Chapter 861: Chapter 861: The Emperor and Lian Hua 2
The Emperor picked up the porridge, stirred it with a spoon, scooped a spoonful and tried it by his lips. It wasn’t cold or hot, the temperature was just right.
He handed the porridge to Lian Hua and comforted her, "Soon, you will be able to eat more tomorrow, do not rush."
"Getting sick once is really bad, I won’t get sick anymore," Lian Hua said gloomily, opened her mouth to eat a spoonful, and her eyes brightened. This porridge looked thin, but the taste was amazing.
Her appetite was already good, and now finding the porridge extremely tasty, it was even better.
After eating a spoonful, she eagerly opened her mouth and waited, spoon after spoon, for the Emperor to feed her.
After she finished eating, she realized it was shark fin porridge, simmered with superior chicken broth, cooked just right, extremely delicious.
Quickly, she finished a bowl of porridge and a bowl of soup, half-full.
The Emperor was so focused on feeding her that he hadn’t eaten himself. Only after Lian Hua finished did she notice, and she hurriedly urged the Emperor to eat while she watched.
Previously, the Emperor ate his meals without much taste, but this meal, under her observation, he ate with particular relish.
Lian Hua leaned against the chair, watching him eat intently, noticing that His Majesty had grown thin and haggard.
She thought it must be her illness these days that worried His Majesty, guessing he hadn’t rested or eaten well, hence his condition.
Her nose felt sour and astringent, and she decided to get well and not make His Majesty worry, also to ensure he ate and rested properly, so he stayed well.
After the evening meal, it was time to drink medicine again. Though she didn’t want to, Lian Hua thought about getting well soon to see her parents and brother, so she pinched her nose and gulped it down.
It was late at night, not good to bathe and catch a chill, so Lian Hua blushed and had the Emperor wipe her body. Once done, she lay back in bed, and it was already the Hai Hour.
Lian Hua had slept so much she couldn’t fall asleep. She leaned against the Emperor and played with his hair, "Brother Zhao, I had such a long, long dream during this nap."
The Emperor’s heart tightened, his breathing quickened slightly.
Lian Hua sensed something, quickly lifted her head, "Your Majesty, I’m all right now, I’ve figured it out, there won’t be any problems."
At that time, she was indeed very desperate and sad, and now thinking about it still blocked her heart, made her uncomfortable. But now, the people she loved were here, her family was alive, and she had Brother Zhao and Little Melon, she wouldn’t get lost in those past shadows anymore.
She didn’t want him to worry, didn’t want those past events to cast shadows on his heart, didn’t want her tribulations to become his knots.
The Emperor involuntarily pulled her back into his embrace, "Nannan, don’t leave me again..."
"I won’t, Brother Zhao, I couldn’t bear to leave you," Lian Hua leaned on his chest, feeling incredibly at ease.
She slowly began to tell him about her past experiences, different from what she told Su Ran, she didn’t hide anything, told the Emperor everything, in detail.
Listening, the Emperor’s heart ached tightly, as he expected, his Little Concubine had gone through countless dangers and hardships. Thankfully, she was still well.
At the end of the story, Lian Hua said sadly, "Your Majesty, I promised to help Xiao Hua Mei get home. At that time, seeing her felt like seeing myself, but I was luckier, I stayed well, but she... but she..." Her voice began to sob, even though many years had passed, recalling it felt like yesterday, and she still felt like crying.
The Emperor quickly patted her back gently and comforted her, "You’ve already done very well. From the moment you met her, you were always helping her, but human power is ultimately limited. You’ve done your best; it’s not your fault. What the kidnapper said was correct, she had long since passed away. His acts were nothing more than trying to use her as leverage to coerce you into submission."
Lian Hua lifted her misty eyes, "It’s not my fault?"
No matter if Xiao Hua Mei was gone when she was beaten or not, it was still stuck in her heart.
If she had planned better, if she had been more vigilant and shaken off Xiao Cui, would she not have been caught again, would Xiao Hua Mei have been able to...
Seeing her like this, the Emperor’s heart ached, "How could it be Little Grace’s fault? The harm was done by those two kidnappers. All the sins stem from them; there is no reason for evildoers to have peace, and good-hearted people to be unsettled. Man proposes, God disposes. Little Grace, you’ve done all you could, you’ve done nothing wrong, there’s no need to be unsettled."
Saying this, his tone suddenly turned icy cold, "Heaven’s justice is clear. Those women complicit like accomplices and those two kidnappers were eventually buried in the river, deserved their fate. This is evil meeting evil’s end. I believe your friend Xiao Hua Mei can finally rest in peace."
If those people were still alive now, he would surely tear them apart!
As for Guo Neng, Guo Shun, and others, he will personally deal with these wicked men!
He patted her head, the Emperor sighed and told her the cruel truth, "Little Grace, I’m afraid Xiao Hua Mei was already...already unwell before the capture, it was merely a wishful thought, a brief surge of vitality."
The earlier comfort had eased Lian Hua’s heart quite a bit, but hearing the last words stunned her. At that time she thought Xiao Hua Mei had fallen ill from the wind and never considered it was the final moment.
Back then, she only thought Xiao Hua Mei’s demeanor was odd, cold all over, very cold that she couldn’t warm her up.
But now, reflecting back in detail, she realized so many signs. Xiao Hua Mei was originally frail, constantly sick and untreated, how could she suddenly recover during the escape?
And during the escape, Xiao Hua Mei was hardly herself, her complexion abnormal, unusually rosy, her spirits erratic, somewhat stirred up. Later, she gradually grew delirious, her body cold, then she made such a big commotion, but Xiao Hua Mei just lay stiffly on the ground, motionless.
Now awakened by the Emperor, Lian Hua realized she had overlooked so much. She was too young to understand back then, but now she understood, the outcome had long been determined...
She felt desolate, she really had done her utmost.
The Emperor knew she had figured it out, held her and tenderly said, "Little Grace, those wicked men later found a ten-year-old girl’s corpse. The clothes on her were yours, and her body has been identified, I’ve sent someone to find her. Once found, I’ll have her sent home. How about that?"
It would also fulfill his Little Concubine’s promise.
"Really?" Lian Hua immediately lifted her head excitedly; she had searched for a long time back then.
"Mm." The Emperor nodded and said, "Those who framed your family and pursued to kill you, I have caught and imprisoned them. They will soon be judged. Your parents and brother will also be exonerated. As for the matter with the young girl, wait a bit longer, I will send her home for you."
Lian Hua’s eyes widened as she listened; she hadn’t expected those wicked men were caught; this was wonderful!
And there were clues about Xiao Hua Mei.
The major concern in her heart suddenly had resolution.