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

Zhen Huan said in a gentle voice: "Your Majesty, I have something to say but I don't know if I should say it or not."

The emperor nodded and let her speak.

"We can slowly investigate the matter of Sister Mei falling into the water, but it is a fact that the guards failed to provide adequate rescue tonight. The Thousand Carp Pond is close to the Yikun Palace, and these guards dared to be so lax. Sister Mei's fall into the water today is not a big deal, but what if they injure Concubine Hua tomorrow due to their negligence, what should we do?"

Hua Fei immediately said anxiously: "The emperor just said that the guards have their own shifts for night patrols. The incident happened suddenly tonight, and it will take time for the guards to arrive. What happened tonight is just a warning for them, so they will be more careful on duty next time."

After hearing this, Zhen Huan smiled softly at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, Concubine Hua is a daughter of a golden age, and there cannot be any mistakes in the Yikun Palace."

The Emperor raised his eyes and looked at Zhen Huan seriously, and said in a deep voice: "What Lady Wan said makes sense. The guards in Yikun Palace are too lax. Let Su Peisheng replace you with a group of capable ones tomorrow, so that I can feel at ease."

Concubine Hua glared at Zhen Huan fiercely. Tonight, she had lost more than she gained. Not only was Shen Meizhuang fine, but the guards her brother secretly arranged to guard the Yikun Palace were also replaced by Zhen Huan with a few words. From now on, when she enters and leaves the Yikun Palace, she will have an extra pair of eyes from the Emperor. She was furious in her heart, but she had to smile and bow to the Emperor:

"Thank you very much for your concern, Your Majesty. I also brought two pieces of the best ginseng for Sister Shen. They are perfect for calming her nerves and replenishing her body." After saying that, she asked Songzhi to bring up the prepared gift box.

The emperor looked at her and said, "Thank you for your kindness. You have been busy all day long in the six palaces. You should rest early."

The emperor's concern made Concubine Hua smile. She reached out and adjusted the pearl hairpin on her temples and said softly, "I thank the emperor for his concern, but the emperor has to attend the court early tomorrow. When I came, I asked someone to stew Dong'e donkey-hide gelatin and longan soup. The emperor and his sisters can have some."

The Emperor naturally praised Concubine Hua for her thoughtfulness and immediately went to Yikun Palace for a midnight snack. How could the others go with her and cause trouble for Concubine Hua, so they all found excuses to decline.

When the emperor stood up, he glanced at Ren Dong who had been kneeling on the ground, then turned to An Lingrong and said, "Your maid is very brave and deserves a reward."

An Lingrong was so happy that she quickly pulled Rendong to thank him. It was worth her effort to arrange this event for Rendong to receive the emperor's praise.

The emperor left with Concubine Hua. Zhen Huan looked a little disappointed, but she immediately put away her emotions and thanked An Lingrong again: "It's all thanks to Sister An tonight, otherwise Sister Mei would have been in great trouble."

After entering the palace, on the day of the audience, when An Lingrong planned a garden tour for the four of them, she spent a while with Zhen Huan, and the two had no contact for the rest of the day.

Seeing Zhen Huan thanking her for Shen Meiyu at this time, An Lingrong still felt sad. Among the three of them, she had always been redundant. However, since they had decided to go their separate ways, there was no need to be sad anymore.

An Lingrong smiled faintly: "Mr. Wan, you are too polite. I didn't do anything. Is Sister Shen feeling better now?"

Shen Meizhuang leaned on the bed and said sincerely: "I am fine now. Miss Honeysuckle saved me. I have a little gift for Honeysuckle. I hope you can accept it."

The smile in An Lingrong's eyes was a little dim. They were from a noble family and were naturally smooth in their interpersonal relationships. They would never owe anyone anything that could be compensated with gold or silver, so as to avoid giving people a chance to criticize them.

"Sister Shen, you are too polite. It is a blessing for me to receive your reward. I would like to thank Sister Shen on my behalf."

