0p0 Chapter 236 Convicted
Chapter 236 Convicted
When Shen Meizhuang hurried to Jingren Palace, An Lingrong's thin figure was still standing quietly at the gate.
"Rong'er" Shen Meizhuang took two steps at a time and quickly stepped forward, grabbed her hand, then gently put it to her mouth and blew out several breaths of hot air.
An Lingrong forced a smile, her voice low and hoarse: "Sister, I can't stop her..."
"I know, I know!" Shen Meizhuang lifted her cloak and wrapped An Lingrong in her arms. "I expected it. She has a stubborn personality. No matter what others say, she won't change her mind. I can only let her try it herself!"
After a while, An Lingrong felt much warmer and her body was no longer so stiff, so she whispered the conversation she had with Zhen Huan in the Sui Yuxuan.
"I finally thought of a way. If Sister Zhen can notice that something is wrong, maybe we can survive."
"What method?" Shen Meizhuang's anxious voice sounded above her head.
"I told her that if the emperor got angry, she should pretend to be Queen Chunyuan, and because she missed the emperor, she used Zhen Huan's body to visit him. She also begged the emperor to treat Zhen Huan well. After saying a few words, she fainted. When she woke up, Sister Zhen said she had no memory of the incident at all!"
Anyway, the emperor is superstitious, so he is very likely to believe this statement, and he may even favor Zhen Huan even more in the future.
However, Shen Meizhuang's reaction was far beyond An Lingrong's expectations.
"Huan'er wouldn't say that!" Shen Meizhuang's tone was firm, without the slightest hesitation.
"Why?" An Lingrong raised her head, her face full of confusion and bewilderment.
"I've known her for over a decade, and I understand her. She's proud, principled, and steadfast. She won't lower herself to please others, nor will she pretend to be someone else against her will, even if that person is the Emperor's beloved Queen Chunyuan. Your method is indeed ingenious, and it might easily seduce the Emperor, but Huan'er won't do it!"
Hearing Shen Meizhuang's words, An Lingrong stood up from her arms in astonishment, her face full of disbelief.
Thinking of Zhen Huan's ugly expression when she proposed this idea, An Lingrong had to believe that she really would not do this, which made the slightest bit of luck that still existed in her heart disappear without a trace in an instant.
The cold wind howled through the gate of Jingren Palace, and the icy snowflakes were carried everywhere by the wind. Even though there was a maid holding an umbrella behind them, the wind and snow still beat mercilessly on the two of them.
The surrounding palace walls appear even colder in the wind and snow, as if they are silent witnesses to the majesty and cruelty of this palace.
"But...she..." An Lingrong was a little lost for words, and finally could only sigh: "This is all fate!"
She thought of so many ways, racked her brains, and put in so much effort, but still couldn't stop it from happening.
An Lingrong opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but she didn't know how to start. She just mumbled, "Sister, I tried my best!"
Shen Meizhuang stopped talking and just held her hand tightly, conveying silent comfort and strength.
The two of them looked quietly at the vermilion gate of the main hall of Jingren Palace.
After an unknown amount of time, a subtle noise suddenly emanated from the courtyard, followed by the appearance of several solemn-looking eunuchs hurriedly entering the palace. A short while later, Su Peisheng lifted the curtain, revealing Zhen Huan, dressed in a slightly disheveled inner garment, slowly emerging from the palace, supported by two young eunuchs.
Zhen Huan's once radiant face was now as gray as dust, its former radiance vanishing without a trace. Her eyes were even more dim, devoid of any light, all life drained away, leaving behind only a hollow shell. She stared blankly ahead, her expression unwavering, her entire being numb and inert, completely unaware of her surroundings.
Seeing her like this, An Lingrong didn't feel any ripples in her heart. She looked at her coldly, as if she was just looking at a stranger.
Jingxi and Huanbi, who were standing by, had already burst into tears, their faces covered with tear marks, and they followed Zhen Huan anxiously.
Seeing this, Shen Meizhuang felt heartbroken. She quickly quickened her pace and rushed forward, calling out, "Huan'er, Huan'er..."
Zhen Huan turned a deaf ear to her calls, her empty eyes still staring straight at the distant horizon.
On the other side, Su Peisheng hesitated for a moment, then came to An Lingrong and whispered, "My lady, Concubine Wan has offended Empress Chunyuan. The Emperor is furious and has ordered Concubine Wan to be confined to her house. You should return quickly. Remember not to act rashly and take care of yourselves."
"Got it. Thank you, Steward Su."
At this time, Su Peisheng still dared to take the risk to give them some advice, which was already a great favor!
The eunuchs did not dare to delay for a moment and supported Zhen Huan to move forward.
"Wait a moment." An Lingrong said, took off her cloak and gently put it on Zhen Huan.
Liu Zhu behind her was already crying her eyes out. Seeing her heartbroken expression, An Lingrong wanted Liu Zhu to follow them back to Shui Yuxuan. But when she thought of Liu Zhu's miserable and sad ending in her previous life, she gritted her teeth, hardened her heart, and didn't say a word.
Zhen Huan got on the gorgeous sedan chair and drove away until she disappeared from sight.
At this time, Shen Meizhuang was already extremely anxious. She reached out her hand tremblingly, took off her cloak that was still warm from her body, and gently put it on An Lingrong.
Her face flushed red with anxiety, her eyes were red, tears welled up in them, her voice trembling like a dead branch in the cold wind, and she asked anxiously, "Rong'er, what should we do now?"
An Lingrong's face was expressionless, her eyes staring blankly into the distance. After a long silence, she slowly squeezed out three words from between her teeth: "There's nothing I can do."
Even if she knew how things would develop and thought of ways to stop it, but Zhen Huan insisted on having her own way and caused the current consequences, what else could she do!
It’s all your fault!
The snow fell heavier and heavier, the flakes like shredded white silk, drifting endlessly from the leaden sky. Each snowflake was like a solitary traveler, carrying its own story, drifting through this magnificent yet endlessly lonely palace, searching aimlessly for its own resting place.
On the long palace road, snowflakes accumulated rapidly. The palace maids and eunuchs walked hurriedly, leaving behind a series of footprints of varying depths, which were soon covered by newly fallen snowflakes, as if all traces had never existed, leaving only a vast expanse of white.