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"Hmm?" Lian Hua was about to pour some more honey water, having found it refreshing, when she hesitated at the words, realizing His Majesty hadn’t heard her. So she repeated, "Reading scripts is not only harmless but actually beneficial!"

"Not that sentence."

"Ah?" If not that sentence, then which one? That was the point she’d wanted to make.

The Emperor spoke with a hint of urgency, "The one after that!" He was on the cusp of grasping that inspiration.

Lian Hua, puzzled by his reaction, followed up, "If enlightenment and literacy were taught using fun and easy-to-understand scripts, who wouldn’t love to read, this sentence?"

"Yes, that’s the one!" The Emperor’s eyes sparkled as he hugged Lian Hua and kissed her several times, calling her a clever little spirit, which left her giggling nonstop.

He couldn’t help but get up and pace back and forth, a concept breaking ground in his mind.

The current primers were indeed obscure and hard to understand for children around four or five years old, but what if they were approached according to Little Concubine’s idea?

If primers were turned into simple, understandable stories that everyone could learn from, the barrier to literacy would be greatly reduced, the barrier to teaching would be significantly lowered, children’s interest in reading would increase, and even adults who were illiterate could learn.

Would the world not then have more literate people?

Beginning with this, then slowly making plans, perhaps in a few decades, literacy would no longer be the privilege of the few.

At this thought, the Emperor’s heart warmed.

Since the Late Emperor’s reign, when he himself was still the Crown Prince, he had felt the overwhelming threat from the Aristocratic Clans. Had not the court politics of his Imperial Father’s era been dominated by the Xue Family and other such powerful clans?

Even after a decade of his reign and long-term plotting, the malignancy of the Xue Family persisted; other Noble families also remained, fundamentally untouchable.

He had considered changing this gradually, yet since ancient times, it has been rare for the sons of poor families to rise to prominence. He wanted to appoint the talented but found that most capable candidates came from the aristocracy.

Even the imperial examination system was insufficient because the majority who took part were still from the Aristocratic Clans. Ultimately, this was because the poor families lacked the ability to read and write.

Members of the aristocracy intermarried and supported one another in a tight-knit circle, with many officials coming from their ranks.

This vicious cycle made it even harder for individuals from poor families to gain prominence while the aristocracy grew stronger, strong enough to challenge Imperial authority.

History served as a lesson, showing how many times Imperial power had been hollowed out by Aristocratic Clans, a scenario still vivid in his memory from his Imperial Father’s days.

Although he had the ability to balance court politics, he could not be sure his descendants would always manage to handle this balance.

While the current state was stable, it was essential to be vigilant.

If he started to make reading and writing simple and widespread, gradually making plans, could he break the stranglehold of the Aristocratic Clans?

Rome wasn’t built in a day; the idea was still immature, as simplifying reading materials would only lower the threshold for elementary education and did not solve many other problems. Yet this step was crucial. Once the first step was taken, there would be a second and countless more after that.

He had to consider how to subtly and gradually influence the world, ready to invest ten, twenty, or even thirty to fifty years if necessary.

The Emperor’s eyes gleamed with a sharp light, growing more exhilarated the more he thought about it, pacing back and forth in the Side Hall, intent on sorting out his thoughts.

Lian Hua watched the Emperor with amusement, not fully understanding what was happening but finding His Majesty’s demeanor quite novel.

After she finished her sentence, His Majesty had kissed and praised her, making her very happy. His Majesty also seemed to agree that what she said was correct. Reading the scripts wasn’t bad after all, and she planned to tell her mother about it later.

Now, His Majesty seemed to have come to some realization, getting up and pacing about.

As she watched, she found it appealing. It was her first time seeing His Majesty in such a state and imagined that this must be how he dealt with court politics—very serious and rather charming indeed.

She couldn’t help but turn her head and prop her cheek with her hand, gazing at the person before her. As she gazed and gazed, she became mesmerized; His Majesty looked so good when he was serious, even better-looking than her big brother.

She vaguely felt that perhaps His Majesty was pondering something important. She didn’t disturb him nor did she want to, merely watching quietly, feeling perfectly content. When her left hand grew tired of propping her cheek, she switched to supporting her head with her right hand.

As she watched, she gave a small yawn, and as she watched, her eyelids began to grow heavy...

When the Emperor had finished organizing his thoughts, he returned to reality and discovered that at some point, his Little Concubine had fallen asleep on the desk.

The tumult in his heart slowly cooled down, and he quickly walked over, touching her face and body to ensure she wasn’t cold before he felt relieved.

He smiled warmly, feeling sorry for his Little Concubine.

He gathered her into his arms, preparing to carry her to bed.

However, hardly a few steps in, she opened her eyes, asking softly, "Your Majesty, are you done?"

"Hmm, did I wake you?" the Emperor responded with a gentle voice, walking towards the bed.

Lian Hua, with sleepy eyes, a bit dazed, reached out to embrace the Emperor’s neck, waking up a bit more, and shook her head, "No, I just remembered something else and woke up on my own."

"Hmm? What is it?" the Emperor quickly adjusted her position to prevent her from slipping down.

Lian Hua felt a bit embarrassed to say, and as the Emperor carried her to the bed and set her down, she still refused to let go.

The Emperor allowed her to cling on without letting go, knowing she was seeking affection. Every time she woke up and he was by her side, she liked to cuddle him until she was fully awake. He also greatly enjoyed her dependency.

After a while, when Lian Hua became more alert, she buried her head in the Emperor’s chest, finally revealing her concern, "My lord, it’s about apologizing..."

She had promised His Majesty, and in a dreamy haze, she remembered again, waking up amidst the struggle of her consciousness.

When she mentioned apologizing, His Majesty was so happy that she had always kept it in her heart. Even though she called His Majesty a big bad guy and wanted to back out, that was just talk; inside, her heart was sweetened.

Thinking of His Majesty’s happiness made her very happy. It had always been His Majesty who pampered her, and she also wanted to pamper His Majesty.

Between the two of them, it shouldn’t be only one person giving. She knew it well, so she also wanted to do something for His Majesty.

The Emperor was instantly moved beyond words; his Little Concubine had always held him in her heart, which was too endearing.

With Nannan like this, what more could he ask for?

He softly called out, "Nannan..."

With a voice deep and hoarse, he couldn’t help moving to kiss her passionately...

Lights flickered charmingly as the night deepened.

The next morning, the Emperor was in high spirits. Just before leaving, he suddenly remembered something.

Last night, he had asked Zhang Qing to take away that indecent.

.. to him, that indecent book. At the time, he planned to use it to reassure her if his Little Concubine got scared, telling her the scolding was about a different book to avoid a burden on her heart.

He also feared his Little Concubine would read such a book and learn bad things.

But afterwards, there was no need, as his Little Concubine had long finished reading it.

Dealing with the book was problematic; if he put it back, he feared she would remember his fury from yesterday, and if he didn’t put it back, he was afraid she would remember to look for it.