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

Jingren Palace fell into ruin.

No one has cleaned and maintained it for more than two years. The corridors of the east and west wing rooms are covered with cobwebs and there is a thick layer of dust on the ground.

The dust was covered with a series of messy and long footprints, as if someone had been running here in an unordered manner.

The fruits and flowers that once bloomed in the palace all year round have now dried up to the point where their colors can no longer be seen, and there are even worm holes on the colorful brocade curtains.

Looking around, it seems dead.

The only place with a bit of bright light was the bedroom, and it was obvious that the queen was trying her best to maintain her last bit of dignity.

When she heard the footsteps, the queen, who was dressed in her best clothes, suddenly brightened up her gloomy eyes. She half leaned on the bed, looking forward to the arrival of someone.

When she saw An Lingrong slowly walking in, the Queen's eyes were filled with deep disappointment, and then anger. She roared in a hoarse voice and asked:

"why you?"

An Lingrong calmly looked at the queen, whose face had turned hideous due to her loss of control, and replied lightly:

"The emperor was busy with state affairs and had no time to spare, so he asked me to come visit the queen."

The Queen found it hard to accept this excuse. The veins on both sides of her withered temples bulged, and her bloodshot eyes stared at An Lingrong, her voice full of resentment:

"Without a vixen like you instigating, how could the emperor have gradually become alienated from me?"

Seeing that the Queen was on the verge of death and still couldn't let go of her old grudges, An Lingrong remained as calm as a bystander and spoke calmly:

"Your Highness, you have brought this upon yourself, and you cannot blame anyone else for it."

The queen sneered as if she heard a joke. The laughter was sharp and piercing. She choked on the wind and started coughing heart-wrenchingly. Every time she coughed, the long oriental pearl pendant swung in front of her chest and hit her skinny body.

An Lingrong just watched coldly, and Xiao Xia Zi, who had been silent behind her, was also as quiet as an invisible person.

After a long while, the queen finally recovered and said sarcastically:

"I am now in a state of decline, so I will let you say whatever you want. I have done everything to protect myself. Who in this palace doesn't hurt others? An, do you dare to say that you are innocent?"

Seeing that she was stubborn until her death, An Lingrong felt that there was no need to stay any longer. She glanced at the charcoal stove at the end of the queen's bed, then slowly bent down and gave the queen a final salute:

"I have already visited the Majesty. I will report the truth to the Emperor. Take care, Majesty. I will take my leave now."

The Queen sat on the bed in shock. She thought An Lingrong came here to mock and humiliate her, but An Lingrong was calm and restrained from beginning to end, without saying anything extreme, as if she really just came to see her.

Seeing An Lingrong turning around, the Queen panicked.

She was trapped in Jingren Palace. The eunuch who delivered her meals was a mute. She wanted to ask the imperial physician to send a message to the emperor through her illness, but the imperial physicians seemed to have received instructions and were only responsible for taking her pulse and prescribing medicine. They did not dare to agree to her request. She lived in loneliness and desolation for more than two years. When she saw An Lingrong's back disappearing at the door of the palace, she was anxious to get up from the bed, but she fell back on the pillow because she was too weak. She had to shout at the top of her voice:

"Ms. An, come back, I have something to say."

Hearing the Queen's broken voice, An Lingrong paused, but considering Xiao Xia Zi beside her, she did nothing and just kept walking forward.

Anyway, she has already taken revenge and will give him a taste of his own medicine.

As early as when she was in Ganlu Temple, An Lingrong had found out that the daily rations in the Queen's palace had not stopped, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs continued to supply ice in summer and charcoal in winter.

Her diet was prepared by a special person appointed by the emperor.

Even the empress had to be treated by Dr. Song from the Imperial Medical Bureau.

So the only places to start are ice and charcoal.

Ice is easy to melt but difficult to preserve. Only charcoal fire is indispensable in the Forbidden City, which is as cold as an ice cellar in winter.

So in the last days in Ganlu Temple, An Lingrong personally made a batch of red charcoal for the queen, mixed with colorless and odorless heartbreak grass.

When he returned to the palace, he brought it in openly.

Then, such a small thing as replacing one thing with another was easy for Jindong.

There were no palace servants to serve the queen in her palace, so she had to do all the daily affairs by herself. It was the queen who lit the charcoal mixed with poison with her own hands.

A little bit every day, it accumulates into a lot. At first, you just feel tired occasionally, accompanied by dizziness, then you often have headaches and fevers, irritability, difficulty sleeping on a daily basis, and finally you have unknown pains in your body, breathing becomes difficult, and finally you die of heart failure.

These symptoms are very similar to those at the end of a headache.

An Lingrong wanted the Queen to watch her walk towards death step by step without her realizing it, just like how she had planned step by step to lure An Lingrong towards the abyss from which there was no turning back.

