Legend of Zhen Huan: Zhen Huan is reborn

143 Li Jingyan OUT

(Jingren Palace)

"Your Majesty, today I saw the Emperor's attitude towards Concubine Xi. It seems that there is no rift between the two of them. I'm afraid the day when she regains the Emperor's favor is just around the corner. How should we respond then?" Jianqiu whispered.

"This is really puzzling," Yixiu frowned and muttered to herself, "A smart person like Concubine Xi, who knows that she is the shadow of someone else and is favored by the emperor, should have felt separated from the emperor and said goodbye to him forever. But how did the situation develop to this point..." She was full of doubts and couldn't let it go.

If Zhen Huan heard about this, she would definitely respond calmly: I am now Niohuru Zhen Huan. My fate has been full of twists and turns, but I am not someone who gives up easily.

"Your Majesty, fortunately Concubine Xi gave birth to a princess, and we have the Third Prince here, so our chances of success are naturally better." Jianqiu comforted. "As the Emperor's eldest son, the Third Prince has high hopes for him. However, the two young princes also need to be paid more attention to and should not be taken lightly." Yixiu said slowly, with a deep look in her eyes.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. I have noticed that the Third Prince has been making great progress in recent days. His teacher even praised him for his diligence every night, forgetting to eat and sleep, and often studying late into the night." Jianqiu's face was filled with satisfaction.

"The Third Prince has made such progress thanks to my careful teaching. My efforts have not been in vain." Yixiu nodded slightly, a barely perceptible smile appearing on the corner of her mouth, her heart filled with both relief and expectation.

"However, the Third Prince is still concerned about Li, the concubine who lives in the cold palace, and he visits her privately from time to time, showing great concern for her." Jian Qiu hesitated for a moment, and then reported: "I also occasionally heard the Third Prince mention that if he can ascend to the throne in the future, he will definitely rescue Li from the cold palace and canonize her as the Holy Mother Empress Dowager. His words are full of determination."

"Holy Mother Empress Dowager? How can there be two empress dowagers in this harem? I am the only one, and this is the destiny. Li's behavior is really because she is too greedy and does not know what is good for her. I wanted to forgive her, but she spoke wildly. My compassionate heart is really in vain." Yixiu's words revealed deep displeasure.

Jian Qiu echoed, "Your Majesty is right. You treat Third Prince like your own son and take good care of him, but he repays your kindness in this way. I feel chilled to hear this."

Upon hearing this, Yixiu's face turned cold and she gave a cold order: "In this case, this person is no longer suitable to stay in the palace."

Jian Qiu heard this and immediately accepted the order: "Yes, Madam, I will handle this matter immediately."

-

Not long after, a sad news came from the depths of the cold palace. Li Da Ying became ill due to long-term worry and eventually passed away.

When the news came out, the third prince Hongshi felt heartbroken and his grief was beyond words.

He didn't eat a grain of rice or drink a drop of water for three days, and his body became thinner and thinner, as if all his life had been drained away overnight.

Finally, in endless sorrow and exhaustion, Hongshi could not hold on any longer and fainted. One could not help but sigh at his deep love, but also feel helpless about the fickleness of fate.

(Chonghua Palace)

Yixiu now put on the look of a loving mother, sitting quietly beside Hongshi's bed, her eyes full of concern.

After a quick diagnosis, the imperial physician prescribed several medicated diets for recuperation.

Soon, the third prince Hongshi slowly opened his eyes in a daze.

Yixiu quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief, a complex emotion flashed across her eyes, and finally turned into tears of joy, "Hongshi, you finally woke up, I really worried my mother so much."

Hongshi was not fully conscious yet, and he kept muttering "mother".

Although she didn't mean Yixiu, she didn't get angry. Instead, she patted her chest gently and whispered, "Mother is here, don't be afraid, mother is here."

This scene moved Jianqiu who was standing by. Perhaps she had warm memories of the time when Yixiu had gently comforted the Second Prince Honghui during their past years in the palace.

When Hongshi was fully awake, he tried to stand up and salute, but Yixiu gently held him down.

"Child, just lie down, no need to be polite." She said softly, her face filled with maternal radiance.

"Your son pays his respects to the Empress Dowager." Hongshi half-lying on the bed, bowed respectfully.

