flstandardbreds Chapter 349 Counterattack
Chapter 349 Counterattack
"You guys are going to the Chonghua Palace for the banquet. Su Ye prepared some pregnancy-maintaining medicine and wanted to send it over. I happened to have nothing to do, so I thought of delivering it myself!"
An Lingrong interrupted her, "Wait a minute, why do you want to personally deliver the medicine for no reason? This should be Su Ye's business, right?"
Yu Rao was slightly startled by the question, and after a moment of reflection, she answered, "It was Luyou who told me that Su Ye had been working very hard these past few days, going out early and coming back late, and that the night view outside was nice, so she asked me to go out for a walk to relax. I thought it made sense, so I agreed and prepared to deliver the medicine to Aunt Jinxi and then come back."
"Then why did you go to the Imperial Garden? It's not on your way." An Lingrong continued to ask.
"Yes, I was walking down the long street when a few eunuchs were carrying things, blocking the way. I was afraid of delaying my sister's medicine, so Luyou took me to the Imperial Garden, wanting to take a detour. Unexpectedly, we ran into the Emperor!"
After listening to Yu Rao's narration, An Lingrong had figured out what was going on!
It was obvious that this was not a chance encounter.
Considering the Queen's actions today, An Lingrong was almost certain that the Queen had begun to fight back!
On the first day that Yu Rao entered the palace, she went to Jingren Palace to pay her respects to the Queen as per the rules. The Queen would be shocked when she saw her appearance. She would speculate whether Yu Rao was deliberately arranged by Zhen Huan to enter the palace to seduce the Emperor.
If so, Zhen Huan would have arranged for Yu Rao to meet the Emperor immediately after she entered the palace. However, she waited for almost a month and still had no news, which meant that Zhen Huan had no intention of doing so.
In this case, the Queen cannot miss this great opportunity.
She knew Yongzheng too well. As long as Yongzheng met Yu Rao, he would definitely think of taking her into the harem. If Zhen Huan was unwilling, there would definitely be conflicts between her and the emperor.
The Queen's plan was perfect, and she had chosen the perfect time. Zhen Huan, Shen Meizhuang, and An Lingrong were all attending the banquet, leaving Yu Rao without anyone who could discern the crisis. Having grown up outside the palace, how could she understand the layers of intrigue and scheming within the harem? Step by step, unnoticed, she slowly walked into the trap meticulously set by the Queen.
Following An Lingrong's instructions, Jin Xi transferred Fei Wen away and selected a new maid to serve Yu Rao. At this opportunity, the Queen took advantage of the opportunity and bribed Lu You, leading to the current situation.
Thinking of this, An Lingrong slammed her hand on the table. With a crisp "bang", the teacups on the table shook violently, and some tea splashed out, wetting the tabletop.
The anger on her face could no longer be concealed, and with a sharp glint in her eyes, she called Xiao Shi and ordered, "You must immediately seize Lu You and send him to the Ministry of Punishment in the name of the Imperial Concubine."
At this moment, the Queen was still in Yongshou Palace, and this news would soon reach her ears. And An Lingrong wanted to use this move to demonstrate to the Queen.
Xiao Shi did not dare to delay and left.
An Lingrong took a deep breath and tried to calm her inner anger.
Yu Rao came to her side, her eyes red and about to cry: "Sister Rong, have I caused trouble for you?"
An Lingrong quickly took her hand and patted it gently, her eyes full of concern and comfort: "No, no, Yurao, this is not your fault, don't blame yourself."
As she spoke, she pulled Yu Rao to sit aside and explained the whole story in detail, from the Queen's conspiracy, to Lu You's betrayal, and to her similar appearance to Queen Chun Yuan.
After hearing this, Yu Rao's eyes flashed with disgust, and she bit her lip and said, "Zhen Yu Rao is just Zhen Yu Rao, she will never be a substitute for anyone else.
An Lingrong's eyes flashed with admiration, and then she said with a smile, "Don't worry, we are here."
As the two were talking, Caiyue hurried in to report, "Your Majesty, Concubine Xi has safely given birth to twins, a boy and a girl."
"it is good!"
An Lingrong's face was quickly filled with joy, and she walked towards the main hall at a brisk pace.
When I reached the door, I picked a foxtail lily that had just been delivered that morning.
Zhen Huan was so tired that she was exhausted. Her head was covered in sweat as if it had been washed with water. Several maids were helping her change clothes.
Seeing An Lingrong coming in, Zhen Huan's originally tired eyes bloomed with a bright light, the corners of her mouth rose, and she stretched out her hand towards An Lingrong.
An Lingrong quickened her pace, walked over to her, offered her the flowers in her hand, then bent down and whispered in her ear, "Sister Zhen, thank you for your hard work!"
Zhen Huan took the flower, gently put it under her nose and smelled it: "It smells very good!" After that, she raised her head and her eyes met An Lingrong's, and they smiled at each other.
On the other side, Yongzheng seemed to be several years younger, his eyes moving back and forth between the two children, as if he could never see enough.
The queen's face was pale, and the smile she managed seemed about to break in the next second: "Your concubine congratulates the emperor and the concubine Xi!"
Zhen Huan replied calmly, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The Queen took another closer look at the child and said, "Seventh Prince is so fat and cries so loudly, you can't tell he was born prematurely at all!"
Yongzheng was completely focused on the child and didn't hear the other meaning in her words at all. He just took it as a compliment and said, "The Queen is right!"
Seeing that he didn't even look at her, the queen felt even more upset. "Your Majesty, when my sister was alive, she left me some pieces of fine mutton-fat jade. They look suitable for children. I will go back and find them and have a craftsman carve two exquisite jade bi. This is also a small token of my gratitude as the legitimate mother."
Only then did Yongzheng come to his senses, and he came to the Queen and patted her hands: "Her things are naturally excellent, and they would be good for the child. It's a shame that you are willing to give them away."
A perfectly composed smile quickly appeared on the Empress's face. "The Concubine Xi has given birth to a prince for His Majesty. This is a joy for the Qing Dynasty. If my sister's spirit in heaven knew about this, she would surely be overjoyed. This is also a token of my sister's sincere love. I am merely conveying it on her behalf."
Her voice was soft and gentle, showing the demeanor and cultivation of a mother of a country, but her hands hidden in her sleeves unconsciously clenched slightly, revealing the waves in her heart.
Zhen Huan, Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong watched her and their performance calmly.
Yongzheng said with emotion: "You two sisters have a deep bond, and you know her feelings best."
"Sister, you left me many cherished items. I would take them out and look at them carefully from time to time. It is also a token of affection between sisters."
An Lingrong was a little disdainful and started swiping her Chunyuan credit card again.
As expected, Yongzheng was very impressed by this: "Of course. I haven't visited you for some time. You must take good care of yourself!"
"Then I will take my leave first!"
"Okay, you're tired today, so have a good rest. I'll talk to you another day."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The Queen bowed, held Jianqiu's hand, and left slowly.
Her pace was neither fast nor slow, and she took steady steps one after another. The pearls and jade on her head swayed gently as she walked, making a slight clinking sound.
After walking out of the main hall and away from everyone's sight, her straight back bent slightly as if a heavy burden had been lifted. The perfect smile on her face disappeared in an instant, replaced by a look of gloom and unwillingness.