An Lingrong's Rebirth: Red

"Fifth Prince, I come to visit you often. First, Youning really likes you as a brother, and second, I see that you live alone and I am worried that the servants will not be able to take good care of you.

"I have no other thoughts or intentions. Doesn't Fifth Prince really know?"

Lingrong had mixed feelings. Didn't she want to raise a prince who could inherit the throne and become a queen mother in a stable manner?

It’s just that the Emperor is a very suspicious person. Occasionally, when he looks at the Fifth Prince, he would say that it was Youning who was trying to cover up the incident.

If I really said that I wanted to adopt him as my son, I'm afraid the emperor would turn hostile on the spot.

What's more, the emperor didn't suddenly increase her age. The age gap between her and the Fifth Prince is really not that big. If they are a little closer, rumors will spread. She doesn't want to be like Zhen Huan, who was found to have evidence of having an affair with the emperor's son.

“What’s more, it’s because the Fucha clan is so powerful that it allows you to compete with the Fourth Prince that you are willing to get close to Concubine Tian.

Now you can't stand the loneliness just because of a lack of care, how can you achieve great things?"

"Whether I can accomplish great things or not is none of your business?" The Fifth Prince was probably furious, and he shouted out his angry words, "Empress Sheng has her own son, so of course she will consider him. I am just an outsider who doesn't listen and only makes absurd things. Why should I be considered by you?

Anyway, given Concubine Sheng's background, she will only try her best to hold power in her own hands and then step on everyone else.

You, like me, naturally won't help me wholeheartedly. After all, my position is far inferior to that of my own son. Don't you think so?"

Not only did they not believe it, they also slandered it. Ling Rong was not a tolerant person, and she was also furious. The words "deserving" and "undeserving" kept floating in her mind, and finally the scales tipped to one side.

"Since Fifth Prince feels that I am not sincere enough, let's forget about our previous cooperation." Ling Rong started to walk away, with no intention of staying. Fifth Prince hesitated for a long time, but finally stopped her when she was about to open the door.

"It was my fault, I hope Madam Sheng will forgive me."

Although he said this, the Fifth Prince actually did not feel that he had done anything wrong. He was just temporarily bowing his head for the sake of his own plan.

"You have always looked down on me, thinking that my family background is not good and my methods are sinister." Ling Rong turned her back to the Fifth Prince and said bluntly, "In fact, you don't think Hongyu is a threat to you, because he has a mother who comes from a small family and is destined to have no vision.

But don't forget that the Fourth Prince's biological mother was just a palace maid, and you are still superior to him.

His mother has changed now. Even if she is not around, Nianhulu will not leave such a prince alone.

If they win, they will be above everyone else; if they lose, they will still be the prince's mother's family. They will not lose anything.

But you, who do ridiculous things every day, not only fail to leave a good impression on the Emperor, but also require me to find ways to make amends for you.

Fifth Prince, if you have no intention of taking that position, then continue to behave like this. This will also leave the Fourth Prince with the impression that you are useless, and when he ascends the throne, he can still spare your life!"

If it were in the past, Lingrong would not have said these words, but today the Fifth Prince's words were full of sarcasm, and Lingrong did not want to endure it no matter what.

"Empress Sheng," seeing Ling Rong about to open the door, the Fifth Prince became anxious again, "Have you ever thought that the Fourth Prince can't give you what you want?

You have no friendship with Zhen, and even less with the Fourth Prince. If he ascends the throne, wouldn't you just be a concubine?"

In a hurry, the Fifth Prince completely forgot about the honorific title and just like Xia Dongchun, he kept talking to each other.

"If I help him, I can still be remembered as a favor. But what about you, Fifth Prince? Will you remember the favor?"

Ling Rong finally turned to look at him, "You feel that this prince's residence is airtight and no one is helping you, and you feel that I am not helping you wholeheartedly, then what about the things that I have planned and calculated for you? Have you ever remembered even a little bit?

Do you think Fucha is so easy to curry favor with? Even if you are a prince, you still have to live by others' wishes. What's the difference between you and me?"

The Fifth Prince's face turned pale. He tried hard to suppress the anger in his chest. After thinking about it, he realized that Concubine Sheng had said nothing wrong at all.

"Your son, your son means..." The Fifth Prince opened his mouth to speak, but didn't know where to start for a long time.

"What on earth do you know that makes you so anxious today?"

