An Lingrong after rebirth

"Rou Ying said that she had already changed her clothes. She nodded to Yun Li, and Yun Li nodded back. Neither of them spoke, but Zhen Huan looked surprised."

"It was obvious that she had just entered the hall in a hurry, and she didn't even notice Rou Ying who had changed her clothes and re-entered the hall after her."

"Zhen Huan turned her head and glanced at Rou Ying, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. This Rou Ying had some similarities with her."

"Rou Dancing felt Zhen Huan's gaze, turned to look at her, and smiled. Zhen Huan also smiled, but did not ask any questions during the meal!"

"With Yunli present, the atmosphere became more lively, and the Qiqiao Banquet ended in a seemingly peaceful atmosphere. Needless to say, the sign for today is that Rou agrees to sleep with me."

.........

"The next morning, in the daylight, An Lingrong had just sat down when a figure in a green Qi-colored dress came in! An Lingrong turned around, glanced at the person, but did not take the initiative to speak!"

"Now that An Lingrong and Shen Meizhuang don't live together, they naturally won't arrive at the same time. When Concubine Rou saw that An Lingrong was the only one in the palace, she didn't hesitate."

"I walked into the hall a few steps and knelt down, saying, 'I pay my respects to Madam Shu, may Madam Shu live long and healthy.' Rou agreed that there was no need for further formalities, and said, 'Get up!'"

"An Lingrong responded, and a hint of strangeness flashed across her face. Yes, thank you, Your Majesty. Yesterday, Your Majesty prepared a place for me to stay. I have never thanked you in person."

"I am the assistant in charge of the harem, and preparing a place for you to live is just my job. You don't have to be polite if you agree! It is a piece of cake for Her Majesty, but it is a great favor for me, a concubine!"

"An Lingrong smiled but didn't say anything. Rou Ying also didn't say anything. She helped the maid to the back and sat down. Before long, the hall was full."

"Except for Concubine Hua and the Queen, everyone else in the palace has arrived. The concubines who came to the garden this time were all above the rank of concubine. I greeted everyone one by one, and Yixiu also came in with Jianqiu."

"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you. May you live long and be blessed with good health. Concubine Jing led the crowd to stand up and pay their respects. Yixiu walked to the middle and sat down, waving her hand. No need to be polite!"

"Thank you, Queen Mother," everyone thanked and stood up and sat down. Yixiu's eyes flashed and she spoke again; Rou Ying is here too!"

"Since Yixiu entered the room, Rou Ying had been standing instead of sitting down. She immediately knelt down and said, 'I pay my respects to the Queen. Please accept my great gift, Your Majesty.'"

"On the first day after serving the empress, all concubines must pay homage to the empress. This is the rule of the harem. After the six bows, three kneels and three prostrations, it is appropriate to practice Taoism. You served the empress yesterday, and today you have to pay homage again. Thank you for your hard work."

Your Majesty, you are too polite. As a concubine, it is my duty to pay my respects to the Queen. Please don't be polite to me.

Yixiu said, "Jianqiu, send over the gift that I promised to prepare for Rou!" As soon as Yixiu finished speaking, Jianqiu came up with a silver plate.

The gift was taken by the maid behind Rouying. Rouying nodded in agreement and then stepped back a few steps and sat down.

"But when the maid just passed by An Lingrong, she frowned slightly. Could it be that the Queen couldn't control herself? She immediately made sure that the person she chose would not have any chance of getting pregnant?"

“But when I think about my past life, when I was serving the emperor in bed, Jianqiu brought me contraceptive pills every day and I drank them with my own eyes, I don’t feel surprised anymore.”

"Her Majesty Hua Fei has arrived," An Lingrong's mind was racing with thoughts. Then a message came from outside. She turned around and saw Hua Fei supporting Song Zhi in, followed by Su Peisheng.

"Everyone sat up straight at once, wondering what order the emperor would issue so early in the morning. They greeted Concubine Hua and sat down."

"Su Peisheng also smiled and bowed, then said, "Empress, your majesty, the emperor has given a verbal order to promise Dai Jiashi that if she serves diligently, she will be promoted to a permanent position."

As soon as Su Peisheng finished speaking, everyone present turned their eyes to An Lingrong. There were quite a few concubines in the harem who were promoted, but no matter whether they entered the palace through the selection or had been in the prince's palace before.

"The only one who was promoted after serving in the bed was An Lingrong. After serving in the bed for the first time, she was promoted from An Changzai to Shu Guiren. Now, a dancer was promoted after serving in the bed for the first time?"

"Even if she is only a concubine, it is enough to make people see clearly that the emperor must be very kind to this new concubine, Rou Changzai!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. Please don't be polite. Your Majesty has said that you should be ready tonight. The Phoenix Carriage will come to pick you up at the Xinghuachun Pass tonight."

"Yes," Rou Chang said with a shy look on her face. She helped the maid to sit down and congratulated Rou Chang. Yi Xiu looked calm, but An Lingrong could still see a hint of stiffness on her face.

