An Lingrong's Rebirth: Red

The Emperor finally gave in to Concubine Hua and did not let Zhen Huan in. Instead, he went to Yikun Palace with Concubine Hua to taste the dishes she had prepared personally.

But halfway through the meal, Concubine Hua suddenly said that she felt the meal was a bit bland, and she would rather ask Concubine Zhen to come over and dance to liven up the meal.

"Let's just have a good meal together. Singing and dancing will only get in the way."

Hua Fei coquettishly grabbed the emperor's hand, and looked at him with pitiful and lovable eyes, "Your Majesty, please call Zhen Changzai. She wants to see you today for something. She can meet you under the pretext of dancing to liven up the atmosphere."

"I can go see Concubine Zhen later, you don't have to worry."

Hua Fei pushed the emperor's hand away and served him food with a sullen look on her face. "After all, Zhen Changzai is the best among the newcomers. The emperor loves her so much that he is reluctant to let her come to my Yikun Palace. Are you afraid that I will bully her?"

The emperor knew Hua Fei's personality very well. She was obedient to him, but very harsh to other concubines.

She said she wanted to ask Zhen Changzai to come over and talk, but what she really wanted was to ask her to dance. This Concubine Hua became more and more petty.

Zhen Changzai's talent and appearance were very similar to Empress Chunyuan, so it was fine for her to listen to her playing the flute and dancing on weekdays. But if she was called over to perform in private for the concubines, it would be a bit of an insult to Chunyuan.

However, Zhen Huan's ambition is growing. She is not satisfied with her position as a concubine and keeps testing her with words. She should be warned off so that she can stop thinking about things she shouldn't be thinking.

The emperor hesitated for only a moment before he agreed with Concubine Hua's idea. He patted Concubine Hua's hand with a look of both doting and helplessness on his face.

"Never mind. It's up to you."

Concubine Hua glanced at the emperor coquettishly, and the smile on her lips could hardly be suppressed.

"Zhou Ninghai, go to Yongshou Palace in person and ask Zhen Changzai to come to Yikun Palace.

Be respectful when you go, and don't say the wrong thing and displease Concubine Zhen."

Zhou Ninghai naturally knew what Concubine Hua meant. He bowed slightly and walked out the door in a hurry.

Yikun Palace is close to Yongshou Palace, so Zhou Ninghai soon invited Zhen Changzai to come over.

"I pay my respects to His Majesty and His Majesty the Concubine Hua." Zhen Huan was wearing a light blue orchid-colored Qi dress, and she looked particularly fresh and simple.

The emperor hummed and called out, "What is the matter with you going to the Yangxin Palace today?"

"I have embroidered a new nightgown for His Majesty, suitable for autumn wear, and sent it to the Yangxin Palace."

Zhen Huan smiled and sat down, "It's just that Concubine Hua is here, and she seems to have something important to discuss with the Emperor, so I handed the nightgown to Eunuch Su."

"The pajamas you embroidered before are very good. I am very comfortable wearing them."

"Then I will make a few more for Your Majesty so that he can change and wear them conveniently." Zhen Huan sat down leisurely with a submissive attitude, not forgetting to nod and smile at Concubine Hua.

Concubine Hua could no longer bear to listen to it, and she deliberately did not ask Zhou Ninghai to tell Zhen Huan that she came here to perform a dance, just to let her see that no matter how favored she was, in the eyes of the emperor, she was just a dancer who could be summoned at any time.

"Mrs. Zhen really put in a lot of thought. Now, the pajamas made by other sisters will just be left there in vain."

In her early years, Concubine Hua had embroidered nightgown for the emperor, but she was not very good at needlework after all, so she gradually just picked the materials and asked her subordinates to make them.

It is just like preparing dishes. It is just a matter of giving orders for the emperor's favorite dishes and making sure that they are the best and freshest ingredients.

"The nightgown is made for the emperor. The emperor will wear whichever one he likes," Zhen Huan said slowly. She looked at Concubine Hua without any fear. "Concubine Hua made it herself. The emperor must like it very much."

Zhen Huan emphasized the word "personally", and to Concubine Hua's ears, it sounded like she was mocking her for not being attentive enough to the Emperor.

The emperor also turned his head to look at Concubine Hua, his face expressionless and no one knew what he was thinking.

Even if those pajamas were not made by hand, Concubine Hua could not admit it at this time, "When the emperor was in the palace, he loved to wear the pajamas made by me.

But once I pricked my finger while embroidering, and the Emperor forbade me to do needlework anymore."

Hua Fei held the emperor's hand, her heart and eyes full of tenderness, "Nightwear can only warm the outside, I now prefer to use food to warm your inside.

A healthy body is more important than anything else, don’t you agree, Your Majesty?”

