An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

The Empress's palace has never been known for its use of incense; instead, it has always been filled with fresh flowers and fruits.

Behind An Lingrong, several red plum blossoms were arranged in a vase. The red plum blossoms had a light fragrance, and their delicate and elegant scent was refreshing.

Seeing the scene today, An Lingrong lowered her eyes and took a deep breath of the faint fragrance that had settled in the room.

Over the years, An Lingrong had come to know a thing or two about the emperor's temperament.

The emperor's current attitude suggests that he has already internally digested most of his anger. If so, he will likely follow the same pattern as before, raising the issue high and then gradually lowering it, probably taking the path of minimizing the impact of a major event.

But setting up the stage was not easy, and I was getting a little anxious.

In addition, An Lingrong had been tricked by others a few days ago, and she was really unwilling to let it go like this today.

Thinking of this, An Lingrong reached out to take off the handkerchief from her collar.

But when she looked up, she saw Zhen Huan's eyebrows twitch slightly as she looked at her.

An Lingrong stopped abruptly, pondered for a moment before understanding, and unconsciously changed her gesture of taking the handkerchief, smoothing the stray hairs at her temples, and continued to secretly observe the people in the hall.

An Lingrong was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't have time to notice the expressions on everyone's faces.

Consort Li stood in the hall, her eyes blank and bewildered, seemingly unaware of her surroundings. The Emperor remained unmoved, the Empress looked sorrowful, Consort Duan was silent, and Consort Hua's face was gloomy.

They truly each had their own thoughts.

Although Consort Qi had been granted a general amnesty, she was still extremely pale after the fright she had just experienced. Beads of sweat hung on her forehead and nose, and she looked haggard, as if she had aged many years in the blink of an eye.

Consort Qi dared not lean back in her chair, fearing the Emperor would reprimand her for her improper words and actions. However, she was extremely exhausted and could only sit with her armrest against the side. Once seated, she realized that she had just sweated so much that her makeup must have run. So she took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe the sweat from her face.

Suddenly, however, he was startled by a shrill female voice.

Everyone was startled by the sound.

It turned out to be Consort Li, who was standing below.

At this moment, Consort Li stared in terror at the handkerchief in Consort Qi's hand, her eyes fixed on it, and she screamed several times. Her voice was so shrill that it sent chills down one's spine, making one's hair stand on end.

Two eunuchs were lying on the side, not daring to get up without the imperial decree, but seeing that Consort Li looked terrifying and was even about to pounce on her, they had no choice but to steel themselves and immediately step forward to hold Consort Li down from the left and right.

At the same time, Consort Hua, being the daughter of a military family, reacted quickly and stood up to block the emperor. However, Su Peisheng was very agile and had already stepped in front of the emperor and empress.

Consort Qi encountered another unexpected event, and her heart suddenly sank. She was also quite frightened. She had originally remembered to maintain her dignified demeanor, but now all her elegance had been thrown to the back of her mind. She could only barely support herself as she leaned against the chair, her chest heaving up and down. She gently patted her chest with the handkerchief in her hand to calm herself down.

The Emperor remained composed, giving Consort Hua a deep look before pushing Su Peisheng aside to finally see Consort Li's expression.

Consort Li stared intently at the handkerchief in Consort Qi's hand, her eyes seemingly fixed on it, unwilling to look away.

The emperor turned to stare at the handkerchief in Consort Qi's hand, frowned, and asked, "What is that in your hand?"

An Lingrong's eyebrows twitched, thinking to herself, "After all, it's Zhen Huan. She's definitely more composed than me."

Consort Qi seemed to have lost the strength to speak. She looked blankly at the Emperor, then at the Empress, and then at Consort Li, whose gaze was sharp and frightening. Only then did she realize that the handkerchief in her hand had gone wrong. She quickly flung the handkerchief away as if shaking off a venomous snake.

Consort Li's gaze followed the tossed-away handkerchief, rising and falling, her eyes fixed on it without wavering. Even as the handkerchief landed at Consort Hua's feet, Consort Li remained staring intently, completely absorbed.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty used a plain silk handkerchief. Is this the pattern that Consort Li usually likes?" Consort Qi was so flustered that she spoke incoherently.

Consort Hua, standing to the side, chuckled and said, "I thought Consort Qi was always clever and resourceful. Seeing is believing, and she is indeed insightful and thoughtful."

These words were ironic and extremely sarcastic. In the past, Consort Qi would have awkwardly retorted, but today, after being frightened several times, she had no strength to think about anything else and could only let Consort Hua mock her without even having time to get angry.

