An Lingrong's Rebirth: Red

After the Empress Dowager passed away, the Emperor had not entered the harem for almost three months.

Knowing the reason, the concubines in the harem naturally did not dare to compete for favor. They could only stay in the palace obediently and could not organize any activities such as banquets.

Xia Dongchun was a person who could not hold back. She took advantage of the darkness of night and invited Concubine Tian and Lingrong to come to her place to eat hotpot after the children had gone to bed. The venison was already prepared, and she did not give Lingrong any chance to refuse.

Lingrong originally thought that Concubine Tian would not come, but she did not expect that when she arrived, the two of them were already roasting venison on the charcoal fire, and even had some wine, and they were enjoying it very much.

"Empress Sheng is so slow in coming, but is Youning bothering you?" Xia Dongchun handed Ling Rong a silver fork and told her to roast the venison herself.

Ling Rong sat down obediently, and waited for Ming Yu to help skewer the venison before she joined the two of them in roasting the fire. "You have wronged You Ning. If she hears this, she will make a scene and ask you to give her a gift to appease her."

"Youning likes it, so it's fine even if we let her live in Yixingxuan."

Xia Dongchun is the one who dotes on children the most. No matter whether it is Huai Ke or You Ning, she will give them whatever they want.

Ling Rong and others tried to stop her many times but it was useless because Xia Dongchun said that she had been like this since she was a child. Even if she wanted the stars in the sky, her father would pick them and give them to her.

So in Xia Dongchun's eyes, whatever she wants, she will get it, and the same goes for the two girls she likes.

"They are princesses and they don't need to suffer, so why can't we pamper them!"

Xia Dongchun blew on the roasted venison, and asked Mingyu to sprinkle some seasoning on it before he continued to roast the meat with satisfaction.

"...There are many princesses who have suffered." Concubine Tian obviously knew more about these royal secrets, and it was rare that she did not agree with what Xia Dongchun said.

Because of what happened to Princess Chaogui in her previous life, Lingrong had some understanding of the princess' fate. It was not impossible for her to marry a man who was old enough to be her father or even grandfather.

"Yes, so what if you are a princess? Your destiny is still not in your own hands."

Lingrong sighed along with Concubine Tian. The two of them grilled the meat with bitter faces, which made Xia Dongchun feel that the aroma of the barbecue had turned bitter.

"Alright, alright, you two are all so miserable. We can talk about the future later. Right now, the venison is the most important thing."

Xia Dongchun was not the kind of person who would think ten steps ahead before taking one step, and Ling Rong did not want to say too much to her, so she restrained her emotions, put on a smile and turned over her venison.

"The emperor has not been in the harem for the past few months, and it's been much quieter. Everyone gathers in groups of three or four, and there's less noise."

"Yes," Xia Dongchun smelled the venison and threw the roasted meat into the plate, "So the emperor...he is the source of all evil. Life is so good now."

"You're weird. You don't want to be favored at all?" Ling Rong didn't quite believe it. Xia Dongchun didn't seem like someone who had no interest in power and status.

"I want to, but what's the use? The emperor doesn't like me and always thinks I'm vulgar.

Humph, Zhen Huan is indeed extraordinary, and she is entangled with the emperor's brother and son. "

"Xia Dongchun!" Concubine Tian suddenly shouted, "How dare you say such nonsense about the emperor? Be careful that the emperor's blood-dropping device hears it and cuts off your tongue in the middle of the night!"

Xia Dongchun's face turned pale. She knew that what she said was too bold, so she didn't dare to be stubborn and had to shut up obediently.

"It's fine to talk about Zhen, but don't mention that one, understand?" Ling Rong also spoke up and even said with a smile, "Actually, I think so too, but I don't dare to say it."

"If both of you thought this way, there wouldn't be so many intrigues in the harem.

It's nothing more than talk, but behind the scenes everyone is trying their best to win favor, just to make themselves more senior."

Concubine Tian was not so polite. She directly tore off the fig leaf and told the two to face reality. "Don't let the heat of the charcoal fire make you think you have become a god and don't need anything!"

Lingrong and Xia Dongchun looked at each other and said yes in unison. This Concubine Tian was the easiest to please. When she heard that both of them thought what they said was right, her eyes curved with joy. She immediately asked someone to bring the pot and eat mutton in the steaming hot pot.

"The weather is cold, but eating some hotpot will warm me up a lot." Ling Rong wiped the sweat from her forehead and couldn't help but take another sip of wine.

