An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

The instructor taught very meticulously.

Aunt Fangruo was an experienced old nanny in the palace. On the day she entered the Zhen family, the entire family was extremely courteous and even gave a large red envelope to the eunuch delivering the imperial decree. Aunt Fangruo naturally noticed all this, and therefore paid special attention to Zhen Huan, which also benefited An Lingrong considerably.

Aunt Fang Ruo recounted all the affairs of the palace, from minor palace entertainment to major matters such as rank and etiquette in the harem, explaining everything in great detail.

However, what truly saved his life at the end of the day was a profound remark from Aunt Ruo before the instructor finished speaking: "In the harem, the Empress is highly valued by the Emperor. In the harem, the Emperor will discuss and decide on all matters, big and small, with the Empress."

Consort Hua is the younger sister of General Nian. She was the favorite of the Prince's household in the past. Now, in the harem, Consort Hua is also ordered to assist in managing the harem. However, because Consort Hua has not yet had any children, she is temporarily in the position of consort.

Zhen Huan exclaimed in surprise, "To be granted the rank of Consort without having any children is truly a sign of great favor."

Upon hearing this, An Lingrong understood perfectly well that these were the words the old nanny had secretly prepared for Zhen Huan and her.

Because she had experienced the bloodshed and turmoil of the imperial harem in her previous life, she naturally knew how much more brutal the struggles were contained in the seemingly casual words of the old nanny.

But Zhen Huan is unaware that she entered the palace with an official title, which is enough to make her the most eye-catching among this year's candidates. The Empress, however, is well aware that Zhen Huan is the Emperor's substitute for the late Empress Chun Yuan. Therefore, no matter how Zhen Huan enters the harem, once she gains favor, she will inevitably become the target of everyone's hatred.

However, at this moment, An Lingrong could not say much about the many things on her mind. As for matters of the inner palace, she could only try to ask as many questions as possible, hoping to provoke the nanny to say more, so that Zhen Huan could think more and make preparations in advance.

"I've heard that there are a few other ladies who entered the palace when the current emperor was still a prince. I wonder how these ladies are doing now?" An Lingrong tilted her head slightly, deliberately showing an innocent and eager-to-learn look.

Upon hearing this, Zhen Huan couldn't help but glance at An Lingrong. She seemed surprised that this seemingly frail girl might have more plans in mind.

Aunt Fang replied, "Please remember, Your Highness, in the harem, those above the rank of Consort can be addressed as 'This Palace' internally and as 'Your Majesty' externally. Those below the rank of Consort can only be addressed as 'Your Highness'."

An Lingrong nodded and said, "Lingrong has remembered." In her heart, she secretly praised her. She had never noticed it before, but now it seemed that Aunt Fang Ruo was indeed meticulous and had no secrets.

Aunt Fang Ruo continued, "Besides the current Empress and Consort Hua, whom I just mentioned, the other ladies from the Prince's Mansion include Consort Qi, Consort Duan, Consort Jing, Consort Li, Noble Lady Cao, and Consort Xin. Among these ladies, Consort Qi has given birth to three princes, while Noble Lady Cao and Noble Lady Xin each have given birth to a princess. The other concubines have no children."

"Although Consort Duan and Consort Jing have no children, they hold high positions. Are these two also favored concubines?" Zhen Huan continued to ask.

Seeing that Zhen Huan had figured things out, An Lingrong felt slightly relieved.

"Consort Duan's father was a Tiger General who fought alongside the late Emperor during his lifetime and made great contributions to the war. Consort Duan herself is well-versed in poetry and literature and is a gentle and quiet woman. She was highly regarded by the Emperor when she was in the Prince's residence. However, she is not in good health now and has been recuperating in her own palace, rarely going out. Although the Emperor is busy with the affairs of state, he often thinks about Consort Duan's health."

Hearing this, An Lingrong found it amusing. She had witnessed this in her previous life, and the emperor's so-called concern was probably quite limited. If it weren't for Zhen Huan's help, she didn't know how many years the emperor would have remembered her.

"Consort Jing was once a princess in the Prince's mansion, and she was also well-educated and reasonable. Like Consort Li, she was one of Consort Hua's servants in the Prince's mansion." Aunt Fang Ruo didn't say much when mentioning Consort Jing and Consort Li.

An Lingrong was naturally aware of this. Consort Hua was currently at the height of her power, yet she was often displeased by those from her own quarters who shared the emperor's favor. This naturally made the relationship between the three of them even more delicate.

Zhen Huan also sensed that Aunt Fang Ruo intended not to say anything more, so she did not ask any further questions.

Hearing this, An Lingrong thought that with Zhen Huan's intelligence, she could probably grasp about 70-80% of the relationships between the inner palace and the outer court.

However, the character "莞" bestowed upon Zhen Huan by her title was actually the childhood name of the late Empress Chun Yuan. It was unclear how to let Zhen Huan know this.

An Lingrong knew that the reason Zhen Huan left the palace in anger in her previous life was because she could not accept that she had been a substitute for others for many years, and then she was heartbroken when her family suffered a disaster.

However, given her current status and relationship with him, she could no longer remain silent.

After thinking it over, there's no rush, after all, there's still plenty of time.

Now that she has a second chance, she is determined to stand by Zhen Huan's side. Because when they first met, only Zhen Huan disregarded her background and pulled her out of her predicament. As long as she is by Zhen Huan's side, she knows she will eventually gain Zhen Huan's understanding.

In this life, she refuses to be controlled by others or used as a pawn. She also refuses to betray those who have truly cared for her.

In this life, I must bind my honor and disgrace to Zhen Huan. After all, she is the only woman in the vast harem who can bring down Consort Hua and rival the Empress.