Seeing that Consort Li looked dazed and wasn't spouting nonsense like before, Consort Hua felt much more at ease. Then, noticing that Consort Qi's words were off-key, she couldn't help but mock her.

The emperor, standing by, did not stop her, but merely coldly watched to see what explanation Consort Qi would give.

All eyes in the hall fell on Consort Qi.

Consort Qi inwardly groaned, wondering which powerful figure she had offended today to bring such misfortune upon her. She could only steel herself and reply, "This handkerchief was a gift from Her Majesty the Empress to the new concubines when they entered the palace. I liked its delicate colors and shamelessly asked Her Majesty for it..." Although Consort Qi didn't know what was wrong with the handkerchief, involving the Empress was extremely inappropriate. Thinking this, she lost even more confidence, her voice growing softer and her head lower with each word.

The emperor was furious at her irresponsible behavior. However, before he could lash out, he heard Consort Hua burst out laughing beside him.

"Sister Qi Fei, you threw away the reward you asked Her Majesty the Empress for so easily. You are truly loyal!" As she spoke, her phoenix eyes sparkled, her eyebrows lifted, and she revealed a charming smile. With a flick of her eyes, Song Zhi, who was standing beside her, immediately understood. She quickly picked up the silk handkerchief that Qi Fei had just thrown away from the ground, pretended to dust it off, and then neatly handed it back to Qi Fei.

The Empress lowered her eyes, sat dignifiedly, and had no intention of arguing with Consort Hua.

The emperor looked displeased. "Consort Hua, the rules must not be broken."

Seeing this, Consort Hua glanced at her casually, not taking it to heart, and said nothing more.

Seeing the handkerchief handed over by Songzhi, Consort Qi felt a chill run down her spine and her forehead throb. She dared not take it, fearing that Consort Li might pounce on her if she wasn't careful. However, remembering Consort Hua's earlier mention of "unwavering loyalty," she was also afraid that the Empress might become suspicious, and she stood there frozen in place.

Songzhi smiled and seemed unhurried.

Seeing her mistress's predicament, Cuiguo, who was serving Consort Qi, feared further reprimand from the Emperor and quickly bowed her head to take the handkerchief. However, she couldn't help but steal a glance at Consort Li, and only after seeing that she seemed unaffected did she put the handkerchief away with a sense of relief.

Consort Li's gaze no longer followed the handkerchief intently, because her attention had shifted from the handkerchief to Consort Hua, following Songzhi.

While everyone's attention was focused on the handkerchief, only An Lingrong noticed Consort Li's expression, which went from panic to joy, and then from joy to pleading—a look of sorrowful supplication.

Just as Consort Qi was filled with unease and everyone was looking at the handkerchief in Cui Guo's hand, another unexpected event occurred.

Standing at the lower end, Consort Li suddenly lunged towards Consort Hua, startling the two eunuchs on either side who rushed to stop her. However, Consort Li's momentum had already begun, and even with their quick reactions, the eunuchs could no longer pull her back. Moreover, Consort Li's strength seemed to have increased considerably since her madness.

Just as she was getting anxious, a delicate object suddenly flashed past An Lingrong's eyes and hit Consort Li's back with a thud. Consort Li staggered and fell to the ground. Her fingertips were only an arm's length away from Consort Hua, not even half a step away.

Two eunuchs rushed over and subdued Consort Li.

The sudden turn of events startled even Consort Hua, the sister of a valiant general. Consort Cao, sitting nearby, was so frightened she clung tightly to the back of her chair, as if she wanted to become one with it.

The emperor looked up and saw that what had flown over was a white jade ring. This jade ring was not made of the finest jade; its intricate patterns indicated it was a coarse piece. However, he recognized the ring; it belonged to his personal guard, Shi Ran.

Seeing that Consort Li had been subdued, Shi Ran immediately knelt down and said, "This servant was afraid that Consort Li's condition would alarm His Majesty and harm His Majesty the Empress and Consort Hua. In my haste, I threw out the jade pendant from my waist. It was only because the matter was sudden that I hope His Majesty will forgive this servant's recklessness."

The emperor nodded. He knew that Shi Ran was reliable and that the jade pendant held special significance for him, so he did not pursue the matter further and simply told him to get up and await further orders.

Having received his orders, Shi Ran returned to the side of the hall to await further instructions. However, it was inconvenient to retrieve the white jade pendant that had rolled to An Lingrong's feet.