Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 250, Page 249: Improper Diet
Winter without thermal underwear and down jackets is really not a good time to be outdoors.

Fortunately, the coldest days of winter have not yet arrived, so even though it's inconvenient to wear a fur cloak during the sacrificial ceremony, Qin Shi can manage.

Upon returning to Ganquan Palace, Yiming immediately ordered someone to prepare a medicinal soup. Qin Shi soaked in the hot soup for 10 minutes before being helped up.

Then some people wiped their bodies and massaged the medicinal liquid, while others added medicinal charcoal to the copper stove and slowly steamed their scalps and hair...

The entire process was completed in almost half an hour.

Qin Shi felt weak all over, but the warmth of Ganquan Palace quickly helped her adjust. She checked the time and then said:
"Summon all the ladies."

Meanwhile, the women of the inner palace, led by the two ladies of Chu and Zheng, were sitting quietly in a side hall of Ganquan Palace, enjoying hot soup and tea, sweet and savory snacks, and the cozy warmth of the wall heater...

Lady Chu couldn't help but feel a little envious: "The Queen certainly knows how to enjoy life. The palace is as warm as spring now, while I, riding a tiger, still suffer from the cold every day."

Madam Zheng, who had always been strong and healthy, naturally could not understand the suffering of those who were frail and sickly.

How can someone in this world get a headache or fever from just a breeze, get diarrhea from drinking a few sips of cold water, and vomit or have a stomachache from eating a little too much or too many different kinds of food?

snort!
So she deliberately said, "What's wrong? Is our prince not doing so well? Oh dear, I told you the Queen has entrusted him with such an important task, some people just can't handle it."

Even if they can handle it, they'll still complain if the child has a headache or fever.

Unlike her, she never missed a single task assigned by the Queen.

Lady Chu's eyebrows shot up!

After a moment, she also sneered: "It's fine if I work hard, but fortunately Chenghu studies diligently every day. The other day he recited an article to me again—Madam Zheng, if you have free time, you should read more books."

"How come I heard that Prince Qian still can't recite the Han Feizi?"

"It's clear that the son is like his mother, Prince Qian, you, alas!"

Even Madam Zheng understood the unspoken meaning in those words, and she was furious!
He glared at her: "You!"

When the city gate caught fire, the rest of the palace staff remained quiet, pretending to drink tea or eat.

In short, do not interfere.

Not only did they not get involved, but even Princess Wen, Prince Qian, and Cheng Hu pretended that they weren't talking about themselves.

Because at most, the mother and her family would bicker, just like that every time they met before the queen was around. But if the prince and princess got involved, they would probably start arguing.

However, Lady Chu was right about one thing: the Queen's palace was indeed as warm as spring.

Princess Xinming, who was only 12 years old, was born with weak lungs and could not stand the cold, so she was naturally much more comfortable in the palace.

However, all the ladies in the harem wore perfumed powder, which mixed and steamed in the warm room, so much so that she had only sat for a short while before she started coughing softly again, covering her face with her handkerchief.

The palace maid serving inside the hall was taken aback, then walked over softly: "Is the room too hot, so the princess is not used to it?"

"The Queen has instructed that the boy is prone to fever, and if he is not comfortable, he may sit in the side hall for a while."

Qi Bazi was a little anxious. Princess Xinming was physically weak and did not want to cause trouble for others, so she originally wanted to refuse.

But just as her mother anxiously grasped her hand, a fragrant breeze wafted over her, and she quickly turned her head and coughed again in a muffled voice.

Because of the persistent cough, and with his other hand pressed against his stomach, it was clear that his stomach was also being pulled and was hurting.

"A clear mind!"

Qi Ba Zi hurriedly agreed: "Go sit in the side hall for a while, Mother will go with you..."

Before she could finish speaking, a palace maid beside her helped Xinming up and smiled at her, saying, "The Queen will be summoning you soon, so it's better for Qi Ba Zi to stay here."

Not only did she do this, but another palace maid also helped the prince ride the tiger.

Princess Chan, who was just 3 years old after the New Year, and Princess Peng, who was 5 years old, were now nestled beside their mothers. However, they were wrapped up tightly and their cheeks were flushed, so they were also taken out.

Princess Wen and Prince Qian, on the other hand, showed no signs of discomfort, so the palace maids only asked them a few questions and did not take the initiative.

The Ganquan Palace has many halls and pavilions, and because they have been renovated in a concentrated manner, another side hall is also warm and inviting.

But when the maids led the princes and princesses into the palace, all the incense burners were removed, and then the stained glass windows were carefully opened with a crack.

A cool, refreshing breeze, carrying a slightly chilly feel, quietly drifted in, making the air suddenly feel fresh.

Xinming took a deep breath, and the feeling of suffocation he had felt earlier vanished instantly.

At this moment, the Queen's chief steward, Lady Chi Nu, led her entourage in. Seeing a faint blush still lingering on the Queen's pale cheeks, she gave a command, and the maids brought a rabbit fur hat to put on her.
"Princess, rest assured, I will fix your hair once we enter the inner palace."

Xinming's voice was soft and gentle: "I'm not cold..."

The Red Maiden approached: "Princess, this is what the Queen instructed."

Xinming was somewhat surprised: she had only met the Queen once, when she had an audience with her, and it was often inconvenient for her to meet her on other days.

Is this truly what the Queen instructed?
The red-haired woman smiled radiantly:

"The Queen herself instructed that the palace is heated, so the air is inevitably stuffy. If you feel unwell, you can sit by the window. It's cooler here, so you need to cover your head to avoid the shock of alternating hot and cold temperatures causing a headache."

