An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

The imperial harem is never short of gossip, but this wave of gossip is indeed quite astonishing.

Lately, the palace servants who serve in various palaces and places, if they have any sense, are unwilling to take on tasks near Qianli Pond.

Those who are less worldly-wise might ask, "Is the belief in ghosts and gods credible?"

But in the end, no one dared to delve into the matter and find out who the ghost that had been frequently appearing near Qianli Pond was.

After all, the palace has never lacked wronged souls.

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Shoukang Palace.

The Shou Kang Palace has been filled with the aroma of medicine lately.

The Empress Dowager fell ill again, and all the imperial physicians who came to see her said the same thing.

The Empress Dowager couldn't help but shake her head upon hearing this. These imperial physicians were getting better and better at handling their duties these days. Their reports were nothing more than: "Your Majesty is in good health, but your spleen and stomach are weak due to the onset of winter, which is why you have no appetite. With a little care, you will recover soon," and so on. They only said the nicest things.

However, the Empress Dowager knew in her heart that these imperial physicians were only trying to save her life, saying some harmless things and then using medicine to prolong her illness. Originally, she didn't have anything to worry about, but lately there were just too many matters in the harem, which made her feel suffocated and unable to muster any appetite.

"Has Your Majesty heard about the recent haunting of Qianli Pond?" The Empress Dowager leaned against a plush cushion, being served her medicine by Zhu Xi. Today's medicine was not only bitter, but also had a sour and astringent taste. It was said to invigorate the spleen and stimulate the appetite, but drinking it made her feel nauseous.

The Empress Dowager couldn't drink any more, so she turned to the Emperor, who was calmly drinking tea beside her, and asked him a question.

"Hmm?" The emperor seemed to be pondering something as well, and was slightly taken aback when the empress dowager asked him.

Su Peisheng quickly whispered, "The Empress Dowager just mentioned Qianli Pond." He left the rest of his sentence unsaid, implying that the Emperor had already heard about it and there was no need to continue.

The Empress Dowager glanced at Su Peisheng without showing any emotion, waiting for the Emperor's reply.

"I did hear something from my servants. But it's just idle gossip, and I'll have it dealt with. Your Majesty needn't take it to heart. If the Empress Dowager doesn't want to hear about this anymore, I'll immediately issue an edict to severely punish these gossipy servants," the Emperor quickly replied.

The Empress Dowager smiled gently and said, "It's good that you've heard about it. There are too many women in the harem, and it's inevitable that some of them will be unruly and like to cause trouble. Although they may come from higher social classes, this is still your harem."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor nodded and said, "What my mother says is true. The affairs of the inner palace are originally entrusted to the Empress. I will certainly instruct the Empress to be both lenient and strict in governing the inner palace well."

The Empress Dowager nodded and said, "I am very pleased that you think this way." As she spoke, Zhu Xi fed her another spoonful of medicine. The Empress Dowager had no choice but to hold her breath and drink it down in one gulp, but her mouth was so astringent that she could not even taste it.

Seeing that the Empress Dowager was continuing to take her medicine, the Emperor put down his teacup and bowed respectfully to her. "I haven't been to the Empress's palace for a long time. I won't disturb you any longer as you take your medicine. I'll be leaving now."

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, smiling as she watched the Emperor leave, but no smile remained in her eyes.

"Zhu Xi, tell me, is the bond between me and the Emperor nearing its end? We can't even have a proper conversation anymore," the Empress Dowager seemed to sigh.

"How could that be? Your Majesty, you are the most blessed person in the world. Our Emperor is filial. Although he is busy with state affairs, he always keeps you in his heart. Look, as soon as the Emperor heard that you were ill, he almost moved the entire Imperial Hospital to our Shou Kang Palace." Zhu Xi was the Empress Dowager's maid who accompanied her from her dowry years ago to this day. In fact, she understood what the Empress Dowager was thinking and knew that these were not the words the Empress Dowager wanted to say, but what else could she do but try her best to comfort the Empress Dowager?

The Empress Dowager let out a long sigh. Indeed, as soon as she heard she was ill, all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital came to see her. But when the Emperor dealt with Chang Wenyu with swift and decisive action, there was not a sound of it.

Just the other day, when Longkodo sent someone to deliver something, he brought a message saying that Chang Wenyu had encountered bandits while being escorted to the Sichuan-Shaanxi border and was already dead when he was discovered.

The emperor was her son; how could she not know his character? If he refused to inform her, it meant he suspected that the affairs of the inner palace were related to the Shou Kang Palace.

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The most formidable thing in the harem is the tongue of its inhabitants.

