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

An Lingrong looked at her quietly, a mixture of emotions filling her heart. Finally, she couldn't help but sigh, "You clearly hate her to the core, but you dare not even utter a single complaint to the Emperor. Instead, you can only vent all your anger on us powerless people. What kind of person is this? Bullying the weak and fearing the strong is also the family motto of your Qi family."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze full of disdain as she glanced at Qi Yuebin, emphasizing each word: "Do you know what I hate most about you? If you had fought for power and influence openly, fighting and robbing with your own abilities, I, An Lingrong, would have respected you as a man of character. But you insist on pretending to be loyal and righteous, as pure and noble as a chrysanthemum, saying one thing in front of others and another behind their backs..."

She stared into Qi Yuebin's eyes, then spat out two words coldly from between her teeth: "Hypocrisy."

"I'm hypocritical?" Qi Yuebin widened his eyes, and his originally pale face finally regained a hint of color due to anger.

She held onto the altar and slowly stood up with all her strength. As she moved, the incense ash on her cuffs fell down.

"You used me to put on a show in front of the Emperor to dispel his doubts, and then you secretly plotted to support Zhen Huan's ascension to the position of Imperial Noble Consort." Qi Yuebin's voice trembled with anger, and with each sentence, he took a step forward. "And you used Wen Yi to threaten me, forcing me to work for you. Are all these things you did aboveboard and without hypocrisy?! You keep talking about friendship, but behind the scenes, you are full of calculations!"

Upon hearing this, An Lingrong suddenly burst into laughter without warning, a flicker of undisguised sarcasm in her eyes: "After all, everything you did to us has nothing to do with Nian Shilan at all."

She raised her chin slightly, "Stop pretending. Deep down, you're desperate for power and gain, and you're just using Nian Shilan as an excuse to satisfy your own ambitions!"

"No!" Qi Yuebin's emotions suddenly exploded, as if he had been touched in a sore spot. He suddenly raised his hand and slammed it hard on the altar. "Everything I did was for her!"

"Killing the Queen was also for her?!"

"Of course! She is the person Lan'er hates the most in her life!"

"Qi Yuebin," An Lingrong pulled a piece of paper from her sleeve, "How long are you going to keep deceiving yourself? This is a secret letter you wrote to the Fourth Prince. Do you need me to read it out in public?"

Qi Yuebin's face turned pale instantly: "How could it be in your..."

"You don't think I'll only focus on the palace, do you?" An Lingrong slowly folded the letter and patted it against her chest. "Now that the situation has reached such a critical point, I naturally have to pay more attention to the other princes. Your letter won't even have a chance to reach the Fourth Prince!"

The letter fluttered to the ground.

"So everything you do is just for yourself. Wait until Nian Shilan's old case is brought to light, and we, along with Hongxu, will be implicated. Then, if you support the Fourth Prince to ascend the throne, you can become the sole empress dowager. What a calculated plan!"

Qi Yuebin's body swayed slightly as she listened to these words. She slowly closed her eyes, suppressing the emotions surging within her. A moment later, she opened them again. Her eyes, usually indifferent, now ignited with a terrifying light, a flame of long-suppressed desire, resentment, and anger.

"I should have been the Emperor's legitimate wife. Three generations of my Qi family have served the country with loyalty. Even the late Emperor praised my talent and learning. But all these years, I've lived like a shadow!"

She took a step forward. "You say I'm calculating? An Lingrong, tell me—in this place where people are eaten alive, anyone who doesn't know how to calculate would have rotted in the well long ago, right? This is the only way I can defend myself."

Looking at the unfamiliar Qi Yuebin in front of him - this woman who had shed all her gentle pretenses and finally revealed her fangs.

"Finally..." An Lingrong suddenly smiled, "You've forced out your true feelings."

"You..." Qi Yuebin's voice was stuck in his throat.

It was not until then that she realized that An Lingrong had been breaking down her defenses step by step, forcing the truth out of her.

"It must have been hard for you to pretend all these years. From the first time I saw you, I've been imagining your true self, and now I finally see it!"

At this point, Qi Yuebin no longer pretended and laughed softly. The laughter was low and suppressed at first, and then gradually became louder, with a bit of madness, echoing in the empty palace, making people feel creepy.

"Real?" She raised her head abruptly, a fiery fire rekindled in her eyes, yet within that fire was a hint of poignant clarity, as if mocking herself, yet also accusing herself. "An Lingrong, do you think this is the real me? What you've painstakingly forced out is nothing more than my most unbearable and embarrassing side. Those things that truly cannot be seen in public..."

Her voice suddenly stopped, and then turned into an almost inaudible sigh, "I can't even look at myself."

As she spoke, she looked at An Lingrong again, her gaze calm yet profound. "But in this deep palace, who isn't like this? You, Imperial Noble Consort, Hui Noble Consort, you're all no exception. You're just luckier than I am. You can support and rely on each other, and you have your own concerns, unwilling to let those you care about see your most vicious side."

As for me, I have nothing now. Even the reason for pretending has disappeared. What else can I hide?"

Neither of them spoke anymore.

Qi Yuebin picked up the scattered tributes on the ground, wiped them clean with a handkerchief, put them back in their original places one by one, relit three incense sticks and inserted them into the incense burner, and finally looked up at the portrait.

Nian Shilan in the painting is still gazing with a smile.

Qi Yuebin staggered closer, his raised hand suspended in mid-air, his fingertips just inches away from the cheek of the person in the painting.

