An Lingrong's Rebirth: Red

Zhen Huan originally thought that by staying in the palace this time, she would be able to take the opportunity to build a good relationship with the Queen Mother, but she never expected that she would not be able to see the Queen Mother for several days.

Whether it was picking up Buddha beans to pray for blessings or copying scriptures, it was all ordered by Aunt Zhuxi who was beside the Queen Mother. Zhen Huan didn't even know if the Queen Mother had read it.

But how could she not understand that the Queen Mother was just looking for ways to punish her because she was the most favored among the harem.

She thought that after meeting the Queen Mother, she would have a chance to persuade her, but she never expected that now that she was a concubine, the Queen Mother still didn't want to see her.

But she had promised Silang that she would serve the empress dowager well, but given the current situation, she was afraid that she couldn't do that.

After finally picking up all the Buddha beans for the day, Zhen Huan dragged her tired body back to Yongshou Palace to have a good sleep.

But when they reached the gate of Yongshou Palace, she suddenly changed her mind and decided to take Huanbi for a stroll in the Imperial Garden.

It is now March. Under the warm sunshine for a few days, the ice and snow have all melted. The peach blossoms, forsythia, magnolia and other flowers in the Imperial Garden have already grown buds. They will bloom in full bloom when the spring breeze blows in a few days.

Looking at such a thriving scene, Zhen Huan couldn't help but feel worried - her beloved Silang was not around. He abandoned her and spent the whole day having fun with other concubines in the Tangquan Palace.

Si Lang said that he only respected the Queen, not loved her. He favored Concubine Hua, but he had to be careful not to appease her because of the Nian family behind her.

As for An Lingrong, who was taken along, Zhen Huan never asked the emperor what kind of feelings he had for her.

I think she should be just an ordinary concubine who was lucky enough to conceive an imperial heir.

When Zhen Huan thought of the royal heir, her mood became depressed. Silang was looking forward to this child just like her, but she had never expected that there were so many vicious people in the harem. She had a miscarriage before she even felt the baby's movement.

As for An Lingrong's child, it was not necessarily entirely her fault. She would find a way to compensate him by giving him some gold, silver, and clothes in the future.

Besides, An Lingrong's position as a concubine was something she had begged for. If it were up to An Lingrong herself, she would probably have to stay in that position for the rest of her life.

"Huanbi, when do you think the emperor will return to the capital?"

Huanbi supported Zhen Huan and sat in Qianqiu Pavilion. When asked this question, she was also stunned for a moment, "The emperor is thinking about the young lady, I think he will be back in the next few days."

"With a beauty in his arms, the emperor must be reluctant to come back."

"My lady, why do you have to say such hurtful things? Everyone in the palace knows that Concubine Wan is the most favored by the Emperor. She has been communicating with you every day during the past few days in the Tangquan Palace." Huanbi was very smart and calmed Zhen Huan down with just a few words.

Zhen Huan was finally coaxed into smiling. The emperor sent letters every day, and in every letter he said "I love Wanwan". How could she not be happy with such deep love.

Thinking of those letters, Zhen Huan's face turned red and she immediately wanted to go back to Yongshou Palace to read them a few more times.

When he hurriedly stood up, he saw Prince Guo also entering the Qianqiu Pavilion.

"Princess Wan looks hurried, what happened?" Prince Guo glanced at Zhen Huan, and was relieved to see that her face was flushed and seemed to be fine.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. Something happened in Yongshou Palace, so I am in a hurry to go back."

"I just came here from Yongshou Palace, and I didn't hear any urgent matters. Could it be that Concubine Wan deceived me?"

In fact, the two of them had met several times before the New Year's Eve banquet. Prince Guo was quite insightful in poetry, literature and music theory, so they would always chat for a while whenever they met.

"Your Highness, you are joking. It was the Empress Dowager who asked me to hand-copy the Buddhist scriptures to pray for blessings. I was afraid of delay." Zhen Huan waved her hand, but Huanbi did not leave. She stared at Prince Guo with her eyes fixed. Only after Zhen Huan scolded him lightly did she leave the Qianqiu Pavilion and stand in the distance to watch the wind.

"I said last time we met that we would only address each other as you and me. Have you forgotten?" When Prince Guo saw that Huanbi had finally left, he relaxed and asked Zhen Huan to sit down.

"As soon as he saw me, he called me Wanpin, but I didn't know who I was."

Zhen Huan also relaxed and sat down again. The redness on her face had not yet faded, causing Prince Guo to look at her several more times.

"When outsiders are here, we have to be more cautious." Prince Guo glanced at Huanbi who was looking over here, and his tone was a little unhappy for a moment, "This maid is worried about you."

"You are good at calligraphy and poetry. I wonder how many young ladies in Beijing are dreaming of you. It is understandable that Huanbi is tempted by love."

Prince Guo's gaze shifted to Zhen Huan's face, with an indescribable emotion flowing in his eyes.

