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Lian Hua was anxious and couldn’t think of the words to describe it, and without a second thought, blurted out, "Of course, it’s the relationship between a man and a woman, like that between a husband and his wife!"

After saying so, she huffily added another sentence, "Exactly like that! How could it be the same with Sister Zhaoyi!!"

Annoyed, she thought to herself, why was His Majesty so unreasonable tonight, she was especially tongue-tied in this regard, not knowing how to describe her feelings.

After hearing her words, the Emperor’s face softened like melting ice and snow, his eyes twinkled with tender laughter, and he couldn’t help but smile.

That was exactly what he wanted, the unparalleled, distinct place he held in his Little Concubine’s heart!

Although the two had already expressed their feelings to each other, he was still not satisfied, greedily wanting and confirming more.

Upon hearing her admission, he felt utterly content and uncontrollably leaned in to kiss her.

Lian Hua pushed the Emperor’s face away, pouting angrily; how could men be so troublesome and shameless when making a fuss, hmmph.

The Emperor felt relieved in his heart; Xu Rongying was an outsider no matter what, but he and Nannan were his own people. It was only right to reciprocate among outsiders, to repay the owed favors.

He coughed into his fist by his mouth, then lowered his hand and nodded, saying, "In that case, I understand, then it shall be given."

Lian Hua pouted her lips, giving him a suspicious glance, clearly conveying her disbelief that His Majesty could recover so quickly and stop making a fuss.

The Emperor felt somewhat uncomfortable, straightened his expression, and firmly stated, "It is only proper, for you and I are one and the same; if you wish to give, then I will support you, and together we will return this favor."

Lian Hua’s eyes widened, not quite understanding what His Majesty meant by returning the favor together.

The Emperor sincerely continued, "I will order someone tomorrow to pick out some items to bestow upon Xu Zhaoyi on your behalf to repay the favor, as you’ve been really tired these days and it deeply pains me. Why don’t you rest first, how about that?"

Lian Hua, sensing something amiss, hesitated and bit her lip as she said, "There’s no need..." It was her intention to give the gift.

She couldn’t quite figure it out; it was clearly her intention to give a gift to Sister Zhaoyi, so how had it become about His Majesty bestowing items?

The Emperor’s brows furrowed sternly, "What, did you not say just a moment ago that it was hard to distinguish between what’s owed to you and what is owed to me? Now that you wish to repay a favor, and I offer to do it for you, you suddenly find it unnecessary?"

"Oh..." Lian Hua still felt something was off, but decided not to think too much about it, concluding, "Then, when the Peach Wood Sword is ready, we shall send it together."

"..." His Little Concubine had learned to be clever, and he couldn’t deceive her easily.

The Emperor saw that he still couldn’t sway her from the idea, well, if it had to be sent, then it would be sent, but, "I would also like something you personally made."

"Oh..." Lian Hua nodded, this wasn’t a big matter, and immediately agreed on the spot: "Alright, if you would like it, I will make one and give it to you. I’ve brewed several jars of osmanthus wine too. When they’re ready, I’ll dig them out for you to taste.

It’s just that the Peach Wood Sword will take some time. .."

The Peach Wood Sword had turned out to be made from a few planks, but some were not of good quality and were just for practice. She didn’t know yet what the final product would be like, so she would have to see about that.

The Emperor’s heart was put at ease, but upon further thought, it troubled him that ultimately, it was his Little Concubine who would be burdened.

Moreover, he was not content with the idea of giving something to an outsider that he then would also receive; it displeased him.

Thinking of something, his eyes deepened, and he said slowly and thoughtfully, "I want something different, something that belongs only to me."

Something unique, that only he could have, something no one else would possess.

Lian Hua looked at His Majesty’s profound gaze, which seemed to draw her in, and she couldn’t help but ask, "What?"

The Emperor moved closer to her, his breath warm by her ear, and slowly, word by word, said, "I would like to watch you change into new clothes, one piece at a time..."

Lian Hua’s face flushed red, shyly looking down.

She understood, His Majesty was referring to the new clothes delivered these past few days, asking her to wear them one by one for him to see.

The rascal had displayed the clothes in front of her, and at that time, her mind wasn’t fully present—she hadn’t thought much of it. She simply held each piece up to compare with him, and then went about her other business.

So that’s what he’d been thinking about, he was, he was simply shameless!

The Emperor’s magnetic voice rose again, "Hmm?"

Seeing Little Concubine’s reaction, he understood that she now knew what it meant. His training over the past days had been remarkably effective.

He still remembered the first time she changed clothes in front of him, such a breathtaking scene. Just thinking of it made his heart race, and the moment was too good to waste.

Lian Hua felt both shy and an indescribable sensation, her heart thumping. She gave an almost imperceptible nod, and whispered an inaudible "okay."

The Emperor was overjoyed. His Nannan was indeed so considerate.

The remainder of the night passed under the Emperor’s direction:

"Nannan, change into something lighter."

"...Your Majesty, is this okay now..."

"Not quite yet, let me assist you...."

"Nannan, you’re so beautiful...."

The night was intoxicating, the lamplight hazy.

The next day, a leisure morning with no court duties, the Emperor sat contentedly by the window, reading at his ease, waiting for his Little Concubine to wake.

He’d kept her up late the night before, indulging himself—first with a feast for his eyes, and then he simply couldn’t resist....

Just now, his Little Concubine had clumsily risen, sleepy-eyed, trying to overcome her drowsiness to get up, mentioning that Nanny was waiting for her to have breakfast. He persuaded her to go back to bed to sleep a little longer.

He had given Nanny Qi earlier instructions to have her breakfast, so his Little Concubine needn’t worry about anything and could sleep until she naturally awoke.

Indeed, these past few days had been exhausting for his Little Concubine. Although Nanny Qi kept a watchful eye, the intense concentration had been mentally draining; she deserved some relaxation.

By the time the sun was well up in the sky, there was finally movement in the bed.

Lian Hua sat up, and as usual, reached out beside her out of habit—His Majesty was no longer there.

She stretched luxuriously, exhaling deeply, feeling incredibly comfortable, her muscles and joints more relaxed than ever before.

It felt like an age since she had last slept in; sleeping in was truly blissful.

"Awake?" A fair and slender hand with distinct knuckles drew back the curtain, and the visage of a strikingly handsome man came into view.

Lian Hua exclaimed in delight, "Your Majesty, why are you here? Is there no morning court?"

In her groggy state that morning, she thought she’d heard His Majesty’s voice and had assumed it was just a dream.

The Emperor leaned down to smooth out her hair, a smile in his voice as he said, "Today is a rest day; there’s no need for morning court."

That’s wonderful, Lian Hua couldn’t help but wrap her arms around the Emperor’s neck, snuggled into his chest, coquettishly saying, "Your Majesty, hold me."

The Emperor wrapped his arms around her tender body, his heart melting, suddenly understanding why some Emperors could "rise late after a short spring night, henceforth the monarch ignored the morning court."

Such endearing charm, such lovableness, how could one ever let go?