An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

Baojuan's escape was not surprising.

The key question is where to escape to.

However, hiding someone in the vast imperial palace is not difficult. Unless the emperor orders a search of the palace, it wouldn't be hard to hide forever.

In addition to instructing everyone in Suiyuxuan to be vigilant, Zhen Huan also sent Huanbi to Xianfu Palace to give Shen Meizhuang a brief account of the situation, urging her to pay extra attention.

Although I know Baojuan wouldn't be foolish enough to immediately go to Xianfu Palace and walk right into a trap, a cornered dog might do anything, and when someone is driven to the brink, you never know what they might do, so I can only be cautious.

Unexpectedly, Shen Meizhuang was still worried after hearing Huanbi's words. She had just returned from serving the Empress in Jingren Palace to worship Buddha, and without even changing her clothes, she came to Suiyuxuan with the smell of incense on her body.

In Suiyu Pavilion, both Xiao Yunzi and Jinxi are extremely efficient in their work.

No sooner had Xiao Yunzi searched the entire courtyard than Jinxi instructed the eunuchs in Suiyuxuan to clean and seal all the gaps in the doorways, and even had a hidden dog hole in the weeds in the backyard dug up and filled in, for fear of leaving any loopholes for outsiders.

Then the two of them took stock of the capable people in Suiyu Pavilion, arranged the shifts and the number of people on duty in each place, and then went into the room to report to Zhen Huan and An Lingrong.

But they ran into Shen Meizhuang, who was rushing over in a hurry, heading into Suiyu Pavilion.

Upon seeing An Lingrong, Shen Meizhuang immediately inquired about her injuries and then had Caiyue give Shuangxue a large box of medicinal ointments, saying that the Empress had rewarded her with these when she accompanied the Empress to Buddhist ceremonies recently.

An Lingrong knew that in her past life, because she was always insecure and cautious, Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan were also very careful with her, afraid that she would misunderstand. They had never been as comfortable and at ease with her as they were today.

Seeing Shen Meizhuang, such a thoughtful person, acting with such urgency, warms my heart.

An Lingrong thought to herself, "It seems Shen Meizhuang truly cares for me, body and soul. People really do need to settle down and get to know each other slowly."

Seeing Shen Meizhuang's anxious expression, An Lingrong quickly said, "It's alright, I've already had Physician Wen examine her, and he said there's nothing seriously wrong."

Shen Meizhuang carefully examined An Lingrong before nodding and saying, "Fortunately, there's nothing wrong."

Seeing that Shen Meizhuang still couldn't hide her worry, An Lingrong smiled and said, "Sister, don't worry."

However, my sister felt it was fortunate that it was just me and Shuangxue at the time; otherwise, if the two of us had fallen together, wouldn't we have become quite a sight in the harem?

Upon hearing this, Shen Meizhuang chuckled. She had previously thought that An Lingrong was timid yet somewhat stubborn, and always worried that such a person would be difficult to befriend. However, she hadn't expected that An Lingrong was actually a slow-to-warm-up person, and that the longer they spent together, the more straightforward and compatible she became.

"Alright, now that Sister Mei is here, the three of us can discuss Baojuan's matter together." After laughing for a while, Zhen Huan steered the conversation back to business.

This reminded everyone that there was another important matter today: Baojuan was missing.

So Zhen Huan recounted the most important parts of the day's events to Shen Meizhuang in detail.

After listening, Shen Meizhuang shook her head repeatedly and said fiercely, "I originally thought that Baojuan was just confused for a moment, but I didn't expect that she was a wolf cub through and through."

“They say it’s easier to change mountains and rivers than to change a person’s nature. Since this person has harbored the idea of ​​harming others, it’s probably impossible for her to change. But since she has betrayed her master like this, I’m afraid the people behind her will no longer be willing to use her,” Zhen Huan nodded.

"But the harem is so vast, and we don't know which palace her backer is in. What can we do?" Shen Meizhuang asked.

As the three were talking, Xiao Yunzi came in from outside. Although she was covered in cold air, the plate of roasted sweet potatoes on her hand smelled very sweet.

