An Lingrong after rebirth

An Lingrong's warm breath in the emperor's ear made the emperor breathe faster. The two stopped talking, and the emperor paused for a moment, then picked up the person in front of him, making An Lingrong exclaim.

"It's a shame to miss the beautiful scenery of Liangcheng..."

After the emperor finished speaking, he carried An Lingrong towards the bedroom, as if he had completely forgotten that Shen Meiyu's meal had been tampered with.

But it doesn’t matter. As long as I remember, I won’t let him get his wish.

After a cup of tea and washing up, An Lingrong leaned on the soft pillow, reading a book quietly. The emperor walked in wearing a bright yellow bridal gown.

Seeing An Lingrong's state, he smiled and said: No wonder Mei'er said that you want to be the top scholar. The books you can't put down all the time, isn't it because you want to be the top scholar?

After hearing this, An Lingrong put down the book in her hand and responded: "Your Majesty is just like Sister Mei, you want to make me laugh!" The two leaned against each other and talked for a long time before they felt sleepy.

They fell asleep one by one. The next morning, An Lingrong was woken up by Lian'er. She helped the emperor to wash and dress for court before sitting in front of the bronze mirror.

Lian'er, the emperor asked Su Peisheng to investigate yesterday. Did he find anything? Lian'er took out a green jade hairpin with gold beads from the box and placed it on An Lingrong's head to compare.

"Madam, there was a big commotion in the imperial kitchen last night. Eunuch Su sent two young eunuchs to investigate. What did they find out? There is no news yet."

Xiao Xiazi didn't find out anything. My lady, no!

"This jade hairpin looks suitable. Let's wear it today!" As soon as An Lingrong finished speaking, she guessed the result of Su Peisheng's investigation.

Not a single bit of information was leaked, either because no results were found or because the results were too unexpected to make the emperor stand up for Shen Meizhuang and expose the matter.

An Lingrong guessed that the latter was more likely, but the Queen would not let herself be blamed for this. She just didn't know who would take the blame this time.

An Lingrong looked at her increasingly fair face in the mirror, stood up and said, "Let's go and pay our respects to the Queen. It's not good to be late."

After hearing this, Lian'er quickly packed up the jewelry on the table and helped An Lingrong to the Yonghe Palace. As soon as they left the gate of Yanxi Palace, they heard Shen Meizhuang's voice: "Rong'er".

An Lingrong looked up and saw Shen Meizhuang standing by the wall of Yanxi Palace, holding her waist. The weather was good today, and the sun was shining brightly, reflecting a faint light under the red wall. Meizhuang's face looked better.

An Lingrong took a few steps closer. Her sister looked really good today, and she felt a little moved just by looking at her.

After hearing this, Shen Meizhuang pushed An Lingrong and said, "Rong'er, your little mouth is getting even louder. I won't talk to you anymore. Let's go quickly. If you are late, people will talk about you."

An Lingrong pretended not to see Shen Meizhuang's shyness and reached out to support Shen Meizhuang, saying, "Sister, slow down, let's go together!"

The two chatted and laughed as they approached the gate of Jingren Palace. Lian Er handed a silver ingot to the eunuch guarding the gate as usual. They came earlier today, and the two sat down. There was no one in the palace yet.

After waiting for a while, Concubine Qi arrived, but she didn't look very happy when she first entered the room. An Lingrong helped Shen Meizhuang stand up and knelt to pay respect to Concubine Qi. "I pay my respects to Concubine Qi."

Concubine Qi said with a stern face, "Get up! How can I accept your courtesy?" An Lingrong did not find it strange.

After all, everyone saw how much the Emperor and the Empress Dowager valued the Sixth Prince's full moon day! No matter who else, Concubine Qi has a son.

Naturally, she would be jealous of the favor that Sixth Prince Ruo had received. Third Prince had never received such treatment in his life. Shen Meizhuang had not thought through the key points, so she was naturally a little confused.

An Lingrong lowered her head and said: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty Qi." Your words make me confused. I don't know what I have done wrong to make you so angry?

"What nonsense are you talking about?" How could this palace be angry? Concubine Qi's expression changed and her voice became much higher.

An Lingrong lowered her head, not because she was angry with the other party, but because she felt that Concubine Qi was also a pitiful person. However, there must be something hateful about pitiful people.

How is she different from her former self! I have spoken out of turn, please forgive me, Your Majesty. Sister Xianpin is pregnant, please show mercy, Your Majesty Qifei, and let her get up first and exempt her from the ceremony.

