I fulfilled the female supporting role's wish and I succeeded

She turned to look at Qiuyue: "Qiuyue, look at this dress, does it look familiar?"

Qiuyue came closer and looked at the drawing carefully.

Her eyebrows gradually furrowed as she tried hard to search for a similar scene in her memory.

After a moment, she exclaimed as if suddenly realizing something, "This... the design of this dress seems to be a palace dress that can only be worn by Her Majesty when she is crowned a concubine!"

There was a hint of disbelief in Qiuyue's voice.

She pointed to the details on the drawing and listed them one by one: "Look at the gold embroidery on the neckline, the pearl embellishments on the cuffs, and the phoenix pattern on the skirt. They are all exactly the same as the palace dress that the Empress wore when she was crowned as a concubine!"

Qiuyue paused, a hint of doubt in her tone: "It's just that... the style of this dress is slightly different from the one Her Majesty wore when she was crowned as a concubine, but many of the details are indeed something that only a consort can wear."

An Lingrong's lips curled up into a sneer.

There was a cold glint in his eyes, like a sword drawn from its sheath.

She slowly rolled up the blueprint, her tone eerily calm, "Sure enough, when the Emperor 'chancedly met' Empress Chunyuan at Taiye Lake and performed the Stunning Dance, it was all a carefully choreographed scene."

An Lingrong's heart was in turmoil, like a raging sea.

She seemed to see that Queen Chunyuan carefully planned this "chance encounter".

Every frown, smile, and gesture is full of calculation.

She seemed to hear Queen Chunyuan whispering shyly in front of the emperor, expressing her "inadvertent" and "coincidence".

The sound, like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue, hissing and lingering in her ears.

She seemed to feel that the emperor's infatuation and favor for Queen Chunyuan was burning like a raging fire.

It devoured everything within it, leaving only ashes and despair.

"What would the emperor think if he knew the truth?" A complex emotion flashed in An Lingrong's eyes.

Is it anger?

Disappointment?

Or...heartache?

she does not know.

But she knew that she had to seize this opportunity to pull Queen Chunyuan down from the altar.

An Lingrong tapped the round fan painted with hibiscus flowers with her fingertips, again and again, with a slow rhythm, but revealing an inexplicable chill.

"Qiuyue," she said, her voice as soft as a wisp of smoke, "isn't Zhen Huan going to make a dance costume for Huanbi?"

Qiuyue stood aside with her head bowed, and replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, yes."

"Go and do something," An Lingrong narrowed her eyes, a glint of light flashing in them, "reveal the pattern of Queen Chunyuan's old clothes to Zhen Huan."

She paused, her tone becoming more serious. "Remember, this must be done discreetly. The Emperor, and especially Zhen Huan, must not be aware that the information came from Jingyang Palace."

Qiuyue took the order and left. An Lingrong's eyes fell on the round fan in her hand. The hibiscus flowers were gorgeous, but they could not hide the coldness in her eyes.

A few days later, Qiuyue tiptoed into the palace and reported to An Lingrong.

"Your Majesty, it's done." Qiuyue whispered, "Zhen Huan has already started making a dance costume for Huanbi based on the pattern of Empress Chunyuan's old clothes."

An Lingrong's lips curled up slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile: "Where's Butterfly? Did she find it?"

"Your Majesty, Zhen Huan is still searching everywhere, but has found nothing so far." Qiuyue paused and added, "I heard that this butterfly species is very rare and cannot be found in ordinary places."

An Lingrong's eyes flickered: "Is there any movement from the Queen's side?"

Qiuyue shook her head: "There is no news from Jingren Palace yet. The emperor doesn't seem to have intervened in this matter."

An Lingrong put down the teacup in her hand, gently stroked the rim of the cup with her fingertips, and her mind was full of thoughts.

The queen is the best at playing with people's hearts. She likes to lend a helping hand to others when they are in despair, in order to show her virtue.

She will certainly "send" the butterfly to Zhen Huan when she has searched for it in vain and is discouraged.

For her, finding a few butterflies was just a piece of cake, but she insisted on waiting until Zhen Huan was most desperate before giving her hope.

In this way, Zhen Huan will be more grateful to her and will be able to keep her more firmly under her control.

However, she was not in a hurry, as there was still a lot of time and the best was yet to come. A few days later, the emperor suddenly arrived at Jingyang Palace.

"Rong'er," the emperor said with a mysterious smile, "I have prepared a surprise for you today."

An Lingrong feigned surprise, her eyes revealing just the right amount of delight and anticipation: "Oh? What's the surprise? I'm all ears."

The emperor did not answer directly, but took An Lingrong's hand and walked straight out of the palace.

We walked through the imperial garden, around several corridors, and finally stopped in front of a palace.

"Yongshou Palace?" An Lingrong looked up at the three words on the plaque, and her doubts grew even more.

The emperor took her hand and walked into the palace.

A faint fragrance of plum blossoms wafts into my nose, clear, elegant and refreshing.

In the courtyard, several red plum trees are blooming proudly, and the red plum blossoms are dotted on the snow-covered branches, which are gorgeous and charming.

"Rong'er, do you like it here?" the emperor asked gently, "Everything here is arranged according to your preferences."

An Lingrong looked around and saw pavilions, towers, carved beams and painted buildings, all of which were exquisite and elegant, exuding the royal style and luxury everywhere.

Inside the hall, the best silver charcoal was burning in the stove, emitting bursts of warmth.

On the soft wool carpet were several carved wooden chairs covered with thick brocade cushions.

There are several calligraphy and paintings by famous artists hanging on the wall, with vivid brushwork and colors.

The air is filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, which is refreshing.

"Your Majesty...I like it very much," An Lingrong suppressed her shock and confusion and tried to feign surprise. "Thank you very much, Your Majesty, for your kindness."

The emperor smiled with satisfaction and held her in his arms: "As long as you like it."

An Lingrong snuggled in the emperor's arms, but her heart was filled with turmoil.

Yongshou Palace, isn’t this the palace where Zhen Huan lived after returning to the palace?

But now the emperor has given it to me. What is his intention?

Could it be that... the emperor really has feelings for me?

This thought flashed through An Lingrong's mind, but she quickly rejected it.

The emperor is so obsessed with Chun Yuan, how could he easily fall in love with someone else?

An Lingrong gently stepped back from the emperor's embrace, her eyes flickering with a hint of shyness and mystery: "Your Majesty, I also have a surprise for you."

The Emperor's interest grew even stronger. He caressed her delicate hands and said with a smile, "Oh? Rong'er, do you have any other surprises? Tell me about them."