An Lingrong's Rebirth: Red

Fangying will tell the emperor about her situation one by one, and the queen knows it very well.

But she had seen how heartless the emperor was, so her hatred grew even stronger.

However, she had been deceiving herself for too long, always blaming the emperor's indifference on other concubines. Seeing that two more concubines were pregnant, she felt anger mixed with resentment. Even at the risk, the queen was unwilling to keep their children.

"Queen, is this okay?"

Fangying moved quickly and deftly, and quickly combed the Queen's hair. There was not even a trace of pain on her face, and it was obvious that she was someone who could endure it.

"Yes," the Queen looked at herself in the mirror and motioned Fangying to continue decorating. "After you finish your makeup, you can go downstairs and rest. Then ask Fangyu to get some medicine for bruises and injuries to relieve the pain in your knee."

"I thank the Queen for her concern."

The Queen's words were just a few casual words of concern. Fangying was naturally not moved by them, but she still had to listen to the Queen. She combed her hair and retreated. Fangyu served the Queen to the main hall to meet the concubines in the palace.

The Queen did not immediately inform everyone about the moon-viewing banquet. After all, it was a bit cold these past two days, which was not a good time to view the moon.

In addition, Fangying had just been punished and must have a deep impression of yesterday. If she caused any trouble recently, it would be easy for her to arouse the emperor's suspicion.

So on this day, the Queen asked about the two pregnant women's conditions as usual, and even deliberately advised them not to use things like perfume and powder as much as possible.

"Some ingredients in spices are not good for the growth of the fetus. Even if you want to use them, you must consult a doctor to confirm that they are safe before using them."

"Thank you for your concern, Queen. I am often bitten by mosquitoes in the summer. I have never been pregnant before, so I just use it casually.

Now that the baby is pregnant, the Emperor is more worried than me, and has long since ordered the Imperial Hospital to prepare special spices that will not harm the fetus."

Zhen Changzai responded to the Queen's words while showing off her favor. The Queen remained calm, but Qi Changzai almost rolled her eyes.

"It's just some spices. Which of you sisters in the palace hasn't received a reward from the emperor?

The perfumed powder that Concubine Tian uses now was specially made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the order of the Emperor. Why are you so proud of yourself and showing off everything?"

Qi Changzai's tone was quite bad. Zhen Changzai never dared to argue with her. After hearing such a scolding, she could only show a look of grievance and shut her mouth obediently.

"Qi Changzai," the queen scolded, "Zhen Chang said this just to make me not worry, why did you bother to interrupt her and make her sad?

You are the best sisters, and such quarrels may alienate the sisterhood."

Sisterhood? Isn't that funny?

Ling Rong looked at Qi Changzai's angry face and couldn't help but want to add fuel to the fire, "Yes, Zhen Changzai pays the most attention to the sisterhood with Qi Changzai. Look, her eyes are red."

Concubine Tian was inexplicably pointed out by Qi Changzai, and she stood up to support Lingrong's words. She glared at Qi Changzai with her beautiful eyes and said, "Zhen Changzai is right, so keep the incense that the emperor gave you as a reward. Why not give some to Qi Changzai?

It’s not shameful to share some things with good sisters, don’t you think, Qi Changzai?

If you like my perfumed powder, I will send someone to deliver it to you after I finish paying my respects."

How could Qi Changzai say that she didn't like it after hearing this? She could only say thank you to Concubine Tian, ​​"But I don't need perfume powder yet. If I need it in the future, I will definitely come to Concubine Tian to give it to me."

She said the word "reward" with gnashing teeth. Concubine Tian raised her eyebrows unhappily and asked Concubine Qi if she was dissatisfied.

After all, both of them are daughters of aristocratic families. They have always been at loggerheads with each other, and neither of them wants to be at a disadvantage. But now the gap in status is becoming more and more obvious. Even if Qi Changzai is dissatisfied, he can only hold his breath and say that he has never had any other thoughts.

"My Lady Concubine Tian, ​​if you really feel that I am dissatisfied, I will bow to you and apologize. Please forgive me, Lady Concubine Tian."

There was no sincerity in the apology, and there was a hint of reluctance in the tone as if being coerced, but Concubine Tian couldn't continue to be angry, so she could only shout with a cold face.

"I thank the Empress Tian."

Qi Changzai pulled his handkerchief and did not forget to glare at Zhen Changzai after he sat down. If he couldn't bully those in higher positions, he would bully those who were lower than himself. Qi Changzai has always been like this.

