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

She looked over and saw Madam Shen walking out quickly with Wang Zhiwei. Both of them had unconcealable joy on their faces, and several maids and servants followed behind them.

"Your Highness!" Madam Shen stepped forward and was about to kneel in greeting when An Lingrong winked playfully and said in a low voice, "Auntie, there's no need to be so polite. There are so many people here and it's hard to see."

Madam Shen understood, but still couldn't help but hold her hand and whispered, "I sent people to wait at Xizhimen early in the morning, but no one showed up. Madam Lin and I are extremely anxious and have already sent people to look for the master."

"Liu Zhu and I came in through Chongwenmen." An Lingrong pursed her lips and smiled. "We also wandered around the streets for a while and bought some small things."

The two walked in hand in hand.

Shen Yunfei stood not far away, forgetting to wave the folding fan in his hand.

Except for receiving imperial edicts, he had never seen the door of his house open.

"mother!"

He shouted quickly.

Mrs. Shen had a smile on her face and was only focused on leading An Lingrong inside, not hearing what he said at all.

Wang Zhiwei turned around upon hearing the voice and quickly reminded: "Mother-in-law, Third Brother is there."

Seeing them stop, Shen Yunfei hurried over and was about to step through the gate.

But just as he lifted his leg, he heard his mother shout, "Stop! Can you really walk through this door?"

His brocade boot was hanging in the air, and he could neither move forward nor backward, so he could only touch his nose awkwardly.

"Puchi——" An Lingrong couldn't help but burst out laughing.

In front of his own people, he was used to being thick-skinned, but with outsiders around, Shen Yunfei felt a little embarrassed and angrily said, "What are you laughing at!"

Madam Shen shouted, "How dare you talk like that!"

An Lingrong said quickly, "Thanks to the Third Young Master for leading the way today, otherwise I would have been lost."

Madam Shen's expression brightened, and she patted An Lingrong's hand. "Forget it, for your sake, let him walk through this gate today!"

Shen Yunfei put down his legs in anger: "I'm not leaving yet!"

"As you wish." Madam Shen turned and ordered, "Uncle Zhou, close the door."

"Yes!" the old butler responded straightforwardly.

Shen Yunfei watched helplessly as the door that was so close to him slowly closed, and the gilded auxiliary head was only a finger's distance away from his nose.

He could only turn around in frustration, only to see the servant at the side door had already cleverly opened the door, with a smile on his face: "Third Young Master, come quickly, I've opened the door for you!"

"Howl of understanding!"

Shen Yunfei opened his folding fan and shook it, then heard An Lingrong's silver bell-like laughter coming from inside the door. He was so angry that the fan was shaking crookedly, but he could only watch them walk into the inner courtyard.

After passing through the hanging flower gate, walking along the vermilion corridor, and stepping into the moon gate of the third courtyard, An Lingrong saw her mother pacing back and forth in the courtyard, looking towards the door from time to time.

"Mother!"

An Lingrong felt a lump in her nose and her eyes instantly became moist. Without caring about her manners, she quickly stepped forward and knelt down in front of her mother.

When Mother Lin heard the voice, tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly stepped forward and offered her hand to help him: "Rong'er! Hurry up and get up. Let me take a good look at you."

An Lingrong stood up with her mother's help, took out a silk handkerchief, and gently wiped away the tears on her mother's face: "Don't cry, mother. Look, your daughter is back safely, isn't she?"

Mother Lin nodded repeatedly, her lips trembling slightly, as if she had a thousand words to say but didn't know where to start.

She suddenly remembered something and tugged at the sleeve of the young man beside her: "Yue'er, why don't you pay your respects to your sister?"

An Lingyue had already stood straight. Upon hearing this, he immediately straightened his clothes, solemnly lifted his skirt and knelt down, saying in a clear voice, "Greetings, sister!"

Only then did An Lingrong take a closer look at him - the little boy in her memory had now grown into a tall and handsome young man.

He had clear eyebrows and a calm gaze. His indigo gown made his figure stand out. His every move and gesture exuded the elegance of a scholar.

She reached out and helped him up: "Hurry up, you've grown so tall, I almost didn't recognize you."

An Lingrong searched her memory carefully, then raised her hand to gesture, her tone lamenting, "When I left home, you were only as tall as my waist, but now you're a head taller than me."

