Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 576: Big Brother and Him, Which is Better?

Chapter 576: Chapter 576: Big Brother and Him, Which is Better?

Playing coy, are we?

Forget it then!

She didn’t want to see that big bad guy, just seeing him made her angry.

How could he tease her using her elder brother’s name, that’s just mean!

Knowing that the man wasn’t her elder brother only filled her with disappointment instead of anger, but she didn’t expect that big bad guy to already know what she was thinking and yet refused to clarify, leaving her scratching her head and guessing, repeatedly seeking confirmation from him, just to amuse himself at her expense. That was intolerable.

The worst part was that one night, seeing her listless and devoid of energy, the big bad guy had the audacity to ask her if her elder brother was really that good?

She hadn’t processed it at that moment, too lethargic to think too much, she just thought it was a matter-of-fact discussion.

So she counted off on her fingers to the big bad guy, listing all her brother’s good points, like how handsome he was, how promising his studies were, how well he reasoned, how he always brought her fun things, and so on.

But after she finished, the big bad guy got unhappy, jealous, and asked her, "Who is better, your elder brother or me?"

How could these even be compared?

At that time, she was feeling quite down, not particularly spirited, and seeing that he was upset, she became anxious and explained a few things to him. Just when she thought he got it, he changed tack and brought up the earlier conversation about verifying whether or not he was her elder brother.

Alright then, she wasn’t stupid. Once she connected everything from before and after, it all became clear.

She remembered at that time, the expression of the big bad guy went something like this:

He pondered for a moment, seemingly in agreement, "Nannan makes a good point. Given that, it’s understandable that you were so concerned about that person the other day. But Nannan, do you think your elder brother is taller than me?"

"Is...is he?" She was uncertain and hesitant at the time.

After all, it had been many years since she had last seen her elder brother. Back then, she was just this tiny, and her elder brother was so much taller than her, so she thought maybe he was a bit taller...

The big bad guy nodded after listening to her and said solemnly, "But the difference in stature between Nannan and me is heaven-made natural, your elder brother’s height may be a bit taller than you, but he should still be shorter than me."

The statement was convoluted, and she was momentarily confused. When she heard the words ’heaven-made natural’, she felt pleased and found it to make perfect sense.

Just as she wanted to smile and praise him for his words, she had a sudden realization: that’s wrong!

Wasn’t he basically calling her short?

And on further thought, wasn’t he implying that her elder brother couldn’t be that tall either?

Alright then, it was true she wasn’t as tall as the burly Xiao Qing, nor was she as slender as Sister Consort De, but her height, within the Harem, was on par with most people, even taller than average.

It was just that the big bad guy was too tall, and most people around him were taller than her, making her appear short.

Oh dear, it’s complicated, but in any case, she wasn’t short.

Alright, alright, compared to him, she was short, but even if she was short, her elder brother wasn’t. If she was stunted, her elder brother definitely wasn’t.

Criticizing her was one thing, but her elder brother was off-limits!

She felt so infuriated that her eyes reddened, and her mind was sharp, ready to retort, when suddenly connecting it to earlier events, it seemed like she realized something.

Looking back further, the big bad guy had either countered her questions with questions of his own or avoided answering when she was trying to verify if he was her elder brother. So he was already subtly upset back then; no wonder everything made sense now!

The big bad guy had been jealous all along, keeping it to himself, covertly not setting things straight, finding her dejected demeanor increasingly irksome until he finally took the opportunity to ask!

Using the serious matter of her elder brother to get jealous was just unbearable!

She immediately didn’t want to deal with him anymore and snapped back, "Do you want to know if my elder brother is better, or if you are? Obviously, my elder brother is better. At least he wouldn’t ask me such a question, hmph!"

One is family, bound by blood, the other is a husband to share one’s life with. Can there even be a comparison? Is there room for jealousy??

Fine, if jealousy is what it is, let him be angry.

It still infuriates me whenever I think about it.

She flung her sleeve and turned to leave: "His Majesty is busy with important matters, how could I disturb him? I’ll enter later."

Let him keep his secrets. He can keep them to himself. I won’t bother with him!

The people in the Side Hall seemed to hear her, and immediately responded, "Nannan, the political affairs have been resolved. I have something for you."

Out from the Side Hall he emerged, the tall and stately man with a face like carved jade. Who else could it be but His Majesty?

"Oh." Lian Hua looked disinterested, turning her head to see, "Is His Majesty trying to buy me off with Silver?"

Without my brothers, what use do I have for Silver!

Though her words were unforgiving, she did not leave.

The Emperor looked at her with eyes filled with helplessness, knowing she was tough-talking but soft-hearted, like a feisty little chili pepper, spicy and unexpectedly refreshing to him. Yet, he feared for her mood, worried it might cause her harm.

Glancing at Zhang Qing, that man understood immediately and cleared the room, moving everyone far away.

He walked toward her, sighing, "It was my fault. Can you stop being angry, Nannan?"

Lian Hua pouted and turned her face away, "I wouldn’t dare, Sister Consort De is locked up, how could I possibly be angry?"

Her way of speaking was petulant.

The Emperor silently lamented the karmic consequences of his actions, which he now had to face.

Normally so gentle, she was really difficult to placate when truly angered.

It was also his fault, after all. She was already worried about her family, and instead of understanding, he had teased her. It was only right that she was angry when she realized it.

Moreover, with the news of Consort De’s confinement reaching her, and being stuck in her yard with no permission to go anywhere, not to mention her suppressed desire to visit Consort De’s place of detention, it was natural for her to feel more and more frustrated and angry.

The Emperor came up beside her, pulling her into his embrace, "Didn’t we agree earlier that Sister Consort De would suffer some misfortune?"

Lian Hua leaned against him instinctively and responded, "Oh, I love being unreasonable."

She was not without understanding, but she also wanted His Majesty to experience the taste of someone being unreasonable.

The Emperor touched his nose, completely helpless, knowing she was alluding to him but unable to refute.

He placed his hand on her waist and enveloped her in a hug, speaking tenderly and indulgently, "Nannan is so lovely, how could she ever be unreasonable? Remember, the other day when I left the palace, I brought back some toys for you. I have about ten little clay figurines. Would you like to have a look?"

In these past days, he had tried every possible method to no avail. He couldn’t soothe her. Now he hoped that some novel toys might divert her attention and ease her anger.

Nanny Qi even came specially to ask him what had happened. They had a talk, and in the end, Nanny Qi told him that a pregnant woman is sensitive and often changes moods rapidly; it is best not to anger her.

Upsetting her was torturous for him, and he had learned his lesson. How could he dare to anger her again in the future?

His Nannan rarely got angry, and the few times she had, she got over it quickly. But this time, it was probably an outburst rooted in deep concern for her family. On the surface, she seemed angry, but deep down, she was feeling very low. He understood all of this.

Only there was news from the south, but it wasn’t good news, and he couldn’t tell her yet. It was frustrating...

Upon hearing about the little clay figurines, Lian Hua’s ears perked up, and her expression changed, but she remained silent. Noticing she was being watched, she pursed her lips and looked away.