"Yes," the emperor held Hua Fei's hand and patted it in a friendly manner in front of Zhen Huan, "Thank you for your concern. Now my body is getting stronger and stronger. I think it's all thanks to you."

Zhen Huan nodded repeatedly on the side, and pretended not to see the eye contact between Concubine Hua and the Emperor.

Concubine Hua and the Emperor were enjoying the delicious food, but Zhen Huan could only sit beside them. Neither Concubine Hua nor the Emperor asked for another pair of bowls and chopsticks for her.

Concubine Hua is now worried about Nian Xi's affairs, so she has no intention of being intimate with the Emperor.

After eating for a long while, there was no trace of strange color on Zhen Huan's face.

But it was strange that Zhen Huan did not say goodbye and leave.

"When I think back to the dance performed by Concubine Zhen, I still remember it fondly. Today is a good day, why don't we dance together?"

Being asked to dance like a dancer, the indifferent expression on Zhen Huan's face finally changed.

Her pair of clear autumn eyes drifted towards the emperor, as if asking, is this also what the emperor meant?

But the emperor was only focused on drinking his soup and didn't even glance at Zhen Huan.

"Your Majesty, Concubine Hua," Zhen Huan did not get a response from the Emperor, so she had to stand up and salute immediately, "Since that day, I have rarely danced, for fear of polluting the eyes of His Majesty and Concubine Hua."

"Just dance as your heart desires, Concubine Zhen. The Emperor and I are both understanding people, so we will never blame you."

Concubine Hua was determined to ask Zhen Huan to dance, and no matter what excuses Zhen Huan made, she would find a way to veto them.

You, Zhen Huan, have to dance this dance.

Who told you to take away my favor and flirt with the emperor day and night?

Today he went even further, knowing that I was accompanying the Emperor in the Yangxin Palace, he still came close to me.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, actually...I have been feeling a little unwell these past few days.

After examining me, Imperial Doctor Wen told me to rest.

With my body, I really can’t dance.”

"It's so serious," Concubine Hua picked up some food for the emperor and waved to Songzhi nonchalantly, "Go to the Imperial Hospital and ask Imperial Doctor Jiang and Imperial Doctor Wen to come over. Concubine Zhen has such a serious problem with her health, we need to take a good look at it."

Songzhi did not delay and immediately planned to go out to find the imperial physician.

"I just called the imperial physician today. Your Majesty, there is no need to trouble Miss Songzhi to make another trip."

"That's not a problem," the emperor suddenly said. He looked at Zhen Huan's face carefully, "and call Dr. Zhou to take a good look at Concubine Zhen."

I thought it was just Concubine Hua who wanted to call the imperial physician, but I didn't expect that even the emperor would speak up.

Although I know that the emperor is worried about his health, if Imperial Physician Zhou really finds that there is nothing wrong with my body, wouldn't that make the emperor suspicious of me?

Thinking of this, Zhen Huan sighed softly, with tears in her eyes, and looked at the emperor so tenderly.

"Since Her Majesty Hua wants to see it, I will dance a song." Zhen Huan stood up and bowed slightly, as if she was forced to dance because of the threat from Her Majesty Hua.

This made the emperor sit on his chair in hesitation. Then he wanted to ask her to dance to dampen her spirit.

After a while, I wanted to tell her to stop dancing and tell her to stay healthy.

But soon, this bit of tenderness disappeared completely.

The emperor suddenly remembered that Zhen Huan was a woman who liked to use her beauty and talent to get entangled with others, and was not worth caring about at all.

The Emperor did not say anything to stop her, and Concubine Hua was so aggressive that Zhen Huan could only dance in front of everyone.

But this time, the dance she performed was no longer the stunning dance for the person she loved, but the Green Waist Dance.

Zhen Huan's waist was flexible and her dancing was graceful, and she did not look unwell at all.

Every glance she gave was directed towards the Emperor, as if Concubine Hua was just a foil.

The Emperor's eyes were always following Zhen Huan, and he was distracted from time to time because he thought of Chun Yuan. He even didn't eat the dishes that Concubine Hua brought him.

Concubine Hua never thought that under such circumstances, Zhen Huan could still win the emperor's heart.

It's just a dance with twisting waist and hips. I guess she relied on these to attract the emperor's attention when she was serving him in bed.

The more Concubine Hua thought about it, the angrier she became. She put the cup down heavily, which scared Zhen Huan. When she bent down, she lost her balance and was about to fall to the ground.

The emperor reacted quickly. He stepped forward and caught Zhen Huan. The two looked at each other affectionately for a long time. Only then did Zhen Huan break free from the emperor's arms, squat down, and apologize.

"I almost disturbed the emperor's carriage, and I beg the emperor to punish me."

"It's okay," the emperor naturally didn't mind these little things, "You are not in good health, and dancing this song is already a stretch, how can I punish you."

