"What else did you think?" Consort Xu De scooped up some sunflower seeds and started cracking one open.
Even though it wasn’t very graceful, she didn’t care at all.
When she was in the military camp, she would sit on the ground with the soldiers, drinking and eating meat heartily. Having been through all that, she found the people in the palace too pretentious with all their fussy decorum.
At that moment, the two were sitting in a small hall chatting, one cracking sunflower seeds and the other watching. After finishing a handful, she continued with fresh ones.
Lian Hua stuck out her tongue, "Grandma said it was a strategy. I forgot about it earlier; otherwise, I could have just let someone go to Huaying Hall and tell my sister."
She hadn’t expected the news to spread so quickly; Xiao Jizi and the others had just returned, and people had already arrived.
"Don’t do that. Since it’s a strategy, the fewer people who know, the safer it is," said Consort Xu De nonchalantly, transferring the seed shells to another pocket and picking up another seed to crack.
However, thinking about how she totally failed to see any signs this time, she couldn’t help but praise her, "Really, you did excellently this time, sister. You fooled everyone, even me. I was so anxious, even your cunning Brother Zhao was tricked, which is just fantastic."
The earlier words made Lian Hua a bit happy, after all, she was being praised for doing a good job.
The latter words made her widen her round eyes in surprise, "Ah? His Majesty believed it too?"
Oh dear, did that stir up trouble?
No wonder His Majesty seemed so off. She hadn’t intended to deceive on such a large scale; even fooling him. Would His Majesty punish her?
When she saw His Majesty earlier, she just felt something was amiss, but she didn’t know it was because they believed her mishap; she thought it was because of the poisoned soup incident.
Consort Xu De, remembering that scene, laughed outright, "Of course, you didn’t see how frantic the Emperor was; just thinking about it makes me laugh."
That was her first time seeing the Emperor that flustered, even when he was younger, such an expression never crossed his face.
As she spoke, she picked up another sunflower seed.
Now that she knew Lian Hua was fine, she had the leisure to chat.
Lian Hua straightened up, her curiosity getting the better of her, "What was it like?" Her ears almost perked up.
Consort Xu De paused her seed cracking, lifted her eyelids, and looked at her with a teasing smile, "Want to know?"
Lian Hua nodded vigorously, like a diligent student, very eager to learn.
She wanted to know what His Majesty looked like flustered, to tease... erm, to specifically ease, comfort His Majesty.
Consort Xu De saw through her thoughts immediately, "Ask him. Your Brother Zhao is full of tricks. Before he left, he warned me that he might pity you but he won’t spare me. Sister, it’s not that I’m not righteous, it’s just tricky to speak up, what if your Brother Zhao troubles me?"
In this world, probably only Consort Xu De dared to tease the Emperor so brazenly. If Ming Jing heard this, he would probably be exasperated to death, trying to pull his master back from teasing the Emperor.
"Oh..." Lian Hua slumped down in disappointment, leaning back in her chair and picking up a sunflower seed to crack.
Thinking about the words, she paused, then corrected herself, "You’re wrong, sister. His Majesty isn’t full of tricks. At most, he’s just..., well..."
Suddenly feeling her face heat up, Lian Hua couldn’t continue explaining. How was she supposed to put it?
"Say His Majesty just has some odd habits?"
Strict with punishments?
It’s really not something easy to discuss!
Instinctively, she felt this was not to be discussed, even if she got along well with Consort Xu De, this matter was off-limits—it was between her and His Majesty.
"Just some odd habits?" Consort Xu De teased, looking at her with a gossip-hungry expression, waiting for her to continue.
Lian Hua opened her mouth, then closed it again, wracking her brains but finding it hard to explain.
Under Consort Xu De’s teasing gaze, she became somewhat anxious, put down her seeds, and simply said, "It’s just, just, oh well, after all, His Majesty is dignified and just, couldn’t be more serious, his punishments are always fair and justified, he doesn’t harbor any ill intentions, sister, you mustn’t speak of His Majesty in such a way."
"I haven’t even said anything, and you’re already defending him ? Ah..." Consort Xu De pretended to be melancholy and shook her head.
Lian Hua’s face turned red, a touch weaker, wanting to deny it: "I..."
But on second thought, this was the truth, it seemed there was nothing wrong with saying it; no need to hide.
So, immediately her face stopped reddening, she straightened her back, and asserted proudly, "Of course, His Majesty protects me, and naturally, I must protect him too."
"Women are tough to keep at home, ah, once they have a lover, they forget their sisters." Consort Xu De sighed deeply, her tone quite melancholic.
She sighed again deeply, no wonder, after so many people, over so many years, only her sister had caught the Emperor’s eye; there was a reason for this.
Her sister had never treated the Emperor as a heartless, desireless god but had dealt with him as a person of flesh and blood.
Any flesh and blood, even if resolute, even if cold and unfeeling, cannot escape the warmth and cold of human emotions, and needs tenderness, perhaps even more than ordinary people.
Because the mighty are lonely, everyone thinks that the mighty are strong enough, not needing anyone’s protection, but they forget that the mighty are human too, they have flesh and blood, they feel cold and pain.
The Emperor is the greatest of the mighty under heaven. Those close to him, more or less, seek to gain from him, even if they do give, it is only in hopes of receiving more in return.
Even close as the Former Empress Dowager, she cared for the Emperor in his childhood because of his displayed talents that met her expectations, and only after multiple observations and tests did she genuinely support him.
If the Emperor had been of mediocre talent, he probably would have died in the Late Emperor’s harem, without making any ripple.
But her sister was different, not because of the Emperor’s status and power, but because of the Emperor as a person, genuinely caring for the Emperor, warming him, never feeling that the mighty Son of Heaven did not need her protection.
In this palace, over so many years, perhaps only her sister would think of protecting such a mighty Son of Heaven with her delicate self, both in words and in actions.
Seeing Consort Xu De appearing heartbroken, Lian Hua became anxious and waved her hands repeatedly, "No, I haven’t forgotten my sister, it’s just that when sister speaks of His Majesty that way, I feel uncomfortable. If someone spoke of sister that way, I would surely defend you too, so please don’t be sad."
She earnestly looked at Consort Xu De, afraid that Consort Xu De wouldn’t believe her, afraid she had hurt her.
Consort Xu De looked up, saw Lian Hua’s sincere eyes, felt warmth in her heart, and was about to say something when she caught a glimpse of a figure outside the door from the corner of her eye.
She immediately changed her mind, putting on a half-believing face and asking, "Really?"
While her gaze from the corner of her eye remained fixed on the figure outside the door, watching closely.