On the other side, Huanbi was standing a little far away, so she naturally couldn't hear what Prince Guo and Zhen Huan were talking about. The sunlight made her eyes hurt, so she could only hide quietly in the shadows.

Without her noticing, Concubine Cao happened to be bringing Princess Wen Yi to the Imperial Garden to bask in the sun, and they easily saw Zhen Huan and Prince Guo chatting in the Qianqiu Pavilion.

A few days ago, Concubine Hua kept forcing her to find a way to get rid of Zhen Huan, and now the evidence is right in front of her.

It would be very interesting if Concubine Hua saw this scene.

In Tangquan Palace, Lingrong was picking a basket full of peach blossoms with Zhaoshui, preparing to make some peach blossom soup for Baijin to take back.

While preparing utensils and ingredients, Ling Rong bent over the table and began to write a letter.

She knew that these letters would definitely be checked, so she only wrote some daily greetings, asking her mother and Aunt Xiao to take care of their health.

There was another letter to An Bihuai. She knew that no matter what she said, her father would not listen, so apart from writing a few words in the letter asking him to be careful in his words and actions, she just asked him to find a good school for Ling Lang.

But how could she find a learned man in Songyang? Lingrong could only think of some ways to find a teacher in Beijing in the future.

The letter was short but the words were long. Lingrong wrote several letters in succession before she finished saying everything she wanted to say.

Zhaoshui knew that she was anxious, so as soon as the letter dried, he put it in an envelope, waiting for Bai Jin to bring it to his wife tomorrow.

However, Ling Rong stopped a letter with only a few words. She tore the paper and only left the part with words and folded it into a small square.

When the peach blossom soup was ready, Lingrong picked one and put the letter in it. Whether mother or concubine Xiao ate it, the letter would reach Tinghe's hands.

Let Tinghe tell her brother about the trip to the suburbs of Beijing, and try to pass a message to her superiors - the Queen had secretly detained the mother of a concubine at her farm in the suburbs of Beijing, so inform Concubine Hua immediately.

Lingrong was not worried that these words would not reach Concubine Hua's ears. Nian Gengyao cared about his sister the most, and would not let it go even if there was a word related to her.

I wonder how happy Concubine Hua would be if she could hold something against the Queen.

By the time everything was ready, it was already afternoon. When Bai Jin arrived, he was carrying a bag.

"My lady, the emperor specially asked me to prepare 10,000 taels of silver, and we will leave today." Bai Jin smiled happily, and she untied the bag on her shoulder, which contained some hairpins, rings and clothes. "The emperor told my lady not to worry, the lady will not suffer in the capital anymore."

When Lingrong saw these valuable things, her opinion of the emperor changed a little. Compared with the things the emperor carried, the silver she had prepared was obviously not enough.

But as for money, more is always better.

Lingrong asked Zhaoshui to give the things she had prepared to Bai Jin. Bai Jin accepted the letter and peach blossom soup with a smile, but refused to take the silver no matter what.

"The Emperor said that no matter how much money you prepare, he will ask Eunuch Su to take out double from his private treasury. As for your own money, you can keep it."

Lingrong looked at the silver, thought for a moment, and asked Zhaoshui to put all the jewelry in the dressing box into the box. Finally, she took off the ginkgo leaf hairpin on her head and put it in as well.

Even Zhaoshui was taking out valuable things from her body, and finally put in the sachet that Lingrong had embroidered for her.

"Remember to tell the emperor, double it." Ling Rong blinked at Bai Jin. Bai Jin was smart and immediately understood what she meant.

"Yes, my lady." Bai Jin suppressed his laughter, packed up the rest of his things, and then went back to report to the emperor.

Seeing her leave, Lingrong told Zhaoshui to put away the jewelry and silver. She took the bracelet she had just taken off her hand and put it on Zhaoshui herself.

"My lady, this is your favorite bracelet."

Zhaoshui was anxious and wanted to take off the bracelet, but Lingrong patted her hand to comfort her, "Are you still worried that I, your young master, won't get someone better in the future? Keep it, it will look good on you."

"Thank you, young lady." Zhaoshui did not shy away. She stroked the bracelet with joy shining in her eyes.

That night, perhaps because he felt bad for the money that was "extorted" from Ling Rong, the emperor finally came to Chenghuai Temple after favoring Concubine Hua for two days.

The rules in the temporary palace did not have to be as strict as those in the palace, and Ling Rong finally did not have to be rolled up and sent to the Yangxin Palace to sleep with her.

She was only wearing a thin lotus-red nightgown, which made her face look pretty red.

"Hail, Your Majesty." As soon as she opened her mouth, the emperor's eyes moved to her face. The moonlight was dim and the candlelight was weak. Lingrong's face could not be seen clearly in the misty light.

The emperor was standing far away, and the voice that sounded 50% like Chun Yuan's sounded again.

"It's cold at night, Your Majesty, please don't stand at the door."

