An Lingrong's Rebirth: Red

As Xia Dongchun and Zhen Changzai became pregnant, a new summer began in the Forbidden City.

The queen had been very quiet during this period, and no strange things or people had ever appeared in Xia Dongchun's place. Even the queen's rewards were very ordinary, without even a trace of musk.

Concubine Tian even thought at one point that the Queen had changed her character and learned not to harm others.

But Lingrong didn't believe it. After all, not long ago she asked Zhaoshui to secretly "tell" Fangying about Huichun and Xiuxia's little actions, and the restrictions in Jingren Palace became even stricter.

Huichun and Xiuxia stopped moving and dared not go near Jingren Palace again.

For the queen, she had never fought a battle so restricted before. For a moment, she was still thinking about how to bribe a few concubines to work for her.

Lingrong also thought about it. There are not many concubines in the palace now, and the only ones without factions are Chun Guiren and Cao Qinmo.

Concubine Chun had some grudge against the Queen because of the prescription, and also because of Bai Zhi's words, she began to doubt herself.

For Concubine Chun, the best thing is to cling to Concubine Jing or to form an alliance with Concubine Qi.

But she didn't do anything. She just promoted Cui Jinxi, who was serving in Suiyuxuan, and started to go in and out of the palace without taking Xue'er with her.

Cui Jinxi was a great helper to Zhen Huan in her previous life. However, she was transferred away early in this life, so her abilities were buried. Now that she works for Concubine Chun, no one knows what ideas she can come up with.

As for Cao Qinmo, the Queen must want to win her over again, but there is nothing good that can be gained from the Queen now, so Cao Qinmo will certainly not approach her.

Now there is only one chance, which is the marriage of a foreign prince. The Queen will definitely use this matter to intimidate Cao Qinmo, making him worry that Wen Yi will also need a marriage of a foreign prince in the future, and thus stand on the side of the Queen.

Look, when the emperor said that if Wen Yi was an adult, he wouldn't have to worry, Cao Qinmo's face darkened.

This was the result of her fawning and humbleness in order to please the emperor in recent days. If it were still the same as before, I'm afraid the emperor would really send Wen Yi over as an adult princess.

A child that young, growing up in a barbaric land, would probably pick up bad habits. What's more horrible is that he would be tortured to death.

Ling Rong looked at Cao Qinmo again at this time, only to see that the latter was biting her lips, her eyes fixed on one place, and it was obvious that she was thinking about something.

At the same time, the Queen had mentioned the late Emperor's daughter, Princess Chaogui, saying that the princess was in her youth and marrying a foreign prince would be a rare and good match.

The emperor still looked caring and reluctant to let his younger sister go. Lingrong felt disgusted and simply turned her head away without saying a word.

These things happened much later than in the previous life. The only good thing was that Yingge Khan had passed away long ago, so Princess Chaogui did not need to marry the new Khan according to the customs of Dzungar, but could directly marry Moge's father.

But... Lingrong always remembered that Moge's father didn't seem to have been Khan for many years before he died suddenly. At that time, there was no news about Princess Chaogui, and it was unknown whether she married Moge.

The fact that a Qing princess remarried twice may not have been a big deal for Mongolia, but it was a huge trauma for the princess, so it is not impossible that she died of depression.

I can only hope that the princess will have better luck in this life, Ling Rong thought silently in her heart.

On the other hand, the Emperor has issued an order for Princess Chaogui to get married at the end of the month, and all matters will be arranged by the Queen.

Taking this opportunity, the Queen naturally wanted to warn Cao Qinmo. She made the same choice as Zhen Huan in her previous life and asked Cao Qinmo to prepare the dowry for Princess Chaogui.

The emperor also said as before that Cao Qinmo was thoughtful and most suitable to do this job.

After paying her respects, Cao Qinmo rushed to Chengqian Palace, her words full of worry.

"Sister, calm down first."

Ling Rong pushed the tea in front of Cao Qinmo and said, "The dowry is not difficult."

"Sister, you know, I'm not worried about the dowry, I'm worried about Wen Yi..."

"Sister, I've already told you about Wen Yi, why are you still so worried?"

Cao Qinmo was speechless for a moment. Knowing the truth was one thing, and worrying was another.

"Don't worry. No one knows what will happen in the future. What's more..." Ling Rong lowered her voice and leaned close to Cao Qinmo's ear, "The emperor also said that if you don't ask for a princess from your own family, he will find one from the clan to marry. Why do you worry so much?"