The Queen was very happy to see that there was such a strong smell of gunpowder among the few people, "That's right, sisters in the harem should be happy together. After all, life in the palace is long, and you will see each other every day. Don't make me and the emperor worry.

Especially you, Qi Changzai. Now that Zhen Changzai is pregnant, even if she made any mistakes, they were all unintentional.

You should be more tolerant towards her."

"...Yes, Queen."

Qi Chang responded in this way, and even turned around and gave Zhen Changzai a smile, which scared Zhen Changzai and his face was full of embarrassment.

"Okay, I won't restrict you today. Everyone, please go away. Please stay, Concubine Jing, Concubine Sheng, and Concubine Tian."

Everyone dispersed in twos and threes. Lingrong felt very sorry that she could not go out to watch the drama of sisterly love between Qi Changzai and Zhen Changzai. Fortunately, the Queen did not have any major matters to attend to. She mainly told everyone that as summer was coming, they should instruct the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs to take good care of the Imperial Garden and clean all the pavilions.

The task was not difficult, so the Queen handed it over to Lingrong - but in fact she wanted to hand it over to Concubine Tian, ​​but Concubine Tian had hay fever and was really not suitable for care, so she had to settle for the second best and chose Lingrong.

Of course, Lingrong is also a good choice. After all, her ambition is no longer concealed. With a son and a daughter, her position is particularly stable. If she is not found to fall, her position as queen will become even more unstable.

Lingrong has always felt that there are traps in every step the Queen takes, but this time she has to take on this matter, which makes her a little depressed. Apart from responding more carefully, there is really no better way at the moment.

Fortunately, the Queen's target is now easily identified, which is nothing more than the two pregnant women in the palace. The Queen mentioned the Imperial Garden, so she must be starting from some banquet.

As expected, the Queen then gave instructions about the affairs of the imperial kitchen, asking Concubine Tian to pay attention to it and prepare seasonal dishes for the Emperor in time.

There are both the imperial kitchen and the imperial garden, it seems that they are really preparing for the banquet. I wonder if they will ask Concubine Jing to be in charge of the guards' patrol later.

"My dear concubine, although patrols are not the responsibility of the women in the harem, you should still mention this to the emperor. Summer is here, and the shifts should be changed as soon as possible, and the number of night patrols should be increased."

"Yes, Queen."

Lingrong simply couldn't believe that the Queen just arranged things according to her own ideas. Could it be that she was planning to catch them all in one fell swoop?

However, the law does not punish everyone. Even if the three high-ranking concubines really murdered the two royal heirs, the emperor would probably not put them all under house arrest or demote them.

Ling Rong narrowed her eyes, thinking about the Queen's intention, but the Queen did not say anything more and told the three people to disperse.

The other two people didn't think there was anything unusual. Even if Lingrong wanted to say something, she couldn't find anything worth discussing, so she had to hold it in and continue to pay attention to Huichun and Xiuxia in private for the time being.

These two servants came from the Queen's side and were always alert. Even if Ling Rong sent people to watch them, they would find a chance to sneak out and look for the Queen.

This was the case a few days ago. By the time we discovered Huichun was missing, she had already slipped back.

That's why Lingrong was so sure that the Queen was planning something. "Hasn't she found out Huichun's recent whereabouts?"

"No, my lady. I'm afraid the people we sent have been discovered. I have already replaced them, but the previous people are still here and have not been withdrawn."

"Okay, what about the imperial kitchen? Is there any new news?"

"The Queen's men haven't been there again, and the two young eunuchs are still in their previous positions, with no changes." Zhaoshui answered very quickly. She had been keeping a close eye on Huichun and the other eunuch these past few days, but hadn't been able to get any news. She was much more anxious than Lingrong.

“Don’t worry too much, if the Queen’s people were so stupid, she would have been completely deposed from the Queen’s position long ago.

It is normal not to get any news. The more likely situation is that there is a shortage of manpower and the queen can only do one thing first.

Now that the Queen has arranged for me to work with Concubine Jing and Concubine Tian, ​​I guess she is ready to take action."

"But there is no preparation, and I am always worried."

"Since there is no news, there is no point in getting anxious," Lingrong comforted Zhaoshui, but still asked her to keep an eye on Huichun and Xiuxia. "Since you have already replaced someone to keep an eye on them, I believe there will be new news soon."

I hope so. Zhaoshui didn't hold out any hope. It would be fine if there was no news. He just hoped that the queen would not be framed.

