An Lingrong after rebirth

"As soon as the Queen Mother finished speaking, Hong Zhao's voice rang out. The Queen Mother laughed heartily and motioned Hong Zhao and Hong Jun to come forward. The Queen Mother hugged one of them in each hand. Zhao'er and Jun'er are also good children."

"Hong Zhao has always been the one who pleases the Queen Mother the most. After hearing this, the Queen Mother arched her back in her arms and said, 'Grandma, Zhao'er likes Grandma the most!'"

"An Lingrong and the other person held the child and sat there for a while. They couldn't help laughing at Hong Zhao's expression. If they were to ask who the Queen Mother liked the most in the harem, it would naturally be this clever guy in front of them."

"As long as he is around, the Queen Mother will always be smiling! Did you have lunch just now?"

"The Queen Mother held her grandson in her arms and smiled as she asked. The children naturally did not eat well at the table. When they heard the Queen Mother's question, they raised their heads."

"She glanced at her belly, then looked at the Queen Mother. "Grandma, my grandson is hungry." After hearing this, the Queen Mother bowed to Zhu Xizhao and quickly asked someone to prepare some snacks for the Sixth and Seventh Princes."

"Zhu Xi smiled and retreated, and An Lingrong spoke up: Zhao'er, Jun'er, come to mother, and stop pestering the royal mother all the time!"

"The Queen Mother turned her head and glanced at An Lingrong, her face full of disapproval. They are so young, how can they bother me? I actually like their closeness."

"The Queen Mother is right, but you are not feeling well. I am worried that I might disturb you... Don't worry, I am fine."

"The Queen Mother waved her hand but was only concerned with talking to the children. An Lingrong smiled helplessly and sat with Shen Meizhuang holding the child. She didn't say a word for a long time."

"After waiting for a while, Zhuxi came in with a food box, and the two children finally sat together quietly."

The Queen Mother had a chance to rub her waist and continued, "I heard that the Emperor asked you two to take charge of the selection of concubines? Although the Queen Mother doesn't care about the affairs of the harem, she has always been very observant."

"It's not surprising that An Lingrong got the news so quickly, and the emperor also informed the queen mother first."

An Lingrong smiled and nodded and replied to the Queen Mother… "Yes, this is the first time that Sister Mei and I have done something like this, and I was just thinking of asking the Queen Mother for some advice!"

"I am old now. I can only watch Zhao'er and the others grow up well. How can I give you any advice?" The Queen Mother waved her hand and looked at Hong Zhao with a strange tone.

"An Lingrong pretended not to hear and said with a smile: The Queen Mother is the elder, so she will naturally know what I am doing. If the Queen Mother is unwilling to speak, I and Sister Mei will be even more terrified!"

"The Queen Mother naturally knew that An Lingrong was joking, so she just nodded. That's all. The selection of concubines is simple to say, but in the end, it's up to the Emperor himself to decide who to choose to enter the palace."

"I have also helped the late emperor select talents. Zhuxi, Zhuying and the others also have some understanding of them. If you have any questions about the regulations, you can ask them to come and ask."

"An Lingrong's smile deepened after hearing this. In this case, I would like to thank the Queen Mother for her love."

"The Queen Mother reached out her hand and tapped An Lingrong twice, then looked at Shen Meizhuang and said, 'Shu Fei now has two sons and two daughters, Mei'er should also work harder to give me a little grandson.'"

"Although Shen Meizhuang had long lost interest in showing favor, she naturally did not go to the extent of informing the Queen Mother about this matter. She just nodded and said, "Yes, I respect the Queen Mother's teachings."

You are too serious, kid. How can our casual chat be regarded as a lecture? The queen mother said with a look of disapproval, "You two are good."

"I hope that the emperor will have more sensible and polite people like you around him. This time, the emperor wants you to be in charge of the selection. Perhaps he has such thoughts in mind."

"I should have screened out those vixens earlier! Your Majesty, you worry too much. If it weren't for you, Your Majesty, I would have been fine!"

"If you hadn't reminded me from time to time, how could Sister Mei and I be where we are today? Please rest assured, Your Majesty, we understand what you mean."

"Your Majesty picked up the tea and took a sip. You two are both smart, so I am naturally relieved. There are no other people in the harem who are as compatible with my heart as you two."

"An Lingrong smiled again after hearing this. All the sisters in the harem are very thoughtful. I dare not praise you now, Queen Mother."

"Intelligent but not ostentatious is the virtue that concubines in the harem should have."

"The Queen Mother's face suddenly showed a hint of displeasure. If this wisdom is used in the wrong place, it would be absolutely wrong."

"When the Queen Mother said this, An Lingrong and Shen Meizhuang looked at each other, and both of them thought of the same person at the same time. It seems that Zhen Huan's meddling in government affairs has left the Queen Mother with a very bad impression of her."

