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The old monk looked at him with compassion and mercy and said only, "Amitabha, the will of Heaven is unfathomable; even I cannot see through it."

The old monk continued, "The lotus is a sacred flower in Buddhism, and by coincidence, your surname is Lian.

The baby girl in the swaddling clothes has a fate linked with Buddha.

Why not name her Lian Hua? It might ward off calamities and disasters, with hopes she will rise above the mire unsoiled, breaking through worldly filth and misfortunes to stand tall in the world. "

From that moment on, the name of Lian Hua was set.

Before leaving, the old monk gave Lian Hua’s father a deep look and said, "Benefactor, you are a righteous person, and your ancestors have accumulated much good karma; your virtue is immeasurable. In the future, you will surely turn danger into safety and enjoy a peaceful old age."

Lian Hua’s father thanked the old monk and finally asked for his Buddhist name.

The old monk responded with "Hui Yuan" and drifted away.

Lian Hua’s mother had been resting in her chamber and did not go to the hall; when Lian Hua’s father returned, she learned that their daughter now had a name.

Upon hearing the origin of the name, Lian Hua’s mother felt strange, unable to believe that her daughter’s name had been decided by an old monk; she was somewhat skeptical of the monk’s words.

It was no wonder she had concerns. Lian Hua’s father was naive and inherently kind; he often got deceived yet still thought well of others.

She feared the old monk was being unnecessarily mysterious—for a daughter’s name was a significant matter, especially since he had mentioned on her full-moon celebration that her little girl was destined for a great calamity, which was truly infuriating.

After hearing the old monk’s Buddhist name, Lian Hua’s mother said nothing more, believing there was indeed truth in the notion that fools have their own kind of good fortune.

Lian Hua’s father might not have known, but Master Hui Yuan was a highly esteemed monk from the Great Cien Temple to the north, and why he traveled here was unknown. Many sought a word from him in vain; her daughter, like her father, was truly blessed.

Yet, her heart still held secret worries, uncertain when her daughter’s calamity would occur.

Lian Hua’s mother came from the north, born into a distinguished family, well-educated, and skilled in the arts—not claiming to excel in everything, but certainly competent.

Later, when a family member committed an offense, the whole family was implicated, leading to their downfall and exile. Meeting Lian Hua’s father, a disgraced official, she found compassion in him, and they married, becoming the true master of the Lian Mansion with her discernment and capability.

Lian Hua’s mother, being a lady brought up in a refined environment, hoped to raise Xiao Lian Hua in the same manner she was taught, wishing to cultivate her as a proper lady.

However, as time passed, her expectations reduced significantly until they reached rock bottom, and she simply wished for Xiao Lian Hua to avoid causing trouble.

From here, the Emperor understood who was in Lian Hua’s family and where her name originated from.

Lian Hua spoke about these matters in bits and fragments; as she remembered something, she would add it in. Her narration was not fluent, and it was the Emperor who pieced together the tidbits to surmise the full backstory.

For instance, when Master Hui Yuan prophesied that Lian Hua was of inexpressible nobility, this was something her father-in-law would not have mentioned to her, and she was unable to articulate it clearly.

She only said her fate was very noble, and the Emperor guessed it meant of inexpressible nobility.

The Emperor had heard a bit about Hui Yuan, especially from the affair involving the Rebel Prince.

Before the Rebel Prince’s conspiracy, he had sought divination from revered monks, and the one he most wanted to consult was Hui Yuan.

However, by that time, Hui Yuan had already moved on from that place, his whereabouts unknown, and so the matter was dropped.

The Emperor felt a slight unease. That bald monk had uttered only half of his prophecy—his Little Concubine was destined for calamities, but as for what would cause these calamities or when they would come, he said not a word.

Such cryptic statements were fruitless to dwell upon. Now his Little Concubine was under his protection, and watching over her with extra care would suffice.

Regarding what her father said about possibly not liking her future husband, she became evasive and spoke hesitantly. The Emperor made a guess that her father meant if the husband was not good, then the marriage arrangement involving a son-in-law living with the bride’s family should be annulled.

The Emperor fell silent, feeling really unsure, as he had never observed how ordinary families’ fathers-in-law and sons-in-law interacted.

He did not know what her father would consider a bad husband.

When he asked his Little Concubine, she couldn’t provide a clear explanation either, which was headache-inducing.

The Emperor decided not to ponder further.

Everyone entering the palace had their history recorded in the archives.

Having heard his Little Concubine’s story, he grew more determined to help her find her family.

He would discuss it with her once they were found.

To speak of it now would only cause her to overthink and add to her burden.

His Little Concubine was truly endearing. Once he started a conversation topic, she would continue on her own, spilling all her mischievous childhood deeds without reservation, saying whatever came to mind.

The Emperor chuckled to himself. It was no wonder his Little Concubine had such a lively and bright personality, having been doted on by so many as she grew up.

Her family was a typical case of a strict mother and a compassionate father; probably only her respectable mother-in-law could manage her well.

Her parents and several brothers had raised her well.

In her personality, there were traces of her parents and brothers.

She was lively and mischievous yet knew her limits, simple and spontaneous yet could judge the situation, kind-hearted with her own set of principles, unwilling to repay evil with kindness or to be easily exploited.

Her carefree and generous nature when facing situations was a trait of her father.

The chivalry of the world of rivers and lakes came from her second brother, the clever tricks and unconventional solutions from her third brother, and the calm and composure in serious situations from her eldest brother.

As for the mannerisms of a young lady, those were taught by her mother.

The Emperor was quite relieved that his mother-in-law had etiquette.

Otherwise, if she followed her father and brothers, it was hard to imagine what his Little Concubine would have become.

She might have ended up like a rowdy character, calling him ’brother’ and so on – hard to imagine and certainly not preferable to how she was now.

"My Lord, all my classmates admired me, you know. Am I not impressive?" Lian Hua boasted with pride and then contentedly sipped some honey water.

His Majesty was really nice, listening to her go on. It had been a long time since she had spoken so freely. She had told His Majesty so much that she was a bit thirsty now.

The Emperor snapped back to reality, the corners of his eyes twitching slightly.

His Little Concubine, when she was little, acted like a little overlord; anyone who didn’t submit would be set upon by her and her friends.

It was no wonder that her classmates obeyed her.

But indeed, she had had many playmates in her childhood.

Lian Hua took several big gulps of honey water, "gulp, gulp," finally quenching her thirst. She sighed comfortably. His Majesty drank tea very elegantly, something she couldn’t imitate. She rather enjoyed gulping it down like this.

Seeing that His Majesty remained silent, Lian Hua tilted her head and looked over, unable to resist asking another question, "My Lord, am I impressive or not?"

After saying that, she looked at the Emperor with eager eyes; His Majesty’s approval meant a lot to her.

The Emperor reached over to wipe a droplet of water from the corner of her mouth, nodding helplessly, "Why are you still calling me ’my lord’?"

"Oh..." Lian Hua’s eyes began to flicker, finding it embarrassing to call him Brother Zhao. She was not yet accustomed to it.

Her gaze started to wander, and spotting a tray on the table, she changed the subject, "Oh, what’s this? It seems it’s been here since I entered the room. I wonder what it is."

As she spoke, she began to lift the red cloth covering the top.

The Emperor later decided to cover everything with the red cloth, not revealing even a corner. So before lifting it, she couldn’t tell what was underneath.

Now she had walked right into the trap again. The Emperor watched her leisurely, a smile that was not quite a smile playing across his face as he observed her every move.