After killing four concubines, the queen was sentenced to death and reborn

Zheng Xiyan walked out of the Purple Palace with light lotus steps. She sat on the phoenix carriage, which moved slowly, bringing with it a subtle and long sound of wind chimes, crisp and pleasant.

Biluo followed closely, her brows furrowed, her eyes full of worry: "My queen, what did His Majesty say?"

Zheng Xiyan smiled slightly, with a hint of indifference in her smile: "Your Majesty wants to appoint Zhang Xiuyuan as Consort Yi. This is a happy event in the harem."

Upon hearing this, Biluo was hesitant to speak, her eyes lingering on Zheng Xiyan's calm face. Seeing her so calm and composed, she thought that the queen knew what she was doing and there was no need for her to say more.

The next morning, Xiao Xuanchen's decree exploded in the harem like thunder. The news of canonizing Zhang Xiuyuan as Concubine Yi quickly spread to every corner, causing an uproar.

Zhang Mengying arrived at the Weiyang Palace early, dressed in gorgeous clothes, dignified but anxious. She looked at the closed palace gate, feeling very nervous.

Shuang Ning walked out of the palace and saw Zhang Mengying. Although she didn't smile, she bowed politely and said, "Greetings to Concubine Yi."

Zhang Mengying smiled slightly and said gently, "Miss Shuangning, there is no need to be so polite. I came here to see the Queen for something important. Please pass on the message for her."

Shuang Ning responded calmly and turned to leave, but she was quite impatient with this sudden request for an audience. She hurried back to Zheng Xiyan's bedroom and saw Biluo carefully helping the queen wash and change clothes.

Shuang Ning walked in with a droopy face. Seeing this, Zi Rui asked, "What's wrong with you? Who offended you?"

"Nothing, I'm just annoyed." Shuang Ning came to Zheng Xiyan and said, "Your Majesty, Concubine Yi is outside asking to see you."

Hearing this, Zheng Xiyan gently put down the jade comb in her hand, her eyes deep: "Tell her to wait in the main hall, I will be there later."

Shuang Ning followed the order and left. Zi Rui shook her head gently and said with a smile, "This girl always writes her thoughts on her face, and people can see through her at a glance."

Biluo also laughed: "Yes, Shuang Ning has been like this since she was a child, and she has never changed."

Zheng Xiyan took a pair of exquisite phoenix hairpins from Biluo and gently inserted them into her hair. She looked beautiful in the mirror, but her eyes were filled with endless stories. She sighed softly, "It's better not to change. In this world, how many people can stay the same?"

"That's what the Queen said."

Zheng Xiyan walked into the main hall. Zhang Mengying stood in the center of the hall. She slowly knelt down and said, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you. May you be blessed with good health and happiness."

Zheng Xiyan walked lightly, passing by Zhang Mengxi, like a spring breeze, leaving no trace. She sat steadily on the phoenix throne, her fingers gently resting on the armrests, her eyes deep and peaceful, and she opened her red lips softly: "Get up."

Zhang Mengying stood up, and after she stood still, she lowered her eyes and said softly, "I have something urgent to report to Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty to dismiss the attendants."

Shuang Ning frowned when she heard that. She was about to speak, but Biluo stopped her with a look and gently shook her head.

"All of you please step back." Zheng Xiyan ordered.

"Yes." The maids responded and withdrew. Although Shuang Ning was unwilling, she had no choice but to leave with Biluo.

Zheng Xiyan and Zhang Mengxi were the only ones left in the palace. Zheng Xiyan said, "If you have anything important to tell me, you can tell me now."

Zhang Mengying knelt down again, with a voice full of determination and relief: "Empress, I am actually a chess piece planted in the palace by His Royal Highness Prince Xiang. The fact that I was selected to enter the palace was all due to the careful planning of His Royal Highness Prince Xiang."

Zheng Xiyan remained calm when she heard that. She was silent for a moment. The only sounds left in the hall were the two people's gentle breathing and the occasional bird calls outside the window.

Zhang Mengying finally couldn't help herself and slowly raised her head, her eyes full of confusion and bewilderment: "Why aren't you surprised, Madam?"

Zheng Xiyan smiled slightly, and that smile showed both her insight into worldly affairs and her pity for Zhang Mengying: "I already knew about this matter. His Royal Highness Prince Xiang has already written a letter to inform me of everything."

"So that's how it is..." Zhang Mengying murmured to herself, with a hint of relief in her eyes.

Zheng Xiyan then asked, "Why did you ask to see me today, and why did you tell me this?"

"I was able to participate in the selection thanks to the careful training of King Xiang, and was fortunately chosen by your majesty, the queen, to enter the palace. King Xiang has shown his kindness to me and saved the Zhang family, so I am willing to be King Xiang's pawn and enter the palace to assist the queen."

"Can……"

Zheng Xiyan interrupted her and said, "But His Majesty treats you so well, and you have fallen in love with His Majesty, so you don't want to betray His Majesty."

Zhang Mengying's eyes turned red when she heard this. She took a deep breath and continued, "No, your majesty's favor did make me sink and even lost myself for a time. But I know very well that this favor is like a mirage and will eventually fade away. By then, there will be more young and beautiful women in the harem. What am I?"

"Then, what exactly do you want to express your wish?" Zheng Xiyan asked.

Zhang Mengying's eyes were deep and firm. She slowly raised her head, her eyes full of sincerity, and every word she said was from the bottom of her heart. "I came here today just to express my feelings to you, Your Majesty. I swear to abide by the promise I made to the King of Xiang, to assist you with all my strength, to be loyal and devoted, and to never betray you or the King of Xiang."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xiyan's face flashed with a barely perceptible surprise, and she said: "With His Majesty's great favor to you now, you could have easily turned around and forgotten the old favor, or even..." She paused slightly, and there was a bit more inquiry in her eyes.

Zhang Mengying shook her head slightly and replied, "Your Majesty, I am not an ungrateful person. In the past, the Zhang family was in turmoil and almost destroyed. If it were not for the help of King Xiang, I am afraid that hundreds of people in my Zhang family would have been exiled long ago, separated from each other and unable to reunite in this life. My father often said that a drop of water should be repaid with a spring. This kindness and love, I will remember it in my heart, how dare I forget it?"

After she finished speaking, she turned her gaze to the window, where a tree in full bloom seemed to reflect the impermanence and vanity of life in the palace. "As for your majesty's favor," she chuckled, but there was a hint of bitterness in her smile, "it's just a dream in the mortal world, a flash in the pan. Your majesty's heart is unfathomable. Your majesty will favor me, and he will also favor others. A temporary favor cannot protect me for a lifetime."

At this point, Zhang Mengying touched the cold floor tiles with her forehead, and her voice was filled with pleading: "I dare to ask for one favor from Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will be merciful and fulfill my wish. When the day comes when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wears the dragon robe and ascends the throne, I beg Your Majesty to show mercy and grant me a document to leave the palace, so that I can regain my freedom, return to my ordinary life, and live out the rest of my life in peace."

Zheng Xiyan looked at the woman in front of her, and a complex emotion surged in her heart, with pity, admiration, and even some empathy. She was silent for a moment, and finally said slowly: "Okay! I promise you."

Zhang Mengying's eyes flashed with excitement and gratitude when she heard this. She kowtowed deeply again and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I am very grateful."