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

There were constant cheers in the Qianqing Palace.

The reason was that the Queen suggested that such joy among the royal family members would be a beautiful story, and that they should use pen and ink to record the happy events of the brothers tonight so as to pass them on to future generations.

This suggestion was very much to the emperor's liking. There had always been rumors among the people and officials that he was mean and unkind to others, especially to his former brothers.

However, the people he questioned were all those who sold out their ancestors' foundation to win people's hearts when they participated in the fight for the throne. They were also the ones who repeatedly plotted and schemed to kill him. If these people were not severely punished, it would be difficult to revive the government.

He gave the rest of his brothers high positions and important tasks.

Yet he still had such a reputation. Although he didn't say it, he couldn't help feeling resentful in his heart.

So the Emperor agreed to the Queen's suggestion after a brief thought and began to assign people:

"I heard that my twenty-first brother is very good at painting, and my seventeenth brother is also very good at this. Why don't you two brothers work together to paint, and then Prince Zhuang will write the poem, and I will write the inscription. It will be a blessing for the royal family if you and I brothers work together."

Yunxi, the 21st son of Emperor Kangxi, who had just been promoted from Beizi to Shen Beile, could not help but be delighted when he heard this. His brother Yunlu had been secretly helping the emperor in the turbulent battle for the throne in his early years, so the emperor gave him the title of Prince Zhuang as soon as he ascended the throne. However, because he was born late and was not familiar with the emperor, when it was time for him to make achievements, he had never been assigned any tasks, and he could not help but feel anxious.

Now that the emperor had specifically asked him to paint, he valued this opportunity very much. After all, if he could do one thing well, he could also do other things well. He readily accepted the order immediately.

However, Prince Guo Yunli was a little uneasy. After Zhen Huan left, he felt that everything in the palace had lost its life. Although he tried his best to restrain himself from showing his disappointment on his face, his eyes kept looking outside involuntarily.

When Yunxi happily accepted the painting task, he was still slow to react. This abnormality made the emperor look sideways:

"Seventeenth brother, have you drunk too much?"

Prince Guo hurriedly tried to make amends, "Please forgive me, my Royal Brother. I am indeed a little drunk, but I am even more creative right now. I will definitely not delay my 21st brother's brilliant writing."

The emperor clapped his hands in approval and said, "Well, in ancient times, Li Bai wrote hundreds of poems after drinking a lot of wine. Now my brother paints while tipsy. I am waiting for your masterpiece. Come on, put on your brush and ink."

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Peisheng and a group of eunuchs filed in to lay out paper, ink, paint and other utensils.

Yunxi asked carefully, "Seventeenth Brother, I will sketch the ideas, would you please fill in the colors?"

Yunli naturally had no objection to these details. He smiled generously and said, "As you wish."

After getting permission, Yunxi started writing very quickly. In a moment, he had outlined the character. With just a few strokes, the emperor's figure and face came to life on the paper.

The emperor, who was watching from the side, saw that he was indeed talented and could not help but look at him a few more times.

Yunxi couldn't suppress a smile on his face. He put down his pen and asked the emperor for instructions:

"Brother Your Majesty, I would like to let my seventeenth brother color the statue first. After your Majesty approves it, I will then sketch the faces of the other brothers."

Seeing that he was not only talented but also methodical in his work, the emperor was even more pleased with him: "He is a reliable person. I will do as you say."

Yunli immediately picked up his pen and colored it.

The royal family members gathered together and watched quietly, while the women could only sit in their seats and whisper a few words from time to time.

An Lingrong was worried. Half an hour had passed, and Zhen Huan still hadn't come back. She looked up at the Queen's side and saw only Huichun serving her. Jianqiu had left at some point.

An Lingrong found an excuse and whispered to Concubine Jing beside her: "Sister Jing, I want to change my clothes."

Concubine Jing was busy coaxing Zi Ning, so she nodded at An Lingrong indifferently.

Watching An Lingrong taking Bao Yuan away, Cao Qinmo suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone in the palace believed that she was a thoughtful and resourceful person, but in fact she just had a better understanding of human nature than others.

Just like tonight, An Lingrong and Zhen Huan were in a state of tension, thinking that she had other tricks up her sleeve.

A true hunter lets his prey fall into the trap on their own.

Cao Qinmo looked at Prince Guo who was coloring seriously and curled her lips into a smile, her smile showing her determination to win.

In Yongshou Palace, the chill slowly rose from the soles of Zhen Huan's feet.

Her purple-red Sichuan embroidered evening rosy flower dress that had been pressed at the bottom of her closet disappeared.

At first she thought it was sent to the laundry for washing.

But when I asked Liu Zhu and Jin Xi, neither of them knew about it.

After exchanging all the information with each other, the faces of the three of them suddenly became serious.

Liu Zhu was desperate and tried all kinds of methods: "These people must be careless. Your Majesty, why don't you torture them and the truth will naturally come out."