Although An Lingrong felt sorry for Concubine Qi, she was a stranger to her, so how could she give her face? Her tone of voice was filled with dissatisfaction.

Concubine Qi is a little impatient but timid. If it was just a concubine, it would be fine. But now she is facing two concubines, and the most favored ones are the concubines. How dare she say anything more?

Concubine Qi muttered a few words, flicked the handkerchief in her hand, and said, "Hurry up and get up. If others see you, they will think I am bowing to you."

The two of them thanked her, and An Lingrong helped Shen Meizhuang to stand up. The two looked at each other and smiled slightly. They both understood that it was not anyone's credit that Concubine Qi could let them go so easily today.

In this harem, it is not good to be the only one who stands out. Only when two people work together can a lot of troubles be avoided. After waiting for a while, when almost everyone had arrived, the queen came out.

An Lingrong looked up at Yixiu and knew that Su Peisheng's review results had not been disclosed to Yixiu. Just as An Lingrong stood up, Su Peisheng's voice rang out from outside the palace: "The emperor has arrived."

Yixiu's eyes flashed with surprise. She led everyone to kneel and pay respects to the emperor.

The emperor had a calm expression as he walked to the queen's seat and sat down. "No need to be polite, everyone stand up!" "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Yixiu stood up, Jianqiu brought a stool, helped Yixiu sit down, and then said: The emperor's morning court ended early today, I wonder if there is anything wrong.

The emperor casually picked up a soft pillow and leaned on it. "Yesterday, I had dinner in the Yanxi Palace, but I found that someone deliberately added hawthorn and calamus, two appetizers, to Concubine Xian's meal."

Yixiu's eyes flashed, "Something to whet your appetite? Your Majesty, is Concubine Xian not in the mood for food?" The emperor turned his head to look at Yixiu and shook his head.

Yixiu sighed again, "This appetizer should not be used indiscriminately. Concubine Xian is pregnant. If her appetite is stimulated but the fetus is too large," the delivery will be very dangerous.

Your Majesty, this...what the Queen said is absolutely true.

The emperor coughed lightly and said, "Su Peisheng interrogated the servants in the imperial kitchen all night last night, and finally got some clues." As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand.

Su Peisheng said respectfully: "Last night, Her Majesty the Concubine Xian made a dish of assorted vegetarian fish balls soup and discovered that the fish used to make the fish balls had been fed a large amount of hawthorn and calamus."

This caused the fish meat to be slightly reddish and blue. The servants went to ask people themselves and found two people. When he said this, Su Peisheng clapped his hands.

Xiao Xia Zi immediately brought up two young eunuchs and bowed to the emperor. Su Peisheng said: Your Majesty, I questioned the chief steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs last night.

These two young eunuchs are in charge of the fish and shrimp affairs in the imperial kitchen today. After saying this, he turned to the young eunuchs and said: You two should tell the emperor exactly what you said to us last night.

A fair-skinned young eunuch on the left looked very clever. He immediately bowed his head and said: “Your Majesty, I was originally in charge of the fish and shrimp affairs in the imperial kitchen.”

It's just that I caught a cold a few days ago and haven't fed fish or shrimp myself for three or five days. These days, Xiao Yingzi has been doing all the work.

I heard Su Peisheng asking about this last night. I have already asked Xiao Yingzi. The fish food was not from the imperial kitchen. It was given to him by someone else to feed Xiao Yingzi with the fish.

"Your Majesty, I don't know what's in the fish food, but that person said, 'If you feed the fish with this, the fish will have a special fragrance,' and it can keep the fish alive for a long time, so I used it.

Xiao Yingzi knew the seriousness of the matter and immediately asked, "Who gave you this fish food?" Eunuch Su, this fish food is... is...

Little Yingzi hesitated and looked like he didn't dare to say it, which made the emperor frown?

Seeing this, Su Peisheng stepped forward and slapped Xiao Yingzi twice, "You dog slave! The emperor and all the queens are here, and you dare to do this? Why don't you tell me now?"

It was the little lotus beside Noble Lady Fucha! After Xiao Yingzi finished speaking, everyone present was talking about it. Noble Lady Fucha stood up anxiously.

What nonsense are you talking about? Xiao Lianzi is just a little eunuch with no power in my palace. Where did he get this thing? Xiao Yingzi knelt on the ground.