"But Dzungar has always been..."

"Sister, this is all unknown, but has anyone around you said anything?" Lingrong's eyes slightly shifted to look at Yinxiu behind Cao Qinmo, "Wen Yi made you lose your mind and rationality, I'm afraid someone deliberately brought it up repeatedly."

Yinxiu shuddered violently at this question. She looked up at Lingrong, and their eyes happened to meet.

Sure enough, it’s you.

Ling Rong understood in her heart that Yin Xiu had harmed her master's life in the previous life and could make her worry in this life. There was no doubt that Yin Xiu had been instigated by the Queen to rebel.

"Sister, if you are really worried about Wen Yi, you might as well be a bad person."

Lingrong took a sip of tea and spoke in an ambiguous manner, making people confused.

Even the usually intelligent Cao Qinmo looked up in bewilderment, "Sister, what do you mean..."

Lingrong did not speak, but asked everyone to go downstairs and wait. Yinxiu stood there in a daze without moving. It was only after Cao Qinmo spoke that she walked out, looking back every few steps.

"Yinxiu is concerned about you. She is afraid that something bad might happen to you in my Chengqian Palace."

"She is not like this usually. I don't know what happened to her today."

"There must be something wrong when things are abnormal. I am not trying to instigate, but sister, you'd better be more careful." Ling Rong just gave this advice and said no more. She changed the subject and asked Cao Qinmo if she still remembered Gong Ding.

"Sister, what you mean is..." Cao Qinmo was indeed smart. She understood Ling Rong's meaning with just one sentence - if she was really afraid that Wen Yi would be married off, she could ask the emperor to treat Gong Dingrang as her own daughter, and use the excuse of showing that the emperor loved his siblings and did not hold grudges. The emperor would definitely not refuse.

From now on, Gongding will bear the responsibility of marriage, which is why Lingrong said, it is better to be a bad guy.

"This, putting the responsibility on another child, is too much..."

"It is indeed heartless. Anyone who hears it will think it is too cruel. Even if I said this to my sister, I would still feel that I am vicious."

"Aren't you afraid that I will stay away from you because of what you said?"

"If this is the case, then we are destined not to be on the same path together. It is better to separate early so that we don't end up fighting each other in the future."

Cao Qinmo felt that Ling Rong's words were a test, and immediately expressed her loyalty, "Sister has helped me and Wen Yi, no matter what, I will not harm sister."

"Sister, you don't need to be so cautious. I just want to tell you today that there are many ways to solve the problem, and relying on yourself is the most important.

Don't blindly believe what others say, being impatient will only lead you into a trap."

"I understand." With Gong Ding, an older child, Cao Qinmo suddenly felt relieved. What's more, Wen Yi has an older sister Shuhe, so even if she wants to get married, it may not be Wen Yi.

She is still so young, and improving her status is the most important thing.

"Thank you very much, sister. Hua Fei... is really useful."

Of course it works. The emperor prides himself on being deeply affectionate and nostalgic. No matter whether Hua Fei's love is sincere or fake, she is someone he has truly doted on for many years.

"That's also my sister's ability. The emperor has been lingering in my sister's palace recently. I believe that after Lady Xia and Lady Kang are here, they will also get some good news."

"I've never thought about it, but if I'm lucky... that would be great."

"It will happen." Lingrong saw that Cao Qinmo had finally stopped thinking, and she finally let out a sigh of relief.

After all, she didn't want the Queen to have a helper like Cao Qinmo, as it would be difficult to deal with her.

What's more, the Queen is still investigating the Queen Mother's death. Although there has been no movement recently, we cannot take it lightly.

Fortunately, Cao Qinmo will not be won over by the Queen for the time being. The next step is to deal with Huichun and Xiuxia, which will require the Queen to break two more arms.

However, Lingrong waited for a long time, but the queen remained silent, as if she really intended to stop and no longer deal with the pregnant concubine.

However, the news came first from Prince Guo's place. Concubine Meng was nearly seven months pregnant, and the emperor took the initiative to send her a gift for the first time, asking her to take good care of the baby.

At the same time, the control over Prince Guo began to be relaxed, and he was allowed to enter and leave the palace again, as if he had become the emperor's close and intimate brother again.

However, all his power was taken away, and the emperor did not allow him to discuss state affairs. Even the court ministers were not allowed to meet him privately. He could only talk about poetry and books and play go with the emperor.

