An Lingrong's Rebirth: The Lock of Qingqiu

An Lingrong began to pay close attention to the progress of the war. She would listen to the reports of the generals on the front line every day to understand the changes in the situation between the enemy and us. She knew that the victory or defeat of the war depended not only on the number of troops and the quality of weapons, but also on the use of wisdom and strategy. So, she began to think about how to use the contradictions between the forces of all parties and cleverly balance the interests of all parties to achieve the goal of resolving the current predicament.

An Lingrong understood that there have always been conflicts and disputes among the various forces within the country. There are not only conflicts of interest but also struggles for power. If these conflicts can be cleverly utilized and they can unite for a common goal, then the strength of the country will be greatly enhanced.

Therefore, An Lingrong suggested that the emperor actively seek cooperation and negotiation with various forces. The emperor sent envoys to various places to contact and communicate with local lords, generals and civilian forces. He explained the country's predicament and crisis to them, and also expressed his determination and belief in unity and joint response to foreign enemies.

The feedback brought back by these envoys gave the emperor hope. Although there were still some differences and doubts between the various forces, they all expressed their willingness to put aside their personal grudges for the sake of the country and jointly resist foreign enemies.

The emperor did all these things without consulting the empress dowager. The rift between the emperor and the empress dowager had reached its peak, and their relationship became increasingly tense, even to the point of life and death.

The emperor is young and energetic, and is determined to implement his new policies and change the face of the country. However, the queen mother disagrees with the emperor's ideas, believing that his new policies are too radical and will undermine the stability of the country. The queen mother adheres to the traditional concept of governing the country, which is very different from the emperor's concept.

The differences between the two gradually deepened, and the emperor began to alienate the queen mother and no longer listened to her opinions. The queen mother also felt neglected and was full of dissatisfaction and resentment. The gap between them became larger and larger, and eventually the two met, and they had nothing to say to each other, or they would quarrel when they met.

One day, the emperor announced in the court that he would implement a major reform that involved the fundamental interests of the country. When the queen mother learned about it, she angrily summoned the emperor and tried to stop his action. However, the emperor insisted on his own opinion and refused to give in. The queen mother was furious and threatened the emperor, saying: "If you insist on doing this, I will not blame you for not warning you. You will pay a heavy price!"

The emperor is the emperor, how could he be frightened by the empress dowager's threats? Not only was the emperor not afraid, but he became even more determined.

Subconsciously, the emperor looked down on the empress dowager. After all, the empress dowager was a woman. Although it was the empress dowager who helped him to ascend to the throne, after years of practice, he was no longer under the empress dowager's control. The more the empress dowager opposed, the more the emperor wanted to prove to her that he could do it without the empress dowager.

Gradually, the Queen Mother made some concessions, but those were just superficial illusions. In fact, the relationship between the Emperor and the Queen Mother was precarious and was only one step away from a complete breakdown.

As time went by, the gap between the emperor and the empress dowager deepened, and the emperor and the empress dowager began to compete with each other openly and covertly.

The empress dowager began to speak ill of the emperor behind his back in front of the concubines in the harem and the ministers in the court, saying that the emperor was ungrateful and had used her to get to the throne, but now that he had grown powerful and no longer needed her, and was unwilling to listen to her words anymore.

The emperor did something even more extreme. He suddenly opened up many secret places in the palace that were not originally open to the public overnight, and vowed that it was to enhance the understanding between the people and the royal family and to let more people know the secrets of the palace. This incident undoubtedly once again began to open the empress dowager's scars.

Because this secret is closely related to the Empress Dowager, the mysterious mountaintop altar, and its hiding place is on the back mountain not far from the Forbidden City. The ancient altar is usually not open to the public, but since it was opened, countless people have walked the path up and down the mountain.

As they explored, a desolate scene gradually unfolded before their eyes. On the altar, piled with the bones of countless women abandoned by the Qing Dynasty, they were concubines, maids in the palace, or other women of humble status. They either fell out of favor, made mistakes, or were affected by political struggles, and eventually ended up with a tragic end, abandoned on this back mountain.

What is even more thrilling is that near this pile of bones, there are actually two tigers suppressing them. Their eyes are wide open, as if they are staring at these thousands of dead souls, using their power to suppress the resentment of these wronged souls.

An Lingrong and the others stood in front of the altar, with endless emotion in their hearts. This was their second time to come to this unbearable and mysterious place. They felt the sadness and helplessness of these abandoned women, and also felt the coldness and ruthlessness of the royal family. The discovery of this secret made them have a profound change in their views on the royal family, and filled their hearts with a desire for justice and fairness.

These women may have been young, had dreams and hopes, but were eventually devoured by the power and cruelty of the royal family and became victims of this power game. Their fate is like a mirror, reflecting the cruelty and ruthlessness of the royal family, which makes people feel heartbroken.

The discovery of this secret has profoundly changed people's views on the royal family. They used to think that the royal family was a high and mighty existence, a symbol of power and glory. But now, they have seen the darkness and ugliness behind the royal family, and the tragic fate of those abandoned women, and the awe and yearning in their hearts have collapsed in an instant.

Standing in front of the altar, An Lingrong and the others seemed to have experienced a spiritual baptism again. Time had changed since the last time. They were no longer the ignorant little girls, but had become increasingly mature and stable.

No one expected that the Queen Mother, a powerful and noble woman, had not always had such a glorious past. Looking back on the life of the Queen Mother, the Emperor was the best witness. The Queen Mother's life was full of ups and downs and she experienced countless setbacks. It was precisely because of this experience that the Queen Mother became so tenacious.

According to the emperor, when the empress dowager was still a humble maid, she was still young and had never experienced the hardships of life. She simply yearned for and dreamed of life in the palace. However, fate did not favor her. She was not favored by the late emperor, but was forgotten in a corner of the palace. After being favored by the late emperor, the empress dowager was abandoned by him, like an abandoned old thing.