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Gradually, the sounds near her ears became clearer and clearer; she heard it was Mu Su talking to her, but her eyelids were so heavy, and she was so tired, she really wanted to fall asleep.

It wasn’t until her youngest son reminded her that Nannan was still alive, she still had her husband, her sons, everyone was waiting for her; she couldn’t just fall asleep like this.

She struggled fiercely in the dark dreamscape, yet no matter what, she couldn’t break free from its shackles.

The calls from her youngest son finally made her realize that if she were to go, what would her husband do.

Never mind his easygoing nature on normal days; deep down, he was very stubborn. Nannan’s stubbornness came from him, and if she were gone, her husband likely wouldn’t be able to cope.

Anxious at heart, her eyelids relaxed, she finally broke free from the fetters and woke up.

Everyone was there in front of her. She gave a weary smile, looking at the deeply affectionate and tearful Lian Changhe before her; a pang of emotion hit her, and she couldn’t help but reach out, "My lord, how did you get so many white hairs?"

Lian Changhe’s face was wet with tears as he tightly held her hand, smiling and saying, "I promised to grow old with you when we got married, madam. I didn’t lie to you, did I?"

Su Ran laughed weakly, "It must be your way of teaching Nannan that has made her misunderstand so many words, always using them incorrectly, and they can’t be corrected."

Everyone let out a huge sigh of relief.

Lian Musu quickly covered Wan Zhen who was about to shout out loud, pulling her out of the room with her, leaving only Lian Changhe and Su Ran to talk inside.

The experience of life-and-death separation and the unwavering devotion only became more precious.

Lian Musu walked into the courtyard, a smile creeping across her lips, her body entirely relaxing.

Dawn had arrived. A sliver of first light broke through the sky, shattering the dense darkness, illuminating the courtyard in Southern City; a smile touched everyone present.

Inside Canglan Court.

Lian Hua opened her eyes, having woken early; she touched the quilt beside her—he still retained some warmth—His Majesty had left not long ago.

She sat up blankly, feeling as though she had a long dream. She had forgotten what it was about, only feeling it was deep and heavy, and she broke out into a foul-smelling sweat, sticky and clammy. After sweating it out, she felt much more relaxed.

She rubbed her face to wake up and looked at her clothes; huh, they had been changed.

In her drowsiness, she seemed to sense something, and she hadn’t expected it to be real. It must have been His Majesty seeing her clothes soaked with sweat and changing them for her in the night.

She couldn’t help but move to the Emperor’s side of the bed, lying down with the quilt, the familiar scent making her feel very secure.

She felt sorry for His Majesty; so busy during the day and still having to look after her at night.

When she had nightmares, His Majesty comforted her; when she couldn’t sleep, His Majesty kept her company, even changing her clothes in the middle of the night.

He hardly slept at all; it was so exhausting for him.

She frowned as she tugged at the quilt, thinking perhaps she should let His Majesty sleep first? That way, he could get a good night’s rest.

But as soon as the thought occurred to her, she dismissed it; she couldn’t bear it. She wanted His Majesty by her side; without him, she couldn’t sleep.

Moreover, if she were to say that to His Majesty, he would surely get angry. She could already imagine the scene; she would barely have spoken half a sentence before His Majesty would glare at her, give her a stern look, and then sulk afterwards.

This big baby was a handful, much more difficult to handle than the little baby in her womb. The little melon inside only needed her to eat and drink well, while when the big baby got upset, he wasn’t easily mollified; it would take a long time to cheer him up.

No, this method won’t work.

If she wanted His Majesty to sleep well, she had to sleep well first from now on.

How can I be even better to His Majesty?

Wrapped in her quilt, Lian Hua pondered this for a moment before leaping up with a roll. She had made up her mind to finish crafting the items for His Majesty as soon as possible.

After completing them, she would strive to make a pair of socks and a pair of kneepads for His Majesty.

If possible, she would ask Steward Zhang for some fox fur or crane feathers to make a cloak for His Majesty to wear outside, so that from head to toe, His Majesty could be comfortable and warm throughout the winter.

With this thought, she immediately became excited, already envisioning the Emperor dressed in the clothes she had made. He would surely look splendid.

"My lady, are you awake?" Xiao Qing heard a noise and looked towards the vague movements inside the room.

"Yes, I am," replied Lian Hua as she threw back the blanket and sat on the edge of the bed to put on her shoes.

Xiao Qing hurried to draw back the curtain of the moon gate and went over to help.

While dressing, Lian Hua sniffed herself. There was a sweaty odor. She needed a bath before anything else and spoke to Xiao Qing, "I sweated a lot in my dreams last night, and now I feel sticky all over. Is there any hot water in the kitchen? I need to bathe."

As she was helping Lian Hua fasten her buttons, Xiao Qing replied, "Yes, my lady. The pot we brought back previously always has charcoal underneath to keep the water hot, just in case you or the master needs it anytime. I’ll fetch some in a moment.

However, Nanny said that you shouldn’t bathe on an empty stomach. "

"I understand," Lian Hua nodded.

Nanny Qi had told her about a palace concubine from many years ago who was skinny and didn’t like to eat. One day, she bathed on an empty stomach and fainted halfway through, a rather disgraceful spectacle.

She remembered that incident well.

Indeed, the incident was true, but Nanny Qi, not wanting to frighten her, had only told half the story. That palace concubine was pregnant with a child of the Late Emperor, and after she fainted, the child was lost too. Whether there were other complications was unknown.

Knowing this, Nanny Qi was always cautious.

After getting ready, Lian Hua couldn’t help but say, "Xiao Qing, go see if Nanny is awake. If she is, please ask her to come and have breakfast with me. I have something important to discuss."

She couldn’t wait to share her plans with Nanny Qi. Nanny could do anything, and socks, kneepads, and cloaks would be no problem.

Although her own craft skills were lacking, she had great aspirations. Luckily, aside from preparing gifts for His Majesty, she had no urgent matters at hand, giving her the chance to fuss over His Majesty a little.

Xiao Qing acknowledged with a "yes" and went out, calling for Xiao Linzi to come in and keep watch.

Lian Hua sat at the table, resting her chin in one hand and gently tapping on the table with the other. Waiting for someone and for food was utterly boring.

She glanced at Xiao Linzi, who looked rather clueless, and casually asked, "Xiao Linzi, have you eaten?"

Xiao Linzi nodded with a satisfied expression, "My lady, I have eaten. The scallion pancake today was delicious."

Lian Hua stopped tapping the table and asked, "Was it fresh off the griddle?"

"Yes, I ate it as soon as it was ready—so crispy and fragrant," Xiao Linzi said, licking his lips as if savoring the memory.

Pang Ya’s culinary skills had improved. As he crouched by the stove, Pang Ya would toss him a pancake as soon as it was done, allowing him to eat while tending the fire.

Lian Hua couldn’t help but sit up straight. "It would be even better with a bowl of thick soy milk to go with it. The rich scallion aroma, the tender pancake, along with the steaming soy milk—a bite of pancake followed by a sip of soy milk... Indescribably delicious."

As she spoke, she became hungry herself, very hungry.