Xinming paused for a moment, then said softly, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

She is indeed someone who cannot be treated too lightly or too heavily, nor too coldly or too hotly.

Not only is coughing troublesome, but even a strong summer wind can give me a headache when I get home.

But this body was so bothersome that she was used to enduring it and didn't say much.

The Red Maiden also breathed a sigh of relief: the Queen has just been appointed, and the King only has so many children. It's no wonder they take such good care of them.

Now look at the prince riding a tiger...

Ugh!
She silently worried: After the New Year, would the Queen be pregnant? Would she be able to give birth to a healthy crown prince for the Qin Dynasty?
Oh!

If I had known, I wouldn't have rushed to wake the Queen. It wouldn't have made a difference if the other ladies of the palace had waited a little longer; the medicinal bath could have been left to soak a little longer. ...

Qin Shi finished tidying up, and exactly half an hour had passed.

She couldn't help but praise again, "You timed it perfectly."

Neither rushed, nor flustered, nor sluggish, and they even managed to keep to the deadline... Talented! They're all talented!

Wu Zi chuckled to herself, "The Queen is too magnanimous. Even when I do my duty, I get praised..."

When reporting to the king, she referred to herself as "your subject," but in private she still referred to herself as "your servant" to show her close relationship with the queen.

Qin Shi said seriously, "There are two kinds of things: doing your job without making mistakes and doing it extremely well. What you did was extremely well, so it is only right that I praise you. There is no need to be modest."

Fu Cai was tidying up her clothes when she couldn't help but laugh.

The atmosphere in the rear hall was harmonious and joyful. The ladies who had been summoned to the front hall were finally allowed to pay their respects after waiting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

When Qin Shi entered, he was greeted by a warm and fragrant aroma.

It's not exactly unpleasant to smell, it's just that it's too mixed and strong.

After all, who wouldn't want to be unique? The ladies of the harem naturally had to be distinguished from others.

The fragrance of orchids and osmanthus is already quite ordinary, but there's also the scent of plum blossoms, the unique fragrance of bamboo leaves, and the warm aroma of lotus...

This hodgepodge of things, mixed with the warm and cozy atmosphere of the boudoir, only made the space feel stuffy and complicated.

Not to mention the fragile Xinming, even Qin Shi couldn't help but slow his breathing.

Without her permission, the Red Maiden immediately said, "Open the glass window; it's too stuffy."

She hadn't been to the place where the ladies gathered before, so the palace maid who went there was a bit careless and didn't know that everyone smelled so good.

The Queen, on the other hand, was someone who didn't even need the fragrance of orchids and osmanthus in the summer.

Before the ladies could even pay their respects, the maids had already begun to move.

The four bright and beautiful glazed windows were opened slightly, allowing a slight chill to seep into the hall, making the air feel much lighter.

The ladies, accustomed to the smell, merely glanced enviously at the luxurious window frames, a sigh of disappointment washing over them.
The king never valued them much to begin with, but now that he has such a favored queen, what will become of them in the future...?

Ugh.

But this is for the best, as the Queen has assigned them many and varied tasks, keeping them all very busy.

If one also has to rack one's brains to figure out the king's moods, it's really exhausting.

Anyway, we usually wouldn't see the king for months or even half a year, so it's not a big deal now.

Thinking about this, everyone considered the gifts the Queen had bestowed upon them this year, and their joy returned:

The tasks assigned by the Queen were not easy to do, but they were also quite interesting to do, not to mention the generous rewards!

This year, everyone in the palace received new clothes, coal, pearls, and precious jewels...

Well, Your Majesty, go about your business! They listened to the Queen and weren't particularly resistant.

Everyone was lost in thought, but Qin Shi had already grown accustomed to the current fragrance—but Ji Heng was right.

She is the queen, and her words are the rule.

So he smiled and said, "I don't like these scents. If you come to visit me in the future, please don't use perfume powder."

Soaking in orchid-infused water is a casual activity, as is typical for everyday life.

That faint fragrance, which only lingers on the skin, is so subtle and barely perceptible due to their social distance that it actually makes them seem sweeter.

what?
Everyone was stunned. Madam Chu's eyes reddened, and she truly felt that she was being targeted!

She is skilled in singing and dancing, and now she is in charge of arranging the repertoire of the Shaofu Baixi (a type of traditional Chinese opera) performers. The amount of exercise she gets every day is enormous, and being immersed in it, she inevitably picks up the smell from her body.

If we don't use some perfume to cover it up, do we have to bathe and change clothes all the time?

Therefore, she replied curtly, "I understand."

Qin Shi looked over—though her expression was strained, Lady Chu's face had become rounder.

This is also normal.

She had to go from Ganquan Palace to the Shaofu Hundred Plays rehearsal place every day. Although she didn't have to walk around all the time, she still had to go back and forth on stage to direct and adjust things.

By the end of the day, with both voice and leg movements, the amount of exercise was extremely high.

There was inevitably more food to eat.

Besides, the king doesn't appreciate dances, so why should she only eat three or five bites at each meal...

and……

Lady Chu did not notice that ever since the Queen and the palace chefs improved some of the food, her appetite and food intake had been increasing day by day.

Especially the sweet brown sugar, the smooth soy milk, the fragrant milk tea...

She... sigh!

She has an improper diet and can't be without it for even a day!

　My condition in September was terrible, I have absolutely no idea why...

　　We're constantly arguing internally, it wasn't like this before!

　　So today I'm restarting my traditional Chinese medicine regimen to replenish qi and blood!
　　(Hopefully, I won't get so sleepy after drinking it that I'll just drift off into a stupor.)
　　(End of this chapter)