Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 297 Unusual Talent

Chapter 297: Chapter 297 Unusual Talent

Several years ago, another palace maid who came to serve Changzai Zhou had quietly died of illness.

At that time, Changzai Zhou had kindly allowed the maid to live alone in a small room to recover from her illness, without having to attend to her duties, and even summoned an Imperial Physician to treat her, providing her with good food and drink.

Back then, she had even envied that maid for her seemingly minor sickness yet receiving such good care, but before she could envy her for two days, the maid was dead, reportedly of the illness.

She sneaked a visit the night before, and the maid had appeared well and energetic, not at all like someone suffering from a severe illness, but by the next day, she was gone.

She felt that there was something odd about the situation, but she never dared to speak out, keeping it all to herself, telling no one.

Therefore, though her master seemed kind and lenient, she dared not act rashly; just now, she had been overthinking.

Changzai Zhou retracted her outward sharpness and said in a mild voice, "Smash it and throw it into a deep well."

"Yes," Liu Ying complied, ready to walk out.

As it was the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, in order to facilitate the masters’ moon gazing, the palace would lock down later, only after the moon shifted westward in the Zi shichen, and judging from the sky, there was still about half an hour until lockdown.

"Stop right there."

The voice of Changzai Zhou came from behind in the darkness, sounding particularly chilling, and Liu Ying couldn’t help but shiver, lowering her head again as she turned back.

Changzai Zhou looked at the person before her and enunciated, "Remember, apart from you, do not let anyone else see it."

She repeated what she had said earlier.

Liu Ying nodded her head earnestly.

Seeing that she understood, Changzai Zhou dismissed her to quickly carry out the task.

Liu Ying, the palace maid, had always been honest and unambitious, without the cunning thoughts others had, and she knew how to distinguish what was to be heard from what was not, making her the safest choice for this task.

But she still needed to understand the importance, so Changzai Zhou had to repeat it at the end.

Once the person left, Changzai Zhou sat silently again, the inner chamber as quiet as if it were uninhabited.

Beneath the night moon of Canglan Court.

The Emperor took advantage of Lian Hua’s bustling chatter while she ate her fruit, quickly explained a few things about the night to Nanny Qi, asking her to rest first, as it was too late and the old lady’s body couldn’t bear it.

After Nanny Qi left, his Little Concubine finished eating, and he held her hand for a walk to aid digestion, enjoying the tranquil time together.

The hand-held Lian Hua sometimes fidgeted, kicking the small stones by the roadside and chirping happily.

"Your Majesty, wouldn’t it be wonderful if every day were Mid-Autumn?"

"Hmm," every day with her would be wonderful.

"The moon on the fifteenth is fuller on the sixteenth, will the moon be rounder tomorrow?"

"Hmm," she under the moon is also adorable.

"We still have some mooncakes left, we can eat them tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that, we can eat for many days," she said.

"Don’t be too greedy..." otherwise, like him, one would decline politely.

Lian Hua suddenly remembered the phrase "two hearts in perfect harmony" and couldn’t help giggling, "Your Majesty, we are two hearts in perfect harmony~"

At her words, the Emperor’s lips curved in a smile, he stopped walking and couldn’t help but embrace her, "Right, you and I are two hearts in perfect harmony."

Lian Hua grinned widely, glanced left and right like a thief making sure Zhang Qing, Xiao Jizi, and the others were far away and not looking up, then she tiptoed and wrapped her arms around the Emperor, kissing him on the lips.

As if their hearts were in sync, the Emperor also wanted to kiss her at that very moment, but such a fleeting touch was far from enough for him.

Beneath the moonlight where the scenery is at its best, the Emperor couldn’t resist and began to kiss her tenderly and deeply.

By the time they parted, Lian Hua’s face was as red as if it were smeared with rouge, grateful that Nanny Qi hadn’t joined them for the walk, or the embarrassment would have been extreme.

Their fingers interlocked, they walked slowly. After a while, Lian Hua couldn’t keep her words inside and murmured softly, "How much wine did you drink tonight, Your Majesty? Why hasn’t the smell faded?"

"Hmm? You could taste it?" The Emperor raised his eyebrows playfully and asked.

Lian Hua’s face turned even redder, and she dared not make a sound.

The Emperor laughed heartily, unable to resist pulling her in for another kiss, which made her giggle and try to squirm away, "No more kisses, Your Majesty, you smell of liquor..."

After some playful teasing, the Emperor looked up at the moon and saw it was very late. Fearing she might be tired, he led her back.

On the way back, as soon as Lian Hua thought of "mutual affection," her mood became exceedingly sweet. She and His Majesty were in love, a confession straight from His Majesty’s own lips.

With this thought, her heart filled with sweetness, and in good spirits, she couldn’t help but hum a tune softly, "Hmm hmm hmm, hum hum haa haa..."

The Emperor didn’t know where she had learned that tune. It was soft, barely audible, and after listening for a long time, he couldn’t make out the words, but her voice was naturally sweet, pleasant to the ear.

He didn’t disturb her, just walked holding her hand and listened as she hummed, enjoying a leisurely stroll under the moonlight, feeling extraordinarily comfortable and content.

Gradually, the volume of Lian Hua’s humming increased, and the Emperor finally made out the words she was singing:

"The moon shines bright, riding horses and burning incense, praying to the east, praying to the west, Granny Yue, Grandma Yue, bless my father’s business. Don’t make too much, don’t make too little, earn just three large ingots of gold a day."

Upon realizing the lyrics, he couldn’t help but want to laugh; his Little Concubine, oh, how her thoughts veered towards money, even the tune she hummed related to ingots, truly fitting her style.

Listening on, he discovered a different charm. How come each verse had a varied melody?

The Emperor thought to himself that his Little Concubine was indeed both amusing and talented, humming melodies as her heart desired, changing tunes freely along the way, showcasing several different melodies, truly talented.

Her talents, he feared, would be hard for others to notice, nor would they consider them talents at all.

Most people believe that good scholarship is what constitutes talent.

For example, men should study the six arts of the gentleman, and women should master the guqin, chess, calligraphy, painting, and needlework. Excelling in these noble pursuits is considered true talent, worthy of being called a scholar or a lady of talent.

Other skills are not esteemed; they are considered lower-class matters, and mentioning them is likely to bring shame rather than pride.

His Little Concubine excelled in things that the world did not favor, thereby suffering a disadvantage and being deemed untalented by her tutors.

But the world is not so simple that only literature and fine arts suffice.

He felt his Little Concubine was wonderful and astute, seeing through both people and things. Just look at her insights about the Palace Concubines, spot on.

And consider the return gift she gave Xu Rongying, spot-on as well, it even made him jealous.

Who could say his Little Concubine lacked ability? She was treated like a treasured gem by Nanny Qi, and she got Xu Rongying to willingly take care of a matter Xu Rongying very much disliked. Who else in the palace could achieve such a feat?

She knew many things that ordinary people didn’t, lived a life full of everyday pleasures, and showed great insight into the things she was interested in, grasping them immediately, often without needing much instruction.

Like the Peach Wood Sword she made for Xu Rongying; she claimed that she had only learned the bare basics from a craftsman, all the rest was figured out through her own exploration.