Chapter 135 The Fourth Prince's Thoughts
The Queen was very concerned about the scolding the Queen Mother had given her in the past, and she directed all her anger onto the Fourth Prince.
Didn’t he say in person in front of the emperor that he wanted to study hard? Then she would fulfill his wish.
From that day on, the Queen had people constantly supervise the Fourth Prince, and he had almost no rest time except for meals and sleep. The Fourth Prince was very upset about this.
This day was the day when all the concubines went to Jingren Palace to pay their respects. Nian Shilan happened to meet Zhen Huan on the road, and they went to Jingren Palace together. Unexpectedly, she saw the Fourth Prince waiting there at the palace gate.
"Your son pays his respects to the Imperial Concubine Hua and the Imperial Concubine Xi."
Seeing the Fourth Prince, Nian Shilan and Zhen Huan looked at each other.
"Fourth Prince, please stand up. Why are you here at this hour? I need to see the Queen for something."
They had heard that the Queen was becoming increasingly strict with the Fourth Prince, but they had not expected that she would make him wait at the palace gate so early.
"In reply to the Imperial Concubine, the Empress Dowager has asked me to wait here. After the other ladies leave, she will examine me on my lessons learned yesterday. I know I'm not as smart as the other princes, and I started learning later. I can only practice diligently so that I can soon share the burden of the Imperial Father with my third brother."
"The Queen is so strict because of the Fourth Prince's consideration. Parents always want their children to have more knowledge. I think the Fourth Prince can understand. Then you wait here first. I and Concubine Xi will go in first."
Seeing that the Fourth Prince wanted to say something else, Nian Shilan took the initiative to comfort him with a few words and then took Zhen Huan into the palace.
"It seems that the Fourth Prince is having a very hard time with the Queen. He looks even more haggard than when I last saw him."
Zhen Huan whispered something in Nian Shilan's ear.
How could the two of them not know what the Fourth Prince had not yet finished saying? However, this Fourth Prince was too cunning and now belonged to the Queen's side. They really didn't want to have much to do with him. However, they were happy to see the rift between him and the Queen grow wider and wider.
"Don't worry about him now. Our main focus right now is to find evidence against the Queen."
Because they were in Jingren Palace, Nian Shilan didn't say anything else after whispering this.
The fact that the Fourth Prince had just talked with Nian Shilan at the door soon reached the Queen's ears.
"He's good at pretending to be a good person in front of others."
The Queen just smiled slightly at his action, but her eyes were full of sarcasm. She hadn't done anything yet, but the Fourth Prince had already started making friends everywhere.
However, she did not say much to the Fourth Prince about this matter. She just asked the teacher to be stricter with him, and even his daily life had to be reported to the Queen. The Fourth Prince did not show any complaints about this.
The days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day when An Lingrong was expected to give birth.
"Lingrong, although your mother can't be by your side during the birth, we sisters are here, so you don't have to worry."
On this day, Zhen Huan, Nian Shilan, and Chen Meizhuang all gathered in Shoukang Palace. After paying their respects to the Queen Mother, they came together to An Ling's current bedroom. Worried that she would feel lost without her family around her, Zhen Huan spoke to comfort her.
An Lingrong naturally knew very well that with her family background, it would be impossible for her mother to enter the palace. What's more, her mother had left the An family long ago and was now just an ordinary woman.
"Sister Huan, Sister Chen, and the Imperial Concubine, you don't have to worry about Lingrong. I am already very satisfied to have you by my side. The Imperial Concubine has always taken good care of my mother, and I am grateful to her forever."
An Lingrong spoke without pausing for a moment in her hand movements.
"Lingrong, your embroidery skills were truly taught by your mother. I've heard from my family that your mother's embroidery skills are also very impressive."
Nian Shilan can now get along completely with An Lingrong. Without the Queen's instigation, she finds that An Lingrong is also a very interesting person.
"My mother is a very affectionate person. I originally thought she would spend her whole life in that cannibalistic An Mansion. I never thought that in the end, for my sake, she would be so cruel as to divorce me."
Thinking of her mother, An Lingrong felt relieved. She had never dreamed of such a life now. Otherwise, with her mother's temperament, even if she had been promoted to the position of concubine, the mountains were high and the roads were long, and if anything really happened, she would be powerless to help.
Whenever An Lingrong thought of this, she would feel even more grateful to Nian Shilan. She knew that she could not be what she is today without the help of the sisters present.
Zhen Huan quickly stepped forward and wiped the tears from her face: "Alright, alright, you're going to be a mother soon, but you can't cry too often, otherwise you'll have a little crybaby in your belly."
"By the way, how are you now? How's your appetite? Did you have a good night's rest?"
"It's pretty good. The Queen Mother is also very kind to me. She sends people to check on me every day."
"The Emperor has arrived!"
These days, the emperor comes here to visit An Lingrong more and more often. In the past, An Lingrong would have been very happy, but now she can see clearly that the emperor cares most about the child in her belly and has no proper relationship with her.
Hearing the sound coming from the door, she curled her lips, but a gentle smile still hung on her face.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you."
When others saw the emperor coming, they all began to bow. However, An Lingrong was much slower than others because of her health.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you."
"Princess An, please get up quickly. You are not feeling well, so there is no need to pay your respects specially."
Looking at An Lingrong's bulging belly, the emperor was very happy. The palace was becoming more and more lively.
As if remembering that he had not spoken to anyone else, the emperor turned his gaze to the others.
"Please take a seat, I just came to see Concubine An, and it just so happens that you are all here too, very good."
The emperor was very pleased to see these people getting along harmoniously. He had been dreaming of such a harmonious harem for a long time.
Nian Shilan had a virtuous smile on her face when she saluted the emperor, but the smile disappeared immediately when she sat down, as if she understood what the emperor was thinking. The corners of her mouth curled up in disdain, but when she noticed the emperor's gaze looking at her, she quickly put on a gentle smile again.
Her rapid expression changes were all seen by Zhen Huan who was sitting next to her. If the emperor had not been here, Zhen Huan would have burst into laughter. She squeezed her palms hard to suppress her smile.
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