He responded repeatedly: "Please forgive me, Noble Fucha. This fish food was indeed given to me by Xiao Lianzi. If you don't believe me, you can ask someone to send him to confront me face to face."

Noble Lady Fucha's expression was filled with fear. She herself lived in the Yanx Palace, so she naturally knew clearly how the Emperor favored Concubine Xian and Concubine Shu.

Now someone is trying to harm the unborn baby in Concubine Xian's womb and is trying to frame me. If I let someone else accomplish this, then I will never have a chance to make a name for myself in the palace.

When she thought of this, Noble Lady Fucha's mind was in a mess, and she didn't even react to Xiao Yingzi's words that she should confront Xiao Lianzi.

She turned around, took two steps forward, and knelt down in front of the emperor. "Your Majesty is wise. Since I entered the palace, I have never had any selfish motives."

I have no conflict with Concubine Xian, and I have no reason to instruct people around me to harm Concubine Xian. Please understand, Your Majesty, I have never done this.

Having said this, I realized, "Xiao Lianzi would not do such a thing, and even if he did it was instructed by someone else," and wanted to frame the concubine.

Your Majesty can just ask someone to summon Xiao Lianzi. I am not afraid to confront him face to face. The Emperor did not say anything after hearing this. Su Peisheng on the side said, "I have thought about what Noble Lady Fucha said."

When I found Xiao Lianzi last night, he was already a corpse. Su Peisheng received the emperor's instruction and did not hide anything in front of the concubines, without any scruples.

Such an unusual situation frightened Noble Lady Fucha so much that she screamed in shock, with only astonishment on her face.

"Dead? How is that possible?" Lan Lan muttered to herself, as if she had remembered something. Yes, he hasn't been by my side since last night...

"Yes, Xiao Lianzi is dead, but he didn't really shut his mouth," the servant found a letter under his body.

"Letter", "What letter?" My dear, it must be Xiao Lianzi's suicide note. Su Peisheng responded and took out a piece of paper from his arms.

He turned around and presented it to the emperor: Your Majesty, this is the suicide note that I found. It says that the addition of Chinese medicine to the fish was ordered by Noble Lady Fucha.

The emperor did not take it, but waved his hand to signal Su Peisheng to hand the letter to the queen. Su Peisheng turned around, and Yixiu took it. She unfolded the letter in her hand and looked at it, and her face suddenly darkened.

Yixiu put the letter on her lap, looked up and said: Noble Lady Fucha was dissatisfied with Concubine Shu being favored as the daughter of the county magistrate and giving birth to the Sixth Prince safely. She was even more dissatisfied with Concubine Xian, who was on good terms with Concubine Shu, being pregnant.

I was so angry that I ordered Xiao Lianzi to do this for me. "Noble Lady Fucha, Xiao Lianzi's suicide note stated that it was you who ordered him to do this. What else do you have to say?"

After the Queen had said this, before Noble Lady Fucha could say anything, a mysterious laugh suddenly rang out in the palace, coming from nowhere.

What were they laughing at? Of course, they were laughing at the fact that An Lingrong was favored as the daughter of the county magistrate as mentioned by the Queen! But when everyone looked at An Lingrong, they saw that she looked calm.

There was no sign of inferiority, and even her expression did not change at all. Noble Lady Fucha was stunned; the Empress, Concubine Shu and Concubine Xian, and the concubines entered the palace together.

In the past, I looked down on Your Majesty's background, but now that Your Majesty Shu is the mistress of the Yanx Palace and has never made things difficult for me, why should I do this?

Moreover, I am just a woman in the deep palace. Before entering the palace, I was just a girl in the boudoir and I have never known any Chinese medicine that can stimulate appetite!

"Even this calamus thing is the first time I've heard of it today. Please understand, Queen, I really have never done it!

"Jianqiu, show this to Noble Lady Fucha!" Yixiu stared at Noble Lady Fucha for a while and spoke again. After hearing this, Jianqiu took the letter and walked up to Noble Lady Fucha.

At this time, Noble Lady Fucha felt extremely aggrieved and she was unable to save herself. After all, the things left behind by a dead person were naturally much more credible than her own empty words.

After taking the letter from Jianqiu, an idea suddenly occurred to him, "Empress, this can't be Xiao Lianzi's suicide note?"

"Oh?" What do you mean? Queen, Xiao Lianzi is just an ordinary eunuch who can't even read. How can he write a suicide note?

When Noble Lady Fucha finished speaking, everyone was shocked and their faces changed. Su Peisheng had not expected that this young eunuch was illiterate.

