The Queen has arrived: An Lingrong does not want to fight in the palace after her rebirth

The fire tree and the silver flowers are closed, and the iron lock of the star bridge is opened.

Large glazed bead lamps, cloud-rising and rosy-cloud lamps, high-platform box lamps, double-fish auspicious lamps… landscapes, figures, flowers, grasses, feathers, all kinds of marvelous and dazzling.

Thousands of bright lights illuminate the world like a dazzling galaxy. Being in the introduction building feels like being in a fairyland.

Guessing lantern riddles, dancing with dragon lanterns, making iron flowers, watching fireworks, and watching opera...it's extremely lively.

Since the emperor and his subjects were having fun together, they inevitably traveled together. The Queen Yan was smiling and surrounded by a group of ladies of honor. Not far from her, Concubine Duan was also surrounded by the crowd and guessed riddles together. Farther away, Cao Qinmo was also surrounded by several slightly older ladies of honor, and their expressions seemed to be praising Princess Wen Yi.

An Lingrong responded casually to the lady beside her, but her eyes were fixed on the surroundings without moving.

At this time, Xia Dongchun, who had been behind her, came over and said in a low voice with an embarrassed look on her face: "Sister Wen, I want to change clothes."

Throughout the Lantern Festival, the royal family liked to hold it in the Yinjian Building, which is located in an open area in the southwest of the Old Summer Palace, surrounded by a creek in the front and hills in the back. The middle is wide and is most suitable for holding large banquets.

At this time, they were almost at the square along the corridor. They needed to return to the main building to change clothes. An Lingrong looked at the Queen and Concubine Duan in front of her, feeling uneasy, so she said to Xia Dongchun:

"I'll let Honeysuckle stay with you so I can take care of you?"

Xia Dongchun disagreed: "Sister Wen, you are too cautious. It's enough to have Danshuang accompany me. Besides, there are people coming and going here. I can come back as soon as I leave."

Thinking that Xia Dongchun at least had the means to protect herself, An Lingrong told her to go early and come back early.

However, after almost half an hour, Xia Dongchun had not returned yet. An Lingrong felt uneasy and whispered to Rendong to go back to the main building to look for him.

Almost quarter of an hour later, Honeysuckle returned with a normal look on her face.

An Lingrong, who was dealing with several ladies of noble birth, looked up at her. Rendong shook her head gently at her. The arc of the movement was so small that it was almost negligible, but An Lingrong understood the meaning at once.

An Lingrong was suddenly startled and looked towards the Queen unconsciously.

At this time, the Queen was standing under a giant mountain of lanterns with auspicious patterns of dragons and phoenixes. She was smiling brightly at the compliments. As if she sensed An Lingrong's gaze, she raised her head slightly and raised her eyebrows at An Lingrong.

Concubine Jing, who had always been by her side, stood quietly by the side, as gentle and weak as a harmless little white flower.

However, there was a hint of anticipation in Concubine Qi's expression.

An Lingrong calmly withdrew her gaze, then gently rubbed her forehead with her hand. Naturally, someone who wanted to curry favor with her spoke up:

"Is Concubine Wen feeling unwell?"

An Lingrong smiled shyly:

"Please forgive me, ladies. I just drank two glasses of wine and I am a little tipsy now. I am sorry for being rude."

Just as she finished speaking, a breeze blew from the lake, making An Lingrong frown unconsciously as if she was uncomfortable.

Mrs. Zhou from the Ministry of Revenue's family was good at scheming. Seeing this, she was concerned and rushed to speak:

"Empress Wen, we are so eager to be close to you that we have caused you to suffer from the cold wind. Why don't I accompany you back to the palace first?"

An Lingrong gave her a grateful smile and said:

"Tonight is the Lantern Festival, and there are fireworks and lifelike ice lanterns ahead. If the ladies let down this beautiful scenery because of me, I will feel bad. Ladies, please don't be restrained and do as you please. I will leave first."

