An Lingrong's Rebirth: Red

Concubine Tian was full of anger, so she was naturally not too kind to the servants. Therefore, the imperial kitchen quickly sent the two princes' meals over, which were steaming hot and looked even more delicious than those on the queen's table.

The banquet had lasted too long, and the food on the table was a little cold, but luckily she never ate anything at banquets, so she just put the food there for show.

However, the two children would use some of the food, so Lingrong would keep an eye on them all the time. If the food got cold, she would tell them not to eat anymore.

At this time, the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince's food was the freshest, and the aroma wafting around made people hungry. Seeing the two children picking up their chopsticks, hesitating about which dish to take, Lingrong felt a little distressed.

"Zhaoshui, let Fanglin and Fanghua take Hongyu and Youning back to Chengqian Palace. When they get back, ask the kitchen to make some of their favorite food."

"Yes, ma'am."

Zhao Shui moved quickly. Soon You Ning and Hong Yu left the banquet. Before leaving, they chatted with the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince for a while. Ling Rong didn't know what they talked about.

Fortunately, they were young and their excuses for leaving were not excessive. The Fifth Prince could only stay and sigh as he watched the two children walk away.

Hongli called the Fifth Prince first, and the two clinked their glasses and said to each other, "Long time no see."

"Fifth brother has served the emperor for the longest time, so he must know the emperor's situation best."

Hong Zhou shook his head, put down his wine glass and looked at the Fourth Prince, "It hasn't been long since we returned from the Old Summer Palace, and the Emperor's health is as good as before. The Fourth Prince has sent letters home every month, so he should be very familiar with it."

"Although I can learn some things from the books, my third brother and I cannot see the emperor day and night after all, so we cannot compare to you, my fifth brother, who knows a lot."

"Fourth brother, you are joking. I have only been studying day and night in the palace. The emperor is busy with government affairs and now he doesn't even know where I have finished my studies."

The fourth prince tried his best to say that Hong Zhou was favored and trusted by the emperor, while the fifth prince tried his best to say that he was not loved. In the tug of war, there were schemes at work, and both sides saw it clearly, except for the third prince, who really thought that there was something wrong with the emperor's health.

"My two brothers, I heard from you that the emperor has some health problems. Have you asked the imperial physician to see him?"

"Third brother," the two spoke in unison, but it was Hongli who continued in the end, "I am just concerned about the health of the Emperor. The Emperor is now in good health and spirits, so please don't worry too much, third brother.

If this question were to reach other people's ears, they would probably think you were disrespectful to the Emperor."

"How could this be? I am just concerned about the Emperor."

Hongshi didn't take it seriously, he picked up the wine glass and took a gulp. He didn't have the heart to listen to the conversation between his two brothers, his attention was more focused on the Queen.

However, from the time he came back to the time he sat at the banquet, the Queen Mother didn't even glance at him, causing the Third Prince to not know whether he should step forward or not.

While Hongshi was still hesitating, Hongli had already stepped forward. He first paid his respects to the Empress Dowager, and then expressed his gratitude for the Empress Dowager's love and care for him. His words were full of admiration.

The Queen has always been good at putting on a good show, and when she heard the Fourth Prince trying to please her in this way, she called him to her side, inquired about his health in detail, and even asked Zhuxi to clean the Fourth Prince's residence so that he could live in peace.

"In reply to the Queen, there is a special person to clean the Prince's residence every day, and it has all the daily necessities, which are consistent with the specifications in the Old Summer Palace.

After the banquet, the Fourth Prince can go there and rest directly, and he will definitely not feel uncomfortable at all."

"If you feel uncomfortable, just tell the Empress Dowager. She will ask someone to clean the side hall of Jingren Palace. You can come and stay anytime."

The Fourth Prince bowed again upon hearing this. He smiled brightly and looked particularly sincere. "Third Brother finally came back this time. He must have a lot to say to the Empress Dowager. I don't want to disturb him too much."

"It doesn't matter. You and Hongshi are both my children. You will have what Hongshi has, and there is naturally a place for you in Jingren Palace.

Hongli, please don't underestimate yourself. I also truly care about you."

"Thank you, Empress Dowager." Hongli turned to look at the Third Prince and even gave him a determined smile. "Since Empress Dowager said so, I must pay my respects to you early tomorrow morning."

