Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 141 Gold Ingot

Chapter 141: Chapter 141 Gold Ingot

The next morning, Lian Hua woke up bright and early, roused by hunger.

She lay in bed, rubbing her growling stomach, feeling a bit reluctant to get up. Maybe she should eat first and then go back to sleep for a bit?

Lately, she’d been eating a lot and getting hungry quickly. Just over two months pregnant and her figure hadn’t yet changed, she was already eating so much. By the time she was further along, would she turn into a rice barrel?

She couldn’t help but imagine herself, belly big and body round, sitting in front of the dining table, gnawing on a chicken leg in her mouth, another in her hand, and eyes fixed on the chicken legs on the table as she mumbled to Xiao Qing that there wasn’t enough to eat...

At the thought of this scene, Lian Hua shivered. That image was so unflattering—no, no, she had to eat less, just a little bit less.

Stopping her wild imaginings, Lian Hua climbed out of bed, tousled her hair, and touched the safety buckle on her chest. She felt a sweetness in her heart and a warm glow—His Majesty was right by her side, and from now on, really hers alone, heh heh.

She couldn’t help but cover her mouth to stifle a giggle, lest Xiao Jizi, Xiao Qing, and the others outside heard her and teased her again—tee hee hee.

After refreshing herself, Lian Hua cheerfully opened the door. Xiao Linzi spotted her and bellowed across the courtyard, "Master has awakened!"

Lian Hua stood dumbfounded. What was going on? Had Xiao Linzi gone mad?

No sooner had Xiao Linzi shouted than footsteps came from all directions, and soon enough, a line of people approached her, led by none other than Steward Zhang.

Steward Zhang walked over to Xiao Linzi first, slapped him on the shoulder, and scolded, "Keep it down! What if you scared Master Lian?"

He’d been instructed to keep watch by Master Lian’s side and call out once she awoke, but who could have expected such a loud shout that it echoed to the heavens, the fool.

Xiao Linzi rubbed his head and quietly backed away with an "Oh," thinking that Brother Xiao Ji was better—he gave him food and when he hit him, it was just a pat on the shoulder, never on the head. He decided to stick with Brother Xiao Ji.

After Xiao Linzi stepped back, Zhang Qing turned around with a smile, addressing Lian Hua in a honeyed tone, "Master Lian, are you feeling well? You’re up early today, did you sleep well?"

Lian Hua returned the smile and replied, "Pretty well, although I was still a bit sleepy, seeing Chief Steward Zhang woke me up. Did you have a good breakfast?"

By now, everyone serving His Majesty knew she slept late, and she had become accustomed to it, not feeling as embarrassed as before.

Zhang Qing couldn’t help but smile more deeply. Master Lian’s words were always so sweet, and she herself was so charming, it was hard not to find her likable.

He answered, "Thank you for your concern, Master Lian. The meals in Canglan Court are exquisite, and I’ve been enjoying them greatly. How could it not be wonderful, when I can’t get such delicious food anywhere else?"

Lian Hua brightened up at his words. She loved hearing others praise the food from her court—Xiao Qing was her protege, after all. Compliments to Xiao Qing’s cooking were compliments to her.

Chief Steward Zhang had been staying in Canglan Court every day lately to oversee their needs, and she knew it was because His Majesty was worried about her and had left his most trusted person with her.

The thought of His Majesty made her heart sweet again, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curl upwards.

Seeing that the pleasantries were about sufficient, Zhang Qing got to the point, "Master Lian, His Majesty has ordered this servant to deliver gold ingots to you."

With that, he signaled a sturdy Young Eunuch who brought forth a tray covered with a red cloth from behind.

Lian Hua was somewhat puzzled. Ingot, what ingot? Why would His Majesty send her an ingot out of the blue?

Zhang Qing gestured for someone to approach Lian Hua and made a beckoning gesture, saying, "Master Lian, would you like to take a look?"

Lian Hua glanced at Zhang Qing and then at the tray in front of her, still unable to grasp the situation, hesitating.

Seeing Lian Hua’s reluctance to uncover the cloth, Zhang Qing asked, "Does Master Lian have any questions?"

Lian Hua tentatively asked, "I didn’t hear His Majesty mention giving me an ingot yesterday. Could Steward Zhang have made a mistake?" Is this unexpected wealth alright to take?

Zhang Qing smiled, his impression of Lian Hua improving even further. He felt a sense of admiration for His Majesty’s unique insight; the person whom he doted on was indeed different. While Master Lian appeared to be avaricious, she obtained wealth righteously and was not the kind to be insatiably greedy.

He reminded her, "Does Master Lian remember the gold-threaded eight-treasure hairpin from the flower-viewing banquet? Last night, His Majesty ordered your servant to take it and exchange it for ingots for you!"

"Oh~" She remembered now. It seemed like His Majesty had mentioned something about it before she went to sleep last night. At that time, all she thought about was that the gold hairpin was a nuisance, and it was a relief that His Majesty was taking it away. She hadn’t expected him to actually exchange it for ingots!

Lian Hua’s eyes lit up instantly, and she trembled slightly with excitement. This young eunuch holding the tray seemed to have a bit of a struggle. This meant there must be quite a lot, right?

With that thought, she couldn’t help but call out, "Xiao Qing, Xiao Jizi, quick, support your mistress." She was afraid that her excitement would be too much, and she might keel over.

"Coming, coming~" Xiao Qing and Xiao Jizi had been there all along, but they were blocked by Steward Zhang’s people behind. Upon hearing the call, they hurriedly squeezed through, each supporting one of Lian Hua’s arms.

Xiao Linzi silently followed and stood behind Lian Hua. He was officially Lian Hua’s man now, and with the other two from Canglan Court present, he had to be there too.

Once she was supported by the two, Lian Hua steadied herself and looked at the Chief Steward again. Receiving an affirming nod from Zhang Qing, she raised her right hand and swiftly lifted the red cloth. The objects beneath the tray sparkled in the sunlight, dazzling her eyes.

Lian Hua was astounded. This, this was gold? His Majesty had exchanged it for gold? She had always thought it would be silver ingots...

To herself, she murmured, "How come there’s so much? That gold hairpin was just a tiny thing, wasn’t it?" How could it have been exchanged for so much? His Majesty hadn’t shown favoritism again by giving her an extra subsidy, had he?

Xiao Qing and Xiao Jizi were also stunned. This was the first time they had seen so much gold. Counting, there must be ten ingots!

Zhang Qing said with a smile and a bow, "Master Lian may not be aware that although the gold-threaded eight-treasure hairpin doesn’t look like much gold, its value is significant. The craftsmanship of the hairpin is intricate, and only the craftspeople in the palace could make it. It is embedded with all sorts of precious gemstones and is incomparable to common trinkets."

Lian Hua felt somewhat dizzy from the explanation but understood one thing— that hairpin was very valuable.

She couldn’t help but reach out and touch the adorable gold ingots shimmering in the light on the tray, the more she touched, the more she didn’t want to let go. Picking up an ingot and weighing it in her hand, which was quite heavy, she couldn’t help asking, "Chief Steward, how much does one of these big gold ingots weigh?"

Zhang Qing, with a smile, gestured with his hand and said, "Fifty taels."

Lian Hua’s eyes widened in amazement as she exclaimed, "Ah? That much!" Ten ingots would be five hundred taels, which, if converted to silver, would be five thousand taels of silver. This time she had genuinely struck it rich...

She was dumbfounded, holding the gold ingot in her hand, and subconsciously wanted to put it in her mouth to bite it. She had seen others biting silver this way before, probably to taste what the silver was like.