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Upon hearing the word "doctor," he extended his thin, long hand, grasping at the air, and struggled to say, "No need to call for one, I am fine. I am very well..."

The words seemed forcefully squeezed out from his throat, accompanied by a slight tremor, and he also struggled to rise.

The Emperor leaned in to listen, barely making out the words, he sighed with relief; it was good that the man was well, otherwise how could he face his Little Concubine.

After a while, Lian Bingcheng regained his composure and forced himself to stand up, not daring to let the Emperor support him anymore.

The Emperor watched him, extending a protective hand but seeing the man was indeed alright, he withdrew it.

As soon as Lian Bingcheng recovered, he immediately corrected his posture and loudly exclaimed, "Student, pays his respects to His Majesty," and began to kneel and kowtow.

The Emperor quickly helped him up with both hands, "Mr. Lian, please rise. No need for such formalities."

"Many thanks, Your Majesty." Lian Bingcheng stood up, a smile appearing on his gaunt face, which was full of wrinkles.

He could not control his eyes, unable to resist glancing at the current Son of Heaven, the wise sovereign. Many could not meet him even once in their lifetime, yet he was fortunate enough to do so.

Today’s His Majesty was known for valuing capable people and loving his subjects as his children. Unexpectedly, upon meeting him today, His Majesty was also so approachable, treating a mere scholar with such warmth. Truly, seeing is believing.

After the formalities and ensuring Lian Bingcheng was alright, the Emperor repeated the words he had said to Lian Bingcheng, telling him that if he wished to go out, it would be okay and that he would arrange for someone to protect his family.

Different methods would be considered to capture the villains.

Lian Bingcheng repeatedly waved his hands, "It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s nice staying here, very quiet, able to calm the mind and read. It’s all good, no rush, no rush."

Hu Miaomiao, who had been put through the wringer and came back, smirked slightly upon hearing this.

This old man hadn’t spoken like this earlier; how come his attitude was so dismissive toward him, but so praiseworthy toward His Majesty?

Truly, he knew well how to act differently depending on the person!

The Emperor nodded and began stating the purpose of his visit, "I am here today firstly to thank you, sir, and secondly to seek your assistance with a matter."

"I dare not, I dare not, Your Majesty can just speak freely if there’s anything," Lian Bingcheng replied like a benign old man, his face adorned with a kind smile. Bathed in imperial grace, he truly felt comforted in his old age.

Hu Miaomiao forced a smile, this old man agreeing without even knowing what His Majesty was thanking him for; his skin was indeed thick.

Why was he so easy to talk to now? Previously, not even a smile, and each time he replied with just two words: "Don’t know!"

Any extra word was charity!

Thinking about it now only incensed him, incensed by this cunning old man seeing what he could get from people, not due to the attitude towards His Majesty.

Towards His Majesty, extra respect was never unjustified.

The Emperor pondered briefly and then spoke explicitly, "It is about Nannan."

"Nannan?" Lian Bingcheng was startled, as if he hadn’t heard clearly, and repeated the name, "Nannan..."

The smile on his gaunt face vanished; it had been such a long time since he last heard that nickname, he couldn’t remember...

The Emperor nodded solemnly, "Her full name is Lian Hua, nickname Nannan, she calls you Clan Uncle, and was once under your protection."

Lian Bingcheng’s face turned blank, his expression drifting into memories, his eyes unfocused as he murmured to himself: "Nannan, Xiao Hua..."

It was as if he could hear the clear, childish voice ringing in his ears: "Haha, Clan Uncle, I’m called Nannan, not Xiao Hua!"

"Why call him ’Clan Uncle’ instead of ’Clan Uncle’? Let me hear you say it."

"But father said, you are to be called ’Clan Uncle’."

He and Xiao Hua discussed the issue of how to address each other, over and over again, neither willing to give in, Xiao Hua just like her father, once decided, nothing could change her mind.

To be precise, he was older than Xiao Hua’s father—Lian Changhe. Why then did Lian Changhe address him as brother, and Niece Xiao Hua mistakenly call him ’uncle’? The reason behind this was another matter altogether.

Strictly speaking, he and Lian Changhe were from the same clan lineage, distant relatives disconnected over the generations, their ancestors long before had branched from the same family tree, one lineage had settled in the south, and another had sought livelihood in the north, eventually losing touch.

It was by a fortuitous chance that he met Lian Changhe. The Lian surname wasn’t common, and upon meeting, they took an immediate interest in one another.

Lian Changhe extended his goodwill first by inviting him for a drink. Indeed, when you find a friend in wine, a thousand cups are too few, and the more they talked, the better they got along. During their casual conversations, they astonishingly discovered they shared the same ancestor.

As they drank, they began to count how many generations this branch of their family had passed, how many great-grandfathers they each had, to see at which generation and what level they each were.

Having drunk too much, Brother Changhe, whether bad at counting or having missed some counts, ended up with several generations fewer than him; in short, the count was unclear.

A bystander joked that being distant relatives beyond the fifth degree, it didn’t matter if they could not count clearly, better to just call each other brothers.

Upon exchanging glances, with tipsy eyes showing agreement, yet they disagreed on who should be the elder and who the younger.

Bingcheng insisted that the elder should be the brother, this needed no debate, just follow this reasoning.

Lian Changhe disagreed, claiming that during the count he was of a higher generation, he would suffer a little to be equals, but not to be the younger; in essence, he was just being obstinate.

Neither could convince the other, and finally, they both ended up calling each other brother, absurdly settling the address while drunk, an absurdity that continued henceforth.

Yet, it was this absurdity that fostered a mutual respect between them, maintaining their connection over the years.

Brother Changhe had brought Niece Xiao Hua to see him.

Back then, Xiao Hua was indeed a mischievous young girl. On her first visit with her father, she nearly destroyed his two general stores and was rather self-righteous about it. If he hadn’t intervened, Xiao Hua might have been beaten by her mother; she was scared to the point of crying loudly...

Recalling this, a wistful smile appeared on Bingcheng’s face, but as he thought about the next time he saw her, his smile froze.

When he saw her again, everything from the past seemed like a distant dream, Xiao Hua had changed so much that she fainted upon seeing him...

Thinking of the many past events and then of what came after, Bingcheng was filled with sorrow and couldn’t help but cry, "As a scholar, I truly, truly failed to fulfill my responsibility, I’m sorry, Xiao Hua..."

In his life, Bingcheng had no regrets towards Heaven or Earth, only failing two people, one was his Brother Changhe, and the other was his niece.

Knowing they were in trouble and powerless to save them, given their trust, yet failing to meet expectations, he failed Brother Changhe and Xiao Hua.

Over the years, whenever he thought of Brother Changhe, he found it hard to sleep, and whenever he considered his niece Xiao Hua, he was filled with worry.

But he was powerless on his own, at that time he truly had no choice, fearing he couldn’t protect Xiao Hua, and coincidentally it was time for selecting palace maids, he had no option but to send her into the palace, where he also sought a way for her to survive.

Heartbroken, he moved away in the middle of the night after sending her to the palace, fearful of future consequences, and even altered the family records, changing the daughter of Changhe to be the daughter of Bingcheng.