Page 241

Because she had forced her classmate to mock her name by threatening him until he laughed, and after he laughed, she would hit him.

Once she was done, she would go back and tell her mother, seeking praise.

Who knew that on that night, she would be beaten by her mother until she wailed loudly and dared not do it again.

But after that, none of the classmates’ children dared to laugh at her name again. Alas, it was quite lonely.

Looking back now, it seems that she was quite detestable and annoying when she was little, always stirring up trouble when there was none, and rushing to add to the chaos when there was. How could she be so cowardly now? Alas...

Let’s get back to the subject of names. Although her own name had a significant origin, if she didn’t tell anyone, nobody would know.

So sometimes, she couldn’t help but envy others, envy that they had names that couldn’t be understood without explanation.

His Majesty looked at her indulgently and said, "Say the name, let me listen?"

Lian Hua opened her mouth to call out but then looked around, somewhat embarrassed, "Didn’t you say to call you privately, Your Majesty? Now there are many people watching."

The Emperor glanced backward and gave Zhang Qing a look, who immediately understood and led the people a few steps further away, turned their backs, and pretended they weren’t there.

Seeing Zhang Qing’s actions, Lian Hua stamped her foot and protested, "Your Majesty, you’re being unfair!"

By turning their backs, does that mean they can’t hear? Steward Zhang just has poor eyesight, not poor hearing. Trying to fool her, hmmph!

His Majesty felt an itch in his heart; he wanted to hear her call him "Brother Zhao." He couldn’t help but lean down to her ear and coax her, "My dear, how about calling me by my ear? This way, only you and I can hear it."

Lian Hua bit her lip, His Majesty made it hard for her to resist, and she couldn’t bear it and softly called out, "Brother Zhao."

After saying it, she lowered her head, and her face began to turn red.

Hearing her say that, the Emperor’s heart melted, he hugged her, and couldn’t resist whispering in her ear, teasing her, "My little dear, should Brother Zhao only dote on you from now on, would that be alright?"

Lian Hua’s face immediately turned red as if bleeding; she found the words strange, embarrassingly so.

Yet, inside she was very pleased. "Brother Zhao" would be her exclusive title from now on; thinking about it made her very happy.

The Emperor hugged her and laughed, caressed her hair, and slowly walked her back.

When they reached the entrance of Canglan Court and he saw the blush on her face had somewhat faded, he asked, "My little dear, your childhood nickname was Nannan, but has your formal name always been Lian Hua?"

In his view, there was nothing wrong with the name Lian Hua; his Little Concubine was his Fairy Lian Hua, pure, noble, and naturally beautiful.

But he worried that she might have hastily picked a name to avoid tabooing someone’s name, either before entering the palace or after, and that it wasn’t her real name. He still wanted to know her true name.

He suspected that Nannan’s parents, who doted on her so, wouldn’t have chosen such a simple name for her.

It was likely a name to avoid tabooing someone, just like how he had a Palace Maid transferred from Star Palace who had a name containing "flower." To avoid tabooing his Little Concubine’s name, he had Nanny Qi change it.

Lian Hua shifted her embarrassed attention and very matter-of-factly looked up and said, "That’s right."

She didn’t understand why His Majesty was asking this. Could it be that he wanted her to also come up with a poem like the one with the word "Zhao"? She didn’t have that, but there was indeed an origin to her name.

"No other name?" the Emperor wondered, had he overthought it?

Lian Hua struggled from his embrace, acting like an old man as she sighed and shook her head, "There might have been originally, but not anymore. It’s a long story. It all began with an incident from the past..."

She cleared her throat, hands clasped behind her back, and started walking ahead towards the Side Hall, affecting a distant gaze as she began to pose and speak theatrically.

This behavior she learned from her father, who had used the same manner to tell her stories:

Long ago, far in the south, there was a city. In this city lived a family, a household significant enough to be counted among the city’s elite. The family owned a vast amount of fertile land outside the city and had many shops within, all rented out.

The family owned a large tea garden, which produced the very Dew Tea. Each year the yield was limited, not enough to sell widely. Aside from what was kept for the family’s own consumption, the leftovers were supplied to the city’s tea houses and restaurants, earning them quite a lot of silver.

This Dew Tea was exceedingly famous in the city.

There were always people persuading the household that with such fine tea, dignitaries and aristocrats would certainly love it.

They suggested expanding the tea garden or selling the tea recipe to make more silver and to spread the fame of the tea, allowing more nobility to enjoy it.

The ancestors of the household had built their fortune from scratch with Dew Tea. There was a saying from the ancestors that Dew Tea was the foundation of the Lian Family, and the secret recipe must never be disclosed.

Furthermore, the head of the household had no grand ambitions and was quite content.

He never thought about becoming wealthier.

Besides, during those times, the unstable situation made it dangerous to draw attention.

It was better to live quietly in one’s corner, so he turned away any persuasive visitors.

Through the land rents, shop rents, and the tea garden, the household lived a prosperous and rich life.

The head of the household and his wife were kind-hearted, felt pity for their tenant farmers, and set their rent lower than most by ten to twenty percent.

In disastrous years, they would either halve the rent or waive it entirely.

They were easy to speak with, making the farmers compete eagerly to rent their land, resorting to other households only when they had no other choice.

The family was charitable and kind to others, often helping those in need and securing the love and respect from neighbors. They were deeply beloved in the community.

"In short, this household lived a life that was harmonious, prosperous, and thriving," Lian Hua said as she walked through the doorway, picking up a tea cup from the table and slamming it back down with a "clack," her head held high like a storytelling master pounding on the table for emphasis.

Next to the tea cup was a tray covered with a cloth. She found it somewhat familiar but paid it no mind as she was engrossed in her story and hadn’t the time to look.

The Emperor watched the tray nonchalantly, seeing his Little Concubine narrate from the main gate all the way into the Side Hall without getting to the point.

It seemed to be about the affairs of Lian Hua’s family, so he patiently listened on. Seeing her posture, he humored her, "So this is your family’s story? Then how did the name Lian Hua come about?"

Turns out, Dew Tea was indeed their closely guarded family secret; few had ever tasted it, no wonder he hadn’t heard of it before.

Lian Hua was interrupted and couldn’t help but glare at the Emperor, saying, "My lord, patience is required to listen to stories~"

How could he interrupt her so casually? She had forgotten how to continue the story’s structure and narrate what came next. The story probably wouldn’t sound good now; she might as well wrap it up in a few words.

The Emperor then made a beckoning gesture and said, "Please, Mr. Lian, go on."

Lian Hua chuckled, finding herself quite amused with His Majesty addressing her that way.

But it was too late, the story was too jumbled now. When her father told her, she only remembered the parts he bragged about.

After a moment of thought and clearing her throat, she succinctly continued, "As I was saying, this household was living quite blissfully, but there was one matter that vexed them; they had three sons in a row before finally having a little girl. Later, they met a monk who named her Lian Hua, said to be something in Buddhism that could ward off disasters. Anyway, it was quite powerful, and that’s how my name was decided! "