Rather than enjoying peaceful days, they coveted power and insisted on causing trouble! On the imperial court, their ambition was not matched by their capabilities, leading to the disaster of destroying entire families.
Feeling sentimental, Cao De casually remarked, "There seems to be an excitement worth watching, not in vain that I returned this trip. Your Majesty, aren’t you afraid of any mishaps by pushing your naive Little Beauty into the limelight?"
He had seen the person today; she was not scheming. How could such a person survive in the harem?
The Emperor glanced at him coldly. This fellow could never utter anything wise: "Do you think I called you back for nothing? If a single hair on her is harmed, I will hold you responsible. Forget about leaving the palace in this lifetime; stay and be a ’Xiao Dezi’ forever."
"Hey, hey, hey, it’s your own person you want to protect, what does it have to do with me, how come it’s my responsibility now, and stop calling me ’Xiao Dezi.’" Cao De was hopping mad upon hearing this; he hated being called "Xiao Dezi" the most, but he was helpless against the person before him.
The Emperor smirked internally as this fellow always got irritated when called ’Xiao Dezi,’ yet he ignored him outwardly and prepared to leave.
Cao De followed behind and attempted to negotiate: "My intelligent and valiant great Emperor, Your Majesty, can you please stop calling me ’Xiao Dezi’?"
The Emperor continued walking with his hands behind his back, still ignoring him.
Cao De spoke again: "Alright, alright, I admit, I’m scared of you. From now on, I’ll stop speaking ill of your Little Beauty, alright?"
The Emperor finally stopped and gave him a look.
Cao De shook his head and lamented: "Can’t even make a joke, it’s so tense. History only remembers those who smile, not those who cry; alas, once used, I’m just a disposable fate, such a pity." Under the moonlight, his eyes showed deep resentment.
The Emperor, thinking about how Cao De had sneakily observed his Little Concubine today, warned: "Don’t scare her anymore."
Cao De became instantly exasperated, pointing at himself and argued, "Me, scare her? I must be hearing things. She’s not afraid of me. Your Little Beauty might look naive, but she’s quite cunning, guarding against me as if I were a thief. I just wanted to share some of her fish, but she ignored me before I even asked!"
The more he talked, the more upset he became. He hadn’t indicated an eager desire to eat, merely engaging in small talk, yet she remained so vigilant that even casual conversations were shunned!
The Emperor laughed; he could picture that scene with his Little Concubine guarding her food closely. Hadn’t she been the same with him initially? Only slowly did she lower her guard as he became part of her daily life.
Thinking about this, the Emperor was pleased. His Little Concubine being kind to him alone was enough. This fellow still fantasized about coveting things from his Little Concubine, wishful thinking; he would be the first to refuse!
Seeing the Emperor laughing in the night made Cao De even more irritated, shouting, "Yuchi Zhao, you heartless stingy person, your Little Beauty is also a miser - no wonder you’re a perfect match. Both of you are misers!"
The Emperor, having had his laugh, could not bother with him anymore and strode forward.
He could have gone back and cuddled with his Little Concubine; why bother standing in the wind listening to this fellow’s nonsense?
Cao De watched the Emperor walk away into the distance, dropped his playful facade, chuckled, and shook his head, his eyes filled with envy and relief.
The Emperor had them both brought back just to protect his personal guard. It seemed he really was smitten.
This was a good thing. Previously, everyone thought he was like a monk without feelings for men or women, utterly devoid of human warmth, doomed to a high and lonesome life. No one expected someone could enter his heart and make him lower his guard.
However, Little Beauty wasn’t very cunning and probably couldn’t help him much. It would still cost him his peace of mind to take care of her.
It’s true, if she weren’t a simple-minded person, how could she have entered his heart? It seems he enjoys it though. Although he still spoke very little, he didn’t seem as cold anymore.
Although it’s usually not good for an Emperor to be too devoted, he didn’t think Yuchi Zhao would fail to manage the relations between the former court and the Harem.
Having someone who could enter the Emperor’s heart was a good thing. Over the years, no one knew better than Cao De how much the Emperor suffered. If someone could make the Emperor’s life a bit better, a bit happier, he would be relieved.
Cao De stood there for a while longer. After the initial feelings of envy and relief, he felt a pang of desolation. If only he weren’t a eunuch, how wonderful that would be. He wouldn’t have to suffer so, perhaps he could be with that person as well...
The next day, within Canglan Court.
Nanny Qi still had a stern face as she watched the young girl sitting neatly at the table waiting for her breakfast, using the most standard sitting posture.
She felt somewhat surprised. After just one night, what had happened to this girl? She seemed like a completely different person, no longer making faces or fidgeting when out of her sight, doing as she was told, all with a smile that was both charming and endearing.
Last night, although the Emperor had changed the subject, she remained unsettled and had slept late. She got up late this morning as well.
She had thought the young girl would still be sleeping, considering she usually woke up quite late. Knowing the girl was pregnant, she hadn’t planned to demand that she wake up early, just as long as it wasn’t too late.
To her surprise, by the time she got up and combed her hair, opened her door, there was someone standing outside her room, smiling and asking if she was hungry, and that breakfast was ready.
Quite strange, had the young girl changed her strategy? Preparing a gentle approach to make her relax her strictness?
Nanny Qi kept her composure. She had already decided, no matter what, to temper the young girl’s character, making her behave more modestly. Being pregnant, she shouldn’t be too lively and restless, stirring up unnecessary trouble. It was better to just quietly nurture her health.
Nanny Qi, as usual, lectured her with a set of moral teachings, urging her back to the hall to wait to be served, without needing to worry about anything else.
Lian Hua obediently sat in the hall waiting for her breakfast, behaving impeccably. Every time Nanny Qi looked at her, she returned the gaze with a cheerful smile.
She had heard from His Majesty last night that Nanny Qi had done a great service for His Majesty. So, she had decided not to make Nanny Qi angry anymore and to treat her with great respect, ensuring Nanny Qi ate well and slept soundly, keeping her happy every day, never again having to frown or scowl.
Last night, she wasn’t sure when she had fallen asleep, but this morning she woke up feeling incredibly energetic. She hadn’t lingered in bed today and had conscientiously gotten up, even going to the kitchen to check on things, directing Xiao Qing and Pang Ya to make some soft and appetizing meals for Nanny Qi, having inadvertently heard from Pang Ya that Nanny Qi’s appetite had not been good lately.
Oh, Pang Ya is the plump girl who follows Nanny Qi around, her name seems to be Yuan Yuan, a name not easy to remember. Every time she saw this round and plump girl, the only words that came to her mind were Pang Ya, so that’s the name she had given her.
Her naming was still pretty good, matching the person well. If Pang Ya was in a crowd, calling out ’Pang Ya’ would surely make everyone know who she was calling, but calling ’Yuan Yuan’ might not work as well, requiring guesses, so she had named her well.