Page 44

Lian Hua approached the Emperor feeling that something was amiss, why did His Majesty’s face look so displeased, as displeased as when she had refused him during the Noble Consort’s birthday feast.

Feeling uneasy, she bowed while stealthily glancing at the Emperor, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Lian Hua dared not speak any impudent words, thinking it best to keep calm and see what was troubling His Majesty.

A few people quietly waited for the Emperor to speak.

Standing high and looking down, the Emperor circled Lian Hua twice without a word, not even telling them to rise, thinking to himself that this Little Concubine had defied the heavens, making fire in broad daylight within the garden, and she must be taught a lesson.

At that moment, the atmosphere was oddly tense, Zhang Qing stood afar with a look of deep resentment, close by, the Emperor’s expression could not be seen, but one could feel his gaze moving ceaselessly over her, like looking at a lamb to be slaughtered.

Lian Hua maintained her bowing posture, swallowing her saliva, feeling as if her head was being scorched by his stare.

She thought, what’s going on? Was His Majesty about to show his true fierce nature? Was the one who snatched her tea the real him, and the one who came after only pretending? Yes, it did seem so.

What should she do, the Dew Tea she was going to make later was also for him, if he demanded, she would just give it all to him.

On this side, Lian Hua criticized the Emperor in her wildest thoughts.

On the other side, the Emperor felt the serious atmosphere was stirred enough, and he finally spoke, "Rise. Why is there such thick smoke here?"

Lian Hua quickly stood up, noticing the ashes on her sleeve from making the fire, she patted it off and said, "Your Majesty, we are making a fire. The kindling isn’t very good, so the smoke is a bit thick. It will get better once the fire starts."

Was that what he wanted to ask? Couldn’t he see they were making a fire? His underlying question was why they were making a fire, making it seem like everything was on fire!

Ah, avoiding the important and dwelling on the trivial. They still needed to make fire! He had already thought of a hundred ways to punish her!

The Emperor glanced at her lightly, his face unchanging, and continued to ask, "Why make a fire?"

He prepared to listen to her explanation. If it was just for some trivial or merely fun reasons, he would directly convict her, teach her a lesson, and have her restrain her impudence.

Seeing His Majesty’s gaze, Lian Hua felt a chill on her scalp. Could her wild guess be right, was His Majesty about to show his fierce nature?

She became alert, and fear appeared in her eyes!

The Emperor felt his anger burning, and he wanted to grab her and give her a severe beating right there and then.

"To answer Your Majesty, this servant wanted to heat the stone slab on top of the clay stove to use it..." Hesitating in her tone, Lian Hua looked at His Majesty, wondering if she could run if the situation turned sour.

Before she could finish, the Emperor interrupted, "What audacity, who allowed you to make a fire without a cause!"

Lian Hua’s eyes widened in fright, was this really His Majesty showing his fierce nature? She became timid and stuttered, "Yes, yes Your Majesty, wasn’t the Dew Tea made by this servant because you requested it?..."

This meaning, it seemed like he was going to back out. Would the tea still be made?

The Emperor was a bit confused, how was it that he allowed it, and what did this have to do with the Dew Tea?

Xiao Jizi, standing next to her, was panicked to death, the Young Master hadn’t hit the main point!

He hurriedly mustered the courage to kneel and kowtow, "Replying to Your Majesty, the Young Master said that making fire is for the final step of drying the Dew Tea. This last step requires using fire to dry the tea leaves, and due to an excess amount of leaves, the small kitchen couldn’t accommodate, forcing us to build a stove outside to light a fire for drying, please pardon us, Your Majesty. "

Xiao Qing also knelt down and said, "Please forgive us, Your Majesty," his voice trembling.

The correct way to dry was also important; before setting up the stove, Lian Hua had roughly explained to Xiao Jizi and the others what she intended to do, so Xiao Jizi could explain it a bit now.

Seeing Xiao Jizi and Xiao Qing kneel, Lian Hua felt upset. What did she do wrong? If it’s such a big deal, then she wouldn’t make it at all.

Thinking this, her displeasure showed on her face; she pouted and stood to the side, silent.

The Emperor was stunned, had it truly been for his sake that she brewed the Dew Tea, had he wronged Little Concubine?

In fact, he hadn’t been angry; he merely wanted to scare her a bit, so she wouldn’t frighten him like that again, as she had given him quite a scare.

Upon learning it was for the Dew Tea intended for him, his mood cleared like the sky after rain, and he began to feel cheerful. A small smile played at the corners of his mouth as he looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes.

But as he looked, he realized something was amiss—Little Concubine’s lips were so pouted that they could hang an oil bottle, seeming angry. This was his first time seeing her like this, and the Emperor was curious to look more, yet he feared it might anger her further.

He walked over and took her hand, coaxing her, "It was I who wronged you, do not be angry."

Lian Hua glanced at Xiao Jizi and Xiao Qing, who were still kneeling, and replied, "This servant dares not."

After speaking, she turned away, not wanting to engage with His Majesty any further.

The Emperor realized she was unhappy that her servants were still kneeling, ever so protective. He then said to the two who were kneeling, "Rise."

They thanked him for the grace and retreated far back, joining forces with Zhang Qing and leaving only the Emperor and Lian Hua alone.

The Emperor wrapped his arms around Lian Hua’s waist, lowered his head close to her face, and continued to soothe her, "I didn’t know you were making Dew Tea; had I known, I wouldn’t have spoken so."

Lian Hua, looking down, dryly responded, "Yes, everything His Majesty says is right."

Humph, he arrived accusing without clarification.

Indeed she was angry. The Emperor touched her head, helplessly chuckled, and compelled to reveal his true thoughts, "When I arrived at the entrance of Canglan Court, I saw smoke billowing from afar and thought a fire had broken out.

Extremely worried about you, I ran over here, only to see you managing a fire with others, not knowing what was happening and thinking it was for fun.

As the autumn season is dry, playing with fire is dangerous, and I wanted to teach you a lesson to ease my worries. "

Lian Hua looked up at the Emperor, somewhat disbelieving. Had His Majesty just said he was worried about her?

The Emperor pinched her cheeks, where there was a slight baby fat which felt nice, and, feeling pleased, he continued, "I didn’t expect that it was my Lian Hua making Dew Tea for me. I erred in blaming you without understanding the situation. Don’t be upset, alright?"

His tone softened at the end, tenderly gazing at her.

Upon hearing His Majesty express his concern, any anger Lian Hua felt dissipated, leaving her feeling somewhat sheepish.

Seeing the tenderness in His Majesty’s eyes, her heart swelled, and she nodded and then shook her head, shyly burying her face in the Emperor’s chest as she thought about it and then chuckled to herself.

The Emperor, seeing her like this, knew she was no longer angry and breathed a sigh of relief, hugging her as he too started to laugh.

It seemed like they were the only two nestled together in the world.

Far away, the servants lowered their heads, not daring to look on, while not far off, a smoky fire added a curious backdrop to the scene.

After a while, Lian Hua thought of something and suddenly looked up, closely observing the Emperor.

The Emperor, puzzled, looked back at her.

Lian Hua hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should speak, suspecting that His Majesty might not be pleased...

Eventually, curiosity overcame her prudence, and she remarked, "My lord, your hair is somewhat disheveled, there’s a bit of sweat on your forehead, and your crown is slightly askew. You don’t look very regal, did you come running too hastily?"

The Emperor, flustered, pulled her into his embrace, forbidding her from looking any longer!

This ungrateful wretch, three days without a scolding begets mischief!

——————————

QQ group (including all small theaters): 184352695

Young Master may enter, code for urging updates: giggle