In the past few days, Prince Guo went to and from the Yangxin Palace more often because of Zhen Huan's affairs. However, the emperor's attitude was cold and hard, and even if he really found out something, he didn't dare to speak out.

But Huanhuan was still suffering in Ningguta, and Prince Guo felt uneasy, so he decided to speak to the emperor.

But he suddenly remembered that he could use Huanbi's name to vindicate his concubine, which was not against the rules after all.

"Brother," Prince Guo put down a chess piece, hesitated and finally spoke, "I have an unwelcome request."

"You say." The emperor looked at the chessboard, his tone calm and casual.

"Although my concubine Huanbi is the daughter of a criminal, she was in fact my husband and wife. Now she is in Ningguta, and I can't let her go."

"Are you more concerned about Huanbi or Zhen Huan?"

When Prince Guo heard Zhen Huan's name, his heart sank. He forced a smile and said that he was concerned about his concubine Huanbi.

"To be honest with you, my brother, I went to Ningguta some time ago. Huanbi had been doing the hard work of farming every day and had been tortured beyond recognition. When I arrived, she had already fallen ill and almost lost her life.

She is so pitiful. As her husband, I want to plead for her no matter what.

I beg the Emperor to show some leniency and let her return to Beijing."

"Zhen Yuandao secretly took in the daughter of a guilty minister, which is a disrespect for the imperial power and a serious crime.

Huanbi is her illegitimate daughter, so it is OK for her to share the blame with her father."

The emperor did not get angry. He put down the chess piece and even signaled Prince Guo to continue playing chess. "My punishment for her is not excessive."

“The emperor’s punishment is naturally reasonable and legal, but… I have some selfish motives and don’t want her to suffer in this bitter and cold place.

so......"

Prince Guo quietly raised his head to observe the emperor's expression. Seeing that he was not displeased, he continued, "So I would like to ask the emperor to show some leniency and let Huanbi come back."

"You only want her back?"

The Emperor had long seen through Prince Guo's thoughts, but even at this moment, he was still obsessed with Zhen Huan and even used Huanbi as a shield. How ridiculous.

"if......"

"The guilty should not come back."

Prince Guo wanted to plead for mercy but was interrupted by the emperor. Hesitantly, he put down his chess piece, but was easily rescued by the emperor. He ate a large number of black pieces and was about to lose.

"It is my fault. I just heard about the tragic death of the Zhen couple recently, so I felt sorry for Huanbi."

"It was a long time ago that Mr. and Mrs. Zhen Yuandao contracted the plague during their exile."

Prince Guo hummed, and used this incident to clear himself of the suspicion that he had someone else secretly working for him. "I have just recently received the grace of the Emperor and can go out, so the news came much later.

"When Huanbi was in the deepest grief because her parents died without her knowing, I was not able to be by her side. I really feel guilty towards her."

"Unexplained death?" The emperor stopped playing chess and finally looked at Prince Guo. "Have you found out any news?"

"Your Majesty, you know that plague is highly contagious. After the Zhen couple contracted the plague, they clearly came into contact with the people being escorted, but they were completely normal, not even showing any symptoms of discomfort. Don't you find it strange?"

"You mean, Zhen Yuandao and his wife were imprisoned first, and then they got the plague. Was it someone who did it on purpose?"

The emperor is the emperor after all. Prince Guo only said two sentences, but he was able to guess the true meaning behind them. "Have you found out who did it?"

Prince Guo didn't dare to speak frankly about what he had found out. He sighed and mentioned Huanbi instead. "Huanbi was exiled with Zhen Yuandao and his wife. She clearly remembered that Zhen Yuandao and his wife were locked up by the soldiers on the pretext of being infected with the plague before they showed any signs of illness. Then that horrific incident happened.

So, I wondered if someone had deliberately murdered him.

This kind of contempt for the Holy Will must not be tolerated, Your Majesty."

"Yes, we must not tolerate it, but..." The emperor sighed with regret, he looked at Prince Guo, "It's been too long, I'm afraid a lot of evidence has been destroyed, and there's nothing to find out.

It seems that I can only disappoint you. Don't worry about it, just continue playing chess."

"Your Majesty, those who despise the imperial power must not be tolerated. I am afraid that they may have evil intentions and do something to threaten Your Majesty.

Moreover, there is not no evidence at all. I do know some news.”

The emperor suddenly laughed. The game of chess was finally over. He looked at Prince Guo's face, which was younger and more handsome than his own, and asked in surprise, "But is it true?"