An Lingrong's Rebirth: The Lock of Qingqiu

After the two made their wishes, they returned to the restaurant where they were temporarily staying. Xia Qian was always by their side, his eyes were firm and deep, and he worked tirelessly to protect the safety of An Lingrong and the emperor.

As the night deepened, An Lingrong, like a virtuous wife of an ordinary commoner, carefully called the waiter and asked him to fetch a bucket of hot water. When the hot water was ready, she squatted down and gently took off the shoes and socks of the emperor who was tired after a day's work. After peeling off the emperor's white socks, she found that the skin on the emperor's feet was white and tender. After walking for a long time, it was flushed and slightly swollen. An Lingrong couldn't help but feel tender in her heart.

She carefully soaked the emperor's feet in hot water and added some herbs to reduce swelling and dampness. She gently pressed the acupuncture points on the emperor's feet and sighed, "Fourth Master, your skin is so white and tender. I wonder how you can lead troops to the front line with such a body. Do you always sit in a carriage and be escorted by the imperial guards?"

The emperor couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. He raised his foot and gently stepped on the back of An Lingrong's hand, jokingly saying, "Rong'er is really good at making fun of me. My skin is good because I was born in a noble family. How can you country girls compare to me?"

An Lingrong was not to be outdone. She pulled out a thin needle from her hair that was slightly longer and larger than the silver needle and showed it to the emperor: "Fourth Master, your feet are indeed a little swollen. How are you going to walk tomorrow? Do you want someone to carry you? Let me use this silver needle to give you a few acupunctures to reduce the swelling."

The emperor's face changed when he saw this, and he quickly pulled his feet out of the water and hid in the bed. He said in a panic: "You vicious woman, such a thick silver needle, if you stick it in, it will make a hole? No, no!"

An Lingrong couldn't help laughing when she saw the emperor's nervous expression. She said proudly, "The Fourth Master is really smart. After being reborn, he naturally knows how to weigh the pros and cons. Except for me, everyone else wants something from the Fourth Master. Their hearts are not as pure as mine."

After saying that, An Lingrong put away the silver needle and poured water for washing feet. She sat on the edge of the bed, thinking that the emperor was reborn, he knew that everyone except her would betray him, and only An Lingrong treated him sincerely.

Although the emperor also has a place for Hua Fei, the queen, Zhen Huan and others in his heart, their feelings for the emperor are more of exploitation and calculation. Only An Lingrong really wants to spend her life with the emperor. Thinking of this, An Lingrong gradually relaxed her vigilance against the emperor. She turned her head to look at the emperor, only to see that the emperor was looking at her affectionately, with tenderness in his eyes.

The emperor said softly, "Rong'er, come to bed and warm the quilt for me. I can't sleep alone."

An Lingrong felt a warm current in her heart when she heard this. She lowered her head and smiled, and replied softly: "Fourth Master is really good at joking. Fourth Master, do you think I am a hand warmer?"

However, the emperor didn't care about that. He stretched out his arms and pulled An Lingrong into his arms. He took the thick quilt and covered An Lingrong with it, holding her tightly in his arms. He rested his chin on An Lingrong's forehead and said gently, "Only now, Rong'er truly belongs to me. I don't like the red tape and fighting in the harem. I just want to live an ordinary life with Rong'er."

An Lingrong was moved when she heard the emperor's words. She knew that the emperor was sincere. An Lingrong seriously thought about the details between the emperor and her. Her strong sixth sense told her that the emperor was serious. They were lovers, confidants, and relatives. This relationship was hard-won, and she wanted to cherish it.

The emperor stretched his neck and moved close to An Lingrong's neck, sniffing greedily again and again, then buried his entire face in An Lingrong's hair, hugged her with an intoxicated look, and fell asleep in a daze.

Here, they were free from the red tape of the palace, free from intrigues and struggles, and they lived a peaceful and comfortable life.

The next morning, the sun shone into the room, and the emperor brought An Lingrong to a vast farm.

The next day, the emperor took her to a farm. On the farm, they put on waterproof clothes like ordinary farmers, staggered into the paddy fields, pulled out the weeds in the fields together with the people, and led the oxen to plow the fields under the warm sun. The emperor accidentally fell into the paddy field while walking in the field. Fortunately, his clothes were waterproof, and even if he was covered in mud, An Lingrong was able to quickly wipe the surface of his clothes clean with a towel.

Beyond the paddy field was a farm, where there were flocks of chickens, ducks, geese, dogs, sheep, rabbits, pigs, etc. The emperor and An Lingrong carried a bag of corn kernels half a person's height and began their life as farmers. When it was time for dinner, An Lingrong asked the emperor to catch a chicken, remove the innards and rub it with bean juice and salt. The emperor put firewood in the stove, and An Lingrong poured water into the big iron pot, put the whole chicken on the rack, and steamed it.

Half an hour later, the aroma of the chicken seeped out from the gap in the pot lid and wafted into the air. It was so tempting!

The emperor's face was covered in black charcoal ash from the fire. He didn't even bother to wash his face. He took the chicken leg handed to him by An Lingrong and started to chew it. As he chewed it, he said, "It smells so good. This taste is the original flavor. A freshly slaughtered chicken is so fresh and flavorful. This is the first time I've eaten a chicken I cooked myself. It's really rare. Not bad!"

An Lingrong exclaimed: "This chicken smells so good, it must be because the emperor has a very good control over the temperature of the firewood he cooked. The ingredients are important, but the temperature is also important."

The emperor raised his eyebrows and sighed, "Haha, I didn't expect that my first time burning firewood would be so effective! Rong'er, I want to eat that piece of chicken skin."

An Lingrong placed a chicken leg on the big hand that the emperor stretched out to him. The chicken leg smelled so good that the emperor squinted his eyes, with an intoxicated expression on his face.

Xia Kua came over and took the other chicken leg handed over by An Lingrong. He observed it carefully for a while, and then smelled it carefully. He watched the emperor tear off a small piece of chicken skin and put it in his mouth to taste it very politely. Xia Kua gobbled it up in big mouthfuls, patted his belly and said, "The chicken cooked by the two adults is so delicious!"

Seeing the emperor's unsatisfied look, An Lingrong felt very satisfied. The emperor was far away from the palace and the hustle and bustle of the world. Here, he became more gentle and considerate. He was no longer the high and mighty emperor. He would personally help An Lingrong cook soup and would stay by her bed all night to watch her fall asleep. They were no longer a monarch and his subjects, but a real couple. They experienced the ups and downs of life together and shared each other's joys and sorrows.

After the emperor had eaten and drunk his fill, he said, "Rong'er, where is my elixir of immortality? Give me one quickly. I want to live longer and be with Rong'er longer."

An Lingrong took out a small green bottle from her bosom, poured out a pill from it and placed it in the emperor's palm. Although their identities were noble and special, at this moment, they were just ordinary couples, enjoying an ordinary and real life.