An Lingrong's Rebirth: The Lock of Qingqiu

An Lingrong was startled and said, "I understand your Majesty's feelings towards me, but your Majesty..."

The hand on her head slightly increased its strength: "Alright, there are no buts, buts anymore, let's just leave it at that! Don't you want to join hands with me to rule the world and live together forever?"

An Lingrong lowered her head and said, "Together we share the world? Living together and flying together, that is something I do want, but I don't necessarily have to be the queen, right?"

An Lingrong had not yet been officially crowned as queen, but the news that the Imperial Household Department had customized a nine-tailed phoenix crown for her had already spread, causing an uproar in the palace, and even the empress dowager was dissatisfied.

There was a constant stream of people coming and going in Yining Palace. An Lingrong had just seen off Xia Ruchun when Lipin came. After seeing off Lipin, Xiangpin came again. As soon as Xiangpin left, Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan entered Yining Palace hand in hand. They started by congratulating An Lingrong on her promotion. Shen Meizhuang always liked to speak her mind. She pursed her lips and said, "Sister An, the Empress Dowager has been criticizing you in Shoukang Palace all day long. Now you have become the Empress. I'm sure the Empress Dowager will only be angry but not say anything."

Zhen Huan chuckled and said, "The Queen Mother often said that Sister An had a low voice and was average looking. I don't know why she bewitched the Emperor's heart. The harem spread that Sister An knew witchcraft! Now she has really flown to the top and become a phoenix! As long as Sister An sits on the throne of Queen, she will have power over the world. If anyone dares to talk about Sister behind her back, I will tear her mouth apart!"

An Lingrong smiled bitterly and said, "Sisters, stop teasing me here! What's so good about being a queen? The previous three queens all died tragically in the palace. To be honest, I still want to live a few more years!"

Shen Meizhuang said seriously: "Don't worry about this, sister. Didn't I help the emperor refine the elixir of immortality? But the emperor said that this must be kept secret. This is probably an open secret. He is afraid that someone will harm you. The emperor needs the elixir of immortality. Just based on this point, he will definitely protect your personal safety."

An Lingrong explained, "No, that's not the real elixir of life. That kind of medicine only has the effect of strengthening the body and can appropriately extend the emperor's life span, maybe by ten years at most, or even fifteen or twenty years. It's not immortality! This is also what I'm worried about. If I can't develop the real elixir of life in my lifetime, the emperor has already spent a huge amount of money and waited for quite a long time. This medicine still needs to be further researched!"

An Lingrong sighed softly and said, "The Emperor helped me to become the Queen because he still has great expectations in his heart. These expectations are placed on me. If I can help him realize them and satisfy his expectations, then I will be able to sit firmly on the Queen's throne. If I cannot help him realize his wishes, he will not make any moves. Alas... The higher you go, the colder you feel under your feet. You will always feel uneasy in your heart, and I don't know why!"

Zhen Huan comforted her, "Sister, this is supposed to be a great event for the whole world to celebrate. Are you worrying too much?! The Qing Dynasty needs a queen, and the emperor also needs a queen. However, Empress Yixiu herself is well versed in pharmacology, but she has fallen into the cold palace and has been reduced to ashes. She has studied pharmacology deeply, so there must be some way to save herself. But at this time, she chose to give up her life. She must have been hit hard, both mentally and physically. She must have been heartbroken. There is not much use in saving her body!"

An Lingrong nodded and said, "There are too many secrets in this, and there is no way to solve them. I am always worried in my heart, thinking that I am not worthy of sitting on the throne of the queen. In terms of family background, who in the palace is not better than me! In terms of pharmacological research, Empress Yixiu seems to know more about pharmacology than me. Sisters, don't forget that when I first tried to make medicine, the emperor transferred me to the Imperial Pharmacy. Later, my pharmaceutical skills were accumulated through day-to-day learning in the Imperial Pharmacy. The emperor is intentionally cultivating me, I know this, but why doesn't the emperor choose someone else to join the Imperial Pharmacy? Could it be that I don't have special skills in other aspects, and I can play my greatest strengths in the Imperial Pharmacy. The emperor wants to make the best use of everyone!"

Shen Meizhuang laughed and said, "My sister's speculation is not without reason, but who can guess the emperor's thoughts? Even the eunuch Su, who is closest to the emperor, may not be able to guess the emperor's thoughts!"

Zhen Huan nodded and said, "I heard that a few days ago, Eunuch Su was punished by the Emperor. He was punished to kneel under the scorching sun outside the Yangxin Palace for an entire afternoon. I don't know what happened exactly. I heard it from Jinxi in the palace. It was Jinxi who sent Eunuch Su some mung bean soup, but the soup sent to the Emperor was returned. Then Jinxi accompanied Eunuch Su to kneel outside for an entire afternoon. When he came back, his knees were bleeding. To this day, he can't get out of bed or walk. He is recuperating in Tangli Palace. Even his meals require Juqing to serve him!"

An Lingrong frowned slightly and said, "Two days ago, the Queen Mother's newly adopted daughter, Su Wan'er, wanted to play with the seven-tailed phoenix on my head. She accidentally broke one of the tassels on the seven-tailed phoenix. She played with it for a long time and was unwilling to return it to me. I lectured her at the time, but the Queen Mother was dissatisfied. The Queen Mother really doted on Su Wan'er. She said, "Li Guifei, isn't it just a headdress? Wan'er wants to see it, feels rare, and feels envious. Just let her play with it! It's not like she won't return it to you! Oh, look at what the Queen Mother said. Su Wan'er is really her biological daughter. She can be said to be doting on Su Wan'er."

Shen Meizhuang could hardly hide her smile as she said, "This Su Wan'er is the bloodline of Longkodo. Although she is an illegitimate daughter, Longkodo is gone, so the Queen Mother will naturally treat her as her sweetheart and dote on her. The Queen Mother dotes on Su Wan'er, but she still remembers the old feelings of Longkodo. The Queen Mother is old, and this son is the best, but he is not as caring as a partner. The Emperor sentenced Longkodo to death, which hurt the Queen Mother's heart. On the one hand, the Queen Mother did it for the Emperor to see, and on the other hand, she really couldn't let go of the old feelings, so she doted on Su Wan'er. If I see Su Wan'er, I will definitely take a detour. Recently, I feel that she has become more arrogant and domineering. She never bows to the concubines in the harem."

Zhen Huan interrupted Shen Meizhuang and said, "I've heard that too. Su Wan'er is very unruly. She was very honest and dutiful when she first entered the palace. She herself doesn't know her own status. She just feels that this wealth and glory came inexplicably. With someone serving her, her pride is rising day by day. I heard that when Su Wan'er was in the harem, if she saw the pearl ornaments on the concubines' heads, she would ask them to take them off for her to examine if she liked them. She would take the ones she liked directly and would not return them to others."

An Lingrong frowned and said, "With such a person in the palace, the emperor's mood will naturally not be very good! We must find an opportunity someday to teach this ignorant Su Wan'er a lesson! If everyone obeys her, she will definitely become lawless in the future."