want to accept them, but they insisted on leaving one basket. We've been eating crabs every day for the past few days, to the point where we're starting to fear the sight of them."

Hmm? Someone sent several large baskets of crabs?

Yanshu quickly asked, "What happened? Who sent them?"

Ms. Zhu explained, "A while ago, Duke Qi celebrated his birthday and sent an invitation to our household. I originally wasn't planning to go, but then the Wife of the Heir of Duke Qi came personally to invite us, so I had no choice but to accompany your father. During the event, the duchess introduced me to many people, including the wife of the Provincial Judge of Suzhou, Lady Xie, who said she had a favor to ask of your father..."

At this point, Yanshu tensed up and asked, "You didn't agree, did you?"

This situation sounded like a trap from the very beginning.

Fortunately, her mother replied, "Of course not. I don't know her, and besides, she was asking for your father's help. I just said I didn't understand and brushed it off vaguely."

Yanshu finally relaxed.

— The capital is not like their simple and honest Andechun. These noble ladies all seem to have countless schemes. She was worried her mother wouldn't be a match for them.

However, her mother continued, "But somehow, just a couple of days after we returned from that birthday celebration, Lady Xie came to our door personally to deliver crabs. Several large baskets were brought directly to our doorstep. We tried to refuse, but couldn't, so we ended up accepting one bucket and gave her a few boxes of persimmon cakes that your uncle had just sent us in return."

Yanshu nodded upon hearing this, "That's fine then. Our Qingzhou persimmon cakes are valuable too. At least we didn't take her gifts for nothing."

— Tsk, after all, her maiden family is now part of the noble circle in the capital. It's impossible not to interact with others. She can only advise her parents to be more cautious and not give others any opportunity to take advantage of them.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard her mother say to her, "Oh, there's one more thing. I think I should tell Your Highness about it."

Yanshu quickly asked, "What is it?"

Although there were no idle bystanders in the room at this time, Ms. Zhu still lowered her voice and said, "The other day when the Provincial Judge's wife came to deliver crabs, she mentioned to me that she was an old acquaintance of Consort Dowager Hui."

Consort Dowager Hui?

Yanshu was startled, "You mean the Emperor's birth mother?"

She saw her mother nod, "That's right, that very Consort."

This surprised Yanshu somewhat. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "What's this about? How is the Provincial Judge's wife an old acquaintance of Consort Dowager Hui?"

Ms. Zhu lowered her voice again and said, "She said she was best friends with Consort Dowager Hui's sister, and knew Consort Dowager Hui back then as well."

Consort Dowager Hui's sister?

Yanshu was taken aback again. She only just learned that Consort Dowager Hui had a sister?

Wouldn't that make her the Emperor's aunt?

But come to think of it, she had never heard any news about this sister of Consort Dowager Hui before.

So she asked, "Where is this sister of Consort Dowager Hui now?"

She heard her mother lower her voice once more, "I heard that Consort Dowager Hui's family has always been in the Songjiang Prefecture area of Jiangnan. From what Lady Xie implied, it seems someone in the capital has been deliberately suppressing them, not allowing them to leave Songjiang. She said that a few years ago, Consort Dowager Hui's Nephew was originally qualified to come to the capital to enter the Imperial Academy, but was replaced by someone else."

Could this be true?

Yanshu couldn't help but frown.

Admittedly, thinking about it carefully, this information was quite intriguing—

Someone in the capital deliberately suppressing the family of the Emperor's birth mother, not allowing them to leave Jiangnan?

Tsk, they were close relatives with blood ties to the Emperor after all. Who would have the authority to do such a thing?

So was this Lady Xie implying it was the Empress Dowager?

Hmph, the Empress Dowager was her top-tier ally, whose character was absolutely trustworthy.

She wouldn't easily believe such claims!

Moreover, this person suddenly approached her mother's family to volunteer such information. Wasn't she trying to get her to pass this message to the Emperor?

Thus using her as a pawn to drive a wedge between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager?

She heard the system say, [That's right, this is exactly what that person intends.]

Yanshu immediately asked, [But what's the real story here? Does Consort Dowager Hui truly have a sister in Songjiang? How come we've never heard any news about them all these years?]

The system then explained to her, [The sister is real, but she's Consort Dowager Hui's half-sister. Besides her, Consort Dowager Hui also has a half-brother in Songjiang. The reason you've never heard about them is not because the Empress Dowager suppressed them, but because Consort Dowager Hui had a poor relationship with this brother and sister when she was alive and didn't want anything to do with them.]