With such an uneasy mood, the people sent by Zhaoshui finally found out some information - Huichun has been having a very close relationship with a eunuch recently, and the two seem to have done something inappropriate, and they have been flirting with each other all day long.

When Lingrong heard the news, her first reaction was disbelief. After all, she was a senior maid serving the Queen and would not make a choice that could cost her her life.

But this is indeed unusual. After all, if Huichun really had an affair with that eunuch in the palace and reported it to the emperor, it would be enough to make Huichun suffer or even be expelled from the palace.

At the same time, the Queen finally brought up her plan to hold a moon-viewing banquet. After all, the Emperor could be invited, and all the concubines in the harem agreed.

Originally, the hosting of this banquet was supposed to fall on Lingrong's shoulders, but Lingrong found an excuse that she had to take care of two children and pushed the matter aside.

"Your Majesty, this matter was initiated by you after all, so it would be best if you were the host.

When you are away, there are very few grand banquets like this in the palace, and I am truly unable to do so despite my willingness."

Concubine Jing and Concubine Tian also responded in unison. Concubine Tian followed behind Ling Rong and also used hay fever to avoid it, "Yes, Queen, for a banquet like this that involves the whole palace, it is only when you take the lead that there will be no mistakes.

If it were winter, I could still help, but now that it’s summer, I really have to hide away and can’t even attend this banquet.”

"Well, since you are all worried, I will take the lead and you can each take on a part of the work. It will be a good opportunity for you to learn.

However, moon-viewing banquets are usually held in autumn. If Your Majesty did not feel that there was no joy in the palace, I would not have decided to hold it in the summer."

The Queen accepted the banquet reluctantly. Even when the Emperor found out, he had no intention of stopping her. The Queen took this opportunity to finally take back some of the palace power. Although it was not much, she was no longer restricted like before and was not closely watched by the two maids Fangying and Fangyu.

After all, she was a person with many years of experience, so the Queen Mother quickly arranged the moon-viewing banquet. The banquet was held in the Imperial Garden, and when the concubines looked up, they could see the bright moon hanging high in the sky, with stars twinkling in the sky. If the surrounding lights were dimmed a little, the moonlight would appear even more brilliant and silver.

A group of palace maids holding firefly lanterns walked slowly into the garden from a distance. On the exquisite trays were placed the newly developed snacks from the imperial kitchen. They were like a full moon in the sky, and the fragrance of osmanthus was everywhere when you took a bite.

"It's not the season for osmanthus flowers to bloom, but this dessert has a faint osmanthus fragrance, which is very rare."

Perhaps it was because of the cheerful atmosphere tonight, or perhaps it was because it was not convenient to keep a stern face in front of everyone, the Emperor rarely gave face and was able to talk to the Empress calmly, asking about such trivial matters as food.

"This food was newly developed by the Imperial Kitchen. We have been busy for three days in order to prepare it for tonight's moon-viewing banquet. Your Majesty must reward us well."

The queen briefly explained the method of making the snack. It didn't matter whether the emperor understood it or not. What was important was to let all the concubines know that she and the emperor were still deeply in love and would not tolerate any contempt from them.

"Thank you for your hard work, Queen." The Emperor nodded and ordered someone to pour wine for the Queen. "I guess the Queen must have been watching over it for the past three days, so she is so familiar with this snack."

The Queen raised her wine glass and clinked it lightly with the Emperor's with a smile. The ripples of wine in the glass made the Queen's heart move again.

"It's not just me who has worked hard. The sisters in each palace have also prepared talents. Your Majesty, why don't you take a closer look."

It was of course good to have beauties to liven up the fun, and the emperor was in a good mood and was generous with his praise for every concubine who performed. He asked everyone to rush to toast him, as if he wanted to outdo everyone else.

During the banquet, Zhen Changzai felt a little sleepy, but she was reluctant to leave, so she asked the queen to go to the pavilion nearby to rest.

"If you are tired, you can go back to the palace first. You are still pregnant, so don't be too stubborn."

"I still have to attend the poetry meeting later." Zhen Changzai didn't want to miss this opportunity to show her face in front of the emperor, and insisted on staying a little longer. The queen then reluctantly asked someone to clean up the pavilion and told Zhen Changzai to have a good rest.

"There are many mosquitoes at night, so ask Mu Qing who is by your side to take good care of you." The queen seemed worried and gave Zhen Changzai one more instruction.

"Don't worry, Queen, I have spices given by the Emperor."