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"What?" the Emperor exclaimed in shock. She was calling the child in her belly a melon?

This was the Imperial Heir whose very existence had shaken the entire court, whether it was Xue Ping and his ilk or other ministers. Countless people had lost sleep over the child in her womb, and many eagerly anticipated the birth of the Imperial Son.

Just last night, because he had casually mentioned it at a banquet in the Harem, the news quickly spread after the morning court, causing a commotion among the officials.

By noon, waves of ministers came one after another to inquire about the matter, their questions circulating incessantly like the turning of a cartwheel.

It was only after he had confirmed it with them officially and made an announcement, giving them a reassurance, that these ministers dared to believe the news.

Some even broke down in tears, crying on the spot as if they were women, uttering exclamations about ancestral blessings and the continuation of the lineage, finally venting their long-suppressed emotions.

Watching them, he was rendered speechless, enduring his own impatience to comfort them. He was delayed until dusk before returning.

And his Little Concubine, with her head full of bizarre ideas, was actually calling their Imperial Son a melon?

Let alone his refusal, it was likely that everyone in the whole world would not agree.

Lian Hua grew even more uneasy. The child in her stomach was His Majesty’s seed. Judging by the look of things, His Majesty didn’t seem very happy about her calling the baby a melon.

She stammered in an attempt at justification, "That, Your Majesty, ’melon’ is good, it absorbs the essence of the sun and the moon, it’s easy to nourish, it grows well, it grows fast..."

Her voice faded as she spoke, her reasoning not holding up.

She couldn’t even convince herself and thus sought a new explanation: "Your Majesty, folks love giving their children humble names, like Gou Dan and such as a custom. I thought maybe we could do the same for now, after all, calling him ’Little Melon’ or ’Melon’ is quite nice, isn’t it? "

The Emperor had a face full of black lines.

The child she was carrying, be it a Prince or Princess, could not be compared with the common.

If she likened him to a mythical creature or a rare beast like a qilin, he might reluctantly accept.

Even if it were a tiger, a lion, or a Plum Blossom deer, he might pinch his nose and let it be. But a melon?

What was a melon? The name was unimpressive enough, but it also portended ill fortune, something to be cut at will and unable to survive without its vine.

Unacceptable. He had to dispel such thoughts from her mind.

The Emperor pinched her cheek and began to reason with her, "What nonsense are you talking about? If the child in your womb were aware, knowing his Imperial Consort Mother is calling him like this, he wouldn’t know how sad to feel."

Lian Hua, who had spontaneously come up with the idea due to the likeness, thought that once the baby was born and no longer resembled a melon, she would stop calling him that.

But for now, it was still similar, so she softly defended herself, "I’m not talking nonsense. I called him that precisely because he really does look like a melon..."

Without being overly argumentative, she hadn’t planned to keep calling him ’melon’ forever. If the baby would be hurt by it, then she would stop.

The Emperor gently ruffled her hair and said softly, "Be good, change it, okay?"

Lian Hua looked up and asked, "Change what, the name?"

That was somewhat difficult; she seemed to have inherited her Parents’ lack of talent for naming. She had never given anyone a proper name before, even the thought of it made her head ache, though she was quite skilled at coming up with nicknames.

After just a moment’s contemplation, Lian Hua shook her head on her own accord, "Never mind, forget it. Something like Gou Dan or Iron Pillar doesn’t sound good, I don’t like them. How about we just don’t decide on one for now?"

That was all she could think of.

"..." The Emperor had no words to respond. It turned out his Little Concubine had even considered nicknames like Gou Dan. Well...

Upon reflection, ’melon’ was a bit better...

Shaking his head, the Emperor said helplessly, "Then let’s not decide on one for now. If we are to pick one later, discuss it with me first before we settle on it, okay?"

Lian Hua stuck out her tongue. She had only used ’melon’ as a placeholder for the baby, never intending to actually call him that.

Hearing this, she nodded and said, "Of course, if I do get up, the first person to be informed will be Your Majesty, but naming is somewhat difficult, it’s better if Your Majesty names the child."

Little Melon... this baby has a part of her and a part of His Majesty, naturally, the naming should involve His Majesty.

But it’s best if His Majesty does it, as this sort of brainwork is suited for His Majesty, and she can just listen.

If it comes to nicknames, she’ll handle that.

Such a division of labor is good, as each is playing to their strengths.

The Emperor felt relieved and couldn’t resist giving her a kiss, praising her, "Little Darling is truly good."

She didn’t just stop there; she left the naming to him.

If she had insisted just now, truly wanted to name the child "Melon," he didn’t know if he could have dissuaded her.

He had even considered the worst-case scenario; if she refused, then he would have suggested they discuss it after the child’s birth. If it were a princess, they could name her something else, but if it were a prince, then she could have her way, and they would just use the name privately.

Fortunately, his Little Concubine was very understanding and did not insist on such a name.

Lian Hua smiled with her eyes crinkling and a slight smugness on her face, "Of course, who else would I be if not Your Majesty’s Little Darling~"

As she said this, she couldn’t help feeling shameless and giggled to herself. After a while, she suddenly remembered something she had forgotten due to the interruption and directly asked, "Your Majesty, you mentioned something about ’quick’ earlier?"

If it’s not related to the baby in her belly, what else could it be related to? What could be ’quick’?

"Ahem, I was talking about the evening meal being ready soon, I was worried you might be hungry," the Emperor said vaguely, circling back to the question at hand.

Lian Hua, suddenly understanding, wondered why His Majesty was touching her belly. So he was trying to feel if she was hungry.

Not dwelling on this issue, the Emperor stood up first and reached out his hand to pull her up, "Come, it’s time to have our meal."

Lian Hua placed her hand in the Emperor’s palm, rising with his pull, and couldn’t resist playfully throwing herself into his embrace, and the two frolicked for a while.

When they stepped out of the inner chamber, the Emperor ordered a meal to be served, while Lian Hua rested her cheek in her palm, her gaze fixed unblinkingly on the Emperor as if she could never get enough of him.

After giving his orders, the Emperor turned his head and saw her silly expression, breaking into a smile.

As he smiled, Lian Hua also smiled, and the two sitting quietly together felt very happy.

Unable to help it, the Emperor reached out to touch her head, his gaze tender and pitying. Thinking of her past, he felt an unstoppable ache in his heart, and his mood began to turn somber.

Lian Hua’s eyes followed his hand and then turned back to look at him.

Huh, that feeling came again, and she planted a seed of doubt in her heart: What’s wrong with His Majesty?

Thinking of this, Lian Hua felt worried, let go of her propping hand, took His Majesty’s hand that was touching her, and held it with both hands, asking with concern, "Your Majesty, have you encountered some difficulty?"

The Emperor paused, not speaking, as if he hadn’t expected her to notice, her intuition was quite accurate.

He had already arranged for people to search for her parents, to find out what happened in her family, and the outcome was still uncertain, but there would always be a truth.

The problem he faced was, if something bad happened to her family, how he should handle it. Whether keeping it from her or telling her the truth was not an ideal choice.

He didn’t want to keep it from her, to let her pine in ignorance, which would be too cruel for her, but he also didn’t dare to tell her, fearing she couldn’t bear the shock if she found out...

After all, she had experienced these things at such a young age, and had not yet fully recovered...