The unforgettable hatred of two lifetimes was finally avenged, but An Lingrong did not feel any sense of relief, but only sadness.

She didn't want to stay in this man-eating palace for even a day longer.

The Queen’s screams at the top of her lungs still echoed in Jingren Palace: “I have not lost. I am still the Queen of the Qing Dynasty…”

An Lingrong had already gone far away.

After returning to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, An Lingrong reported her assignment truthfully, and everything was left to the Emperor to decide.

After An Lingrong left, the emperor kept Xiao Xia Zi and asked her a few questions alone.

Xiao Xiazi didn't dare to hide anything and recounted the conversation between the two word for word.

After hearing this, the emperor said meaningfully: "It's hard for her, please go down."

That night, when the mute eunuch entered Jingren Palace again to deliver food, he found the queen lying on the bed, already cold.

The day the Queen passed away was her 52nd birthday. When the Emperor learned about it, he was overwhelmed with grief and blamed himself endlessly.

All the nobles in the court also looked on in mourning, and the concubines behaved as if they were mourning a great loss at the queen's funeral.

The Queen's funeral was held in a grand and solemn manner, truly achieving the honor and dignity that the Queen had sought all her life.

But this honor is for the world to see.

In early July, the emperor could not stand the scorching heat and took everyone to the Yuanmingyuan to escape the heat.

Since the Queen's death, An Lingrong keenly discovered that the Emperor seemed to have an extra layer of trust in her, and his words and actions became more and more easy-going. Even the way he addressed her was no longer the cold "Concubine Wen", but the original "Rong'er".

An Lingrong understood that it was because of her performance in seeing the Queen off for the last time that the Emperor completely dispelled his suspicions from that year.

Now, she can plan to leave the palace with peace of mind.

But until the end of the year, she didn't find any opportunity.

However, the emperor suddenly issued an edict to confer titles on three princes.

The fourth prince Hongli was named Prince Bao, the fifth prince Hongzhou was named Prince He, and the twenty-fourth son of the previous emperor, Yunmi, was named Prince Zhen.

As soon as the decree was issued, some people smelled something in it. Prince Zhen was made a prince because he was raised in the palace since he was young and was loved by the emperor.

It was very significant that the two adult princes were conferred the title of prince at this time.

The emperor will be sixty years old in a few years. With the current number of concubines in his harem, even if he is lucky enough to have another son, he will not be able to compete with the two princes who are gradually forming their own forces.

No, it should be said that the newly-appointed Prince Heqin was a man of a bizarre and unruly personality. He did not like reading, did not care about political affairs, and just liked to hang out with Taoist priests and monks.

Such people have no regard for their country and the world in their hearts and only want to live a carefree life. They are simply not capable of taking the throne.

But Prince Bao was different. When he was observing politics in the six ministries, he always put the court first in everything. He was young and in a high position, so he should have been the most arrogant, but he was extremely meticulous and prudent, and treated everyone with courtesy and respect. The six ministries all praised him.

As expected, he was the emperor's chosen heir to the throne and the candidate for crown prince that all the ministers were satisfied with.

Whether they were Manchu nobles or Han officials, when they met Prince Bao in private again, they were even more respectful to him.

These little actions did not escape the emperor's eyes, but he did not say a word. Instead, he assigned Prince Bao more government affairs.

In the harem, with the employment of Prince Bao, Concubine Xi's life became even more honorable.

Everyone in the harem now follows her lead. They gather in her Yanqing Palace every day and flatter her in various ways.

Even Cao Qinmo, who had been marginalized by the emperor, shamelessly went to Yanqing Palace every day, at least to gain face in front of Concubine Xi.

An Lingrong was even busier. In the morning, she went to Concubine Xi and was extremely respectful to everyone else. In the afternoon, she went to the western warm room of the Yangxin Palace to accompany the emperor.

In addition to her daily routine of grinding ink and carrying water, she would often try out newly refined elixirs for the emperor.

Pills contain fire poison and long-term use will harm your body.

But An Lingrong did not intend to persuade the emperor, because the last person who persuaded the emperor, Song Yuanpan, had been dismissed from his post and returned home to retire.

Besides, An Lingrong secretly took the emperor's pulse. Even if the emperor refused to take the elixir, five more years would be his limit.

Taking elixirs will accelerate the burning of the emperor's lifespan, but the emperor doesn't care. He likes the infinite happiness and abundant energy that the elixirs bring. If others say anything, it will only cause annoyance.

An Lingrong could only think that being an emperor was too hard and it was pretty good for him to be like this.

Anyway, she was extremely tired of this palace, and it would be best if she could be freed as soon as possible.

When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, An Lingrong would instruct Rendong to give her acupuncture, and then secretly drink a dose of medicine to eliminate erysipelas. She had no intention of ascending to heaven with the emperor.