It seems that there are many doubts about this matter. "Empress, Xiao Lianzi has been with me since I entered the palace." Not only I but also Concubine Shu knew who he was.

If the Queen doesn't believe it, you can ask Concubine Shu whether Xiao Lianzi is illiterate.

Yixiu looked at An Lingrong and asked: "Shupin, is what Noble Lady Fucha said true?" Since the emperor came in, An Lingrong has not said a word.

She was also wondering who did this. If it was according to her idea, it must have been done by the queen. But now looking at the other party's appearance, it seemed as if this matter had nothing to do with her.

But even if she didn't do it, Yixiu's behavior didn't seem like she was completely unaware. Rather, it seemed like she knew who did it but didn't want to say it.

Hearing the question, An Lingrong sat up straight and answered, "To answer the Queen, I am not familiar with Xiao Lianzi. The Yan Gui who came to me is the chief eunuch of the Yanxi Palace."

He naturally knew everything about the people under him, and it was true that Xiao Lianzi was illiterate.

It turned out to be true. Yixiu sighed and said, "If this little Lianzi is illiterate, then where did this thing come from?"

Concubine Shu, you are the head of Yanxi Palace, and the people in your own palace should know it very well! Who did Xiaolian meet these days, and what abnormal behavior did he show? Do you have any clues?

An Lingrong sneered inwardly. Great! This Yixiu was hard to guard against! With just a few words, she turned the spearhead towards herself.

Although Xiao Lian served Noble Lady Fucha, she was the master and was naturally responsible for everything the servants did in the Yanx Palace.

Now that a servant in the Yanx Palace has committed a crime, he, as the master of the palace, has to take responsibility, but the one who was harmed happened to be Shen Meizhuang, who was on good terms with him.

The Queen wanted to draw the blame to herself and make Shen Meizhuang alienate herself. It was not clear what Shen Meizhuang was thinking, as everyone in the palace looked at her with inquiry.

"This is strange. There is a problem in Shupin's palace. Could it be that Shupin is pregnant with the Sixth Prince?" But he couldn't bear to see that Xianpin was pregnant and stole the Sixth Prince's limelight, so he resorted to this desperate measure.

An Lingrong hadn't spoken yet; Concubine Hua on the side sneered and continued the Queen's words. At this point, An Lingrong could no longer sit quietly.

But just as she was about to stand up, she was stopped by Shen Meizhuang, who asked, "Your Majesty, I have a question, but I don't know if I should ask it or not?" The person involved was Shen Meizhuang, so there was no reason for the emperor not to let her speak.

He raised his hand and said, "Just say it directly." Shen Meizhuang stood up and bent her knees. "I have been on good terms with Concubine Shu since I was away from others. Everyone in the harem knows that today's incident concerns Xiao Lianzi." Even if she is promoted to the master of a palace, can she really control the people in the palace?

At least I can't do it! Having said this, Shen Meizhuang turned her gaze to Concubine Hua and looked directly at her without any retreat.

She continued, "Although I am a woman, I have read a few books and I know that gossip can melt gold." There was no clue at all about the matter, but Concubine Hua said that Concubine Shu wanted to harm my child.

I would like to ask Empress Hua, what is your intention in saying this? Shen Meizhuang has always been calm and quiet in front of others and never says much.

Hua Fei had always been arrogant and domineering in the harem. Not to mention Shen Meizhuang, even the queen had been angry with her.

When had she ever been confronted like this before? Anger flashed across her face, and she slapped the table, "Xianpin, how dare you speak to me like this."

"I dare not, but I know I will be responsible for whatever I say." How could Concubine Hua make such malicious guesses about Concubine Shu in front of the Emperor and the Empress?

I don't know the bottom of the matter. Is it me who is presumptuous or the queen? Shen Meizhuang stood straight, looking at Concubine Hua with a rare cruel look in her eyes. The firmness in her words made everyone look at her sideways.

Although she was pregnant, she was not afraid of Hua Fei's anger at all. If the emperor was not there, Hua Fei would not tolerate it.

But now she clearly knew that she had said the wrong thing, and could only look at Shen Meizhuang fiercely and stop talking.

An Lingrong was watching from the side, and seeing that Shen Meizhuang was a little agitated, she quickly stood up and supported Shen Meizhuang, "No sister." Shen Meizhuang gently patted the back of An Lingrong's hand, Rong'er, I'm fine.