An Lingrong's Rebirth: Red

Whether Concubine Qi was willing or not, she had to return to the palace. By the time others learned the news, it was already the next day when they had to pay their respects.

When she heard that the punishment for Concubine Qi was so light, Concubine Qi was the first to raise an objection, "Empress, Concubine Qi did such a thing, and it would be difficult to convince the public to just fine her salary and confine her to her house, right?"

"Lady Qi means that this punishment is too light."

"Yes, Queen, those are two princes. They were deliberately framed and easily escaped punishment. It makes people terrified. Who will dare to eat the food in the imperial kitchen in the future?"

Concubine Qi was filled with indignation, and she even glanced at the concubines around her, trying to get their support.

"That day Concubine Qi was able to put drugs in the wine, who knows if someone will poison it again tomorrow?" Concubine Qi raised the teacup in her hand, "Maybe this cup of tea, maybe this plate of snacks, was poisoned.

After that incident, who dares to eat food that is not from their own palace? Queen, we concubines can't take out a silver needle to test for poison wherever we go. "

What Concubine Qi said did make sense, but it was tantamount to challenging the Queen's authority, so no matter how reasonable her words were, no one stood up to support her.

The Queen was neither angry nor explained. She just looked at Concubine Qi's face, picked up the teacup beside her, and slowly took a sip.

"This is the best Junshan Silver Needle. It smells rich and fragrant, and tastes sweet and refreshing. Wouldn't you like some, sisters?"

Cao Qinmo raised her eyes and looked at Lingrong. After Lingrong picked up the tea, she followed closely and took a sip of the tea together.

"Gold inlaid with jade, dusty heart gone, the river across Dongting Lake is full of beautiful moonlight. The Junshan Silver Needle here by the Queen is indeed worthy of its reputation, the most authentic."

"Concubine Sheng has a very clever tongue," the queen saw how sensible she was, and the smile on her face became even more charming, "What do you think, Concubine Jin?"

"This Junshan Silver Needle Decoction is bright yellow and has a noble aroma. If it weren't for the Empress, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to use it."

"If you like it, I have a lot more here. After paying your respects, you can take some back and ask Wen Yi to have a taste.

If Wen Yi likes it, I will ask Aunt Zhuxi to send more."

The Queen was very kind to Cao Qinmo, which was completely different from her attitude towards Lingrong. After all, the Queen had not given up on buying Cao Qinmo off, so this behavior was normal.

After Lingrong and Cao Qin drank the tea silently, Concubine Tian and others also took a sip. Only Concubine Qi sat there awkwardly. Whether she drank the tea or not, she could not change her current situation.

"I can understand that Concubine Qi is worried that the tea is poisonous. So Aunt Zhuxi, please remove the tea and snacks beside Concubine Qi for the time being, and there is no need to prepare them in the future."

"Yes, Queen."

Zhu Xi moved quickly and walked up to Concubine Qi and took away all the snacks. Concubine Qi's chest heaved and her eyes blinked rapidly, trying to calm her turbulent mood.

The Queen did this to humiliate Concubine Qi just to make an example of her and give everyone a warning.

Lingrong didn't know whether Concubine Qi's behavior was spontaneous or discussed with the Empress in secret.

Anyway, no matter which possibility it is, it only points to one answer - Concubine Qi is a person who must never be approached, let alone trusted.

"This peony roll is also good, sisters may want to try it."

The queen did not stop there. She continued to ask everyone to enjoy snacks, forcing everyone to believe that there would be no more problems with the meals in the imperial kitchen.

Everyone still ate the food obediently. After all, they had already believed in the queen on the surface, so they couldn't disobey her anymore and could only follow her orders.

Concubine Qi's face looked even worse. At this moment she finally realized how stupid her behavior was. She had put herself in opposition to everyone.

She didn't expect that Concubine Tian, ​​Concubine Sheng, Concubine Jin and others who had children would ignore the problems behind the diet in the imperial kitchen and choose to believe the queen.

According to Concubine Qi's expectation, she should at least get the support of these three people.

After Lingrong, Concubine Tian also praised the Queen's unique peony rolls and was also rewarded by the Queen with countless snacks and tea.

