The Legend of Zhen Huan Reborn: Overthrowing Zhen Huan to Become the Queen Mother

The Hall of Supreme Harmony was resplendent with gold and jade. In keeping with the principle of prioritizing the heir to the throne, Concubine Hua had thick velvet carpets spread throughout the hall. Beside each pillar sat a massive, twelve-headed bronze cauldron, surrounded by a half-man-high fence. The cauldrons exuded a faint charcoal aroma, and warm steam filled the air, making the entire Hall feel like a spring day.

Concubine Hua arrived first. Songzhi held an exquisite brocade box, delicately embroidered with floral designs. Seeing Jiang Ruyin, Concubine Hua waved casually and said, "Happy birthday, Concubine Fang! These jade bracelets are truly treasures. Concubine Fang is accustomed to fine things, so I'm sure you'll recognize them." Concubine Hua raised an eyebrow slightly. "Then I wish you eternal youth." Jiang Ruyin rose to greet her, thanked her with a smile, and instructed Fu Qiu beside her to carefully take them.

She has a graceful figure and walks lightly

Soon after, Concubine Qi arrived, Cuiguo behind her holding a carved sandalwood box. Concubine Qi walked forward with a smile and affectionately took Jiang Ruyin's hand, "Sister Fangfei, I've been searching for a long time to finally find this calligraphy by a great figure of the previous dynasty. I thought it would be a great gift for you, so I'll give it to you as a birthday gift. Please don't despise it."

Jiang Ruyin thanked Concubine Qi for her kindness and asked someone to properly store the precious calligraphy and painting.

An Lingrong was no longer as cold as before and still chose to give her an exquisite hand-embroidered screen. The stitches on it were so fine that the flowers and birds embroidered on it seemed to come alive. Jiang Ruyin smiled knowingly and ordered Yuan Beishan to take people back to Yongshou Palace.

Jingpin gave Jiang Ruyin a copy of the Heart Sutra of Unparalleled Blessings and Longevity (which I compiled) that she had copied herself. Jiang Ruyin secretly praised Jingpin for choosing a gift that was decent and not easy to be tampered with.

Zhen Huan was still dressed in her modest attire. Liu Zhu held a crystal-clear glass bottle filled with specially crafted spices. Zhen Huan smiled and said, "Empress Fang, this is a tribute from the people. It's made with many precious flowers and herbs. When burned, the fragrance is elegant and pleasant. The imperial physician says it's a rare and precious fragrance that can calm the mind and even pregnant women. The Emperor gave it to me, so I'm offering it as a token of my gratitude. Your Majesty, please light this during your daily rest; it will surely soothe you and calm your spirit."

Jiang Ruyin smelled the faint fragrance, her eyes were calm, and she just smiled and said that he was thoughtful.

Tara held two ivory hairpins and naturally stood out among the concubines.

"This is what I made myself. Things made by myself in my hometown are the most thoughtful, so I made these two hairpins. One is a female wolf howling to the sky, fierce and full of vitality. The other is a female eagle soaring in the sky, strong and powerful, with a spirit that does not belong to human. I hope that Your Majesty will be like this, full of vitality." She said seriously.

Jiang Ruyin took it and looked at it carefully. There was an eagle head flapping its wings, and a wolf head opening its mouth and howling at the moon. The hairpin was engraved with messy yet exquisite patterns, and was polished smooth and shiny by the maker.

Jiang Ruyin was really surprised, and Tara's words touched her heart. Jiang Ruyin inserted the eagle-head hairpin into the most conspicuous place on her head and asked Tara to take a seat with a smile.

An Lingrong looked on silently, her eyes lingering on the two hairpins several times, and she felt envious.

Chun Changzai smiled and presented a box of exquisite snacks, which contained delicious pastries specially made by the imperial chef.

In short, no matter whether the gifts were tampered with or not, or whether they were valuable or not, Jiang Ruyin accepted them all with a smile, and repeatedly invited the concubines to take their seats. For a moment, the palace was filled with laughter and joy, and everyone sat down in turn, as if they were sisters from the same family. The atmosphere was particularly harmonious and peaceful.

The idea of ​​fostering friendship among the princes and princesses was merely a whim of the emperor to give Jiang Ruyin some face. There were only three princes residing in the Forbidden City, and the third, Hongshi, was already fourteen years old. While the empress was there, he had been forced to study hard. Now that the empress remained at the Old Summer Palace, and Concubine Qi herself was not well-versed in poetry, she only often urged Hongshi to study hard, and life had become much more relaxed. Having lived in the princes' quarters for many years, he saw his two younger brothers becoming somewhat restrained.

Hongxuan and Hongning were already familiar with each other. Hongxuan ran over and pulled Hongshi over, and in a baby voice, asked Hongning to call him "Third Brother". Hongning, who couldn't speak yet, used his little hand to squeeze Hongshi's awkwardly stiff fingers. Feeling the soft touch on his fingers, Hongshi returned the squeeze and immediately received a smile.

Hongxuan smirked slyly, "Seventh brother is so cute, isn't he?"

Hongshi hadn't seen his two younger brothers for a few times, so he touched his forehead and said, "Yes."

For a moment, the atmosphere between the two little guys and one little adult was harmonious.

Eight-year-old Shuhe, wearing a pink jacket, sat obediently, her eyes often glancing towards Concubine Xin. Every time she noticed Concubine Xin was looking back at her, she would reveal a small expression of joy. Concubine Xin's expression was a mixture of joy and reluctance, and all she could say turned into a sigh.

Jiang Ruyin noticed that Shuhe's dress didn't look like the work of a palace embroiderer and guessed it was the work of Concubine Xin. Wen Yi, already five years old and still a little timid, approached Shuhe with the encouragement of Concubine Wen.

After a while, when Jiang Ruyin looked over again, the two of them were already arm in arm, praising the exquisite pastries on the table and sharing their preferences with each other.

It was obvious that he preferred his soft sister to his doll-like brother, Hongshi. He walked towards them, holding Hongxuan in one hand and Hongning in the other. A few words had Shuhe and Wenyi circling around him, their eyes sparkling with excitement as they listened to his quirky recitation of the staid old scholars of the Imperial Study, their laughter ringing like silver bells from time to time.

Hongshi showed his rare sense of humor, making his two sisters laugh. Hongshi gave his mother a proud look, and Concubine Qi couldn't help but give him a reproachful look, but she couldn't help laughing.

Jiang Ruyin stroked her forehead and suppressed a smile, "Third Prince is indeed worthy of being my brother."

Concubine Qi looked even happier and said happily, "Oh, that's right. I tell Hongshi every day, Hongshi, you are your father's eldest son, you must, uh, be friendly to your younger brother, study hard, and share your father's worries in the future..."

No one cared. Those who had children or not all turned their eyes to the children. The children temporarily put aside the rules and constraints of the palace and enjoyed the cheerful and leisurely atmosphere.

Accompanied by Wen Yi, Shuhe brought her favorite Jade Dew Soup to Concubine Xin. Concubine Xin wiped away her tears and thanked Wen Yi in a low voice.

While everyone was chatting happily, Tara came to An Lingrong and sat cross-legged. An Lingrong silently made some space for her, "I heard about you before, and I wanted to talk to you, but you don't talk to people often, and I thought you were very cold. But Concubine Fang said that you have a gentle and delicate personality, so I secretly observed you and found that even after experiencing hardships, you are still flexible and upright, just like a reed that is still standing upright in the wind. This is for you." She stuffed a hairpin into An Lingrong's hand.