"Otherwise, it has been so long since the incident happened, and the Queen Mother, who has had such a turbulent life, is still feeling so upset. The Queen Mother is right. Please rest assured that Sister Mei and I will remember the Queen Mother's words and will never overstep the line."

Good boy, remember the virtues of a concubine, so that you can stay in the harem longer. A strange light flashed in the empress dowager's eyes.

I say all this for your own good, and I hope you can listen to me.

An Lingrong tightened her arms around the child and understood the meaning of the Queen Mother's words, "The virtue of a concubine?" The Queen Mother was speaking for the Queen!

An Lingrong patted Hong Sheng in her arms lightly and said, "The Queen Mother is right. We, the concubines, know this well." Having said this, the Queen Mother had finished her words.

"Turning around to look at the two children sitting at the table eating happily, she regained her smile and asked, 'Zhao'er, Jun'er, is that enough? If not, please have someone bring some more.'"

"After hearing this, Hong Zhao turned his head and glanced at the Queen Mother, then he slid down the stool, took Zhu Xi's hand, and asked her to bring the snacks to him."

"I just turned around and walked towards the Queen Mother. Has the Royal Mama finished talking to Mother? They must be hungry too! My brother and I had a few pieces, and the Royal Mama also ate."

"Hong Zhao finished speaking these words! The Queen Mother was stunned when she heard the child, but she immediately reacted and was unwilling to reject the child."

He reached out and grabbed a piece from the plate, saying, "Okay, let the Empress Dowager eat it too. Zhao'er and Jun'er are really good children."

"Hong Zhao walked up to Shen Meizhuang again, tilted his head with a smile, and said, 'Mother, you have been holding your sister for so long, you must be tired, put her down, and you can have a piece too.'"

"His mischievous appearance made the adults laugh. Shen Meizhuang freed one hand and touched Hong Zhao's head. Zhao'er, eat by yourself. Xian'e Niang is not hungry."

"I thought Hong Zhao would give up, but he suddenly curled his lips and said that Xian'er Niang was partial and only hugged his younger brothers and sisters. She hasn't hugged Zhao'er for a long time."

"Shen Meizhuang was the one who couldn't bear to see Hongzhao like this. After hearing this, she quickly stood up, put Jinyu on the couch, bent down and picked up Hongzhao."

"So Zhao'er wants Xian'er Niang to hold him! Then next time Zhao'er can just tell Xian'er Niang, and Xian'er Niang will definitely hold Zhao'er, okay?"

Hong Zhao nodded with a smile and handed over the snack in his hand, saying, "Eat it, my dear mother!"

"Shen Meizhuang's eyes were full of surprise. It turned out that the child was not jealous and wanted to be held by herself, but really wanted to eat snacks by herself."

"It has come to this. Shen Meizhuang herself will not refuse. She reached out to take it and could not help but tap Hongzhao's nose. You are so clever, little devil. You are the smartest one."

Hong Zhao twisted his body with a smile and said, "My dear mother, Zhao'er wants to come down."

"Shen Meizhuang put Hong Zhao down, and the boy ran to An Lingrong again, insisting that she eat a piece too."

"Hongjun sat beside him, watching Hongzhao jumping up and down, giggling non-stop. He took the children to accompany the Queen Mother in Shoukang Palace for more than an hour before they got up and left."

"The two older ones followed behind and had to be held by someone. Hong Sheng and Jin Yu were also held by the wet nurses, and An Lingrong was holding Shen Meizhuang's arm."

When he was a little further away from the crowd, he said, "Sister, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should say it or not."

"Shen Meizhuang turned around in confusion. I asked, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly away from the children? Is there anything between you and me that cannot be discussed?"

"Rong'er, if you have something to say, just say it. An Lingrong looked a little hesitant, but she had to say it openly, so she asked without hesitation: Sister, are you not going to be favored anymore......?"

Shen Meizhuang was stunned by An Lingrong's words. Didn't she expect An Lingrong to suddenly ask about this?

"I also heard what the Queen Mother said just now. If this continues for a long time, not to mention the Emperor, I'm afraid the Queen Mother will also be dissatisfied..."

"Rong'er, I already have Jun'er. What does it have to do with me whether other people are happy or not? I just want my child to grow up safely. I have no other requests."

"An Lingrong had long guessed that Shen Meizhuang would behave like this, but she had never fully explained the matter to her. Now that she heard what she had done, she had no intention of trying to persuade her."

I nodded. I support whatever my sister does. As long as Ronger understands what I mean, I have no regrets.

After that, the two of them smiled at each other and didn't say any more about it.

…………

Although the selection of concubines was handled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the twists and turns involved always required the decision-making of Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong.

"In the Yanxi Palace, An Lingrong was holding a list of beauties in her hand, flipping through the list of beauties who were going to participate in the selection. Shen Meizhuang looked at An Lingrong's expression and laughed: What kind of person makes you so embarrassed?"

