Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 157: Exclusive Affection for One Person

Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Exclusive Affection for One Person

The Emperor was precocious and had received scant affection in his life, leading him to develop a reserved and laconic nature. Since he was a mere child, he had grown accustomed to the malicious nature of people and learned to hide his true self. Even in the presence of the Former Empress Dowager, he never allowed himself to relax, showing none of the usual playfulness of childhood. Later, he matured beyond his years, becoming a man known for his aloofness.

When the Emperor sought her out this time, she indeed noticed a change in him that was different from the past. He wasn’t as cold as before, and he had a touch of common warmth about him. It seemed that the credit belonged to the little girl within.

All of a sudden, she thought of a possibility and cried out in shock, "Your Majesty, you couldn’t possibly intend to favor only one person in the harem, could you?"

The Emperor smiled faintly and said, "Nanny Qi, what’s wrong with that?"

Nanny Qi was terrified: "How could this be possible? What if the child in her belly is not..." Not a prince, then what would become of the empire...

The Emperor said indifferently, "If it’s not a prince, then we shall have more. If none can be borne, then we will not have any. An heir can be adopted from the royal clan. I take it the royal clan would be more than willing. Nanny, rest assured, I will not let the empire be ruined in my hands."

Nanny Qi was shocked and found herself speechless for a while. No wonder, over these years there had been no issue from the harem, and the Emperor was not in a hurry. He had already made plans...

The Emperor knew that Nanny Qi might have trouble accepting this suddenly and patiently explained, "Nanny Qi, I do not wish to be like the Imperial Father, who begot children but did not nurture or teach them. What use is there in having many princes when few survive? And even those who survive only engage in life-and-death struggles. For ordinary families, numerous sons bring blessings, but in the Imperial Family, they bring nothing but strife. Besides, such conflicts often bring disaster to the common people. I do not wish to repeat the same mistakes."

As for the deeper reasons within the Imperial Court, it was not appropriate for him to discuss them with Nanny Qi.

Nanny Qi remained silent, knowing that what the Emperor said came from personal experience. Infighting within the Imperial Family was an age-old tradition, and he feared it happening to him. Alas, it was the sins of the Late Emperor that caused such suffering for the child to this day.

Let it be, she thought, letting him make his own decisions. She was of an age where she understood the way of the world and should know her fate. Each generation has its own blessings, why should she worry so much? The Emperor was a measured man, not like the Late Emperor; she, an old crone, didn’t need to be directing his actions.

Nanny Qi nodded to show she understood and then turned to leave.

For a moment, her body hunched slightly, evoking a twinge of sorrow in the Emperor.

He called out to stop her, "Nanny Qi, both you and she are very important to me. She is still young and ignorant about many things, and I will need you to keep an eye on her. If she does anything inappropriate, feel free to point it out and teach her." Nanny had always been someone who couldn’t sit still. She had been lonely for too long and would be happy to have something to do.

Speaking of the young girl, Nanny Qi had much to say. She had never seen such a rambunctious harem consort.

She cheered up, turned back around, and couldn’t help but ramble on, starting from the first time she saw Lian Hua, lamenting about how difficult it was to instill disciplines, and how, as soon as she left, the girl would immediately revert back to her old ways. She had launched several surprise attacks, and every time, the girl fell for it without fail, never seeming to learn.

The Emperor listened to Nanny Qi talk about his Little Concubine with a smile, soothing Nanny Qi as she spoke.

This was indeed the style of his Little Concubine. Anyone who saw her couldn’t help but feel both affection and frustration. When he first met her, he wanted to spank her every day to teach her a lesson.

But no matter how he punished her, she never seemed to learn; she kept making the same mistakes. He had grown accustomed to it and even enjoyed her for what she was. That was her. If she changed, she wouldn’t be herself any longer.

Nanny Qi listed one grievance after another until finally, she said, "Your Majesty, you would say a master should act the part, right? Yet Master Lian, leading a pack of servants with great clamor, went to the Imperial Garden to fish, is that something a harem beauty should do? If word of this gets out, it will make the ladies of the Imperial Court laugh their teeth off."

The Emperor patted Nanny Qi’s back, consolingly saying, "What you say is very true, it’s indeed improper to fish." It’s too dangerous, what if she fell into the lake?

Nanny Qi’s anger hadn’t subsided, and she continued, "As a harem consort, one must be dignified, obedient, elegant, and proper. In all the years I have served in the palace, I have never seen a consort who doesn’t even know a single character. Beauty Lian is the first!"

The Emperor coughed, there were already enough people like that, his Little Concubine didn’t need to be like this, but Nanny Qi was still fuming, and he couldn’t say this now.

Lian Hua, who was waiting in the inner chamber, had waited so long for the Emperor to return that she started to become anxious, what on earth was taking so long to discuss.

She began to grow restless, pacing back and forth in the room, thinking about going out to look but fearing Nanny Qi, she was caught in a dilemma. After the time it took for two cups of tea, she couldn’t wait any longer, and she couldn’t help but sneak to the small hall, listening at the door, and just happened to hear Nanny Qi’s remark.

She shrank her neck, Nanny Qi seemed really angry, oh no, it wasn’t on purpose, she thought, the following days were going to get even tougher.

Seeing that His Majesty didn’t defend her, her cheeks puffed up in exasperation, that big meanie, he always called her his little darling, doesn’t darling imply gentleness? He didn’t even speak a few words on her behalf in front of Nanny Qi, humph!

Seeing that Nanny Qi had finally stopped speaking and her mood seemed to have improved, the Emperor cleared his throat, he had to speak up for his Little Concubine, "Nanny Qi, there’s really no need to be so severe in private, as long as she maintains the necessary propriety in public, and makes no mistakes out in the open, that would be sufficient.

Lian Hua agreed with this statement and couldn’t help but nod her head in approval, His Majesty was indeed sensible, propriety was only for others to see, wasn’t it? As long as one could pretend in public, it was good, keeping up appearances in private was so tiring, it was better to be a bit more relaxed and comfortable.

However, what she did not expect was that these words would ignite Nanny Qi’s temper again, and she exclaimed indignantly, "Your Majesty should handle it yourself then, this old servant is incompetent and can’t teach her well. I will leave tomorrow." With that, she intended to storm off.

The Emperor quickly reached out to stop her, "Nanny Qi, do not let your anger harm your health. I’m worried about her because she is still early in her pregnancy, and she has always been lax, such strictness all of a sudden might not suit her, and might even be bad for her health. What do you think?"

Nanny Qi halted her steps, considered carefully, and found his reasoning sound. She had thought that the Emperor was simply too tender toward his own people, protecting their faults, which made her angry.

Upon hearing the Emperor’s explanation, her anger subsided, and she thought for a moment then said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I’ll be more lenient. But without teaching, one cannot become accomplished. You don’t need to feel sorry for her, I know my measure and won’t go too far, that’s all."

The Emperor breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged a few more words with Nanny Qi, and personally escorted her back.

When he returned, he saw his Little Concubine sitting huffily on the dressing stool, ignoring him even as he came back.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, what now?

He walked over, massaged her shoulders, and asked with a gentle voice, "Who has upset my little darling?"