He had never taught her such things; these flawed logics were all her own understanding.
When it came to flawed logic, if his Little Concubine dared to claim she was second, no one would dare to claim first. What did he ever do to deserve teaching her such things?!
Moreover, this time his Little Concubine didn’t just sweep through the Huaning Palace, but rather the entire harem, as well as himself. Even he had been tricked and frightened, suffering the calamity of an innocent bystander!
He couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. All the principles he had been teaching his Little Concubine day by day were being applied to these crooked and deceitful ideas. He hoped with all his heart that the child in her belly wouldn’t pick up this set of tricks; one like that was already enough to handle.
What was he to do with her? His Little Concubine was becoming more and more like a little fox, with her own set of plausible arguments. Although upon closer consideration they might hold a shred of reason, the more one looked, the more frivolous and distorted they appeared.
Lian Hua, very much caught up in her teaching moment, heard the words but didn’t turn around. She humbly waved her hand and naturally continued, "Where, where, if I didn’t have you to lead the way, how could I have learned such reasoning, and be able to deduce it further?"
The others, upon hearing the voice from behind that sounded all too familiar, whirled around in shock, their faces going pale, "His Majesty!"
Those with sharper eyes caught sight of another figure to the side and gave another cry of astonishment, "Consort De!"
Xiao Jizi was so exhausted he couldn’t take it, finally realizing, oh my goodness, where had the shrewdness of the eunuchs from the Star Palace of days gone by gone to? Could it be that they had been led astray by their master?
In the midst of everyone’s shock, Xiao Jizi had the fastest reaction. He shouted, "Greetings to His Majesty, greetings to Consort De!"
He fell to the ground in prostration on the spot.
Prostrating was a good move, no need to see how his master would react...
The eunuchs and palace maids of Canglan Court and Star Palace were startled by the sudden appearance of the two figures and, after coming to their senses, they knelt down to offer their respects, anxiety beginning to gnaw at them as they inwardly lamented.
Oh dear, what to do now? Would His Majesty blame them? After all, if it really came down to it, what they did to Consort Zhen was insubordination.
Nanny Qi and Huang Zude, who were inside, heard the commotion and came out to look.
Nanny Qi understood everything at a glance—there was going to be quite a show to watch, and it was all thanks to the young lady.
The young lady’s speech was just mischief, not to be taken seriously. The Emperor’s haste, looking storm-tossed as he hurried back, was clearly out of concern for someone. He wouldn’t punish the young lady much, likely just a light spanking as before.
Huang Zude immediately became excited—another opportunity to see His Majesty! Was His Majesty just returning from a trip out? He hadn’t expected His Majesty to still look so dignified, even in commoner clothes.
He restrained his excitement and followed in offering his respects.
Lian Hua felt like thunder had struck on a clear day, completely bewildered.
She maintained her hands-behind-back stance and slowly turned her head, her gaze moving to the tall figure.
Stunned, she wondered, how did His Majesty come to be here?
With a snort, Consort Xu De could no longer hold back and burst into laughter, clutching her stomach, "Hahaha..."
She had held it in for quite some time and simply couldn’t anymore. Her sister was just too adorable and utterly brilliant; she surely vexed the Emperor greatly.
Hearing the laughter, Lian Hua, still dazed, turned her gaze and felt another clap of thunder in her mind.
Ah, Sister Consort De was here too!
She was completely flustered, right in the midst of her enthusiastic lecture, and suddenly two living people appeared, one of whom was the very person she had been using to bolster her arguments and the other, Sister Consort De.
How long had the two of them been there?
How much of her grand theory had been overheard?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind, was she, perhaps, about to suffer a huge embarrassment?
The Emperor’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he nodded at Nanny Qi.
He made his way through the crowd toward her and reached out to pinch her cheek, his gaze playful and teasing, "Why so silent? Weren’t you speaking so eloquently just now? Claiming it was I who taught you?"
With a "boom," Lian Hua realized what had happened, and her face flushed with embarrassment, from her neck to her cheeks and then to the roots of her ears.
Lowering the hand she had kept behind her back, she bit her lip and took a quick glance at the Emperor, seeing that mocking expression, she couldn’t help but hang her head, feeling utterly humiliated.
Especially with Consort Xu De’s laughter echoing nearby, it was a stark reminder of what had just occurred.
The Emperor looked down, unable to see her expression clearly, but he knew she must be feeling shy now, a stark contrast to her confident tone earlier when she was giving directives as if she owned the place.
He touched her burning cheek, teasingly asking, "The offender, though distant, must be punished, eh? Let’s see your new interpretation."
Lian Hua hung her head so low it almost touched her chest, her face burning hot as she began fidgeting with her fingers, feeling extremely embarrassed, and unable to form words for a long time...
Consort Xu De, having just caught her breath, started laughing again at the sight of Lian Hua’s predicament.
Laughing so hard that she was gasping for air, she hurriedly said, "I just can’t, little sister, hahaha... I burst into laughter the moment I see you, my stomach hurts from laughing so hard, I need to step out for a break, I can’t keep looking."
Saying that, she stepped out, fearing that any further stay would split her sides from laughter.
Nanny Qi, smiling, shook her head and left along with Huang Zude, and on her way out, she mercifully dismissed the rest of the people in the hall.
Xiao Jizi and Da Zhuang, among others, felt as though they had received an imperial pardon and bowed as they quickly exited the Side Hall, not daring to linger for a moment longer.
At this moment, they all felt as though they had been implicated in Lian Hua’s scheme and had been caught red-handed, their hearts pounding with a sense of guilt.
After a while, only the Emperor and Lian Hua were left in the hall.
Lian Hua pursed her lips in secret frustration, feeling betrayed by her companions who had all deserted her, especially Sister Consort De, who had actually led the mockery against her, hmph.
Upon hearing Consort Xu De’s words, her face grew even hotter, was there anything more mortifying than bragging about oneself and being caught in the act?
This embarrassment had even reached Sister Consort De, oh no...
Besides, she had just committed a misdeed, with righteous indignation, enjoying it thoroughly, and it had seemed, it had seemed like she had pinned it on His Majesty.
The Emperor found it enormously entertaining, indeed, teasing her was the most enjoyable and refreshing thing.
He lifted her chin to look at her flush face.
His smile deepened, "Nannan just said that it was I who taught you to frighten Consort Zhen?"
Lian Hua suddenly felt apprehensive, her eyes cast downwards, her eyelashes trembling, "No, it wasn’t like that..."
This was not the time to confess, for she would certainly be punished if she did; deeds done under the guise of others should be carried out in secret, and she understood that well.
Oh no, it had just slipped out in the moment, her words might have easily been misunderstood; she had merely said that His Majesty’s teachings had enlightened her, that’s all...
If she had known that His Majesty and Sister Consort De were eavesdropping, she, she wouldn’t have spoken like that; she would have said something more proper and misleading, oh dear, it was too late now!
"Hmm? Isn’t it something I would approve of?" asked the Emperor, full of smiles.