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She turned around and saw that the Emperor was still holding the vegetables in his chopsticks with an unhappy expression, so she hurriedly took care of him and said, "My lord, you don’t need to feed me, I can eat by myself, you’ve barely eaten a few bites."

As she spoke, she reached out with her chopsticks and picked up the tenderest piece of fish for him, "Here, you eat as well, you love this, the fish belly is tender, try it."

The Emperor’s heart felt comfortable at last; he put the vegetables from his chopsticks into her bowl and started eating the piece of fish.

Lian Hua saw him eat and picked up another chopstick full, considering His Majesty had been taking care of her all this time and hadn’t eaten himself, she felt distressed.

Next, the Emperor took a bite and Lian Hua gave him another chopstick full; the Emperor’s dark face soon began to radiate a gentle smile, looking very warm and mild.

Watching them, Consort Xu De found it very amusing. In the blink of an eye, they had switched roles, with the feeder becoming the fed, which made her quite envious.

Oh, that affection and stickiness between them, it must be the same when they dine at Canglan Court, she thought. If there were others around, wouldn’t it make them feel very uncomfortable?

She truly wished she could blind herself, but alas, she could not.

She shook her head and decided to focus on her meal instead, too lazy to bother with them.

When she was halfway through her meal and saw the two of them continuing their endearments as if no one else was there, she could no longer bear it.

Especially the Emperor, acting as if he were competing for affection. Whenever her sister tried to turn her head to look at her, he would deliberately say something to catch her sister’s attention, making her sister too busy to care for her, focusing her attention only on him.

A monarch of a country, how could he be so childish!

Consort Xu De shook her head and, upon some thought, a mischievous idea came to her mind. She placed her hand on Lian Hua’s shoulder and called out to her, "Sister."

Lian Hua’s attention shifted immediately. Ah, she had been so preoccupied with His Majesty that she had forgotten about Sister Consort De. She quickly picked up a chopstick full of vegetables for Consort Xu De, "What’s wrong, sister?"

The Emperor glared at the hand resting on Lian Hua’s shoulder, finding it very bothersome. Xu Rongying acted inappropriately, with none of the decorum of a lady, slinging around like a man, which was really out of line, yet he could not afford to quibble with a woman.

Consort Xu De looked at Lian Hua with a gentle smile and asked softly, "Is your nickname Nannan?"

Lian Hua nodded unknowingly, surprised, "Yes, sister, how did you know?"

Consort Xu De teasingly glanced at the Emperor, whose face had darkened once more, then continued, "I heard His Majesty call you that just now. In the future, may I also call you Nannan?"

The Emperor’s expression gradually turned cold, giving her a warning look.

He had been careless just now and had not expected that Xu Rongying, even lost in thought, had been attentive to the surroundings. She indeed had the makings of a natural-born strategist, never neglecting the environment around her, regardless of the turmoil in her heart.

But apart from Nannan’s family, even Nanny Qi had never called her Nannan inside the palace. Only he could call her that, belonging solely to him, giving him a sense of secret pleasure that was exclusively his, and thus he was very particular about it.

"If sister wishes to call me that, then..." Lian Hua looked at Consort Xu De, about to agree.

"Nannan!"

A call from His Majesty made her turn her head back, and she saw His Majesty’s face looking very stern, as if he disagreed with Consort De using her nickname. Thus, she hesitated.

It was as if a multiple-choice question had suddenly been placed before her, her mind full of ponderings: His Majesty and Sister Consort De, who was more important?

The Emperor brushed Consort Xu De’s hand away, gave her a cold glance, called over Lian Hua, and carefully started to wipe Lian Hua’s mouth with a handkerchief, softly asking, "You didn’t eat as much today as usual; are you full?

If the dishes aren’t to your liking, should I have someone prepare something else for you when we return? "

Lian Hua shook her head: "I’m not full yet, the food here at Sister’s place suits my taste."

At this moment, she felt something was amiss. Her suspicion was confirmed; His Majesty and Sister really were at odds. Sister wanted to call her Nannan, but His Majesty clearly disapproved, not wanting Sister to use the name.

Ah, it was fortunate she was there; otherwise, His Majesty and Sister might really have come to blows.

Consort Xu De, witnessing the Emperor’s actions, thought to herself about his strong possessiveness, truly domineering; he wouldn’t even let her use her sister’s pet name in jest.

If she’s not allowed to tease, then so be it; she dare not provoke him again, especially now when she had requests to make of the Emperor. If she upset him, who knows what he would do.

She listlessly pushed the rice in her bowl around a couple of times, put down her chopsticks, and with a sigh said, "Even calling someone by their name requires certain people’s consent, forget it then; it’s better not to call at all." While speaking, she shook her head.

At this point, Lian Hua felt greatly relieved. Indeed, Sister also had some grievances against His Majesty; if the two of them were alone, who knows what might have happened.

She suddenly felt the weight of a heavy burden on her shoulders; she carried the important task of mediating the relationship between His Majesty and Sister Consort De.

She first placatingly took hold of the Emperor’s broad palm and patted it, signaling him to be calm and not to be agitated.

Turning her head towards Consort Xu De, she said, "Sister, don’t mind it, His Majesty is very fond of me; that’s why he’s like this. I’m really happy His Majesty cares so much about me."

"I don’t have a biological sister, and have always seen you as one, my only sister. Only when you call me ’sister’ do I acknowledge it, so when you call me ’sister,’ I feel very close to you. It makes me feel warm and happy inside."

"As for His Majesty..." At this, Lian Hua turned her head to glance at the Emperor, then turned back to say, "He has nothing else he can call me; calling me by my formal name would be too distant, and I would be upset if he privately called me Beauty Lian.

So he can only call me Nannan; calling me that makes me very happy. "

After saying this, Lian Hua showed a pitiful look: "So, Sister, could you please call me ’sister’? Leave the pet name to His Majesty. He likes unique things, if Sister called me that, he wouldn’t know what to call me, and that would be so pitiable; it would make me feel sad for him."

These words warmed the hearts of both Consort Xu De and the Emperor at the same time, resolving the issue neatly, taking care of both their feelings.

Although Consort Xu De had just been teasing the Emperor, she had indeed felt that "Nannan" was intimate to say, and she could call her that, but after Lian Hua’s words, she felt it would be better to call her ’sister’ as that was her exclusive term.

Only she would call Lian Hua that way, and only then would Lian Hua acknowledge it.

Her personality was frank and straightforward, yet in this regard, she was just like the Emperor, equally domineering.

Upon hearing Lian Hua’s words, the Emperor was exceptionally pleased. Nannan was truly attuned to his thoughts; she understood what he wanted.

Knowing he was displeased, she hadn’t agreed to Xu Rongying’s request and hadn’t tried to flatter Xu Rongying to maintain their relationship.

For his sake, she had outright rejected Xu Rongying, and from now on, only he would call her Nannan, satisfying him greatly, and making it clear who was closer to her.

Very good, very good!

He consciously ignored the part about him being pitiable, remembering only that Nannan felt sorry for him, and couldn’t suppress a smile at the corners of his mouth; his Nannan felt sorry for him!

With these sincere words, Lian Hua had perfectly resolved the issue, leaving both parties extremely content, unable to be more satisfied.