Although Lingrong was also angry, she vaguely guessed that there was a reason why the Fifth Prince was like this, so she patiently asked.

"Recently...recently, the Empress Dowager sent people to clean and buy new things. When asked, she only said that it was necessary for the prince to clean regularly, but those things were neither for me nor for Shuhe."

"Do you suspect that the Fourth Prince is going back to the palace?"

The Fifth Prince nodded. His temper came and went quickly, and when he saw Ling Rong's tone had become much kinder, he felt relieved and sat down steadily on the chair.

"Hongli is a smart man. To be honest, I can't compare to him. If he returns to the palace, I'm afraid the emperor will rely on him even more.

If the Empress Dowager helps me, I am afraid I won't have any chance at all."

"There doesn't seem to be any connection between the Queen and the Fourth Prince." Ling Rong's tone was full of doubt, but the Queen's action was indeed strange. She couldn't possibly want to bring the Third Prince back.

The Emperor will never forgive the Third Prince for what he did wrong.

"You don't have to worry too much. The Third Prince's affairs are closely related to the Fourth Prince. If necessary, you can expose this matter."

"Empress Sheng, how did you know this secret?" The Fifth Prince naturally knew how Hongli instigated Hongshi, but he did not tell anyone about this matter. How did Empress Sheng know about it?

Ling Rong mixed together what she knew in her previous life with her experiences in this life, and was shocked when the Fifth Prince suddenly asked her the question.

But after all, she was a meticulous person, so Ling Rong quickly calmed down, "If you don't want others to know, then don't do it yourself. I naturally have the ability to know what he did.

But even if I tell him, it may not have any impact on him, so I just keep it to myself.

You ask, do you know the secret?"

The Fifth Prince nodded. He only knew that Hongli was a scheming man, but he never thought that he was such a cruel person who even harmed his own brothers.

"Since you have the leverage over him, why should you be afraid?"

"Empress Sheng, you should have thought of it," the Fifth Prince's tone became solemn, "It is possible that the Empress Dowager knew this secret and wanted to bring the Third Brother back."

This is indeed a big problem. If the Queen really clears the Third Prince's grievances and brings him back, the Fifth Prince's chances of ascending to the throne will be even slimmer.

No wonder the Fifth Prince is so impatient today.

Ling Rong murmured in her heart, and the anxiety in her heart finally subsided. She also sat down and began to think about countermeasures.

For her, she seldom did things herself in this life, and mostly accomplished things by scheming small things and encouraging Concubine Tian. This time, she did have other thoughts - she wanted to sit in the position of empress dowager herself, instead of letting Concubine Tian sit there.

There were only two options left. One was to depose the queen and ask the emperor to appoint a new queen. But since she was not a concubine of the Manchu army, the emperor would not appoint her as queen, so this option was almost impossible.

The second way is to find a way to become the fifth prince's adoptive mother, help him defeat all his opponents, and then wait for him to ascend the throne and directly sit on the position of empress dowager.

This road is not easy. If Lingrong did not have Hongyu, it would be easier to raise the Fifth Prince.

"Fifth Prince, are you sure you want to give up Fucha's support and stop being Concubine Tian's son?"

Seeing that Lingrong seemed to be relenting, the Fifth Prince nodded slowly without much hesitation.

"Then think of a solution carefully. If you can become my son, I will naturally help you plan.

What's more, Youning and Hongyu like you very much too."

Ling Rong got a positive answer and stood up to leave. When she reached the door, she turned around and said, "By the way, the wreath on your head is the color specially chosen by You Ning. Don't forget to thank her."

The Fifth Prince suddenly touched his head. He felt ashamed when he thought about how he had been wearing this wreath on his head when he was so passionate just now. At this moment, he didn't even know what expression to make.

Fortunately, Lingrong had already gone out, and when she came back she brought Youning with her. The Fifth Prince did not take off the wreath - he was worried that Youning would not like it.

The Fifth Prince was a man of a ridiculous and playful nature. He spent a long time painting, playing the piano, and catching butterflies with Youning. When he got excited, the two of them even took out their storybooks to act out a play, singing and playing together and having a lot of fun.

It was not until the young eunuch beside the Fifth Prince came to urge him twice that the Fifth Prince reluctantly said goodbye to You Ning and continued to study with the Grand Tutor.

On the way back, Lingrong cautiously asked if she would be willing if the Fifth Prince lived with them in Chengqian Palace.

