Indeed, the next thing I heard was the Emperor sighing deeply with affection, seemingly helpless yet also reminiscing, "The blame is only on me for lacking self-control, your dance just now was too beautiful, it has been etched into my heart, and upon seeing the poetry, it’s as if you’re dancing gracefully before me, I only want to watch you, how could I possibly care about eating?"
Zhang Qing silently exclaimed in his heart, His Majesty is truly wise! Which girl could withstand such words? Even he, a eunuch, was deeply moved.
Aiyo, standing here now, am I somewhat superfluous?
With that thought, he quietly bowed and slowly backed out, without drawing any attention to himself.
Lian Hua was completely stunned. Could it really be ?
Upon thinking of something, she suddenly became worried and said anxiously, "What should we do then? There are so many scholars around you, if you cannot bear to read poetry, wouldn’t that hinder your important affairs? Had I known, I would not have done that. I wonder if not dancing in the future will make any difference?"
After speaking, she looked at the Emperor with hopeful eyes. She had not expected to cause such a big trouble...
The Emperor was immediately choked by his saliva and coughed violently.
"Ah, Your Majesty, what’s wrong?" Lian Hua quickly started patting the Emperor’s back with concern.
See, His Majesty had such a strong reaction, all because of her dance: "It’s my fault, I won’t dance in the future, don’t get agitated, take a breath to calm down..."
Causing the Emperor to cough even louder, what was meant by being too clever by half? This was it!
He had originally estimated that after hearing his words, his Little Concubine should have been touched, and he would wrap his arms around her and say something more, naturally dispelling her other thoughts.
But his Little Concubine’s reaction was completely different from what he had anticipated, something he hadn’t expected. Her first thought was that she had caused trouble and might have disrupted his important matters.
He had been looking forward to cajoling her into dancing for him a few more times, as it was a source of pleasure for both of them. How could she not dance!
Now, what was not supposed to be dispelled was dispelled, and what should have been dispelled was not. The Emperor couldn’t help but feel both amused and vexed, taking a deep breath to himself, it was like lifting a rock only to drop it on one’s own foot, truly a sorrow that couldn’t be expressed.
Looking at Lian Hua’s concerned eyes, he felt a twinge of guilt. As a ruler of a nation, to stoop to deceive his Little Concubine , he was truly developing the potential of a tyrant.
Forget it, it’s best to just tell the truth.
After his coughing eased a bit, he took her by the hand, seated her properly, and sincerely said, "Nannan, I like watching you dance, very much."
Lian Hua was stuck in her worries, but upon hearing his words, a shy smile appeared, and then her face fell again. Even so, His Majesty’s problem wasn’t resolved.
The Emperor guessed her thoughts by her reaction and continued, "I see others’ poetry as normal, no problems at all, there’s no need to worry."
Seeing her relieved, the Emperor felt warmly in his heart, as his Nannan was always thinking of him, how could this not make him happy.
He smiled, leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers, "I also like the poetry you read for me, but I don’t want to trouble you, this should be something enjoyable for both of us, it must not become a burden. No matter what you write or recite to me, I am happy and joyful, what I care about is you, not the poetry. Do you understand?"
Lian Hua felt she somewhat understood what His Majesty was trying to say. His Majesty was saying he liked her dance and also liked her poetry: "Then I haven’t caused any trouble for Your Majesty?"
The Emperor smiled tenderly, "Of course not, but it would pain me if it troubled you. It doesn’t matter if we don’t write the poetry, nor does it matter if we skip the meal."
Lian Hua’s smile began to blossom on her face, and with delayed realization, she understood that His Majesty was concerned for her, not thinking there was a problem with her dancing.
She couldn’t help but bury her head in the Emperor’s neck and muffle her laughter. As she laughed, she looked up mischievously and asked, "Then, aren’t you hungry for not dining, Your Majesty?"
The Emperor’s mouth held a smile, and he raised his hand to pinch her baby fat, "Naughty. My Nannan is the best, able to sing, dance, and cook—everything but write poetry. From now on, there’s no need for poetry, and no need to learn from Concubine Fang Pin either. Just write some simple words; as long as they’re written by you, I am happy to read them."
Lian Hua’s smile widened, stretching to the tips of her ears, delighted by His Majesty’s words.
As she laughed, she said with mock modesty, "Oh my, Your Majesty, I don’t know that much, just a little bit more than others do. I’m not very good at needlework yet... when I make the clothes I plan to give you..."
She stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing her slip of the tongue; her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly covered her mouth, nervously looking at the Emperor.
The Emperor was watching her with a smile, but his heart skipped a beat too when he heard her unfinished sentence, and his smile paused. His Little Concubine had let something slip again—there was no telling how many times this had happened.
To him, his Little Concubine was utterly without defenses, or rather, the defenses were not obvious.
In recent days, his Little Concubine had continuously let things slip, even more so the previous night. After they went to bed, he vaguely sensed her leaving his embrace, seemingly moving to his other side, and soon after, the sound of rustling followed.
Struggling with sleepiness, he reached out but found no one; waking with a start, he turned over just in time to catch his Little Concubine attempting to compare the measurements of her homemade undergarment with his body.
His Little Concubine looked extremely astonished, seemingly not expecting him to wake up.
At the time, he pretended not to clearly see what she was holding and asked quite calmly and naturally, "Are you getting up to relieve yourself? It won’t do to wear something so thin."
Upon hearing his words, his Little Concubine breathed a sigh of relief, hid the half-made undergarment behind her, and mumbled an affirmation before pretending to go relieve herself.
That time, she had managed to cover it up successfully.
But what about this time?
The Emperor and Lian Hua looked at each other, each peering into the other’s eyes, waiting for a reaction.
Lian Hua inwardly panicked, wondering what to do. She had let something slip; would His Majesty notice anything?
Meanwhile, the Emperor quickly pondered his options, and finally decided to deliberately ignore the mention of the clothes. He frowned disapprovingly and said, "Who says Nannan can’t do needlework? What about the handkerchief you sent me?"
With that, he took out the Orchid Handkerchief he carried on him, beginning to praise it, "Although I do not understand the craft of needlework, I know that creating such a handkerchief is not easy. Nannan’s needlework is very good; do not belittle yourself. It’s just that you haven’t made garments, is all. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be easily accomplished?"
"Mmm, it’s passable..." Lian Hua shifted her eyes away, feeling somewhat guilty. Without Nanny Qi, she really wouldn’t have been able to make it. She had been so obvious—didn’t His Majesty really notice?
With these thoughts, she turned back to look at His Majesty only to hear him say, "If Nannan wishes to make clothes, how about making a set for me first?"
Lian Hua let out a great sigh of relief, feeling assured. His Majesty really hadn’t noticed; what good fortune.
She could hardly suppress a giggle, yet she was also delighted by His Majesty’s words, her smile too prominent to hide. She nodded earnestly, "Very well."