Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 307 A Gift Prepared for His Majesty

Chapter 307: Chapter 307 A Gift Prepared for His Majesty

In previous years, the Emperor’s birthday was also celebrated in the palace, but back then, she didn’t pay much attention to it.

Her rank was too low, too far removed from the center of festivities; even if there were rewards, they wouldn’t reach Canglan Court. At most, she could go to the Imperial Garden and pluck some freshly offered flowers and plants to enjoy. Her days went on as usual, eating, drinking, and living without any distinction, so she never remembered these events.

After Nanny reminded her, she started to think hard about what to present; the gift for Sister Consort De was not suitable to be given to His Majesty as well.

His Majesty didn’t like it when others had the same gift as he did; ah, such a fussy temperament His Majesty has. He would only be happy with something unique.

So she was nearly worried sick, even getting lost in her thoughts while at breakfast, unable to decide what to give to His Majesty.

Her storehouse indeed had some items, but they were either gifts from others or rewards from His Majesty himself, which could not be given back to His Majesty— it wouldn’t be sincere. It had to be something she had made herself.

Seeing her so distressed that she lost her appetite, Nanny Qi gave her a suggestion, saying His Majesty already had plenty of valuable items, so she shouldn’t consider that direction.

If she was sincere, even making a bowl of Longevity Noodles would please His Majesty.

Clapping her hands, she thought Nanny was absolutely right, and so she noted down the Longevity Noodles idea.

But having just a bowl of noodles seemed too simple for her; she did not want to disappoint His Majesty by offering so little. Thus, she kept planning until she decided to start from where she had failed before, which meant presenting His Majesty with her needlework, a complete set of underclothes, from innerwear to underpants!

Lian Hua proclaimed with great fervor, "Nanny, with your help, it’ll be a piece of cake. And while at it, I will make you a forehead cloth. From now on, each year I will make a set of innerwear for His Majesty and a forehead cloth for you!" She urged Nanny Qi on with vigorous enthusiasm.

Nanny Qi stood there dumbfounded for a long while, swept along by Lian Hua before she eventually caught up with the girl’s intentions.

The little girl was heading in the wrong direction. Her original intention was to suggest that making noodles would suffice since the girl was skilled at that task, and it wasn’t a hardship.

When the Emperor received congratulations from the princes and officials, that would suffice; he didn’t need the small contribution from the little girl.

Though the little girl took the suggestion, she soon became worried again, muttering to herself. After a while, she decisively decided to make needlework for the Emperor...

After Nanny Qi came to her senses, she was speechless. Now they had to make both things, one of which was definitely the little girl’s weakest area.

Even though the little girl was brimming with confidence as if she couldn’t see the difficulties ahead, Nanny Qi harbored serious doubts about the girl’s sewing skills...

And indeed, her first question stumped the little girl: "Do you know the Emperor’s measurements?"

The little girl’s mouth hung open, her face blank, her eyes whirling about, clearly clueless, yet she stubbornly answered, "About this big?"

While saying this, she uncertainly gestured with her hands as if outlining a large vat.

Nanny Qi felt a headache coming on when she saw this; making clothes truly posed challenging and perilous obstacles. The dimensions she was estimating were enough to fit even a very fat person.

Moreover, who ever measured sizes this way? Just roughly gesturing without clear numbers—how would the clothes made that way fit?

Nanny Qi realized she would have to step in, her heart somewhat despondent yet also a bit pleased. The little girl needed her, and she had to teach her properly.

As for the final outcome, they would have to see. Nanny Qi would make any necessary alterations; considering all the effort the little girl was putting in, could the Emperor possibly not wear them? If not, there would be no more offerings for the next year, the year after, or the year after that— a bowl of Longevity Noodles would have to suffice.

From that point on, Nanny Qi began to mentor Lian Hua, step by step.

Lian Hua had been meticulous in her planning. Though her handiwork wasn’t the best, she was thoughtful. Wanting His Majesty to wear something comfortable, she took her time choosing the fabric. After much deliberation and consulting Nanny Qi, she finally chose a fine cotton cloth that absorbed sweat. She even asked the nanny how to make the fabric softer, planning to work on it once it was finished.

Nanny really was amazing, knowledgeable about everything. Whatever Lian Hua asked, Nanny could offer several methods and even helped her choose the best one. She had His Majesty’s measurements memorized, which was really impressive.

Thinking about it made her feel embarrassed. She shared bed with His Majesty every day yet didn’t know his clothing size. The measurements she imagined were much larger than his actual size, ahem, perhaps because she saw him as so tall and mighty in her heart that she exaggerated them...

After all the hustle and bustle, it was time to start cutting the fabric.

Outside the residence.

Lian Bao’s mind was in turmoil, unable to calm for a long time, as he hurried along with Uncle Ma.

He had guessed something, perhaps he knew where his sister had gone...

But he still needed to confirm it. Now, there was someone who could validate his suspicions.

The story rewinds to when they were about to leave. The residence they needed to keep under surveillance was diagonally opposite them, and a luxurious carriage pulled up to the residence across from the one they were monitoring.

After the carriage stopped behind the gate of the residence on their side, a grand-looking master was helped out.

This master was fat and oily, decked in gold and silver, and wore a cheerful smile—the very image of the wealthy homeowner as described by the steward.

Lian Bao had a knack for spotting the tiniest discrepancies and was highly sensitive to his surroundings. Out of habit, he glanced over just before leaving and spotted this nouveau riche homeowner.

At first, he didn’t pay much attention, but after taking a few steps, he stopped.

The image of the nouveau riche flashed in his mind; he felt like he had seen that figure before, and his intuition told him something was off!

His mind raced, and suddenly he remembered that after unsuccessfully searching for his Clan Uncle in Yanqing, he had lingered in the vicinity and seen a fat man whose rounded figure was almost identical to that of the nouveau riche!

At the time, he thought little of it since the fat man appeared at the wrong time and place, only showing up a while after his Clan Uncle had been captured.

Now, although the nouveau riche in front of him was disguised and his demeanor altered, Lian Bao recognized him instantly—the figure was unmistakable, the same fat man he had seen in Yanqing.

And this fat man, appearing both at the Yanqing Mansion and now across the street from where they were holding the Clan Uncle, was too coincidental!

Connecting the dots, along with the man’s attempt to disguise himself, suggested there was a big problem.

A sudden revelation struck Lian Bao—this person must be connected to those who had captured his Clan Uncle.

This was a trap within a trap!

He had thought they’d discovered the real hiding place, but no, ’a sly rabbit has three burrows’; it was likely that the residence where they hid people was connected to the one where the carriage had stopped. Their comings and goings were through the residence where the carriage was parked!

He had been careless. If they had gone ahead with their plan that night, taking advantage of the chaos to make their move, it would have been a disaster, with the Clan Uncle spirited away without their knowledge.

Lian Bao pretended to have sand in his shoes, bent down to pick it out, and shaded his eyes with his straw hat to take a closer look.

The nouveau riche was extremely amiable, his chubby face brimming with smiles. At that moment, he was talking to several guards about rewarding them with large sums of money and fine wines, his every action no different from a genuine merchant.