"Rou Changzai, hehe!" This is a needle in Yixiu's lung!

"But it's no wonder. Dai Jia's appearance alone already gives her a great advantage. Add to that the similar voice, and it's not a big deal that she can receive such a favor."

"The newly promoted Concubine Rou was promoted to the rank of Changzai after serving in the emperor's bedchamber for one night. This speed shocked everyone in the harem. An Lingrong thought so and turned to look at Concubine Hua. As expected, she saw anger on her face."

"Rou agreed? She is really favored, but she was promoted after spending a night in bed with him. She is not much worse than Shupin before? This is how Concubine Hua is. Once she gets angry, she loses her mind!"

"She totally ignored the palace banquet last night and her own help. She immediately turned the tables and started to attack the two of them! An Lingrong didn't care. She smiled and shrank back in her chair without saying a word."

"Rou Chang smiled slightly. My position as a concubine was determined by the emperor. I dare not have other ideas, let alone compare myself with Madam Shu."

"Humph, you are naturally not as good as Shupin. After all, Shupin was selected into the palace through a formal selection. You are a dancer, how can you compare with Shupin? Do you really think you have turned from a sparrow into a phoenix?"

"Yes, I have never thought of this before. If it weren't for Madam Shu's hard work last night, I wouldn't even know where to stay, so how could I have any other thoughts about Madam Shu."

Rou Changzai knelt down and said, "So, Madam Hua, please don't misunderstand me. I am just a bitch and I am just being pretentious!"

"Hua Fei said angrily, 'Why do you think you are qualified to advance to a higher position just by sleeping with me? Talk to me now.' Even though Hua Fei was so stubborn, Rou Chang's expression did not change!"

"After hearing this, she just bent her knees and sat down obediently. Rou Changzai's seemingly surrendering behavior made Hua Fei even more angry."

He didn't dare to get too angry in front of everyone, so he could only snort coldly, turn his eyes away and stop talking.

"Hua Fei didn't mean to talk anymore, and Yi Xiu didn't want to say much in front of everyone, so she stood up and said with a smile, "Okay, everyone has been here for quite a while today, and the weather is hot, so let's go back and have breakfast early!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and left. Everyone also left in twos and threes. An Lingrong held Shen Meizhuang's arm and said, "Sister, please bring the child to Rugu Hanjin today. I haven't seen a child for two of us!"

"Okay, Caiyue, you go back to Xianyue Pavilion and pick up Xiaoqi. I won't go back. Yes!" Caiyue ran away with a smile. Shen Meizhuang was about to speak again when a voice suddenly sounded from behind.

"Empress Shupin!"

An Lingrong paused and did not turn around immediately. Instead, she looked at Shen Meiyu, and a hint of impatience flashed in both of their eyes.

"But there are so many people around, so I can't just pretend I didn't hear it! An Lingrong turned around and looked at the person who came, and asked calmly: "What's the matter, Concubine Rou?"

Rou Changzai smiled and said, "Madam Shupin, today the Emperor and Empress have bestowed gifts upon me. I am grateful for your kindness, but I am a humble person and do not have anything good to offer."

"I can only borrow flowers to offer to Buddha. Please let Concubine Shu pick first," said Concubine Rou. The maid behind her was about to step forward with a plate, but An Lingrong raised her hand to stop her!"

"As for the palace matter mentioned by Rou Changzai, I said it is my duty. If Rou Changzai still takes it to heart, it will only trouble others and myself."

"An Lingrong looked calm, but the aloofness in her tone was clearly heard by Rou Changzai. But how could she have done this just to express her gratitude?"

"She smiled and said, 'Madam Shupin, I just want to... don't think about anything. I have things to do, so I won't delay Concubine Rou. I'll go back and pack up. Goodbye."

After saying that, he pulled Shen Meizhuang and said, "Sister, let's go!"

"Shen Meizhuang responded, and the two of them turned around at the same time, ignoring Rou Changzai, and turned to leave."

"Rou Ying stood there in silence for a moment, without even the slightest change on her face. She raised her hand, put it on the hand of the maid, and turned to leave."

.........

Bitong Academy

"Zhen Huan held the round fan in her hand and kept shaking it, but there was still a hint of doubt on her face. Jin Xi, this gentle lady..."

Cui Jinxi happened to bring a cup of tea to Zhen Huan, "My queen, what happened to Rou Changzai? Zhen Huan glanced at Cui Jinxi, don't you think she looks a bit like me..."

There was some hesitation in Zhen Huan's voice, but this hesitation was accompanied by a certainty! Cui Jinxi did not look at Zhen Huan, and was busy packing the teapot.

"Then he said: At first glance, Rou Ying seems to look a bit like the Empress, but upon closer inspection, only the eyebrows and eyes are somewhat similar. If you look more carefully, they are not that similar."

"Yesterday when I came back from my trip, there was no one behind Concubine Mei... Xian. When Prince Guo mentioned it, I turned around and was surprised."

