FID – Chapter 836

Chapter 836: Life and Death, No Regrets 

Three slaps landed simultaneously on Liu Zhiqiu’s head, making him wince in pain.

The Empress Dowager glanced at him, and indeed, as Liu Yusheng had said, he was stingy with money and hoarding wealth.

But he didn’t make people dislike him.

He was very straightforward.

By the time the group returned, it was already late in the evening, just as families in the village were preparing to have dinner.

When they moved to the dining table, the Empress Dowager witnessed what it truly meant to have a big family meal.

A large round table, packed full. In addition to the Liu family, there was an old man called Elder Jiu, and even two of Feng Qingbai’s shadow guards were present.

Although she hadn’t seen these two people before, she knew their identities from their surnames, Wei, and their color-coded names.

Previously, when dining, she usually ate alone, at an ornate table inlaid with jade, sitting on a pear wood chair, holding jade chopsticks, enjoying exquisite dishes and snacks prepared by the Imperial Chefs, and drinking tribute tea.

This was the first time she sat on a small stool while dining, using wooden chopsticks, with a ceramic bowl of rice piled high in front of her, and dishes as big as a wash basin.

When the patriarch of the Liu family announced the start of the meal, everyone grabbed their chopsticks, and the scene looked like refugees scrambling for food, with very rough table manners.

The Empress Dowager stared blankly, unable to pick up her chopsticks for a long time.

Suddenly, a large piece of fatty meat appeared in her bowl, white and greasy. “Your Majesty, don’t be shy. Take whatever you want. Eat more meat, there’s plenty of vegetables.”

Grandma Liu said enthusiastically.

But this kind of enthusiasm wasn’t something everyone wanted, and at least the Empress Dowager certainly didn’t.

She glared at the piece of fatty meat in front of her, her eyelids twitching uncontrollably. She practiced Buddhism and was a vegetarian.

Even if she weren’t vegetarian, she would never eat fatty meat.

Was this coarse woman really being enthusiastic, or was it fake enthusiasm? Always opposing her!

The Empress Dowager’s fingers gripping the chopsticks turned pale, but her etiquette and upbringing prevented her from tossing the fatty meat away.

The granny, who had come to serve her, refused to sit at the table with the Liu family because of the Empress Dowager’s presence, so Grandma Liu had specially arranged a small table for her in the hall to eat.

With her maid gone, there was no one to help her.

“This is my grandmother’s specialty, crystal pig’s knuckles. It looks fatty, but when you eat it, it’s fatty but not greasy. It tastes really good. Your Majesty, try a bite. If you don’t like it, just give it to me.” Liu Yusheng sat next to her, watching her every subtle expression, smiling as she spoke.

“This is my favorite dish. Only in the Liu courtyard and my Qian family’s restaurant can you find it. Even the palace doesn’t have it. It’s so delicious!” Qian Wanjin quickly added two more pieces to his own plate. “If you don’t hurry, there won’t be any left later. These people are so rude when eating. The way they treat guests here is non-existent. Your Majesty, hurry up, or you won’t have enough to eat later.”

Her gaze fell on the dining table, and indeed, the plate of crystal pig’s knuckles had been the fastest to be taken, with more than half of it gone as soon as they started eating.

The Empress Dowager took a deep breath, picked up a piece of fatty meat with her chopsticks, and cautiously took a small bite.

The slightly crispy texture surprised her, and the flavor of the pig’s knuckle quickly spread across her tongue. It didn’t have the greasy feeling that fatty meat usually had, and had a slightly sour, savory sauce taste, without the dryness of lean meat. It was quite delicious.

She followed it with a bite of white rice, which was fragrant and slightly sticky, mildly sweet, and refreshing. It was even tastier than the fine rice in the palace.

“How is it? Delicious, right?” Grandma Liu laughed heartily, then added a chopstick of greens to her plate. “Try some of this too, it’s home-grown mustard greens. It’s a little bitter, but it’s good for your health when eaten cold. I made some winter melon soup as well; the family loves it. I’ll get you a bowl!”

