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A line of people entered the inner room.

Shen Chuwei sat in the chair, her hand resting on the diagnosis mat, sleeves rolled up, revealing a section of her fair and slender wrist.

Imperial Doctor Wen lowered his gaze in concentration as he took her pulse.

Xiao Jinyan sat to the side, sipping tea, occasionally glancing at Shen Chuwei. Her spirits had clearly improved compared to the last couple of days, and her complexion was much rosier.

When Imperial Doctor Wen drew back his hand, Xiao Jinyan asked, "How is her recovery progressing?"

Imperial Doctor Wen respectfully replied, "Your Highness, Lady Shen is in good health and unharmed."

Shen Chuwei was naturally aware of the state of her own body, there were no problems, apart from the minor illnesses left by the original host, which she had nearly cured.

Xiao Jinyan, still concerned, asked further, "Having slept so deeply for so long in recent days, is there nothing else to worry about?"

Imperial Doctor Wen hesitated upon hearing this, glanced at Shen Chuwei, and said, "Your Highness, Lady Shen’s appetite has suddenly increased greatly, which is perhaps improper. It would be advisable for her to eat less."

Shen Chuwei: "..." Good Lord, even how much I eat is now under scrutiny!

After sleeping for a whole day, equivalent to skipping three bowls of rice, should I not make up for it?

Xiao Jinyan turned to Shen Chuwei and asked, "How many bowls of rice do you eat at a meal these days?"

Shen Chuwei stretched out one hand, holding out all five fingers, her voice imbued with a touch of pride, "Five bowls of rice."

The Imperial Doctor, a man, was astounded to hear the amount of five bowls. He glanced involuntarily at Shen Chuwei several times. How could such a delicate girl eat five bowls?

Xiao Jinyan was stunned for a moment. The last time he heard her say she would make up for it later, he thought she meant eating a few more mouthfuls per meal, but she took it to mean an extra bowl per meal.

Five bowls of rice!!!

His voice was somewhat deep, "Why don’t you just make up for it all at once?"

Shen Chuwei replied somewhat sheepishly, "Your Concubine would indeed prefer to make up for it all at once, but alas, Your Concubine’s capabilities are limited."

Xiao Jinyan: "..."

Imperial Doctor Wen: "..."

Chun Xi: "..."

Xiao Jinyan had no choice but to instruct, "Eat as many bowls now as you did before, not even one more bite."

Xiao Jinyan might not be a doctor, but he understood the dangers of binge eating to one’s health.

An ordinary woman eats only one or two bowls of rice per meal. By eating four bowls, she was already consuming far more than the average person and still thought of eating five?

Shen Chuwei obediently nodded her head. Four bowls it would be, as she still intended to have Afternoon Tea.

Xiao Jinyan nodded in satisfaction, and before leaving, he advised her, "Take good care of yourself these days."

Once everyone had left, Chun Xi couldn’t help but say, "My lady, I’ve told you, you can’t eat so much at a meal, it’s easy to get fat."

Listening to Chun Xi’s motherly nagging, Shen Chuwei replied indifferently, "That’s what you don’t understand, His Highness prefers women a bit plumper."

"How can that be possible? How could His Highness possibly like plump women?" Chun Xi clearly did not believe it.

Shen Chuwei said earnestly, "His Highness told me himself, how could it be false?"

Shen Chuwei had found herself a perfectly legitimate reason to enjoy her meals, and given this reason, Chun Xi, who was the top competitor in vying for favor, certainly wouldn’t object.

Chun Xi was stunned, "So His Highness has that taste, it seems the young lady needs to put on some weight."

Shen Chuwei nodded vigorously, exactly!

A maid passing by overheard this and whispered to her companion while working, "Do you know what kind of woman His Highness likes?"

The companion stopped washing the clothes and said with absolute certainty, "Of course, it’s a woman of both talent and beauty, graceful and exquisite, certainly not the likes of us."

The maid, looking like she knew some great secret, said with a sense of triumph, "You are wrong, His Highness likes plump women."

The companion was incredulous and disbelieving, "How could that be possible? His Highness is the paragon among men, with a distinguished figure; how could he like plump women?"

The maid replied with utmost seriousness, "It’s the absolute truth, I heard it while passing by Hehuan Hall. Lady Shen said it, and His Highness himself told her. It cannot be wrong."

The companion was shocked for a while, and couldn’t help but share the story with her intimate friends during their meal.

The rumor spread far and wide, with each iteration more exaggerated than the last.

"His Highness personally told Lady Shen, even advising her to eat more to gain weight—how could it be false?"

And just like that, everyone in the East Palace knew that His Highness liked plump women.

Xinlan Hall

Lady Liang chewed her lunch carefully, eating only a small bowl before setting down her utensils and reaching for a handkerchief to wipe her mouth.

Huai Xiang couldn’t help but interject, "Mistress, don’t diet anymore, His Highness likes plump women."

Lady Liang paused in the act of wiping her mouth, looking up at Huai Xiang, "Who told you that?"

"Now everyone in the East Palace knows it; it was said by His Highness himself. Lady Shen is now eating a lot at every meal with the very objective of gaining weight to secure favor."

Huai Xiang spoke as if it were definitive, making it hard for Lady Liang not to believe it.

And on considering Lady Shen, every time she saw her, she was eating, with nothing but eating on her agenda.

What woman would allow herself to eat so greedily without concern for beauty?

It turns out it was because His Highness likes it, so she would eat more deliberately.

Huai Xiang added, "Mistress, in the past there was Yang Guifei, who was plump and never lost favor. Some men like women with a bit more flesh, they feel nicer to the touch."

Lady Liang was now thoroughly swayed and likewise not willing to be left behind.

"Give me another bowl of rice, I must gain weight too."

Huai Xiang took the bowl and served another helping of rice.

After eating two full bowls, Lady Liang was utterly stuffed, but thinking of getting plumper, she forced down half more bowl.

Xu Chenghui was equally shocked when he heard this story.

Without a second thought, he ordered Peach Blossom to cook for him.

Xu Chenghui, having just had his lunch, strained to eat another bowl of rice.

In the East Palace, both masters and maids alike started a frenzy of gaining weight, all hoping that one day His Highness would take notice and they would transform from a sparrow into a phoenix.

*

Shen Chuwei had rested for a few days, and during these days, Xiao Jinyan had been too busy to come to Hehuan Hall for meals or to stay overnight, which gave her immense relief.

She took each day as it came, knowing the ship would straighten itself out at the bridge head.

Concubine Xu and Tao Chenghui would come over to chat, play fighting landlords, and eat sunflower seeds together when they had nothing else to do.

Once Concubine Xu became familiar with someone, she spoke her mind freely, without reservation in her questions.

"Is it true that His Highness asked you to gain weight?"

Shen Chuwei nodded, "His Highness says I am too thin, being a bit plumper would be better."

Concubine Xu looked Shen Chuwei up and down, who was indeed quite slim, "No wonder all the women in the East Palace are trying to gain weight. If His Highness likes it, should I try to gain weight too?"

Tao Chenghui wore a worried expression, "But being overweight doesn’t look good in clothes, I still like being thin; anything looks good on you, like Lady Shen."

Shen Chuwei, upon hearing this, looked down at herself, and thought she looked not too bad. Although she had lost some weight, the places that needed to grow had grown quite a bit over the past ten months.

Her body proportions were excellent, not bad at all.

"No, I’ll give it a try," said Concubine Xu, and without further ado, she waved goodbye and left to start gaining weight.

Tao Chenghui was still somewhat hesitant.

To maintain her figure or His Highness’s favor, it was too hard to decide.