An Lingrong's Rebirth: The Lock of Qingqiu

In this way, although there was no queen in the harem, the emperor's favor and An Lingrong's status were enough to make everyone feel awe and envy. And this love story between the emperor and An Lingrong became a popular legend, and was passed down by later generations. In the streets and alleys, An Lingrong's portraits began to become popular, and she and the emperor became a model of deep love.

Lin Xiu, who lived in Xiuzhuang, Beijing, closed her embroidery shop after a tiring day and was on her way home when she saw a fortune teller walking down the street with a pair of very dazzling and familiar portraits in his hands. She couldn't help but ask her servants to check it out and bought a portrait for one or two taels of silver. When she saw it, she realized that it was her biological daughter and a strange but elegant man. Lin Xiu knew that the portrait was of the emperor, and she was overjoyed. She spent ten taels of silver in a row to buy ten different portraits and put them up in Xiuzhuang.

An Bihuai asked, asking whose portrait was so expensive, costing one tael of silver per portrait. An Bihuai could not help but laugh when she saw that it was a portrait of her own daughter, saying that she had found a good way to make money, it was just a matter of painting a few portraits. She would paint ten or twenty portraits of An Lingrong and the emperor and sell them on the street. One portrait cost one tael of silver, and twenty portraits would cost twenty taels of silver. Wow, it was really easy to save this money!

Lin Xiu rolled his eyes at him and said that he couldn't spit out ivory from a dog's mouth!

Naturally, the empress dowager still held prejudices against An Lingrong. Even though An Lingrong was legendary among the people, the empress dowager had watched An Lingrong gradually climb to the position of concubine since she entered the palace, but she was still dissatisfied with her and believed that she was not worthy of the emperor!

The Queen Mother spread the word in the harem that the Emperor doted on a certain concubine, but the Emperor was still the Emperor after all, and one day he would get tired of the old and love the new. The concubine didn't need to be happy for too long, because sooner or later the Emperor would replace her.

An Lingrong didn't care at all. She didn't have any desire to force the emperor to do anything. With her background and abilities, she was already very satisfied with where she is today. She didn't force anything and had a nonchalant attitude towards life. But it was this nonchalant attitude that made the emperor love her even more. The emperor thought An Lingrong was different and that An Lingrong had no demands on her love for him.

In the blink of an eye, it was An Lingrong's birthday again.

The scenery in early February is like a simple and elegant Chinese painting. The withered flowers, when the wind blows, the crystal clear water drops fall quietly to the ground, giving people a sad and beautiful feeling. The newly gifted magnolia flowers in Yining Palace are still proudly showing their pure white petals, and they are still in full bloom even in the cold wind.

An Lingrong took the emperor to climb Cuihe Mountain. Standing on the top of Cuihe Mountain and looking into the distance, the mountains were as quiet as jade in the haze, and the peaks were covered with snow, towering into the clouds like the palaces of the Jade Terrace. Not far away was the Emerald Lake, with clear water and ripples on the surface. When the sun shone on it, it reflected a crystal clear light, as if a soft green ribbon was wrapped around the man-made green mountain valley.

In such a scene, it feels like being in a pure paradise, and the mood becomes particularly peaceful. The unknown flowers and plants on the roadside sway gracefully in the breeze.

Time flows quietly, and the winter jasmine flowers bloom all over the mountains. Their pink petals open slightly, revealing vitality and vitality. The mountains and fields in early February are quiet and romantic, and everything seems so harmonious, as if everything has temporarily calmed down.

An Lingrong's birthday is on the ninth day of the second lunar month, and the emperor began to prepare for her birthday in advance.

On this day, the palace was bustling with activity. All the dignitaries in the capital were present. All the palace maids and eunuchs wore festive clothes and shuttled back and forth between the palaces with joy.

For safety reasons, concubines from various palaces no longer gathered in Yining Palace to celebrate An Lingrong's birthday, but sat in their own palaces, with servants delivering wedding candies, wedding cakes and all kinds of delicious delicacies for this special day to each palace.

Gifts for An Lingrong from various families and palaces were delivered to the gate of Yining Palace by the concubines in the harem, and were collected by Qin Sanyue and put into the warehouse. An Lingrong just watched from afar. She was wearing gorgeous brocade clothes and emitting a special charming rouge scent that came from the newly made spices. There was only the emperor by her side, and it was enough for her to have the emperor accompany her.

Every concubine in the harem sent gifts, some brought classics, some brought jewelry, and some brought paintings. The emperor also gave An Lingrong free VIP service. On this day, the emperor personally trimmed An Lingrong's hair, took care of her skin, washed her hair, and massaged her shoulders and neck, just like An Lingrong usually served the emperor.

In An Lingrong's bedroom, the emperor put a loose dust-proof dress on An Lingrong, leaving only the part above the neck exposed. An Lingrong's hair was waist-length, and the emperor carefully folded it in half and cut off her waist-length black hair. Then he took out an antique bamboo tube and kept the cut half of An Lingrong's hair like a treasure. He said he would take it back to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity and put it on the dragon bed in the Palace of Tranquil Longevity to accompany the emperor day and night.

An Lingrong laughed at the emperor for being infatuated with girls, but the emperor didn't care about it. Next, he cut off half of his long hair and soaked the remaining half in a bath water filled with rose petals. He straightened his hair strand by strand, and as it soaked, the rich scent of roses emanated from the roots to the tips of his hair.

At this time, An Lingrong was very satisfied. She felt that the emperor loved her, and she couldn't help feeling a little proud. The emperor had never cut or washed the hair of other women himself. She was the first concubine in the harem to receive such treatment and such an honor.

The emperor celebrated An Lingrong's birthday for three days. During these three days, the emperor did not go to court. He accompanied An Lingrong day and night, massaging her body and listening to her singing to relieve her boredom. The two of them also made medicine and incense together. They were so busy that they forgot about everything in the world. An Lingrong sometimes looked at the emperor in a daze. She never thought that one day, the emperor would take off all his disguises and be with her like an ordinary citizen, laughing so happily without any care. Even though his face and hands were covered with herbal juice and his skin was stained green and purple, he didn't care. He reached out and smeared the herbal juice on An Lingrong's face. In front of her, he was like an older child who had returned to his childhood, with the innocence and childlike fun.

Most of the time, An Lingrong prayed silently in her heart, hoping that days like this could last longer. She didn't know when she came to hope to be with the emperor forever. She probably couldn't resist the passage of time and the emperor's company day after day. She probably fell in love with him!

On An Lingrong's birthday, many people who are rarely seen in normal times also returned to the palace. Prince Guo, Concubine Chen, Huanbi and others rushed back from Nanyang, and they sent the most sincere blessings to An Lingrong. Concubine Shu and Prince Qinghe also returned to the palace, their eyes were warm and sincere, at this moment, An Lingrong felt that everything she had done in her life was worth it, and she was recognized by them and them.