0p0 Chapter 191: The Three Concubines and the Empress Dowager
Chapter 191: The Three Concubines and the Empress Dowager
Zhen Huan, An Lingrong and Concubine Hua agreed to go to the Empress Dowager's palace to pay their respects.
Zhen Huan smiled gently and said, "The sun is shining brightly today. Let's go pay our respects to the Queen Mother and let her see how harmonious we are."
An Lingrong nodded gently: "Huan'er is absolutely right. I only hope that the Queen Mother will be happy."
Concubine Hua raised her eyebrows and said, "Humph, I want to see how the Queen Mother will praise us when she sees us."
The three of them entered the Queen Mother's chambers and paid their respects. The Queen Mother sat on the couch, her face full of smiles. "I'm very pleased that you three can come together."
Zhen Huan stepped forward and said softly, "Empress Dowager, you are kind and gentle, and you are a role model for us. We should live in harmony and serve you and the Emperor."
An Lingrong also said, "Empress Dowager, the palace is so peaceful thanks to your protection. I dare not cause any trouble."
Concubine Hua bowed slightly and said, "Empress Dowager, I was a little impatient in the past, but now I know that I need to stand with my sisters."
The Queen Mother smiled and nodded. "It's great that Concubine Hua has made such a change. I heard that a mysterious noble has recently gained favor in the palace. Have you heard of it?"
Zhen Huan replied, "Your Majesty, I have heard that this noble lady seems to have extraordinary qualities. I dare not slack off and will strictly fulfill my duties."
An Lingrong continued, "Empress Dowager, I think that no matter who is favored, as long as they follow the palace rules and don't cause trouble, it will be fine."
Concubine Hua snorted, "Hmph! How much trouble can a new noble lady cause? I will not be easily outdone."
The Queen Mother shook her head gently: "Don't be aggressive. The Emperor's favor is unpredictable. You should win him over with your virtue."
Zhen Huan replied, "The Queen Mother's teachings are engraved in my heart."
After coming out of the Empress Dowager's bedroom, Concubine Hua frowned and said, "This mysterious noble lady, I must thoroughly investigate her background."
Zhen Huan advised, "Sister Hua Fei, don't be impulsive. The Queen Mother just gave you a warning."
An Lingrong also said, "Yes, sister, let's wait and see for a while. If she really does something wrong, we can make a move later."
Hua Fei sneered and said, "Just wait and see. I will not sit idly by."
A few days later, the palace held a flower viewing banquet. The mysterious noblewoman attended in her finest attire, and she was indeed stunningly beautiful and had an outstanding temperament.
Concubine Hua couldn't help but whisper to Zhen Huan and An Lingrong, "Look at this foxy look. She must have used some tricks to be so favored."
Zhen Huan said softly, "Sister, please be patient and don't lose your composure at this banquet."
An Lingrong silently observed the noble lady. She saw that she was having a very pleasant conversation with the emperor, but there seemed to be a hint of imperceptible cunning in her eyes.
At this moment, the nobleman stood up, bowed, and said, "I am delighted to meet you all today. I have heard that Sister An Lingrong is good at making spices, and I am quite interested in spices. I wonder if you would be willing to share some of your experiences in making spices with me?"
An Lingrong was startled for a moment, then smiled and said, "If you're interested, you can come to my palace to chat some other day. It's best to enjoy the scenery first during today's flower viewing banquet."
Zhen Huan whispered to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, be careful in your response. Don't let her trick you."
Concubine Hua watched from the side, feeling increasingly unhappy: "Humph, she's looking for trouble. Is she trying to embarrass Lingrong on purpose?"
After the flower viewing banquet, Concubine Hua went straight to Zhen Huan's palace and said as soon as she entered: "Zhen Huan, you saw it too. That noble lady was obviously coming for us. We can't just let it go like this."
Zhen Huan said helplessly, "Sister, she is in favor now. If we act rashly, I'm afraid we will anger the emperor."
