Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 190: An Understanding Without Words

Chapter 190: Chapter 190: An Understanding Without Words

Lian Hua was laughing merrily as she fed His Majesty cow’s milk, lost in the throes of sweet affection, feeling as though the sweetness was about to burst forth from her heart. She had never found the act of feeding each other so amusing; it seemed as if the cow’s milk even tasted better than when enjoyed alone.

It was His Majesty who first heard the faint sound of footsteps, spotting Nanny Qi and alerting her.

She looked towards the entrance and got a start, quickly standing up with a flushed face, and respectfully lowered her head to stand properly.

Her heart felt slightly uneasy, as such behavior seemed not quite dignified. She worried that Nanny Qi might scold her for lacking proper decorum. She wasn’t afraid, but she felt very embarrassed.

Even with others present in the palace on normal days, she would never dare to behave so with His Majesty, feeling very uncomfortable under their gaze. And now, being caught in the act by Nanny Qi herself was utterly mortifying.

The Emperor also felt uncomfortable, his face blushing slightly. Being seen in such a state by the grandmotherly Nanny Qi was indeed somewhat embarrassing, especially since he had always maintained a dignified and courteous demeanor in front of her.

He stood up and, maintaining his composure, greeted, "Nanny Qi has arrived?" His slightly reddened ears, however, betrayed him.

Nanny Qi entered with a calm and focused demeanor, pretending not to notice their discomfort, and began the proper greetings: "This servant pays her respects to His Majesty and to Master Lian."

"Nanny, no need for such formalities."

"Grandma, no need for such formalities."

The voices of Lian Hua and the Emperor rose in unison, and upon hearing each other, they exchanged glances.

Lian Hua was surprised to find that His Majesty seemed a bit different at this moment.

What was different, she couldn’t help but take a closer look.

The Emperor took a few steps forward and offered his hand to assist Nanny Qi, saying, "Nanny, there’s no need for such formalities, please have a seat."

As he spoke, he helped Nanny Qi to sit down, leaving her no room for refusal.

Lian Hua, a bit slower on the uptake, had been too busy sneaking peeks at His Majesty, trying to spot the difference, and so she reacted more slowly.

After observing for a while, she finally discerned the difference—it was in the color of his face and the tips of his ears.

She widened her eyes, unable to resist leaning in to stare closely at the side of His Majesty’s face.

Goodness, she realized that His Majesty appeared to be embarrassed, his usually impeccable face tinged with a suspicious shade of red, his earlobes a bit flushed as well.

The Emperor turned his head and caught his Little Concubine staring at him intently, her expression suggesting she had stumbled upon some great revelation.

His heart skipped a beat; could it be that his Little Concubine had noticed his discomfort?

This wasn’t good; he had always maintained a majestic image in the eyes of his Little Concubine.

But with Nanny Qi present, he couldn’t do much, so he simply coughed into his fist and walked over to discreetly pinch her waist as a reminder not to be presumptuous, solemnly saying, "Beloved Consort, please take a seat as well."

Lian Hua, reminded by His Majesty, came back to her senses with a hidden smile, solemnly thanking His Majesty and sitting down, though the corners of her mouth were turned up, clearly struggling to contain her laughter.

The Emperor took his seat at the head, occasionally glancing over at her. As soon as he looked her way and she noticed, she would smile at him and wink, her eyes seemingly speaking volumes.

He felt a bit helpless; his Little Concubine was simply too playful, and he was at a loss on how to deal with her.

Although the Emperor thought this way, he enjoyed the actions of his Little Concubine very much. His eyes were tender, his lips curved into a smile, and his demeanor was extremely gentle.

The two of them chatted with Nanny Qi, expressing concern for her well-being.

When it was about time, the Emperor ordered the meal to be served.

In the midst of the meal, Lian Hua served Nanny Qi some dishes and muttered inadvertently about not seeing Steward Zhang, who was usually fluttering about.

The Emperor and Nanny Qi exchanged a look, tacitly shifting the conversation to another topic, keeping their mutual understanding unspoken.

Throughout the meal, Nanny Qi discreetly observed the Emperor and the young girl, finding the two were as close as glue. Whenever their gazes met, the tenderness in the Emperor’s eyes was unmistakable, and the sweetness in the young girl’s eyes couldn’t be hidden either.

Nanny Qi sighed to herself, the Emperor had been cold and aloof these years, and it was rare to see his emotions so openly displayed. It seemed that he had given all his tenderness to the young girl in this lifetime.

She had grown old, her heart had softened, and her temper was not as firm as before. In the past, if she had seen a Son of Heaven acting like this, she would have put on a stern face and admonished him to be impartial with his affections and not to indulge in a childlike romance, but now, she thought it was perhaps better to let it be.

The Emperor had gone through hardships in his youth and dedicated his entire adult life to a nation full of troubles. After so many years of hardship, he deserved to live a life for himself. Besides, His Majesty was not a fool, and he wouldn’t neglect the affairs of the state because of his affection for one person.

Yet the young girl was still immature; excessive doting could be either good or bad for her, and Nanny Qi still had her worries.

After the three of them had finished their dinner, Nanny Qi sat for a while longer and drank a cup of tea.

She then stood up and said to Lian Hua, "Master Lian, the food was very good today, I ate quite a bit, and now I feel rather bloated. How about you and I take a walk in the courtyard to help with digestion?"

A walk would also be good for someone with a pregnancy.

Lian Hua exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, Nanny is willing to go for a walk with me?"

Then she became excited, ah, Nanny seemed different today. She hadn’t lectured her on proper conduct for a long time, and when she bumped into His Majesty before dinner, Nanny didn’t say much. It seemed that winning over Nanny was just a matter of time, a cause for celebration, haha.

Her kindness towards Nanny Qi was certainly genuine, but she also hoped Nanny Qi would grow to like her more. In the future, she wouldn’t have to be so uptight about the rules, and just thinking about it relaxed her.

With these thoughts, a delighted expression appeared on Lian Hua’s face.

Seeing this, the Emperor knew what pleasant thoughts she was entertaining, but he did not expose her, just smiled and pinched her hand to remind her to be more reserved.

Nanny Qi’s face darkened at her words, feeling speechless. The word "willing" made it sound as though walking with this young girl was a great burden.

This young girl was lively and cheerful, always wearing a smile that made her look delightful. Even an old woman like her heading towards her grave felt joy in her presence. If instead, she had a gloomy and dull bore to deal with, Nanny Qi would not be pleased at all.

Seeing the young girl was actually very happy to go for a walk with her, Nanny Qi felt comforted, finding the arrangement very fitting. The young girl was good, very good, endearing to everyone.

Lian Hua scratched the palm of His Majesty’s hand, freeing herself from his grip.

Unable to contain her smile, she went over to take Nanny Qi’s arm, saying, "Nanny, let’s go now. I’ll tell you about all the different plants we have in the Canglan Court throughout the year. There are so many, and all of them come from our own cultivation~" The lilt in her voice carried a triumphant note.

Nanny Qi’s face twitched upon hearing this. In Canglan Court, apart from the stone-paved paths, most of the flowers and plants had been cleared out to plant vegetables, creating a haphazard mess that lacked the restrained and elegant atmosphere of an imperial garden. She had been displeased with this sight for a long time.

But seeing the young girl so eager and impatient to share her pride with her, Nanny Qi couldn’t bring herself to disappoint her enthusiasm.

Moreover, the real purpose of going out wasn’t to stroll.