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

Lin Lan died when the guards were escorting her from Jingren Palace to the stick-laying place.

According to Su Peisheng, she suddenly broke free from her restraints and ran straight into the palace wall, dying tragically on the spot.

When the emperor learned about this, he flew into a rage on the spot. Such an obvious suicide out of fear of punishment was a naked provocation to him.

It was naive to think that he could use his own death to protect the person behind the scenes. The emperor immediately secretly ordered the Nian Gan Department to closely monitor Li Bin's family in the Cavalry Battalion.

The former dynasty and the harem have always shared prosperity and disgrace. Lin Lan desperately begged for death before being tortured. No matter who or what she wanted to hide, she could not escape from the Li family, so she had to investigate thoroughly from the root.

As for the people in the harem, they naturally did not know about the emperor's arrangement. They were all glad that Lin Lan was dead, as so much filth and dirt was buried with her.

In Shoukang Palace, since the beginning of winter, the Empress Dowager's condition has worsened. Shen Meizhuang simply moved from Cunju Hall to the warm room of Shoukang Palace so that she could take care of the Empress Dowager nearby.

Today, the Queen Mother drank the medicine from Shen Meizhuang's mouth and sighed to Shen Meizhuang:

"You have suffered a lot because of my illness. You finally had some flesh on your face, but now it's become thinner due to fatigue."

Shen Meizhuang is now so thin that her waist can be held in one hand. Her originally dignified and reserved face has become as thin as a palm. However, her temperament is cold and stubborn. When she stands there, she looks like a Taoist priest in the Wei and Jin dynasties who sought immortality. The empress dowager has been immersed in the deep palace for many years, and she knows in her heart that her demeanor can arouse men's desire even more.

Shen Meizhuang smiled softly: "Empress Dowager, being able to serve you is a blessing that I have cultivated for several lifetimes, so how can it be said to be hard work."

The Queen Mother stretched out her withered hand and held Shen Meizhuang: "You have served me for many years and have always been filial to me. I wanted to protect you for a long time, but I am old and my health is getting worse year by year. After I am gone, how are you going to survive in the palace?"

These words made Shen Meizhuang's eyes warm. She entered the palace on the same day as Zhen Huan, but Zhen Huan ended up living a life of confinement. She herself had seen through the ruthlessness of the royal family and only wanted to live in peace. Relying on the old relationship between her family and the empress dowager, she came to her and asked for protection. Thanks to the empress dowager, she had lived a relatively peaceful life in the palace over the years. Although she had no honors or favors, she had never lacked the share she was entitled to.

Seeing the empress dowager's aging appearance, Shen Meizhuang felt heartbroken when she thought of her care over the years, but she still held back her tears:

"Empress Dowager, I have asked the imperial physician, and he said that your illness is caused by the unpredictable weather. It is not serious. You should rest and recuperate. You will recover in the spring of next year. I am looking forward to congratulating you on your birthday."

Speaking of the imperial physician, Shen Meizhuang felt confused. When she was sick with the epidemic, Wen Shichu was her only light in this cold palace. However, this thought was shattered when Zhen Huan was punished. When she went to the Old Summer Palace in the past few years, she had asked Wen Shichu many times in a roundabout way. Finally, she found out the reason why he was punished. It turned out that he was implicated because he sent a message to the Zhen family.

Father Zhen saved Father Wen's life, and now Wen Shichu has repaid the favor with practical actions. After Shen Meizhuang learned the truth, she didn't know whether she should envy his uncomplaining love for Zhen Huan, or feel sad for herself, because he obviously had someone in his heart, but she still humbly wanted him to focus only on her.

Later, Shen Meizhuang relied on the empress dowager's protection and tried to ask Wen Shichu to return to the palace to take care of the empress dowager's health. She would never forget the situation that day. The empress dowager, who had always doted on her, turned her eyes cold after hearing her recommendation. She only said that since the emperor had ordered Wen Shichu to stay in the Old Summer Palace and do his best for the concubines, she would not be able to transfer him back. Wouldn't that be a challenge to the emperor?

At that moment, cold sweat soaked Shen Meizhuang's back. She overestimated her own abilities and thought too highly of herself. The Queen Mother thought that she was not only a amiable elder, but also a woman standing at the pinnacle of power. Her every word and action was meaningful. How could she break the delicate balance she had maintained with the Emperor for many years for such a tiny bit of love?

And when she met the empress dowager's meaningful look, Shen Meizhuang felt very guilty at the time, wondering if the empress dowager had seen through something, otherwise why would she use such harsh words to criticize her?

From then on, Shen Meizhuang dared not relax even a step in front of the empress dowager. As for Wen Shichu, she kept him deep in her heart. Whenever she got into trouble in the palace, she would secretly take out the warmth she had felt in the past to comfort her gradually withering soul.

She deceived the Queen Mother but failed to deceive her own heart. Her obsession with Wen Shichu gradually made her thinner and thinner.

The Queen Mother's old voice brought Shen Meizhuang back to her senses:

"I have experienced too much honor and disgrace in my life, and I have long since taken things after my death lightly. Although the Queen is my niece, she has dignity, and I am not worried about her. It is you, on the contrary, who always makes me want to favor you a little more. You are still young, what is the point of always staying with me? Do you also want to live out your life in an ancient temple after I am gone?"

Shen Meizhuang had really had such an idea before. When the Queen Mother mentioned it today, she simply said it clearly:

"Empress Dowager, I have thought about it. No matter what happens, I will serve you for the rest of my life. If that day comes, I will be a vegetarian and pray for your well-being for the rest of my life."

The Queen Mother patted Shen Meizhuang lightly and said, "You are so stupid. No matter how good you pray for me, I will never hear you. Can you really pray for me to be rich and prosperous forever? Buddha saves all living beings, but all living beings must save themselves in order for the Buddha to appear. I only hope that you can save yourself."

Seeing Shen Meizhuang's grim expression, the Queen Mother slowed down her tone:

"Why, you still refuse to let go of the injustice the emperor inflicted on you in the past?"

These words made Shen Meizhuang burst into tears:

"Empress Dowager, I have never been wronged. I will not argue. I really just want to show my filial piety to you, Empress Dowager."

The Queen Mother continued to strike back with a heavy hammer:

"You have the spirit of never giving up. If you were the mistress of an ordinary family, it would be a blessing for other families. But you have entered the most difficult family in the world. Your spirit is too high and you are hurting yourself. Think about it, why did you enter the palace in the first place?"

Shen Meizhuang's eyes dimmed. Why? For the sake of her family and to prove that she was no worse than anyone else in the world, she ended up in this situation.

The Queen Mother ignored Shen Meizhuang's increasingly ugly expression and continued:

"Are you still blaming the emperor for being ruthless? But looking through the history books, how many concubines who were favored by the emperor had a good ending? Let's not talk about anything else, just take the late emperor for example. Those who were able to enjoy their old age in the harem were never those who were favored by the emperor."

The Queen Mother's repeated attempts to persuade them to reconcile finally made Shen Meizhuang feel that something was wrong. Recalling that the Queen had come to see the Queen Mother the day before and the two of them had talked for a long time behind closed doors, Shen Meizhuang began to have a bad premonition.

It seems that the protection I have received over the years was not entirely out of love, and there will be a time to repay it.