A sudden gust of wind blew through the window, causing the scroll to sway slightly, startling her so much that she suddenly retracted her hand.

After an unknown amount of time, she slowly turned around, her tear-filled eyes staring at An Lingrong. Suddenly, her knees bent and she knelt heavily on the ground.

An Lingrong was startled by her action for a moment and asked, "Do you have anything else to say?"

Until then, Qi Yuebin's tears finally fell silently. She remained kneeling, her voice hoarse: "I have two requests for you."

"What do you think!"

"First of all, please don't take your anger out on Wen Yi because of me. I've already found a husband for her, and the Emperor has agreed to grant her marriage. She won't affect you."

An Lingrong was silent for a long time, and finally nodded almost imperceptibly.

"The second thing is, Lan'er's coffin is still in the imperial palace outside Fucheng Gate. I beg you, can you please not bury her with the emperor in the future?"

An Lingrong sneered, "You think too highly of me. This is the Emperor's decree. How could I possibly disobey it?"

Qi Yuebin pulled a purse from his bosom and held it up to An Lingrong. "This is my grandfather's seal. I'm giving it to you, and I only ask you to think of a way, whether it's overt or covert. Lan'er once told me she never wanted to see him again."

An Lingrong glanced at the purse but didn't take it. "What use would I have for this?"

"Two of the captains of the Emperor's guards are my grandfather's trusted confidants. With this seal, they will obey your orders."

An Lingrong was moved when she heard this and took the purse.

When they pushed open the palace door, the bright sunshine that had been there when they arrived had completely vanished, leaving the sky gloomy and terrifying. In the distance, clouds turned black, rolling in like a dense mass, swallowing up the ridge beasts on the eaves one by one.

"I have one more question."

When speaking again, Qi Yuebin's face regained its gentle and dignified look.

"You ask!"

"who are you?"

An Lingrong slowly turned around and met Qi Yuebin's eyes.

A drop of rain fell from the eaves and hit the bluestone slab between the two of them, splashing a tiny drop of water and breaking into countless crystal beads.

"What do you mean?"

Qi Yuebin raised his eyes slightly, scanning her features inch by inch. "Your style of doing things, your scheming..." She paused, a faint sneer curling up at the corners of her lips. "You are completely different from ordinary ladies. You see through the hidden schemes and calculations in the harem so thoroughly. I really can't understand how you know all this in the palace."

An Lingrong lowered her eyelashes and reached out to catch a falling raindrop.

“To my enemies, who I am is unimportant. To my friends, who I am is even less important.”

"But I'm not convinced of my defeat and want an answer."

An Lingrong suddenly chuckled, and when she raised her eyes, a cold glint flashed in them: "Then spend the rest of your life slowly thinking about it!"

She raised her eyes and saw two light-colored figures in the distance. She gathered her cloak and walked out quickly.

The four eunuchs led by Xiao Yunzi were still at the gate.

When they saw her come out, everyone immediately bowed to her.

An Lingrong's eyes moved slightly, and she gave Xiao Yunzi a meaningful look.

Xiao Yunzi understood and walked into the yard.

"My lady, please!"

"Where?"

"The Imperial Concubine has decreed that Concubine Duan has contracted tuberculosis. To prevent the infection from spreading to others, I have ordered my servants to escort her back to the Forbidden City for rest and recuperation. No one is allowed to disturb her."

This meant imprisoning Qi Yuebin, but Qi Yuebin's face didn't show any panic. Instead, he looked in the direction she left with a hint of a smile:

"I've given you one last question. If you can really solve it, I'll be convinced!"

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【Thanks to the support of book friends.】

Several book friends have raised questions about the setting of the character of Concubine Duan, and I will explain it here.

(Only talking about the TV series, not the original novel.)

First of all, it needs to be made clear that Concubine Duan in the play is indeed a very contradictory character - she is extremely intelligent and has a clear understanding of the harem power struggles, but there is a subtle imbalance in her emotional orientation.

From Concubine Hua's perspective, her hatred for Concubine Duan is justified. Regardless of whether Concubine Duan knew it or not, the bowl of abortion-preserving medicine that caused her miscarriage was indeed handed to her by her.

This betrayal based on trust made Hua Fei's revenge extreme, but her motive was traceable.

However, the emotional direction of Concubine Duan is questionable: her deepest hatred is all directed at Concubine Hua, which is inconsistent with human logic.

The ones who should really bear the blame are:

1. The Emperor - as a vested interest, he condoned and even promoted the conspiracy;

2. The Queen Mother – the mastermind behind the entire plan;

3. The Queen - watched coldly as Hua Fei abused her.

But how does Concubine Duan perform in the play?

She was still gentle and considerate to the emperor, without any resentment. (Of course, this can be attributed to the suppression of feudal imperial power)

He expressed his dissatisfaction with the Empress Dowager in a passive way by simply "not paying his respects".

At the critical moment of the Queen's downfall, he only contributed the two words "blue spots".

However, he directed all his rage for revenge on Concubine Hua, determined to get rid of her as soon as possible.

This kind of emotional distribution is unreasonable, so I created a second version of this character.

In the new setting:

1. Resolve the misunderstanding between Concubine Duan and Concubine Hua.

2. Through the intervention of the heroine, guide his hatred towards the emperor.

3. It makes her character more complex - she is bound by traditional ethics and cannot truly kill the king even if she awakens.

4. Have the desire to fight for power and profit.

I hope this treatment will make the characters more layered, and book lovers are welcome to continue discussing it.

Thanks again, bow...]