An Lingyue stood up, pursing his lips, but unable to hide the smile in his eyes, he whispered, "My sister has been away from home for all these years, and I've been looking forward to seeing her again. Today, our family is finally reunited."

Several people tacitly ignored An Bihuai.

"Well, I received your letter and learned that you are now a juren."

"Yes! This year the Emperor is going to hold an additional special examination. I've already made preparations and will definitely not let you down."

An Lingrong smiled and nodded: "Don't put so much pressure on yourself, you are still young after all."

Although they already had the hereditary title of Earl of Cheng'en, he still wanted to take the imperial examination based on his own strength.

Mrs. Shen stood aside, and seeing the deep affection between the siblings, a look of relief appeared in her eyes. She said softly, "Okay, it's windy outside, let's go inside and talk."

After entering the main hall, An Lingrong helped her mother sit down, and she sat next to her and talked in detail about her days in the palace.

Mother Lin nodded as she listened, sometimes holding her hand with heartache, sometimes smiling with relief at her words.

"Rong'er, no matter what decision you make, mother will support you."

"Thank you, mother."

An Lingyue sat aside, his eyes always on his sister, full of admiration and longing.

Outside the window, the spring breeze blows through the courtyard, and the crabapple petals fall gently, as if time has become particularly gentle at this moment.

After dinner, I saw my mother and younger brother off.

Madam Shen led An Lingrong through several corridors. "Your Highness, now that you've left the palace, this matter shouldn't be made public. Aside from me and my eldest daughter-in-law, the servants in the mansion treat you like a distant cousin."

An Lingrong nodded gently: "Auntie, you have considered everything. This is for the best."

"Your Majesty, please follow me." Madam Shen walked in front, holding a lantern. "Jiuhuaxuan is the residence I prepared for Mei'er. It's not as luxurious and comfortable as the palace. I'm sorry to bother you, Your Majesty!"

An Lingrong held her arm affectionately and said, "Aunt, please don't call me 'Niangniang' anymore. If anyone hears me, I won't be able to stay here any longer!"

"But, empress..."

"You're so polite, I can't feel at ease living here. Since you and my mother have such a good relationship, I'll just call you Auntie, and you can just call me Rong'er like my mother. Auntie, okay?"

Mrs. Shen opened her mouth and finally smiled with a sigh: "Rong...Rong'er." The two words were spoken awkwardly, but they made An Lingrong smile with a faint dimple.

Jiuhuaxuan is located on the east side of the Shen Mansion. It was originally supposed to be the residence of the eldest son, but when they moved into this house, Shen Meizhuang had already been promoted to the position of concubine. As a sign of respect, the Shen family used this courtyard as Shen Meizhuang's residence, although she would not come back to live there.

In the main hall, Wang Zhiwei saw them coming and bowed politely: "Greetings to the Empress."

An Lingrong looked at her and called her sweetly, "Sister-in-law."

The corner of Wang Zhiwei's mouth twitched and he nodded.

An Lingrong shrank her neck, looking so serious.

Mrs. Shen said a few words and was then called away by the housekeeper.

An Lingrong looked around. From the gilded bronze mirror on the dressing table to the brocade quilt on the bed, everything was brand new and exquisite.

Various dresses were neatly hung in the closet, all in her favorite colors, and even the matching pearl hairpins and jewelry were complete.

"Your Majesty, please take a look. Is there anything missing? I will prepare it right away." Wang Zhiwei walked to her side. The restraints on her waist did not move at all, and even the folds of her clothes were as neat as if they had been measured with a ruler.

An Lingrong waved her hands quickly, "Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law. These are already very comprehensive."

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. This is what a concubine should do!"

"Thank you, sister-in-law."

The two of them followed their respective titles, neither correcting the other. After the polite words were finished, the two of them were silent, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.

Although they had met several times, Shen Meizhuang was always present at that time. Now it was just the two of them, and they really didn't know what to talk about.

With her around, An Lingrong felt awkward even when drinking tea.

Wang Zhiwei stood aside, her eyes slightly downcast, feeling a little annoyed. She knew it was time to leave, but she couldn't bear to leave just like that. She actually liked this lady. She was decisive and wise, and her eyes always had a smile when she spoke, which made people want to get close to her.

But she had been taught to behave properly since she was young, and she never knew how to chat with others, let alone take the initiative to joke with the noble concubine.