Page 267

It was just about fetching a food box, yet somehow it was so difficult. Could it really be, as the master had said, that he wanted to steal it?

Xiao Linzi was somewhat puzzled but dared not speak, only managing to ask in a feeble, soft voice, "Steward Zhang, those two food boxes..."

Zhang Qing, feeling perturbed at seeing him, glared at him and then turned to face the Emperor with a forced smile, softly inquiring, "Your Majesty..."

The Emperor, impatiently waving his hand, was preoccupied with pondering the intentions of Little Concubine and had no time to concern himself with food boxes.

"Yes, yes, yes." Zhang Qing understood, stepped back a few paces, turned his head to glare at Xiao Linzi, and hurried him to the door with a dismissive wave of his hand, "Go, go, go, Da Zhuang, give it to him, let him go, don’t block my sight."

Da Zhuang, who had been waiting at the door, uttered an "ah" and soon brought over two food boxes, asking Xiao Linzi if he could carry them.

Xiao Linzi weighed them, thinking them manageable; if he rested intermittently, he should be able to manage.

He nodded, ready to leave, but before departing, he followed the instructions he had been given and casually asked the still pensive Zhang Qing at the door, "Chief Steward, Xiao Qing and I were talking, and she told me to ask after fetching the food boxes whether you had rested.

This is what the master asked me to inquire about, just casually, not specifically. "

"What?" The Emperor suddenly spoke out loud from inside the hall, reacting strongly, and quickly walked out.

And Zhang Qing had not yet reacted.

Xiao Linzi, startled, quickly said, "The master said it, just casually, not specifically."

The Emperor immediately burst out laughing, exclaiming, "Good!"

He stepped forward, and as he passed by Xiao Linzi, he looked more favorably upon the boy. Although his constant chattering made it hard to grasp the main points, his thoroughness was commendable.

As he passed by, he casually patted Xiao Linzi on the shoulder and strode towards Canglan Court.

Having caught up, Zhang Qing also smiled, walking over to Xiao Linzi and fiercely poking his forehead, "You, you fool!"

He then followed the Emperor at a quick pace.

Left behind, Xiao Linzi, perplexed, held a food box in one hand and rubbed his sore forehead with the other, yet he was quite happy; the Emperor had definitely patted his shoulder for the first time ever.

With a shy smile, holding a food box in each hand, the boxes somewhat heavy, he awkwardly made his way towards Canglan Court.

Da Zhuang passed by and casually took the heaviest one, sharing the load.

A group of people headed towards Canglan Court.

The Emperor’s heart swelled with excitement and joy, knowing his Little Concubine cared for him. Perhaps she was angry, but her care was expressed in a hesitant, indirect manner, which made it all the more genuine and delightful to him.

If she was asleep when he returned, he would kiss her and sleep embracing her;

If she was still awake, brooding, then he would warmly cuddle his soft beloved, coaxing her to sleep—wouldn’t that be wonderful?

If she was really angry, he would let her scold him to vent her feelings.

Being apart for a day felt like years; his soul longed for her, as if he had truly endured years of torment. Only then did he realize how much he missed her.

Inside the side hall of Canglan Court.

Lian Hua slept fitfully, her sleep restless as if something heavy lay on her heart, making her feel suffocated and irritable. In her dreams, she kicked off a corner of the blanket to get some air.

Her sleep was drowsy, filled with bizarre dreams, shallow as if between reality and illusion.

In a semi-conscious state, she heard a soft sound of the door opening, as if someone had come in and then left.

Her head was heavy, and she thought it seemed like a dream.

The candle flickered slightly, casting a tall shadow on the canopy of the bed. The shadow seemed to lift the canopy to peek inside, then the corner she had uncovered was covered again.

Then the canopy was let down, and a rustling sound followed.

Who was it? It was so annoying. Why had they covered the blanket again? She was irritated, hot, and bothered.

In her dream, she furrowed her brow and kicked off the blanket, feeling much more comfortable afterwards.

After a while, a shadow lifted the curtain and got onto the bed, sitting at the edge with a helpless sigh.

A warm source moved closer to her, covering her with the blanket she had just kicked off.

She pouted subconsciously, kicking it off again indignantly, finding the shadow very annoying.

After she kicked it off, the shadow actually laughed out loud.

Lian Hua was so angry, she harshly cursed in her dream, asking who was so evil to smother her, as if she were not warm enough.

The shadow did not talk back, and she felt slightly relieved.

But before long, she felt some movement beside her in the blanket, it dipped—did the shadow get onto the bed? And even lay beside her?

Hey, why was the shadow also hugging her tightly, even pressing down on her hair!

Oh, who was this, both bad and annoying? She was so bothered and agitated that she wanted to get up and see which annoying ghost was being so troublesome!

Lian Hua’s head was heavy, her eyelids were heavy, and she struggled hard in her dream, trying to open her eyes, but she couldn’t open them no matter how hard she tried.

The more she struggled, the more agitated she became. Her frustration made her screw up her eyebrows and pout, causing the annoying ghost holding her to laugh even louder.

In the end, the annoying ghost even kissed her!

So angry, Lian Hua vented in her dream, "Annoying~"

The laughter beside her became even more unabashed, shaking through his chest.

It made her eyelids loosen, and she finally opened her eyes.

She looked around in a daze, huh...

"Brother Zhao?"

"Mm, it is I," the Emperor said tenderly and affectionately kissed her.

Hearing this soft and tender voice, his bones turned soft. Times were peaceful, quiet as the beginning, and his Little Concubine was still here with him.

How could he have made the foolish decision not to return to Canglan Court today?

After coming in and lifting the curtain to look at her sleeping face, he realized her image was already etched deep into his bones, constantly on his mind, a deep-seated love.

He discovered that his Little Concubine had kicked off her blanket again. What if she froze in the middle of the night without him by her side?

Luckily he had returned, and just for this reason, he could not leave her to sleep by herself anymore.

But his person was truly lovable. While sleeping, she liked to stick her bare feet out of the blanket—her tender, fair feet were quite adorable.

Worried she might catch cold, he covered her up again. But no sooner had he done so, she kicked it off again. He had to cover her back up. This time, she kicked it off right in front of him, pouting in her dream, fuming and calling him bad, saying he was annoying, which was truly exceedingly cute.

He couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Even sleeping, the Little Concubine was so adorable.

Lian Hua’s head was muddled, her consciousness not yet fully awake, and her eyes slowly blinked, coming to her senses.

The Emperor touched her face and gently said in her ear, "Did I wake you up?"

Lian Hua rubbed her eyes, unable to resist getting up.

"What’s wrong?" The Emperor held her, seeing her stir, and hugged her as he sat up.

She looked at him as if still confused and asked again, "Brother Zhao?"