eurekapd Chapter 373 Destination
Chapter 373 Destination
Yesterday in Yongshou Palace, An Lingrong listed all possible situations and came up with countermeasures for each one.
The denunciation of the affair launched by the Queen this time was really hasty and shabby.
After Zhen Huan gave birth to twins, her status as the emperor's favorite grew, approaching that of the empress. With Shen Meizhuang firmly in control of the harem, the empress's position in the palace was in jeopardy, existing in name only. In this situation, she had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure in an attempt to reverse her decline.
However, the Empress had very few chess pieces left, and this affair was merely a prelude to the subsequent blood test. The core of both schemes was to exploit Yongzheng's suspicious nature.
To accomplish this, the Empress would have had someone closely monitor Prince Guo. The small portrait that Prince Guo often took out to examine would likely have reached the Empress. Once the portrait was discovered, without a reasonable explanation, Yongzheng's suspicions would have grown like wild weeds, difficult to quell.
If the small statue is not brought into the palace, there is no way to explain why Prince Guo frequently goes in and out of Ganlu Temple. Even if it is said that Shen Meiyu asked him to do so, this reason is somewhat weak and Yongzheng will not completely let go of his suspicions.
Prince Guo knew Yongzheng's thoughts very well, so after receiving Zhen Huan's pigeon letter, he made his own choice. However, Zhen Huan was no longer willing to delve into the sincerity and helplessness behind this choice.
The three steps of the affair, the blood test, and the token of love, are so interconnected that any unclear explanation would fuel Yongzheng's suspicions. However, the Empress never anticipated the sudden appearance of An Lingrong. Though seemingly fragile, An Lingrong displayed remarkable resourcefulness and courage at crucial moments, repeatedly thwarting the Empress's plans. She then exploited the information gap to overwhelm Concubine Qi's defenses and drag the Empress into the trap.
But the queen still has one last trump card: Queen Chunyuan.
In order to make this trump card become the Queen's fatal killer move, An Lingrong had already started laying the groundwork.
The three of them were silent, with only the flickering candlelight swaying gently in the darkness.
After sorting out the whole story, Shen Meizhuang brought up another matter: "By the way, Prince Guo and Huanbi..."
Zhen Huan's eyes dimmed for a moment, but she quickly perked up. "I told him clearly in the message last night that if he's willing to marry Huanbi, he should bring the portrait with him today. If not, Rong'er and I will firmly declare that it was you who asked Prince Guo to go to Ganlu Temple. Everything Jingbai said is slander. He was afraid that the Emperor would have any suspicions, which would be a hidden danger in the future, so he agreed."
"then you……"
"This arrangement is the best outcome." Zhen Huan sighed softly. "Huanbi... is my biological sister. Her mother is the daughter of a convicted official. My father couldn't record her in the family tree. I brought her into the palace to find a good marriage for her, to marry her off as my adopted sister. That way, her mother could also enter the Zhen family ancestral hall."
An Lingrong asked, "So what are your plans?"
"I want Huanbi to marry into Prince Guo's mansion as the second daughter of the Zhen family!"
"Sister Zhen, I..." An Lingrong hesitated to speak.
Zhen Huan patted her hand gently and said, "Is there anything you want to say to me that you don't want to talk about? Just say it!
"I don't agree with Huanbi marrying into Prince Guo's mansion."
"why?"
"In this way, the emperor will not doubt you and Prince Guo, but him and Huanbi, ah!" An Lingrong paused, adjusted her sitting posture, and continued: "I know you are doing this for Huanbi's own good. You want to give her a good home, and you also want to use this opportunity to consolidate the power of the Zhen family.
Let's not talk about whether Huanbi can become the wife of Prince Guo for the time being. From the perspective of love alone, Prince Guo has no romantic feelings for her. Under such circumstances, how can she be happy if she marries a husband who does not love her?
She shook her head slightly, her eyes filled with worry about Huanbi's future. "Marriage is a big deal. Without love as the foundation, I'm afraid there will be many difficulties and grievances in the future."
An Lingrong paused, her tone softening. "Furthermore, from the palace's perspective, although Huanbi married into the family as the second daughter of the Zhen family, she was, after all, just a maid before. This sudden change in status will inevitably make the servants in the palace look down on her. Without any roots in the palace, how can she gain a firm foothold?"
