An Lingrong's Rebirth: Red

It was not until the Queen mentioned her position as a concubine that Ling Rong suddenly remembered that Concubine Qi was demoted to Li Changzai, Concubine Hua was mentally retarded and could not speak, Concubine Xu was confined by the Queen before she was even promoted to a concubine, and Concubine Jing was promoted to a noble concubine.

I was the only one left among the four concubines. No wonder the queen set her sights on me so easily.

Lingrong knew that the Queen wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to find someone to frame her, so she refused the Queen's request on the grounds that she had never been involved in palace affairs and could not organize such a large banquet.

"You are the only concubine in the harem now, and you must take responsibility." The Queen Mother did not give Lingrong a chance to refuse. She glanced at the others and finally landed on Lingrong's face, "Although Concubine Tian is capable, she is pregnant and is not suitable for such hard work.

You have a high enough position and a flexible mind, so it is only a matter of time before you are involved in the affairs of the Six Palaces, so don't refuse."

"Your Majesty, you know the situation at my home. I really have no experience with banquets like this."

Ling Rong now spoke more casually about her family background. After all, this excuse was indeed useful. "But since the Queen has entrusted you with such an important task, it is not easy for me to refuse it again and again.

But I am pregnant now, and I am unable to handle many things. In addition, the imperial physician has repeatedly told me not to think too much, so I am afraid I cannot take on this important responsibility at this banquet."

"It's good that you are willing to take on this palace duty. I also know that you are pregnant. It's not good for you to work too hard alone." The queen pretended to be thoughtful and swept her eyes over the faces of the concubines again. She quickly pointed out Concubine Cao and said, "Concubine Cao has been in the palace for a long time, so help Concubine Sheng."

Cao Qinmo immediately stood up and saluted, then answered yes without hesitation.

This made Lingrong even more alert. After all, although Cao Qinmo was meticulous, she stopped showing her edge in order to protect herself after Concubine Hua lost power.

She didn't even have the slightest intention of refusing at this moment. Could it be that she had been in cahoots with the Queen Mother for a long time, and was planning to capture both herself and Concubine Tian at this flower-viewing banquet?

Lingrong was worried and could not bear to hear the hypocritical words of comfort from the Queen. She could only nod in agreement, but she added, "I have no choice but to ask the Queen to give me your guidance so that I and Concubine Cao can successfully host this banquet."

She didn't look at Cao Qinmo directly, but was thinking about how to test Cao Qinmo to see if she knew the Queen's plan.

But before she could try, Cao Qinmo took advantage of the night and went to Chengqian Palace first.

Both of them are smart people. Cao Qinmo got straight to the point and talked about the flower viewing banquet directly. "Concubine Sheng should know that this flower viewing banquet is not simple."

"Not only is it not simple, I'm afraid I'm also the one being plotted against. It's a pity that I can't refuse. But you..." Ling Rong didn't feel how straightforward her words were. After all, she knew Cao Qinmo's intelligence. "What role do you play in this flower viewing banquet?"

"It's not really a role," Cao Qinmo's attitude was still calm. She smiled lightly and her eyes fell on Lingrong's belly, "It's just that Concubine Sheng is a concubine, but she is pregnant again, which will make some people jealous.

There is already a concubine who gave birth to a prince. If there is another one, I am afraid I will not be able to sleep well just thinking about it.

Now there is a Concubine Tian who has a powerful family background. I don’t know if she will be made a concubine after she gives birth to a child.”

"Noble Consort Chun gave birth to the Seventh Prince, but she was not promoted to a concubine. I don't think Concubine Tian will be promoted either."

Cao Qinmo hummed, looking nonchalant, "After all, the emperor has just conferred titles on the six palaces, and it is only natural that he does not promote them any further at this time.

It’s just that some people like to worry more, so they do extreme things.”

Cao Qinmo did not hide anything, and Lingrong easily knew that she was talking about the Empress. "It's just that the means are unknown, which makes people even more uneasy."

"This is why I came to see Concubine Sheng tonight. I just don't know if she will believe what I say."

Cao Qinmo's eyes were burning, and the inquiry in them seemed to be substantial. "For this flower-viewing banquet, flowers are still the focus. After all, it is well known that Concubine Tian has hay fever."

"Since everyone knows about this, we should avoid this flower viewing banquet." Ling Rong raised her eyebrows. "In order to protect Concubine Tian and the prince in her belly, we can avoid letting flowers enter the flower viewing banquet you and I held."

