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Xiao Jizi’s mind exploded with horror at what he saw, and his tongue seemed to tie itself in knots.

His Majesty had been there for a short while by the time Xiao Jizi arrived, and what he saw was Lian Hua swinging her hand at the fat-faced culprit.

He was somewhat stunned and involuntarily stopped in his tracks, gazing bewilderedly at his Little Concubine.

Upon receiving the news, he had rushed into Canglan Court, only to find the Side Hall deserted and was driven to a panic, searching everywhere, worrying that something had happened to his Little Concubine.

Nanny Qi, hearing the commotion, hurried over with Pang Ya’s help, and roughly explained the situation to him. No one was hurt. After speaking, she pointed towards the Main Hall and said that Lian Hua had taken people there to capture the culprit.

The Emperor immediately became anxious upon hearing this, knowing the repairmen in the Main Hall were crude workers, and that his Little Concubine, with such a timid nature, could not be startled like this—what if it scared his Little Concubine?

So he rushed over without a moment’s delay, anxious and worried, disregarding his status to squeeze through the shattered gateway, only to be confronted with this astonishing scene.

His Little Concubine seemed unharmed, certainly still strong in body at least.

He sighed deeply with relief, and found this previously unseen aspect of his Little Concubine quite surprising. Her aura was like that of the Mountain King—ferocious yet adorable—it was an entirely fresh sight, so he decided to stay and see what his Little Concubine would do next.

The thief was howling ceaselessly, causing him to frown in secret. His Little Concubine was pregnant and fragile; what if she were shocked by this?

Just as he was about to intervene, he saw his Little Concubine take decisive action to gag the criminal’s mouth, and he couldn’t help but pause in admiration, his heart swelling with delight.

It was good that his Little Concubine remained composed in the face of danger and did not allow herself to be bullied.

Should anyone dare to bully her, he would not be so lenient in his retaliation.

However, he wondered if her hands hurt from the striking, and whether the villainous appearance of the gang had affected his Little Concubine’s state of mind?

Otherwise, why would his gentle and tender Little Concubine be so fiercely enraged? Those thieves truly deserved death!

If it turns out that the Serpent was released by this gang...

A cold glint and heavy murderous intent lurked in the Emperor’s eyes, hidden beneath their surface.

Zhang Qing had blocked the gateway initially, preventing Cao De from coming through, but as he squeezed in, what he saw was Lian Hua ordering a filthy sock to be stuffed, and he was stunned.

He had thought that even though Lian Hua was unapproachable, she seemed naive and delicate, merely lively and energetic, never would he have imagined she could be so rough.

But now, seeing her, she was like a female bandit, fierce and terrifying. He was lucky he hadn’t stolen her fish yesterday—no, scrounged, not stolen.

Then, seeing Lian Hua threaten to stuff the Serpent into someone’s mouth, Cao De couldn’t help getting goosebumps all over, realizing that not even the punishments in the Internal Guard Bureau’s prison were this disgusting. It seemed he was too old to accept such novelties.

Well, he’d have to keep up. He’d have his men add such punishments in this direction—they wouldn’t kill a person, but would disgust them immensely. He imagined the effect would be quite extraordinary.

Cao De, seeing the gagged man’s mouth filled with black, stinking socks, shuddered at the thought of the smell. It was unbearable—he’d have to take a bath after this was all over.

Despite his thoughts, Cao De enjoyed the spectacle before him tremendously.

He lamented internally, admiring how this Little Beauty’s actions were in stark contrast to her appearance.

Weren’t all the Harem Consorts supposed to feign gentleness and composure, capable only of barbed words and sordid scheming in secret?

How could there be such a direct and rough consort in the harem?

Oh, he liked this style of handling matters very much; at last, he saw a palace concubine who didn’t just rely on verbal sparring but who, when displeased, got straight to the point with action!

Of course, Xu Rongying was an exception, as that woman was practically like a man, nothing like the Little Beauty before him, both soft and fierce, making the spectacle extremely entertaining.

When he came to his senses, he saw that the Emperor was silent, his aura fluctuating between cold and hot as if he, too, was becoming addicted to the excitement of the scene.

He nudged the Emperor and couldn’t help but praise, "Your Majesty, what good taste, but how comes Your Little Beauty seems to have quite extreme preferences!"

The Emperor walked towards his Little Concubine without turning back and coolly dropped a sentence, "If you’d like to eat a Serpent, I will grant you your wish!"

After saying this, he quickly walked toward Lian Hua, as his Little Concubine looked too endearing in this state.

Cao De was so stunned he couldn’t speak, just the thought was enough to disgust him to death; the Emperor really had a way with words. He touched the goosebumps on his hand and resignedly followed the Emperor forward.

Zhang Qing and a few others, as well as the men secretly summoned by Cao De, arrived one after another.

Nanny Qi also had Pang Ya help her over; she hadn’t come earlier, one reason being she wanted Lian Hua to go all out without worrying about her, and secondly, she was concerned that the Emperor might arrive and not find anyone.

At this moment, Cao De followed the Emperor, making room for the others who were streaming through the door in succession. When they saw the situation at the Main Hall clearly, everyone was puzzled and didn’t understand what was happening.

Xiao Jizi felt a chill in his heart as he saw more and more people coming through the door; various thoughts flitted through his mind, and he found himself tongue-tied.

He didn’t know how long His Majesty had been there, or how much of his master’s actions had been seen; he didn’t know if this would affect his master’s standing in His Majesty’s eyes, whether His Majesty would blame her, or if Her Majesty’s false issuance of an imperial edict had been discovered!!

The people at Lian Hua’s side were all facing away from the doorway. The earlier commotion had just quieted down, and everyone’s attention was on those who were tied up and on Lian Hua, not noticing anyone coming for a long while. Xiao Jizi was the first to spot them.

As the Emperor approached, Xiao Jizi panicked; he hurriedly got close to Lian Hua, tugged at her sleeve, and whispered hoarsely, "My lady, His Majesty is here," his voice trembling slightly.

Lian Hua didn’t hear him clearly, still caught up in her anger; with her left hand on her hip and her right hand holding a rattan, she walked back and forth next to the few people who were bound, giving off an intensely intimidating air.

Xiao Jizi had initially mumbled something unclear, and she hadn’t made it out.

Now Xiao Jizi spoke to her again, in an anxious, hesitant manner; she asked impatiently and loudly, "Speak up, who’s come!"

She was in control of the situation; why was he still so anxious and timid? With such timidity, how could he handle major affairs? She had overpraised Xiao Jizi too soon!

Xiao Jizi felt somewhat helpless but decided to go for broke and loudly said, "Reporting to my lady, it’s His Majesty who has come!" If he was going to die, he might as well die sooner rather than later.

As he spoke, he gestured towards the direction of the doorway, and everyone looked in that direction. Who else could the tall, handsome figure in bright yellow robes be if not the Emperor?!

Zhang Qing seized the moment and appropriately sang out, "His Majesty has arrived, pay your respects quickly!"

He too was exhausted; the Emperor’s long legs and arms made his pace very fast, and Zhang Qing couldn’t catch up.

Finally, when he had managed to catch up, Cao De blocked the way to the doorway, preventing him from entering, and he had no idea what was happening inside.

Only after Cao De moved aside could he lead the others inside.

Lian Hua was startled and slowly turned her head towards the Emperor’s direction, and her right hand involuntarily relaxed, dropping the rattan to the ground.