An Lingrong after rebirth

"The most important thing for today's situation is to first arrange a trustworthy imperial physician. Otherwise, if a Japanese imperial concubine is secretly harmed by someone, she won't even know the reason."

Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said, "Now I only have you and Liuzhu by my side, which always makes me feel uneasy. Concubine Shu was the most favored concubine in the harem. Even if the Queen Mother is the only one in power now, all arrangements should not be overturned. If possible, we should have more helpers."

Zhen Huan's eyes fell on the front, but she didn't see Cui Jinxi's face flashing a strange look when she heard this. After a pause, Cui Jinxi said, "Yes, I will have someone carefully pass on what the queen needs."

Although there was nothing unusual in the tone, Zhen Huan could hear something strange.

He reached out and grabbed Cui Jinxi, "Jinxi, no matter what the future holds, you and I have been master and servant for many years, and you are the person I trust the most. If there is a future, you can rest assured."

Cui Jinxi nodded slightly and said, "Don't worry, Madam. I understand everything."

......

The queen's health was gradually recovering, but the daily morning and evening visits to the harem had not yet been resumed.

An Lingrong sat opposite Yixiu, looking down, embroidering something.

Qiufang lifted the door curtain and walked slowly closer, "Your Majesty, there's news from the Imperial Hospital." An Lingrong raised her eyes but did not speak.

Yixiu responded, "How is it? But which imperial physician is there?"

"Your Majesty is wise. Wen Shichu's apprentice has died, so he cannot be used by Concubine Wan. Prince Guo sent a doctor named Zeng Mo to the Imperial Hospital."

"The Imperial Hospital is the one that Shufei has. You know what to do."

An Lingrong smiled and said, "Don't worry, Madam. I know that I will have someone take good care of Imperial Physician Zeng. But in order to avoid alerting the enemy, I will have to let Concubine Wan enjoy herself for a few more days."

"What's the point of being free for a while? I want her to have a miscarriage and hurt her body, and show her all her schemes to others. Then I want to see if she can still be as calm and composed as she is now, and boast that she is more calculating than others."

After saying that, Yixiu looked at An Lingrong and said, "This time, the matter between Wen Shichu and his apprentice was handled prudently by Concubine Shu. I don't need to worry about it any more. It's obvious that she has grown."

"Your Majesty has put your body on the line. If I am not able to root out the problem, how can I be qualified to work hand in hand with Your Majesty?"

"Shufei is a smart person. I like to talk to smart people. Since you know the principle of cutting the grass at its roots, there are some things that you should not wait any longer."

"Don't worry, Queen, I understand. But this unclear death, how can people think that her plan is far-reaching, but it has already been exposed to everyone? This makes her even more uncomfortable."

An Lingrong's words made the two of them look at each other for a moment, and then they fell silent.

……

In a secluded corner of the Imperial Garden, Cui Jinxi was kneeling in front of An Lingrong. Neither of them had spoken for a long time.

Cui Jinxi is an elder in the palace. She used to serve the Queen Mother and is now the head nanny in Zhen Huan's palace.

I don't know how long it has been since the other party knelt for such a long time like today.

But even so, the other party still stood straight. If it weren't for the few beads of sweat on his forehead, An Lingrong would really think that he had a pair of iron knees.

"Qiufang, you and Aunt Cui are both old people in the palace. You must be old acquaintances. Hurry up and help Aunt Cui up."

As soon as An Lingrong finished speaking, Cui Jinxi immediately followed up with, "Madam Shufei is too polite. How dare I address you as Aunt? There is no need to trouble Aunt Qiufang. I can stand up on my own."

After he finished speaking, he supported himself on the ground and stood up with some difficulty.

Seeing this, Qiufang naturally stopped making trouble.

He stood beside An Lingrong, not moving at all.

An Lingrong spoke again only after Cui Jinxi stood still.

"Since Aunt Cui said so, I won't be polite with you. I heard that you have been serving in the palace since the last emperor, and you have always been prudent in doing things. Concubine Wan has been in the palace for several years, and it is all thanks to you to give advice. I don't know, which concubine's palace you were in before?"

"Your Highness, I am so ashamed to receive your praise."

Cui Jinxi said politely, and then added, "I used to serve in the palace of Concubine Shouqi."

"Concubine Shouqi? I see. No wonder you are so thoughtful." An Lingrong praised, but as soon as she said the next sentence, Cui Jinxi was stunned.

"Since you have been in the palace for many years, you must have seen how graceful Queen Chunyuan was in her past, right?"

Cui Jinxi's expression tightened after hearing this.

Today, Concubine Shu suddenly had someone call her to this secluded place, and she even hid it from Concubine Wan, thinking that she had some evidence against her.

Why did he ask about Queen Chunyuan?

"In reply to Madam Shufei, I have indeed seen Empress Chunyuan, but I am unlucky and cannot serve Empress Chunyuan."

An Lingrong chuckled after hearing this, "How come I heard that you have received favors from Queen Chunyuan?"

"This is a long-ago event. I didn't expect to alarm the Concubine Shu. Empress Chunyuan did help this servant."

"So that's why you are so loyal to Concubine Wan, and dare to do anything that could get you killed?" An Lingrong's voice suddenly became a little cold, and the atmosphere in the pavilion suddenly became tense.

Cui Jinxi's expression remained unchanged. "I am a stupid servant. I don't know what Madam Shufei meant."

"Why did Concubine Wan regain favor, and why was she demoted? Do you think that what she did was flawless and no one knew about it?"

Cui Jinxi felt a little nervous.

Who can guarantee that what they do can be kept secret without leaving any trace?

After a moment of silence, Cui Jinxi spoke again, "Madam Shufei, I have been in the palace for many years and have never dared to overstep the boundaries. If you find that I have done anything wrong, please tell me clearly."

