Palace Fighting: Naive Concubines' Ascent to Power-Chapter 535: As Long As Master Is Happy

The Emperor glanced at Consort Xu De.

Consort Xu De smiled faintly, not voicing her true thoughts, but instead gently tugged at her and said, "Your Brother Zhao is angry, someone is probably in for a big disaster."

The one who had acted had better pray the Emperor doesn’t strike down too harshly.

How dare they touch even his little sister, the dragon’s reverse scale, which was not so easily provoked.

Lian Hua couldn’t help but look back at the Emperor, feeling that he was worried about her, but she hadn’t noticed any anger.

However, she turned her head back and said, "As long as His Majesty doesn’t get too upset with himself, I’m happy with whatever makes him happy."

Let His Majesty do as he pleases, for those who have done wrong must bear the consequences.

If he is angry, then it’s good to let off steam.

The Emperor felt a warmth in his heart, and his gaze softened.

Consort Xu De couldn’t help but raise her hand to ruffle her hair, "Silly girl, no wonder your Brother Zhao is so anxious for you, your words are sweet. Well, it’s time for some people to learn their lesson."

Lian Hua laughed and grabbed Consort Xu De’s hand, "Sister, you’ve messed up my hair again. His Majesty cares for me, and of course I care for His Majesty too. In my heart, nothing compares to His Majesty’s happiness."

"Hey! And no one compares to your Brother Zhao, right?" Consort Xu De couldn’t help feeling jealous, her hand going straight to making a mess of Lian Hua’s hairdo.

Lian Hua laughed heartily, dodging, "Sister, you all are important too, it’s just that you said His Majesty was angry, so let’s give him some space."

She spoke like a child.

The Emperor couldn’t help but smile, taking a few steps closer, he pulled her to his side, saving her from Consort Xu De’s "claws".

He tidied her disheveled hair, and spoke gently, "Nannan, would you talk with Consort De for a bit? I have some issues to deal with first."

Having said that, he gave Consort Xu De a look.

Lian Hua looked at him, then at Consort De, and obediently agreed, "Okay then."

Despite the playful banter, Consort Xu De clearly understood what that meant, knowing the Emperor didn’t want Lian Hua to hear those messy things, so as not to stain her ears and unnecessarily add to her worries.

She felt in her heart that in this world, no one probably protected their younger sister as thoroughly as the Emperor did.

She took Lian Hua’s hand and walked to the inner chamber, "I haven’t seen my younger sister in a long time, and I’ve missed you terribly. Let’s go inside to talk, and you can show me how you’ve arranged this place."

"I’ve missed Sister too," Lian Hua followed Consort Xu De, then, after a few steps, she stopped and turned back to address the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I’m not afraid of anything."

The Emperor’s smile slowly spread, "Good."

His Little Concubine had always been very intelligent, seemingly knowing what he intended to do, freeing him from restraints and worries about her.

Consort Xu De was momentarily taken aback as she couldn’t understand what the two of them were talking about. Perhaps they shared a tacit understanding?

"Sister, let’s go inside," Lian Hua pulled at Consort De’s hand, speaking as usual, "I wanted to invite Sister to the roast chicken feast last time, but you were too busy. I didn’t want to disturb your pressing matters."

Consort Xu De came back to her senses, "I’ve yet to thank you, sister. That roast chicken tasted amazing, and it was still hot when it arrived. It suited my palate perfectly."

"As long as Sister enjoyed it, that’s good. Next time I make something tasty, I’ll continue to send some to you."

"Then I won’t be polite about it. Oh, this arrangement is really nice, it looks like a comfortable home."

"It’s all thanks to Nanny. It was Nanny that helped me do it."

"And these little trinkets, did you make them? Tell me, how did you make each one..."

The curtains of the inner chamber were drawn, and the continuous chatter of the two could be heard.

The Emperor walked out of the Side Hall with a smile, but the moment he stepped out, his eyes and eyebrows instantly turned cold, like a raging storm approaching.

Nanny Qi and others had been waiting there, and when they saw the Emperor coming out, they greeted him with solemn faces.

Ming Jing and the others performed their courtesies and stayed outside the Side Hall.

People from Canglan Court and Star Palace followed Nanny Qi and the Emperor as they walked on.

At this moment, laughter and joy were gone; what remained was solemnity, like the calm before a storm.

After walking a few steps away from the Side Hall, the Emperor stopped, turned around, and said, "Nanny, you’ve worked hard. Tell me about today’s events."

...

Outside the Imperial Academy.

Minister Jia asked sternly, "Scholar Lian Mu from Taiyuan Prefecture, are you certain you are finished with your examination paper?"

Lian Musu bowed respectfully, "Lian is certain."

Minister Jia looked up at the sky and asked again in a deep voice, "Shichen Chinese Time has not yet passed, are you sure you want to submit your paper?"

Lian Musu spoke calmly, "Certain."

He had already organized his thoughts clearly in his mind and only began to write after thoroughly contemplating his ideas.

Once he started writing, he did not stop. Every word and sentence was deeply considered, and as he wrote, everything naturally fell into place.

The crowd stirred upon hearing his response, especially the scholars who had taken the imperial examination, knowing how difficult it was to submit the paper early.

It was either a fool who knew nothing and wrote nonsense, just wasting time;

Or someone overconfident, even arrogant, believing their answers were impeccable and choosing to submit early to showcase their talent;

The last kind, and the rarest, were those with exceptional talent and confidence, having the courage to submit early.

However, such individuals were few and far between, as it required not just talent but also courage. Once submitted, there was no turning back, meaning one’s future destiny was also determined.

Minister Jia was anxious inside, knowing the intricacies of the imperial examination.

Seeing Lian Musu unmoved and the crowd becoming restless, he shouted at the spectators, "Quiet down!"

The crowd instantly fell silent.

Minister Jia then turned back, asking once more, "Lian Mu, do you realize that once you hand in your paper, you cannot change your mind? This is a serious matter concerning your future reputation; do you understand?"

By the end, his voice was heavy, and his eyes were full of urgency and disagreement.

This morning, as Lian Musu sat with his eyes closed, deep in thought, Minister Jia was anxious inside, only relaxing the moment Lian Musu began to write.

Watching Lian Musu write smoothly, as if all in one stroke, his eyes brightened with appreciation, and an involuntary smile appeared on his face.

Until just now, when he saw Lian Musu stand up and say he wanted to submit his paper, Minister Jia was shocked. Writing smoothly was good, but from starting to writing to submission, it had been only a little over a shichen; was he really finished?

"Thank you for your instruction, Mister; Lian is certain," Lian Musu felt a warmth in his heart. He knew Minister Jia was worried about him, but indeed, he had finished.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Minister Jia couldn’t say anything else; he felt frustrated inside, with no other options but to keep hinting.

He tried again, "Won’t you check it again?"

If it was someone else, he would have just thought them arrogant and not bothered with all this fuss. He would have taken the paper and let the arrogant person face their own music, also dispersing the crowd to avoid more onlookers making it harder to manage.

But this was Lian Mu, someone he admired, and someone who had benefited from his guidance. He couldn’t bear to see it.

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