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

Zhen Huan, intent on appeasing the Emperor, took the initiative to start a conversation. "I was on my way to the Secret Tower when I passed by the hunting grounds. I heard that the Emperor and the Prince had just gone hunting and won a great prize. How come Sister Wen is here with me in the blink of an eye, and the Prince is nowhere to be seen?"

The emperor glanced at Su Peisheng, and Concubine Wen's smile became more genuine. "Originally, the prince said he would come to see the emperor later, but now that the emperor has brought his sister back, the prince won't come. I guess he must have heard that his sister is as beautiful as a fairy, so he quickly went to avoid suspicion."

Zhen Huan couldn't tell whether this was good or bad, so she could only reply, "Sister, you are praising me." She then looked at the silent emperor and said, "Your Majesty, there's no need to cover up for the prince. He must have heard that I was plain-looking and was afraid of being frightened, so he avoided me."

The emperor smiled slightly after hearing this and looked at Zhen Huan's face. "Listen, if she is as plain as salt, then wouldn't all the women in my harem be as ugly as Dong Shi?"

Concubine Wen was thinking about how to connect Zhen Huan with Prince Guo. She picked up a grape and said casually:

"Sister Wan is modest, the emperor is just joking with her."

After peeling the grapes, Concubine Wen handed them to the Emperor. The Emperor didn't even turn his head, just staring at Zhen Huan, "Try the snow-capped emerald green."

Concubine Wen, realizing she was bored, also picked up her teacup and brought the topic back to her. "It's fragrant and refreshing. Master Seventeen is indeed thoughtful."

"I heard that when the Emperor first met Concubine Wan, he was afraid that my sister would feel unfamiliar with him, so he pretended to be the Seventeenth Master and played the flute and the zither with her. This is how they became so affectionate. It is truly a beautiful story."

As Concubine Wen spoke, she looked at the two of them with a smile, and saw with satisfaction that their expressions became unnatural.

Zhen Huan looked at the emperor's expression and said, "Sister, you know such a subtle secret. It must be the emperor who told you."

This statement means that it did not come from this side.

The emperor said indifferently, "I didn't say that."

"Qin Mo was very careful and listened carefully."

Concubine Wen fanned the flames again, "So, this Seventeenth Master is the matchmaker between the Emperor and my sister."

"I should thank you very much. Besides, this matchmaker is so charming and suave that countless young ladies from official families in the court are fascinated by him and seek his intimacy day and night." Noble Lady Wen looked at Zhen Huan and said, "Sister, I'm sure you have heard of the Seventeenth Master's reputation among your inner circle."

Zhen Huan could no longer maintain her smile. "Sister, you lived in seclusion for a long time before entering the palace, and you were bedridden after entering. You have never heard of the prince's name. You are truly ignorant."

As soon as these words were spoken, the emperor, who had lowered his eyes for a while, raised his eyes again as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

Zhen Huan breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and playfully said, "The Emperor is a man of great literary talent, and considerate of us sisters. I wonder if he also did this to get closer to me that day?"

Noble Lady Wen restrained her smile. Everyone in the harem knew that she did not enjoy the emperor's favor and that she could only rely on Concubine Hua as a big tree to raise Wen Yi personally.

Concubine Wen glanced at the emperor's face, which was already very satisfying, and said, "I'm sure Wen Yi must be hungry by this time. Your Majesty, I will go back and check on her first."

The emperor said with concern, "That's good. Wen Yi has been crying non-stop since she recovered from her illness. Doctor Jiang often checks your pulse. Let him see what's causing it."

Concubine Wen smiled knowingly, "Yes, I'll have Doctor Jiang examine me and report back to the Emperor."

The emperor nodded, tacitly agreeing to Concubine Wen's words of coming again.

Concubine Wen left and the room returned to silence.

The emperor was gloomy and uncertain, while Zhen Huan lowered her eyes in thought.

"This zither was the favorite of the late emperor's concubine Shufei. Before you came, I wanted to hear someone play a piece of music for it. But Concubine Wen Cao Qinmo is as her name suggests. She is not very good at playing the zither." The emperor suddenly said.

Having said that, Zhen Huan stood up and said, "I'll have someone go and invite Sister Mei. She plays the zither very well."

"Noble Lady Shen's mastery of tunes surpasses yours, but her music lacks sentiment. Such a fine instrument would be dull without sentiment." The emperor said it calmly, but Zhen Huan could hear a scrutinizing tone in his voice.

"Why don't you play a song for me?"

"Then I will play a song for the emperor."

Zhen Huan took off her armor and gently stroked the strings of the zither. The tone was clear and bright. Zhen Huan couldn't help but cherish it. "It is indeed an excellent zither. The tone is so crisp."

It's a pity that we were able to touch each other under such circumstances.

Zhen Huan felt regretful and fiddled with the strings with bated breath.

Zhen Huan never opened her mouth to explain. The Emperor suppressed his discontent and said coldly, "A clear breeze and blue water, sipping tea and listening to the zither. It is indeed a joy in life. Just play the half of 'Song of Mountain Dwelling'."

Zhen Huan felt even more pressured, and she plucked the piano lightly with her bare hands, and melodious music flowed out.

But Zhen Huan was still uneasy, how could she concentrate on playing the piano?

In a moment, the strings broke and Zhen Huan's hand was violently yanked away.

Regardless of the dull pain in her hand, Zhen Huan quickly stood up and apologized, "My concubine's piano is not good, please don't laugh at me, Your Majesty."

"The music is exquisite, but your mind is elsewhere and your heart is not fully focused on the instrument."

Zhen Huan's eyelashes trembled slightly, "I have failed this zither, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"This is your first time playing the zither, so it's inevitable that you're not very familiar with it and can't fully immerse yourself in it." The emperor finally couldn't help but say, "But I have another question."

"I already know your feelings for me. But I want to know when you fell in love with me." The emperor lowered his eyes and did not look at Zhen Huan.

Zhen Huan's eyes were red as she slowly stepped forward and said, "What I saw was the person in front of me, regardless of their status or title."

The emperor finally looked up and asked, "How do you say it?"

"Your Majesty, in the name of Prince Guo, has been enjoying the flute and flowers with me. Although I admire your talent, I always thought you were a prince, so I was very cautious and didn't dare to break the rules. After your Majesty revealed his identity, he took extra care of me, not just treating me like other concubines."

The emperor went to see Zhen Huan, and Zhen Huan did the same.

"My feelings for His Majesty are not just those of a monarch and his subjects, but also those of a husband and wife. If you really want to trace when I first fell in love with His Majesty, it was when His Majesty helped Yu Shi out of her predicament. I was at a loss at the time. Although it was just a simple favor to you, in my eyes, His Majesty is a gentleman who saves people from danger."

Having said this, the emperor finally smiled.

Zhen Huan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but still did not dare to relax.

The Emperor was genuinely pleased: before revealing her identity, Zhen Huan expressed admiration for her talent; after revealing her identity, Zhen Huan praised her as a gentleman. How could one not be satisfied?

"I just asked casually."

Zhen Huan lowered her head and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please allow me to finish my words." She knelt down and said, "I am guilty of a crime of death for saying something that offends Your Majesty. I respect you as my Lord, but I love you even more as my husband."

Four months later, the emperor heard these words from the couple again. His impression of the humble and submissive Zhen Huan changed drastically.

"I know your feelings, that's why I love you... well, what happened in the past is in the past. You are now a concubine of the Heavenly Family, so you should be careful with your words and actions, and don't let me down."

Zhen Huan's eyes were already filled with tears.

"Hanhuan, I was too suspicious today. Don't blame me."