"But if there is not a single flower at the flower viewing banquet, it is not called a flower viewing banquet."

Lingrong originally wanted to use silk flowers and other imitation flowers as decorative flowers, but she realized that the queen had even considered this. She only left herself three days to prepare, and there was not enough time to make these imitation flowers.

"I do have a good idea, but I can't let anyone know in advance. I need to give the Queen a surprise."

Cao Qinmo had no idea what Ling Rong was up to, and she had no idea whether she really had a plan or was just keeping it a secret. "Since your majesty has a plan, I will not offer any more suggestions. If I disrupt your majesty's plan, it will be bad."

Having said all, Cao Qinmo was about to leave, but Lingrong stopped her, "I am a little surprised that the Queen has assigned Concubine Cao to help.

After all, Sister Caopin used to work for Concubine Hua, and she and the Empress are incompatible. "

"Empress Sheng, there is no one in this palace who doesn't want to climb up. I just want to go faster. There's nothing wrong with that."

"That's true, but if you choose the wrong person, it might be a waste of effort."

Cao Qinmo paused for a moment. After hearing Lingrong's words, she hesitated for a moment, but still took a firm step forward. "I can't think of any reason to make the wrong choice, Concubine Sheng."

Ling Rong did not speak again. She watched Cao Qinmo walk into the thick night, and her thin figure slowly disappeared.

Zhaoshui came forward to pack the tea set, which was the top-quality Junshan Yinzhen tea. Cao Qinmo did not take a sip and just let the cup of tea get cold.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what is this..."

"She wants to repay my favor with this matter." Ling Rong took a sip of the still warm tea, but the taste was really not good, and she threw it on the table the next moment, "But she didn't need me to say it, I also know the Queen's calculations."

"Then, our previous help to Concubine Cao won't just be forgotten, right?"

"Forget it? She wants to let it go so easily, but we can't give her this opportunity. She has to give me a corresponding return for my favor."

Ling Rong walked to the door, held it and looked out at the dark courtyard, "Although sending Princess Wen Yi back to Concubine Cao was just a piece of cake for me, it helped her a lot.

Ask yourself, I am not a kind person who does good without expecting anything in return. When nothing happens, I can naturally not make any demands, but if something really happens... "

"If something really happens, I'm afraid it will all depend on Concubine Cao's character. If she doesn't admit it, there's nothing we can do."

Zhaoshui obviously didn't believe that Cao Qinmo was the kind of good person who would repay kindness, so he was particularly merciless when pouring cold water on her.

"You're getting more and more perceptive, Zhaoshui." Lingrong wasn't worried about this. She even had the energy to tease Zhaoshui, "Then let's drag Concubine Cao into this together. She can definitely do it if we share the same hatred and the same enemy."

As for how to drag Cao Qinmo into the water, Lingrong would not tell. She asked Zhaoshui to go to bed early tonight and locked herself in the bedroom to think about how to arrange the flowers at the flower-viewing banquet without affecting Concubine Tian.

After thinking of many plans, Lingrong rejected them one by one. In desperation, she had to call He Anming, who knew Concubine Tian's physical condition best, to ask him and try to find a solution.

Unfortunately, He Anming also said that it is best for patients with hay fever not to have too much contact with flowers. A small amount is fine, but a large amount of flowers will still cause Concubine Tian to feel unwell.

This situation gave Lingrong a headache. She even considered whether to "complain" to the Emperor, saying that the Empress held a disgusting flower-viewing banquet even though she knew that Concubine Tian had hay fever.

Lingrong thought so, but she didn't dare to really say it to the Emperor. After all, this was slandering the Empress, and if she was not careful she would become the poor person killed by the Empress to scare the monkeys.

But after beating around the bush, although the emperor was a little concerned, he only told Concubine Tian not to attend the flower-viewing banquet. In short, this banquet had to be held no matter what.

However, no one knows whether Concubine Tian accidentally passed by the flower-viewing banquet on that day.

In order to avoid such "accidents", Lingrong still needs to eliminate this problem fundamentally.

only......

Lingrong fell into deep thought again. She saw the Drunken Beauty on the table and suddenly remembered that one summer day, a little palace maid put this flower into water to wake it up.

Suddenly, Lingrong had an idea and there was no need to worry about Concubine Tian being affected.

The day before the flower-viewing banquet, Lingrong told the Empress about the plan of the flower-viewing banquet after paying her respects.

