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Ever since the Beggar’s Chicken had been unveiled, Lian Hua could hardly restrain herself, her mouth watering profusely; however, due to etiquette, she couldn’t forget the rules and had to wait for His Majesty to pick up his chopsticks before she could do the same.

Upon hearing His Majesty mention that his hands were not yet dried, Lian Hua quickly took out a handkerchief, grabbed his hand, and said, "Your Majesty, I have a handkerchief here, allow me to wipe your hands for you."

After wiping a few times, she confirmed with him, "They’re dry now, does that look all right to you?"

The Emperor felt secretly pleased inside, indeed teasing her was the most entertaining; he cleared his throat and with an unchanged expression said, "Hmm, it’s good."

"Then, Your Majesty, shall we start eating?" she asked, already unable to wait any longer to eat.

The Emperor thought that he had teased her enough, and any more might give him away, so he nodded his head.

Lian Hua immediately beamed with joy, tore off a piece of chicken leg and placed it into his bowl, saying, "Your Majesty, please try this, the meat is so tender and fresh."

Only when the Emperor picked up the piece and put it in his mouth did she start to eat.

After a few bites, she felt something was not quite right and said to His Majesty, "Your Majesty, please eat first, I’ll clean my hands too," as she said this, she got up hastily and headed towards the washing room.

The Emperor was somewhat puzzled, what was this all about, eating just a little and then stopping? And wanting to clean her hands, that didn’t seem like her at all.

After waiting for a while, Lian Hua had cleaned her hands and came back, sitting back down at the table, she said, "Your Majesty, Beggar’s Chicken should be eaten by tearing it with your hands to be tasty, so I went to clean my hands first."

She finished speaking and waited for the Emperor’s reaction.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, using hands? This was a bit hard for him to accept, as a gentleman is supposed to be dignified and proper, and the etiquette he had been taught since childhood did not permit him to do so.

Lian Hua tentatively proposed again, "Would you like to try it?"

The Emperor shook his head, watching her doing this was fine, but it was really beyond him to do it himself.

Seeing that His Majesty had an uneasy expression, as though he might disagree with her tearing the chicken with her hands, Lian Hua proposed again, "Otherwise, I could tear the meat and feed you?"

The Emperor looked at her in astonishment, "This..."

Would that be inappropriate? It seemed like a scene reminisced of a dissolute ruler of the former court, being fed by a Favored Concubine.

But for some reason, he felt a bit tempted, it was rare that the Little Concubine took the initiative and showed understanding, so be it, just this one time then.

Lian Hua, eager to push further, said, "Your Majesty, the chicken tastes especially good when torn by hand, why don’t you give it a try? If you don’t like it, we can stop, how about it?"

The Emperor, with utmost seriousness, pretended to ponder and reluctantly nodded his head, "Let’s do it that way then, to see what the difference in taste will be."

Lian Hua breathed a sigh of relief and happily began to tear apart the Beggar’s Chicken. After tearing it for a while, she picked a tender piece with crispy skin and was about to place it in His Majesty’s bowl.

Seeing this, the Emperor nearly choked on his saliva, coughing with a suppressed voice and looking at her disapprovingly. This was completely different from what he had anticipated; was this feeding? How was it any different from him using the chopsticks himself???

Lian Hua, holding the chicken mid-air, was puzzled, not quite understanding what was wrong. Why was His Majesty looking at her that way?

He kept silent, just watching her, making her feel uneasy. Had she done something wrong again?

No, His Majesty’s expression was fine just a moment ago. It seemed that her attempt to put the chicken into his bowl had upset him...

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in her head, and with an inspired realization, she remembered the word "feed." Could His Majesty have misunderstood her intention...

She looked at His Majesty with wide eyes, seeing him looking back at her with a smile that was not quite a smile, knowing that she had caught onto his meaning, then he pointed to his lips with his hand.

At this moment, Lian Hua’s mind was especially sharp, and she understood that His Majesty meant exactly what she was thinking. Instantly, her cheeks blushed as red as a ripe peach.

Her lips quivered, not knowing what to say. She only bit her lip shyly and glanced at His Majesty with eyes brimming with innocence yet shimmering with a glint of guilt.

Seeing the Little Concubine like this, the Emperor felt an urge to devour her then and there, wondering how she could be so seductive without even being aware of it.

The Emperor’s gaze flickered, and he prompted with a grunt, "Hmm?" his eyes radiating warmth.

Lian Hua grew even more embarrassed, her hand trembling slightly as she held the meat to His Majesty’s mouth. The Emperor gently took it in his mouth, along with her fingers.

Lian Hua withdrew her hand as if startled, hanging her head and not daring to look up, feeling as if His Majesty’s gaze could melt her.

The Emperor swallowed the meat in a few bites and looked at her with burning eyes, his voice hoarse, "Not enough."

Lian Hua was so embarrassed she almost buried her head in her chest. The tips of her ears were beet red, revealing the graceful curve of her neck down to the slight rise below her collar.

The neckline of her robe parted slightly with her movements, revealing a small patch of her tender, pinkish skin.

The Emperor could no longer contain himself and scooped her up, heading towards the inner chamber.

Lian Hua exclaimed, "Your Majesty, don’t, my hands are dirty."

As the Emperor continued walking, he grabbed a piece of cloth to wipe her hands and said, "We’ll bathe in a moment, be good."

As her dress slid down, the Emperor saw the safety buckle worn close to Lian Hua’s body. His Adam’s apple bobbed, his eyes grew deeper, and he felt a searing desire to crush her into himself.

Lian Hua’s whole body blushed, she covered herself with her hands, shyly turning her head away from His Majesty.

After the dinner was reheated and eaten, it was considered that they had dined.

The Emperor entered the inner chamber and watched as Lian Hua dried her hair by the candlelight, appearing exceptionally tranquil.

A beautiful arc formed at the corner of his mouth as he came to stand beside her.

Lian Hua heard the sound and glanced sideways, continuing to dry her hair, she asked, "Your Majesty, have you finished bathing?"

"Mhm," the Emperor replied. He watched her lovely reflection in the mirror and naturally took over the cotton cloth from her hands, helping her with her hair.

Lian Hua sat up straight, allowing His Majesty to dry her hair without feeling anything amiss.

In front of Lian Hua, His Majesty had no airs, and she had become increasingly accustomed to interacting with him as an ordinary person, slowly losing the restraint she used to feel.

Lian Hua glanced casually at the embroidery basket beside her, thought of something, and asked, "Your Majesty, have you seen the handkerchief I placed in the embroidery basket last night?"

Last night, in her daze, it seemed to her that she had finished embroidering it, but she couldn’t remember where she’d put it. She had searched for it all day without success.

The Emperor paused for a moment, then continued drying her hair, asking casually, "What about it?"

"I had just finished it, and now I can’t find it," she said, sounding distraught. Her embroidery wasn’t great, but she had put all her effort into that handkerchief. It looked fairly neat, and she felt it was decent enough to use.

The Emperor kept talking, "It’s just a handkerchief; if it’s gone, it’s gone."

Lian Hua turned to look at His Majesty, hesitantly said, "Although it’s just a handkerchief, but..."

The Emperor turned her face towards him as he continued to dry her hair and asked, "But what?"