The Queen has arrived: An Lingrong does not want to fight in the palace after her rebirth

The autumn wind blows through, whimpering and howling.

Inside the Yikun Palace, a few leaves that were blown in from nowhere were dancing wildly in the air with the sound of the wind.

Xiao Dongzi tugged at his padded jacket and tried to sweep away the leaves with a broom.

After Imperial Noble Consort Dunsu left, he and another young eunuch were the only ones left to look after the Yikun Palace.

The man felt that there was no money to be made here, and was always thinking about making his way out. It was rare to see him all day.

Xiao Dongzi, however, liked such a quiet life very much. There was no harshness and beating from the housekeeper, no need to serve the master carefully, and no need to think about those life-threatening things.

It is a blessing to be able to guard the Yikun Palace like this and live a peaceful and stable life until old age, Xiao Dongzi thought.

The cold palace was dark and desolate at dusk.

The eunuch guarding the place looked even older. He had a hunched back and in the dim light, he held up a broken bronze mirror and combed his sparse gray hair with his skinny hands. Then he straightened his collar, the color of which could not be seen. Finally, he staggered onto the stool and put his head into the rope that had been put on him long ago.

"Dead, dead, all over." As the stool fell to the ground, a sharp and thin voice floated in the room.

After a moment, there was no more movement, only the hum of the breeze.

In Jingren Palace.

"Dead?" The queen looked at Jiang Fuhai angrily.

Jiang Fuhai bowed his head and apologized: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was a step too slow and the old man hanged himself."

The queen thought of the list in her hand and was worried that the man might have a backup plan, so she just asked, "Have you searched it?"

Jiang Fuhai answered carefully: "I searched, but there is nothing hidden. However, I am worried that the old man may have hidden it too deep, so I have already made arrangements for the aftermath."

Seeing that he had thought it through, the Queen's anger subsided a little, and she only reminded him: "Be careful, don't leave any traces, and don't involve any more lives at this critical moment."

Jiang Fuhai knew these powerful things: "I can save them."

At night, a raging fire broke out in the cold palace. Fortunately, the guards patrolled in time and rescued many deposed concubines who were banished to the cold palace. However, the cold palace had been abandoned, and they needed to find a place to resettle them.

After investigation, it was found that the fire was caused by the deposed concubine of the previous emperor. She was in a trance and always suspected that someone was trying to harm her, so she thought of setting fire to drive out evil spirits. However, the weather was dry and the fire was carried by the wind, and it became uncontrollable in an instant.

After listening to Su Peisheng's report, the emperor simply replied:

"understood."

He wanted to see how long the fire would burn and how much hidden filth it could reveal.

In Yonghe Palace, after hearing about the cold palace, An Lingrong frowned:

"This shows that my investigation is on the right track. The Queen is used to killing people to silence them, but she doesn't have complete control over people's hearts, otherwise the old eunuch wouldn't have committed suicide. Honeysuckle, the things we are looking for are still in the palace."

Honeysuckle frowned slightly: "But this fire may have burned everything."

An Lingrong reminded her: "Ordinary people think that the more valuable something is, the more it should be carried with them. But that old eunuch has been in the palace since the time of the previous emperor. He has lived a cautious life for decades. His thoughts cannot be judged by ordinary people."

"And why do you think the old eunuch committed suicide?"

Honeysuckle thought for a while and expressed her opinion: "He is afraid of being tortured by the queen, or he does not want to betray his former master."

An Lingrong nodded and added, "There is another possibility. He is protecting someone. He wants to use his death to cut off all clues so that no one can trace him further. This way, the person he wants to protect will be safe."

At this point, An Lingrong decided on the direction for her to investigate next: "In the next two days, you should pay close attention, especially to the usually inconspicuous chores, maybe you will find something."

In Yongshou Palace, Concubine Qi's house arrest has been lifted. After her miscarriage, she became a little crazy and thought someone was trying to harm her all the time.

Especially after Zhen Huan returned to the palace, she remembered the old grudges and spent the whole day trying to find fault with Zhen Huan.

Zhen Huan had to stay alert and serve in front of the emperor during the day, and when she returned to the palace she had to face Concubine Qi's manic smashing and insulting.

After a few days, she was in a state of unrest, but she couldn't find a way to punish Concubine Qi. She knew in her heart that without the Queen's hint behind her, Concubine Qi would not dare to be so presumptuous.

Ever since the Third Prince was punished to kneel by the Emperor, the Queen took her anger out on her, thinking that she did not offer any intention to help at the time and had other thoughts, so she came up with this sinister trick to torture her.

We can't wait any longer. Waiting any longer will only make us more passive.

She had seen the hustle and bustle in the palace these days. Although the emperor didn't say anything, she could still see some clues from his subtle expression.

"Jinxi, bring me paper and pen."

Jin Xi, who was standing by the bed, was already sleepy: "My queen, it's late at night. You still have to serve in front of the emperor tomorrow, so you should go to bed early."