Upon hearing this, Zhen Huan was slightly stunned and then fell into deep thought.
After a long moment, she slowly spoke, "I know that too. It's just that the current situation is, firstly, to completely dispel the Emperor's suspicions. Secondly, Huanbi has been by my side since she was a child, and I know her personality. She's competitive and ambitious, and I'm afraid ordinary people wouldn't be able to please her." At this point, Zhen Huan's eyes flashed with pity, "As the eldest sister, I always want to find a good home for her."
An Lingrong shook her head slightly, a hint of melancholy in her tone, "I understand your sincere wishes, sister. However, matters of the heart cannot be forced. Huanbi happily married him, but if she doesn't receive a response from Prince Guo, she will inevitably harbor resentment in the future. This may not be a good thing for her, Prince Guo, or even the entire palace."
She bit her lower lip slightly, as if choosing her words carefully. "In my opinion, it would be better for her to find someone who truly loves her and can live a stable life with her. Perhaps that would be the true match."
Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said, "This matter has already been discussed with the Emperor. I'm afraid there's no room for maneuver."
An Lingrong shook her head. "Today, the Emperor only asked about Prince Guo's opinion. I stopped him when he wanted to ask Huanbi. Now if Huanbi says she doesn't want to marry Prince Guo, that's a valid reason. But Prince Guo will probably be embarrassed!"
The dignified Prince Guo liked a maid, but this maid was unwilling to marry him. Prince Guo's face was shattered, but Yongzheng would agree to it, and he was happy to see this situation.
Seeing that Zhen Huan was also hesitant, An Lingrong said, "Explain the matter clearly to Huanbi and let her make her own choice! If she rejects Prince Guo, you can still let her enter the ancestral hall as the second daughter of the Zhen family. With your title of Consort Xi, she will be able to find a good family in the future. If she insists on marrying Prince Guo, then she must be mentally prepared for the days ahead. Whether it is bitter or sweet, she will have to endure it herself!"
After Zhen Huan left, An Lingrong changed her clothes and lay down beside Shen Meizhuang. She smelled the reassuring scent on her body and said, "Sister, Su Ye originally said that an episiotomy could be done and a caesarean section wouldn't be necessary, but I'm really scared..."
"Rong'er, Rong'er!" Shen Meizhuang hugged her in her arms, "With you here, I'm not afraid of anything. With me here, you don't have to be afraid of anything either!"
"Yes!" An Lingrong nodded heavily.
Shen Meizhuang raised her hand with difficulty and placed it on her back, stroking it again and again, as if soothing a bird that had weathered the storm. "Rong'er, you won't have to work so hard in the future, right?"
As she spoke, Shen Meizhuang's gaze fixed deeply on An Lingrong, her eyes sparkling like stars. She understood An Lingrong's struggles too well, a difficult and arduous journey filled with countless days and nights of power struggles and human calculations.
From her ignorance when she first entered the palace to her current ability to control the affairs of the harem, she has paid too much.
During these long years, she not only made clever plans to help Zhen Huan become the most favored concubine in the six palaces, but also relied on her extraordinary strategy to push herself step by step to the high position of the ruler of the harem.
The hardships and calculations involved are hard for others to imagine, but Shen Meizhuang understands.
She understood An Lingrong's every moment of forbearance, the sadness behind every tear. They had struggled together in the deep palace, experienced life and death together, and this friendship of sharing weal and woe made Shen Meizhuang empathize with An Lingrong's pain.
At this moment, looking at the woman in front of her who had experienced many vicissitudes of life, Shen Meizhuang's heart was filled with heartache. She only hoped that in the days to come, An Lingrong could truly be relaxed and happy.
An Lingrong smiled and rubbed against her: "Yes, from now on the harem will be ours!"
The next day, Yongzheng issued an oral decree, confining the empress to Jingren Palace for her misconduct. All harem affairs were handed over to Consort Hui and Consort Jing. Consort Qi, also surnamed Guaerjia, was banished to the cold palace and her mother's family was held accountable for disrespect.
Thus, a brand-new structure of the imperial harem has slowly begun. In this new chapter, Zhen Huan, Shen Meizhuang, and An Lingrong will stand on the stage of imperial power with a brand-new attitude.