It is said that there are many eloquent people in the harem, and sure enough, in just a few days, a story that could be explained by an ordinary reason has been transformed into a case of a wronged soul seeking revenge, which is feared by everyone.

The original version of the story goes like this: On the second day of the month, a palace maid, from an unknown palace, was sent out on an errand after the lanterns were lit. While passing by Qianli Pond, she happened to see a white shadow fly by. Upon returning to the palace, she developed a fever for several days. After a few days, the maid awoke, and when questioned, she changed her story, saying that she had been walking quickly that night and might have startled the water birds in the pond. She was in a hurry to report back and hadn't looked closely.

There were many experienced elders in the palace, and they all said that the young palace maid had encountered an evil spirit. Fortunately, the spirit was harmless. The young palace maid was also discreet and didn't explain the situation too clearly, thus managing to save her life.

However, rumors about ghosts and spirits spread extremely quickly in the palace, and soon experienced palace servants discovered that there were too many flaws in what the palace maid was saying.

Firstly, it's already winter, and the birds in the pond have long since flown away; there's no way you could still see any water birds in the pond. Secondly, no matter how fast the water birds move, their tracks are still visible; how could they possibly fly by in an instant?

Therefore, some people speculate that this is the legendary wronged spirit.

As the story spread, it became incredibly rich and even somewhat touching.

Legend has it that a beautiful palace maid was passing by Qianli Pond on her errands. She was heartbroken after being scolded by her master that day. Reaching the vicinity of the pond and finding no one around, she secretly shed a tear. Perhaps it was this sorrow that attracted that wandering spirit.

It was also speculated that the appearance of this ghost was quite orderly. First, a mournful song came from the pavilion opposite the pond. The song was cold and plaintive, and it was the song that Miaoyin Niangzi used to love the most.

Later, some phosphorescent lights flickered near the pool, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes elusive.

The ghost seemed to feel a sense of kinship with the palace maid and was drawn to her. However, the little palace maid was so frightened that she stopped crying.

The ghost darted across the lake and arrived in front of the poor palace maid, intending to see what grievances she had suffered.

But the young palace maid suspected that it was a vengeful ghost trying to devour her soul and possess her body.

Fortunately, the young palace maid had a flash of inspiration. She yelled at the ghost and threw the lantern she was carrying at it. You see, these wandering ghosts are most afraid of the anger and fire of the living. The palace maid had inadvertently saved her own life.

However, upon returning to the palace, she still developed a high fever and delirious for several days, only recovering after three or four days of fever. It is said that although she later regained consciousness, she was still delirious from the fever. The things she hears now, such as water birds, were all taught to her by her mistress, so as not to let her summon that ghost back.

Xiao Yunzi vividly recounted the information she had gathered over the past two days to An Lingrong, Zhen Huan, and Shen Meizhuang. The three women listened with great enthusiasm, watching Xiao Yunzi speak with such emotion, sometimes acting as a terrified palace maid, sometimes as a wise old woman, and sometimes even mimicking a ghost flying around. Xiao Yunzi deliberately amused her mistresses, exaggerating her performance, which made them all cover their faces and laugh as they listened.

"I never imagined that the maids and servants in the harem would be so good at fabricating stories. I'm afraid even the storytellers in the teahouses would be ashamed of themselves," Zhen Huan said with a smile.

Jinxi smiled and said, "Life in the harem is the loneliest and most desolate. It's rare to have a topic to talk about, so it's naturally being spread around with great enthusiasm."

"It's all because Xiao Yunzi is so popular. The whole palace is full of older sisters and younger sisters who not only gather information but also help to fabricate a more believable story," Liu Zhu said bluntly, only picking the most cunning parts to mock Xiao Yunzi.

Xiao Yunzi blushed to the roots of her ears upon hearing this. "Sister Liu Zhu is making fun of me again. Isn't it true that being sweet-talking gets things done?"

Liu Zhu pouted and said, "Don't call me 'sister,' I don't fall for that."

Xiao Yunzi quickly put on a wronged look and shook Liu Zhu's sleeve, pleading, "Sister Liu Zhu, please don't be angry."

Seeing Xiao Yunzi's expression, it seemed that Liu Zhu's mockery was not wrong. Zhen Huan, An Lingrong, Shen Meizhuang, along with Jinxi, Huanbi, and Liu Zhu, couldn't help but laugh for a long time.

Although An Lingrong was worried, now that the scheme was set and the net was cast, it depended on when the fish would bite. But seeing the harmonious scene before her, she felt more at ease. No matter what, she was no longer alone.