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"Put it away properly," Xiao Jizi said with a smile.

"How did you store it?" Storing it properly was important, and she had never taught them how to do it.

"My Young Master, it was His Majesty who personally stored it before daybreak in the storeroom. Seeing the thick black cloth nearby, which faintly smelled of tea, he guessed it was meant to cover the tea leaves, so he covered it up," Xiao Jizi responded.

Not sure if he had done the right thing, Xiao Jizi had reached the storeroom doorway mid-conversation, pushed the door open, and let Young Master see for herself.

Lian Hua quickly stepped forward, touched the black cloth, and took a whiff. She relievedly let out a breath; all steps had been correctly followed, the tea leaves were preserved.

In her relief, she also wondered how His Majesty knew what to do. She seemed to recall only mentioning once about wetting the leaves to ferment them. Indeed, the mind of an Emperor was brilliant—she had uttered such a vague sentence, yet he had guessed correctly and executed the task flaw-lessly.

Sitting in the pavilion, Lian Hua propped her chin and thought with sweetness. His Majesty was not only handsome but also very smart, and most importantly, very considerate towards her. She seemed to be missing him again. Whatever was she to do?

As she was daydreaming, she saw Xiao Jizi approaching with something in hand.

Xiao Jizi bowed deeply, holding an invitation card in his hand, and said to her, "Young Master, a Palace Attendant from the Noble Consort’s palace has just been here and handed this servant an invitation card, saying that the Noble Consort invites the Consorts to a flower appreciation banquet in the autumn days. "

The Young Eunuch hurried off without even finishing his sentence, saying that he still had to visit another palace and complained about the distance to Canglan Court, which was delaying his schedule.

He left without even coming to pay his respects to Young Master, showing little regard for her, which annoyed him even though he felt helpless.

In his heart, he firmly thought that it was only because Young Master kept a low profile that this happened.

One day, when Young Master shone brightly, he would see who dares to look down on them.

There would be many seeking to curry favor then, and that Young Eunuch would regret having neglected Young Master so.

As he mulled over these thoughts, he quickly collected himself, remembering that until the time was right, one must always bide their time.

Even if Young Master rose to great heights in the future, he himself must not act like that Young Eunuch, handing people something to use against him and creating trouble for Young Master.

In this harem, one must never underestimate anyone, as one might trip over an unsuspecting figure; this he learned over his many years in the palace.

Lian Hua accepted the invitation and, glancing at the calligraphy on top, no longer felt much. It didn’t seem as nice as before, especially after having seen His Majesty’s exemplary handwriting.

She unfolded it to read the contents, which stated that the Noble Consort was hosting a flower appreciation banquet in five days and had invited all the Palace Concubines to attend.

Lian Hua couldn’t help but nod her head. She had been planning to make Wooden Hibiscus silk flowers for Xiao Duo, which were very fitting for the autumn scene. She would wear those silk flowers to the banquet, and she felt pleased with her own cleverness.

...

As autumn set in and the disasters stabilized, the Emperor and the ministers could finally take a breather.

Today was the Emperor’s day off and also the day the Noble Consort was hosting the flower appreciation banquet.

It was early morning, right after breakfast, and the Emperor was not holding court. He had stayed at Canglan Court the night before and relished the rare chance to sleep in and relax, comfortably reading at his desk.

Opposite him, Lian Hua was searching for an outfit, getting ready to dress up for the flower banquet.

The Emperor watched Lian Hua bustle about, casually reading his book and particularly enjoying this leisurely moment, occasionally offering her some advice.

"Your Majesty, does this dress look nice on me?" Lian Hua asked the Emperor, showing off a goose-yellow dress and turning around for his opinion.

"Passable," the Emperor said, his praise understated—the truth was, with her delicate and radiant beauty, Little Concubine looked lovely in anything.

She had shown him several outfits already, but the Emperor delighted in watching her busy and fussy manner of choosing, so he continued to tease her by calling each outfit merely passable.

"Oh," Passable meant mediocre, so she decided to try another one.

Lian Hua continued her search. The number of dresses she owned was not many, and their colors were mostly light. She selected a few for His Majesty to look at, but only received a passing comment for each. However, having rummaged through all her clothes, she could find no more.

Having searched through everything, Lian Hua walked dispiritedly to the dressing table, sat down, and sighed heavily. Why couldn’t she find a single outfit that would please His Majesty? She wanted to wear something nice for him.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, what was this about? Why had she stopped? He put down his book, walked over to her, and asked, "What’s the matter?"

Lian Hua also stood up and said despondently, "This servant cannot pick one."

The Emperor said, "Aren’t these passable?"

"Oh..." Passable, just passable, that’s all!

Seeing her reaction, it seemed he had to help her choose. The Emperor stopped teasing her and said, "What kind of jewelry and outfits do you have? Let me see."

Just choosing a dress without the coordinating jewelry wouldn’t do; she’d have to change again after picking. Better to look at the jewelry first.

"Ah, right! I was going to match the Wooden Hibiscus Flower—how could I have forgotten? Oh dear, so it seems I can only wear that set," Lian Hua exclaimed excitedly.

How could she have forgotten about this? His Majesty clearly had a better memory, instantly identifying the problem.

Speaking swiftly, she walked to the dress spread out on the bed, pulled out a powder-pink outfit, and looked at the Emperor with blinking eyes, as if to ask what he thought.

The Emperor nodded with a smile. The pink dress made Little Concubine look refreshingly sweet, very cute indeed.

Lian Hua was delighted, taking the dress with the intention to go to the washroom to change.

A thought struck the Emperor, and he grabbed her hand, saying, "Why not change right here?" He was quite keen to watch.

"Ah?"

His Majesty had never stayed in Canglan Court during his morning rest, always rising early for the morning court.

At that time, she would hastily drape an outer garment over herself to assist him in changing, and then lie back down, having never had the opportunity to change her clothes in front of him before.

Realizing what he meant, Lian Hua’s face flushed, and she started to stammer, "My Lord, this servant, this servant..."

Changing in front of His Majesty, wasn’t it embarrassing?

The Emperor pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and coaxing, "There’s no need to go elsewhere when it’s so troublesome here. What haven’t I seen before? You can change right here, and I can help you decide. If it doesn’t look good, you can change immediately, how about that?"

Lian Hua found His Majesty’s words made sense, but the thought of changing clothes in front of him made her feel so shy. She lowered her head, her blush slowly spreading to her ears.

Seeing her expression, the Emperor continued to entice her, "Didn’t you say you wanted to arrive early? Right now, you haven’t yet changed, nor have you combed your hair. If you don’t change now, I’m afraid you’ll be late."

His Majesty’s words, together with the sight of the bright sun outside, made Lian Hua forego her reservations. She gently wriggled out of the Emperor’s embrace and stepped away, turning her back to begin changing.

Last time, despite all her rushing, she still wasn’t early and ended up encountering Beauty Li, which led to her being punished. She definitely didn’t want to repeat the same mistake.

Having just taken off her outer garment, Lian Hua turned her head to glance at the Emperor, still feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

The Emperor turned his back to her with all seriousness, pretending to be a gentleman.

Only then did Lian Hua relax, beginning to change with peace of mind.