This time, Jin Xi did not blame her for giving such a stupid idea. Instead, she agreed and said, "I also think this method is feasible. If your Majesty's clothes are lost, everyone will know about it. Then the clothes will lose their value. Then, whatever the other party wants to do will be defeated without any attack."

Zhen Huan also thought it was feasible and was about to ask Liu Zhu to gather everyone and interrogate them in detail when she heard the voice of a young eunuch greeting Jian Qiu from outside the room.

Jianqiu answered perfunctorily while walking towards the bedroom and said loudly:

"Empress Wan, the Empress asked me to come here to ask for a favor. In the Qianqing Palace, the princes are writing poems and painting for the Emperor. Your Majesty would like to offer a token of her appreciation to the Emperor as well."

Zhen Huan's heart sank. It came so coincidentally, it seemed like it was done on purpose.

Jin Xi patted her arm lightly, indicating that she should remain calm.

As he was speaking, Jianqiu came in through the curtains, saluted with a smile on his face and said:

"In the Empress's study, there is a carefully copied copy of the Tao Te Ching, with only a few lines left to complete. The Empress said that Concubine Wan has been studying hard since she was young, and her handwriting of small regular script is beautiful and agile. I want to ask Concubine Wan to continue the last few lines. It would be good if the two of them could work together to make the Emperor smile a little."

Jianqiu's etiquette was impeccable and she smiled as she spoke, but her actions were firm. After she finished speaking, she stepped forward, supported Zhen Huan and prepared to walk out.

Jinxi quickly stepped aside to stop him:

"Aunt, my queen hasn't changed her clothes yet. It would be disrespectful to go there now."

Jianqiu then pretended to understand: "It was my impatience, but Lady Wanfei has been back for a long time, why didn't you change her clothes for such a long time?"

This time it was Zhen Huan who spoke up. She didn't try to hide the truth and directly said about the missing clothes: "Don't blame them. The clothes I wanted to wear disappeared for no reason. I'm looking for them here."

As Zhen Huan spoke, she looked at Jianqiu carefully, trying to find some clues from her.

However, Jianqiu was not at all flustered, and still replied with a smile:

"When the Empress was in charge of the harem, the palace rules were always strict. It has only been a short time and such a mistake has occurred. Please don't be upset, Empress Wan Fei. I will report back to you and give you an explanation, and correct the lax atmosphere in the harem."

As he spoke, he glanced at the bed and picked out a Manchu dress for Zhen Huan to change into from among the pile of clothes:

"My Lady Wan Fei, I think that purple dress with magpies on branches is a good omen tonight. Why don't you try it on?"

Although it was a discussion, his attitude was unquestionable. He directly walked past Zhen Huan, picked up the clothes, held it in front of her and kept gesturing.

Zhen Huan's face suddenly darkened. Jianqiu's relentless attitude seemed fishy no matter how she looked at it.

Everyone was in the Qianqing Palace, but the Queen asked her to go to the Jingren Palace. Who knew what traps were waiting there?

I can't go, but I have to find a reason to send Jianqiu away first, Zhen Huan thought to herself, but she told Jinxi:

"I think Jianqiu's suggestion is good, so I'll wear this one."

Seeing Zhen Huan agreed, Jianqiu smiled even more: "Then I will help you change your clothes."

Zhen Huan hurriedly stopped her, "You can't do that. You are the head aunt of Jingren Palace, and the maid of the Empress's dowry. If I order you around, it would be disrespectful to the Empress. Jinxi, help me change my clothes, Liuzhu, pour a cup of tea for Jianqiu, I will be back in a moment."

As she said this, she pretended to change her clothes. Seeing that Zhen Huan cooperated, Jianqiu stopped pestering her and obediently followed Liuzhu to the outer room to wait.

After seeing Jianqiu turn around, Zhen Huan lowered her voice and asked, "Jinxi, what should we do now?"

Jinxi also saw Jianqiu's ill intentions: "My queen, please hold Jianqiu back. She must not go to Jingren Palace. I will try to ask Concubine Wen to come. With her as a witness, I think the other party will be more cautious in their actions."

Zhen Huan shook her head: "It's too late. She came with the Queen's order. Even if we know that she has bad intentions, we can't openly disobey her order."

"But, Madam, tonight, first Concubine Shen deliberately did something bad, then her dress was lost, and then Jianqiu kept pressing her. I'm afraid this matter will never end."

Zhen Huan's eyes were filled with helplessness: "All these actions are to make me leave, but if I don't move, what can they do to me?"

Jinxi understood what she meant: "Your Majesty wants to use stillness to overcome obstacles, but I'm afraid Jianqiu can't wait too long."

Zhen Huan didn't say anything else, but just turned around and smiled at Jin Xi, then kicked over the round stool next to the table while she wasn't paying attention. The moment the stool hit her instep, she screamed twice.

