Transmigrated as A Farm Girl Making Her Family Rich

The Old Emperor entered the Empress's bedchamber and upon entering, rushed further inside, noticing a fragrance that was unfamiliar to him.

The old eunuch also noticed this and was quite curious.

The Emperor was curious about the fragrance in the Empress's bedchamber, and though he was curious, he still proceeded with his earlier plan to only enter the Empress's bedroom and meet with the Empress.

He then went back to his own quarters, having already decided on the name of the show girl he wished to see.

Just now, when the Emperor had thought about flipping the card, he saw a name. Although the name was somewhat unfamiliar and belonged to a woman who had been a show girl for several years whom he had never favored.

As there had been no selection of show girls in the past two years, the old eunuch around him had been contemplating making the remaining show girls from previous selections pleasing to the Emperor.

"The Emperor arrives."

As the Emperor entered, called out by the eunuch, he had already reached the living room outside the Empress's bedroom.

The Empress, who knew the Emperor was coming, had already bathed, changed her clothes, and was neatly dressed, hardly looking as if she was ready to sleep for the night.

Upon seeing the Empress, the Emperor noticed nothing special about her attire.

So, he sat down in a chair next to the Empress, silently smelling the fragrance without looking at the Empress.

The Empress and the Emperor had been married for decades, and while they were an old married couple, the marriage between the mother of the nation and the ruler was a political one.

The Empress still needed to secure her own position and that of her children by dressing up and pleasing the Emperor, even if it was a political marriage and part of her struggle for favor.

Every time the Empress saw the Emperor smile at a newcomer, she felt that smile so vexing.

At this moment, seeing that the Emperor didn't even look at her, she felt very uncomfortable but could not voice her complaints.

Chief Eunuch Li, the first attendant by the Empress's side, had a palace maid serve chrysanthemum honey tea for the Emperor to drink, as neither the Emperor nor the Empress had gone to bed yet, and how could he go to sleep before them?

In order for the Empress to please the Emperor, he also needed to assist her.

"Housekeeper Li, how can the Emperor drink such ordinary tea?"

The Eunuch Chief by the Emperor's side and Housekeeper Li were supposed both to serve their masters, one by the Emperor and the other by the Empress. They might be partners or competitors.

One was to help the Empress please the Emperor or to manage the Three Palaces and Six Courtyards for her, while the other's job was to manage the Emperor's daily life, helping to select beauties for the Emperor, and even to please those whom the Emperor favored.

"Chief Steward Chen, this chrysanthemum honey tea is specially brewed for the Emperor. Recently, the Emperor has been working day and night. Our Empress feels sorry for him, so she specifically had this old servant prepare it!"

Chief Eunuch Li did not say it was sent by someone else, nor did he mention any specialness of the chrysanthemum and honey.

Presenting it as arranged by the Empress, Chief Steward Chen's earlier remarks were offensive to the Empress.

If he spoke in the same manner again, it would be more than offensive.

Chief Steward Chen did not dare to speak further and bowed his head to step aside.

"Serve it!"

As the ruler of the nation and in a political marriage, with Chief Eunuch Li mentioning it as such, even if he was not thirsty, the Emperor could not refuse the tea prepared by the Empress for him. He had to give some face to the Empress.

Unless the Empress had done something displeasing, warranting her disposal!

The Empress and her son's team indeed annoyed him, but other concubines' sons' teams annoyed him as well.

Comparing them, he thought it was better to just put up with it!

When the Emperor took the teacup, he immediately smelled a sweet fragrance. For some reason, this scent invigorated him.

It seemed as if the air itself had become more comfortable; his muddled mind cleared up substantially.

At that moment, the Emperor, out of curiosity, took a sip of the tea, and he found its flavor quite peculiar.

As the Emperor, he had been fed the best foods since childhood, consuming only the finest, sourced from all over the country.

The chefs were Imperial Chefs, and even those who brewed his tea were top-notch experts.

This chrysanthemum tea was merely ordinary water with honey added, yet this simple cup of chrysanthemum honey tea pleased him greatly.

It was not that he was fond of floral teas, but after drinking this tea, he felt physically comforted; his tired, headache-plagued mind cleared, and the minor chronic ailments that even the Imperial Physician couldn't cure seemed to ease.

Such a minimal cup of tea made him feel rejuvenated with energy through his body, as if he had regressed by several years.

This miraculous sensation made him unable to resist having a palace maid brew another cup of such tea for him.

Chief Steward Chen found it odd since chrysanthemum honey tea was simply ordinary tea.

Compared to some of the fine teas presented as tribute, chrysanthemum honey tea was merely tea with an excessive amount of honey.

Why did the Emperor have such a special fondness for this chrysanthemum honey tea today?

Chief Steward Chen felt this was strange, but he couldn't refuse the Emperor his tea since they were in the Empress's quarters.

Serving the Emperor had become a role for Chief Eunuch Li; he could only stand to the side and silently observe, perplexed.

He thought to himself that Emperor Zhao's way of tea drinking today probably meant he would stay overnight with the Empress, and it was time to dismiss the palanquin bearers.

Chief Steward Chen hadn't moved yet; he was silently observing when he noticed, apart from the sweet fragrance of the tea being sipped by the Emperor, a distinct scent of flowers in the bedroom and living room.

The Imperial Garden was full of flowers, as were the gardens of the Empress, which housed many famous blooms.

If those were the fragrances drifting inside, the scent in the bedroom and living room wouldn't be so intense.

It wasn't that the outside flowers weren't fragrant, but the floral scent was mixed with something else, more exquisite than the usual blossoms and famous flowers.

This fragrance was very comforting to inhale, flowing through the airways and spreading comfort throughout the body.

It made one unable to resist taking a deep breath to relish the scent more.

After drinking the second cup of chrysanthemum tea, the Emperor surely noticed that a unique fragrance was emanating from the Empress.

He was only separated from the Empress by a small table, so close, yet he hadn't paid attention to her initially, thinking nothing was odd, not realizing earlier where that special scent had originated, but now he recognized what was unique about the Empress today.

"Empress, you are particularly fragrant today," he remarked.

Finally looking at her squarely, the Empress couldn't hide her joy in her heart, yet she maintained her composure and smiled gently at the Emperor.

"Is that so?"

The Emperor glanced at the Empress, who spoke succinctly and smiled tenderly; he was reminded of their wedding and how blissful those days had been.

This recollection caused him to change his mind about departing, and he glanced at Chief Steward Chen, who was bowing his head.

Could it be that Chief Chun, who was also bowing his head, had some premonition?

After the Emperor looked at him, Chief Chun gave a deep bow to the Emperor and Empress and then withdrew.

Following Chief Steward Chen's departure, Chief Eunuch Li also tactfully left, seeing as the Emperor would undoubtedly stay the night; there was nothing left for him to attend to.

He could go for a good night's sleep.