"Yes, such a cold day is suitable for eating hot pot." Xia Dongchun picked out a vegetable and said, "I heard that the area of ​​Ningguta is particularly cold. I wonder how the noble lady Wan is doing now. Can she eat hot pot like us?"

"Humph, she went to exile, do you think she went there to enjoy herself?" Concubine Tian sneered, "In the winter in Ningguta, hot water can turn into ice in an instant, and few people can survive the cold winter.

"The Zhen family is in Ningguta, don't even think about coming back alive."

"That's not necessarily true," Ling Rong poured herself another glass of wine, "She's lucky, and often has noble people to help her. And the emperor likes her very much, who knows when he will regret it and take her back to the harem?"

"Do you still regret it? What on earth does the Emperor like about Zhen? Why does he let her off the hook again and again?" Xia Dongchun didn't like Zhen Huan from the very beginning, and she was unable to see any of her good points.

"She has outstanding looks, excellent talents, and is kind to others. She does have many advantages."

"Look at you, you still have such a good impression of her?" Xia Dongchun curled his lips with a rather disdainful attitude, "But she is indeed capable, falling down again and again, and getting up again and again.

She was able to even return as a deposed concubine, which shows that she is quite smart.

If she hadn't done so many bad things, I'm afraid there would really be a Concubine Xu now."

Lingrong drank the tea calmly. She said that many of the wrong things Zhen Huan did were caused by her behind the scenes. Relying on the memory of one more lifetime than her, she pinned Zhen Huan to the ground before she had the chance to grow into Concubine Xi.

It feels good to see things from a higher perspective and farther than others, and there is no need to exhaust all your energy calculating like in your previous life.

But sometimes Lingrong would ask herself whether doing so would be too vicious.

"How can Concubine Tian not speak? This pot is so delicious."

"No... I just remembered something." Concubine Tian put down her chopsticks. "Some time ago, I heard that a servant was lost in Prince Guo's mansion, and the person has not been found yet."

"He's just a slave, so what if he's lost?" Xia Dongchun didn't care. "Do I really have to turn the entire Forbidden City upside down for him?"

"Prince Guo is imprisoned in Prince Guo's mansion and is guarded by guards sent by the emperor. Logically speaking, it is impossible for anyone to escape.

But a month ago, because of the birthday of Peigong Meng Dase, the emperor relaxed the supervision of Prince Guo's mansion and also allowed Meng Jingxian to return home to celebrate his birthday.

After that, the supervision was not restored and became lax.

However, the Prince Guo's mansion has been stable, and no one is making random moves like before. About half a month ago, Meng Jingxian even announced the good news that she was three months pregnant."

"Mrs. Meng is pregnant?" Ling Rong was a little surprised. She calculated the time when the Queen Mother passed away. "This time is awkward. It is almost the same as when the Queen Mother passed away."

"After all, he only calls the Queen Mother the Imperial Mother. Prince Guo's biological mother is someone else." Concubine Tian didn't want to talk about this matter. She responded and continued what she wanted to say, "After the good news came out, people in Prince Guo's mansion came in and out more frequently, and the emperor did not stop them.

Just recently, a servant was lost and has not been found yet.

When I heard you talk about Zhen Huan's luck, I was thinking, could it be that the servant was Prince Guo in disguise, and he has already arrived in Ningguta, so he can't be found. "

"You mean... Prince Guo went to Ningguta to rescue Zhen Huan?" Xia Dongchun looked incredulous. She shook her head and rejected her own opinion. "This shouldn't be possible. Is his wife pregnant? Why didn't he accompany his wife and went to find Zhen Huan?"

"We'll know whether it's true or not after checking. Anyway, I won't let Zhen Huan have a chance to come back. It's best if she stays in Ningguta for the rest of her life, or even dies."

Concubine Tian was quite gnashing her teeth, and she was even planning to hire a few killers to kill Zhen Huan in the name of robbery.

However, the most urgent task is to confirm whether the missing servant in Prince Guo’s mansion is Prince Guo.

On the other side, in the new city of Ningguta, in a dilapidated thatched house.

Zhen Huan, Huanbi and Zhen Yurao huddled together to keep warm. They only had two thin quilts, which could hardly keep out the cold outside.

Since arriving here, they have been slaves of the local armored men. Zhen Huan and Zhen Yurao are fortunate enough because they are educated and temporarily become teachers for the armored men's children and occasionally do some farming work.

But among the three, Huanbi had the lowest level of education and was unable to teach, so she could only do the heavy work of reclaiming the land.

