Chapter 98 An Lingrong 39
"Did he move?" The man touched it with some surprise. The movement just now was quite loud and he could feel it through the clothes.
Ling Rong leisurely ate a piece of cake and couldn't help but laugh at the surprise in his tone: "Hasn't the emperor seen this child move before? Why is he still as surprised as if it were the first time?"
"I'm just happy." Yinzhen picked up his handkerchief and wiped the corners of Lingrong's mouth. As Lingrong gradually became pregnant, the two of them looked more and more like a loving couple. Under her subtle influence, the man himself didn't even realize that he had become very skilled in doing these small things to take care of people. The servants around him also paid more and more attention to Chengqian Palace.
"As long as you and the child are safe, I will feel at ease."
Lingrong pursed her lips and smiled, her eyes full of the glow of being doted on, which actually gave Yinzhen a familiar throbbing sensation.
"The concubine and the child will always be with the emperor."
…………
After leaving the Yangxin Palace, An Lingrong ordered her servants to carry her to the Xianfu Palace. Coincidentally, Jingpin had also gone to Cunju Hall today and was talking with Shen Meizhuang. Seeing her enter, she smiled and pulled her to sit down.
"Didn't the Emperor summon you to the Yangxin Palace? Why are you here now?" Meizhuang looked fine as she lay in bed, but her face was still pale and bloodless, making her look unsettlingly ill. The room also had a lingering smell of mugwort.
"Nian Gengyao is here, and I'm tired of staying there." An Lingrong sat on the edge of her bed, holding her belly, and gently shook Mei Zhuang's outstretched hand. The once round and white wrist was now so big that even Lingrong could hold it with one hand. "Besides, I'm really worried about my sister."
"Thank goodness you're thinking of me, but I'm afraid I'll let you down." Mei Zhuang, despite her sick body, gasped uncontrollably after saying this. Her body immediately felt as if it had been pulled out of water, drenched in sweat. "I'm afraid I'm not going to make it. I hate myself for not being alert enough that day and falling for a glass of wine. And the Emperor couldn't tell right from wrong and was always partial. It was clearly Concubine Hua's fault for the wine, but he let her get away with it with just a simple excuse!"
When Mei Zhuang said this, she was so angry that she suddenly lost all strength and fell on the bed, with a dizzy ringing sound in her head.
"Quick, pour me a glass of water!" An Lingrong hurriedly took the cup from Caiyue, unnoticedly dropping a drop of the potion as she leaned over to feed her, and then fed her the drink herself. Jingpin, standing nearby, felt a pang of emotion. She had assumed the three of them were just huddling together for warmth, and even if there was some sincerity, it was limited. But now, seeing Concubine Hui on her deathbed, Concubine Wan and Concubine Yi still sticking by her side, she couldn't help but feel envious.
After feeding her the water, An Lingrong looked at Mei Zhuang carefully. She didn't know if it was her illusion, but her complexion seemed to be better.
"Sister, have a good rest. Don't dwell on those sad things." Ling Rong waited until she calmed down before slowly comforting her, "Can you really bear to abandon your child like this? Besides, there's Concubine Hua's revenge, and your parents outside the palace. Can you really let it go?"
"How could I possibly let go... Lingrong, I'm unwilling to do so."
"Then stop saying discouraging things. You should listen to the imperial physician's advice and take good care of yourself. As long as you and this child can get through this disaster safely, you will surely have a smooth life in the future. Your sisters and I will help you." Jingpin also followed up with a word of comfort. Seeing that Meizhuang's eyes were full of emotion, she only smiled faintly, tucked the corner of the quilt for her, and left with Lingrong.
In the biting cold wind, Jingpin smiled gently at Lingrong who was standing beside her and said, "The wind is blowing strongly now. Sister Lingrong, please come to my palace and sit for a while."
"Excuse me."
"Sister, this pregnancy is now five months old, right?" Jingpin chatted with her while signaling the servants to pour Lingrong a cup of hot tea.
"Yes, five and a half months." An Lingrong glanced at the red date and wolfberry tea in the cup, picked it up and drank it all. The two looked at the empty teacup and smiled in tacit understanding. Jingpin no longer concealed her admiration for Lingrong: "Sister Lingrong is very lucky. In all these years, I have never seen anyone as pregnant as you."
Ling Rong naturally understood what she meant: "I'm just more cautious than others. Although everyone knows that fierce dogs can hurt people, I'm more afraid of poisonous snakes that are hard to guard against."
Lingrong's words were referring to Concubine Cao, but she was also hinting at the Queen.
Jingpin understood, but was even more surprised. She had only gradually begun to understand things after years of wandering from the palace to the harem. She had never expected Concubine Yi to have such insights in just two years. However...
"Though a venomous snake lurks nearby, its fangs are still wielded. It's not as frightening as a tiger or wolf hiding in front of the steps. The former still has time to plan, but the latter is often unexpected and hard to guard against."
"Sister is right. Besides, since it has already hurt someone, its ferocity will naturally become more intense. We can't let it go."
Jingpin heaved a sigh of relief, but then she saw Lingrong looking up at her: "We'll get rid of this evil for you, sister. Do you have any reward?"
Everyone in the room had already left, leaving only the two of them in the enormous room. For the first time, An Lingrong's eyes became so sharp, and the aura she had cultivated over the years as queen was fully revealed in front of an outsider for the first time, shocking Concubine Jing for a moment.
I don't know how long it took, or maybe it was just a moment, but for the first time, Jingpin's usually serene face revealed an undisguised bitterness: "Sister, your whole demeanor is like that of a lady raised by a wealthy Manchu family."
"Sister, you are so kind."
"Heh... You can't judge a person by appearances. My sister is definitely not ordinary. If she has good fortune in the future, I will be lucky enough to benefit from it." Jingpin put away her thoughts. She knew that even if such a person was slightly inferior to others now, it wouldn't last long. Many people in the palace could see that this Concubine Yi was not simple, but they didn't know that she was more powerful than anyone imagined.
She has always been able to bend and stretch, and just looking at how she treats Concubine Hui and Concubine Wan, you can tell that she is not an intolerant person. So it would be better to follow her.
"Sister, you mentioned the reward just now. I am short of money and I am afraid I can't give it to you. But if you really get rid of the tigers and wolves, and wait for the poisonous snakes to grow up in the future, I will also lend a helping hand." After thinking it through, Concubine Jing was not vague and expressed her sincerity immediately.
However, both of them knew that this was just a verbal agreement, and whether they could truly achieve cooperation depended on the performance of both parties.
When they came out of Jingpin's palace again, Lingrong smiled at her meaningfully: "I saw a very interesting word in a play a few days ago, called - flattery to death. I wonder if Jingpin knows the true meaning of it?"
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