"Yes, the emperor is the most generous to the sisters in the harem." Hua Fei forced a smile and poured a cup of tea for the emperor. "Your Majesty, you must be tired after watching the dance for so long. Have a cup of chrysanthemum tea to moisten your throat."

Zhen Huan stopped dancing at this time and stood aside obediently with her head down.

Concubine Hua didn't want to continue watching her seducing the emperor, so she sent Zhen Huan back with an unhappy look on her face.

Zhen Huan remained calm. She didn't say a word and obediently prepared to leave.

But when she reached the door, she seemed to sense something and slowly turned her head to look at the emperor.

It was not until Concubine Hua urged her impatiently again that she lowered her eyes slightly and left Yikun Palace with Liu Zhu.

"My lady, how can the Concubine Hua be so arrogant as to ask you to dance for her?"

Liu Zhu couldn't bear to see Zhen Huan being wronged. As soon as she stepped into Yongshou Palace, she couldn't help but speak up to defend Zhen Huan.

"How can you have such a vicious mind? It's really too much."

"Liu Zhu!" Zhen Huan stopped Liu Zhu in a stern voice. She looked around and lowered her voice to scold, "Walls have ears. How dare you and I make up stories about Concubine Hua?"

"But... even the Queen has never humiliated you like this."

Zhen Huan suddenly remembered that she used to comb the Queen's hair and put flowers in her hair every day. If the Queen had not been bitten by a poisonous snake suddenly, she really didn't know how she would be driven.

She let out a long sigh, feeling sad that the methods of bullying people in the harem were all the same.

He makes a fuss about trivial matters and has no tolerance for others at all.

"They are just small matters. They can't hurt me." Zhen Huan comforted Liu Zhu instead. "The prescription given by Concubine Hui has been improved by Imperial Doctor Wen. You can go get the medicine in the next few days."

"Yes, my lady." Liu Zhu supported Zhen Huan, and finally had some expectation on her face, "When my lady is pregnant with the heir, the position of concubine will be in your pocket sooner or later."

"You're quite talkative," Zhen Huan couldn't help but feel relieved. She touched her belly and said, "Some people, relying on their family power, can be favored even without having children.

It can be seen that although offspring are important, they are ultimately not as important as a strong maternal family.

Now that my father is on the same side as the emperor, I have something to look forward to in the days ahead."

"My young master, didn't you always say that family background and power are external things? How come today..."

“Because if you want to survive in this palace, you must have power and family background.

Look at Concubine Tian. Even though she doesn't have much brains, the Empress still relies on her very much, and the Emperor visits her from time to time.

Isn't it because she is from the Fucha family? If she had the same family background as Noble Lady An, she would have been rejected long ago."

Liu Zhu seemed to understand but not quite, but she believed that what her mistress said must be right.

"Where's Huanbi? I haven't seen her much these days."

"It may rain in the next few days. Huanbi has severe back pain." Liu Zhu did not dare to mention Huanbi cursing Shen Meizhuang day and night. She could only remind Zhen Huan implicitly, "My lady, Huanbi is like this. I'm afraid she will be inwardly dissatisfied with Concubine Hui..."

"She was a trouble-making person, and she only learned to restrain herself after being punished.

If it weren't for Concubine Hui's plea, she wouldn't be alive now."

Zhen Huan rarely spoke so harshly. After all, Huanbi was her sister. She felt sorry for her sister for having such a serious hidden illness, so she would be particularly angry whenever this matter was mentioned.

Even though Shen Meizhuang was the victim in this matter, sometimes she couldn't suppress her inner thoughts and secretly blamed her.

"Little Master..."

"Ask Imperial Doctor Wen to prescribe some more medicine for her to see if it can help." Zhen Huan hesitated for a while, and finally softened her tone, "Tell her that if she can't change her arrogant nature, I will ask the Emperor to send her back home."

Although Zhen Huan has a gentle personality, she always keeps her word. Although Liu Zhu wants to say a few good words for Huanbi, it is of no avail.

If she wants to be forgiven by the young lady, she will probably have to plead for mercy herself.

On the other side, Lingrong had just taken the pregnancy-preserving medicine when Concubine Tian came over with Sang'er.

He Anming was still standing aside and hadn't left when he ran into his real master.

Concubine Tian just glanced at He Anming casually, and didn't seem surprised why he appeared in Chengqian Palace.

"I've found some clues about what you asked someone to tell me before.

The Imperial Observatory is in chaos, and I don’t know how many people have tried to bribe it.”

Concubine Tian was used to giving orders, so she just waved her hand and wanted to drive out all the palace servants.

Zhaoshui remained motionless until Lingrong nodded, then she and Sang'er withdrew.

"Your Excellency has come to the wrong person. You should go to Your Excellency Hui."