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Zhang Qing’s heart was heavy, yet he didn’t want to overthink on behalf of Master Lian, so he let Da Zhuang go back first to report that His Majesty was busy and would dine later.

Inwardly, he kept cursing that damned Hu Miaomiao, wondering what she had said to His Majesty to make him so indifferent that he wasn’t even in a hurry to look at Master Lian’s meals and notes.

In the hall, the Emperor sat quietly alone, uninterested in dealing with the many affairs at hand.

He kept replaying Lian Hua’s every frown and smile, every word and deed in his mind, his thoughts fluttering wildly, his spirit in turmoil.

His heart was filled with wandering unease, mixed with a hint of fear.

Whether it was Hu Miaomiao’s memorial or the records of the archives, every piece of evidence indicated discrepancies between what Lian Hua had told him about her background and the truth.

She claimed she did not know where her parents were, that she had three brothers, that her hometown was in the south, but the investigation revealed none of it was true.

Her father was in Yanqing Mansion, and with a fast horse, a round trip could be completed within a day; with such a short distance, how could she not know where her parents were?

She had no brothers, only an elder sister in her family, and although her uncle’s family had two sons, one was older and one was younger than her, so where were the three brothers she mentioned?

Not a single detail matched up.

Fearing that Hu Miaomiao made a mistake, he specially checked the records himself, and after cross-referencing them, there could be no mistake.

That meant there was an issue with his Little Concubine, either she had lied, or she had tampered with something to enter the palace.

Either possibility was something he did not wish to see.

Thinking back to the few times he saw her indifferent expression, which was so at odds with her usual behavior, and considering she wasn’t originally appointed as a Cainv through the normal process, these thoughts made him unable to stop imagining the worst.

What if everything he had seen was a lie?

What if... what if his Little Concubine had always been...

He didn’t dare to think further, fearing that if it were true, he might go mad.

The more he cared, the more anxious he became, the more fear crept in; how long had it been since he had felt like this?

It might be true that high places are exceedingly cold, and perhaps after being the Emperor for so long, the constant crises around him had made him more wary and suspicious than most.

Upon discovering this matter, his first thought was to question her motives; any possibility he considered led to an unbearable pain in his heart, so intense he found it difficult to breathe.

Before he met her, his life was like a stark and solitary game of chess, with his court officials and his Palace Concubines each serving as pieces; he only needed to place each piece where it should go.

Not until she came into his life, bringing uncertainty, did he realize that aside from chess, there were also human affections in life.

When had he ever received such warmth, to be thought of and cared for every day, without any backstabbing or insincerity, to be cared about just for his own sake?

But what if all of this were false?

What if everything was because he was the Emperor?

Then, what would happen if he weren’t the Emperor?

He didn’t dare delve deeper into those thoughts; he was afraid he’d go insane, that he’d confront her, that he’d hurt her.

Even if it were all a facade, he’d probably let her keep up the pretense, forever, not allowing her to come clean, until the end of his days.

If there came a day when she could no longer maintain the charade, he feared he would destroy everything she loved and confine her by his side forever.

At that thought, he felt agony as if his heart was being gouged out; he couldn’t bear to hurt her, to see her sad, to see her cry, yet he also couldn’t let go!

"Your Majesty, the Minister of Rites requests an audience."

The Emperor awoke from his deep contemplation to see Zhang Qing before him. Without responding, he simply looked at him, his eyes profound.

Zhang Qing dared not speak again, bowing his head to wait.

It felt like an eternity before he finally heard His Majesty speak, but the words that came made his heart tremble with fear:

"Zhang Qing, in your opinion, what of Beauty Lian?"

Zhang Qing felt a great shock in his heart, sensing that His Majesty’s question was far from ordinary; it struck him like a bolt from the blue.

It was common knowledge that His Majesty doted on Master Lian, cradling her in his palm for fear she might fall, holding her in his mouth for fear she might melt away. Even dispatching his own Shadow Guard to protect Master Lian, indicating how significant her position was in His Majesty’s heart.

The sudden question now implied there was a problem between His Majesty and Master Lian.

By the look of this inquiry, it was surely not a good thing.

In that instant, he thought of many possibilities, breaking out in a cold sweat, frightened into hastily kneeling and kowtowing, "This servant dares not; this servant is but a lowly person and dares not speak carelessly of Master Lian."

It took a while before a voice came from above, "I pardon you from any guilt."

Zhang Qing knew he had to say something.

The Emperor’s mind was unfathomable, and he couldn’t discern what His Majesty’s current attitude was. Would speaking well of Master Lian backfire on him?

Yet speaking otherwise was something he couldn’t bring himself to do.

He kowtowed again and declared directly, "In response to Your Majesty, from what this servant has seen, Master Lian is sincere and warm-hearted towards others, optimistic and open-minded by nature.

She always has a smile on her face, which brings joy to those who see her; she has never looked down upon us servants, except for one thing—"

Zhang Qing swallowed hard, then continued, "Just one thing, Master Lian can sometimes be rash, too straightforward in her actions and words, easily offending people..."

This statement carried great meaning; he had offered praise at the beginning, which was indeed his true impressions, but the addition of this comment revealed his uncertainty about the depth of His Majesty’s question.

If indeed Master Lian had affronted His Majesty, these words could be seen as asking for His Majesty’s understanding on her behalf.

Useful or not, he hoped to be of help to Master Lian.

After Zhang Qing finished speaking, there was no reply from above for a long while, the hall so quiet that the drop of a pin could have been heard.

Just as Zhang Qing was anxiously considering begging for forgiveness, the Emperor spoke again, "Summon him in."

The rapid shift left Zhang Qing’s mind blank for a moment before he realized that His Majesty meant to summon the Minister of Rites.

He hastily replied with an "As you command" and withdrew to summon the official for an audience.

After the Minister of Rites had been summoned for the audience, Zhang Qing looked towards the grand hall worriedly, his heart full of concern, yet powerless to do anything.

Inside Canglan Court.

Lian Hua yawned, put down her brush, stretched, and prepared to have her afternoon rest.

After thinking for a moment, she called to Xiao Linzi, "Xiao Linzi, go ask Steward Zhang if His Majesty has had his midday meal yet."

"Yes, Mistress," Xiao Linzi replied, and went immediately to find Zhang Qing.

Xiao Qing, who was nearby, saw Lian Hua’s sleepy eyes and persuaded, "Mistress, at this hour, His Majesty would surely have eaten. You can rest assured to sleep, and you will know when you wake up."

Lian Hua thought that made sense; the night before, after she spoke a few words to His Majesty, he had agreed to come down, presumably caught up with duties preventing him from having his meal timely, but surely eating once things had been dealt with.

Feeling overwhelmingly sleepy, as if in a fog, she decided not to wait for Xiao Linzi to return and went to bed, knowing she would find out once she awoke.

As she drifted off, she thought, His Majesty had not replied to her note yet. He must be so busy that he didn’t even have the time to glance at hers.

She felt somewhat unaccustomed to this, a hollow feeling in her heart.