Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 320: Art of Circumvention

Chapter 320: Chapter 320: Art of Circumvention

Lian Hua looked at His Majesty and, seeing that he remained silent, realized that he must indeed be facing some difficulties.

Unable to hold back, she stood up, cradled his face with both hands, and, imitating what he used to do, kissed him once, comforting him, "My lord, do not fret, there’s no trouble we can’t get through. If we can’t get through it now, let’s not bother with it for the moment and revisit it later. By then it might not seem so daunting."

The Emperor smiled. His Little Concubine was trying to comfort him as if he were a child, imitating him quite well, and not doing a bad job at it either.

Seeing that it didn’t seem to be very effective, Lian Hua thought about it and realized that His Majesty couldn’t do as she did—when things were unmanageable, lying flat in resignation was not an option for him.

His Majesty was the Son of Heaven, with countless troubles in the world to handle. They couldn’t simply be ignored; it wasn’t as easy as just lying down whenever he wanted. The thought alone exhausted her.

With that in mind, Lian Hua comforted him again, "If, if this trouble must be dealt with right away, why not try tackling it from a different angle? Like Steward Zhang turning the soil—it’s very unwise to force the shovel through a large rock. In the end, his hand was numbed from the shock, he nearly stumbled, and even the shovel broke. My lord, perhaps we can try to find a way around it."

Zhang Qing was softly instructing servants to prepare the meal. His Majesty had been in poor spirits since returning from outside the palace, and even during the assembly with his ministers, while they discussed the great joy of Master Lian’s pregnancy being celebrated by all, His Majesty’s expression remained cold and stern.

To those unaware, they might even speculate that His Majesty did not hold Master Lian in favor.

In his heart, he had cursed Hu Miaomiao a thousand, ten thousand times over. Why did it always seem that whenever this fat nuisance appeared, His Majesty would lose his joviality? It was bad enough that he couldn’t relieve His Majesty of his worries, but to add to the chaos? Was this fat nuisance reliable in handling affairs?

His heart was also troubled, but seeing His Majesty’s countenance lighten considerably after seeing Master Lian, he set his worries aside.

Just as he was directing the meal, Lian Hua suddenly mentioned him, bringing up an embarrassing matter, which made his face sour.

Why was it that in this lifetime, he couldn’t seem to escape from the topic of turning the soil, with Master Lian bringing it up now and then? Oh dear...

Looking at Lian Hua’s earnest face, the Emperor’s heart warmed, and he slowly broke into a smile, "Little Nannan knows such tactics of circumvention? I had thought that Little Nannan was always straightforward..."

She had always been direct, with straightforward thoughts and methods. Hearing her advising him on tactics of indirection was quite novel to him.

Hearing this, Lian Hua was displeased. She let go of him and retorted with pouting indignation, "My lord, you mustn’t underestimate me. I’m not like Chief Steward Zhang, I’m not that foolish. Of course, I understand..."

Saying that, she was about to sit back down.

For her, this was a matter of pride. Even in something as seemingly simple as catching fish, there are tactics of circumvention involved. If one were truly to proceed directly, how could it be done right? If she were to just sweep the net straight across, the fish would have long escaped.

If His Majesty was in the mood to joke about her now, then things must be looking up. Humph, she didn’t care anymore, so she went right ahead and sat down.

The Emperor pulled her hand to his, kneading it gently, and as Lian Hua was about to sit, he couldn’t help but call out softly, "Nannan..."

Just as Lian Hua’s bottom touched the seat, hearing him call her made her look up in confusion. Had she not comforted His Majesty enough?

The Emperor then said, "No matter what happens, I will be by your side."

He had already decided that once he found out about her family’s situation, if it was a good one, he would tell her straight away and arrange a meeting for them.

If the situation was bad, then he would have to find another time. She was pregnant now, and could not afford to be subject to great joy or sorrow.

He had thought about keeping it from her, but how long could he keep it hidden? His Little Concubine was so smart, and he had already promised to help her find her family. If he continued to hide it, she would guess it sooner or later.

Then, what she would face would be both the betrayal of his deception and the blow of finding her family in a bad state, which would be too much to bear.

At her young age, she had faced huge changes, traveling over mountains and waters to the north, seeking nothing more than a bit of justice.

Her Clan Uncle had no other choice back then; his only option was to make her forget and keep the secrets from her.

Now that she had come to him after enduring so much hardship, it was a debt he owed her. No matter what, he should grant her justice and settle her heart.

He would accompany her, together overcoming this hurdle...

Seeing His Majesty’s affectionate eyes, Lian Hua bashfully smiled and said, "Ah, Your Majesty, really, why suddenly act like this? You’re making me feel embarrassed."

She pretended to be nonchalant, turned her head away, and changed the subject, "Your Majesty, the meal has been prepared. Shall we dine?"

Yet the corners of her mouth couldn’t be suppressed from turning up.

Once the Emperor had made his decision, his spirits lifted, and he no longer hesitated.

A trace of coldness flashed through his heart; as for the remaining matters, he would investigate who had made his Little Concubine’s family suffer. He was determined to make each person pay!

In the Capital City, within the Guo family estate.

Guo Neng felt that lately, everything was going wrong. First, the Consort in the palace mentioned that Dew Tea had been discovered in the palace;

Then, that family had escaped, and despite his efforts traveling thousands of miles, he was unable to turn the tide;

Finally, while leaving people to investigate the remnants at Yanqing Mansion, he lost several Dead Soldiers, with only one severely injured survivor returning!

Training Dead Soldiers had always been challenging. Even with Silver, it was difficult to cultivate highly skilled and utterly loyal individuals willing to die.

He had never expected that just capturing a few commoners would cost him so dearly, and it pained his heart.

At the same time, he felt fortunate that he had had the foresight to send Dead Soldiers. Seeing the situation go awry, they decisively committed suicide without carrying any incriminating evidence. Had he sent ordinary guards, he probably would have exposed his tracks long ago.

He had not foreseen that the escaped remnant who had made it to the palace possessed such great capabilities that even his Dead Soldiers, acclaimed for their strength, stood no chance against their vicious assailants.

He had foolishly prided himself on the prowess of his Dead Soldiers and thought them invincible. Now he realized he was just a frog in the well.

He had silenced the survivor who had returned. He couldn’t be blamed for being ruthless.

Anyone capable of slicing through his carefully trained Dead Soldiers like cutting melons must be incredibly influential behind the scenes. Without silencing that person and cutting off this thread, he wouldn’t be able to settle his mind.

Now he was filled with panic, constantly feeling as if someone was watching him, which left him shivering with dread.

He tried to contact his cousin in the palace to ask about the capability of that fugitive and to confirm whether the incidents at Yanqing Mansion were the fugitive’s doing. However, his usually reliable sources had now dried up; he couldn’t reach his cousin by any means.

Suddenly feeling like a startled bird, he knew that the enemy had made a move. Yet, he did not know where the threat was coming from and could not reach anyone. He could only await his fate helplessly, feeling very uneasy and insecure...

No, he must seek assistance from his maternal uncle; he had to think of a solution!

With that thought, Guo Neng ordered his carriage prepared and was ready to set off.

Upon hearing that he was heading to the Xue Residence, the servant boy couldn’t help but say, "Young Master, it’s quite late tonight; I fear that Master Xue might not..."

Guo Neng stopped in his tracks; that remark reminded him. His maternal uncle was not fond of him. That old codger happily spent the Silver earned by the Guo family but always kept his distance both publicly and privately.