"That's great. The old duck soup in my kitchen is the best. You must try it tomorrow when you come over."

"I heard that the emperor's favorite is the old duck soup made by the emperor's mother. I didn't expect that I would have such a good fortune. I must taste it carefully tomorrow."

The Queen had a smile on her face, but in her heart she despised the Fourth Prince's behavior of climbing up the social ladder. She secretly sighed that after all, he was the son of a lowly maid, and was born to flatter others.

"If you like it, I'll send you one tonight."

"My Queen Mother, this is too much of a bother. I will definitely come to visit you tomorrow. Please give me some time to wait and satisfy my cravings tomorrow."

"It's rare that you are so sensible. If Hongshi and Hongzhou were half like you, the emperor and I wouldn't have to worry so much."

"My third brother and fifth brother are both extremely smart. I cannot compare with them. The only advantage of me being sensible is that I can be seen by the Emperor Father and the Empress."

The Fourth Prince put on a lot of pretense and praised Hongshi and Hongzhou generously. He also wanted to use this to test the Empress' attitude. After all, if he could be raised by the Empress, he would be her legitimate son and would have a better chance of competing for the position of crown prince in the future.

However, the Queen had already guessed his thoughts, and did not favor one over the other and praise only one person. Instead, she deliberately asked more about the Fourth Prince's knowledge and naturally rewarded him with the Four Treasures of the Study.

When Zhuxi saw the Queen's attitude, he thought that the Queen had finally given up the idea of ​​murdering the Fourth Prince.

But she still suspected the Queen. After all, the poisoning of the Third and Fourth Princes was indeed strange, and all traces were washed away, which was not something that ordinary concubines could do.

"Zhu Xi," the Queen suddenly said, looking at the Fourth Prince who was gradually walking away, "The two princes have just returned to the palace, remember to go to the Imperial Hospital and ask two trusted doctors to check their pulses every day.

Don't let the poisoning incident like the one in the Old Summer Palace happen again, which would make His Majesty worried. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Zhu Xi agreed quickly, but she felt a little uneasy in her heart. She always felt that the Queen had seen through her.

The Empress had ordered me to invite an imperial physician for the two princes, most likely just to dispel her own doubts, as well as the Emperor's.

The Queen doesn't care about the two princes at all, and maybe she wants to take action against the Fourth Prince again.

It seems that I still need to pay more attention to the Fourth Prince in private and not let the Queen Mother succeed so easily. Zhu Xi secretly made up his mind and planned to go to the Imperial Hospital to ask He Anming and Wei Lin to take care of the two princes.

These two imperial doctors are not under the Empress's command, so they will definitely be able to check and balance the Empress.

The Queen didn't know what Zhu Xi was thinking at this time. She nodded with satisfaction and continued to communicate with the Fourth Prince.

The Third Prince stared for a long time, and finally stood up and went to pay his respects to the Queen.

"Third brother must have a lot to say to the Empress Dowager," the fourth prince was very tactful. When he saw Hongshi coming, he immediately bowed and left. "I will not disturb you any more. I will go back to the table and chat with my fifth brother first."

"Go ahead. If you want to eat something, just tell Feiyun."

The Queen motioned Feiyun to follow her, and the latter immediately went to the Fourth Prince to serve meals.

After the two men left, the Queen cast her eyes on the Third Prince, "Although I am not your mother, I have raised you after all. You should come to see me the first time you enter the palace."

"I wanted to come and pay my respects to the Empress Dowager right away, but my fourth brother was cunning and got there first. It's not that I don't want to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager."

If it were the Third Prince from the past, he would definitely not slander others so bluntly, and he might even say that he was not smart enough and failed to think of it the first time.

But this time, the Third Prince, who had returned after going through so much hardship, had changed completely. The foolish kindness in his heart had disappeared, although at the moment it seemed that only the kindness towards the Fourth Prince had disappeared.

"I understand your respect for me." The Queen sighed, "Before Concubine Qi left, she repeatedly asked me to take good care of you.

This palace and Concubine Qi and I are like sisters, so it’s natural that we treat you differently.

But you were led by the Fourth Prince to do something wrong, which caused the Emperor to be furious. I tried my best but failed to bring you back to the palace.

Now that you have finally come back, I will definitely find a way to plead with the Emperor so that you don't have to go back to the Old Summer Palace.

