The Return of An Lingrong in Legend of Zhen Huan

The wild ginseng sent by Concubine Hua weighed a full pound. An Lingrong took a few coins and cooked a medicinal meal, intending to bring it to the Empress Dowager for a taste.

As soon as she walked out of the door of Yanx Palace, she ran into Shen Meizhuang who was planning to chat with her.

"Sister Mei."

"Rong'er, I'm here at an unfortunate time. Where are you going?"

"My sister has prepared a medicinal meal and plans to send it to the Queen Mother. Sister, please go with me."

"Okay, I'll go pay my respects to the Queen Mother as well."

The two chatted casually on the way, and when they arrived at Shoukang Palace, they paid their respects to the Queen Mother together. After An Lingrong stood up, Shen Meizhuang paid her respects to the Queen Mother alone.

"Okay, get up. I'm feeling depressed."

An Lingrong brought the medicinal food to the Queen Mother and said, "I just got a wild ginseng, so I made this ginseng quail soup, which can strengthen your body. Queen Mother, please try it."

"Okay, I'll try your cooking." Then he thought of something and turned to Aunt Zhuxi and said, "By the way, you don't have to give me the Longjing tea yet."

"Even if the Queen Mother didn't order me to do so, I wouldn't have let them go. Ginseng and tea can't be used together. Tea has the effect of moving qi, while ginseng is a great supplement for vital energy. Using the two together is like taking the tonic and then eliminating its effect."

The Queen Mother nodded, and finally tasted An Lingrong's medicinal meal: "Well, the heat is just right. I didn't expect that there is such a good chef in your palace."

"As long as the Queen Mother likes it. It has been raining continuously these past two days, so the Queen Mother should take care of her health."

"Oh, yes, it has been raining these past two days and my legs are hurting again."

Shen Meizhuang stepped forward and said, "When I was a child, I learned massage for my mother at home. If the Queen Mother doesn't mind, I will give her a leg massage."

"Well, you are filial."

Shen Meizhuang stepped forward to massage the Queen Mother's legs, and the Queen Mother also sighed that Shen Meizhuang's technique and strength were very good. She also praised the taste of the medicinal food brought by An Lingrong, saying that both of them were filial.

"By the way, is Hongxu still making trouble in the prince's residence?"

"My Queen Mother, these three children were a little crying at first, but they gradually got used to it and are now studying together with their brothers."

The Queen Mother nodded: "That's fine, but Wen Shu is a princess after all. When she turns seven, let her learn some things that a princess should learn. Although it is said that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent, Wen Shu can learn a little. She doesn't need to learn too much. It's not a good thing for a woman to be too smart."

An Lingrong nodded in agreement, but she couldn't help complaining in her heart: "A woman without talent is virtuous, but a woman without talent and ability to distinguish right from wrong is virtuous." This means that a woman has her own talent and can distinguish right from wrong, which is also a virtue.

As they were talking, Zhen Huan arrived.

"I send my regards to the Queen Mother. May the Queen Mother be blessed with peace and happiness."

"Get up and talk."

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

The palace servant quickly brought a stool to Wanpin, "Sit down and talk. I haven't talked to you properly for some days. What have you been busy with recently?"

When An Lingrong heard the Queen Mother's question, she immediately became alert. How could the Queen Mother not know what Zhen Huan was busy with every day? Could it be because of Zhen Huan's meddling in government affairs? If so, then the Queen Mother was testing Zhen Huan to see if she was honest.

Zhen Huan sat down and said, "I have nothing to do, I am just killing time."

"Then tell me how to kill time. It will also help me relax."

"The Ministry of Internal Affairs sent two beautiful cranes to the Imperial Garden. Together with the two sika deer in the garden, they perfectly matched the scene of 'Deer and Cranes Live Together in Spring'."

Zhen Huan is finished. An Lingrong saw it all. The Queen Mother was clearly testing her, yet she was deliberately hiding it.

As expected, the Queen Mother snorted coldly, drank the medicinal meal made by An Lingrong, and did not respond.