Zhen Huan had countless thoughts in her mind and needed to sort them out urgently: "Can't wait, let's talk about it later, now is the quietest time."

Jin Xi cursed Concubine Qi in a low voice, turned around, took out paper and pen, turned on the light, and silently watched Zhen Huan writing and drawing.

Two days later, Zhen Huan went to Yonghe Palace under the cover of night.

Unfortunately, her whereabouts were clearly known to Cao Qinmo, who had been keeping an eye on her.

Zhen Huan stayed in Yonghe Palace for nearly an hour, while Cao Qinmo's men were quietly waiting outside Yongshou Palace.

After Zhen Huan left, Ren Dong could no longer suppress her curiosity:

"My Lady, when Concubine Wan talked about the story of darkness under the lamp, was she referring to the Yangxin Palace?"

An Lingrong smiled:

"If it's the Yangxin Palace, then we are truly blind, Honeysuckle, we have all forgotten one place."

Seeing An Lingrong's expression, which showed that she clearly knew the answer but still wanted to guess it, Ren Dong suddenly understood and shouted in surprise, "Yikun Palace!"

An Lingrong smiled and nodded: "Yes, it is the Yikun Palace. The emperor feels guilty about Imperial Noble Consort Dunsu. The palace where she lived during her lifetime is still carefully taken care of by people from the past."

Ren Dong also recalled: "I remember that because of the Imperial Concubine's incident, the Emperor punished the palace maids in Yikun Palace, but Xiao Dongzi was very lucky. Not only was she not guilty, but she was also retained in Yikun Palace for her meritorious service in reporting the incident, and was given an easy job."

As she spoke, Honeysuckle couldn't help but clap her hands: "Now that I think about it, it's such a coincidence."

An Lingrong also admired the old eunuch's good intentions. The Imperial Noble Concubine was protective of her people. She could touch the people in her palace, and no one else could bully them. In this way, if there were any changes in the palace, Xiao Dongzi would not be involved.

However, we still need to find an opportunity to verify whether it is true.

The mystery was solved, and both the master and servant breathed a sigh of relief. However, what surprised Rendong even more was why Zhen Huan knew that they were looking for someone?

As if she knew what Ren Dong was wondering, An Lingrong spoke up to clear her up:

"Concubine Wan is as smart and sharp as any man. Just as she said, she carefully recalled everything that happened in the palace over the years. It seems that there is an invisible force behind it. Coupled with the sudden death of the eunuch in the cold palace and the sudden fire, everything seems to be covering up something, so she came to me."

Ren Dong thought of the cooperation proposed by Zhen Huan: "Your Majesty, could it be that Concubine Wan wants to use this as a condition for the alliance?"

There was suddenly something else in An Lingrong's smile:

"No, what Concubine Wan wants to remind me is that what she can think of and see can also be seen by the emperor sitting on the dragon throne. She just told me that although she is not favored, she can still guess the emperor's intentions. This is her sincerity."

When the emperor was mentioned, Ren Dong was very afraid: "My queen, if the emperor knew about this, would he punish you in the future?"

Thinking of the emperor's heart, An Lingrong smiled bitterly: "I am in the game, I can only follow, but there are too many people playing chess, the chess pieces will be out of control."

Then he sighed and changed the subject: "Let's not talk about this, Honeysuckle. These past few days you have been staring at the servants, pretending that you are still looking for someone. The queen is arrogant. The more you do this, the more Xiaodongzi can save her life."

After seeing the road ahead clearly, Ren Dong rubbed his fists and waited for the next step: "When will the queen take action?"

An Lingrong only answered her with one word: "Wait."

Before the winter solstice, the Eight Buddhas, who were once famous in the capital, will die suddenly in the clan house. The emperor will then conduct a wave of investigations, and that will be the best time to attack the queen.

After a moment, he added to Ren Dong: "Also, ask Da Hu to find someone to send the person back quickly in case of emergency."

The person being talked about was Zhang Mi's grandson. Rendong understood what he meant, and after asking in detail about what to pay attention to, he began to make preparations.

In Qixiang Palace, Cao Qinmo couldn't sleep for a long time, his thoughts were constantly churning.

Two voices kept arguing in her mind. One said that if An Lingrong hadn't given her advice back then, she wouldn't have been able to gain the emperor's favor with the help of Wen Yi. Moreover, An Lingrong was really good to Wen Yi and had taught her everything she could, so she should be content.

Another said that people change. The Imperial Noble Concubine promoted her sincerely, which allowed her to have a daughter. You see, things always change with the situation. The Imperial Noble Concubine has turned into a handful of earth, and Zhen Huan has made a comeback. If Zhen Huan persuades An Lingrong to help and regain the emperor's favor, she will have to face a powerful enemy and live in fear in the future.

Another rebuttal is that no matter what kind of friendship it is, the most important thing to avoid is fickleness. The most important thing in human relationships is sincerity. Unreliable and random suspicions will only erode the affection between each other.