Although Concubine Tian had no shortage of these things, she still accepted them one by one. Seeing how sensible she was, the Queen smiled even more deeply, thinking in her heart that they should continue to deepen the "feelings" between them.

Lingrong looked at Concubine Tian, ​​but received no response from her. The Queen saw all of this. She thought her provocation had been successful and was extremely happy.

But she didn't know that all this was an illusion and the Queen was about to fall into their trap. That was why the two of them gave the Queen face at this moment and drank all the tea and snacks.

The greeting ended in such a delicate manner. As usual, Concubine Tian was kept by the Empress, while Cao Qinmo followed closely behind Lingrong, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Sister, is there something wrong?"

The two of them walked to a pavilion and stopped. Ling Rong slowly wiped the sweat from her face with a handkerchief and looked at Cao Qinmo with a smile.

Today, Cao Qinmo was wearing a lilac purple Manchu dress with a thin layer of powder on her face. Her cheeks were rosy, making her look particularly beautiful.

Lingrong seldom saw her dressed so elegantly, and was stunned for a moment, and it took her a while to collect her expression.

"In fact, I have always believed that I am smart, and one day, my sister and I will join forces and stand at a higher position together."

Cao Qinmo suddenly spoke, waving a fan. The pattern on the fan was very familiar to Lingrong; it was dancing butterflies.

When the butterfly case happened, Cao Qinmo sent me a fan like this. Now it's the same fan again. Could it be that she really knows something?

"Sister, do you like this fan very much?" Cao Qinmo stopped waving her hands and looked down at the fluttering butterflies on it. Then she smiled as if she had suddenly realized something. "It seems that sister is remembering some old things, about these butterflies."

"Yes, the sky full of butterflies is truly a magnificent sight."

"The magnificent scene cannot hide the bloody color. The one who has a more profound memory of that day should be Concubine Tian."

Cao Qinmo looked at Ling Rong. Her behavior was indeed a little abnormal, as if she knew something.

Ling Rong was unmoved. She just nodded and continued with Cao Qinmo's words, "The hatred between Zhen and Concubine Tian also started at that time."

"But..." Cao Qin smiled silently, her tone was faint, "What if that thing was not done by Zhen?"

Ling Rong's heart was moved, but she didn't show any abnormality on her face. She said "oh" and pretended to speak casually, "It seems that my sister knows some secrets that are unknown to others. Are you willing to tell me?"

"Of course I am willing. I have no secrets in front of my sister."

Cao Qinmo was still smiling, and Lingrong felt a little relieved, and then she heard Cao Qinmo speak again, "In fact, the most untrustworthy thing in this deep palace is any celestial phenomenon or strange vision.

That was when butterflies were flying around the Yongshou Palace, and I felt that someone was secretly doing something.

At that time, Concubine Hua was still alive, so I told her about this. Unfortunately, she thought I was just comforting her and didn't take it to heart.

Otherwise, at that time, Concubine Hua could have found evidence against the Empress, so why would she end up drowning and being murdered by someone? "

When the incident of Concubine Hua falling into the water was mentioned, Lingrong was shocked again. She didn't know how much Cao Qinmo knew and what she wanted to gain by bringing it up now.

"The Queen's handle?"

“You can’t attract so many butterflies at the party just by flowers.

What's more, there is musk powder on the butterfly's wings. Sister, have you ever thought about how the musk powder could fall on the butterfly's wings for no reason if no one caught the butterfly in secret? "

"How did you conclude that this was not done by Zhen? After all, it was her Yongshou Palace where butterflies were flying around. She had the best chance of catching a large number of butterflies to do this."

"Because the distance is too far, sister."

Cao Qinmo pointed out the problem directly. She was indeed smart, but fortunately Ling Rong's plan was hidden in the dark and she didn't find out.

“The Jingren Palace is too far away from the Yongshou Palace. If Zhen had released those butterflies in the Yongshou Palace, most of them would have stayed near the Imperial Garden. How could so many of them have gathered right above Concubine Tian’s head?

So there is only one possibility, that these butterflies came from Jingren Palace, which is the only way to achieve the goal of having a large number of butterflies appear in a short period of time."