But although she was not worried about Concubine Tian's presence, Lingrong still conveyed the Emperor's intention to the Empress - because Concubine Tian had hay fever, she did not need to attend the banquet.

The Queen Mother agreed quickly, as if this banquet was not intended for Concubine Tian at all.

Even Lingrong had some suspicion that the Queen was only targeting her.

It’s a pity that she was the one hosting the banquet and couldn’t withdraw at will like Concubine Tian. She could only be prepared during the banquet.

Fortunately, the meals at the banquet were supervised by our own people, so there was no need to worry about musk or safflower being mixed in and harming our children.

In order to avoid the influence of pollen as much as possible, Ling Rong moved the banquet indoors. All the flowers were tied with pebbles and sunk in the water. Paired with clear glass octagonal bottles, they looked particularly soft and watery.

As no one had ever appreciated flowers like this before, everyone started to exclaim in amazement as soon as they entered the hall, which made Ling Rong, who was a bit introverted, blush.

Although she had been a concubine in both her past and present lives, Ling Rong spent most of her time in endless calculations. She could remain indifferent to the life and death and curses of others, but she had no experience to draw on for such straightforward praise.

Seeing Lingrong's embarrassment, Xia Dongchun was the first to run over. She gently touched Lingrong's shoulder and said, "Okay, our Concubine Sheng, it's quite innovative to put the flowers in a glass bottle for appreciation.

This way, even if Concubine Tian comes here, she won’t be affected by the pollen and won’t get hay fever.”

"I have mentioned this to the Emperor and suggested that Concubine Tian should not participate in the flower viewing banquet. Even if she were to soak in the water, I am worried that someone would have ill intentions."

"Don't worry, Concubine Tian has no intention of going out today. When I left, there was no movement in her palace. She must be asleep."

Lingrong nodded and felt relieved. Soon, the Emperor and the Empress arrived. Once they sat down, the banquet officially began.

In addition to the common singing and dancing, Lingrong also prepared activities such as reciting poems, painting, composing music, and dancing on the theme of flowers, so that all the concubines in the palace could have the opportunity to show off in front of the emperor.

As for Ling Rong herself, she used the excuse that she was pregnant and should not move, and sat quietly in her seat, watching everyone perform.

It has to be said that apart from Zhen Huan, there are other beauties in the palace who are equally good at poetry and literature, but they do not have the blessing of Queen Chun Yuan's face, so they can never get the emperor's favor.

Neither Nian Shilan nor Zhen Huan were present at this flower-viewing banquet, but indeed no one failed to give face to the Empress. Everyone enjoyed themselves, sipping scented tea and drinking rose wine, chatting.

"Your Majesty, I see that the flowers are all in the water and won't leak pollen. Why don't you send someone to invite Concubine Tian to come as well? She's lonely staying alone in the Yanxi Palace."

The emperor looked at the colorful flowers in the hall, blooming in bunches in the water, and he really didn't need to worry about pollen.

"At the beginning of summer, flowers are in full bloom. I am worried that Concubine Tian may come into contact with pollen on the road and develop hay fever.

Your Majesty, why not send some of these flowers soaked in water to Concubine Tian to enjoy, and save her and the prince from suffering."

Lingrong sat below the Empress Dowager, so she naturally heard what the Empress and the Empress Dowager said. She was worried that the Empress was about to take action, so she gritted her teeth and spoke to comfort her.

"What Concubine Sheng said makes sense. I am just worried that Concubine Tian is the only one who cannot come, and she is just upset."

"Sister Tianpin has paid her respects to the Empress these past few days, and there doesn't seem to be anything unusual." Concubine Chun seemed to have just walked over. She pretended to speak casually to comfort her, and then whispered something into the Empress' ear.

The emperor hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke, "Su Peisheng, go to the Yanxi Palace and invite Concubine Tian to come. Then send someone to the Xianfu Palace to ask Concubine Jing what she thinks."

Ling Rong wanted to open her mouth to stop them again, but Su Peisheng acted very quickly and took Xiao Xiazi away after receiving the order.

Concubine Chun also returned to her seat. Seeing Lingrong looking at her, she smiled very cutely and waved.

The more the Queen and others acted like this, the more worried Lingrong became. She could only pray that Concubine Tian had listened to what she had said to her the day before and not be foolish enough to be deceived by the Emperor's oral instructions.