Shen Meizhuang smiled and asked Caiyue to get a handful of golden melon seeds, a box of pearl hairpins, and two batches of fabrics and satin for Rendong.

After An Lingrong and Rendong thanked Shen Meiyu, they stood up and said goodbye.

"Huan'er, it's Concubine Hua. Concubine Hua wants to kill me!" After Shen Meizhuang dismissed the servants in Cunju Hall, she could no longer control herself and pulled Zhen Huan as she trembled.

Zhen Huan pulled her hand and asked urgently, "Sister Mei, do you have any evidence that you haven't reported to the Emperor yet?"

Shen Meizhuang shook her head: "It's just that I have no evidence, but who else could it be except her? Although the people in the palace are not in harmony with me, they are not so vicious as to take my life. Only Concubine Hua can do this, but the Thousand Carp Pond is so close to her Yikun Palace. Isn't she afraid that the emperor will suspect her if she does this?"

Zhen Huan smiled bitterly: "Sister Mei, you saw it tonight. She cleared herself of all charges with just a few words. She was just being fearless and taking a risky move. She was sure that no one would think that she would dare to act so wildly in her own territory, so she acted so pretentiously in your palace."

Shen Meizhuang looked sad: "She saw that you were favored, and was afraid that the two of us would become more powerful and difficult to control in the future, so she got rid of one of us first, so that you would be alone. She was very cruel."

Zhen Huan knew that what Mei Zhuang said was true, but she had no evidence that they were really powerless against Concubine Hua, so she could only advise, "Sister Mei, you and I are weak now, and Concubine Hua's family is the only one in power. It is difficult to compete with her. It is better to endure it first and then take it slowly."

Shen Meizhuang gritted her teeth and said, "I know that I can't do anything to her now, but that doesn't mean I won't be able to do anything to her forever. Huan'er, there are many dangers in the harem. It's really too weak to rely on just the two of us. We have to recruit some people as soon as possible. What do you think of An Changzai?"

Zhen Huan was stunned for a moment and then asked back: "Sister Mei wants to use her?"

Shen Meizhuang shook her head: "I can't say she is useful, but judging from her behavior, she is not as weak as she appears to be. She can still get some favor from the emperor despite the suppression of Concubine Hua. I think she is a scheming person. We are in the same boat, and it is always good to have more allies."

Zhen Huan thought for a moment and objected, "Sister Mei, since she has the potential to win the emperor's favor, she must have big ambitions. I'm afraid you and I may not be able to give her what she wants. Besides, we can only look at a person's face but not his heart. If we rashly form an alliance, she might take advantage of us, which would be bad."

Shen Meizhuang thought about it and agreed. The two of them no longer mentioned the matter of winning over An Lingrong, and only talked about trivial matters in the palace.

"My lady, Lady Shen is quite kind. Who on earth wants to harm her?" After giving half of the golden melon seeds to Xiao Jiangzi, Rendong couldn't help asking An Lingrong when she returned to her bedroom.

An Lingrong looked at Ren Dong who was full of curiosity and solemnly warned her: "Ren Dong, remember, what happened tonight did not harm Concubine Shen in any way. She fell into the water by herself."

Ren Dong also saw the shadow tonight, but she couldn't speak up in Xianfu Palace. When she heard An Lingrong's answer, she was puzzled for a moment. An Lingrong had long regarded her as her confidant and said patiently, "Wait a few days and see. The matter of Concubine Shen falling into the water will be left unresolved. The Emperor won't ask about it anymore, and the Empress won't ask about it either. This is the palace. When one thing involves too many people, there has to be a balance."

Honeysuckle seemed to understand, but not quite. After paying close attention for several days, it was clear that Concubine Shen's fall into the water was completely ignored.

A few days later, Concubine Wan of Suiyuxuan was poisoned and vomited blood, and the turmoil in the harem arose again.