An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

An Lingrong met Shen Meizhuang again on the day she entered the palace.

Remember when she timidly entered the palace gates, even afraid that the messenger eunuch would disturb Zhen Huan? So she quietly entered with Bao Juan by herself. But they thought she was eavesdropping, which made Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang feel quite embarrassed.

Looking back now, I realize I was indeed overly cautious.

To avoid Xia Dongchun's harassment, when the Empress and Consort Hua sent their gifts to the various palaces, An Lingrong took Baojuan to Suiyu Pavilion.

They arrived early today, just in time for Consort Hua's gifts to be delivered to Zhen Huan's palace.

The one who brought the gifts was Zhou Ninghai, who served Consort Hua.

Looking back now, An Lingrong realized that because she had little presence back then, and Consort Hua hadn't really put any effort into her, she didn't have any strong feelings towards Consort Hua. If she did, it was out of admiration for Consort Hua's ability to stand up to the treacherous Empress for so many years.

As An Lingrong walked towards the inner hall, she happened to run into Zhou Ninghai, who was coming out of the inner hall.

Before entering the palace, although An Lingrong received help from Zhen Huan, she was not as well off as the other concubines. She was still wearing the dress prepared for the selection. Even the simple-minded Xia Dongchun could tell at a glance that this dress was not a fashionable style, let alone Zhou Ninghai, who was used to seeing good things, by Consort Hua's side.

Zhou Ninghai glanced coldly at An Lingrong, who was about to enter, and immediately understood the situation.

He only paused briefly as he passed by to greet the passerby, saying, "This servant, Zhou Ninghai, greets you, Your Excellency."

Having said that, without waiting for An Lingrong's reply, he continued, "The task that Consort Hua instructed me to do is not yet completed, so I will not disturb Consort An and Consort Wan's chat any longer." After saying that, he walked away with a group of eunuchs behind him.

An Lingrong's expression remained unchanged, but Baojuan beside her whispered a reminder: "This is Zhou Ninghai, the head eunuch of Consort Hua in Yikun Palace. He is used to acting arrogantly in the palace because of Consort Hua's influence. Please don't take him to heart, Your Highness."

An Lingrong merely glanced at Bao Juan before leading her into the inner hall.

As she entered, Zhen Huan was instructing Jinxi to take stock of the jewelry bestowed by Consort Hua. Upon seeing An Lingrong enter, she hurriedly rose to greet her, saying, "I didn't expect you to settle in so quickly, sister. I was just thinking of inviting Sister Mei to come see you later."

An Lingrong laughed, "Sister knows I didn't have much to pack, and I'm the least outstanding among this year's candidates. The Empress only bestowed a few bolts of satin upon me." She then added with a playful smile, "Anyway, I can't compare to your intelligence and beauty, so I'm just happy to be carefree. But sister, seeing me walk here under the scorching sun, don't you feel sorry for me? Won't you even let me taste the tea from your palace?" An Lingrong finished speaking and deliberately looked at Zhen Huan with a pitiful expression.

Before Zhen Huan could speak, Liu Zhu jumped up first, "Your Highness, please sit down. It was our poor service. I'll make you some tea right away."

In this back and forth, because of An Lingrong's casual attitude, Zhen Huan, who was originally worried that An Lingrong would mind her generous reward, also breathed a sigh of relief.

A moment later, Liu Zhu came in carrying a teacup.

"Please try this, my lady. This tea is not particularly rare, but the water is dew collected from lotus flowers by my lady in winter. The tea brewed with this water has a faint lotus leaf fragrance."

"Is that so? Then I'll have to give it a try, little sister." An Lingrong picked up the teacup with three fingers, and sure enough, a fragrant aroma wafted out.

An Lingrong closed her eyes, took a deep breath of the fragrant aroma, and said, "As expected, everything in my sister's palace is of the finest quality."

Zhen Huan laughed, "Don't listen to Liu Zhu's nonsense. She can make even the blackest thing sound white. Just try it and see." After saying that, she stood up and said, "Sister, sit for a while. I'll change my clothes now, and then we'll go for a walk in Sister Mei's palace." With that, Zhen Huan pulled Huan Bi and prepared to walk into the inner room.

"Who wants to come to my palace for a stroll?" As she spoke, it was Shen Meizhuang who stepped in.

Today, Shen Meizhuang wore a light pink robe with horseshoe-shaped narrow sleeves and chrysanthemum embroidery, which made her skin look even more radiant.

An Lingrong thought to herself, no wonder Shen Meizhuang was the first to be favored, they are all beauties after all.

However, due to the ties from her past life, An Lingrong in this life still cannot treat Shen Meizhuang the same way she treated Zhen Huan.

To this day, An Lingrong still remembers that when Yu Shi died, she was clearly helping Zhen Huan get rid of a problem, but Shen Meizhuang accused her of being heartless.