The days passed like this, and outsiders saw that the emperor could not leave her for a while, so naturally some gossip spread.

It's nothing more than that she seduces the king or something like that.

Gradually, the rumors spread, suggesting that she was a sinister concubine who brought disaster to the country, as if all the things she had done in the past that benefited the country and the people had never happened.

When these words reached the ears of the emperor, he was once again furious. It was difficult to be a king and he was just trying to vent his anger occasionally. Why did everyone treat him like a king who had lost his country?

Under the emperor's suppression, the rumor disappeared without a trace.

In the summer of the twelfth year of Yongzheng's reign, An Lingrong accompanied the emperor in the Old Summer Palace all day.

On this day, the emperor had been tired for days, so he took a few more pills to relieve his fatigue. Unexpectedly, the medicine was too strong, and the emperor became abnormally excited and even had vague hallucinations.

Listening to An Lingrong's voice, which sounded 80% like that of Empress Chunyuan, he thought for a moment that it was an old friend beside him. He held An Lingrong's hand and said many affectionate words to her.

Before he lost consciousness, he still remembered the promise he made to Queen Chunyuan, and said shocking words in a delirious state:

"I have never forgotten your kindness. I said I would make you the queen, so that you and I can enjoy eternal honor together. I will issue an order now..."

Having said this, he fell into a complete sleep.

An Lingrong didn't take the nonsense seriously and helped the emperor go to sleep.

But for some reason, these words reached the ears of Concubine Xi.

After everyone left that day, Concubine Xi kept An Lingrong alone, took her hand in a warm tone, and said eagerly: "My dear sister, I want to congratulate you."

An Lingrong didn't react for a moment, and looked confused: "Sister Xi, what good news do I have?"

Imperial Concubine Xi's eyes were burning, and her tone was still very affectionate:

"I heard that the emperor intends to make you the queen. This is great. We sisters can always stand side by side."

An Lingrong's hair stood on end instantly. There were Concubine Xi's people in the Emperor's Qinzheng Palace, and the Emperor's mumbling that day was taken out of context and spread out.

Concubine Xi's eyes were so hot that they could melt people, but An Lingrong felt a chill to the bone.

She no longer believed in herself, she was testing herself.

No! She has already put herself on the defensive list.

Why? An Lingrong felt a pang of pain in her heart. She knew that Concubine Xi was no longer the Concubine Duan she once was, so she was restrained and respectful in everything she did.

She only hoped that when the Fourth Prince ascended the throne, she could rely on her past merits and relationships to ask for an imperial decree allowing her to leave the palace in a legitimate manner.

She had vaguely revealed this wish to Concubine Xi, so why didn't she believe it?

Did she think she really wanted to be the queen, the queen mother or the empress dowager, which sounded like the most glorious thing?

Yes, this is the only reason. Like the former queen, she cannot tolerate the decentralization of power.

Thinking about the key reasons, An Lingrong felt as if her heart was being cut by a sharp knife. The peak they were chasing after was the nightmare that An Lingrong could not avoid.

She thought she had chosen the right person, but no matter who she chose, once she was stained with the poison of power, how many people could see through it?

Seeing that she was frowning and silent, Concubine Xi continued to talk nonsense:

"Sister Wen, are you overwhelmed by this huge surprise? Not to mention you, even I can't help but feel happy for you."

An Lingrong came to her senses immediately. It was not the right time to break up with her yet. She could only pretend to be polite. She immediately knelt down and pleaded with a look of trepidation:

"Xi Guifei Rong Bing, the emperor mistook me for Empress Chunyuan that day and forgot about love for a moment, so he said that."

"I am of humble origin, the daughter of a county magistrate. It was thanks to Concubine Xi's care that I was able to gain a foothold in the palace. I cannot forget Concubine Xi's support and kindness in bringing me to where I am today. I would never dare to dream of anything else."

"Besides, I am a woman of the Han Army Banner. Since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, there has never been a woman of the Han Army Banner as the empress. Concubine Xi's family has outstanding military achievements, and the Niuhulu clan is also a pillar of the court. Although the people in the harem have not said it explicitly, all the sisters respect you, and so do I. I hope you will understand."

Her humbleness and modesty worked wonders for the increasingly arrogant people. After An Lingrong had expressed her feelings, Concubine Xi smiled humbly and helped An Lingrong up from the ground:

"You and I are sisters, why do we need to say this? I know what's in your heart. I was just joking with you today. You look so scared. Hurry up and get up."

An Lingrong stood up from the ground with tears of gratitude and said many words of gratitude before leaving Concubine Xi.

When they reached a deserted place, An Lingrong said to Ren Dong with a gloomy face:

"Please find a way to go out and bring me something."

For some things, if others don't want to give them, she will just go and get them herself.