A grand feast was prepared in the bustling kitchen, with a special medicinal meal made just for Su Rong.
As Su Rong watched everyone being served with trays stacked with chicken, duck, fish, and seafood delicacies, but when it came to her, it was just a bowl of medicinal porridge and a few dishes that smelt strongly of herbs. The bitter expression on her face was indescribable, showing her utter distaste, she didn’t even want to pick up her chopsticks.
Madam Su couldn’t help but chuckle at her daughter’s predicament, "You’re acting as if I served you poison. Because of Zhang Ping’s rebellion, the Imperial Court is preparing for war, with all the resources being transported out, causing a substantial price hike in grains and medicinal ingredients in the capital. Now you know how expensive these herbs are, you have to eat them no matter how much you wish otherwise. Dare to waste them, and see what happens!"
Su Rong sighed, "Mother, don’t you think this is a bit too cruel?"
"Cruel?" Madam Su widened her eyes, "Is it cruel to ask you to eat medicinal meals so you can nourish your body? Do you know that the medicinal dishes in front of you cost more than all the dishes on this table?"
Su Rong voiced her plea, "But I haven’t eaten meat for a long time. All I had to eat during my travels were wind and dew, far worse compared to what we have here. Besides, the nourishment from eating chicken, duck, and fish is as high as that in medicinal meals, and they are a thousand times tastier."
Madam Su was skeptical, "How long since you’ve last had meat?"
"At least a month." Su Rong lied with a poker face.
"Is that so? Fen Ling." Madam Su turned to ask Fen Ling.
Under the pressure of his sister, Fen Ling agreed, "Yes, Aunt. Neither my sister nor I had time to roast even a single wild rabbit."
Hearing such dishonest words heartily pained him; they had actually roasted several rabbits on their journey.
Upon hearing this, Madam Su suddenly felt pity for them.
The eldest Miss Su pitied her younger sister, "Mother, she can eat the medicinal porridge, but let her try some of the other dishes as well."
The second Miss Su echoed, "Yeah, Mother, it’s unfair that she has to eat medicinal porridge while we get to enjoy the feast."
The rest of the ladies nodded in agreement, "That’s really too pitiful for our seventh sister. We should all share a little of her medicinal meal. Especially you, Mother. You need nourishment too. The physician mentioned that the concoction can be used by others as well."
Unable to resist the urging of everyone, Madam Su finally conceded, "Alright."
She ordered the servant, "Take the seventh miss’s medicinal meal and divide it into eight...no, nine portions. Fen Ling should have some too."
Fen Ling: "..."
He regretted helping Su Rong lie earlier. With so much good food around, he didn’t want to eat the medicinal porridge.
But it was too late to go back on his words now, otherwise, he would lose face and credibility in front of Madam Su and his six cousins.
As a result, that meal ended with everyone sharing some of Su Rong’s medicinal porridge and dishes. This took off much of the pressure on Su Rong.
Su Rong ate happily without any complaints or bitter expressions. She sweetly told Madam Su, "Mother, you and my sisters really love me."
Madam Su responded curtly, "You better remember that."
Ever since she stopped provoking her, that little girl had been acting cute and adorable all the time. This often made her soften her heart towards her.
After the meal, the girls returned to their own courtyards. Madam Su pulled Su Rong aside and insisted that she stay with her, obviously missing her company.
Su Rong resisted internally because Madam Su had terrible sleeping habits.
Madam Su reassured her, "Don’t worry. I have been practicing my sleeping posture and promised to sleep as still as a log, without disturbing you."
Su Rong gave in, "Alright then! Hold up your end of the promise."
Madam Su gave her a look that said ’you can rest assured.’
Thus, after their bath, the mother and daughter lay down on the same bed. To her surprise, Su Rong found out that the so-called improved sleeping habit was merely placing a pillow in the middle of the bed to separate the two.
Thank goodness the bed was big enough, and neither of them was overweight.
Su Rong half-mockingly said, "Mother, so that’s your secret to good sleeping habits?"
"I promise not to cross the boundary. The pillow will stay in its place from bedtime to morning." Madam Su reassured her time and again, "now you can sleep in peace."
Su Rong decided to trust her mother, and lay down with a peaceful mind.
In the middle of the night, she was awakened three times by Madam Su’s errant leg and twice by her stray arm. The pillow in the middle of the bed was unable to deter Madam Su from crossing the boundary, let alone correct her naturally terrible sleeping posture.
Throughout the night, Su Rong bewailed her father’s lot more than once. It was no wonder he had taken so many concubines - it was probably the only way for him to get a good night’s sleep. After all, his beloved Madam Su was too good to other women, and didn’t have any jealousy to be seen. If she was his only wife, he would have no reason to refuse to share a bed with her. No matter how sweet-tempered Madam Su was, who would intentionally quarrel with her every day just to sleep alone in a study? Furthermore, her father was not the kind to wrong himself. By bringing in a group of charming women, he had effectively solved the problem.
Madam Su slept soundly all night because her daughter was with her. Remembering her promise, she was careful to check her position when she woke up in the morning to make sure she hadn’t crossed the boundary of the pillow. Seeing that she was still on her side of the bed and the pillow was in its original position, she felt satisfied and got up quietly so as not to wake Su Rong.
Su Rong slept till late morning. After waking up, she yawned, dressed, and went to freshen up.
Upon hearing noises inside, Madam Su walked in from the outer room, "You really know how to sleep! Not only did you sleep past breakfast, you missed a bowl of medicinal soup and a medicinal meal. Starting tomorrow, you must stick to the schedule and make sure to take your medicine. But considering that you’ve just arrived and must have been exhausted from the journey, I won’t scold you today."
Su Rong said nothing in return, "Alright, I’ll wake up on time."
Madam Su was pleased to see her obedience and proudly said, "So, how was my sleeping posture last night? I didn’t wake you up, did I?"
Su Rong paused, "No."
Madam Su said happily, "I knew it would work."
Su Rong nodded, "Yes, it works well."
Madam Su immediately added, "You’re sleeping with me again tonight."
Su Rong readily agreed, "Alright."
After freshening up, Su Rong couldn’t be bothered combing her hair and simply tied it up at her waist with a silk ribbon, letting some strands loose on both sides of her face. After she finished, she softly complained, "Mother, I’m hungry."
Although Madam Su was not entirely thrilled with her dressing, she nonetheless ordered her servant, "Miss Su is hungry, hurry and prepare a meal."
She then tapped Su Rong’s forehead lightly, "Good timing, it’s almost lunchtime."
Su Rong thought to herself, who’s fault was it anyway. She originally intended to get up early and head to the Eastern Palace. She half-heartedly held onto Madam Su’s hand and walked out, "Did anyone from the Eastern Palace come with a message?"
Madam Su grinned, "Yes, the Crown Prince knows you’re back. He said you should take your time to recuperate before going to see him."
Su Rong nodded, "I’ll go after lunch."
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