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Chun Xi looked at her young mistress’s happy expression and felt that the mistress was delighted at the thought of His Highness allowing her to eat and drink as much as she pleased after his return.

After sharing her joy, Shen Chuwei lowered her head and read the letter again.

The letter wasn’t long, and she finished reading it shortly.

He wrote about recent events, including the poisoning of the soldiers, and how timely her Spiritual Spring Water had been.

Well, she had sent the Spiritual Spring Water to ensure that Xiao Jinyan was immune to all poisons.

But being able to save that many elite soldiers was also good.

Seeing the last sentence, the corners of Shen Chuwei’s lips unconsciously curled into a beautiful arc.

Because Xiao Jinyan said he would be back very soon.

It had been nearly three months since they last saw each other, and she truly missed him a bit.

Shen Chuwei neatly folded the letter back into its envelope, planning to place it in her Space when no one was around, alongside the other two letters.

Nap time

With her eyes closed, Shen Chuwei listened to the sounds around her. The footsteps grew increasingly distant, and only when she could no longer hear them did she open an eye to make sure Chun Xi had gone, then she quickly got up and tiptoed out of the door.

She made her way cautiously to the small kitchen, looking around to confirm Chun Xi wasn’t nearby, and then she sneaked into the kitchen.

The small kitchen wasn’t large, but it had all kinds of kitchenware.

If it weren’t for the lack of electricity in ancient times, she would have even brought out appliances like ovens.

Then again, it was actually possible to generate electricity by hand, though it was more troublesome.

Shen Chuwei hadn’t yet decided to deal with that; she would consider it in the future.

She went straight to the cabinet and cautiously opened the door, taking out the plate of Braised Pork and pulling out a pair of chopsticks.

Then she squatted in a corner and began eating the Braised Pork.

There was no helping it, with the matron’s watchful eyes, she could only sneak bites.

"Meow?"

Shen Chuwei’s chewing paused as she looked up to see a pair of vivid blue eyes gazing at her from the windowsill, shining brightly in the sunlight.

Shen Chuwei hastily made a silencing gesture, "Shh, don’t cry out, we’ll get discovered."

Xuetuan immediately clamped its mouth shut.

"Share and share alike." Shen Chuwei picked up a piece of Braised Pork and offered it to Xuetuan. No sooner had she put it down than Xuetuan snapped it up.

Eating her portion of the Braised Pork, Shen Chuwei couldn’t resist and gave Xuetuan three words, "Little foodie."

Xuetuan licked its lips, having gulped down the piece without tasting it.

It meowed at Shen Chuwei, indicating it wanted more.

Shen Chuwei wasn’t stingy and gave Xuetuan two more pieces of Braised Pork.

Xuetuan, now wiser, first licked it, found it extremely delicious, then bit off and chewed half before eating the rest in the same manner, repeating the process.

A girl and a cat, they soon finished most of the large plate of Braised Pork.

Feeling satiated, Shen Chuwei took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth.

Xuetuan, equally content, licked its paws.

Then, looking at the empty plate, Shen Chuwei realized that if Chun Xi saw it, she would definitely guess that she had been secretly eating.

Just then, a small rabbit passed by the windowsill, and she called out softly, "Little Rabbit."

Little Rabbit had just come back from the vegetable garden and turned at the sound, seeing Shen Chuwei through the window, "My lady, do you have any instructions for your servant?"

Shen Chuwei, feeling a bit embarrassed, said, "Little Rabbit, if Chun Xi asks where the Braised Pork from the cabinet has gone, tell her it went bad and you threw it away."

Little Rabbit looked at the plate in Shen Chuwei’s hand, which was shiny with grease and vaguely showed the remnants of the Braised Pork.

"My lady, lying isn’t good, is it? What if the baby learns to lie? That wouldn’t be good."

"..." Shen Chuwei asked, "Who told you that?"

"Chun Xi said it," replied the little rabbit, looking earnest. "Right now, Your Highness has a child in her womb, and fetal education is very important."

Shen Chuwei: "...Chun Xi’s promotional efforts are really commendable!"