Because we didn't grow up together, I was always on guard against.

Perhaps it was because Shen Meizhuang had unintentionally contributed to everything in his past life, or perhaps it was because he owed Meizhuang a life in his past life.

When An Lingrong saw Shen Meizhuang again, she still felt somewhat uneasy.

Upon hearing Shen Meizhuang's voice, Zhen Huan immediately turned around and came out to greet her, taking Shen Meizhuang's hand and leading her into the house.

With a smile, Zhen Huan asked, "Is Sister Mei living comfortably in her palace?" She then instructed Liu Zhu, "Quickly prepare tea and snacks for Sister Mei."

Liu Zhu answered in response and then ran out.

Just then, Jinxi returned from the storeroom. Looking at the bouncy Liuzhu, she felt a sense of helplessness. After all, Liuzhu had grown up outside the palace and needed to be trained.

Inside the room, Zhen Huan, Shen Meizhuang, and An Lingrong were already seated. They sat in the same manner as always. Although An Lingrong had arrived first, she still invited her two elder sisters to sit on the couch, while she herself sat on a stool at the lower end.

The three chatted and laughed, and ended up talking about the residences of all the young ladies-in-waiting, as well as the rewards bestowed upon them by the Empress and Consort Hua.

Finally, they returned to talking about their respective palaces.

Xia Dongchun's temperament naturally needed to be discussed by the three of them, but this time An Lingrong was not as submissive as she had been in her previous life.

Instead, he chuckled and talked about how Xia Dongchun had loudly confessed her love for Consort Hua in the palace.

Both Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan looked surprised upon hearing this.

"I originally thought Xia was just arrogant because of her family background, but I didn't expect her to be so brainless," Shen Meizhuang said, shaking her head.

"Consort Jing is quite easy to talk to, and the people serving in my palace are quite clever, but..." Shen Meizhuang started talking about her palace, but before she could finish, An Lingrong interrupted with a smile, "No matter how clever the people in the palace are, they are not as easy to use as those who have been trained since childhood. However, Sister is intelligent, and given some time, she will surely become as clever and capable as Caiyue." Upon hearing An Lingrong's words, Zhen Huan's eyes flickered slightly.

An Lingrong continued, "My sister is foolish, but she's also blessed with good fortune. Baojuan in the palace is honest and capable, and she manages the household affairs very well. However, my sister is still dull-witted and not as good at managing the people around her as my elder sister. In the future, Baojuan will have to learn more from the ladies around you two."

Before An Lingrong could finish speaking, Baojuan, quick-witted as ever, curtsied to Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang. "This servant thanks both of you for your kindness. I hope you, Sister Huanbi, Sister Liuzhu, and Sister Caiyue, will continue to guide me in the future."

Zhen Huan smiled and said, "Baojuan is indeed clever. With Baojuan taking care of you, I feel at ease. Are there any other people in your palace? There are many daily trivial matters; can Baojuan handle them all by herself?"

An Lingrong replied, "Baojuan is capable and clear about everything. I also have two younger children in my palace. Although they are not very sensible yet, they are quite quick and efficient. They can learn from Baojuan and be quite useful."

Shen Meizhuang nodded and said, "That's true. The head maid is the most important. Baojuan is reliable, so Huan'er and I are at ease."

The three chatted for a while longer. The novelty of entering the palace hadn't worn off yet, and with dinner time approaching, there was still so much to say.

Before leaving, An Lingrong took out three purses. She gave one with lotus leaf and lotus flower patterns to Zhen Huan, one with blooming chrysanthemums to Shen Meizhuang, and kept the one with apricot blossoms in her hand.

"Lingrong and Sister Wan had previously become sworn sisters, and I promised Sister Wan that I would make two sachets to put our sisterly birth certificates inside. But thinking about it again, it was really inappropriate. Sister Mei and Sister Wan have known each other for a long time, and I only asked Sister Wan to come, but I didn't ask Sister Mei to come. I just don't know if Sister Mei will look down on me as her stupid younger sister."

Having said that, she curtsied and said sincerely, "If you don't mind, please accept this dull younger sister. If there is anything I can do to help you in the future, I will do my best and never refuse."

Shen Meizhuang quickly helped An Lingrong up, looking somewhat apologetic.

"I used to think that Lingrong was just a quiet girl, but I never expected her to be so thoughtful and capable. With such a smart sister around, the days in the harem will certainly not be lonely."

As she spoke, she took Zhen Huan's hand and said, "The three of us entered the palace on the same day and got along so well. We must support and take care of each other in the future."

At this moment, An Lingrong finally felt relieved. In this life, she would no longer depend on the Empress, and she could finally control her own destiny.

At this time, An Lingrong did not know that once she changed this past event, things would never be the same again.