The Legend of Zhen Huan: Year after year, we share the spring breeze

After Shen Meizhuang and Wen Shichu left, An Lingrong and Zhen Huan returned to the couch, and Su Ye made tea and brought it to them.

After talking for so long, An Lingrong felt a little thirsty and picked up the teacup to drink.

"Rong'er!" Zhen Huan called softly, her voice sounding particularly clear in this quiet space.

"Hmm?" An Lingrong raised her head upon hearing the voice, with a hint of doubt in her eyes. She was holding the steaming teacup in her hand and shook it gently.

"You are not an ordinary woman." Zhen Huan looked at her with a firm look in her eyes, as if she had already seen through her.

An Lingrong's figure obviously froze for a moment, and after a moment, she slowly came to her senses and gently placed the teacup in her hand on the table. The teacup made an almost inaudible sound when it touched the table.

"What do you want to say?"

Zhen Huan raised her chin slightly, her eyes revealing an elusive deep meaning, and said slowly: "Penicillin and cowpox, this is not something that an ordinary woman can come up with!"

"Then do you have something to ask me?" An Lingrong met Zhen Huan's gaze, her expression still calm, but there seemed to be an undercurrent surging in the depths of her eyes.

Zhen Huan shook her head, sighed, and said slowly, "I just want to say that the emperor values those who can work for the well-being of the Qing Dynasty and the people the most. If you tell the emperor that this idea and promotion were yours, then with such great achievements, you will be able to rest assured and enjoy the utmost respect in the harem in the future."

An Lingrong's voice was as dreamy as a whisper: "Wealth and glory are certainly tempting, but without family and friends by your side, without true love by your side, what good are they? They are nothing but illusory material possessions. These are not what I seek."

Whether in the depths of her past life's memories or in the recesses of her present soul, the oppression and favor, power and wealth, were nothing but the drama forced upon her by fate. Yet, she always pursued a glimmer of true love and freedom, never giving up her desire and fantasy for another life, even in the most hidden corners of her heart.

She stood up and walked to the corridor, her gaze piercing the palace walls and drifting to the boundless expanse of heaven and earth beyond. There were verdant mountains and flowing waters, and there lay the freedom and tranquility she longed for. For a long moment, her lips curled up, a smile that carried a sense of openness that transcended the confines of the palace walls and the worldly concerns.

Zhen Huan stared at An Lingrong. She had a calm face and her eyes held an indescribable emptiness. Everything around her seemed to be separated from her by a veil, no longer able to bind her.

At this moment, An Lingrong was like a flying bird. The invisible cage seemed to be crumbling under her calm aura. She could spread her wings and fly high at any time and disappear in this world locked deep within the palace walls.

Zhen Huan's heart suddenly tugged, and she felt a surge of panic for no reason. Without giving it any thought, she quickly walked over to An Lingrong and held her hand tightly. It seemed that only this kind of skin-to-skin contact could make her feel that the person in front of her was truly by her side.

An Lingrong sensed her emotions, held her hand tightly, raised her chin slightly, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction, and spoke in a clear voice with a hint of boasting: "Sister Zhen, look, now my father is a fourth-rank Cloud Commander, my mother is a third-rank Imperial Concubine, and I am also a concubine.

Not only that, I also have a daughter, Longyue, and the Sixth Prince has acknowledged me as his godmother. Furthermore, the two most powerful and favored people in the harem are my sisters. I don't need to be too comfortable; I'm already very content!"

Zhen Huan's eyes were full of tenderness. She slowly pulled out a hand and gently stroked An Lingrong's cheek.

An hour later, Shen Meizhuang returned to Bitong Academy.

An Lingrong asked, "What happened?"

Shen Meizhuang smiled faintly, "The Emperor has already agreed. He has established a pharmaceutical bureau within the Ministry of Rites and promoted Wen Shichu to the rank of Right Vice Minister of Rites. From now on, all matters concerning penicillin and cowpox will be under his full authority. He has also appointed Wei Lin as the director of the Imperial Hospital."

"Okay!" An Lingrong nodded slightly, then raised her eyes and asked, "What about you? Did the emperor give you any reward?"

Shen Meizhuang lowered her eyes slightly and replied calmly, "The Emperor said he would promote me in due course." As she spoke, her face showed no trace of joy, but rather a hint of loneliness. She looked at An Lingrong and said apologetically, "Rong'er, this credit should have been yours..."

An Lingrong shook her head gently, her eyes sincere and frank: "Sister, I was in a coma when penicillin was first developed. The specific experiments and preparations were all handled by you and Wen Shichu, and I didn't do much of anything substantial.

Besides, if you credit this achievement to Liudan, it will also be of great benefit to his future. For me, as long as I can see the results, that's enough."

Seeing that Shen Meizhuang wanted to speak, An Lingrong quickly changed the subject: "Sister Zhen, I heard that the emperor sent a new chef to you. Let me try their cooking. I'm hungry!"

Zhen Huan smiled and replied, "Okay!"

At this time, Zhen Huan was more than three months pregnant and was suffering from the most severe morning sickness. She felt listless every day and could not eat. Yongzheng was very worried and found some imperial chefs with superb cooking skills to be sent to Yongshou Palace to take care of Zhen Huan's meals.

Looking at the table full of exquisite dishes that looked like paintings, An Lingrong held up her chopsticks, not knowing where to pick up food first.

Shen Meizhuang watched this scene. She smiled faintly, picked up some roasted deer tendons with her chopsticks and placed them on An Lingrong's plate. "Rong'er, this roasted deer tendon looks quite good. Try it."

An Lingrong followed her instructions and put the roasted deer tendon into her mouth. After chewing it carefully for a few times, she frowned slightly and said, "Sister, this dish is too soft and mushy. It has completely lost the chewiness of the deer tendon. If you hadn't told me it was deer tendon, I would have thought I was eating radish."

Zhen Huan nodded: "Indeed, these dishes look exquisite on the outside, but when you really eat them, they feel very ordinary, just for show.

Upon hearing this, Shen Meizhuang suggested, "If you don't like it, why not talk to the Emperor and ask him to send in a few more imperial chefs? Maybe they can make dishes that suit your taste."

Zhen Huan just smiled helplessly and waved her hand gently, her tone revealing a bit of indifference: "It's always the same after all, and I'm too lazy to tell him. He wants to pamper me, so I naturally have to accept it. As for food, I would rather eat a bowl of noodles made from perilla leaves."

"Your taste is getting more and more sophisticated!" An Lingrong said with a smile, then picked up the braised bear paw in fermented rice wine, took a bite and said, "Sister, this is delicious!"

Shen Meizhuang took a bite and felt nauseous, so she vomited it out immediately.

An Lingrong quickly picked up a cup of tea and handed it to her. Shen Meizhuang rinsed her mouth and wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief before saying, "Too greasy!"

"You two are becoming more and more spoiled!"