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Every time this subject came up, it irritated her beyond measure.

She couldn’t help but sit up straight, huffing with annoyance, "I finished making it yesterday, thinking of showing it to you when you came back last night, but look at you, not returning until the dead of night. How was I supposed to show you then~"

After speaking, she couldn’t help but grumble again, "And I don’t know who it was that wouldn’t eat on time..."

Hearing her voice, the Emperor could picture her pouting, her expression filled with huffiness.

The corners of his mouth lifted, teasing her, "Hmm, and I wonder who it was that punished me until the wee hours of the night."

Feeling her face heat up, Lian Hua fell silent at once.

Unwilling to give in, she leaned forward, whispering in his ear, "You big meanie, hmph."

As she spoke, she made a fierce sound with her mouth and playfully bit his ear without really biting down.

She was utterly adorable.

The Emperor burst into laughter right away, a warm, tingling feeling spreading through his heart, lightening his mood somewhat.

There was one thing in which he truly couldn’t compare with his Little Concubine, no matter how great the issue, she could always quickly adjust her mood and live life cheerfully.

She wouldn’t wallow in sorrow, nor would she blame heaven and others, much less feel sorry for herself. In front of others, one only ever saw her lively and vibrant side.

If she didn’t speak of it, one would never guess that she carried such heavy burdens in her heart. She silently saved money, doing all she could to pay off her parents’ debts and solve her family’s troubles.

Such sincere devotion.

She never seemed to consider asking him for help, and didn’t mind being called a little money-hoarder. Instead, she joyfully saved silver, carefully managing her own accounts.

Thinking this, the Emperor pondered aloud, "Nannan, how about I help you find your parents?"

"Really?" Lian Hua exclaimed in surprise, leaning forward, her face so close to his that he could feel her smooth cheeks and the warmth of her breath.

"Take it easy, hold on tight," the Emperor reminded her helplessly.

"Oh, yeah, I will," Lian Hua obediently tightened her hold around the Emperor’s neck, then eagerly asked, "Your Majesty, will you really help me find my parents and brother?"

Then she reflexively added with habitual politeness, "Oh dear, would that be too much trouble?"

The Emperor chuckled lightly, for while she spoke with such courtesy, the tension and excitement her body conveyed against his back betrayed her feelings.

"It’s no trouble at all. What concerns Nannan is my concern too."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Lian Hua couldn’t help but plant a "smack" on the Emperor’s cheek, saying, "Brother Zhao, you’re so kind."

The Emperor thoroughly enjoyed the sentiment. He had already intended to find her relatives for her. Previous leads had not panned out, and when the people he found didn’t match her descriptions, he chose not to mention it to her.

Even though he now harbored some private worries, concerned that the results might not be as hoped, the weight on her heart was too burdensome. To give her peace, it was better to tell her that he would search on her behalf, to help her feel settled and stop her from fretting unnecessarily.

After kissing the Emperor, Lian Hua couldn’t restrain her excitement, gently nudging him, "Brother Zhao, please let me down."

Her voice could not conceal her eager anticipation as she signaled for him to let her down.

Not quite understanding why, the Emperor assumed she was simply delighted and carefully set her down as she wished.

The moment her feet touched the ground, she took his hand and hurried forward, "Brother Zhao, you’re too slow with me on your back. Let’s go back quickly—I have something for you."

As he was pulled along, the Emperor couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. His Little Concubine was certainly amusing, even finding fault with his speed.

But, did she have a festival gift prepared for him today?

Such thoughts filled him with silent anticipation. His Little Concubine was becoming more and more charming, and even understood the art of preparing gifts to win his favor. Where else could he find such an excellent Little Concubine?

Eagerly pulling the Emperor, Lian Hua rushed towards Canglan Court. The Emperor had carried her on his back for quite a distance,and they were almost there. With not much of the way left, she hurried him along, and they quickly entered the courtyard.

To his surprise, the Emperor discovered that the main path of the courtyard was decorated with lanterns and streamers—a sure sign that this was the handiwork of his Little Concubine.

He couldn’t help but slow down to take a longer look.

Seeing that she could not pull the Emperor any further, Lian Hua turned around to find His Majesty gazing up at the lanterns and asked, "Do you like them?"

"Not bad." Besides needlework, his Little Concubine had always been excellent with her hands and ideas. The large, crumpled fabric flowers and long, colorful silk ribbons shone in the light of the lanterns, creating a beautiful and vibrant scene.

Lian Hua’s eyes curved in a smile, yet she had important matters to attend to and no time to let His Majesty linger. "You can look more later. Let’s go back first to get the things," she said.

With that, she dragged him forward again.

The Emperor resignedly followed her. He noted her impatient demeanor and wondered what she intended to present to him.

He had realized that nothing was more important to her than giving him gifts, not even his compliments could make her pause.

This only heightened his anticipation. What could be so important to make his Little Concubine take it so seriously?

Upon arriving at the Side Hall, they saw that a large offering table had been set up in the yard, with a giant mooncake in the middle, surrounded by various fruits.

The personnel who remained at Canglan Court were either standing or sitting by the table, cracking melon seeds.

Nanny Qi sat in the center, listening to the Young Eunuch and the Little Palace Maids joke around.

It was quite a lively scene, but the Young Eunuch and the Little Palace Maids were somewhat reserved and constrained in front of Nanny Qi.

Lian Hua, seeing Nanny Qi, waved her hands joyfully and called out, "Nanny, we’re back!"

Nanny Qi looked up and saw the Emperor, hand in hand with Lian Hua, returning to the courtyard without notice, followed quietly by a host of servants.

"Ah," Nanny Qi acknowledged with a sound, sharing the excitement. She had thought they would return very late and was worried she would have fallen asleep by then.

But they had returned so early?

Unable to contain her curiosity, she stood up and asked, "Why are you back so early? Didn’t you watch the performances?"

Pang Ya quickly aided her to her feet.

The group of people nearby promptly stood up to greet them.

"Rise, all of you," commanded the Emperor to those around him.

Lian Hua let go of the Emperor and took two steps towards Nanny Qi, replying, "I wanted to watch, but I thought of you and decided to come back to celebrate the festival with you."

The Emperor followed and overheard this. His Little Concubine indeed knew how to sweet-talk, he mused, wondering who it was that kept looking back, seemingly reluctant to leave.

Nanny Qi’s face softened with a smile as she patted Lian Hua’s hand. "If you wanted to watch, coming back later would be alright. I have plenty of company here; it wouldn’t be a problem," she said.

"Oh, watching a play is not as fun as celebrating the festival with Nanny," Lian Hua retorted, taking Nanny Qi’s hand and looking around. "Nanny, the moon offering is almost ready, isn’t it? Shall we divide the big mooncake and fruits to share later?"

Nanny Qi nodded with a smile.

The folk moon worship ritual is very formal, involving roles like the Chief Ritual Officer, Ritual Eulogist, Officiant, and Assistant Ritual Officers, with a complete set of procedures.

The Emperor, accompanied by his ministers, would go to the Moon Worship Altar to worship the moon deity, with an even more complex set of rites and rituals.

The moon offering, however, did not need to be so complex. It simply required putting out fruits and mooncakes on an offering table and placing it where the moonlight shone.