The other one refused to give in. You were honest with yourself, but over the past year or so, Concubine Wen has treated you much less well than before. She came later and was able to become a concubine. Are you willing to follow her forever? Besides, you only deal with Zhen Huan, what does it have to do with Concubine Wen?

Finally, Cao Qinmo was convinced by the last reason. Yes, she had no intention of harming An Lingrong. After getting rid of Zhen Huan, with Wen Yi around, it would still be time to repair the relationship with her.

However, this time she cannot do it herself. She has to learn to kill with a borrowed knife, just like she did before when she used Concubine Qi.

Driven by her profit-seeking personality, Cao Qinmo made the decision on her own without even thinking of talking to An Lingrong alone.

At the end of October, the emperor's illness finally eased a little, and the concubines in the harem were all looking forward to receiving his favor.

However, the emperor focused his attention on the princes, and became more and more concerned about their studies. He even talked about political affairs with them and asked the princes to express their opinions.

When it comes to handling state affairs, the Third Prince is on pins and needles and always makes far-fetched arguments, the Fourth Prince enjoys it and is able to please the Emperor, the Fifth Prince jumps up and down without hiding the fact that he just wants to have fun, and the ignorant Sixth Prince can only doze off while holding a cake every time.

Everyone said that the emperor never made any comments, but instead gave each of them a reward after discussing politics with them.

The ministers were unable to guess the emperor's intentions and did not dare to make any suggestions.

But the situation in the harem was different. The empress dowager was experienced and understood immediately that the emperor was using the mediocrity of the other princes to highlight the excellence of the fourth prince. He was taking the opportunity of teaching to teach the fourth prince the art of being an emperor. To the queen who came to discuss ideas, the empress dowager said only two words:

"Dormant"

The Queen did not understand the meaning of this and said anxiously, "Mother Queen, the Emperor's intentions are obvious. If he really lets the Third Prince lie dormant, with the Fourth Prince's current momentum, how could he have a chance to take over?"

The Queen Mother was actually anxious, but she was also afraid that the Emperor had other plans for this move. If the Queen acted impulsively, it would harm everyone, so she could only patiently persuade him:

"You have experienced how the late emperor valued Yunreng in the past, and how Yunsi was later recommended by the whole court. But in the end, the emperor ascended the throne, and the empress, the ups and downs of the moment are nothing. Let's wait and see the final result."

"The emperor is still angry with the Third Prince. Instead of making more mistakes, it is better to avoid the Fourth Prince's edge and calm down to plan things."

"It is right now for the Third Prince to be more considerate of his brothers and more filial to the Emperor."

The Queen refused to accept the argument:

"Empress Dowager, the situation is completely different now than it was back then. The Emperor is no longer the previous Emperor. He never hides what he does. I am worried that he already has someone in mind. It is better to take the risk again from the root."

Seeing the fierce light in the queen's eyes, the queen mother scolded sternly:

"Foolish! If the emperor chooses the Fourth Prince as a target, you will fall into his hands as soon as you make a move. Then my whole family will be in danger. To accomplish great things, one must be calm and composed. The Queen must not act rashly."

Looking at the empress dowager's stern face, the queen reluctantly agreed.

But inside the Yanqing Hall, the scene was quite different.

After Concubine Duan was promoted to a higher position, the Ministry of Internal Affairs proposed several times to choose a new palace for Concubine Xi, but Concubine Xi refused each time on the grounds that she did not like extravagance and waste. She was praised by countless people in the palace for a while.

After school today, the Fourth Prince came to the Yanqing Palace to pay his respects as usual, and Concubine Xi also taught him by example:

"The emperor loves filial piety the most. You should always remember to be friendly to your brothers and respectful to your younger brothers. In addition, the emperor is dedicated to governing the country and is very unconventional in selecting talents for the country. You need to have the same insights and courage in order to make the emperor value you more."

The Fourth Prince replied respectfully, "I will remember the teachings of the Empress Dowager. There is one more thing I would like to ask you."

Concubine Xi deliberately slowed down her voice: "You and I are mother and son, there is no need to be so unfamiliar, just speak directly."

The Fourth Prince has gotten used to everything in the palace. The only thing he is not used to is that after recognizing his mother, it will be difficult for him to see An Lingrong again because of the separation between the inside and the outside. Therefore, he can only ask Concubine Xi:

"I haven't seen Madam Wen for a long time. I would like to ask you to come to Yanqing Palace for a chat so that I can thank you in person for your care over the years."

The corner of Concubine Xi's mouth twitched. She was the one who enjoyed the benefits, and she had conflicting feelings towards the person who planted the trees. She was grateful that she had taken the risk to help the Fourth Prince, but she was also worried that as time went on, the Fourth Prince would become more emotionally dependent on An Lingrong and put her, his nominal mother, aside.

However, this was the first time that the Fourth Prince asked her for help, and Concubine Xi couldn't refuse him, so she had to agree.

Time passed quickly and it was mid-November when Cao Qinmo finally found an opportunity.