An Lingrong's Rebirth: Red

Since the emperor did not really take action against Lingrong or the An family because of that poem, Lingrong also treated the emperor with some sincerity, which was rare for her.

But she also knew very well that the emperor's feelings for her were nothing more than that of a fairly interesting concubine. After all, her family background was humble, and she had not caused any trouble in the former court or the harem, so the emperor could naturally feel at ease to pamper her.

It's like a little bird kept in a cage. You can play with it in your hand when you are happy, and crush it to death when you are unhappy.

But she didn't want to die. Because of the matter of poetry and literature, she could only use all her strength to please the emperor, for fear that if the emperor was unhappy, he would really take her life.

It was past noon when they arrived at the Yanxi Palace. Baojuan had brought back the breakfast and placed it on the table. However, Lingrong was just a promise, so the emperor looked at the meal with a bit of pity. The only difference was the soup in the middle, which the emperor had never seen before.

Although the emperor had already had breakfast, he still sat on the main seat. Lingrong saw the emperor's eyes passing over the soup, so she served a bowl herself and had Xiaoxiazi taste the soup before presenting it to the emperor.

The soup was cooked using the medicinal recipe of Imperial Physician He Anming. I don't know how effective it is in slimming the body, but it is definitely very effective in replenishing qi and blood.

Lingrong watched the emperor carefully as he took a sip. She hoped that the emperor would like the taste. At least she would have a reason to send him soup frequently in the future.

She was also looking forward to what the emperor would look like if he really lost weight. However, the emperor was now forty-six years old, and even if he lost weight and looked better, he could no longer be a handsome young man.

Fortunately, the emperor liked the medicinal soup very much and drank a whole bowl of it.

"Not bad, fresh but not greasy." The emperor beckoned Lingrong to sit beside him and let her serve him the dishes. "The imperial kitchen has never made it, but is this a dish you researched yourself?"

Ling Rong filled another bowl and placed it in front of her. She scooped up the clear soup with a spoon and dropped it again. "I asked the imperial physician of the Imperial Hospital for the medicinal soup. It is said to replenish qi and blood. The imperial physician said that if you add some physical exercises, it can also help to slim down your body."

The emperor seemed to be interested. He touched Lingrong's cheek with the back of his hand and said, "My Rong'er is so slender and beautiful, yet she is still thinking about losing weight."

Ling Rong tilted her head slightly, squinted her eyes and gently rubbed the back of her hand, enjoying this moment of intimacy. After a long while, she spoke softly.

"When I was young, my family was not well off. I relied on my mother's embroidery work day and night to support my family. Later, when I grew older, I followed my mother to do embroidery. It was not until I donated a small official position to my father that my life became better."

"But embroidery is not only tiring for the eyes but also exhausting for the mind and body. Over time, it will cause some strain on the body. I brought my mother to the capital to treat her eye disease."

Ling Rong sighed, "But I was feeling unwell a few days ago, and my eyes were dry and painful, so I took my pulse when Noble Lady Fucha asked the imperial physician to come and take my pulse, and the imperial physician gave me this medicinal recipe."

After saying this, Lingrong let go of the emperor's hand and lowered her head to scoop up the soup to drink.

The emperor was slightly moved when he heard this. He sent Xia Qian to investigate, and found that An Lingrong's family was indeed as she said, without a single lie.

"The feng shui of the Forbidden City is good for health and will surely make you more beautiful than before."

Lingrong smiled shyly. How could the Forbidden City support people? But since the emperor was willing to say so, she was happy to act shy. "Then I will prepare this medicinal soup for the emperor. I will wait for you to come to Ledao Hall and drink it together."

"Rong'er is so greedy. I came once and it's not enough. I want to do it again."

With the Emperor watching, Lingrong could not eat peacefully. She only drank the soup and ordered Baojuan and Zhaoshui to take the food away. "Your Majesty, why not ask all the beauties in the palace, who doesn't hope that you can come to visit more often? I am afraid that I am not as good as you sisters and cannot keep you, Your Majesty."

