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The Internal Guard Bureau had people stationed in each provincial capital of the Li Family Firm, quickly knowing if they presented the token.
Qian Chen took it, glanced at it without being polite, and directly put the object into his bosom, nodding his head.
Cao De left reassured, and not far out, he sent a signal, and someone hurriedly came with a horse.
Cao De mounted the horse, took one last look in the direction of the dilapidated temple, snapped his whip, and galloped away.
In the dilapidated temple, Lih Qingshu opened his eyes, his gaze clear, having been awake for quite a while. "Has he left?"
Qian Chen, entering the dilapidated temple, hummed in response.
Lih Qingshu, showing no emotion on his face, stood up and straightened his hair, speaking coldly, "We should leave as well."
She was very worried about her benefactor and young apprentice, unsure of their condition. They needed to be found quickly.
Inside the Imperial Palace, at Canglan Court.
The Emperor woke up, as usual, gently letting go of Lian Hua, adjusted her into a comfortable position, then quietly got up, preparing to change and attend the morning court.
Although yesterday was the Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated by all, the morning court still had to be attended today.
The Emperor was not like the Late Emperor, who was capricious, often skipping the morning court and leaving matters for the cabinet ministers to discuss.
On the contrary, he was an extremely diligent monarch, often using the Late Emperor as a lesson. The current situation had been hard-won; relying solely on the high officials could too easily embolden ambitions, as evidenced by Xue Ping.
Having washed up, Zhang Qing and others came to help him dress. He stretched out his arms, staring into space, his mind preoccupied with various upcoming matters.
Noises came from the bed; he turned his head, his lips involuntarily curving into a smile at the sound — it was probably his Little Concubine turning over.
Thinking of his Little Concubine softened his heart.
He could imagine her sweet sleeping face, slightly open mouth, cheeks flushed with sleep, sometimes her face pressing against a corner of the blanket, leaving adorable sleep creases when she got up.
Before leaving, he had to check if she slept peacefully, making sure she hadn’t kicked off the blanket.
While he thought this, the noises from the bed grew louder.
The Emperor looked over in surprise and saw the curtains move slightly; soon, a little head popped out.
The little head was fluffy, with two strands of hair sticking up at the top, her long hair looking somewhat disheveled.
Lian Hua softly called out, "Your Majesty," as she prepared to get out of bed.
Zhang Qing and the others stopped their task and, head bowed, stepped aside.
The Emperor walked over, ruffled her hair, and said with concern, "Why did you get up?"
Since she had been pregnant, this was the first time she had gotten up so early; he worried she hadn’t slept enough.
Lian Hua, sleepy-eyed, yawned softly, leaning over to hug the Emperor, half closing her eyes to wake up: "I went to bed late last night, drank too much water, and now I urgently need to pee."
Realizing she woke up because she needed to urinate, the Emperor understood and said, "Shall I carry you there?"
The morning air was cool, and he couldn’t bear to let her struggle out of bed tired and clear-headed by the walk, realizing it would take her a while to fall back asleep upon her return; better he carry her there.
Lian Hua, slightly more awake, considered the possibility and imagined His Majesty carrying her to relieve herself like a child soothing her, the scene of her urinating in front of His Majesty made her look up and laugh softly.
His Majesty, how could he treat her as if she were disabled, needing him to carry her even to relieve herself, haha.
The Emperor tenderly helped her tidy her disheveled hair, indulgently asking, "What’s so funny?"
He hadn’t said anything particularly funny, but somehow he had hit her funny bone, eliciting her bell-like laughter.
His Little Concubine, who truly loved to laugh, made others feel genuinely happy deep down, uplifting their spirits as well.
It was rather nice to hear her laugh in the early morning, as it would set a pleasant mood for the rest of the day.
Lian Hua gave a shake of her head, laughing for a while until she was completely awake. Letting go of the Emperor, she said to him, "Your Majesty, I can hold on for a bit before I pay my respects. Let me help you change into your court attire first."
She excitedly got out of bed and slipped on her shoes; it had been a long while since she had last helped His Majesty change his clothes.
Rising early today and helping His Majesty change felt really nice, otherwise, she would not see him until evening.
The Emperor did not refuse, and went along with her, watching her tenderly and indulgently, enjoying her assistance.
Lian Hua saw that the Emperor had only half completed putting on his court attire, clearly having paused because she had woken up. Feeling slightly embarrassed, she stuck out her tongue and began to call Zhang Qing to continue the task together.
The court attire was so complex that she couldn’t manage it on her own.
While helping the Emperor change, she couldn’t help but remark, "Your Majesty, being an Emperor must be tough, the court attire is so heavy. Can it be made a bit lighter?"
The Emperor, feeling resigned, pinched her cheek, "The Son of Heaven’s garments and accessories are meticulously specified, these are rules passed down by our ancestors and cannot be discarded."
"Oh," Lian Hua nodded her head, saying no more.
She couldn’t understand why the rules couldn’t be discarded, nor could she grasp why the Son of Heaven had to suffer this way. While the attire looked noble and stately, it was really too demanding on oneself; ancestral rules truly made one suffer.
Zhang Qing silently carried on working, pretending to be deaf, thinking that Master Lian truly spoke her mind. Such words could only be voiced by her; what if someone else tried?
His Majesty could impose punishment on the spot, and the old men from the Ministry of Rites could drown a person with their spit.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but start to think as well, why couldn’t it be made lighter?
His Majesty is the Son of Heaven, a wise and virtuous ruler, surely it would be feasible to lighten it a bit?
As Lian Hua handed over the accessories, she saw her own little Jade Pendant among them, her eyes curving and smiling, revealing her neatly aligned teeth, feeling sweet inside. His Majesty always held her in his heart.
She couldn’t help but take out the Coiling Dragon Jade Pendant hanging in front of her chest, bringing the two jade pendants together, tilting her head, and playfully shaking them before His Majesty, suggesting they were quite matching.
The Emperor, following her with his eyes, saw her do this and couldn’t help but smile.
She looked so endearing that, if he were not still dressing, he would have wished to kiss her.
After playing with the jade pendants for a while, worried about the time, Lian Hua busied herself again with the task at hand.
As she helped the Emperor with his accessories, she remembered the many days His Majesty had to leave early and return late, while she often slept comfortably until morning; it had been quite some time since she had last helped him dress.
Reflecting on this, she lamented, "Your Majesty, I must be your laziest concubine, right? "
The Emperor raised an eyebrow, wondering where this comment came from. His Little Concubine was always industrious, never resting for a moment, eager to try doing everything; he often wished she would take it a bit easier.
If his Little Concubine were considered lazy, then there wouldn’t be a single diligent one in the entire harem.
Seeing that His Majesty had not grasped what she meant, Lian Hua explained, "Your Majesty, it has been a long time since I last helped you dress, I’ve been too lazy."
She casually asked another question, "Did others use to help you dress too?"
Not as lazy as her, surely; a concubine should have some awareness, not sleep deep into daylight every day.
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