Chapter 889: Chapter 889: Turned the Corner
The Emperor was taken aback by Lian Changhe’s change in attitude, utterly astonished and unable to comprehend what had transpired.
He instinctively looked towards Su Ran, who nodded at him, covering her mouth with a subtle smile as she spoke with understanding, “Your Majesty, it seems my husband has turned a corner.”
The Emperor couldn’t help but cast his gaze upon Lian Changhe. Having lived within the palace all his life, the familial bonds of the Royal Family were inherently faint to him. Unaccustomed to the wedding practices of the common folks, he found the situation extremely perplexing.
At times, he thought it was because he hadn’t proposed with the traditional Three Letters and Six Etiquettes like the common folk, causing Lian Changhe’s dissatisfaction. Other times, he considered his lack of sincerity and failure to personally visit, leading to a breach of etiquette. His mind swirled with countless considerations, unsure of how to gain Lian Changhe’s approval.
After hearing Su Ran’s words, he was suddenly enlightened. Upon hearing that his precious little daughter had married and couldn’t be seen at will, how could a father not feel anxious and uneasy? Coupled with a lack of understanding of him, why wouldn’t he be concerned?
Even when common folk marry off their daughters, fathers inevitably feel reluctance. How much more so in his and his Little Concubine’s unique situation; it was a natural emotional response.
At this moment, the Emperor fully understood Lian Changhe and felt much more at ease. But he still hadn’t done anything; how had his father-in-law, in his words, come to agree with him so much?
Strange, very strange!
Speaking of this, one must mention Lian Changhe’s incredibly awkward and conflicting feelings.
When Lian Hua persistently listed the Emperor’s merits, Lian Changhe was deeply uncomfortable, feeling it all too unreal and eager to find any flaw, however insignificant.
When he inquired what faults Lian Hua found in the Emperor, Lian Hua bitterly complained, revealing that the Emperor was actually extremely good to his little daughter. Upon hearing this, Lian Changhe couldn’t help but secretly praise the Emperor’s excellent handiwork, significantly altering his attitude.
Just moments ago, Lian Hua was sharing her little plans, and after finishing, she sighed, fearing that His Majesty would disapprove. His Majesty always had many reasons, and though she agreed with every one of them, sometimes she couldn’t help but want to take action anyway.
These words made Lian Changhe’s heart beat with trepidation as he repeatedly urged Lian Hua to abandon her thoughts. His outlook shifted instantly, wholeheartedly agreeing with the Emperor’s methods, believing them to be excellently executed, better than he himself as a father.
He understood his little daughter too well; ever since she was young, she had been full of ideas, energy, and a whirlwind of action. One morning, while getting dressed for school, his sleepily muttering little daughter mentioned wanting to build a clay kiln to roast sweet potatoes. He thought it to be nonsensical sleepy talk. Yet that afternoon, thick smoke billowed from the tea plantation.
At the time, people around thought there was a fire, rushing with buckets to extinguish it, only to find a group of truant children burning things. The one most covered in mud, her face blackened with soot as she diligently burned, was none other than his little daughter.
He had concealed that incident from his wife, lest his little daughter should endure a scolding.
Upon hearing that the Emperor could convince Lian Hua with logic, both big and small, without causing her discomfort and still making her happily comply, Lian Changhe felt that the Emperor indeed managed things perfectly, better than he ever could as her father.
After his perspective changed, recalling what Lian Hua said about the Emperor, Lian Changhe’s views transformed alongside. Every action His Majesty took was genuinely for his little daughter, thinking of her whole-heartedly. Such a son-in-law, perhaps, was acceptable, even barely acceptable?
Though his looks, status, and other qualities didn’t meet his criteria for a son-in-law, his kindness to Lian Hua alone surpassed them all.
Yes! He acknowledged this son-in-law, four or five parts.
This was why, when the Emperor and others arrived, they heard Lian Changhe’s forthright instruction for Lian Hua to heed the Emperor.
Lian Hua pouted as she ate, when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a few more shadows on the floor. Following the sight—
She swallowed what was in her mouth and exclaimed joyfully, “Your Majesty, Mother, you’ve come?” She stood up and went to greet them.
Lian Changhe, having just finished a well-meaning persuasion, stiffened at the news of the Emperor’s arrival. Turning his head, he saw pairs of eyes fixed on him, thinking, oh no, oh no, had they overheard everything? Would his dignified face as a father-in-law now have no place?
The Emperor, understanding the situation, habitually reached out to wipe a crumb from the corner of Lian Hua’s mouth, looking at Lian Changhe with a smile, “Father-in-law, are you well? Have you finished talking with Nannan?”
His father-in-law was indeed quite amusing…
Lian Changhe hurriedly stood up, a hint of suspicious redness on his face, hurriedly saying, “Finished, finished, all is well.”
“That’s good,” the Emperor said with a smile, looking at everyone as he invited them to enjoy some snacks and tea, to rest a moment.
Everyone expressed their gratitude, seating themselves around the round table, filling it to the brim.
Initially, with the Emperor present, everyone was somewhat reserved. But with Lian Hua’s introduction and guidance, along with the Emperor’s sparse yet gentle and courteous words, occasionally supplementing Lian Hua by a sentence or two, they complemented each other well, allowing everyone to gradually relax.
The atmosphere in the Eastern Pavilion of the Star Palace gradually livened up, filled with the joy of a family reunion and the meeting of in-laws. Amid this warmth, a trace of strangeness intertwined, yet within this strangeness lay an inexplicable harmony.
At this very moment, elsewhere in the capital, was a scene far less harmonious. At the market square, a heavy air of sorrow and death unfolded.
A hundred executioners stood in neat formation on the execution ground, ten in each row, forming ten rows, each holding a ghost-head saber, their expressions fierce and savage.
The wicked, even if not struck by divine retribution, would still face the law’s judgment. Good and evil would eventually be rewarded; if justice was delayed, the executioners were the embodiment of punishment, a single slash severing life, ending all sins with the fall of the blade.
The people tied before the executioners emitted wails resembling those of ghosts, some with hollow eyes sunk in despair, others so terrified they had wet themselves. Some madly cried out for mercy, while others cursed with extreme bitterness. They exhibited a multitude of final emotions, vividly portraying the depths of sorrow, madness, and resentment.
In the midst of this lamentation and cursing, if one listened closely, most were blaming one individual — the one kneeling in the very center of the front row — Xue Ping!
“Hahaha, Xue Ping, you heartless wretch, you wouldn’t save the Guo family. This is your retribution, let’s die together, die together, hahaha…”
“Xue Ping, you dog, a disgrace to the Xue Family, how can you face our ancestors? Even in the afterlife, I won’t let you go.”
“Master, are we really going to die? I’m scared. Where are your disciples and former officials? Let them save us, sob sob sob…”
“Xue Ping, the wealth and high positions are yours. The treachery is yours. It’s enough for your family to die; why drag us into this?”
“Sir, it’s all Xue Ping’s family’s doing, we know nothing. Please understand, plead to His Majesty for us, sir, we are innocent!”