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The Emperor and Consort Xu De exchanged a glance and both smiled, simultaneously understanding the meaning in each other’s eyes.

"Little Sister/Nannan can seem a bit silly sometimes, not so articulate outside, prone to blushing and getting nervous.

She is only able to open her heart in front of those close to her, yet at crucial times, she is always clear-headed, very considerate of the feelings of those around her, and never hides her intentions towards them, sincere and adorable. "

It was indeed a bit embarrassing to think about it, such a grown person still needed to be coaxed by a young girl, truly shameless.

Lian Hua looked at Consort Xu De and then at the Emperor, somewhat puzzled.

Why were both His Majesty and Sister Consort De smiling at the same time? They neither agreed nor disagreed. Was that a yes or not?

She turned to Consort De and hesitated before speaking, "Sister..."

If both of them were smiling, there should be no problem, right? Otherwise, she really wouldn’t know how to coax them further.

Consort Xu De saw her confusion and, with a smile, gently pinched her cheek, saying, "You clever little thing, Sister has really not doted on you in vain, your words are getting sweeter and sweeter, we’ll do as you say."

Lian Hua showed a shy smile and then turned her head to seek the Emperor’s opinion with her gaze.

The Emperor nodded with a smile. In his good mood, seeing Consort Xu De pinching Lian Hua’s cheek, he generously didn’t mind.

Since his Little Concubine treated Xu Rongying like an older sister, letting Xu Rongying pinch her cheek occasionally wasn’t too bad; it was not a big deal, as long as it wasn’t too often.

Lian Hua perfectly resolved the issue, feeling extremely relaxed and happy. She was so cheerful she almost couldn’t help but swing her legs, but remembered to stop as she was not in Canglan Court.

Afterward, the three of them in the hall finally shared a harmonious midday meal.

But this harmony also had Lian Hua feeling a bit overwhelmed, as the Emperor and Consort Xu De were both worried she wouldn’t eat enough. They kept offering her food at the same time, and she, not liking to waste, ate whatever was given, almost feeling stuffed.

If it weren’t for the Emperor noticing something amiss and asking her, she might have continued eating silently.

Asked why she kept quiet even after being full, she honestly said she was afraid the two of them wouldn’t be happy and start fighting, which made them both feel sorry and amused.

After the midday meal, the Emperor led Lian Hua for a walk inside Huaying Hall to aid digestion. Once they had walked enough and started feeling sleepy, noon rest time approached. The Emperor escorted her to the room arranged by Consort Xu De, and only after she fell soundly asleep did he leave.

He had been busy lately, so having such a noon where he could eat lunch with her and coax her to take a nap, the Emperor was very satisfied.

Consort Xu De showed great tact at this time, not going to bother them but leaving space for the two to be alone.

Seeing the Emperor caring for Lian Hua so much made her feel nothing but joy, wishing for them to continue being so close.

After the Emperor came out, he briefly discussed the morning court matters with Xu Rongying and communicated with her.

Before leaving, he couldn’t help but worry and reminded Xu Rongying to make sure to send someone to escort Lian Hua back to Canglan Court once she awoke, and to confirm that she entered safely.

Xu Rongying teased him for being long-winded, although, she too was apprehensive about a repeat of the previous incident with Noble Consort Xue intercepting her.

Finally, the Emperor went to check on Lian Hua once more before he departed.

That evening, under the Emperor’s deliberate intentions, the news that he had visited Huaying Hall at noon spread throughout the entire harem.

The palace concubines kindled hope in their hearts; even though Beauty Lian was close with Consort Xu De, His Majesty’s actions clearly indicated that the Emperor would visit other palaces too. It was a relief that he wasn’t just frequenting Canglan Court.

Today, it was just a luncheon at a different palace, who knows, maybe in the near future it might even involve spending the night there?

Now that Beauty Lian is with child, His Majesty surely can’t be expected to abstain, so the calling to His Majesty’s bed chamber would become inevitable, just a matter of sooner or later.

As long as His Majesty doesn’t exclusively favor Beauty Lian, that would be welcome news to all the other palaces, and they would have no choice but to offer their congratulations.

This matter became a topic of hushed discussions among the various palaces.

The next day, someone claimed to have seen Beauty Lian leaving Huaying Hall, and if one were to calculate the time, His Majesty might have been there while she was.

At first, this rumor didn’t gain much traction, and not many believed it, but after His Majesty subsequently spent several consecutive nights at Canglan Court without leaving, the rumor started to spread.

Then various versions of the story began circulating.

Some said that Beauty Lian, driven by intense jealousy, followed His Majesty to Huaying Hall, fearing she would fall out of favor, and went to lengths to regain His Majesty’s affection—looking at how successfully she had won him over again, His Majesty was captivated by her once more, her audacity knowing no bounds to the point of pursuing him to another palace.

Others speculated that Beauty Lian, knowing she would soon be unable to attend to His Majesty’s bedchamber due to her pregnancy, recommended Consort Xu De, a close confidante of hers, in her stead, to keep the imperial favor within her own circle.

Moreover, with Consort Xu De now having the authority to assist in managing the Harem, it served the dual purpose of currying favor with Consort Xu De—truly killing two birds with one stone.

Some started plotting in secret. Being close with Beauty Lian might bring them imperial favor—a lucrative deal indeed. Perhaps if they befriended Beauty Lian themselves, they might also get a share of the "soup" in turn?

Especially since His Majesty visited Huaying Hall again shortly after, it seemed to confirm the speculation.

It wasn’t until Consort Xu De took action and severely reorganized the Harem that no one dared to discuss this matter openly anymore.

But all of this would come later.

That evening, the news of the Emperor visiting Huaying Hall also reached the ears of Xue Ping, further confirming the suspicions in his mind.

It was indeed Consort Xu De who had instigated this. Just today, not long after the morning court, the Emperor went to Huaying Hall. Probably, it was to placate Consort Xu De regarding this very issue.

The Emperor greatly values Consort Xu De. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, he had promoted her, and now he went out of his way to comfort her over this matter. In the long run, he didn’t wish to see this situation develop.

But for now, it was actually a good thing.

If the matter with Shen Ming was not something the Emperor wished for, then it would be easy to handle.

Even if there had to be a price to pay, it wouldn’t be too large.

What was Consort Xu De alone? After all these years, she hasn’t been seen stirring any major trouble.

An old and trivial matter, who would care? It’s insignificant to the country and the Altar of Soil and Grain. Taking into account the pros and cons, the Emperor would never make a huge fuss about it. He’s just putting on a show for Consort Xu De and Xu Hu and their ilk.

Xue Ping felt more at ease, and after some thought, he decided to write a letter to inquire about any recent disturbances and to remind them to be extra cautious.

As for the other side, it would be best to keep contact to a minimum...

Having made up his mind, he wrote the letter that night. After several handovers to ensure secrecy, the final messenger knew only the destination of the letter but not for whom it was intended. They simply waited for daybreak and the city gates to open before sending it off on a fast horse.

It was precisely this cautious approach that allowed Cao De, who had secretly followed them, to seize an opportunity and swap the letter with another.

In the shadow, Cao De toyed with the letter in his hand, a malicious smile curling his lips—excellent, he had just added another piece of evidence of collusion.

That letter was meant to leave under his watch? Tsk, if that were the case, he might as well not bother with the Internal Guard Bureau.

The moon on the seventeenth day of the eighth month was still round.

Under the moonlight, in the pavilion, a man stood with his hands behind his back, clad in white robes and a jade crown, emanating an easy and carefree demeanor.