Having said this, the others felt it was not appropriate to follow her. Besides, the Queen was still in front of them, so they did not want to do anything too excessive. They could only watch An Lingrong leave.

The corridor was full of people. An Lingrong walked forward with a proper smile, not letting anyone know what was going on. It was not until she reached a quiet spot at the back and saw that there was no one around that she spoke anxiously:

"what happened?"

Ren Dong also looked ashamed at this time: "My lady, Miss Ming is missing. I first checked the dressing room carefully, but there was nothing unusual inside. I also checked upstairs and downstairs, and the east and west corridors, but I didn't see anyone. Later, I ran to the Natural Painting, but Miss Ming didn't return to the bedroom."

As soon as she said this, An Lingrong had a bad feeling in her heart. Although Xia Dongchun was a little rash, she always listened to her and would not leave alone for no reason. Something must have happened in the meantime. She interrupted before Ren Dong could finish and asked, "Have you asked anyone else?"

Honeysuckle nodded and whispered, "I know that this is related to Miss Ming's reputation and I dare not make it public. I just said that my queen invited Miss Ming to watch the lanterns together. I asked two palace maids and they both saw Miss Ming go to the dressing room, but they didn't pay attention to when she came out. However, a young eunuch said uncertainly that he saw Miss Ming and her people coming here."

After telling everyone what she had found out, Ren Dong suggested, "Your Majesty, this matter is suspicious. Can you report it to the Emperor and ask the guards to lead people to search the hills behind?"

An Lingrong glanced at the dimly lit back. Across this hill was Yuedi Yunju, where the terrain was complex with mountains behind and rivers beside, making it very convenient for hiding people. Thinking of Concubine Qi's malicious gaze, she rejected Rendong's method:

"It's not right. If we report it to the emperor rashly, we may be instigated by someone with ulterior motives, which will harm Sister Xia. She will no longer have a place in front of the emperor."

"She is a living person, she would not disappear out of thin air. Someone must have lured her here. Honeysuckle, look carefully at the back and be careful not to alert other people."

At this time, Ren Dong was even more worried about An Lingrong's safety and said anxiously: "I am worried that the queen will return alone, so why don't I send the queen back to Wufu Hall first?"

An Lingrong objected again: "I have Baoque by my side. Besides, going back and waiting now will be useless. I need to find someone to help me. I have to find them before others notice anything unusual."

Speaking of this, An Lingrong felt heavy in her heart. There had never been a precedent of a concubine going missing in the palace before. Was it Xia Dongchun's own doing this or was she the victim of an ambushes?

If someone were to attack us, I'm afraid they would have a backup plan. Time is the key. Thinking of this, she turned her gaze to Xiao Jiangzi and said in a stern tone:

"Xiao Jiangzi, I have a life-threatening mission to do. Do you dare to do it?"

Xiao Jiangzi had followed Rendong for many years and had already learned some of her skills. In addition, An Lingrong had always treated him well. Upon hearing this, he straightened his neck slightly:

"My lady, let alone beheading me, even if I have to go through mountains of swords and seas of fire, I will not hesitate."

"Well, this matter cannot be left unattended tonight. It would be beneficial to make a big fuss about it. Just listen to me."

Xiao Jiangzi lowered his head and walked forward. After An Lingrong whispered a few words, he quickly slipped away.

At this time, in the wide square outside the Introduction Building, a group of children from the royal family were playing tossing pots. Princess Zining, who was over one year old, was held in the arms of Concubine Jing. Her pair of expressive eyes stared at the arrow in the Fourth Prince's hand, and she laughed foolishly and clapped with everyone. Princess Wen Yilian, who was over six years old, was like a little adult, standing on tiptoe from time to time to take care of Zining.

The emperor stood in the center, watching everyone play, his face showing a rare gentle and relaxed look.

An Lingrong took a deep breath, casually moved closer to Concubine Jing, then lowered her head and began to speak.