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

An Lingrong's heart trembled, but she still maintained a submissive attitude, her drooping eyelashes hiding the stubbornness in her eyes.

"Your pride is different from that of the Imperial Concubine and the Imperial Concubine Hui. The Imperial Concubine's pride comes from her talent and intelligence, and her recognition of herself; the Imperial Concubine Hui's pride comes from her stubbornness and noble character, and the confidence given by her family."

Yongzheng paused, his eyes darkening, his voice tinged with coldness. "And your arrogance... is in your bones. To me, it seems like it's innate, etched in your blood. I'm curious: how could a county magistrate raise a daughter with such a temper?"

An Lingrong's breathing stagnated slightly, her fingertips tightened unconsciously, and her nails almost dug into her palms.

"Whatever the reason, I don't like people who play power games."

Yongzheng walked to the rosewood chair beside her and sat down. He half raised his arm, loosened his fingertips, and the jade beads fell heavily on the table with a "pop".

The round jade beads scattered all over the table in an instant, colliding with each other and making a series of rapid noises. A few of them rolled uncontrollably to the ground, and the crisp sounds were particularly abrupt in the silent palace.

Yongzheng picked one up and played with it between his fingers. "The women in the harem are the ones who bring me peace of mind and relieve my worries, and who give me the chance to have children. If they make a mistake, I can punish them severely or forgive them. It all depends on my whim."

He paused for a moment, then casually threw the bead away. "I govern the world and make decisions on all matters. How can I allow others to interfere? I don't need anyone to tell me how to do things."

An Lingrong lowered her head, feeling an invisible sense of oppression rushing towards her like a surging tide, almost suffocating her.

This is the power of imperial authority.

It seems that when I went to investigate Muleng's affairs, I touched his sore spot. Old Deng wanted to kill me!

Fortunately, I still have a trump card, otherwise today might not end well.

An Lingrong took a deep breath, steadying her trembling fingertips. She slowly raised her head, her eyes firm and sad. "Your Majesty, I understand everything you have done—for the sake of our country and the stability of our government. But..."

Her voice choked slightly, tears welling up in her eyes, "Why don't you ask me why I did all this?"

Yongzheng frowned slightly and looked at her seriously: "Oh? Then tell me."

An Lingrong clenched the handkerchief in her hand and whispered, "I am of humble origin, childless and unloved. I am like a floating duckweed in this deep palace. All I seek...is to live a stable life with the one I care about!"

The emperor's expression changed slightly, and his tone slowed down slightly: "You mean... the Imperial Noble Consort?"

"Yes." An Lingrong nodded without hesitation, tears glistening in her eyes. "Sister Zhen treats me like a sister. I cannot bear to see her suffer."

Yongzheng was silent for a moment, the coldness between his brows easing slightly, but still showing a hint of displeasure. "The Imperial Noble Consort is always sensible, she will understand my difficulties. Moreover, she has yet to explain why she went to Jingren Palace without permission. It is clear that she is hiding something from me. I will not release her until she explains these things clearly. Besides, I am only confining her to her house. Is it necessary for you to mobilize such a large force?"

An Lingrong's throat choked upon hearing this, tears finally rolling down her cheeks. "Your Majesty... then did you know that Sister Zhen... is pregnant?"

"What?!" Yongzheng stood up suddenly, his eyes flashing with surprise, his voice trembling slightly, "Really?"

An Lingrong raised her hand to wipe away her tears, her voice low and hoarse: "Your Majesty, Wei Lin said... Sister Zhen's pregnancy is not going well..."

Yongzheng's expression suddenly changed, and he asked anxiously, "What's going on?"

"Sister Zhen's fetus was already unstable, and she was depressed because of the house arrest. In addition, she suffered a loss of health when she gave birth to the twins. This pregnancy... was extremely difficult." An Lingrong burst into tears when she said this.

"Why didn't Wei Lin come and report to me earlier?!"

"If I report this to you, will you release her? If you lift her confinement without any evidence, everyone in the harem will inevitably be dissatisfied. Where will the emperor's authority be? But if you can't release her, won't it hurt her even more? She...she doesn't want to be embarrassed by you!"

Upon hearing this, Yongzheng's expression froze. He slowly sat back on the dragon throne, emotions surging in his eyes.

An Lingrong knelt upright and said in a plaintive voice, "Your Majesty, this is Sister Zhen's third pregnancy. You know better than anyone how much suffering she endured during her first two pregnancies with the Dragonborn. Although I cannot fully understand it, I have seen it with my own eyes and it hurts my heart."

She paused, her voice growing increasingly choked. "We just had the good news of this pregnancy, and now we've encountered this unfortunate event. I know Your Majesty is in a difficult position, but I simply can't bear to see Sister Zhen heartbroken, so I... I dared to resort to the tactic of using someone else as a substitute. I didn't expect Your Majesty to find out. I'm terrified, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

After saying this, he fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face.

Yongzheng sighed and helped her up: "I know that the relationship between you is deep, and what you did is excusable."

An Lingrong raised her head and looked at Yongzheng, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding."

"Never mind. In view of your sincerity, I will forgive you this time. If you dare to interfere in government affairs again, I will never let you off easily."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Go back, I'll think about it carefully."

An Lingrong slowly left the Yangxin Palace.

Outside the palace, a cold wind blew, carrying fine snow particles, shrouding the entire Forbidden City in an atmosphere of solemnity.

As soon as she stepped over the vermilion threshold, An Lingrong shuddered at the cold air that hit her face.

Looking up, Shen Meizhuang was standing beside the white marble railing, her cloak fluttering in the wind.

Seeing her come out, Shen Meizhuang didn't care about her manners, took two steps forward and grabbed her cold hand.

An Lingrong was startled to realize that even though she had knelt for so long in the Yangxin Palace, with two gilded fire baskets burning inside, she still couldn't resist the chill that seeped into her bones. Conversely, Shen Meizhuang had stood waiting in the snow for so long, yet her palms were much warmer than hers.

"What's wrong..." Shen Meizhuang started to speak, but her voice choked. She took a deep breath and carefully touched An Lingrong's red forehead with her fingertips. "Does it hurt?"

An Lingrong shook her head subconsciously, but the moment the other person's fingertips touched her skin, she shuddered uncontrollably.

This subtle movement did not escape Shen Meizhuang's eyes. Without a word, she took off her white fox fur cloak and wrapped it around An Lingrong's shoulders without any explanation.

The snow-white fox fur made An Lingrong's face look even paler, with only a hint of blush still lingering in the corners of her eyes.

The two of them held hands and walked slowly along the long palace wall. The snow made a slight creaking sound under their feet, and the vermilion palace wall looked particularly bright against the snow.

An Lingrong looked back at the high-hanging plaque of "Yangxin Palace", her fingertips trembling slightly. Shen Meizhuang sensed her emotions and gently circled her hand with her thumb. At this moment, she had thin calluses from years of writing, but it became the most reassuring touch for An Lingrong.