An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

For several days, there was no news from Shou Kang Palace in the inner palace, but for some reason, news suddenly came today that the imperial physicians were taking very good care of the Fifth Prince, and that his condition had improved considerably in the past two days.

It is said that the Empress Dowager was relieved to see that the Fifth Prince was out of danger, and she has been in much better spirits these past few days, even taking less of her usual medication.

Even so, no one in Shou Kang Palace dared to be negligent. In addition to specially arranging for Imperial Physician Qin Fang to be stationed at Shou Kang Palace every day, the two Imperial Physicians Jiang also took turns waiting for patients at Shou Kang Palace. Judging from this, the Empress Dowager was still very concerned about the Fifth Prince's injury.

However, the gates of Shou Kang Palace are no longer tightly closed.

Aside from the Empress Dowager still using the excuse of the illness in Shou Kang Palace to exempt the Empress and concubines from their daily greetings, if any concubine was filial and wanted to send some nourishing medicine or ornaments, the nannies of Shou Kang Palace would come out and accept them with smiles.

This was quite unlike the Empress Dowager's usual style, and it caused a great deal of discussion in the palace.

-----

A few days ago, the Empress ordered palace servants to deliver two bolts of silk satin to Suiyu Pavilion. It was said to be newly made in Jiangnan and sent to the palace, but the quantity was small. The Empress specially rewarded a few new concubines, with An Lingrong and Zhen Huan each receiving one bolt.

This silk satin is so fine and soft, and it reflects a soft, ever-changing luster when the sunlight shines on it; it is truly a very fine material.

With nothing else to do, An Lingrong began to think about using the material to make a garment.

Because she really liked it, she greedily wanted to make the most of it, both to make herself a dress and to save up some fabric to make a cloud-shaped shoulder piece. However, this greedy idea was quite troubling, and she pondered for a long time but still didn't know where to start cutting.

When Shuangxue brought in the teacup, An Lingrong was holding a small pair of scissors, pacing around the table. Seeing her troubled look, Shuangxue smiled and said, "Why is Your Highness so worried about this piece of fabric? Your eyebrows are almost furrowed together."

Hearing the sound of frost and snow, An Lingrong glanced at the sky outside. It wasn't lunchtime yet, so she tilted her head and said, "Didn't I tell you to deliver a purse to Sister Mei? You and Cai Xing from her palace have always been on good terms. Why didn't she take you out for a chat today?"

Shuangxue shook her head. "No, I heard that the Fifth Prince's health has improved a lot these past few days, and the Empress Dowager is in a great mood as well. All the palaces and courtyards that are willing to send a lot of good things to Shou Kang Palace. Some say they are for nourishing the body, while others say they are for playing and amusing. In any case, they are all trying to please the Empress Dowager."

An Lingrong looked up at Shuangxue and asked curiously, "What doesn't Shou Kang Palace have? What good things hasn't the Empress Dowager seen? Why send these things to the Fifth Prince who has just recovered from his injury?"

Shuangxue replied, "That's right. But the atmosphere in the harem has always been like this. Once someone takes the lead, others will follow suit. In short, if someone gives a gift and others don't, they always feel that they're not getting their due."

An Lingrong nodded gently again, "So, Sister Mei is also busy with this in her palace?"

Shuangxue said, "Yes, Consort Jing is an elder in the palace, so she should naturally pay more attention to the Empress Dowager. Moreover, since she has already given away a position as the head of a palace, it would be unreasonable for Noble Lady Shen not to show her appreciation."

"Oh," An Lingrong said thoughtfully, "then what did they give?"

"It is said that the Empress Dowager loved orchids, so she prepared several fine orchids. However, it is really not suitable to grow orchids at this time of year. Although the flower shop has cultivated some in the greenhouse, they are not growing well."

Consort Shen was thoughtful, so she had it moved to her room and kept it for a few days. She said she had also sought out a gardener in Jiangnan who cultivated orchids and had learned some methods. It was growing well now and would be ready to be sent to the Empress Dowager in a couple of days.

But these orchids are delicate and can't be left unattended. Therefore, Sister Caixing has to look after them every day.

