Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 130: Something’s Wrong (Five Updates)

Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Something’s Wrong (Five Updates)

Lian Hua shook her head, she didn’t want to eat just yet.

She thought for a moment and suddenly remembered what His Majesty had said last night about the safety buckle, ah, that’s right, she needed to dig out the safety buckle first.

No sooner said than done, she directed Xiao Jizi and the other two to get to work. They went to the old storeroom, found the broken table under which the box had been buried, and dug right in. In no time, they unearthed the box.

Xiao Linzi looked thoughtful. So Master Lian liked to bury treasures in the ground. He wondered if His Majesty would be interested. He decided to mention it when reporting back to His Majesty later.

When they took the small box out of the storeroom and placed it outside, Xiao Qing asked worriedly, "Master, didn’t you lose the key? How are we going to open the box?"

To prevent herself from having the thought of opening it, the master had locked the box and buried it underground, then threw the key into a lake in the Imperial Garden to show her determination.

Who knew the day would come for the box to see the light of day again? The key was gone.

Lian Hua stepped forward, knocked on the box, felt the lock, then stepped back two paces and said, "Smash it!"

"Ah?" Xiao Linzi felt very afraid. The master was so violent...

"Alright," Xiao Jizi responded crisply, told Xiao Qing to move aside, and smashed down with a sledgehammer. The lock broke open with a clang.

The lock they were using was not a good one, very fragile.

Lian Hua couldn’t help but smirk with pride, look at that, how clever she was! Such a small issue couldn’t stump her. She had thought before that if one day in the future she needed to open it, just smashing it would do, and now indeed, haha.

When Xiao Jizi opened the box, Lian Hua could not smile anymore.

Inside were only two items: His Majesty’s Lantian Jade Safety Buckle and the Noble Consort’s gift, the Gold-threaded Eight-treasure Hairpin.

Seeing the Gold-threaded Eight-treasure Hairpin, she thought of the Noble Consort, and thinking of the Noble Consort reminded her of what Beauty Zhao, Talented Lady Sun, and Attendant Zhou had said when picking sweet osmanthus the other day...

She couldn’t help but become infuriated; these past two days, she had immersed herself in the honey jar given by His Majesty and had forgotten all about this.

At Shen Hour, the Emperor came to Canglan Court as expected. He didn’t let anyone announce his arrival for fear that his Little Concubine would come to greet him again.

Although He would be very pleased if she did, his Little Concubine was pregnant after all. Even though the term was not very advanced, he wanted to ease her burden as much as possible.

As he approached, he suddenly felt that the atmosphere was a bit off. His Little Concubine did not greet him with her usual sweet smile, nor did she eagerly come forward to welcome him as before.

He saw his Little Concubine stand there with her attendants, her greeting formal and indifferent: "This consort pays respects to His Majesty," without a trace of her usual warmth.

The Emperor felt a twinge in his heart. What happened? Why was she calling herself a consort? Didn’t she say just at Noon today that she didn’t want to call herself that?

He looked discreetly towards Xiao Linzi and noticed that he too seemed off, dodging and trembling, as if he was afraid of someone.

He suppressed his questions, kept a neutral expression, and walked forward with a smile as usual, wanting tohold his little darling’s hand.

Lian Hua dodged His Majesty’s hand, pretending not to see, and said in a dry tone, "Your Majesty, will the meal be served now?"

The Emperor’s mind raced, wondering if he had done something wrong to offend his people? If he remembered correctly, this demeanor was one of anger, right?

Before the rest at noon, everything was fine; when he coaxed her, she merely nestled gently in his chest, without showing any sign of anger.

He had heard this tone before, still, when he made her "Dew Tea" during the last incident, where she protected her servant from being reprimanded while still kneeling... could it be...

With this thought, the Emperor coughed uneasily and asked the servant not far behind her, "Xiao Jizi, how is your injury?"

"Ah?!" Xiao Jizi was startled. Why was His Majesty suddenly concerned about him—had he discovered something?

Regaining his senses, he stepped forward and respectfully said, "Your servant is fine. I have been applying medicine these past days and have improved a lot. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern."

Xiao Jizi felt like his legs could give way. He dreaded His Majesty’s sudden care the most. If His Majesty found out later... he might not escape punishment!

Oh dear, his master, daring to provoke His Majesty—what should he do? It was driving him to despair.

The Emperor glanced again at his Little Concubine, seeing no reaction from her, and then looked at Xiao Jizi and asked, "Did Steward Zhang take you to see the fate of the person who bullied you yesterday?"

Hearing His Majesty mention this, Lian Hua couldn’t help but prick up her ears. She had forgotten about this matter after yesterday and didn’t understand the follow-up situation, and had also forgotten to ask Xiao Jizi if he felt avenged.

The Emperor kept a watchful eye on her in his periphery and was elated when he saw a response from his Little Concubine, who unconsciously straightened up and clenched her little hands.

"Oh, it was about that," Xiao Jizi sighed with relief and earnestly said, "Your Majesty, Chief steward Zhang did take me there yesterday, but I felt it was better to let bygones be bygones. Mercifulness is preferable when possible, and besides, my master is pregnant now, and I need to take care of her and follow her commands. I don’t have the time for that. I cherish the care that Your Majesty and my master have shown me." With that, he bowed separately to His Majesty and his master.

"Well done!" This servant is reliably good-natured; the Emperor had indeed chosen well and couldn’t help but nod.

"Have you let go of your anger then?" Lian Hua couldn’t resist asking, as forgiving someone also required letting go of one’s own anger.

Zhang Qing hung his eyes low, staring woodenly at the ground, feeling very powerless. It seemed like this hurdle could never be overcome—Master Lian should just do as she pleased. Zhang Sancai was no longer his godson, and whatever happened to him was beyond his control.

He sighed inwardly. Zhang Sancai’s name had been mentioned by His Majesty time and again, indicating that he might only be fit for menial tasks for life, and no amount of merit would likely help him rise.

The Emperor couldn’t help but glance sideways at his Little Concubine. She was speaking, but her eyes, filled with concern, were fixed tightly on her servant, not sparing even a brief look for him.

He felt a sour bitterness in his heart, uncomfortable inside. Since they had cleared the air yesterday, whenever he had come to Canglan Court, his Little Concubine had devoted all her attention to him. He was not accustomed to such cold treatment.

Even so, his Little Concubine’s indifferent demeanor remained very charming to him, and he loved it greatly.

He must find out what had happened. The Emperor couldn’t resist looking over at Xiao Linzi only to see the boy shrinking back, scared to even look over, let alone give any hints.

It was almost unbearable to watch. Usually, Xiao Linzi was just a simple boy, but why had he become even more cowardly now?

He restrained himself and thought it would be better to summon someone later and ask.

Xiao Jizi, hearing Lian Hua’s question, felt extremely warm-hearted. Where could he find another master so kind? Other masters might only care about gaining a good impression or reputation in front of His Majesty, but his master cared about whether he had found peace. It moved him deeply.