An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

Since entering Jingren Palace today, An Lingrong has been glancing at Consort Li intentionally or unintentionally.

Consort Li is indeed very different from before.

In the past, she always had a sharp look in her eyes and would seize every opportunity to put others down while showing off her beauty and charm, but today she spoke very little.

An Lingrong recalled carefully that Consort Li had been listless and hadn't spoken earnestly when she greeted the Empress today.

That's really strange.

When the Empress invited the concubines to take their seats, Consort Li simply sat quietly, staring blankly at one spot. Occasionally, she would glance around aimlessly, then stare blankly back at the same place. She looked as if she had lost her mind.

Consort Li's appearance confirmed An Lingrong and Zhen Huan's guesses.

While the Empress and Consort Duan were chatting, An Lingrong and Zhen Huan exchanged a knowing glance, their understanding unspoken.

In the imperial harem, any rituals or celebrations involving worshipping gods required careful consideration of timing, location, and the presence of all people. Now that everyone was present, they still needed to wait for the perfect auspicious time. Thus, the concubines could only chat as they waited.

With nothing else to do and no one to talk to, An Lingrong carefully examined the pastries prepared in the Empress's palace. At first glance, they seemed insignificant, but upon closer inspection, she realized that the pastries prepared by the Empress's palace this time were truly made with great care.

Today's desserts are quite unique. Not only are all the desserts accompanied by a different flower, but each concubine also has a different dessert.

Next to Consort Duan was a plate of begonia and hibiscus cake. Although the ingredients for this dessert were common, the preparation process was extremely complicated. First, glutinous rice had to be ground into powder and steamed once with osmanthus flowers. Then, honey, sesame powder, and glutinous rice flour were added, mixed well, placed in a mold, and steamed again. After the rice cake was cooked, it had to be carefully dotted with begonia flower juice to give it a pink color. It was then steamed again in a steamer. Finally, it was decorated with begonia petals to complete the dessert.

If made well, this crabapple blossom and hibiscus cake will not only resemble a blooming crabapple flower in appearance, but it will also have a soft, slightly sweet taste with a delicate hibiscus fragrance. Furthermore, crabapple blossoms are known to strengthen the spleen and stomach, and relieve thirst and coughs. Even though Consort Duan's spleen and stomach are weak due to her regular medication, she can still enjoy a few bites. Clearly, this dessert was specially prepared for Consort Duan.

Beside Consort Hua lay a plate of jujube and rose cake. This pastry also looked different from the ones the Empress usually bestowed upon her. The jujube and rose cake in Consort Hua's hand was translucent and glistening, clearly the result of considerable effort in washing the rice flour layer by layer to create the base. The translucent dark red color of the rose cake must also be due to the use of plump jujubes, which were simmered for a long time, with the skins and fragments removed before being mixed into the cake base, resulting in such a translucent red jujube and rose cake. Unfortunately, Consort Hua was always picky about food, usually only willing to eat pastries made in her own palace kitchen, and never even glancing at the pastries on the plate beside her.

Looking further ahead, the snacks held by Consort Jing, Consort Li, and Noble Lady Cao are also quite unique.

However, throughout Jingren Palace, the concubines either echoed the Empress or chatted amongst themselves. Apart from Consort Chun, who sat opposite An Lingrong and diligently finished her plate of osmanthus and jujube paste cake while still staring at the plate of peach blossom pastries in An Lingrong's hand, no one really paid attention to the pastries in front of them.

An Lingrong was looking at the pastry crumbs on Consort Chun's left cheek, wondering when she should remind Consort Chun to avoid losing her composure in front of the Empress. Just then, a young eunuch quickly walked past her, entered the hall, and reported that the auspicious time for worshipping the Flower Goddess was approaching, and requested that Her Majesty the Empress lead the ladies of the palace outside the hall.

The Empress nodded slightly upon hearing this, and then, supported by Jianqiu, led the way to the outside of the palace.

The other concubines followed behind the Empress in order of their rank.

There wasn't actually any sacrificial altar prepared outside the hall; the servants simply arranged various beautifully blooming flowers into auspicious floral arrangements, creating a undulating sea of ​​flowers that looked quite charming from afar. Directly in front of this sea of ​​flowers was an exquisitely painted screen depicting the Flower Goddess.

Since worshipping the Flower Goddess is a Han Chinese custom, the concubines in the harem simply joined in the fun for good luck and did not have any special rules. The Empress would lead the way, holding three sticks of incense and worshipping devoutly. The other concubines, who did not have incense, would simply put their palms together and follow behind the Empress, respectfully bowing three times to the Flower Goddess.

Just as the concubines were following the Empress to worship the Flower Goddess, a sharp scream suddenly rang out from the crowd. The concubines were all startled by the shrill cry and turned around.

The weather was fine today, and the sunlight was gently falling on them. It should have been a pleasant, warm day, but everyone present was startled, their fingers turning cold and their backs feeling chilly. Even An Lingrong, standing at the back, was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events.

Everyone turned around and realized that it was Consort Li who had just shouted. Consort Li looked panicked, her eyes filled with terror as she glanced around, waving her arms as if trying to drive away something in front of her. She kept muttering, "Don't come looking for me, don't come any closer, it wasn't me, it wasn't me, I wasn't the one who hurt you!" as if she were explaining something to something extremely frightening.

The concubines, already frightened, became even more terrified upon seeing this and retreated hastily. Their retreat, in effect, surrounded Consort Li, allowing them to see her condition more clearly.

Consort Hua's expression changed drastically. She quickly gave Songzhi a look, and Kang Luhai, who was waiting nearby, swiftly led several eunuchs forward and restrained the gesticulating Consort Li. Songzhi reacted quickly, snatching the handkerchief from Consort Li's hand, crumpling it into a ball, and stuffing it into Consort Li's mouth.

Immediately, he could no longer clearly understand what Consort Li was saying.

Upon seeing this, the Empress frowned and said, "How can I allow you to be so presumptuous while I am still here?"

Consort Hua smiled and said, "Consort Li is still recovering from her illness. She had only come to Jingren Palace to pay her respects to the Empress today, but it seems she is not well now. Let's not allow Consort Li to offend the Empress in this state. Let's send Consort Li back to Yikun Palace." As she spoke, her expression changed, and Kang Luhai immediately understood. He placed his hand on Consort Li's shoulder and was about to take her away.

The Empress immediately turned cold. "Consort Li is, after all, one of the Emperor's consorts, and of the rank of Consort. There is no reason for her to be forced to gag a servant and leave the palace."

Upon hearing this, Songzhi was startled and quickly knelt down, saying, "This servant has been impolite. This servant has heard that once a person goes mad, they are prone to biting their own tongue. This servant only used a handkerchief because Consort Kongli had injured herself..." Before she could finish speaking, Songzhi quickly kowtowed, fearing that the Empress would punish her for disrespect.

Consort Hua didn't care at all. Although there was no respect in her eyes, she had a charming smile on her face. "Your Majesty, we have lived in the palace for a long time, so there are some folk methods that we don't know. If the servants use them, so be it. If they use them incorrectly, they can be punished. Please don't get angry, lest you harm your health."

Upon hearing this, the Empress's expression remained unchanged. She ignored Consort Hua, lowered her eyes, and instructed Jianqiu beside her, "Have someone prepare the West Annex and settle Consort Li there first. Also, go and invite the Imperial Physician to treat Consort Li. Consort Li has always been favored by the Emperor. You should also send someone to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to inform the Emperor that Consort Li has suddenly fallen ill and is recuperating in Jingren Palace. If the Emperor is finished with his work, please ask him to come and take a look."