Yi Xiu smiled, but there was no blame in her eyes. "It's good that she woke up. I already know what Li promised to do. She and I have been friends for many years, so she will take care of it properly. You don't need to worry."

Upon hearing this, Hongshi's eyes reddened and he cried, "Thank you, Empress Dowager."

Yixiu gently stroked the back of Hongshi's hand, tears flashing in her eyes, but her voice was very firm: "Good child, don't cry. Since the emperor has entrusted me to take care of you, you are my biological child. Mother will take her place and love and take care of you."

Her words were so sincere that Hongshi was stunned.

"Don't worry, mother. I will study hard and live up to your expectations." Hongshi promised solemnly.

"Okay, good boy, I know you won't let me down." Yixiu nodded with satisfaction and stood up. "You should have a good rest first. I will come to see you another day."

"Goodbye, mother." Hongshi watched Yixiu leave reluctantly.

When she walked out of the inner room, the tenderness and tears on her face disappeared instantly, replaced by a deep and unfathomable expression, as if all the tenderness just now was just a carefully designed drama.

(Yongshou Palace)

"I'm afraid Li Da Ying's death was not caused by natural illness." Shen Meizhuang whispered, with a hint of doubt between her brows.

"Sister, you have a keen eye. I have the same doubts." Zhen Huan agreed softly, "Proud Lady Li has been in the cold palace for a long time. If she was really ill, she would have revealed it long ago. Why did she choose to announce the illness at this time? And the disease is progressing so quickly that it is hard not to be suspicious."

"I think her existence may have really touched the sensitive nerves of some people. Such incidents are common in this deep palace." There was a hint of helplessness and sarcasm in Zhen Huan's tone.

Seeing this, An Lingrong quickly tried to comfort her, "Sister Mei, you should take good care of yourself and focus on your pregnancy. Look at you, you seem to have lost a lot of weight in the past few days. It must be because these trivial matters in the palace are too disturbing, and your face has lost its former luster."

Zhen Huan also nodded in agreement: "Rong'er is right, sister, look at yourself, your face is so pale, even rouge can't completely cover up this haggardness. For us, and for the sake of the unborn child, you must relax and worry less."

"Alas, during pregnancy, one's mind is always extraordinarily delicate. I had intended to wait until the time was right to tell you, but now that the topic has come to this, I will no longer hide it." Shen Meizhuang sighed and continued, "The Harmony and Wishfulness screen that the Empress gave me a few days ago actually has a hidden secret."

"Oh? I have indeed seen that screen. I remember it smelled very fragrant, but I didn't think there was anything wrong with it." An Lingrong recalled with a hint of surprise in her tone.

"It smells so good?" Zhen Huan frowned upon hearing this, and instantly thought of something, "Musk? Could it be that the screen is stained with musk?"

Shen Meizhuang nodded solemnly, "That's right, the screen is stained with the smell of musk, and because it has been placed in Baohua Hall for a long time, it is mixed with the smell of incense, so it is not easy to detect. Although I have ordered people to move it somewhere else, I still feel uneasy."

"But when I visited you that day, I didn't smell any musk." An Lingrong became even more confused.

"Doctor Wen has carefully examined it and confirmed that it is musk without a doubt." Shen Meizhuang explained, "It's just that the screen has been placed in Baohua Hall for a long time, and the smell of incense has partially covered up the smell of musk. If you are not a professional, it is indeed difficult to distinguish."

"So that's how it is. I always thought my nose was very sensitive, how come I didn't notice anything at all?" An Lingrong suddenly realized, and then asked with concern, "So what are you going to do now, sister?"

"There is no solid evidence pointing to the Queen yet, and the screen has been in Baohua Palace for many years, with people coming and going, so it is difficult to track it down." Zhen Huan analyzed, "The Queen's move is obviously well prepared, we must not act rashly."

"Yes, I have been forbearing and waiting for the right opportunity." Shen Meizhuang's eyes flashed with determination, "We can't just sit and wait for death, we must take the initiative to attack."

"After all, we were not prepared enough." An Lingrong sighed.

"I never expected that she would act so recklessly. Obviously, some plans need to be deployed in advance." Zhen Huan took over the conversation with a bit of determination in her tone.

"In advance? In advance of what?" Shen Meizhuang couldn't help but frown and look puzzled when she heard that.