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Thinking such thoughts, Nanny Qi hardened her expression.

How preposterous, the young girl is still in the early months of her pregnancy, how could one proceed like that!

Moreover, in broad daylight, it is simply indecent!

The Emperor is still too young after all, thinking he could restrain himself, yet tinder in autumn ignites at a touch, is it really something he could extinguish simply because he wishes to?

Since the Former Empress Dowager has already passed away, and now that there’s no elder to watch over him, she must set aside her pride, and after dinner, she must advise him, tell him to tread lightly, and no matter what, he must endure until the young girl is at least three months into her pregnancy.

Such a pitiful sight, with the young girl so tender and frail, and carrying a child too, how could the Emperor be so!

The young girl’s complexion looked rosy, hopefully, she hasn’t been tormented too much?

Nanny Qi looked at Lian Hua with pity, and Lian Hua noticing it, felt that Nanny Qi’s gaze was unusually soft, gentler than ever before, and she quickly showed Nanny Qi a sweet smile.

Seeing this made Nanny Qi even more distressed, turning her head to glare at the Emperor.

The Emperor found this dinner somewhat baffling, feeling that Nanny Qi was being unfriendly towards him, from time to time giving him disapproving looks, then serving Nannan vegetables, how strange, such occurrences were rare.

After dinner was over, Nanny Qi stood up, bowing formally, her expression serious as she spoke to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, this old servant has a few words, I am unsure whether I should speak them?"

She pondered long and hard, and finally decided not to keep it from Lian Hua. The young girl was nearly a mother herself, and should understand, so next time at least she could ward off the Emperor’s recklessness.

The Emperor, already expecting this, quickly stood up to support Nanny Qi and said, "Nanny, no need for formality, speak freely."

Lian Hua, unaware of what was happening, also stood up obediently, looking around, unsure where to rest her gaze.

Nanny Qi, hands clasped, with a solemn expression and an air of wisdom, said, "Your Majesty, that night’s words were not trifling. A woman in early pregnancy must be extremely cautious. Do you still remember, Your Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, the Emperor immediately realized Nanny Qi had misunderstood something, but it was a difficult topic to clarify, so he simply said, "I understand."

Hearing this, Nanny Qi grew even more upset, her tone full of disapproval, "Knowing this, why did you still act so recklessly today?!"

Lian Hua, initially unclear about what Nanny Qi was discussing, thought upon hearing this that Nanny Qi knew about His Majesty’s disciplining her earlier that afternoon and was defending her.

She could not help but feel overjoyed, jumping in to mimic, "Reckless!"

Let His Majesty bully her, the big villain, this was the first time someone could scold him, and Lian Hua found it immensely satisfying to watch.

She thought secretly to herself, from now on, she must stick close to Nanny Qi, then see how His Majesty dares to bully her, hmph.

Fearing His Majesty might confront her, she quickly went over to grab Nanny Qi’s hand, half-hiding behind her, and stuck out her tongue at the Emperor.

The Emperor looked at Lian Hua and knew his Little Concubine had also misunderstood, feeling helpless and unable to clarify his words, he vaguely stated, "Nanny, rest assured, your words are always heeded."

Nanny Qi grew angrier, remembering yet behaving thus, "Then why knowingly commit such follies, how is this proper!"

Lian Hua echoed, "How is this proper!"

Feeling somewhat helpless, the Emperor knew there was no easy resolution, finally, he had to set things straight, "Nanny, you have misunderstood, I never intended to..."

Before he could finish, Lian Hua interrupted with a "hmph" and said, "You did, you did, you surely did, and it still hurts now."

Pouting her lips and, without thinking, she touched her buttocks.

This made Nanny Qi feel extremely distressed. Men are rough and, when excited, they do not distinguish between gentle and heavy, becoming reckless.

She took Lian Hua’s hand, looked around, and asked with concern, "Tell Nanny, where does it hurt?"

If the little girl was truly injured, she wouldn’t let even the Emperor off the hook.

Seeing Nanny Qi’s distress over her, Lian Hua immediately seized the opportunity to act coquettishly; she stealthily glanced at the Emperor with a triumphant expression.

Then, turning back with a pitiful look, she cooed to Nanny Qi, "Nanny, His Majesty was so fierce, it hurt so much when he hit me~" and he didn’t even spare her from begging for mercy.

The Emperor was extremely helpless. He had only tapped her lightly, without really exerting any force. It was truly indefensible, and frustratingly, the old lady and the young girl were not even talking about the same thing, completely talking past each other.

Then, thinking mischievously, if his Little Concubine knew what Nanny Qi was talking about, he wondered how embarrassed she would be. With this thought, he began to look forward to it, seeing how he was unable to clear the misunderstanding anyway.

Nanny Qi glared fiercely at the Emperor. She hadn’t expected that the Emperor would have such a wicked sense of humor. She scolded him, "She’s young and naive, but why aren’t you behaving?"

The Emperor touched his nose. Nanny’s scolding sounded somehow familiar...

He remembered now. It was that very night Nanny Qi had criticized his Little Concubine, and he had defended her.

He hadn’t expected Nanny to switch sides within a few days, turning that same criticism back on him.

Indeed, his Little Concubine had some enchanting potion, appealing to both young and old. ..

After scolding him, Nanny Qi wasn’t going to waste any more time on the Emperor but instead pulled Lian Hua with pity, "Little girl, come, let Nanny see inside where it hurts?"

"Ah? That won’t be necessary," Lian Hua was a bit dazed, wondering why they still needed to check her buttocks. It was embarrassingly awkward, and she started feeling shy.

Moreover, there was no need.

Oh no, it seemed she had gone too far in her act, and Nanny had taken it seriously.

Actually, His Majesty hadn’t hit hard at all. The little force he used couldn’t even kill a mosquito, how could it have hurt her? It was just that the process was too embarrassing for her, which was why she was upset...

Nanny Qi was insistent, her face stern as usual, "That won’t do!"

Suddenly realizing that the little girl might be afraid of the Emperor, she quickly coaxed her, "Come, it’s just a quick look, if you were really bullied, Nanny will stand up for you."

It was the young girl’s first experience, young and ignorant of the gravity of the situation; she had to see it to be reassured.

If it was serious, they would still need to summon the Imperial Physician to examine her to be sure.

Thinking this, Nanny Qi couldn’t help but glare at the Emperor again, her eyes seemingly accusing him of his misdeeds. After glaring, she grabbed Lian Hua to head into the inner chamber.

The Emperor felt both wronged and innocent and simply gave up on explaining. Let the misunderstanding stand; they would witness the spectacle of his Little Concubine soon.

Thinking this, he began to sit back and watch, his face wearing a half-smile as he observed his Little Concubine, seeing how she would resolve this situation.

Lian Hua had a bitter look on her face, realizing she had overplayed her hand. Oh dear, she clung to Nanny Qi’s hand, refusing to go into the inner chamber, shaking her head and stammering, "Nanny, it actually doesn’t hurt much, I’m fine."

Nanny Qi was stern-faced, "Don’t be embarrassed, Nanny needs to see to be reassured."

After hearing Nanny’s words, Lian Hua felt even more bitter, and quickly confessed, "Nanny, I’m really fine. His Majesty just tapped me a few times, and it didn’t hurt at all. I was just playing around, look, I’m completely fine, I could even eat three bowls of rice."

Nanny Qi was startled, "What, wasn’t it about consummation?" She found the reply strange.