But now it is winter, and the soil is frozen hard. When the hoe is swung down, the whole arm becomes numb and even the palm of the hand cracks, oozing bright red blood.

Because of overwork, Huanbi's hands were covered with chilblains, and her body was extremely thin and hunched. When Zhen Huan first arrived at this time, she almost couldn't recognize her as the Huanbi who used to be by her side.

Now Huanbi had a high fever in this icy and snowy environment, and she curled up in the quilt and kept talking nonsense.

"Eldest sister, what should we do? In a place like this, there is no way to find a doctor to treat Huanbi's illness."

Although Zhen Yurao is young, she has a strong temper. In order to get Huanbi treatment, she had a fierce conflict with the armored man, and now there are glaring whip marks on her cheek.

Zhen Huan had no other choice at this time. She could only wrap Huanbi in the quilt tighter, and constantly wet a cloth with snow water to wipe Huanbi's forehead to cool her down.

"Cold... Prince... I'm so cold." Huanbi was a little confused due to the fever. She clutched the quilt tightly and murmured the name of Prince Guo.

"If he has you in his heart, he should be standing outside the door right now."

Zhen Huan didn't know whether she was talking about Huanbi or herself. She wiped her face, covered Huanbi's forehead with the cloth, and prepared to go out to ask other people if there were any herbs that could be used.

As soon as the door opened, the person Huanbi was talking about was standing at the door. His cloak was covered with white snow, and it seemed that he had been standing at the door for a while.

"…Prince Guo?"

Zhen Huan couldn't believe that the Prince Guo really appeared here. She raised her hand to cover her mouth and murmured, "Is it really you?"

"It's me, Huan'er." Prince Guo called out Zhen Huan's name with a sigh. He took off his cloak and wrapped Zhen Huan up. "It's cold and snowy. You are weak to begin with. Why do you want to go out?"

"Huanbi has a high fever. I want to find some more medicine for her." Zhen Huan wanted to push away the cloak, but once the warmth touched her body, she was unwilling to face the cold wind anymore.

"I'll go find you. Huan'er, you go back first. If you get sick again, I'll be really worried."

Zhen Huan avoided Prince Guo's burning gaze. She clutched her cloak tightly and took two steps back. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy. I believe Huanbi will be well today."

Prince Guo didn't say anything. He looked at Zhen Huan again, turned around and walked into the snow.

Zhen Huan looked at Prince Guo from afar, with all kinds of mixed emotions churning in her heart, which eventually calmed down in this cruel reality.

She took off her cloak and put it on her arms, then turned back to the house and wrapped the windproof coat around her two sisters.

"Sister...you came back so quickly, what's this?" Zhen Yurao felt the warmth and subconsciously let out a long sigh of relief, "It's so warm, it feels like I'm alive again."

"Prince Guo is here. He is the prince. I believe Huanbi will be able to get the medicine today and her life can be saved."

"Sister, come in and warm up together," Zhen Yurao stretched out her hand, wanting to pull Zhen Huan onto the couch, but Zhen Huan stood still and wrapped her clothes tighter around her instead, "Sister?"

"I'll go get some more firewood. The fire will be bigger and it will be much warmer."

Zhen Huan looked at Huanbi worriedly, changed the cloth on her forehead, and then went out to look for branches.

Many branches were broken by the heavy snow, but most of them were frozen through by ice and snow, and were covered with layers of thin ice.

Zhen Huan didn't have time to feel disgusted. After all, it was not easy to find such a branch in such a cold wind.

But after she managed to gather one bundle near the house, she couldn't find any more, so she tied the rope tighter and dragged all the branches back to the house.

The ice on the branches was knocked off bit by bit before being thrown into the brazier. However, because it was too humid, black air quickly rose up, choking the three people and causing them to cough continuously, raising their hands to fan themselves in embarrassment.

Seeing that the smoke in the room was getting thicker and thicker, Zhen Huan thought of opening the door to get some fresh air. When she opened the door, she saw Prince Guo standing at the door again. He was holding a bag of medicinal herbs in his hand, and when he saw it was Zhen Huan, he handed it to her.

Zhen Huan was stunned for a moment, then took the medicine in her hand. Without asking any questions, she found a clay pot and started to boil medicine for Huanbi.

The black smoke continued to rise. Zhen Huan kept coughing and had to turn over the burning wood again. When the fire became stronger, the black smoke was less.

She stirred the herbs in the pottery jar and slowly glanced at Prince Guo. After a while, she finally spoke, "Why did the prince come to a place like Ningguta?"

"…Just passing by."