"Sister, what you mean is that the musk powder was actually placed on the butterfly's wings by the Queen. This is a frame-up."

Cao Qinmo nodded, she agreed with Lingrong's point of view, "Now the Queen and Concubine Tian are getting closer and closer, if you are worried, why not tell Concubine Tian about this.

No matter how stupid she is, she should know that the Queen is a person who cannot be associated with her, and she will naturally return to her sister's arms. "

Hearing the word "embrace", Lingrong and Cao Qinmo laughed together, "Sister, what you said is interesting. Concubine Tian may just want to be in the emperor's arms."

"You..."

Cao Qinmo also took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She actually knew much more than she said. She even had a vague guess about where the Queen hid the butterfly.

It's just that too much time has passed and a lot of evidence has disappeared. It's impossible to use this incident to ask the emperor to convict the queen. It's better to use this incident to flatter Concubine Sheng.

It’s a pity that Cao Qinmo didn’t know that Lingrong and Concubine Tian were still in the same boat. The slight grudge that Concubine Tian had towards Lingrong could be completely resolved by offering the position of Queen.

But Cao Qinmo had good intentions, so Lingrong naturally wouldn't reject her kindness. She said yes repeatedly and thanked Cao Qinmo for her concern.

"Sister is very thoughtful. I'm afraid that the Empress and sister are the only ones who have noticed the estrangement between Concubine Tian and me in the entire palace."

"I just wanted to help my sister. My sister is very intelligent and can handle many things by herself. I once thought I could help you.

But I found that my sister didn’t seem to need any help from me.”

In her previous life, Ling Rong always wished for someone to help her. She would either do something for others or to please others.

Because of this, he ended up having no one around him he could trust, and no one cared when he died.

Now, every move I make is for myself. If someone comes up to me, they will take the initiative to consider me without me having to say anything.

Lingrong couldn't figure it out, but the situation was very good now, and there was no need for Lingrong to refuse Cao Qinmo's "help".

"Actually, there is one more thing, which I also learned by accident."

Cao Qinmo paused, then spoke again about the news he knew, "After the banquet that day, Yinxiu, who was beside me, saw a palace maid following the Fifth Prince.

But the maid looked unfamiliar, and Yinxiu did not recognize her. She thought she was a maid in the Old Summer Palace, and she did not know who bribed her.

"Did Yinxiu see what that maid did to the Fifth Prince?"

"Yinxiu only saw her following the Fifth Prince all the way towards the lake.

Yinxiu was not on their way and did not see what happened afterwards. But we all know that the Fifth Prince fell into the water later. Is it possible that it was the maid who did it? "

Lingrong did not tell Cao Qinmo the truth of the matter. After all, it involved the reputation of the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

"It is indeed possible, but the Fifth Prince did not see the face of the palace maid. If it was Yinxiu, would she be able to recognize her?"

Cao Qinmo nodded, and said with great certainty, "If I see her again, Yinxiu will definitely recognize her."

"That's good. Sister, please lend me the Yinxiu for the next few days until I find the palace maid."

"Of course," Cao Qinmo did not refuse, "Sister, you can send someone to look for Yinxiu anytime. As long as we can catch that palace maid, it will be her credit."

"Then there will definitely be a reward from Yinxiu, so don't worry, sister."

The two smiled at each other, and Cao Qinmo sighed even more, muttering that her life now was actually very peaceful for her.

"Sister, tell me...if the Queen steps down, who will take the throne?"

These words were both a test and a sigh. Cao Qinmo once thought about becoming the queen, but she knew very well that the emperor would never choose her no matter what. However, there was a possibility with the Concubine Sheng in front of her.

"Now it seems that the ones with the best chance are Concubine Tian and Noble Lady Qi. After all, there are not many people with full military flags in the palace.

I think my elder sister is betting on Concubine Tian, ​​otherwise she wouldn't have told me what the Queen did today."

Cao Qin just smiled without saying anything. She fanned herself and fixed her eyes on Ling Rong.

Both of them were very smart. Lingrong understood Cao Qinmo's intention in just a moment, but she shook her head and said, "Sister, you think too highly of me. The position of Queen is not something that someone like me can get involved in."