236: Chapter 236: Almost Burst Out Laughing 236: Chapter 236: Almost Burst Out Laughing Lian Hua turned around, her face thawing from its icy expression, and exclaid with joy, “His Majesty!”
The Emperor nodded, looked at everyone in the hall, and then said, “These days, the lives of the folks are filled with hardships, from the grand matters of state governance to the simplicity of porridge and tea, all should be frugal.
We who receive offerings from the common people should do no less.
It is heartening to see my Beloved Consort practice this in her daily life.”
Having finished, he looked no further at anyone else, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth, as he walked approvingly towards Lian Hua, his eyes and heart filled with only her.
Cai Xia followed tremblingly behind, her heart quivering, Noble Consort was not that she did not want to report, but His Majesty did not allow it, she did not wish to either.
It turned out that Huaying Hall and Huaqing Palace were not far apart, the Emperor had arrived early and had been listening secretly around the corner for a while.
Accompanied by Xu Zhaoyi, he rushed from Huaying Hall to Huaqing Palace, arriving promptly outside the Huaqing Palace.
The Emperor sternly stopped those who sought to announce their arrival; a palace maid tried in panic to report inside, letting Xu Rong Ying’s people rush to intercept her, which only deepened his suspicion.
He strode into the Main Hall, imagining nurous scenarios where Noble Consort Xue tornted Lian Hua, leaving Lian Hua at the rcy of others.
Yet, as he approached the door, the imagined scenes did not unfold; instead, he heard his Little Concubine say:
“…Being benevolent and honoring the virtuous, treating the Harem with utmost generosity, it’s our fortune to serve you.”
Her speech was vigorous and filled with admiration and reverence.
The Emperor halted, observing that his Little Concubine seed unhard; this half-sentence was about him, but he was uncertain what had been said before.
He had never heard her lavish such praise on him before, hmm…
quite interesting.
Thus, driven by curiosity, he stood still, wanting to hear what else his Little Concubine would praise about him.
Thinking this, he moved to a corner that was not easily noticed, casting a warning glance at the servants of Huaqing Palace.
Seeing Zhang Qing tily intercepting these servants, he then refocused on the situation inside the hall.
Perhaps soone had previously accused his Little Concubine of monopolizing his favor; now, hearing her seeming to agree with others that she must not monopolize him.
The Emperor was startled, could it be that his Little Concubine could no longer withstand the instigation, and was pushing him away?
His expression chilled further; how dare soone in the hall provoke his innocent Nannan!
Before he could ponder deeply, he heard his Little Concubine, in a tone of helplessness, speak words that infuriated everyone in the hall, pulling on his coattails, saying she had no choice, as it was always him who wanted to go.
He understood the aning of the words; his little clever spirit had no intention of pushing him away, but instead, had found an excuse to bla him.
Truly a little clever spirit!
She seed silly at tis, but at crucial monts, she was clever enough, knowing well that she could not withstand alone, thus invoking his na, even taking the opportunity to boast a bit.
The Emperor almost laughed out loud, thinking affectionately, this little clever spirit, growing bolder, using his na more adeptly; good, very good, this put his mind at ease.
Thus, he remained still, continuing to watch the drama unfold, as his Little Concubine was performing so well, how could he not watch more, and later praise her, making her happy.
Continuing to listen, it seed soone attempted to dominate him; the Emperor scoffed internally.
Reflecting on the Before and after, he didn’t need to hear more to know what had transpired before; surely, the people in the hall conspired to bully his Nannan, Noble Consort Xue was probably among them.
Thankfully, his Little Concubine was clever and avoided their traps.
The Emperor’s face suddenly turned cold then hot, and he stood for a while longer, listening carefully to see if there was anyone who dared to bully him.
Behind him, soone was coaxing his Little Concubine to drink tea.
He was about to go out and stop them when he took a few steps and heard the Little Concubine naturally refuse, and then she used his na for frugality to suggest pouring the tea back into the pot.
Soon after, footsteps could be heard in the hall, seemingly coming toward the entrance; the steps drew nearer, interspersed with the voices of his Little Concubine and her servant.
The Emperor could no longer hold back and smiled silently, genuinely wanting to cheer for his Nannan.
She did very well, flaunting his banner so smoothly, surprisingly well indeed.
When he heard Noble Consort Xue angrily scold, followed by his Little Concubine obediently saying she would follow his advice about frugality, the Emperor could no longer restrain himself from applauding.
After he spoke, the Emperor slowly walked into the hall, the faces of his people turning to him with surprise.
He felt very satisfied; after all the twists and turns of the day, he finally saw her here.
No matter how angry he had been earlier with her going out for so long or her refusal to look at the jewelry he selected, all was dispelled at this mont, leaving only gentleness and a smile in his eyes.
Xu Zhaoyi arrived later and also listened by the corner for a while with the Emperor.
Upon hearing that Lian Hua was unhard and about to fra soone else, she nearly laughed out loud.
Her sister was really clever, and this reassured her.
Since the hall was full of the Emperor’s concubines, and the Noble Consort was also there, she could not afford to stay and share in the joke with the Emperor, especially since her sister wouldn’t suffer any grievances with the Emperor present.
Thus, Xu Zhaoyi calmly returned, leaving the Emperor alone.
She believed that the Emperor, being so protective, would not let those who bullied Lian Hua get away with it.
The people in the hall were greatly shocked, especially the Noble Consort, who turned pale.
She had never imagined His Majesty would appear at this mont and did not know how much he had overheard.
In her panic, she glanced toward Cai Xia, only to see Cai Xia avoiding eye contact, her head lowered, trembling uncontrollably.
It was then clear to her that His Majesty must have been there for quite a while.
Even though she prided herself on being tactful, she couldn’t help but beco flustered at this point.
His Majesty was so wise and discerning, and the image she had painstakingly maintained in front of him might be tarnished beyond salvage.
Reminded by a palace maid, she hurriedly got up from her throne and walked down, accidentally hitting the corner of a table so hard, yet she didn’t feel the pain.
Filled with trepidation, she led everyone in paying their respects, all saying in unison, “Greetings to His Majesty.”
After a while, she managed to speak through her anxiety, “Your Majesty, we did not know you were coming and have failed to greet you from afar, a grave offense indeed.”
The Emperor glanced at the Noble Consort and the others, who, feeling his gaze, maintained their posture of respect and dared not even breathe too loudly.
Lian Hua, of course, also paid her respects to the Emperor.
With so many looking on, she couldn’t behave as she would in Canglan Court; she had to maintain appearances.
She bowed with the others, but unlike them, she never lowered her head, instead looking up at the Emperor with sparkling eyes, her lips curving into a smile that she couldn’t suppress.
The Emperor ignored everyone else, his lips curling into a smile as he approached her and helped her up, saying, “Have you grown tired from being out so long today?”
Lian Hua stood up with the help of the Emperor’s hand, shaking her head and saying cheerily, “Not tired at all.
Why are you here, Your Majesty?
Did you co to find … find ?”
Rembering there were many others in the hall, she quickly corrected herself.
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