Palace Fighting: Naive Concubines' Ascent to Power-Chapter 480: Colic Pain

Xiao Qing calmed down and looked back through the curtain, glancing at the inner room. Her peripheral vision caught sight of the soup bowl still left on the table.

After a moment of thought, she quietly walked back, picked up the soup bowl, and tiptoed out.

She was afraid that Master Lian, upon waking, would see the soup bowl and be reminded of the discomforting matter. It would be best to remove it first.

Upon exiting the Side Hall, Xiao Jizi whispered to ask what was wrong.

She answered that she needed to use the latrine urgently.

Xiao Jizi understood and instructed Xiao Linzi to watch inside while he would stay outside, replacing Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing felt relieved and hurriedly carried the soup bowl toward the kitchen, but halfway there, a sharp pain in her abdomen struck, almost causing her to double over in agony.

"Xiao Qing, what’s wrong?"

Looking up, Xiao Qing saw Dong Xue and felt a little better, quickly handing over the soup bowl to her, "Dong Xue, can you hold this for me?"

Catching the item unexpectedly, Dong Xue managed to stabilize it and looked down, "Isn’t this the Bird’s Nest Soup bowl? Did Master Lian finish it?"

Freeing her hands to clutch her stomach, Xiao Qing nodded haphazardly and replied, "Mm-hmm, Master finished it."

Feeling another surge of heat, she could no longer care for anything else and dashed toward the latrine.

A breeze passed by, and Dong Xue hurriedly looked up and called after the retreating figure, "Xiao Qing, where are you going?"

The distant figure replied, "To the latrine."

Dong Xue suddenly realized—nature’s call could not wait; that explained why she was asked to hold the bowl.

It wasn’t a big issue; she decided to take it to the kitchen.

She was just about to go out on an errand herself, having earlier lost a cup lid and not knowing where it had gone. Fortunately, she had counted them, only to discover the problem.

She had searched the courtyard along the path but couldn’t find it, so she had to go out again to see if it had dropped somewhere.

Walking back, she clearly remembered not hearing any sound of it dropping—how strange.

If it wasn’t lost on the road, then perhaps it was left somewhere unattended. She still had to go ask Brother Xia Lei if he had seen it.

Despite the cup lid’s small size, the set of spring banquet porcelain was complete only as a whole; missing one item made it incomplete.

Just as she was about to leave, she encountered Xiao Qing.

Preoccupied with finding the cup lid herself, she found herself unable to help but intervene with Xiao Qing’s situation, laughing at her own predicament of unable to ensure her own concerns while meddling in others. freёwebnoѵel.com

The set of spring banquet porcelain was very valuable—she couldn’t afford to compensate for it.

She had only quietly told Sister Xia Liu about this issue and had not informed anyone else. She dared not speak of it—preferring to search on her own first.

Sighing, she muttered to herself, "Having helped Xiao Qing, I hope good deeds bring good rewards, and that the cup lid can be found."

After placing the soup bowl in the kitchen, just before leaving, she glanced at the bowl and, as if possessed, lifted the lid to see inside—the Bird’s Nest soup was consumed cleanly.

Brother Xia Lei asked her if the soup bowl was usable, guessing it should be quite functional.

Not wanting to think too much, she carried her worries and headed outside Canglan Court.

Inside Qiankun Residence.

Lian Bingcheng, with his hands behind his back, paced back and forth, feeling both joyful and anxious.

Ever since he had learned that Niece Xiao Hua was safe, a weight had lifted from his heart. He had stayed daily in the residence, cultivating his moral character, and had even gained two taels of weight.

The white fatty had also brought him two mynah birds to raise, telling him that no one was causing trouble anymore, and he could go out if he wished.

He did go out once or twice. This residence, he said, had its secrets; from the inside, it did not seem possible, but he had to call someone over to get out.

Both times, he went just outside the Imperial Palace, took a few distant glances, and returned, relieved to know his people were inside.

The first time he returned, the next day the white fatty came over, informing him of the latest updates; he thought it was a coincidence.

After the second outing, the next day the white fatty came again, reassuring him that Niece Xiao Hua was fine and asking him to wait patiently for the right moment.

He then realized someone had been protecting him in secret all along. Since then, he staunchly refused to go out. Knowing he was powerless, he did not want to complicate matters for His Majesty.

Speaking of which, the white fatty had been coming over less frequently lately. Previously, when he didn’t care for the man, the fatty would try to deceive him every three days, attempting to fool his brother. Back then, he didn’t know the fatty was His Majesty’s man and hadn’t treated him kindly. Yet, despite that, the fatty still visited every now and then.

Lately, he found the fatty much more agreeable and even pleasant, he had eagerly offered so many suggestions. Yet now the man hardly came by, which was odd. He wondered if the fatty had followed his advice or how the investigation into Xiao Hua’s family was going, dismissing the fatty as unreliable.

The residence was not small and had its conveniences, his spouse and he only needed to call out, and the black-clad young man would quickly have everything ready, making their lives comfortable.

His troublesome brother had also been sent away for training, Xiao Hua had her place, and Brother Changhe’s family’s grievances were being investigated by His Majesty’s people. This eased the huge burden on his heart. His days passed pleasantly, his body gaining back weight, and even his spouse remarked that he looked more fit now.

Recently, His Majesty had sent someone to tell his spouse to get ready, as they would soon be visiting the Imperial Palace to see niece Xiao Hua. Not long after, this very morning, another person came, announcing they would meet Xiao Hua tomorrow. How could he not be overjoyed?

Having sent Xiao Hua to the palace six years ago without any news since had worried him for six long years. Now that he was finally about to see her, how could he not be exhilarated?

"Old man, sit down. Your pacing is making me dizzy," Lian Bingcheng’s spouse, Lin Yuejuan, holding her forehead, complained of a headache.

Since receiving the letter about visiting their niece, the old man had been like this, nagging daily, reminding her to pay attention to this and that. Today was even worse; he had been pacing all morning, never stopping.

Hearing this, Lian Bingcheng walked over and sat down opposite her, his voice tense, "Spouse, remember, if Xiao Hua asks about her parents, just follow what I’ve told you. Make sure not to let anything slip."

This was his chief worry, and he wished he could go to the palace himself, to see Xiao Hua and reassure her.

"I know, I know. You’ve said it many times. When you kept it from her back then, didn’t I also help you? I understand," she said, clearly impatient, tired of the old man’s repetitive, tiresome talk that disturbed her mind.

Still uneasy, Lian Bingcheng lowered his voice and continued, "When you’re alone with no one around, quietly ask her if she’s doing alright. If she isn’t, then I...,"

Lin Yuejuan, looking frustrated, interrupted, "Then what will you do?"

"Keep your voice down," Lian Bingcheng glanced towards the ceiling, cautious of the walls and roof, not knowing how many might be listening. This was a confidential matter, not meant for His Majesty to know.

Lin Yuejuan turned her face away, losing interest in engaging with him.

Lian Bingcheng opened his mouth to speak, intending to say he would risk his life, if necessary, to bring her back. However, the words stuck in his throat, and he couldn’t speak them out loud.