"Aunt Cui's words are righteous, but if I didn't have solid evidence, why would I personally invite you to ask?"

An Lingrong turned around and signaled Qiufang to throw a blood-stained handkerchief down. Cui Jinxi was startled by this thing that suddenly appeared in front of her.

But it calmed down in a moment.

"I am stupid and don't know what this is."

"You are the head aunt of Yanxi Palace. I wonder if you still remember the name of Guaerjia's personal maid?"

Cui Jinxi's calm expression was slightly shattered.

"Your Majesty, are you talking about Jingtai?"

"Yes, it was Jingtai. Jingtai died unjustly. A handful of Hedinghong made her die tragically. This thing was used by Jingtai during his lifetime. In addition, I also have a letter written in blood by Jingtai before his death. I wonder if Aunt Cui is interested in seeing it?"

"After hearing this, Cui Jinxi fell silent. She has always been cautious and never got involved in these dirty things, but that didn't stop her from knowing exactly what Zhen Huan did."

Jingtai was sent away personally by Xiao Laizi, who was beside Concubine Wan.

"She originally thought that this matter was kept secret, but she didn't expect that An Lingrong would reveal it. For a moment, Cui Jinxi felt distressed that she had to reveal all her thoughts in front of others."

Seeing that Cui Jinxi didn't speak, An Lingrong chuckled and said, "If you don't remember why Jingtai died, I have one more thing I want to ask you."

What fell in front of Cui Jinxi again was a letter.

Cui Jinxi was literate, and she was shocked at first sight.

"Your Highness, you think too highly of me. This letter looks like it was written by the Fourth Prince, but I have never seen it before."

"Aunt, what you said is not entirely untrue. Everyone in the palace knows that the Fourth Prince borrowed the Ninth Prince's swaddling clothes and wrote a letter of grievance to gain the opportunity to return to the palace from the Old Summer Palace. When Concubine Wan handed the letter to the Emperor, you were right beside Concubine Wan, watching."

An Lingrong's voice was filled with an inexplicable smile. "How come at this moment, you are saying you have never seen this letter?"

An Lingrong's words made Cui Jinxi's heart sink again.

"Concubine Wan gave the letter to the emperor in her own palace. How did Concubine Shu know about it? I was right beside her at the time."

Could it be that... there have already been spies from other people in the Yanxi Palace?

Even so, Cui Jinxi remained calm and composed. "Your Majesty is right, but I only know about this matter. I really don't know the specific content of the letter. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"It doesn't matter if I don't know, but someone told me that they saw the Fourth Prince meeting with Concubine Wan in private, and..."

At this point, An Lingrong's voice suddenly stopped.

He stood up and walked to Cui Jinxi, pacing back and forth around her for a few steps, making the other person feel uneasy if he walked straight past her.

Finally, she spoke again, "Also, Concubine Wan is a concubine in the harem, how come she is so close to the prince? Aunt Cui, do you know what will happen to Concubine Wan if this matter is known to others?"

"As the head aunt of Concubine Wan, what is your situation like?"

After An Lingrong finished speaking, she walked back to her original place and sat down.

The voice did not stop immediately. "You have been cautious in the palace for many years. Even if you made a mistake, no matter how cautious you are, in the end, you followed a master who didn't know how to live or die. I'm afraid you won't have a good end. It's really sad to hear about it."

An Lingrong's words made Cui Jinxi unable to maintain her composure any longer.

A look of fear appeared on his face, and he was in a state of confusion.

Nothing more.

Only this matter, only this matter...

"I have long advised Concubine Wan that once this matter is discovered, it will be irreparable and she must not be trapped again and again. But the other party has benefited from being on good terms with the prince, so how can she stop?"

Putting aside other things, wasn't it all because of the Prince that he raised the Ninth Prince and was favored again on New Year's Eve?

Can...

How did Concubine Shu know about this secret? Or...

"Is Concubine Shu lying to me? But Cui Jinxi doesn't dare to bet. Concubine Shu and the prince are too close. If it were someone else, they would not dare to say a word."

Concubine Shu is so sure, she must have discovered something!

That must be the case! Thinking of this, Cui Jinxi suddenly looked up. "The Concubine Shu asked me to come here today. I think she must be sure of it. I wonder what the Concubine wants me to do?"

"After Cui Jinxi said this, it was An Lingrong's turn to feel conflicted. In her own eyes, Cui Jinxi was naturally very loyal to Zhen Huan."

How could she be persuaded by just a few words from me and go and accuse Zhen Huan?

If I rashly ask her to correct me, I might end up making things worse. "Aunt Cui is so quick to speak, I really admire her."

An Lingrong smiled and responded, "It's just that I'm talking to you today, not asking you to do anything right away. To be honest, the Empress already knows about this."

After An Lingrong said this, Cui Jinxi became even more panicked.

She knew too well what kind of person the Queen was. If the Queen really knew about the private dealings between Concubine Wan and Prince Guo, how could the other party still have a chance to survive?

This thought flashed through her mind, and Cui Jinxi suddenly raised her head and said, "Please forgive me, Madam Shufei. I have a question, but I don't know whether I should ask it or not."

An Lingrong laughed, "You want to ask, if the Queen already knew about it, why didn't she expose it immediately?"

"Madam Shufei is wise."

An Lingrong did not respond immediately. Her mind was like an electric shock, and suddenly an idea popped up in her mind, "Tell me, is there anything more irrefutable than the evidence of confusing the royal bloodline?"

An Lingrong's voice was very low, but it was like a heavy hammer, hitting Cui Jinxi's heart hard.

"No longer caring about the rules, Cui Jinxi raised her head with a look of horror and stared at An Lingrong, not coming back to her senses for a long while."