The Emperor nodded, "However, Clan Uncle cannot be arranged for the time being, we must find the right opportunity, but we can arrange for Clan Aunt first, meet with Clan Aunt, would that be all right?"
In the palace, there are strict rules, and suddenly arranging for a man to enter the harem, even if an old man, is not permissible, the risk is extremely high.
He was unsure how many hidden lines and spies still lurked within the palace, some of which had been planted many years ago and were rarely used, making these spies the hardest to identify and root out.
If discovered, especially by those from the former court, it would be greatly detrimental to Little Concubine.
Lian Hua’s eyes curved in a smile, "Good."
To see even one relative was something, she was already very contented, she had not seen Clan Aunt for many years and missed her terribly, and when the time came, she could inquire about Clan Uncle from Clan Aunt.
The Emperor looked at her and gave her a kiss, "Feeling happy now?"
"Mm," Lian Hua replied with a smile, unable to hold back, she hugged the Emperor and kissed him back, her mouth sweet with sugar, she said, "Brother Zhao is really good, Nannan likes Brother Zhao the most."
The corners of the Emperor’s mouth held a smile, he finally felt somewhat relieved.
That night, Lian Hua was extremely excited, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, just thinking about meeting Clan Aunt made her giggle with joy.
The Emperor found it quite helpless, if he had known, he would have waited to tell her later, but redirecting her worries to something else was a good thing as well.
In the Capital’s South City Compound, the lights remained on until midnight.
Su Ran, the wife of Lian Changhe and Lian Hua’s mother, was restless in her sleep, tormented with worry.
She felt as though she was immersed in scalding magma, her muscles searing and tensing, her entire body sore, aching, itchy, and numb, as if bitten by thousands of ants, yet also strangely soothing.
She had experienced two great upheavals in her life, the first one destroyed her family, shattered the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s Mansion, her father was executed, her mother followed him in death, the entire clan was exiled, and she, left to drift in foreign lands, almost fell into disrepute, if not for her husband, Lian Changhe, who saved her.
These pains had gradually faded after she married her husband, deeply buried in her heart.
Later, she and her husband enjoyed unparalleled marital bliss, and they gradually had three sons and a little daughter.
Her father-in-law and mother-in-law had passed away long ago, and she, together with her husband and four children, lived a harmonious life in a place almost free from worldly strife, surrounded by friendly neighbors, grateful tenant farmers, and a stable family business.
One could say everything was fine, except for the second son and the little daughter who were a bit rowdy and challenging to teach, everything else was very good.
A blissful life, devoted to her husband and teaching her children, wasn’t that the case?
Although the second son and little daughter were a handful, she found joy in teaching them.
Especially the little daughter, her little cotton jacket, loved to the marrow of her bones, sometimes mischievously troublesome, infuriating her so much she had to put on a stern face to teach her.
Yet sometimes, she warmed her mother’s heart, asking if her mother was tired and offering to massage her shoulders and legs, or when she knew her mother was ill and not feeling well, she would change her normal behavior, become obedient and attentive, do her studying diligently, give up on things she was usually interested in, not go anywhere, just to stay by her side.
She didn’t want to be so stern, but other family members, as well as neighbors and kinsfolk, doted on the little daughter too much, so she had to harden her heart to teach, otherwise, no one would be able to.
She had originally hoped to raise a gentle and refined lady, but her youngest daughter was hopeless at needlework and even worse at studying. The quiet life was simply not for her. She spent her days away from home, and the arts of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting were out of the question. She had given up on teaching her these things.
As time went on, her expectations dropped lower and lower. Understanding her daughter’s nature, she realized it was impossible. In this lifetime, all she hoped for was for her daughter to live a peaceful life. That would be enough.
Moreover, her daughter was so adorable and genuine, and she knew how to show compassion. Who wouldn’t love her? It wasn’t so bad. She wasn’t marrying into a prestigious family with a lot of expectations. It would be good enough for her to marry into an ordinary family. If anyone dared to bully her daughter, her family would stand up for her. After she and her husband were gone, her three sons would still be there to protect her.
These had originally been her husband’s words to comfort her, but gradually, she had come to accept this viewpoint and opened her heart to it.
But she kept these thoughts to herself, never sharing them with anyone. She was afraid that if her doting husband and sons knew about them, they would indulge the youngest daughter even more, spoiling her until she became wayward.
Life seemed so beautiful in those days, and she thought it would continue this way. But suddenly, disaster struck and their world turned upside down.
Her entire family was falsely accused and thrown into prison. Her husband was tortured during interrogation. In the blink of an eye, the Lian Mansion was shattered. The servants scattered or were arrested, and their family wealth was seized.
Seeing the wounds on her husband, she wished she could take his place. In tears, she confessed to the false charges to save him from being beaten to death.
The family was thus exiled, but her mischievous youngest daughter had luckily been out and was taken in and protected by their neighbors.
The same misfortune that had befallen them in the past was happening all over again, an almost identical tragedy descended upon her household.
Her husband was severely injured from the beating, her young sons were detained, her youngest daughter was lost outside, and she was locked in a cell, utterly helpless and in despair.
She knew all too well the taste of having a broken family and being exiled. During a previous exile, she had watched her own maidservant succumb and die.
Sorrowfully, she wondered if she was a person of ill-omen, bringing misfortune to her whole family, leading to the same tragic end wherever she went.
It was the experiences of the past that made her deeply pessimistic, afraid to keep her youngest daughter with her, and worried that if she stayed local, villainous rogues would find and annihilate them. With a heavy heart, she let her daughter go far away to seek refuge with trustworthy people miles away.
She knew all too well how difficult the journey of a young girl traveling thousands of miles would be, but she had no choice.
Guo Neng colluded with the local county officials and the He Family, who were hostile to the Lian Family, to seize their assets and wipe out their family. Her youngest daughter could not stay by her side or remain local; only by fleeing to a distant land could she have a chance to survive.
These ruthless villains, if not for their desire to gain the Lian Family’s medical recipes, would have likely sent them all to the underworld. How could she dare to keep her daughter close to her?
An escape for one was an escape for all.
Even though she made such a decision, she was constantly worried. Thinking of her daughter, Nannan, kept her up at night, only falling asleep out of sheer exhaustion when she could no longer think.
In exile, she dared not show her worries. They had enough difficulties, and she did not want her husband and sons to be concerned.
Her husband was optimistic, saying it was good that Nannan had escaped and didn’t have to suffer with them. Just the thought of Nannan gave him strength, and he believed their family would prevail.
Nannan was their hope.
She, too, comforted herself with these thoughts.
She still had her husband and three sons. She couldn’t fall; she had to lead them on and survive. As for her youngest daughter, she was out of reach, and she dared not think about it anymore.