An Lingrong arrived shortly afterwards and said, "I've always felt like there's some secret behind this noble lady. Her interest in spices might be more than just that."
Concubine Hua's eyes lit up: "Lingrong, are you saying that she might want to use spices to make trouble? Then we can't let her succeed."
Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps we can start with the maids and attendants around her to find out her background."
So, the three of them each ordered the people around them to investigate secretly.
A few days later, An Lingrong's precious magpie returned with a report: "My lady, I have learned that the noble lady was originally the daughter of a minister from a foreign country. Before coming here, she had sought out some extraordinary people among the people and seemed to be learning some special skills."
Zhen Huan asked doubtfully, "Special skills? What could it be? Could it really be related to spices?"
Hua Fei said impatiently: "No matter what her skills are, if she dares to harm us, I will not let her off easily."
Another day, the noble lady invited An Lingrong to her palace to taste spices. Although An Lingrong had her doubts, she decided to go anyway, while Zhen Huan and Concubine Hua secretly arranged for someone to protect her.
When An Lingrong arrived at the noble lady's palace, she saw a table filled with various spices. The noble lady smiled and said, "Since you're here, take a look at these spices. Are there any you're familiar with?"
An Lingrong checked them one by one and suddenly found that one spice seemed unusual. She said calmly, "Sister, this spice is quite unique, but the fragrance seems a little too strong."
The noble's expression changed slightly: "Sister is indeed an expert. I got this spice by chance, and I would like to ask you to help me mix it."
An Lingrong politely declined, "Sister, this spice has a complex composition and it's difficult for me to mix it right now. Furthermore, the fragrance is unique and I'm afraid it's not suitable for use in the palace."
After coming out of the Noble Lady's Palace, An Lingrong hurried to find Zhen Huan and Concubine Hua and said, "There's something wrong with that spice. I can't be sure, but it's definitely not an ordinary spice. She must have a conspiracy."
Hua Fei angrily said, "This is unacceptable! I will report this to the Emperor right now and have him investigate her thoroughly."
Zhen Huan stopped Concubine Hua and said, "Sister, no, we don't have any solid evidence. If we go, the Emperor will just think we are jealous and causing trouble."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er is right. We still need to find more evidence. I want to go to her palace again and take a closer look."
Zhen Huan said worriedly, "Lingrong, it's too dangerous. We can't take any risks."
An Lingrong said firmly, "Huan'er, if we don't find out the truth, we might be in great trouble in the future. I will be careful."
Concubine Hua also said, "Lingrong, I will go with you so that I can take care of you."
Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll arrange for some help outside the palace so that if anything happens, they can respond promptly."
When An Lingrong and Concubine Hua reentered the noble lady's palace, the noble lady seemed to be on guard. However, An Lingrong, with her expertise in spices, still found some suspicious powder and letters in a secret compartment.
Concubine Hua snatched the letter, read it, and said angrily, "Okay, so she wants to use spices to frame us, and she is colluding with people outside the palace to disrupt the harem."
At this moment, the noble's attendants discovered them and tried to stop them. Concubine Hua shouted, "How dare you! I'll see who dares to move!"
An Lingrong hurriedly said, "Sister, let's take the evidence and leave first, and then we can make a decision."
The two hurriedly left the Guiren Palace with the evidence and met Zhen Huan outside the palace.
Zhen Huan said, "With this evidence, we can report everything to the Emperor and let him make the decision."
The three of them came before the emperor, and Zhen Huan told him what had happened one by one and presented evidence.
After reviewing the evidence, the Emperor's face darkened. "I have treated her well, yet she dares to do this. Come, banish that noblewoman to the cold palace, and severely punish her accomplices."
Zhen Huan, An Lingrong, and Concubine Hua smiled at each other, and this crisis was resolved by them together. But they also knew that the road to becoming a harem concubine was still full of unknowns and challenges.