The Empress Dowager glanced at her, then lowered her eyes to continue eating.

In the Liu courtyard, everyone liked to serve each other dishes while eating. Her bowl of rice had already been poked by two different pairs of chopsticks. 

Under normal circumstances, she would never have eaten it, but this was the countryside. She didn’t throw the bowl away and simply adapted to local customs.

Throughout the meal, while taking care of the Empress Dowager, the others didn’t stop fighting over the dishes. Occasionally, a couple of loud exchanges were heard, making the farmyard in the evening feel particularly lively.

It was also warm.

By the time the meal ended, the Empress Dowager had not shown any unusual behavior.

The two who were sitting with her, Wei Hong and Wei Lan, secretly let out a sigh of relief.

When they first saw the Empress Dowager, both of them were greatly startled. In their perception, she was someone more difficult to deal with and more scheming than the Consort Liu, yet here she was, in Xinghua Village?

If anyone in the Liu family made a wrong remark, the Empress Dowager could order them to be dealt with at any moment.

Only the people in the courtyard, with their coarse manners, hadn’t noticed the potential danger. The two of them had eaten the entire meal in fear and trepidation.

…In the end, nothing happened.

A distinguished guest had arrived at the house—none other than the Empress Dowager herself. The Liu family made arrangements for her to stay in the inner courtyard, next to their Nannan’s room.

The inner courtyard had only three guest rooms, so Shi Xianrou and Liu Yusheng had to temporarily share two rooms for two nights. Once Zhiqiu and Muqiu were married, one of the rooms would be freed up.

Inside the rural courtyard, surrounded by rooms no bigger than one-fifth the size of her private chambers in the palace, the Empress Dowager didn’t show much emotion. She slowly walked over to the window and pushed open the wooden shutters.

“Your Majesty, are you not used to it?” the granny asked with concern.

The Empress Dowager shook her head, “It’s acceptable.” She paused for a moment, then added, “You can go rest now. I don’t need anyone attending to me.”

After sending the maid away, the Empress Dowager lifted her gaze to the cold moon hanging in the sky. The moonlight was pale and cold, and this scene easily evoked a sense of melancholy.

“Your Majesty, are you not sleeping yet?” A head suddenly appeared from the window, startling the Empress Dowager, who took two steps back in surprise, almost letting out a shriek.

Looking at the woman, her eyes curved into a smile as she leaned on the windowsill, the Empress Dowager frowned. “You are pregnant, and yet you’re still acting so recklessly. What kind of manners are these?”

“I was worried you might not be used to living here since you’ve just arrived, so I came to check on you.”

“What is there to be not used to? When I was still in my boudoir, I lived in rooms just like this,” the Empress Dowager responded.

Liu Yusheng, with her pregnant belly, couldn’t lean on the windowsill properly, so she tilted her body sideways to rest. Hearing the Empress Dowager’s words, she curiously asked, “Your Majesty must come from a noble family, yet your boudoir was still so small, just like mine?”

The Empress Dowager furrowed her brow. “It’s not about the size! What I mean is that my boudoir was also just like this…”

“Like what?” The woman tilted her head, her eyes flashing with curiosity.

But the Empress Dowager didn’t continue. She, like Liu Yusheng, leaned against the windowsill and looked at the moon above.

Her boudoir had indeed been like this—full of youthful energy, simple and elegant yet warm.

Back then, she was still innocent and carefree.

Liu Yusheng understood that the elderly woman was reminiscing about the past. There was a faint nostalgia in her eyes, mixed with a complex array of emotions.

“Your Majesty must have been very beautiful and admirable, with many people liking you,” Liu Yusheng said with a gentle smile, looking up at the night sky. “Back then, you must have been very happy. Why did you enter the palace?”

General Qin Xiao, renowned for his long service at the borders, was famous throughout the land but never married in his lifetime.

She thought to herself that there must have been a touching story between them, or else General Qin wouldn’t still be willing to dedicate his life to her without regret.