You Ning raised his head and said yes without thinking, but after a moment he raised his head again, "Mother, is my brother willing?"

"You'll have to go back and ask Hongyu about this," Lingrong touched Youning's head and coaxed her softly, "Mother just feels that it's a bit pitiful for the Fifth Prince to be alone without anyone to take care of him, but I don't think your Royal Father will allow it. After all, mother is already very tired of taking care of you two."

"Youning has grown up and doesn't need mother to take care of him all the time. The same goes for my brother." Youning opened his arms and showed Lingrong his sleeves. "A few days ago, my clothes were too small. Nanny Fangjing said it was because Youning had grown up."

"Of course, our Youning can take good care of herself now. Your painting was praised by the Emperor a few days ago, right?"

You Ning raised her chin proudly and gestured with her hand to the painting she had drawn. As if afraid that Ling Rong had forgotten, she also explained what she had drawn. "The Emperor said that my paintings are better than those of famous artists. If you take them out, they are worth a fortune."

Of course, this is priceless, after all, it's just a painting. Lingrong smiled secretly in her heart, Youning looked so adorable, she couldn't help but pick him up and pecked him on the face.

The mother and daughter were playing happily, but the scene was caught by the empress who was planning to go to the prince's residence. The empress had been tormented by the pain of losing her son for many years, and at this moment, she was furious to see this happy scene. She wished she could immediately tell Lingrong and the other girl to shut their laughing mouths.

But she is the queen, and a virtuous queen, so she cannot be so mean.

"Empress Sheng, Princess Youning, why are you still making so much noise when you see Empress Ning? Why don't you pay your respects to the Empress immediately?"

Zhuxi bowed respectfully with a smile on her face, but her words were not very respectful, as if she was still the head aunt of the Empress Dowager.

Ling Rong didn't want to give her this face. Although she restrained her smile and greeted the Queen, she was not polite to Zhu Xi, "As expected of someone close to the Queen Mother, your demeanor is three times more impressive than that of the Queen.

Even the Queen didn't say anything, but Aunt Zhuxi spoke harshly, without any dignity at all."

"If it weren't for the fact that Concubine Sheng was respectful enough to the Empress, there would be no need for this servant to remind her," Zhu Xi bowed again to show her apology, "If Her Majesty feels that I am wrong in abiding by the palace rules, please forgive me and don't hold it against me."

The Queen did not say anything to stop her, but just stood by and watched, allowing Aunt Zhuxi to take advantage of her seniority and put pressure on Lingrong and Youning.

If the Empress Dowager was around, Lingrong would have given way to her, but now that the Empress Dowager is gone, Zhuxi is just a servant with a higher official position.

"Before the Queen Mother gave any order, he took the initiative to reprimand the concubines and princesses on her behalf. After being reminded, he still did not repent and even used sarcastic words.

I will let it go and will not argue with my aunt about this matter. But Youning is a princess, how can it be justified to be scolded by a servant like this?

Queen, are you really not going to speak up for the princess?"

"Aunt Zhuxi," the queen finally spoke, "Although the Queen Mother has asked you to assist me, the Queen Mother is no longer here, so you should be more cautious in your actions and words.

The Emperor dotes on Concubine Sheng and Princess Youning the most. Even if the Queen Mother were still alive, he would still give them some respect. How dare you be so bold as to find fault with the princess and Concubine Sheng?"

After all, the Queen had been in the palace for many years. She seemed to be scolding Zhuxi, but in fact she was saying that Lingrong was disrespectful to the Queen Mother. This actually caught Lingrong off guard and forced her to explain that she had no intention of disrespecting the Queen Mother.

"Your Majesty, your words are too polite. Your Majesty the Queen Mother's orders are the imperial decrees, so how can I not obey them?

From today on, I will remind everyone that when they see the Queen Mother on the palace road, they should greet her respectfully from afar and not wait until she comes close before paying their respects to her.

Otherwise, it would be difficult for Aunt Zhuxi to report to the Empress Dowager a hundred years later."

Ling Rong looked down at You Ning, "By the way, You Ning, you have to remind Hong Yu to do this when you go back, do you understand?"

"I understand. Do I have to do the same to the Emperor, Mother?"

Ling Rong smiled and looked up at the Queen, "Why is this necessary? Have you forgotten that the Emperor has allowed you not to perform the ceremony?"