An Lingrong's Rebirth: The Lock of Qingqiu

"Who else wants to go up? Hurry up!" Ye Lanyi casually twisted her slender fingers, looking at the large group of people in front of her who were retreating with pale faces due to fear.

The old maid in the Red Mansion was quick-witted and quick-handed. She stepped forward and grabbed Ye Lanyi's arm in a flattering manner. She didn't want the entire brothel to be destroyed because of Ye Lanyi. This Red Mansion was the result of her half life's hard work.

Qin Sanyue told Ye Lanyi that when the Queen Mother drove her out of the palace, the Emperor was not aware of it. The Emperor had three palaces and six courtyards, and he was busy with all kinds of affairs. How could he manage a concubine? Not to mention a newcomer!

After hearing the news and hints from Qin Sanyue, Ye Lanyi went on a killing spree, breaking through numerous obstacles all the way from the Red Mansion and returning to the Imperial Palace.

In front of Shoukang Palace, Ye Lanyi was extremely calm. She asked the empress dowager to come out and meet her. The meeting was fake, but asking for justice was real.

This alarmed the emperor. To him, anyone who dared to challenge the empress dowager would be wanted to stay. The empress dowager's enemies were all his friends. The emperor not only took special care of Ye Lan'yi, but also specially assigned a palace master, Xia Kui, to teach her martial arts. He also let Ye Lan'yi live in a side hall of Yining Palace, so that she could learn martial arts with Xia Kui together with Qin Sanyue. This made Ye Lan'yi very happy.

The emperor has shown a strong interest in celestial phenomena in recent days. An Lingrong knows that every time the emperor observes the celestial phenomena, it means that the emperor has something important to decide. When he is unable to make a decision, he will always observe the celestial phenomena first, and he calls it: God's will!

An Lingrong asked the astronomical master privately, "Is there anything that the Emperor cannot decide on recently?"

The astronomer answered bluntly: "Your Majesty has long been interested in celestial phenomena. The changes in celestial phenomena indicate good or bad fortune in the world. From celestial phenomena, one can get a glimpse of the country's fortune and future direction."

An Lingrong said inwardly, "Just keep talking nonsense!" Since it was something that the emperor was interested in, she naturally did not dare to speak out against it.

On the first day of observing the celestial phenomena, the clear blue sky changed in the blink of an eye, and became covered with dark clouds, thunder, and lightning flashing in the sky from time to time. The lightning accompanied by thunder was particularly scary even in broad daylight. What was even more frightening was that the lightning actually struck the empty palace of the queen. When the news spread, the concubines in the harem were terrified and could not sleep or eat.

"Why are you observing the celestial phenomena for no reason?" Zhen Huan of Tangli Palace complained unhappily.

Most of the concubines in the palace were like the empress dowager. Except for a few brave ones like Ye Lanyi, Lin Qing, Qin Sanyue and others who dared to come out to watch the fun, everyone else stayed in their own palaces and dared not step out of the palace gate.

When the emperor learned that this was an unusual matter, he hurriedly summoned the astronomer to inquire about the situation.

The astronomer reported solemnly, "Your Majesty, lightning has struck the sky, which is an extremely unlucky sign. The Queen's palace has been struck, which shows that the Queen's fate is against the Emperor's fate. If you want to turn the disaster into a blessing, the only way to resolve this disaster is to grant the Queen the death."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor's face darkened and he said, "Astrologer, but the Queen has already passed away, how can she not turn misfortune into fortune?"

The emperor had heard correctly. The astronomer was talking about ordering the death of the concubine, and this concubine was not necessarily the queen. Although the emperor believed in astronomical phenomena, he valued the stability of the harem and the stability of the country more. If he really did what the astronomer said, it would inevitably cause an uproar in the harem. However, he could not ignore it. To be precise, he did not dare to ignore the warning of the astronomical phenomena.

The news soon spread in the harem, and the ministers began to discuss it. Half of the ministers thought that they should follow the advice of the astrologer and execute the concubine to ensure the stability of the country. The other half of the ministers thought that this move was too absurd and would damage the reputation of the royal family.

When the Queen Mother learned about this, she was furious. She summoned all the officials and severely reprimanded them, saying, "You ministers are so absurd! The concubines are living people and have done nothing wrong. How can you just sentence them to death? Moreover, matters concerning celestial phenomena are mysterious and unpredictable. How can you just believe what one person says? Pass on my order and order them to shut up immediately and not discuss this matter in the palace anymore!"

All the officials bowed their heads and kept silent after hearing this. The majesty of the Queen Mother cannot be offended. The husband has his own reasons, and the wife has her own reasons. It is indeed difficult to make a decision. The harem fell into silence again, but this silence made everyone in the palace feel uneasy and anxious.

The Queen Mother said that she was observing the celestial phenomena and that the Emperor was looking for something to do because he had nothing to do. The Emperor was so idle that he became ill! She should find something for the Emperor to do!

After careful consideration, the Queen Mother recommended several young and beautiful women to enter the palace, saying that they would continue the royal family's lineage. However, the Emperor had no interest in this and seemed quite indifferent to the newcomers' entry into the palace. He told An Lingrong that he had now refined the elixir of immortality and that he could enjoy the prosperity of the world forever without having to worry about the affairs of the harem.

On the second day after the Queen Mother recommended the newcomer to the palace, a fire broke out outside the Queen's Jingren Palace for no apparent reason. Although the fire was put out in time, the sudden fire caused panic in the palace. For a time, absurd rumors about the bad feng shui in the palace and the evil spirits were rampant, which further deepened the emperor's anxiety.

However, not long after, another strange thing happened in the palace. When the Queen Mother was walking in the palace, she fell flat on the ground for no reason, and she fell into the Thousand Carp Pond. Although the Queen Mother was rescued in time, this accident triggered the theory of celestial phenomena and ghosts. By the way, the person who saved the Queen Mother was Zhang Tingyu, a minister of the Military Affairs Office.

Zhang Tingyu was known for his fairness, integrity, loyalty and diligence in the palace. He almost never appeared in the harem. Zhang Tingyu, who appeared in the harem only once every few years, unexpectedly saved the empress dowager. His appearance made the accident even more confusing. Soon, rumors about Zhang Tingyu having an affair with the empress dowager began to spread in the palace. These rumors reached Longkodo's ears. Longkodo was already afraid of Zhang Tingyu and dissatisfied with him, so he took advantage of this incident to make a fuss.

Longkodo deliberately exaggerated the rumors and even fabricated some fictitious details to portray the relationship between Zhang Tingyu and the empress dowager as very ambiguous. He claimed that it was because of Zhang Tingyu's affair with the empress dowager that the feng shui of the palace was destroyed, causing a series of unfortunate events such as the fire and the empress dowager's fall.

These rumors quickly spread inside and outside the palace, causing an uproar. Even the emperor began to question Zhang Tingyu's character again. The emperor also advised Zhang Tingyu to go to the harem less often and keep a distance from the empress dowager. The rumors outside were spreading wildly, which was not good for the empress dowager and Zhang Tingyu. Zhang Tingyu was angry that he was unreasonably involved in this unexpected disaster.