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He suddenly looked up, gazing intently at her, wanting to see through her, to discover what her true face really looked like!

She met his gaze without any intention of showing weakness, stubbornly tilting her neck upward, determined to wait until he responded to her.

Thus, the two of them were locked in a stalemate, each continuously looking at the other.

In his dream, his anger piled up more and more, suppressing the aching pain in his chest, he rashly thought that she’s just a concubine after all, daring to question him to his face. It was because he had indulged her too much that she became lawless.

Just as he was about to scold her, his Little Concubine finally retreated, bowing her head and removing the Coiling Dragon Jade Pendant.

Her hands trembling, she placed it on the table at her side, bowed deeply, and said, "I have understood.

The Coiling Dragon Jade Pendant is here, I will not use it anymore.

Today, I return it to Your Majesty and take my leave. "

As she spoke, she turned and left decisively.

In the instant within the dream, he felt as if he could sense her profound sadness but did not stop her, watching her leave resolutely.

He stared at the Coiling Dragon Jade Pendant set aside, feeling as though his heart had been hollowed out, agony overwhelming him. At last, when the pain became unbearable, he rushed down from the throne, desperately running after her.

He knew that if he let her go this time, it would be irrevocable, and he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Having rushed out of the hall, he saw that figure swiftly approaching the boundary of the Imperial Garden, not stopping for even a moment.

He mustered all his strength to run after her and finally realized the tears streaming down his face when he caught his Little Concubine from behind...

He woke up at this point of the dream, which was so vivid it still had his heart racing, shocked to the core.

If he had not come around today, had not come back tonight, would that have been the ending?

He knew that if things truly were as they had appeared in the dream, given his Little Concubine’s stubborn temperament, she likely would never have forgiven him and indeed would have left him.

Thinking of this, he let out a great sigh of relief, thankful that he had not been stubborn, thankful that he had come to his senses quickly.

Perhaps his movements in waking from the dream were too abrupt and woke his Little Concubine, who groggily asked, "What’s wrong, my lord?"

Still immersed in the aftermath of the dream, he did not immediately reply, and just greedily watched her.

She reached out to touch his forehead, encountering a hand full of cold sweat, and exclaimed, "You’re sweating so much, did you have a nightmare?"

As if slightly more alert now, while half-rising, he embraced her, letting himself rest against her chest. She mimicked his usual way of gently patting his back and comforted him in a soft voice, "Don’t be afraid, my lord, I am here, there, there, it was just a nightmare..."

Only then did he start to feel the reality of the situation—that there had been no separation, that she had never left him. The one embracing him now was the real her, safe and sound; everything in the dream had not happened, it was all just a dream.

Being comforted while wrapped in his Little Concubine’s arms, the Emperor’s emotions gradually calmed down, and before long, the voice of the person holding him slowly lowered until it stopped altogether.

The Emperor looked over to find his Little Concubine had fallen asleep against the edge of the bed.

He laughed softly to himself; his Little Concubine was delicate and petite, yet she comforted him firmly like a protector. It was the first time she had held him this way, and the feeling was quite pleasant.

The him in the dream was utterly foolish—how could he have doubted her?

The matter of her origins needed no further suspicion. He would find an opportunity to ask her, believing she would neither conceal nor deceive him. Otherwise, she would not have talked to him at all.

Strictly speaking, it was he who sought her out first, pestering her time and again, until gradually, she began to change, and he found a place in her heart.

How could he not see that, in the beginning, she actually found him bothersome, yet had no choice but to follow his will, to bear with him.

How could such a Little Concubine have any ulterior motives?

Today, he’s been obsessing over trifles, never thinking about these little moments before, but now, in the depth of the night, he recalls them slowly, feeling both moved and relieved. If he hadn’t been so shameless in pestering her at first, they might have missed out on each other.

Now, he is utterly immersed in their life together, willingly and delightfully so.

Sometimes he doesn’t understand why, from the very first glimpse of her, he wanted to possess her; on meeting her again, all he wanted was to tease her and stir her emotions. When she was displeased, he couldn’t help but torment her, just to see her angry yet unable to speak out.

Looking back, all the things he did were just to get her attention.

Perhaps for some people, a single glance is enough to decide a lifetime, but he, at that time, did not understand, nor did he want to.

He feels some regret and wistfulness for not having thought of her in the two years following their first encounter, for leaving her to fend for herself in a lonely place.

But fortunately, they have met again...

The Emperor, with a contented smile, extricated himself from the embrace of his Little Concubine, and settled her back to rest, wrapping his arms around her waist, holding her as they fell asleep in peace.

It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the festive atmosphere filled the air inside Canglan Court.

Lian Hua hurriedly got up in a fluster, having gone to bed late the night before. It seemed that she had even dreamt of His Majesty having nightmares, which had disturbed her rest and caused some tiredness, so she woke up late today.

His Majesty had already left early. On the day of Mid-Autumn, the celebration was universal, and there was no need to hold court, but His Majesty still had much to do.

At the You Hour, he would lead his ministers at the Moon Worship Altar to pay homage to the moon goddess, followed by bestowing rewards to the ministers and hosting a banquet in their honor, raising glasses to the moon.

Later, he would need to attend the banquet amongst the Harem Consorts in the palace, presenting rewards to the people within the palace, and enjoy the festive holiday together with the Palace Concubines.

In short, today His Majesty would be busier than usual.

And she had her fair share of tasks to do today: decorating Canglan Court, delivering mooncakes to Sister Zhaoyi, distributing mooncakes and festive money to the Young Eunuchs and Little Palace Maids, and having a lively and boisterous luncheon in Canglan Court.

This was her, and also Canglan Court’s, first time celebrating such an important festival with so much fanfare. She couldn’t rest easy and needed to oversee and direct the preparation.

Because she had woken up late, she was quite annoyed and in a rush. While Xiao Qing helped her with her hair, she incessantly urged, "Oh, just do it simply, quickly, we’re running late," as she still had a lot to do.

Xiao Qing, under the guidance of Nanny Qi, had learned to style many different hairstyles.

Lian Hua wasn’t very picky, usually combing her hair into a simple style by herself, whatever was quickest, but sometimes she would let Xiao Qing help with her hair, mainly because Nanny Qi insisted.

Today being Mid-Autumn Festival, the hairstyle could not be too simple. Nanny Qi had already instructed Xiao Qing earlier to make sure she styled her mistress’ hair in a more formal manner.

Xiao Qing felt the urgency of the hurried instructions, but Nanny Qi had advised, "My lady, it’s a festival today, it cannot be too simple, Nanny Qi would have words to say about it."

"Won’t we style it again before the evening banquet? Can’t we just make it nice then?" Lian Hua asked.

Xiao Qing shook her head, having already been anticipated by Nanny Qi who had instructed that today the mistress could not be too casual: "Nanny specifically said, today the lady should dress more festive and dignified.

You are the master of the entire Canglan Court, seeing you in high spirits makes everyone happy. "