Legend of Zhen Huan: Zhen Huan is reborn

092 Conversation between a smart person and the top scholar in the harem

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Zhen Huan leisurely rode in a luxurious sedan chair and lightly arrived at the imperial garden where flowers were in full bloom. From afar, she saw Cao Qinmo holding Princess Wen Yi in her arms, leisurely admiring the flowers among the swaying shadows of the flowers.

"Sister Cao, I hope you are well." Zhen Huan greeted warmly.

Upon hearing the voice, Cao Qinmo immediately bowed and saluted: "Empress Xi, may you be blessed with good health."

"Sister, there is no need to be so polite. Please stand up quickly." Zhen Huan stepped out of the sedan chair with the careful support of Jin Xi, and said with a smile, "Sister, you are in such a good mood. It is really pleasing to the eyes."

"Hey, it's all because of little Wen Yi. She pesters me to take her out to play every day. This child is smart and naughty. I really love and annoy her at the same time." Cao Qinmo's tone was full of pampering and helplessness, and her eyes were shining with deep love for her daughter.

Seeing Princess Wen Yi's innocence, Zhen Huan loved her very much, so she smiled and said, "It is a blessing that others can only wish for to let my sister have such a sweet trouble."

"Come, let Empress Xi hug our little princess too, okay?" After saying that, Zhen Huan gently took Wen Yi.

Princess Wen Yi immediately left a tender kiss on Zhen Huan's cheek, making Zhen Huan smile like a flower, "Oh, our Princess Wen Yi is so lovely."

Seeing this, Cao Qinmo was also filled with joy, "From what I can see, Wen Yi and you really get along well. It's a blessing that you are so close."

Zhen Huan smiled and continued, "Princess Wen Yi is so well-behaved and cute that I fell in love with her at first sight. I specially selected some top-quality chalcedony and will ask Jing Xi to send it to my sister's palace later, just as a little toy for Wen Yi."

His words fully revealed his love for Princess Wen Yi.

"It's really hard for me to afford such a rare item. What should I do?" Cao Qinmo declined politely with pretended humility.

"Oh, Sister Cao, why are you so polite? Although this chalcedony is valuable, it is not even one tenth as valuable as our sisterly friendship." Zhen Huan shook her head slightly, with a bit of fake anger on her face. "If you refuse again, it will be too formal, and I will be unhappy."

Seeing this, Cao Qinmo hurriedly smiled and said, "In that case, I will accept it with audacity. Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."

After saying this, she cleverly winked at Zhen Huan, who understood her meaning and then changed the subject: "Come to think of it, we have been chatting for so long that I am really thirsty. Why don't we say goodbye and talk again another day?"

As Zhen Huan spoke, she was supported by Jin Xi and sat back on the sedan chair. Cao Qinmo bowed respectfully and said, "Farewell, Empress Xi. Take care."

(Spring Garden)

Zhen Huan strolled to the flowerbed where forsythia was in full bloom, gently picked two forsythia flowers, and leisurely rotated them in her hands with a faint smile on her lips.

He asked casually, "Sister Cao, is there anything important you would like to discuss with me?"

Cao Qinmo lowered her voice, her tone a little cautious: "Yesterday, after the ceremony of Concubine Hua's restoration, she specially summoned me to the Yikun Palace for a chat."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Huan smiled even more gently, and whispered, "That's great. Empress Hua and sister have always been good friends. Now that she has regained power, sister should naturally go to congratulate her to show the deep sisterly love."

Cao Qinmo responded calmly: "I have already prepared gifts and will personally deliver them to Yikun Palace to express my congratulations."

After that, she turned her gaze to Zhen Huan, a complicated look flashed in her eyes, and continued: "It's just that the Empress Hua summoned me this time not just to reminisce about the past, but to inquire about your words and deeds during your confinement."

Zhen Huan remained calm, her fingers gently playing with the delicate flower in her palm, her tone melodious and casual: "Sister Cao is very intelligent, so she will be able to handle this matter with ease. No matter what choice you make, it is all based on your own consideration. As for me, I won't say much, everything depends on your personal consideration."

As she spoke, Zhen Huan changed the subject slightly, with a smile that was full of meaning, and said to her gently, "After all, Concubine Hua was once your former master. Although there were many unsatisfactory things in the past, including the way she treated you and the princess, she also helped you. In terms of family background and status, it is beyond my reach. It is natural for you to be close to her, not to mention that now that she has regained the emperor's favor, the emperor's love for her has not diminished in the slightest."

Cao Qinmo's eyebrows twitched slightly, then quickly returned to normal, with a faint smile on her lips, and said: "Your Majesty, what you said is wrong. I am not playing tricks with you. Although I am not very smart, I also know that things in the world are impermanent. Your Majesty's restoration and favor this time are only temporary, just like the fleeting epiphyllum in summer, it will eventually fail and is now at the end of its strength."

