Page 493

Xiao Jizi burst into a cough, suddenly at a loss for words.

He hated his own incompetence, wishing nothing more than for His Majesty to be there to comfort his master and make him smile through his tears.

He pinched himself, forcibly perking up, and squeezed out a faint smile, "I imagine the master is overly missing his parents and elder brother, causing distress.

Master, you are blessed with both wisdom and fortune.

Let this servant speak boldly—your parents and elder brother are surely as fortunate as you.

They love you dearly and would never wish to see you in sorrow.

Master, as you search for them, they must be searching for you too? "

"Really?" Lian Hua asked blankly, her eyes red-rimmed.

Xiao Jizi nodded affirmatively, "Certainly, your parents and elder brother love you so much, how could they bear not to come and find you? The servant thinks it’s just a matter of opportunity.

Moreover, you are not alone; isn’t His Majesty with you?

With His Majesty, you will surely find them.

Just wait a little longer; today you met Madam Lian, and soon you will see your parents and elder brother. "

The lost look in Lian Hua’s eyes slowly dissipated, and a light returned to them.

Lin Yuejuan wiped her moist eyes, holding back a smile, yet she did not echo the sentiment, still adjusting her thoughts.

Seeing an opportunity, Xiao Jizi pressed on, "Master, you are now pregnant. You must take great care of yourself, for them, for His Majesty, and for the child in your womb, to ensure you will meet them someday."

At this, Lin Yuejuan was taken aback, her gaze turning to Lian Hua in shock, and only then, noticing the slight bulge of Lian Hua’s belly.

The fact of Lian Hua’s pregnancy was unknown to Lian Bingcheng and Lin Yuejuan, as the Emperor had been so concerned about Lian Hua’s situation that he forgot to mention it, and Hu Miaomiao dared not take the initiative to speak up, thus neither of them knew.

Lin Yuejuan had also not noticed just before, and with the loose clothes, it was not obvious at all.

Upon hearing this suddenly, Lin Yuejuan was extremely shocked; she hadn’t expected Lian Hua to be pregnant. She stared wide-eyed, stunned for a moment, her mind filled with the thought: Xiao Hua is pregnant?

After snapping out of her initial shock, the sorrowful expression on her face was wiped clean, and she become visibly anxious.

Oh dear, what should we do now!

Such misfortune, what had she done just before, making Xiao Hua upset, especially when even Brother Changhe said that no matter what, they must keep it from Xiao Hua to avoid her getting upset?

The guilt she had felt about withholding the truth from Lian Hua vanished—forget her reluctance to hurt her feelings, forget the guilt; Xiao Hua was pregnant, how could that be the same?!

Nothing was more important than Xiao Hua being pregnant; everything else could wait!

Tears clung to Lian Hua’s eyelashes, her voice tinged with a sob, "I know, I just—there’s no news at all, I, I..."

She was so worried about her parents and brother, she missed them so dearly.

She also knew she needed to stay strong, not to overthink, not to dwell too much on her worries, but sometimes she could not help feeling upset.

Xiao Jizi was about to continue comforting her when Lin Yuejuan, changing from her silence, suddenly spoke up loudly: "Xiao Hua!"

Her tone was full of emotion.

Lian Hua turned around, bewildered, to see her Clan Aunt, who was initially silent and sad-faced, now with a look of bizarre expression that had swept away all signs of sorrow, as if she was a completely different person.

The few people in the hall all turned to look at her.

Feeling a panic inside, Lin Yuejuan was afraid she couldn’t remedy the situation and quickly said, "Clan Aunt just remembered, Xiao Hua, you need not worry, I’ve remembered."

"Remembered what?" Lian Hua’s eyes brightened: "Did you remember where my parents are?"

She wiped away her tears, looking at Lin Yuejuan full of hope.

Xiao Jizi felt a surge of confusion. Madam Lian seemed somewhat odd, as if she was making it up as she went along. However, that did not matter, what was most important was that His Majesty believed her.

"Yes, oh, not that, the Clan Aunt recalled that Brother Changhe and others had once brought a message," Lin Yuejuan became incoherent.

"Really?" Lian Hua’s eyes lit up completely, and she became slightly excited.

"True, truer than pearls," Lin Yuejuan internally recited a prayer to Buddha, for she had no choice but to deceive, not intentionally so.

She seemed very vexed, slapped her thigh, forcefully calmed herself down, and recounted the fabricated story Lian Bingcheng had created, saying that the person had come with another message later, that Brother Changhe and the others were all fine, making it sound as real as possible.

In order to gain credibility, she even elaborated on the description of the messenger, imitating the appearance of Er Gouzi who had returned from another region, describing him in detail for fear that Lian Hua wouldn’t believe it.

Lian Hua was invigorated, "Clan Aunt, where is that messenger now? If we find him, can’t we then trace the whereabouts of our parents?"

This was great news indeed, and success seemed imminent!

She stood up excitedly, staring eagerly at Lin Yuejuan, her body trembling slightly with excitement.

"Ah, that messenger..." Lin Yuejuan suddenly faltered, her forehead sweating. How had that damn old man made that up? Oh dear, she had forgotten!

She chuckled dryly, looking distressed, "So many years have passed, that messenger is likely, likely hard to find..."

Lian Hua was momentarily disheartened, then had a sudden inspiration, "Clan Aunt, didn’t you remember what the messenger looked like? Tell me again, let’s draw him and go find him!"

Speaking, she busied herself, hurrying back to the inner chamber, saying as she went, "You just said he was wearing a silk shirt, very flashy, with a sharp chin and monkey cheeks, and a hairy mole on his long neck, right?"

Heading to the vanity table to get paper and pencil to start drawing it out.

Lin Yuejuan became frantic, indeed there was immediate retribution for lying, the Buddha truly does not deceive us.

She had just tried to make the story more believable so her niece would trust it, never thinking Xiao Hua would want to draw it. Oh dear, what to do now.

The niece was still so sharp-witted; if they ended up drawing it and followed leads only to find Er Gouzi next door but not her parents, wouldn’t it all be exposed!

Watching Lin Yuejuan losing her composure, Xiao Jizi, sensing an opportunity, instantly understood what was happening.

He hurried over, stood between Lian Hua and Lin Yuejuan, preventing Lian Hua from seeing Lin Yuejuan’s frantic state.

Helping to cover up, he exclaimed loudly, "Madam Lian, wasn’t that messenger from those years ago someone who happened to be passing by on his way home from your local area?"

Saying this, he desperately made eye signals to Lin Yuejuan.

Lin Yuejuan was slow on the uptake, puzzled by his question.

Lian Hua picked up the paper and looked over, seeing only Xiao Jizi, unable to see her Clan Aunt.

She paused in her actions, frowning, and asked, "Wasn’t he a local?"

Xiao Jizi was frantic about Lin Yuejuan’s slow response, so he silently mouthed words to her, prompting her to agree.

Though Lin Yuejuan was slow to respond, she realized that the young eunuch seemed to be helping her maintain the lie, quickly adding, "Oh, oh, oh, right, right, right, he wasn’t a local person."