Hearing this strange yet familiar voice, the emperor walked inside as he was told, but he still stood far away. For a moment, he didn't want to see Lingrong's face clearly, and just wanted to listen to Chunyuan's voice in this hazy state.

Seeing the emperor standing there in a daze, how could Ling Rong not know what the emperor was thinking? She took the initiative to blow out several candles in the room, hiding her face in the dark night.

"Have you ever read Cui Daorong's Plum Blossoms?"

"A few petals are beginning to cover themselves with snow, and it is difficult to draw a picture of the solitary flower." Lingrong spoke as she was told. She deliberately imitated the voice of Empress Chunyuan, which made the emperor feel deeply moved.

"There is a unique rhythm in the fragrance, so pure that one does not feel the cold. Listen to the flute with sorrow, and look at the branches leaning against the sick."

Ling Rong stopped and slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. The candlelight could only illuminate her opening and closing lips.

"If the north wind understands my feelings, please don't destroy me."

After a moment, she read it out. She had heard Zhen Huan read this poem in her previous life, and she had read it in a book in this life. Perhaps because she was not well-educated, she did not think this poem was that good.

She prefers Wang Anshi's poem "Plum Blossoms": I know it is not snow from afar because of the subtle fragrance.

But the emperor seemed to like this poem very much. Perhaps it was related to Queen Chunyuan. After all, Yu Ying'er gained favor in her previous life because of the second half of the poem. It can be seen that this poem meant a lot to the emperor.

"I haven't heard this poem for many years, but I vaguely remember that it was read as "Going against the wind is like understanding the meaning."

Ling Rong was hidden under the candlelight. She rolled her eyes quietly. It was against the wind, so I don’t need to understand what it meant to be with the wind, right?

Inwardly, she cursed him for being hypocritical, but she still followed the emperor's thoughts and read out loud, "If the wind blows, you understand, don't destroy it easily."

The emperor seemed finally satisfied. He walked eagerly to the couch and put his hand on Lingrong's face.

Lingrong did not refuse. She relaxed her body, tilted her head and rubbed her cheek in the emperor's large palm.

The red candle burns out, and the night is filled with joy.

Because she was not in the palace, Ling Rong was able to sleep in bed until dawn. When she woke up, the emperor had already left. She rolled on the large bed and suddenly remembered that the emperor asked her to call him Si Lang last night.

It's a pity for Lingrong, as only the emperor can hear this title, but Zhen Huan cannot. Otherwise, one wonders what the expression on Zhen Huan's pretty face would be like.

However, given Zhen Huan's personality, she would probably feel that she was imitating her and would instead use that pretentious tone to say, "Sister An, if you like, just call me that."

For the remaining days, the emperor accompanied Concubine Hua for meals during the day, and came to Lingrong's Chenghuai Temple to practice Taoism at night.

This made Concubine Hua very angry, but she thought of Lingrong saying that the pill was best used while bathing in a hot spring at night, so she endured it.

But Concubine Hua endured it, but the Queen was really jealous. There were only three people in Tangquan Palace now, but the Emperor often lingered in the palaces with two concubines and was unwilling to even look at her.

But she was a virtuous queen and even more a virtuous wife. She could not bully the concubines and could only endure it.

On the eve of returning to the palace, the Queen finally learned about what happened outside the capital. She had never thought that An Lingrong would find the Emperor as her backer and take Lin Xiu away right under her nose.

Unexpectedly, this little concubine had some means and sent the emperor's people to be by Lin Xiu's side.

But so what? In this world, everyone will experience birth, aging, sickness and death. Even if Bai Jin is the emperor's person, he will die for some reason, right?

Lingrong naturally didn't know what the Queen was thinking, nor did she know whether Tinghe's brother could pass the news to Nian Gengyao. If the opportunity was right, she wouldn't mind if someone around her "let it slip" to Concubine Hua.

The emperor originally wanted Lingrong to stay in Tangquan Palace for a few more days to recover, but Lingrong refused on the grounds that the imperial physician said she was in good health.

The emperor often asked the imperial physician who accompanied him to check the pulses of Lingrong and Concubine Hua these days. Knowing that Lingrong's body had indeed recovered by 99%, he no longer forced her, and the group set off for the palace in a grand procession.

"Why don't you stay in the Tangquan Palace? The Emperor and the Empress are not here, so it will be easier for you to pass on the message."

Ling Rong sighed. She knew it was more convenient to contact her mother in Tangquan Palace, but her favor was not so high now, so how could she bet that the emperor would not forget her?

If she were really forgotten in this palace, it would be no different from being banished to the cold palace.

"It's better to go back to the palace, otherwise I will always feel uneasy." Ling Rong lifted the curtain and looked outside. Now that the ice and snow have melted, the spring that should be in March is finally showing.

"The peach blossoms are red and tender, the willow leaves are green and new, the season of peach blossoms is finally here."