[As for why their relationship was bad, it's because Consort Dowager Hui was the eldest legitimate daughter of the family, but her father favored his concubine, which drove her mother to an early death from depression. After that, he elevated this concubine to be the main wife, who then gave birth to this brother and sister. Consort Dowager Hui was old enough to remember all this, so she always hated that side of the family.]

[Moreover, Consort Dowager Hui wasn't actually very favored at first. She was only made a consort because she gave birth to the Emperor. The Empress Dowager helped her gain that title to elevate the Emperor's status. She died not long after giving birth to the Emperor, and before she died, she specifically instructed the Empress Dowager not to let her family benefit from her position. Plus, after the Emperor was taken to be raised by the Empress Dowager, he became the Empress Dowager's child, so it naturally had nothing to do with others anymore. That's why that family has remained in Songjiang Prefecture all this time, without any opportunity to come to the capital.]

Yanshu finally understood.

Tsk, who would have thought that Consort Dowager Hui, even on her deathbed, didn't forget to instruct the Empress Dowager not to let her family take advantage?

It's clear she truly hated them.

Now how dare this sister come and spread rumors saying the Empress Dowager is suppressing them!

No wonder people find them hateful!

She heard the system say, [As they say, men die for wealth, birds die for food. Everyone has a greedy heart. It was one thing when the Emperor wasn't Emperor yet, but now that they see their sister's son has ascended the throne and the empire is stable, they're naturally unwilling to accept their situation! So they've been secretly trying various methods, and after much effort, they found out that you're favored. They planned for a long time before using the opportunity of Duke Qi's birthday to strike up a conversation with your mother. Now they're hoping you'll mention this to the Emperor, giving them a chance to be brought to the capital and given a title so they can live an easy life.]

Yanshu thought, [Haha.]

Keep dreaming! They even dare to smear the reputation of her top-tier ally, the Empress Dowager!

[But speaking of which, what's the story with the nephew trying to enter the Imperial Academy? Was he really replaced by someone else?]

The system replied, [Of course not. That boy didn't study hard himself and was afraid he couldn't pass the Imperial Academy selection exam. So he found someone to take the exam in his place. Unexpectedly, it was discovered by the local education official. The official only held back from reporting it out of consideration for his mother's relation to the Emperor.]

Yanshu thought, [Haha.]

Sure enough, people from such an improper family are always thinking of such crooked schemes.

In this situation, she certainly wouldn't get involved.

So she advised her mother, "This must be a fabrication. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager are both generous people, how could they mistreat them without reason? Even if such a thing did happen, it must be because they themselves did something wrong to deserve such treatment. You should just listen to this and not mention it to anyone else. In the future, if this Lady Xie comes again, don't see her anymore."

Ms. Zhu nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, that's what I thought too, which is why I only told Your Highness about it. I won't mention it to anyone else, and if she comes again in the future, I'll claim to be ill and not see her."

Yanshu nodded, "That's good. I think we should be wary of Duke Qi's household as well. Why would the Wife of the Heir of Duke Qi introduce that Lady Xie to you for no reason? They might have been in cahoots from the beginning, setting a trap for you and me!"

Ms. Zhu nodded repeatedly, "Exactly. Duke Qi is the younger brother-in-law of Emperor Gaozu and the uncle of the Former Emperor. With such a prestigious background, there must be something fishy about them sending us an invitation out of the blue."

Yanshu nodded as well.

Fortunately, although her parents were kind-hearted, they weren't foolish, which was somewhat reassuring.

However, as her mother said, given Duke Qi's household's high status, why would they collude with Consort Dowager Hui's siblings for no reason?

After sending her mother off, Yanshu got the answer to this question.

The system said, [Latest news, just now, Duke Qi joined with five or six other officials to petition the Emperor, saying that the country cannot go a day without an heir, and urging the Emperor to quickly select consorts and establish an Empress to ease the people's minds.]

Yanshu: "..."

Well, although it took some mental effort, she more or less understood.

— The Wife of the Heir of Duke Qi and Lady Xie were setting a trap for her mother, hoping she would tell the Emperor about Consort Dowager Hui's family. Whether or not it succeeded in driving a wedge between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager would certainly dislike her for meddling.

Thus, when the officials pressured the Emperor to select consorts and establish an Empress, the Empress Dowager naturally wouldn't speak up for her anymore.

...

Having figured out the ins and outs of the situation, Yanshu could only laugh wryly.

If they want to urge the Emperor to select consorts and establish an Empress, so be it, but isn't it a bit unfair to set a trap for her?

So she immediately called out to the system, [System, do you have any dirt on Duke Qi's household?]

The system replied, [Oh, they've all got plenty of skeletons in their closets! Tell me, whose dirt do you want to hear about?]