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She tried to break free from the Emperor’s grasp, but he held onto her tightly, refusing to let go.

She turned back in confusion, only to see that His Majesty’s demeanor was somewhat different, his eyes ablaze with a fiery passion.

No longer restraining himself, the Emperor pulled her into his embrace and couldn’t help but kiss her fervently, uncontrollably seeking her sweetness and soothing the unease in his heart.

The Emperor wished he could meld her into his embrace, and as he kissed her, he gradually lost control. When it was almost too late, he regained his senses, holding her as he gasped for air to compose himself.

Lian Hua’s face was flushed, her whole body becoming tender and soft, thoroughly kissed until she was breathless.

His Majesty seemed exceptionally passionate today, unlike anything recent. She was pregnant and should not engage in such activities. Normally, His Majesty was very restrained, even when she couldn’t help but teasingly provoke him, he endured and was remarkably disciplined.

Why today, when the sky hadn’t even darkened and he had just returned, would he act like this?

Feeling the changes in the Emperor’s body, Lian Hua’s face was full of shyness, thinking about how improper it was for the two of them to be in the Side Hall without any regard for decency, unaware of what people outside might think.

Her clothing being disheveled, she couldn’t resist feeling more embarrassed, and she struggled somewhat, wanting to tidy her dress.

The Emperor slowly calmed down and, sensing her intention, released her and helped her straighten her dress.

Once her dress was adjusted, the Emperor couldn’t stop himself from gently touching her belly, feeling a slight bump that could hardly be noticed without close attention.

He looked at her fondly and sighed, "It won’t be long now..."

With Little Concubine’s playful teasing usually, these days had not been easy for him.

In a while longer, all the hardships would turn to sweetness, and he wouldn’t have to endure such agony anymore.

After arranging her dress, Lian Hua looked around and it seemed nothing was amiss; she relaxed.

The dress was like her cheeks, as long as it was properly worn, her shame would thicken too.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, the blush on her face had almost faded. Seeing His Majesty touching her belly and saying it would be soon, she couldn’t help but look up curiously at His Majesty and asked, "My Lord, what will happen soon?"

It would be several more months before the baby in her belly was ripe enough. The baby had just started growing, with its surface still greenish, tender and able to grow further; how could he say it would be soon?

His Majesty’s remark came out of nowhere, and sounded rather strange.

The Emperor coughed uncomfortably and did not respond.

It was probably best not to let her know about this matter yet, as this little rascal had lately become quite cheeky.

She was very considerate with her words, but her mischievous actions were clear-cut.

Knowing he couldn’t really do anything about it, she would sometimes provoke him and then go straight to sleep, very mischievous indeed.

Once, when she was upset with him, she didn’t express it directly, but instead intensified her efforts, clinging to him like an octopus, eagerly hugging him to stoke the fire.

That time, he was quite helpless, both annoyed and amused; he had to pry her off and make her be careful with her belly.

Ah, his Little Concubine, once her pregnancy became noticeable, she would understand the heaviness of her body, showing no signs now of one who was with child.

Thus, he couldn’t tell her; he couldn’t let this little rascal sense anything, lest she be on guard. When she tried her old tricks, ha, he would see how he would deal with her, not stopping until she thoroughly recognized her mistakes.

Thinking of this, the corners of the Emperor’s mouth curled into a vaguely menacing smile; he truly looked forward to her reaction in the future, probably both stunned and regretful.

This little rascal thought that she could not be dealt with until the child in her womb was born, but she knew only a little and not more, daring to show off her power like someone who understands only half of a poem... ha...

After spending a long moment with Lian Hua, the Emperor gradually began to feel cheerful, his demeanor recovering to about seventy to eighty percent of his usual self. He was already starting to plot against the Little Concubine.

Lian Hua looked at the Emperor with suspicion in her eyes. Tonight’s master was indeed very different from how he looked when he left in the morning. She felt his mood seemed to be fluctuating, changing several times.

When he had just come back, his gaze and demeanor were like a volcano on the verge of eruption, suppressing something. His eyes looking at her were too gentle and restrained, thousands of times more tender and loving than usual, making her feel shy.

Although they were often affectionate in their usual interactions, she still couldn’t bear His Majesty looking at her like that, so good-looking and serious, so tender; even her thick-skinned face started blushing, and her heart thumped wildly.

After Nanny Qi left, that volcano erupted; he held her and started to nip at her, nearly making her breathless. She knew it, her feeling was right—His Majesty must have been suppressing something.

Now that he had finished nipping, he touched her belly and muttered something strange like "It’s coming soon." He wouldn’t explain when asked, and his gaze also changed, bearing a hint of mischief, making it hard for her not to wonder.

Could it be?

Lian Hua had a sudden insight and blurted out, "Could His Majesty be waiting for the fruit to ripen, so he could...?" Embracing and nipping, like he nipped at her?

Before she could finish, Lian Hua covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes widening as she looked at the Emperor, as if she had discovered something incredible, yet she dared not say it all.

Oh dear, how pitiful her baby in the womb must be; it was only so little, yet his Imperial Father already wanted to smother it with saliva, with His Majesty’s fiery nibbling, how could the little baby withstand it? Oh, she might need to help out later...

The Emperor, looking baffled, really didn’t understand what she was talking about with that expression, normally asking, "What fruit are you talking about?"

Lian Hua’s eyes began to wander, looking elsewhere, as she inadvertently let slip the way she referred to the baby in her thoughts. Oh dear, it wouldn’t be good to let His Majesty know...

Lately, she had been secretly calling the baby in her womb a melon, comparing the baby to a melon, stemming from a time after she had eaten and touched her belly, asking Nanny Qi curiously why it was still so small, why it took ten months for pregnancy to come to term.

Nanny Qi had said that they had to let the child inside grow a bit just like the melons she grew; when the time was right, it would naturally grow big, and when the time was enough, the fruit would naturally ripen and fall. She told her not to worry.

Upon hearing this, she felt it made perfect sense and pondered on her own. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that the baby inside her really was like a melon.

The baby grew in her belly, just like a melon growing on a vine;

The food she ate also had a share for the baby, wouldn’t that be just like fertilizing a melon?

Day by day, watering and fertilizing, the melon would grow larger each day, and once it grew enough, it could naturally be eaten... cough cough, her baby could naturally be born...

Seeing her expression, the Emperor knew she was hiding something from him not letting it go, embraced her, raised an eyebrow, and looked straight at her, asking further, "What melon?"

This had nothing to do with melons; why did her expression change so strangely upon mentioning them?

Lian Hua bit her lip, lowered her head, and barely discernibly pointed towards her belly, becoming somewhat uneasy.