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Lian Hua was so worried that her eyebrows were nearly furrowed enough to wring out water. Her most valuable possession was the ten Gold Ingots His Majesty had given her, but surely they couldn’t be used as return gifts, right?

She had never considered the gifts from the other concubines as her own, and had subconsciously ignored them completely.

Nanny Qi smiled faintly and consoled, "Xu Zhaoyi is not after your possessions. The value of a gift is not in its price, but in the sincerity between people. The intention is what counts. If one only seeks lavishness and price, it loses its sincerity and thus its beauty."

Lian Hua had an epiphany and nodded, seeing the reason in Nanny’s words, "Then I shall make something that I am good at to give to Sister Zhaoyi. Nanny, what do you think?"

Nanny Qi nodded and said, "Good, the things you make with your own hands are better than anything else. Once you have decided, that will be fine."

With Nanny Qi’s approval, Lian Hua made up her mind.

Once her direction was set, Lian Hua started counting the things she could do, mumbling to herself, "What shall I make? Needlework? That might not be appropriate; Nanny’s headpiece is still unsettled..."

Listening to this, Nanny Qi fell silent...

Thinking about the little girl’s needlework gave her a headache.

She no longer expected the headpiece to turn out well; she would be grateful if two pieces of fabric sewn together could even resemble a proper headpiece.

When the time came, she would wear it for the sake of it, as a gesture to not disappoint the little girl’s good intentions.

Nanny Qi did not offer any suggestions but simply watched Lian Hua, who kept on rambling and rejecting her own ideas:

"...Or maybe make some snacks? No, no, that’s not showing enough appreciation..."

"...A handcrafted doll is too casual, that won’t do..."

Lian Hua mumbled to herself as she walked in circles, and the space in the Side Hall was not enough for her pacing, so she started wandering in the courtyard, asking anyone she could find:

"Xiao Linzi, what do you think I should give?"

Xiao Linzi, not understanding what Lian Hua was talking about, scratched his head and replied instinctively, "My lady, perhaps some ointment?"

The cool ointment, when applied to a sore and blooming behind, was very comforting.

Lian Hua automatically dismissed Xiao Linzi’s suggestion and grabbed Xiao Qing to ask, "Xiao Qing, what do you think I should give?"

"Uh... My lady, this is a tough question..." Xiao Qing had seen this scenario before. When her master was troubled, it was like this, just like the time she and Xiao Jizi were asked to suggest what dishes to prepare for His Majesty.

Lian Hua skipped over Xiao Qing’s comment and continued her pacing, bumping into Xiao Jizi, she casually asked, "Xiao Jizi, what do you think I should give?"

Xiao Jizi shivered, reminded of the fear of being under Lian Hua’s orders from before, and hesitantly suggested, "My lady, perhaps we could look at what we have and choose from there?"

Lian Hua immediately felt that it made a lot of sense. Xiao Jizi was smart indeed, and that gave her a new idea—to look at what she had.

She then started having several people report to her one by one about the private possessions in their court.

When Xiao Qing mentioned the osmanthus that had been picked and dried, Lian Hua slapped her forehead, "That’s right! I’ll make several jars of osmanthus wine. Sister Zhaoyi is as majestic and imposing as a general; fine wine suits a general perfectly!"

But osmanthus wine needed to ferment and be stored for a long time before it could be fragrant enough; Lian Hua worried about it and dispatched a few Young Eunuchs from the Star Palace to help pick some fresh osmanthus to start the process.

Although it couldn’t be given right away, she could give it to Xu Zhaoyi in the future.

Lian Hua started pacing again, doing a thorough round of the courtyard, examining every ear of corn and piece of fruit, and finally her gaze landed on the peach tree beside the Side Hall. She suddenly had an idea...

Inside Huaying Hall.

"Has it been sent over?" Xu Zhaoyi meticulously oiled her beloved whip for maintenance, her brows and eyes full of spirited vigor.

Ming Jing bowed her head and answered, "Yes, it has been delivered. Just as the Master predicted, Beauty Lian initially refused to accept and pushed it away. However, when the servant threatened to smash it, she immediately stopped the servant and finally accepted it."

As Ming Jing spoke, she described to Xu Zhaoyi how Lian Hua had reacted at that time and laughed first after finishing her story.

Xu Zhaoyi stopped what she was doing, imagined the scene, and also couldn’t help but laugh heartily, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

What an adorable young girl she is.

After enough laughter, Xu Zhaoyi asked again, "What did she think of the marbles?"

"The Master is wise; the servant could tell that Beauty Lian was very fond of them and only refused them because she felt they were too precious."

"That’s good," Xu Zhaoyi nodded, not saying anything more.

Years ago, her sister had liked that set of marbles very much, but for various reasons, she had not given them to her right away.

She had intended to wait until her sister was older to give them, but later on, there was never another chance. This was her regret.

Now, hearing that a young girl like her sister also liked the set of marbles, Xu Zhaoyi felt some relief. Giving the marbles was the right choice, at least it could alleviate some of the regrets in her heart.

If her sister were still alive, she would be about the same age as the young girl from Canglan Court, wouldn’t she?

...

In recent days, the Emperor felt that his Little Concubine was acting strangely, being too busy, even busier than himself.

During the day, he would see her fiddling with something, and at night, she would be scribbling away at some ghostly talismans that were incomprehensible to him, noticeably reducing the attention she paid to him.

Ask her three questions, and it would be good if she gave a vague response to one, which also didn’t make sense, and her mind seemed to be somewhere else, filled with who knows what.

Even when he personally came to see her try on clothes, she hardly spared a moment’s notice for him.

These clothes had been urgently made by the Weaving Bureau, day and night. The measurements were taken by Nanny Qi and provided to them, without allowing the Weavers to get close to her. The fabric and styles were personally selected and designated by him.

As soon as they were made, he had personally returned to see what she would look like in them.

But this thankless wretch acted as if she had lost her soul, just perfunctorily gestured with him and then went off to do other things, which greatly displeased him.

The Emperor became unhappy and called for Xiao Linzi to inquire, only to learn that his Little Concubine was busy preparing a gift for someone. In his absence, she had been focused on this task.

Content in his heart, for who else could the gift be for? Just a while after the Mid-Autumn Festival, his birthday would arrive.

His Little Concubine was so painstakingly preparing, who else but him could she be planning to gift?

Not telling him must mean that, like with the Orchid Handkerchief, she had started preparing early to give him a surprise once it was ready.

Feeling pleased, the Emperor thought fondly of his Little Concubine who quietly worked without seeking praise.

With his mood lifted, he didn’t mind the little details, so when he heard that his Little Concubine had sent a large party to the Imperial Garden to chop trees, and they weren’t satisfied after cutting down several, leaving a little empty area bare, he didn’t mind at all.

It was just a few trees after all. As long as his Little Concubine was happy, even if the entire Imperial Garden were cleared, it would be fine.

Later, seeing her busily at work, the Emperor had not a trace of displeasure; instead, he watched her lovingly, and after a long while, he massaged her shoulders, persuading her tenderly to rest a while and not overexert herself.