"You have your own good points, don't be modest."

Lingrong was naturally happy to receive the emperor's affirmation. She had always felt inferior about her family background and talents, and always wanted to do well and get some affirmation from others.

She knew that if she imitated the voice of Queen Chunyuan, she would be more likely to be favored by the emperor. Although she was still not as good as Zhen Huan, she would always have a place. But Lingrong did not want to be a toy. She just wanted to try whether she could be respected and looked at differently by the emperor like a human being.

Although she didn't love this man, she could only rely on him to live a better life in the palace. Since she couldn't hide, she just followed her heart.

"I don't agree. Your Majesty, please tell me what's good about me."

The emperor stroked Lingrong's hand, and his expression seemed as if he was recalling something extraordinary. Lingrong only felt the fingers stroking the back of his hand begin to move towards her wrist. She shuddered and her face turned red.

"Rong'er is modest, respectful, shy and gentle, and has the graceful demeanor of a Jiangnan girl. However..." The emperor patted the back of Lingrong's hand, "You are still a little lacking in poetry and literature. It's hard for me to teach you."

"Your Majesty..." Ling Rong was so anxious that she held the emperor's hands with both hands. The blush on her face had not yet faded. She looked at him with a pitiful look, "I have been learning since I entered the palace. You just punished me to copy a hundred poems. If you add more, I won't be able to finish it."

"Noble Lady Wan is good at poetry and literature. If she were not pregnant, Rong'er could go and ask for her advice." The emperor mentioned Zhen Huan without any hesitation, and his smile became more prominent. He seemed to remember that the woman in front of him was learning from his Noble Lady Wan, and the emotions that had just been aroused immediately faded a little.

Among all the people in the palace, Wanwan is the most talented, and she is the only one who is most like Wanwan.

"Forget it, I'll go see Lady Wan. She's just gotten pregnant and is always listless."

Ling Rong immediately loosened her grip on the emperor's hand. She was unable to get over her previous emotions for a moment, and her eyes still had a look that made people feel pitiful and lovely. However, the emperor seemed not to see it and stood up, shaking the beads in his hand.

"Farewell, Your Majesty." Lingrong bowed her head and saluted. The emperor didn't even bother to wake her up, and left Ledao Hall with Su Peisheng. Zhaoshui came back to serve, and found Lingrong still saluting there, and helped her up.

"Little Master..."

A faint sigh was heard, and Ling Rong was helped to stand up. She slumped down on the beauty couch, and it took her a long while before she managed a smile.

How could An Lingrong possibly compare to Zhen Huan? All the envy and jealousy in her past and present life were simply because she felt that why did she have to work so hard to get something, while Zhen Huan seemed to be able to get everything with just a wave of her hand.

Of course she can't compare to her. She is not Zhen Huan, she is just An Lingrong. Why should she desire the emperor to favor her more? Why should she hope that the emperor likes her more than Zhen Huan?

"Please grind ink for me by looking at the water. After I finish writing those 100 poems, I will embroider sachets for you."

"Yes, my lord."

Lingrong thought of the ginkgo leaf hairpin. She took it out from her dressing box and after thinking for a while, she placed it next to her pillow.

The emperor likes others to be attentive to him the most, so she should be the person in the palace who trusts him the most, loves him the most, and is the most attentive to him, turning this pretense into deep affection. No one in the palace can compare to her, An Lingrong.

She copied the poem word for word carefully, but in her heart she was thinking about how to add fuel to the fire and take advantage of Zhen Huan's pregnancy to create chaos in the palace.

"Zhaoshui, do you still remember what Huanbi said in Jingren Palace today?"

"I remember. No wonder Lady Shen was angry. She was too thoughtless in her words."

"But you have to be smart. There must be people talking about this in private, especially in Xianfu Palace. Let Baojuan spend some money to get in touch with the maids who clean Xianfu Palace," Lingrong wrote on the paper, "Gold is in the mouth of the crowd, and the scroll is despised by the crowd," "Let's have a good chat about this Miss Huanbi."