"You are right. At first glance, they do look alike, which surprised me. Cui Jinxi smiled. As for the resemblance in appearance, I think that is secondary."

Your Majesty, don’t you think that Concubine Rou’s voice is somewhat similar to Concubine Shu’s?

"Voice?" Zhen Huan looked puzzled. Usually, Shupin rarely spoke, but she did say a few more words yesterday. However, she could not hear clearly because the noise in the palace was too noisy.

Now that you mention it, it does seem a bit similar!

"Madam, I dare to say that apart from Concubine Hua, you and Concubine Shu are the most favored. But now there is a concubine who looks a bit like you. I'm afraid she is not a nobody."

Cui Jinxi's words made Zhen Huan raise her eyebrows. Are you saying that this Concubine Rou is not just an ordinary dancer?

"My queen, Rou Changzai is born into a noble family, so why would she dare to do that? She is the daughter of an official. Even if she is not selected to enter the palace, the Daijia clan will not allow their daughter to be a dancer."

"You mean, that's... the Queen? I saw that she was different yesterday and even dared to talk back to Concubine Hua. Could it be..."

"I dare not say it, but I heard today that Rou Changzai has shown her goodwill to Shupin several times! If it is really as the Empress guessed, then we should avoid Rou Changzai in the future!"

"Now that Rou Chang is here, I'm reminded of something else. Madam, please tell me: I've been in the garden for more than half a month. I've been feeling a little uncomfortable these days, and my period has been delayed for five days. Please ask Wen Shichu to come and see me later."

"Cui Jinxi was stunned. Zhen Huan had kept this a secret so thoroughly that even she had only just found out! Your Majesty, could it be that…?"

Zhen Huan shook her head and said, “I don’t know either. I just feel tired. This feeling is a bit like when I was pregnant with my first child!”

"Oh, that's really a happy event. I congratulate your Majesty!"

"Things haven't been confirmed yet, so don't rush to congratulate me, and don't let any of it slip out. If something like that happens again, I really can't bear it anymore."

Zhen Huan's voice was a little low, and Cui Jinxi also sighed, "Don't worry, Madam. If you are pregnant, I will do my best to protect you and give birth to the little prince safely."

After hearing this, Zhen Huan reached out and touched her belly, "I only hope that I can be blessed with another pregnancy, so that she and he can get out safely. I really don't care whether it's a princess or a prince, I just hope..."

"He and she are safe, your Majesty is right, I understand, Doctor Wen will definitely do his best this time, Zhen Huan nodded, sorting out the messy thoughts in her mind."

"Speak again; if she is really pregnant, we can't just sit there and wait for death. Pregnancy will definitely become the first of many things, so I think that this matter requires someone to stand in front of us and block the eyes of everyone in the harem!"

Cui Jinxi paused and said, "Your Majesty... are you thinking of... bringing He Ying to the garden?"

"Zhen Huan nodded, but did not speak immediately. She shook her head and said, 'Huanbi alone is not enough. What the Queen means is...'?"

"I still don't have any solid evidence of the cause of her miscarriage. Fang Chunyi is now hiding in Zijing City and won't come out, so I have no way to investigate."

If she also came to the garden, firstly, there would be a chance for contact and we would get to know each other better. Secondly, with more people vying for favor, the garden would become lively and others would pay more attention to me.

"We can kill two birds with one stone. We should not sit there and do something! When Zhen Huan mentioned subscription, Cui Jinxi looked a little surprised."

"Your Majesty...it's easy to say what you promised, but Concubine Chun is there. In the eyes of outsiders, she has an irreconcilable conflict with us. If Your Majesty takes the initiative to let Concubine Chun come to the garden, it will inevitably make others think..."

Before Cui Jinxi finished speaking, Zhen Huan understood what she meant. "Does this make people think that I am scheming? I can be kind to someone who harmed my child."

"I dare not. There is no need to be so polite between you and me!"

"Zhen Huan put down the teacup. I don't care what others think. As long as I can avenge the child who hasn't been in trouble, what does it matter if others have some opinions?"

"After hearing this, Cui Jinxi was silent for a moment and said, "I understand what your Majesty means, but if your Majesty is really pregnant, and Concubine Chun enters the garden, it is inevitable that there will be another wave of disturbance."

Your Majesty's health is the most important thing now. Why not think about other things after you give birth to the baby?

"Zhen Huan didn't say much to Cui Jinxi about this matter. She smiled and said, "You should go and ask Wen Shichu to come first!" Cui Jinxi's face was full of sorrow. She also knew Zhen Huan's personality."

"I can't persuade her to change her mind by myself! After Cui Jinxi left, Zhen Huan picked up Cui Jinxi's milk and drank it while talking."

"But as soon as I took a sip of the milk, I felt nauseous. I vomited lightly, and a hint of joy quickly appeared on my face. It seems that my guess has come true."

...............

"Rou Changzai was favored, and for a time she was the most popular person in the harem! For five consecutive days, only Zhen Huan's situation when she first gained favor could surpass her."