An Lingrong's Rebirth: The Lock of Qingqiu

It was said that they would go to Yimei Garden after dinner, but the emperor was not in the mood for dinner, so he asked An Lingrong to bring the newly made Liuying Cake, which was made of densely packed wolfberries on the chrysanthemum-yellow corn cake. The emperor named it "Liuying Cake" and said that only the emperor could enjoy such cakes. The emperor meant that in order to express An Lingrong's love for him, there would always be something special left for him to enjoy alone. If cakes that others could taste were given to him to taste, he would not be interested.

There were still drops of water on the branches of the plum trees in the Plum Garden. It had rained yesterday and the water had not yet dried up. The emperor brought in a small white box, opened it, and took out a piece of waterproof blue canvas about two meters long. He spread it on the damp and semi-dry ground, and then spread a brightly colored blanket on the canvas. The emperor took off his shoes, put on white socks, and sat down on the blanket.

An Lingrong brought a jade rabbit lantern. She didn't know when the emperor had asked her to return to Yining Palace, so she could see the road clearly with a lantern. She hung the lantern under the white ginkgo tree, then sat down next to the emperor, admiring the plum blossoms in the garden and drinking wine with him.

In terms of drinking capacity, An Lingrong is only a half-bucket of water, not as much as Qin Lihua, who has just entered the palace. However, the emperor's alcohol tolerance is not that great either, so naturally he did not force her to drink.

The faint scent of plum blossoms lingers in the air. When the breeze blows, the fragrance of flowers comes to your nose, making you feel refreshed. The branches of the plum blossoms sway gently, and the phantoms are reborn, with flowers filling the ears. Even in winter, it is still a vibrant scene.

The emperor, dressed in a brocade robe and a golden crown, changed his usual majesty and tasted the cakes made by An Lingrong with a smile. An Lingrong, dressed in a light blue palace dress, stood up and came under the plum tree. She weaved a huge wreath of red, blue, purple, green and other plum blossoms and put it on her forehead. At first glance, she looked even more beautiful and refined, and she laughed heartyly like a silver bell from time to time. Soon, the happiness flowing from her eyes was also transmitted to the emperor.

After tasting the cakes, the emperor leaned on a stone bench in the plum garden on one side. A cup of fragrant snowflake wine was placed on the bench. The emperor held the white jade cup in his hand, took a sip, squinted his eyes, and reveled in the aroma of the wine. At this time, the sun was setting in the west, and the afterglow of the setting sun was reflected on the plum branches beside the two of them, filling the air with warmth.

Fortunately, it was a sunny day. Looking up, I could vaguely see white clouds floating freely in the blue sky. The magnificent imperial palace showed its pointed corners, shining brightly in the sunset.

The emperor raised his head and looked at An Lingrong with a smile. An Lingrong also looked at the emperor with a smile. The two talked about their experiences, and this scene brought back beautiful memories. An Lingrong talked about how the emperor fell in love with her on the day of the talent show. The emperor said that when he looked at her, a butterfly happened to land on the crabapple flower above her head. At that time, he felt that this was an extremely beautiful person.

An Lingrong smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please tell the truth!"

The emperor lowered his eyebrows and smiled, "You forgot that I am also a reborn person. I naturally know which of the many concubines in the harem is most worthy of my true love! Now, have I moved Rong'er? Is Rong'er still on guard against me?"

An Lingrong blushed and lowered her head, but the emperor grabbed her hand just right!

The emperor sighed deeply and lightly, his eyes revealing a complex emotion. He said softly, "A good woman, in fact, one is enough. Rong'er, two women together will always quarrel over trivial matters, not to mention that there are three thousand beauties in my harem. Whenever they quarrel, I also have a headache. Sometimes I really think that there should not be so many concubines, really not so many."

He turned and looked at the plum tree beside him, a trace of tenderness flashed in his eyes: "Rong'er, everyone says that I like Queen Chunyuan, but in my heart, Queen Chunyuan is not impossible. It's just that she is the one I feel most indebted to among all my concubines. I am sorry for her and have failed her deep affection. Whenever I think of her, I only feel guilty and sad. If she were still alive, I would definitely compensate her well."

The plum branches beside her rustled in the wind. An Lingrong whispered, "Then Your Majesty, can you distinguish between true love and love driven by apology? Your Majesty said that you felt guilty and sad about Queen Chunyuan, but Your Majesty does not feel guilty or sad about the other concubines in the harem, nor does he have deep love for them?" An Lingrong wanted to tease the emperor.

Unexpectedly, the emperor stared at her half-jokingly, and sighed intentionally or unintentionally, "I also feel that although there are many women around men, their hearts are actually small, so small that they can only accommodate one person. Just like my heart can only accommodate you, Rong'er."

He paused, and then continued, "Rong'er, do you remember? In the past, when I saw Zhen Huan getting close to other men, I would always feel jealous. But now, when I see her with other men in the palace, I no longer have that feeling. Tell me, why is that?"

Rong'er thought for a moment and said softly, "Perhaps it's because the emperor now understands who is really in his heart. Although Sister Wan is excellent, the emperor's heart has long been occupied by Rong'er. Therefore, no matter how close Sister Wan is to others, the emperor will no longer feel jealous or uneasy."

After hearing this, the emperor felt a warm current in his heart. He held An Lingrong's hand tightly, and the two smiled at each other. The only sound in the world was the sound of each other's heartbeats.

An Lingrong exclaimed: "Your Majesty, since you took the elixir of immortality, you have truly become a child again. Your mentality has also become younger and more youthful, full of youthful vitality."

The emperor's face glowed brightly and he nodded, saying, "Once, I was wholeheartedly pursuing the elixir of immortality, longing to sit on the throne longer, and wanting to possess all the beautiful things in the world. I hope to have a beautiful woman in my arms and enjoy gentle company; I long for gold, silver and jewelry to show the dignity and wealth of the royal family; I also hope that the country will expand and make the territory of the Qing Dynasty more vast. However, as time goes by, I gradually understand that those former pursuits and desires are not really able to make people feel satisfied and happy. When immortality is really achieved, I find that those things that once seemed important are no longer so important. So I began to realize that true happiness does not come from external possession, but from inner peace and satisfaction. Now, I just want to spend my life with someone in a plain way. I no longer pursue those illusory things, but hope to cherish those around me who accompany me silently. I want to be with Rong'er, enjoying an ordinary and warm life, whether it is sunrise and sunset, or spring, summer, autumn and winter, we are sweet and happy together."