"Let me see it," An Lingrong handed the booklet to Shen Meizhuang, and said, "Sister, take a look at this person." Shen Meizhuang was a little surprised at the first sight. What is this? …………"

"An Lingrong nodded. The name looked familiar to her. It reminded her of an old story. Isn't this person the younger sister of Concubine Ding?"

"Fucha Ningxin, it's indeed her. She had previously experienced the incident of drugging Wen Lin. Her family actually wanted to send a daughter to the palace?"

"An Lingrong reached out and touched the jade bracelet on her wrist, and then spoke; they drugged Wen Lin in front of her, just to get hold of Qi Yuebin and send their little daughter to the palace again."

"Now maybe someone else has been involved! Shen Meizhuang looked a little hesitant. Who is in the head... the queen...?"

"An Lingrong was stunned after hearing this. Why did her sister think of her? This time it's you and I who are in charge. Apart from her, no one else has the right to interfere."

Besides, no one has come to say hello yet. Apart from Jingren Palace, I can't think of anyone else! Shen Meizhuang's words silenced An Lingrong.

"It took a long while before he spoke. Wen Lin didn't do anything wrong the last time. The incident involved concubines in the harem. For the sake of the royal reputation, the emperor couldn't just get rid of Luo."

"Although his family does not hold high positions in the capital, this selection is held among the families of officials in the capital, so it is not surprising that he was able to apply again."

"An Lingrong frowned. Although she had no doubts about Fu Cha Ning Xin's selection, her expression clearly showed otherwise."

"Shen Meizhuang didn't want to say anything more about this matter, but after flipping through the list, she saw a few people who surprised her?"

"He handed the register back to An Lingrong and asked doubtfully: 'People from the Wuya clan? An Lingrong was also confused after hearing this.'

"Shen Meizhuang and I would take the children to Shoukang Palace almost every day. If Wu Ya wanted to enter the palace, the Queen Mother would never mention it."

Wu Yazhenyun! Another person I have never seen before?

"Sister, although the Queen Mother is from the Uya clan, there has not been a single Uya clan member in the Emperor's harem for so many years. Now that the selection is being held again, the Uya clan is sending someone into the palace?"

"It's not surprising. Let's just pretend we don't know. There's really no need to worry about it!" An Lingrong said as she flipped through the book in her hand again. This time, she finally saw a name she was familiar with."

Guarjaweng vulture!

"In her previous life, she was able to enter the palace because of the great contribution of Guaerjia and Zhen in overthrowing Nian Gengyao."

"Now that Nian Gengyao has fallen, she has already seen the emperor's face through the selection. I have no impression of the remaining concubine An Lingrong, so there is no need to watch it."

"After all, the Queen has to look at this list before she can decide on the final selection of concubines, so you don't really need to worry about who to keep and who not to keep."

"With a snap, An Lingrong sealed the book. Sister, I think there is nothing wrong with this book. Why not let Qiufang send it to Jingren Palace?"

Well, we don’t have to worry about the selection of candidates, just send it over!

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

"The days were so busy that June came in the blink of an eye. After paying respects that day, Yixiu asked An Lingrong to stay alone again."

"Yi Xiu was in no hurry to speak. She asked Jian Qiu to serve the new tea first, and then she said, "Sister, you have worked hard in this selection. The selection for the palace is coming soon. I wonder if everything has been arranged properly?"

"An Lingrong lowered her head and said, 'Please rest assured, Queen, everything is fine and there is no problem. According to your wishes, the selection will be held in Yanhui Pavilion in the northwest corner of the Imperial Garden.'"

"I have packed everything and am just waiting for the palace selection. My sister has always been very good at doing things, so I naturally have nothing to worry about. Yixiu doesn't look abnormal at all."

"Thank you for your hard work, sister. I cannot just stand there and say nothing. The imperial kitchen sent me some freshly made snacks today. I don't know what you like, sister. Why don't you take a look for yourself and see if there's anything you like?"

After saying this, without waiting for An Lingrong to refuse, he turned around and said: Jianqiu.

"After hearing this, Jianqiu knelt down and saluted. Then she clapped her hands. Huichun led people in from outside with a few plates of snacks. They walked to An Lingrong one by one and knelt down."

"At this time, Yixiu said, "Sister, please choose." Although An Lingrong didn't know what the Queen meant by this, she didn't refute the Queen's intention in person. She thought it was just a plate of dessert and she would just not eat it."

She stood up and bent her knees, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I'd like to order this plate of peony rolls," Qiufang said, stepping forward and taking the plate from Huichun.

"Returning to An Lingrong's back, Yixiu looked at Qiufang with a smile on her face. After a moment, she seemed to come to her senses and smiled, saying, "Shufei has been assisting in managing the harem for several years."

"I see that things are now done in an orderly manner, and even the people around them are becoming more disciplined." An Lingrong's heart skipped a beat after hearing this, and she subconsciously became cautious.

"The corners of my mouth curled up into a smile. Your Majesty, you are so kind. I have suffered many setbacks since entering the palace. If it weren't for your guidance, I wouldn't be where I am today."