An Lingrong listened, smiled faintly, and nodded. "It sounds quite elegant." She put down the scissors, picked up her teacup, and took a small sip. Then she looked up and asked, "Has Shou Kang Palace really accepted all the items sent recently?"

Shuangxue nodded emphatically, "Indeed! I've always heard that the Empress Dowager prefers peace and quiet and is usually quite aloof to outsiders. But I never expected that what I've heard these past few days is completely different."

It was said that although the Empress Dowager declined to see anyone, she accepted every single one of the various valuable gifts presented by the princes and concubines. Even the items sent by the wife of Prince Dun were accepted without question.

An Lingrong was taken aback upon hearing this. She put down her teacup, looked up, and asked, "You didn't hear wrong? It really is that Prince Dun, whom the Empress Dowager has always disliked?"

An Lingrong vaguely remembered this Prince Dun.

Although Prince Dun was the emperor's brother, he was favored by the emperor because his mother was the younger sister of Empress Xiaozhaoren. His childhood experiences were completely different from those of the current emperor, and he was deeply loved by the late emperor and his own mother. Because everything went too smoothly for him in his youth, he was raised to be a simpleton. He was not only impatient but also often spoke without thinking, which was really a headache for others.

The current Empress Dowager was once a scribe and maidservant of Empress Xiaozhaoren. Although heroes are not judged by their origins, the current Empress Dowager has a different status and dislikes people bringing up her past.

However, this Prince Dun was quite brainless. He often boasted about his background and always mentioned his birth mother. Over time, some of these words inevitably reached the Shou Kang Palace and entered the ears of the Empress Dowager.

In short, the Empress Dowager was extremely distant from Prince Dun, and consequently quite indifferent to Prince Dun's wife as well.

Seeing that An Lingrong had asked this question, Shuangxue answered carefully, "That's right, Your Highness. It's not surprising at all. Our Empress Dowager used to be intolerant of even the slightest imperfection, but this time, she not only accepted the gifts that were sent, but also ordered her maid, Aunt Zhuxi, to personally go and greet them. She gave the Princess Consort of Prince Dun a great deal of face."

I've heard that Prince Dun's wife went to great lengths, personally delivering two thousand-year-old ginseng roots. The servants nearby said they were two exceptionally fine ginseng roots, already resembling the outlines of children; they were probably on the verge of becoming spirits.

Hearing Shuangxue's exaggerated description, An Lingrong couldn't help but laugh, "There's no such thing as a ginseng that has become a spirit, but the one given to the Empress Dowager must be of good quality. It's just that it's not easy to get even one of these kinds of ginseng, but I didn't expect Prince Dun to be so generous as to have his wife send two at once."

An Lingrong couldn't understand why Prince Dun had become so tactful, even taking the initiative to curry favor with the Empress Dowager.

Even if they wanted to curry favor with the Empress Dowager, this gift seemed far too extravagant. Moreover, she vaguely knew from her past life that the Emperor deeply resented members of the royal family colluding with merchants or accepting bribes. Logically, given Prince Dun's salary and the rewards he had received over the years, he should have some wealth. Yet, to be so lavish in simply visiting someone in the sickbed was surprising. Our Emperor is inherently suspicious; weren't they truly afraid that he would become suspicious of them?

As An Lingrong was pondering, Shuangxue refilled her tea and still asked in surprise, "The situation in Shou Kang Palace is truly unpredictable. Their behavior is nothing like it used to be. How come the Empress Dowager changed her temperament after being frightened by the Fifth Prince's affair?"

An Lingrong was drinking tea when she suddenly heard Shuangxue say this, and she couldn't help but scold her, "You should know how to speak properly. What kind of place is Shou Kang Palace? You can't say such things again!"

Seeing that An Lingrong still had a stern face, Shuangxue was already alarmed and hurriedly lowered her head to admit her mistake.

Seeing that Shuangxue had learned her lesson, An Lingrong did not pursue the matter further. She simply sent Shuangxue to Zhen Huan's place to see if Zhen Huan was free. If she was, she would go to her palace for a chat.

Because she vaguely felt that the things that had been unresolved before were about to be resolved.