Palace Fighting: Naive Concubines' Ascent to Power-Chapter 421

He had seen her going back and forth with Nanny Qi and he had known early on what it was all about.

Lian Hua shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head in disappointment, "I don’t know, I asked Grandma, and she said there was nothing, I even pressed Steward Zhang, but to no avail, alas..."

It was such a pity, it piqued all her curiosity, yet it remained unsatisfied. Both Nanny Qi and Steward Zhang afterwards showed no flaws, but she still felt there was something off.

The Emperor pinched her nose, "Since that’s the case, why do you still think they have secrets, perhaps you are mistaken?"

"Maybe that’s true, but I still feel it’s odd. If only I could have heard what they were saying clearly." She had leaned in close but still hadn’t managed to hear them, their voices were too soft, which was suspicious.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, no wonder she had been constantly pitting her wits against Nanny Qi. It turned out she had stumbled upon Zhang Qing and Nanny Qi talking; thankfully she hadn’t heard them clearly, otherwise his Little Concubine would definitely have joined in on the action.

She was becoming more astute and increasingly vigilant, not so easily fooled.

Although Lian Hua was somewhat disappointed, she wasn’t too caught up, she had reasoned it out, feeling less curious than before: "Your Majesty, I’ve come to realize everyone has their own secrets, like how I haven’t told Grandma about my parents and brother yet. Grandma must have her own secrets, and I have secrets from you too."

By the end, she was laughing, a hint of slyness in her eyes, her round eyes making her look like a mischievous little fox, extremely adorable.

The Emperor was surprised, "What secret?"

Were there secrets he didn’t know about?

Lian Hua covered her mouth with her hand, shook her head, and couldn’t help but giggle as she collapsed into the Emperor’s arms, the undergarment she was making for His Majesty was really almost done. It was her first attempt at making clothes, and unexpectedly, it had turned out well; thinking about it, she felt happy on her own.

Also, her self-compiled ’Complete Collection of Encouragement-to-Learn Poems’... cough, cough, was also finished, this too was her secret.

The Emperor looked at her helplessly as his Little Concubine got herself amused.

This little rascal, he didn’t know what else she was hiding, he found it both annoying and funny, and couldn’t help but hold her tight, bending down to plant two firm kisses on her: "You little mischief-maker, even daring to keep secrets from your Emperor, you’re becoming bolder. Let’s see how I’ll deal with you."

Saying so, he moved closer to her again.

Lian Hua laughed heartily, using her hands to block the Emperor while dodging, "Hahaha, Your Majesty, about the secret..."

Saying so, she directly hugged the Emperor’s neck, burying her head in his chest, making it impossible for him to kiss her, and she started chuckling to herself again.

The Emperor could only hold her tightly, his lips curling into a smile as he shook his head helplessly, unable to do anything with her but wait until she had laughed enough.

However, this little rascal had promised to make it up to him tonight, so he could settle accounts with her then.

Thinking this, the Emperor started looking forward to it, it was rare that his Little Concubine took the initiative to make amends, such an opportunity could not be missed.

After a while, Lian Hua finally laughed enough and was willing to lift her head, her eyes moist from laughter.

The Emperor pinched her face, asking, "Have you laughed enough?"

Lian Hua nodded, her lips involuntarily curled up again, she hurriedly pursed them, struggling to hold back, almost bursting into laughter again.

Being with His Majesty, she just couldn’t help wanting to laugh, the smallest things made her laugh for a long time, her heart filled with sweetness.

The Emperor raised his eyebrows. This little mischievous one truly loved to smile; he had never met anyone who smiled as much. Being with her simply made people happy, and seeing her would always ease his mind no matter what.

No wonder Nanny Qi’s smile had grown more frequent these days, even he found himself smiling more than usual after spending time with her.

This was pointed out by one of the military generals from the Ministry of War. He remembered once summoning Xu Hu and a few generals for a meeting. One of the generals didn’t understand a term and, after a long struggle, finally blurted out a question when dismissed, which caught everyone off guard.

Xu Hu and others thought the general was embarrassing himself and immediately tried to whisk him away.

Yet he couldn’t help but laugh, reminded of his little mischievous one, who could also be as straightforwardly perplexed at times. He wondered how she read books since she occasionally misused words, though this only happened in private. In public, on the other hand, she seemed perfectly competent, unlike this general.

He had even asked his little mischievous one how she managed to feign so convincingly outside. He remembered how she had pouted and retorted that it wasn’t an act but her real skill, only revealable when necessary.

Thinking of his little mischievous one made his smile deepen.

The others soon joined in laughing, the military atmosphere being straightforward without the twist and turns of scholars, easing the mood in the hall.

Laughing, the earlier general seemed to have an epiphany and blurted out, "Your Majesty, you truly look wonderful when you smile; it makes us feel like we’re bathing in a spring breeze. You never used to smile like this; it almost startled me... mmm..."

Before he could finish, Xu Hu had someone cover the general’s mouth and quickly pleaded guilty for the impropriety before escorting him away, promising to deal with him later.

As Xu Hu hustled out, distant sounds of scolding and grievances echoed from outside.

The Emperor chuckled and shook his head, only realizing after a moment that the general was right; he had never smiled so freely in front of his ministers, his smiles there more functional, like those bestowing approval.

Indeed, it was all the influence of his Little Concubine. He had become more cheerful, less stern than before.

Indeed, her Young Eunuchs and Little Palace Maids were more amusing than those in other courts. There were hardly any gloomy faces in Canglan Court. Who wouldn’t be influenced by spending time with her?

"Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?" she asked, curious if she could also share his thoughts.

Lian Hua was increasingly amazed, watching His Majesty smile for quite a while as if he had thought of something pleasant. She wasn’t interested in governmental matters, but she was curious about the rest.

Coming back to his senses, he saw her curious gaze, filled with a thirst for knowledge.

In a teasing tone, he pondered, "I was wondering when my darling will initiate a kiss just like me, always eager to give me one."

Saying this, he sighed, pretending to be remorseful, yet his eyes never left her.

Lian Hua glanced away briefly, her lips pressed together in slight difficulty.

It wasn’t something big, but kissing him out of the blue felt a bit strange...

Of course, when His Majesty kissed her, she was used to it and didn’t mind; it felt natural.

But doing it herself was somewhat awkward; approaching His Majesty for a kiss always needed a reason, otherwise it was too embarrassing...

Seeing her avoiding his gaze, her face gradually turning red, the Emperor found it amusing. He shook her slightly and teased, "Well? Want to give me a kiss?"