"This medicinal food tastes great. The cooking skills of the cook are also very good. I can't taste any medicinal taste at all."

"As long as the Queen Mother likes it."

The Queen Mother looked at An Lingrong and Shen Meizhuang who was massaging her legs and said, "You two are really filial."

An Lingrong couldn't help but sigh that the Queen Mother still had some yin and yang skills. Her "still" was obviously a double-edged sword. She said that An Lingrong and Shen Meizhuang were filial, and secretly said that Zhen Huan was not filial. She even dared to lie in front of the Queen Mother.

Sure enough, the Queen Mother turned her head away, her face very gloomy: "Wanpin, do you admit your guilt?"

This frightened both Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang. Zhen Huan quickly knelt down and said, "I am very confused and don't know. Please tell me clearly, Queen Mother."

Zhen Huan had been playing dumb, and the Queen Mother had completely lost her patience. She got straight to the point and said, "How dare you, as a concubine, interfere in state affairs."

The Queen Mother's tone was too harsh, Shen Meizhuang couldn't help but say: "Queen Mother, she..."

"I'm asking her. Why are you so flustered?" The Queen Mother didn't understand why Shen Meizhuang trusted Zhen Huan so much. She wanted to defend Zhen Huan without knowing what happened. Because the Queen Mother and Shen Meizhuang didn't have much contact in this life, the Queen Mother suspected that Zhen Huan had deceived Shen Meizhuang.

"I don't know why the Queen Mother said that, but I really don't dare to commit such a capital crime." Zhen Huan knew very well that concubines in the harem were not allowed to interfere in government affairs, so she gritted her teeth and refused to admit that this happened.

But in the eyes of the Queen Mother, Zhen Huan's actions were like not shedding tears until she saw the coffin: "I allow you to tell me yourself, how much did you participate in the proposal to posthumously confer the title of Consort Dowager."

In addition to proposing to restore Nian Shilan to the throne, Zhen Huan also proposed to posthumously confer the title of Concubine Dowager on her. Because the title of Concubine Dowager was a matter of great importance, the Emperor once asked the Empress Dowager for her opinion. Although he got a better solution from An Lingrong, the Empress Dowager also knew about Zhen Huan's proposal.

Now that the Queen Mother has made her words so clear, Zhen Huan knows that she cannot get away with it easily: "The Queen Mother is wise, no matter how young and ignorant I am, I know that the harem cannot interfere in government affairs. The Emperor is a wise and enlightened ruler, and he has already made up his mind about the posthumous title of the Concubine Dowager. How can I influence him? I am stupid and thought that the posthumous title of the Concubine Dowager was a matter of the harem, so I dared to say a few words. As for the government affairs, I dare not get involved in the slightest."

Although Zhen Huan's answer is reasonable, it depends on whether the Queen Mother buys it.

"Even if you have no interest in government affairs, do you dare to say that you have no selfish motives in this matter?"

An Lingrong couldn't help but sigh that the Queen Mother was indeed someone who had gone through countless hardships to sit on the throne of the Queen Mother. She was particularly perceptive in looking at things, and it was extremely difficult for others to fool the Queen Mother. Even if Zhen Huan was a female Zhuge Liang, she had to be careful when speaking in front of the Queen Mother. However, Zhen Huan really had no benefit to gain from posthumously conferring the title of Concubine Dowager, and she only made this suggestion to relieve the emperor's worries.

"I dare not lie to the Queen Mother. Your Majesty is the ruler of a country. He is always worried about state affairs and neglects sleep and food. I am lucky to be able to serve you. If I have any selfish thoughts, it is also to hope that your Majesty can live long and peacefully. I can also be favored and live a peaceful life until the end of my life."

The Queen Mother saw that Zhen Huan was sincere and didn't seem to be lying: "Which concubine in the harem doesn't have this kind of selfish thoughts? Well, get up."

