Page 180

Take the incident this time, at face value, it seems aimed at harming Nanny Qi, and by extension, harming her, but given that His Majesty spends his days with her, on a deeper level, it could be seen as an attempt on His Majesty’s life, and not something that can be so easily judged.

The enemy hides in shadows while they stand in the light. If the villain succeeds, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Now that the conspiracy has been exposed and her people are safe, she can speak thus, but had someone truly been harmed, could she still say these words?

She didn’t know, and she felt a deep hatred for those who harmed others and an even deeper fear of wronging the innocent. It was a contradiction. If only she had the ability to see through people’s hearts. One look, and she would know who was good and who was evil...

The Emperor looked at his Little Concubine, her small brows tightly furrowed as if encountering some difficulty.

He held one of her hands tightly with his, and with the other, he gently smoothed her furrowed brows, and tenderly said, "Nannan, just be yourself, everything else, leave to me."

All these schemes and perils, he would bear them, only wishing for his Nannan to forever be carefree.

Lian Hua looked at the Emperor’s gentle and resolute gaze, her eyes gradually clearing of confusion, and she couldn’t help but smile broadly, wrapping her arms around the Emperor’s neck and saying, "Alright."

From now on, she wouldn’t think about complex matters, leaving everything to His Majesty.

The Emperor held her close, feeling warmth in his heart. His Little Concubine was truly obedient, so obedient that it pained his heart.

In His Majesty’s embrace, Lian Hua felt very blessed. In the whole world, she was the most fortunate.

His Majesty told her to just be herself, which implied that she didn’t need to disguise herself, didn’t need to concern herself with anything, could do whatever she wished. He was her rock. Was there any promise more solemn than this?

His Majesty was a wise Son of Heaven, and he would not casually speak such words. If he did, it meant that His Majesty trusted her deeply. Even after making such a promise, His Majesty believed she would not do anything outrageous. Was there any sweeter words than these?

She gazed earnestly at His Majesty, hugging his neck, burying herself into His Majesty’s chest.

In her heart, she resolved that if His Majesty was her support, then she must not disappoint him. She would not betray His Majesty’s trust in her.

The Emperor embraced his Little Concubine tighter, sensing her wholehearted trust in him, feeling deeply content.

When she finally let go, the Emperor kissed her cheek and asked, "Do you feel a bit better now?"

He truly cared for her; his Little Concubine had experienced a calamity today, frightened and wearied.

Lian Hua looked at His Majesty with eyes full of affection, nodding once and then again. With His Majesty present, the heavy stone on her heart was gone, and she felt light and at ease.

The Emperor couldn’t help but seek a reward, "Then, would you give me a kiss?" His Little Concubine was too seldom proactive with her affection, it was not enough.

Lian Hua’s face flushed with a bloom of red, and she murmured, "Wait... wait until we return..."

"Hmm?" His voice was too soft, the Emperor couldn’t hear clearly.

Why would His Majesty press further? Lian Hua, holding back her shyness, gave him a coquettish glance and righteously said, "Your Majesty, as the august Son of Heaven, how can you behave so flippantly under the broad heavens."

After speaking, she couldn’t hold back her laughter. Oh my, she was quite the eloquent one, haha.

The Emperor’s smile followed suit, his affection apparent as he shook his head, messing up her hair gently and saying, "Let’s go back."

Lian Hua nodded, her heart full. Taking the initiative, she held His Majesty’s hand, interlocking fingers and walking forward, unable to resist. The feeling was wonderful.

The serpent issue had been resolved, and the people at the Main Hall no longer needed her attention, which was a relief. Having His Majesty was truly a blessing.

Her mood brightened, and she couldn’t resist speaking up. On the way back, she began to chatter non-stop about her heroic deed of the day, "Your Majesty, I was so impressive, with keen eyesight and accurate strikes against the serpent."

In her hometown, serpents were called snakes, but since His Majesty referred to them as serpents, she couldn’t help but adopt the term as well.

Listening, the Emperor felt a wave of alarm.

Initially, he had only heard that a serpent had appeared in Canglan Court, and Nanny Qi, when reporting it to him, had only mentioned it briefly.

He hadn’t realized she had dealt with it personally—it was far too dangerous.

The mere thought of what could have gone wrong made him shudder.

Without betraying his concern, the Emperor asked, "How accurate are you?" The servants from Canglan Court will have to be punished along with those from Star Palace.

Lian Hua, in high spirits, said, "I aimed for the seven-inch vital spot, and hit it every time. Oh dear, where’s my rattan?"

It was with His Majesty before, now where could it be? She looked around but couldn’t find it. Alas, she must have left it back at the Main Hall.

Therefore, she turned to look behind her and saw Xiao Linzi at the very back. It would be convenient for him to go back, and after all, it would be used on Xiao Linzi more in the future.

Lian Hua called out to him, "Xiao Linzi, go back and find that rattan for me, would you? It’s really handy." She couldn’t bear to lose it.

Xiao Linzi uttered a compliant "yes" and obediently went back to search for it. From that day on, Master Lian ranked in his heart only second to His Majesty.

Watching Xiao Linzi turn back, Lian Hua relaxed and couldn’t help but wiggle the hand that was entwined with His Majesty’s, then turned her head to resume her chirpy storytelling.

The Emperor tenderly held her hand, occasionally responding to her, and when they passed through the threshold, he carefully protected her with his arm, guiding her forward to prevent any harm.

His Little Concubine was truly lively and adorable; just listening to her talk filled him with joy.

When she mentioned the serpent on Nanny Qi’s bed, Lian Hua shuddered and quickly moved on, still visibly shaken.

Then her anger flared again at the thought of Nanny Qi nearly being bitten; it made her seethe.

The Emperor soothingly patted her back, calming her down, and she began to speak excitedly again, with the Emperor occasionally chiming in supportively.

She recounted how she had ordered Xiao Jizi and the others to deal with the serpent, how cleverly she had sent Xiao Linzi to borrow help, and how she intimidated the people in the Main Hall:

"...Nanny was really kind, telling me not to be afraid and just do what needed to be done, so I became even braver. Leading the people, I smashed through the enclosure. I saw lots of people crowding around—I only had a few with me, what to do? Humph, I wasn’t scared!

With a flash of inspiration, I walked over, slammed the rattan down, and yelled out ’By His Majesty’s decree,’ threatening to arrest them all.

Just like that, I scared everyone stiff. .."

As Lian Hua spoke, she was somewhat smug, look at how clever she was~

At this point, the Emperor’s vein throbbed on his forehead. Had his Little Concubine’s courage swollen to such extents that she would dare to deceive others with his decrees?

Xiao Jizi, trailing behind, felt his heart pounding. Master, you must be more careful; just now, no one realized the decree was false, but how could you reveal it so casually!

Oh no, his ancestors, this was trouble. How would His Majesty deal with this?

Would someone like him be able to leave a whole corpse?

Xiao Jizi was gloomy-faced as he trailed behind, and Xiao Qing, noticing his pallor, quietly inquired what was wrong.

Xiao Jizi looked at Xiao Qing’s oblivious expression and hesitated with a face full of unsaid words.

Never mind, never mind, fools have their own kind of fortune. It’s better he doesn’t know. Ignorance is bliss, and what will be, will be.