"I just passed by the small kitchen and saw some palace maids secretly roasting sweet potatoes. They smelled so sweet, so I shamelessly asked for some, thinking I'd give them to Your Highness to try." Xiao Yunzi carried a food tray, her mouth never stopping, and she didn't neglect her etiquette either, bowing slightly. Although she tried her best to maintain the proper manners, she was still carrying something in her hands, so her movements were a bit forced, which was quite amusing to look at.

The sweet potato smelled tempting, but before Zhen Huan could speak, Jinxi scolded her sternly, "You little monkey, what time is it? How dare you bring food from outside to the ladies?"

That's true, which shows that Jinxi's thinking is indeed meticulous and reliable.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunzi became anxious and hurriedly said, "Aunt Jinxi's scolding is reasonable, but that sister is not an outsider. She is the sworn sister I recognized in the harem. She once saved my life. She is currently working in the Imperial Garden and has never served any of the ladies."

Seeing that Xiao Yunzi was anxious and that what he said made sense, Zhen Huan no longer hesitated and picked up a soft, sticky treat and put it in her mouth.

Jinxi looked on helplessly and had no choice but to give up.

The three of them picked up sweet potatoes and ate them happily, momentarily forgetting that they had originally sat together to plan something important.

An Lingrong suddenly remembered that in her previous life, the three of them seemed to have experienced the same situation. At that time, it was because Yu Shi's poisoning of Zhen Huan was discovered, and the three of them specially discussed how to find out who was behind Yu Shi.

But now it seems that, under the same circumstances, people's state of mind and circumstances can be so different, which makes me sigh.

However, this thought reminded An Lingrong that Xiao Yunzi seemed to know martial arts.

In order to find out who was behind Yu Shi's actions, Xiao Yunzi used her kung fu skills to leap over walls and pretend to be Yu Shi's ghost, which eventually scared out Consort Li.

However, this matter couldn't be discussed directly, so An Lingrong casually asked, "Little Yunzi, how did you know that the person was skilled in martial arts just by looking at the footprints in Yimei Garden?"

When Xiao Yunzi was suddenly asked a question, she was taken aback at first, but then answered obediently, "Replying to Consort An, before entering the palace, this servant had studied some martial arts under a master." However, being a young man, she then said with pride, "This servant's master is a well-known knight in my hometown. Although this servant is not very skilled, I will try my best to protect the safety of all the masters of Suiyu Pavilion."

Seeing this, Zhen Huan mocked, "Look at Xiao Yunzi, he does indeed resemble a chivalrous knight."

Xiao Yunzi blushed and lowered her head, saying, "Your Highness is teasing me. It is only because I have studied martial arts for a few days that I was able to distinguish the footprints in the snow. They must have been left by someone who knows martial arts."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a glance, becoming even more certain of their suspicions.

After hearing what Xiao Yunzi had to say, An Lingrong laughed and said, "I didn't expect Xiao Yunzi to be so unassuming. We really need to ask the great hero Xiao Yunzi to help us show off our skills this time."

Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang were puzzled.

An Lingrong then transferred the story of how she impersonated Yu Shi's ghost in her previous life and how she lured Consort Li into submission to the current situation. She picked out the things that could be said and concealed the things that were inconvenient to say, and told the two of them the general arrangements.

Zhen Huan clapped her hands and exclaimed, "That's a good idea. Although the Emperor always says it's supernatural and chaotic, most of the concubines in the harem still believe in ghosts and gods. If Lady Miaoyin was indeed murdered, the perpetrator must be feeling guilty."

Shen Meizhuang nodded in agreement.

Hearing that she had a chance to use her skills, Xiao Yunzi, who was standing to the side, was very happy and eager to try.

So the three of them agreed and began their preparations.

An Lingrong, along with Shuangxue, was responsible for creating messy, long hair with silk threads, while Jinxi, along with Huanbi and Liuzhu, prepared the robes and blood-stained clothes for Xiao Yunzi. Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang then worked together to put on this act both in public and in private.

Since this matter involved many people, it was not convenient to let more people know about it. Therefore, after discussing it, the group members each took their trusted confidants and quietly began preparations.