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

Since Zhen Huan said that everything was for the emperor's sake, the queen mother followed Zhen Huan's words and advised her and Shen Meizhuang: "Your selfishness is the same for everyone. You only exist because of the emperor. With the emperor, the harem, whether favored or disfavored, still has hope and expectation. If the emperor is gone, the queen will naturally have nothing to say. As the queen mother, just like Concubine Cao, she at least has a daughter to rely on. But for those like you and Concubine Hui who have no children, although you are prosperous now, I am afraid that your later years will be miserable. To put it bluntly, you are just waiting to die, so the only one you can count on is the emperor."

The Queen Mother originally thought that Zhen Huan was interfering too much in government affairs, and she said these words to remind Zhen Huan that the duty of a concubine is to serve the emperor wholeheartedly and bear children for the emperor, so she should not do anything beyond her duty. By the way, she mentioned Shen Meizhuang.

"I heard from the Emperor that it was your idea to restore Concubine Hua to the throne as soon as possible." The Queen Mother knew that Shen Meiyu hated Concubine Hua, but seeing that An Lingrong was on good terms with both Zhen Huan and Shen Meiyu in the beginning, and became estranged from Zhen Huan because of the Chao Gui incident, but Shen Meiyu's heart was still on Zhen Huan, the Queen Mother wanted Shen Meiyu to see Zhen Huan's intentions clearly and told her not to always be on Zhen Huan's side in the future. An Lingrong also entered the palace with her.

Sure enough, when Shen Meizhuang heard this, she looked at Zhen Huan in shock.

An Lingrong guessed that Zhen Huan must be cursing the emperor in her heart for telling everything to others. But since things had come to this point, Zhen Huan had no choice but to admit it.

"Yes." Zhen Huan didn't dare to look up at Shen Meizhuang.

"You are willing to do so."

In fact, Zhen Huan's hatred for Huapin is no less than Shen Meiyu's. After all, on the surface, it was Huapin who caused Zhen Huan's miscarriage. However, Zhen Huan was able to suppress her personal feelings and persuade her bedmate to restore her enemy. As the saying goes, patience is like a knife hanging over one's head. A woman like Zhen Huan who can endure to this extent must be planning something bigger. Zhen Huan also heard that the Queen Mother's tone was wrong and knew that the Queen Mother must be suspicious.

"The Queen Mother is wise. She just said that someone wants to go against the will of heaven. Although I am stupid, I understand what the Queen Mother means. I beg the Queen Mother to understand. Under the current situation, the former court must appease the people, and the harem must also do the same. I cannot interfere with the overall situation of the country for my own selfish desires. Someone has to suffer in this matter, and I am willing to bear this injustice myself."

Zhen Huan's words were watertight, and the Queen Mother had no way to find fault with Zhen Huan, so she had to stop and pretend to comfort her. Then she reached out and held Zhen Huan's hand and said: "Good child, I didn't expect you to have such a strong will. No wonder the Emperor favors you and allows you to enter the Imperial Study to accompany him."

"Your Majesty, your words are too serious. I dare not accept it."

"I originally heard from the Queen that you were accompanying the Emperor in the Imperial Study, which was very appropriate. I was worried because the Imperial Study was not a place that the Empress could enter without permission. You have always been smart. If you don't use your intelligence properly, or if you just encourage the Emperor to handle state affairs or punish people according to his own likes and dislikes, and become a disaster for the country, I will definitely not tolerate you."

An Lingrong couldn't help laughing in her heart. The Queen Mother had just betrayed the Emperor, and now she was betraying the Queen. But the Queen Mother's words were also a naked warning.

"I don't dare."

"Serve the emperor well, and it would be even better if you have a boy or girl sooner, like Concubine Rou, who now has three children."

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

Afterwards, the Queen Mother spoke a few more words and said it was time for a nap, so Shen Meiyu and An Lingrong left first, leaving Zhen Huan alone to speak a few more words.

During this time, Shen Meizhuang simply said a few words to An Lingrong, and then left quickly without waiting for Zhen Huan in Shoukang Palace. An Lingrong watched Shen Meizhuang's back as she left, and knew in her heart that even if Zhen Huan and the emperor's plan succeeded, the relationship between Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan would not be restored to the same as before.

"Your Majesty, should we wait for Concubine Wan?"

"Why are you waiting for her? Go back to the palace."