Chapter 92 An Lingrong 33
Ever since Noble Lady Nian was imprisoned in Qingliang Palace, the ladies of the various palaces had breathed a sigh of relief. Unlike the previous, playful confinement, this time outsiders couldn't get in, and those inside couldn't get out. Lingrong said it was a bit like a more elaborate version of Meizhuang's imprisonment in Xianyue Pavilion in the original drama.
Without Concubine Hua's pressure on them, the Queen was like a Buddha in their eyes. These ladies were not only relieved, but even became more unrestrained.
Normally, due to Concubine Hua's jealousy and the Emperor's partiality, they were not as good as Zhen Huan and Mei Zhuang, who had family backgrounds and favors, so they could only avoid the limelight temporarily. Now that Concubine Hua was unable to leave for a while, the palace maids felt that they still had a chance and wanted to take this opportunity to spend more time with the Emperor.
Firstly, the scenery in the Old Summer Palace is beautiful, and it is really a good place for romance. Secondly, if you can give birth to a prince one day, you will have someone to rely on for the rest of your life.
Unfortunately, ever since Concubine Hua's downfall, the Emperor had only been in the quarters of Zhen Huan and the other two. Ten days out of a month, the Emperor's possessions were almost equally divided among the three sisters, with the remainder going to Concubine Qi and Concubine Cao, who both had children, or to Concubine Xin and Concubine Jing.
The rest of the people remained the same, unable to even drink a sip of soup.
"Your Majesty has arrived early today." Ling Rong was standing in the corridor feeding the birds when she saw the emperor and his entourage walk in. She hurried forward to greet them.
"There's nothing important today. Why didn't I come to see you earlier?" Yinzhen grabbed her hand and walked in. The people behind him all stepped back with a look in their eyes.
Ling Rong was being pulled by Yin Zhen, and she smiled slightly: "It would be better if the emperor came earlier."
Having said that, he took the lead and brought Yinzhen to the study room he had tidied up.
After entering through the beaded curtain, one sees a painting of "Dwelling in the Apricot Forest" hanging on the wall. Below it is a large mahogany desk, where the four treasures of the study are placed, and an unfinished copy of "The Goddess of the Luo River" sits. Next to the bamboo and rose chair stands a pastel-colored calligraphy and painting jar.
On the north side stood a row of Huanghuali bookshelves as tall as a person, neatly stacked with various books; next to the bookshelves was a desk, on which stood a celadon-glazed narcissus pot.
There is a Luohan couch facing the window on the south side, and on a small table in the middle is an open copy of "Records of Entering Sichuan", with a dried crape myrtle flower as a bookmark on the open page.
"I've been busy with paperwork up front, but you've been enjoying a more carefree life."
Yinzhen, who worked hard to run between the court and the harem, became unhappy and picked up the "Record of Entering Sichuan" on the table and tapped her forehead lightly.
"I'm here to invite the emperor to enjoy the joy of returning to the garden and mountains together." Lingrong took the agate plate handed to her by He Ronglu, which was filled with various fresh fruits and vegetables.
"These are grown in the vegetable garden. Your Majesty, please try this melon. All the ladies in the palace love it. If I hadn't specially reserved it for you, I'm afraid you might not have been able to get a spot."
Seeing Lingrong's self-righteous look, Yinzhen took it with a bad temper. After finishing eating, he did not forget to reply to her: "It's all because of me that you indulged me. You are even more disrespectful in front of me. How come you become a saw-mouthed gourd outside? People outside now say that you are arrogant and look down on others. You really should let them see what kind of character you usually have in front of me."
Ling Rong, however, put away the "Records of Entering Shu" that he had put down. There was no shame on her face, but rather a hint of pride: "Rong'er, this appearance is a gift from your parents. There's no need to dislike your face for the sake of outsiders."
As she spoke, she sat down beside the emperor again. Seeing his brows unconsciously tighten slightly, she naturally took off her finger guard and stretched out her hand to massage his forehead with moderate force: "Besides, I have been living with others since I was a child. Because of this appearance, I have avoided many troubles. Even now that I have entered the palace, I am more peaceful than others."
Seeing that Yinzhen's brows relaxed and he leaned slightly against her with his eyes closed, she thought he was asleep and kept silent.
"I'm just resting my mind. Go on, I'm listening." The emperor raised his hand and patted the back of her hand, motioning Lingrong to continue.
"There's nothing much to say. I've always been like this, and it doesn't matter whether everyone understands me or not. I'm content with having Sister Mei and Sister Wan."
"You are indeed arrogant. I think they are wrong. They should say you are arrogant and unruly." Seeing that she still looked praised, the emperor coughed twice and said, "Besides this? Are they enough?"
After being repeatedly pressed by Yinzhen, Lingrong lowered her head shyly, and her eyes met Yinzhen's as he raised his head. "I do have one extravagant hope."
"Tell me about it."
But Lingrong was staring silently at the guqin placed in front of the bookshelf opposite. On the wall behind the guqin hung a poem, "Brocade Zither" by Li Shangyin.
"The zither and the harp are in my palace, and everything is peaceful and harmonious." The emperor pulled Lingrong back onto the couch, and felt great satisfaction in his heart as he saw the cold and beautiful woman in front of him showing her gentle manner towards him.
"We will definitely live together till old age as you wish."
That night, An Lingrong took her last remaining dose of H-type hormone and maternal protective agent. Calculating the timeline, after Hua Fei was born in October, the Emperor would have favored her generously. Until the end of June, when the Emperor and Empress went to the Temple of Heaven to pray for blessings, Hua Fei ordered Zhen Huan to kneel under the scorching sun. This became the straw that broke the camel's back and the direct cause of Zhen Huan's miscarriage.
In this case, the timing of pregnancy must be carefully grasped. After all, the emperor only has a dozen years to live, and she cannot give birth to a son too late.
So this is the best time. She got pregnant in July and gave birth in May of the next year. When Zhen Huan made her kneel in June, she was still in confinement.
Moreover, the emperor and empress did not leave together during this period. With them around, Concubine Hua could not be too brazen. Only the empress was left to use underhanded tricks, but her potion would be completely ineffective against her.
However, to be on the safe side, she decided to give birth to a son first to advance her rank. She was afraid that if she went straight to twins, the Queen Mother would be alarmed. If the Queen was persuaded to adopt her children, it would be more troublesome than she would be.
………
Ever since she became pregnant, Lingrong had become increasingly reclusive, only occasionally visiting Zhen Huan's Bitong Academy or Meizhuang's Xianyue Pavilion. Due to her altered body and the maternal and fetal protective agents she was taking, she didn't even experience the usual pregnancy symptoms. She ate and slept well, and by the time they returned to the Forbidden City, the only person around her who noticed her was Ziyuan, who took care of her underwear.
"My lady... doesn't seem to have her period this month."
Ziyuan took advantage of the fact that she was on duty tonight and secretly ran to tell Lingrong: "I think the young lady might be pregnant, but... the other symptoms don't seem to match."
She carefully recalled the state of Shen Meizhuang during her false pregnancy, as well as the conversations of the ladies and young ladies about the early pregnancy symptoms. Why didn't their ladies have any of them?!
"It's hard to say. You can ask two imperial doctors to come tomorrow." Lingrong touched her belly. Concubine Hua has not been released yet. The queen is the best person on the surface. Once she reveals the news of her pregnancy, she will probably be able to hold the emperor hostage and control the princes for two days.
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