There was a hint of determination in her words, and she continued, "If the princess and I want to live a peaceful life in this palace, we will not easily take risks, and we will not easily take sides."

Zhen Huan stared at her with deep eyes, and said slowly: "Sister Cao, your ability to read people's expressions and your sharp mind are indeed beyond the reach of ordinary people, but I don't want to see any rift between you and Concubine Hua."

Upon hearing this, Cao Qinmo smiled as brightly as a spring flower, and said softly, "Since I have entrusted my own and the princess's future to Your Majesty, I will follow Your Majesty's lead. How can I be interested in others? Your Majesty's intentions are clear to me, and I will do my best to live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

Zhen Huan smiled slightly, gentle and profound: "Sister Cao is very measured in her actions, so I naturally trust you. Since Empress Hua is so interested in my every move, I will have to give her a taste of her own medicine."

After that, Zhen Huan changed the subject and asked, "Now that Concubine Hua has been restored to the throne, the Emperor is even more doting on her. How does she feel about this?"

Cao Qinmo raised a scornful smile and answered simply and clearly, "She is naturally immersed in the joy of being restored to power, and is extremely happy."

"However, beneath this joy, there is also a deep worry, fearing that all this is just a passing cloud and that she will lose the emperor's favor again." She moved her eyes and gently glanced at Zhen Huan, and continued, "In addition to the previous incident, she is even more wary of you, especially when she heard that you successfully gave birth to a prince and was promoted to a concubine. This fear is only increasing."

Zhen Huan smiled gently, revealing a kind of indifference and determination in that smile: "Hua Fei regards me as her mortal enemy. This hostility has long been deeply rooted and is not something that happened overnight. And I feel the same way towards her. The grudges and hatreds in the palace have always been so direct and profound. There is no need to say more. We know each other very well."

Cao Qinmo responded respectfully, with a bit of humility and worry in her words: "Your Majesty is very wise and has her own strategy to deal with Concubine Hua. All I can do is to contribute a little. However, I do have doubts in my heart. The cooperation between Your Majesty and me is essentially not based on deep emotional ties, but more on the combination of interests.

If one day, this benefit is no longer there, I am afraid that our relationship will also dissipate. I am a humble concubine and I know that I cannot be compared with the queen, so I can't help but feel uneasy and afraid that I can't assist the queen wholeheartedly. "

Zhen Huan and she looked at each other and smiled. That smile seemed to contain thousands of words. At this moment, each other's plans and thoughts were all clear.

"Sister Cao is indeed a straightforward person. What you are worried about is exactly what I am worried about."

Zhen Huan spoke softly but firmly, "Although I have the Seventh Prince, Princess Wen Yi is so smart and lovely, like a jade sculpture. I like her very much. When this matter is settled, I intend to adopt her as my adopted daughter. In this way, we will have a deeper bond and reliance on each other. What do you think of this plan, Sister Cao?"

Hearing this, Cao Qinmo's face lit up with a warm smile. She casually plucked a branch of winter jasmine and lightly tied it around her wrist, as if she had made a unique bracelet herself, and said, "Your Majesty, this is a very good idea. This way, we can both feel at ease."

She turned her head slightly, her eyes gently sweeping across the emerald green and light yellow of the garden. Those tiny flowers were like bright stars in the night sky, shining with moving light.

She said with emotion: "Your Majesty, you have a bright future ahead of you. It is Princess Wen Yi's great fortune and blessing to have such a noble and loving mother like you take care of her."

Zhen Huan's eyes inadvertently fell on the warm white jade on Cao Qinmo's bun. A smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she said softly, "This white jade is really unique. I seem to have seen it once in the emperor's storehouse. Could it be that the emperor recently gave it to my sister?"

Hearing this, Cao Qinmo couldn't help but blush, lowered her head shyly, and replied softly: "Yes, your majesty has a good eye, but it's just a little thing of the emperor, not worth mentioning."

Zhen Huan stepped forward lightly, with a playful and friendly smile. She gently sprinkled a handful of winter jasmine petals on Cao Qinmo's palm, then held her slender jade fingers and exclaimed: "Sister Cao's hands are really beautiful, as if they were carved from white jade. Dyeing your nails with jasmine is elegant, but if you can be creative and inlay the brightness of winter jasmine on your nails, it will definitely attract the emperor's attention and add a different style."

Cao Qinmo heard this, and a hint of surprise and gratitude flashed in her eyes. She smiled brightly, knelt down to Zhen Huan, and said, "Thank you for your advice, Madam."

After saying this, she personally saw Zhen Huan off. Until Zhen Huan's figure gradually faded away, Cao Qinmo still stood there, staring at the forsythia flowers in her hands, her heart seemingly filled with longing for the future.