Jinxi suddenly realized that Zhen Huan had used a self-torture trick on her. She suppressed her heartache and before Jianqiu rushed in, she kneeled on the ground and begged for mercy:

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I didn't mean to do that. I just bumped into the stool without noticing. Please forgive me."

When Jianqiu and Liuzhu ran in, they saw Zhen Huan fell to the ground, holding her foot and crying out in pain, while Jinxi kept kowtowing beside her. Liuzhu immediately ran to Zhen Huan and tried to help her up.

Jianqiu was so anxious that she shouted:

"What's wrong with Concubine Wan?"

Zhen Huan looked pale, and she glanced at Liu Zhu to signal her not to move, then said in pain, "Jian Qiu, please help me up, I hurt my foot."

Jianqiu did not move immediately, but squatted on the ground. She saw that Zhen Huan's snow-white instep was bruised and slightly swollen. It looked like she could not walk. She was so angry that she said:

"How could your majesty be so careless? The Queen is still waiting for you."

Zhen Huan became more and more reserved: "I am too incompetent and have failed the Majesty's kindness tonight. I hope Jianqiu can help me get back on track."

As he said this, he stuffed the agate bracelet in his hand into Jianqiu's hand.

Despite this, Jianqiu's unwillingness was clearly revealed:

"I am a lowly servant, so I can only report the truth to the Empress. Empress Wan, please ask the imperial physician to take a look. After all, it takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone, so don't let the root of the disease develop."

After saying this, he reluctantly helped Zhen Huan up together with Liu Zhu, then glared at Jin Xi who was still begging for mercy, and quickly left Yongshou Palace.

Seeing the person leave, Jinxi held back her tears and said, "My queen, I will go find the imperial physician right away."

Unexpectedly, Zhen Huan disagreed: "Jingxi, what happened tonight was mixed up, and I am really worried. After thinking about it, I decided to go back to the Qianqing Palace. After all, the whole palace is having a banquet, and it would be inappropriate to leave me alone."

Jingxi and Liuzhu felt sorry for Zhen Huan's foot injury, so they thought it might be safer to persuade her to stay.

Zhen Huan said stubbornly, "It's a foggy night. I won't be at peace until I figure out the other party's intentions. Stop talking and have someone prepare the sedan chair."

The two of them couldn't persuade her and had to agree.

Besides, as for An Lingrong, after she came out of the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, she looked around the east and west warm rooms, and even checked the hall at the end of the back eaves, but found nothing unusual.

Just as she was about to leave the Qianqing Palace and go directly to the Yongshou Palace, she was stopped by the Fourth Prince after taking a few steps. The Fourth Prince was accompanied by the eldest princess and Wen Yi.

The Fourth Prince looked at An Lingrong, who was surprised, and took the initiative to explain:

"Your son wishes you good health, Madam Wen. I haven't seen you for a long time. Just now, when I was watching the stars with my sisters, I made a wish to see you. Now it seems that my wish has come true."

"How is Madam Wen these days?"

An Lingrong finally came back to her senses and said gently, "Thank you, Fourth Prince, for your concern. I am fine. It is cold and dewy at night. You may want to take the princesses back to the palace first to avoid catching a cold."

The Fourth Prince's face was blank for a moment, but he immediately smiled again:

"When I came out, I put more clothes on my sisters. If you don't believe me, Madam Wen, you can feel them and see if they have caught a cold."

Before An Lingrong could say anything, the always lively Wen Yi ran over and grabbed An Lingrong's hand:

"Madam Wen, don't worry. Fourth Brother is very good at taking care of people. Do you see that my hands are warm?"

Wen Yi was holding An Lingrong's hand and acting coquettishly, the eldest princess was watching her gently beside her, and the fourth prince had a burning gaze.

He really wanted to hear An Lingrong care about him, encourage him, and affirm him again, but ever since he recognized his mother, An Lingrong had been deliberately avoiding him.

He knew that An Lingrong did this to prevent his adoptive mother from thinking too much, but emotionally he was more dependent on An Lingrong.

In order to meet her alone tonight, he had spent a lot of effort to lure his two sisters out, and then waited outside for a long time to create a scene of accidental meeting, with the purpose of not putting An Lingrong in a difficult position.

His expectant eyes were fixed on An Lingrong the entire time. An Lingrong couldn't bear it and could only lower her voice and say:

"Indeed, the Fourth Prince is a really good brother."

With just one sentence of praise, the Fourth Prince's eyes lit up, and Wen Yi was even more proud:

"Madam Wen, Fourth Brother is not only meticulous, but also the best at studying in the academy."

An Lingrong continued gently, "If you don't understand something in school, you must ask the Fourth Prince for advice."

As he spoke, he was also thinking about how to extricate himself.

But the opportunity was not right for her. Before she could say that she wanted to change her clothes, Xiao Xia Zi came out to tell the emperor that everyone should go in and admire the colored portrait together.