Chapter 194 The Queen's Past

In the next few days, the harem was calm and harmonious on the surface, but Zhen Huan and the others knew that such days would not last long. Many things had gradually surfaced, and the day of revealing the truth was just around the corner.

"Huan'er, have you not had enough rest these days? You look a little off."

On this day, Nian Shilan and her sisters all made an appointment to come to Concubine Duan's Yanqing Palace.

As soon as Zhen Huan walked into the room, Shen Meizhuang noticed something was wrong.

"Why."

Speaking of this, Zhen Huan was filled with anger. Ever since Yana entered the palace, she has been favored by the emperor, even Nian Shilan and Zhen Huan are not as good as her.

Originally, Zhen Huan was happy to see this happen. She had two children to take care of and didn't want to bother dealing with the emperor. It was actually a good thing that he didn't go to Yongshou Palace. However, for some reason, in recent days, the emperor would go to her palace to sit for a while every day, and sometimes even stay overnight with her. As a result, she felt even more tired.

"Sister Huan, you must be tired. I have some excellent supplements in the palace. I'll ask Songzhi to send some to you later."

Nian Shilan knew what Zhen Huan was thinking, so she teased her deliberately.

"Sister Hua, you really are..."

Zhen Huan didn't want to say anything more after hearing what Nian Shilan said. She was truly her good sister. Seeing her so aggrieved, not only did she not comfort her, but she also took the lead in adding insult to injury.

"Okay, okay, I won't laugh at you anymore. Come sit down and have a rest. The snacks here at Concubine Duan are delicious. Come and try some."

In recent years, the relationship between Concubine Duan and Concubine Hua has become more and more harmonious. Although it is impossible to restore it to the original state, there is still some affection between them.

In fact, this is also the cleverness of Concubine Duan. She did this because Nian Shilan had lost her qualifications as a mother, but also because Nian Shilan had her daughter Wen Yi again. She also knew that she and Nian Shilan had come to that point because she was just a pawn by the man beside her. She saw clearly that her enemy was actually the man she loved deeply from beginning to end, but she could do nothing and could only endure and take the blame for the mastermind behind the scenes. She had no choice.

No matter what choice she made, she could not escape the fate of being betrayed by the one she loved sincerely. Now, she and Nian Shilan have been able to put aside their past grudges. With her wisdom, she naturally guessed why the emperor chose her, who was also a descendant of a military general, to be the chess piece. One of the most important purposes was to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, so that she would be afraid that if he could be so cruel to the beloved Concubine Hua, he could do the same to her.

Now that she and Nian Shilan have talked about the hatred of the first half of their lives, it is actually more conducive to her survival in the palace. She is smart enough and naturally knows that the emperor's guilt can also ensure that she has no worries in the harem. Now with the proper protection of Concubine Hua, she and her children will be safe for the rest of their lives.

"If Concubine Xi likes it, I'll have Jixiang send some over. And if you like it, I'll send all of it over."

Concubine Duan looked at the people sitting in front of her with a smile in her eyes.

Over the years, due to her poor health, she has rarely appeared in front of the public, let alone such a lively scene. Looking at her now, it really makes people yearn for her.

If this can be the case in the future, it would be a good thing.

"Speaking of which, did you notice that when we went to pay respects to the Queen at Jingren Palace today, the Queen's expression seemed a little off. I wonder if something happened?"

Concubine Jing was still a little curious when she thought about her discovery in Jingren Palace in the morning.

"I guess her wishful thinking was dashed, so she must be in a bad mood."

An Lingrong wanted to laugh when she thought about the Queen rubbing her forehead constantly. This was obviously caused by overthinking.

"Speaking of which, among all of us sisters, Concubine Duan has known the Queen the longest."

Nian Shilan looked at Concubine Duan and mentioned it casually.

"Yes, we entered the palace relatively late. Sister Duanfei, Sister Hua, and Sister Jingfei all entered the palace when the emperor was still a prince. This means that you have indeed had the longest contact with the queen. The queen has always been virtuous and generous, and she must have been even more so when she was in the palace."

Zhen Huan and Nian Shilan now have a better understanding of each other. As soon as Nian Shilan mentioned the relationship between Concubine Duan and the Queen, Zhen Huan guessed what Nian Shilan was thinking and she immediately continued her words.

"Yes, our queen is indeed 'gentle and virtuous'. Hasn't she been like this for so many years?"

I don’t know if Concubine Duan heard the hidden meaning of their words. I don’t know what she was thinking about, but when she said the words “gentle, kind and virtuous”, the sarcasm on her lips deepened.

"I remember when I was still in the palace, the Empress, who was still a concubine, was very kind to everyone in the palace, especially to her elder sister, who later became Empress Chunyuan. After Empress Chunyuan entered the palace, she became even more affectionate with her sister, and especially when Empress Chunyuan became pregnant, she was always by her side."

"I heard that after Queen Chunyuan became pregnant, it was the Emperor who suggested that the Queen take care of her daily life. They really do have a deep sisterly bond."

Zhen Huan listened carefully when Concubine Duan talked about this.

"Yes, the Emperor knew that the Empress knew some pharmacology. Moreover, everyone saw the relationship between her and Empress Chunyuan, so the Emperor was naturally relieved. And indeed, it was so. The Empress took very good care of Empress Chunyuan. Even when the Empress's eldest son fell ill when she was about to give birth, the Empress was still concerned about Empress Chunyuan's health."

Thinking of these things that happened many years ago, Concubine Duan's voice became softer and softer, as if she was lost in some memories.

"It's such a pity that Empress Chunyuan, a beautiful woman, died during childbirth. Before she died, she entrusted her younger sister to Your Majesty. Please be kind to Empress Yixiu. The Empress's eldest brother also died due to his worsening illness. After that, Your Majesty did indeed promote her to the rank of First Consort as promised, and she later became the Empress."

All the old people in the mansion knew about these things at the time, but gradually, those people in the mansion left, and the past was rarely mentioned again.

"Queen Chunyuan truly has a deep affection for the Queen. Even at the very end, she still cared about her sister."

"Yes, even the Emperor once lamented the sisterhood between them. Originally, as long as the Empress gave birth to the eldest prince, she would be made the legitimate wife. But later, the Emperor fell in love with Empress Chunyuan and directly made her the legitimate wife. Yixiu had no complaints about this and always treated Chunyuan the same as before."

"Cough, cough, cough."

Having said that, Concubine Duan picked up the tea and took a sip. Perhaps she had said too much in a short time and felt a little tired.

"It's truly a moving story. When I first entered the mansion, I rarely heard about these things. Today, thanks to my sister's words, I learned so much about the past."

Regardless of whether Concubine Duan said this to them intentionally or unintentionally, at least their purpose was achieved.

"We have been here for quite some time, and Sister Duanfei is tired. Let's leave first and let her have a good rest."

Concubine Duan was indeed a little tired. Although she was in much better health now, she was still tired after sitting for such a long time.

"Then I won't keep you here any longer, sisters. Come and sit with me next time you have free time."