But it is difficult to achieve the goal by my own efforts, you should also seriously try to figure out your father's intentions."

"Empress Dowager, this matter..." The Third Prince didn't know the Emperor at all. He had no confidence that he could become the Empress Dowager's son again through his own efforts.

"Blood ties cannot be severed, and the death of Concubine Qi has made His Majesty very sad.

You are a good and filial child. The emperor will not have the heart to blame you. Do you understand?"

The Third Prince nodded as if he understood, his eyes filled with confusion and doubt, which gave the Empress a headache.

In desperation, the Empress could only break things down and talk to the Third Prince slowly, teaching him how to use the love between father and son, mother and son, and love between a child and his parents to soften the Emperor's heart.

After all, the Third Prince is the Emperor's eldest son. Although he is not very smart, he has been spoiled for many years. If the Third Prince admits his mistake, it will surely arouse the Emperor's love for him, and it will not be so difficult for him to return to the palace.

"You should have less contact with the Fourth Prince on weekdays. He is a man of deep thoughts and you cannot compare with him. If the same thing happens again, I will not be able to protect you."

"I understand that I was too foolish in the past and thought that Hongli was really thinking about me, so I was fooled.

In the Old Summer Palace, I was poisoned because I believed his sweet words. "

In fact, the poison in the Old Summer Palace was planted by the Queen. Now the Third Prince thinks that it was the Fourth Prince who did it, which actually helps the Queen.

"You said the poisoning was not an accident, but was done by the Fourth Prince?"

The Third Prince nodded heavily. He turned to look at Hongli, and only dared to speak after confirming that the other party was not looking at him.

"That day, the imperial kitchen brought food over, but I didn't want to eat it, so I left on the pretext of writing an article.

Normally, Hongli would not stay any longer after hearing my refusal, but that day was very strange, he insisted on pulling me to sit down with him no matter what. "

The Third Prince looked unhappy, and was obviously resentful of Hongli. "During this period, he had always advised me to use the soup, but he himself had hardly used it. After he was poisoned, the imperial physician found out that the poison was in the soup.

Hongli repeatedly urged me to drink the soup, but he only drank a sip himself. He must have wanted to use his own mild poisoning to save my life!"

The Third Prince was smart this time. The Queen sighed in her heart, "Have you told the Emperor about this?"

"I still cannot see the Emperor, and I have already discussed this privately with Eunuch Su who came to investigate. I'm sure the Emperor knows about this.

But the Emperor did not punish Hongli for such a cruel act, I am afraid... Empress Dowager, I am afraid that the Emperor is really going to give up on his son."

"You don't have to worry too much," the Queen comforted the Third Prince. She now had a way to deal with the Fourth Prince, and her tone was unusually kind, "The Emperor hates fratricide the most, and he will definitely not let him get away with it.

You can go back and have your meal first. I will try to explain the matter to the emperor. After all, he is your brother, and it is better to investigate the matter of harming brothers and sisters."

"Yes, Madam Queen, I will take my leave now."

The Third Prince felt relieved after receiving the Queen's affirmation. He tidied his appearance, returned to his seat pretending to be calm, and even drank with the Fourth Prince.

"Zhu Xi, check the people in our palace."

"Empress, why did you suddenly start to examine yourself?" Zhu Xi originally suspected that it was the Queen's doing. After listening to what the Third Prince said, he became more certain of his thoughts. However, he did not expect the Queen to suddenly examine herself, which made Zhu Xi a little confused.

"Some time ago, I almost went astray, but you stopped me. However, this incident still happened, so I suspect... there is a traitor in Jingren Palace."

But the queen didn't look like she was faking it, and Zhuxi didn't know how to be sure.

"This... this is really..."

"Are you asking if I was responsible for this?"

Zhuxi nodded hesitantly; her expression said it all.

"If this is what I did, how could the Fourth Prince cooperate? Don't forget, I only want the Third Prince."

The queen's sophistry really made Zhu Xi fall into confusion. "I will handle this matter, please rest assured, Queen."

"Of course I trust you the most. I just asked Feiyun to go over and serve Hongli. Maybe I can get some news from the Fourth Prince."

The queen finally arranged everything. She let out a long sigh, happily picked up the wine glass and drank with the concubines.

Lingrong looked at the Queen from afar and raised her wine glass in the same way. She saw people coming and going at the Queen's place and became wary.