The little rabbit said, "For the sake of the baby, Your Highness must exercise strict self-discipline."

Shen Chuwei held out the empty plate to the little rabbit, indicating, "But I’ve already eaten."

The little rabbit stared at the empty plate for several seconds.

"Well, let’s just let it go this time."

When Shen Chuwei heard this, she happily handed the plate to the little rabbit and went back to her own room, falling peacefully asleep.

When Chun Xi found that most of the braised pork on the plate was gone and learned it had spoiled, she was somewhat puzzled. Had it gone bad that quickly?

For dinner, since Shen Chuwei’s pregnancy-induced vomiting had passed, Chun Xi prepared some meat dishes, balancing them with vegetarian options for nutritional equilibrium.

Shen Chuwei sat in front of the dinner table, enjoying her meal, while listening to Chun Xi’s puzzled remark, "The temperature has risen recently, and the food doesn’t keep as long."

Shen Chuwei nervously glanced at Chun Xi, "It’s summer, after all. It’s normal."

"Yes, it is getting hotter." Chun Xi picked up a round fan and began to fan Shen Chuwei.

Shen Chuwei lowered her head to continue eating the food in her bowl. Every time she reached for the meat, she would pick up two pieces at once.

Even so, her actions were noticed by the sharp-eyed Chun Xi.

"Your Highness, for the baby’s sake, please eat a little less," Chun Xi advised.

"Yes," Shen Chuwei replied guiltily.

When the Empress came by, she brought plenty of food, much of which wasn’t available in the other palaces.

Although the Emperor possessed numerous palaces and concubines, he was frugal with their allowances for food and clothing, unless there was surplus, which was rarely distributed to the other palaces.

The Empress felt that her position still had its uses.

Seeing the Empress arrive with so many tasty treats, Shen Chuwei was overjoyed.

"Empress, Your Majesty is too kind, bringing so much food," she expressed.

The Empress noticed Shen Chuwei’s gaze fixated on the pastries and, having spent enough time with her, could tell that Shen Chuwei was a child who loved to eat.

"Lady Shen, are you suffering any grievances? Tell me about them, and I shall take care of it for you," the Empress offered.

The Empress had been in the palace for decades. Even though she entered as the Crown Princess and then became the Empress, her path had been smooth, without any major ups and downs.

However, she was still aware of the palace’s twists, power struggles, and snobbery.

Shen Chuwei spoke honestly, "This concubine has not been mistreated. Life in Xiaoxiang Pavilion is quite good."

Xiaoxiang Pavilion was peaceful, located next to Xiyun Pavilion, and there was almost no worry about sustenance. It offered an idyllic and comfortable life.

The Empress, seeing that Shen Chuwei was not being completely honest, thought she was intimidated.

"Is that really so? I’ve noticed that you’ve lost weight recently. Is the food that bad?" the Empress questioned.

Shen Chuwei touched her own face, "Has the Empress also noticed that I’ve lost weight?"

The Empress nodded, "Yes, your face has become sharper. Is it because the food isn’t to your liking?"

If it weren’t for the Empress’s presence, Shen Chuwei would have definitely complained to Chun Xi, claiming that her weight loss warranted a need for substantial nourishment.

In reality, Xiaoxiang Pavilion was not short on ingredients. Qin Xiao would often send over fish and meat. The issue was that Shen Chuwei couldn’t eat greasy foods due to her recent morning sickness.

How could she, someone who couldn’t be happy without meat, not lose weight after such a long time without eating it properly?

"I will make sure to eat more from now on and gain some weight," Shen Chuwei emphasized deliberately, wanting Chun Xi to understand that she had lost weight and needed to eat more!

Having been with Shen Chuwei for so long, how could Chun Xi not understand the meaning behind her words?

Yet, the Fetal Education Book was very clear: no matter what she ate, moderation was key. Excess of anything was not good.

The Empress studied Shen Chuwei again for a while, then remembering the misdiagnosis, she asked, "Lady Shen, do you still remember the last time when Imperial Doctor Wang examined you?"