An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

Consort Hua's expression changed upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager smiled without saying a word, and Fucha Yilan seemed oblivious, burying her head in her tea.

An Lingrong glanced at the expressions on their faces, pretending not to notice, but secretly knew that what she said was correct.

An Lingrong had long heard of the so-called Nanshan sacrifice, which was considered a good story by the current emperor.

---

Nanshan is not a mountain, but a large slope that must be crossed when traveling west from Deshengmen.

This steep slope is strangely problematic. It looks gentle and flat, but there are always cases of horses tripping and carts overturning when passing through it. It would be useful as a city defense, but Desheng Gate has always been the gate that must be passed through when going out to fight, and it is meant to symbolize victory and triumph. Therefore, it is really taboo to trip up as soon as you leave the gate.

So they sent someone to check, and it was said that although this place was a small slope, it was part of the mountain range and was protected by the mountain god. If they encountered any obstacles, it meant that the journey would be unfavorable.

The ancestors of the Manchus lived in the mountains and revered the mountain gods. Therefore, the Holy Ancestor sent people to see the mountains and named them Nanshan (South Mountain) according to their terrain. He also said that whenever there was a campaign, they must first offer sacrifices to the mountain gods here to boost the morale of the army.

From then on, the Nanshan sacrifice became an essential activity before setting out on a campaign.

The reason why Consort Hua's expression changed upon hearing about the priest of Nanshan was closely related to the current emperor.

Although the late emperor ascended the throne at the age of eight, he reigned for a long time and was always decisive in his actions, and his governance of foreign states was both benevolent and forceful. However, with so many foreign states, it was inevitable that he would encounter tough opponents, and war was unavoidable. Therefore, the sons whom the late emperor valued were all strong and skilled in martial arts, and some of them had already achieved remarkable military exploits at a young age.

When the current emperor was a prince, he was not favored. The late emperor often said that he was taciturn and rarely got close to his brothers, and that he was a cold person.

Once, when the Fourteenth Prince went to war in place of the late Emperor, to show his brotherly affection, the current Emperor specially sent him a banner inlaid with the scripture of peace before the sacrificial ceremony at Nanshan, symbolizing that the Emperor would bless the expedition and bring a triumphant return.

Who would have thought that on the day of the Nanshan sacrifice, just as the shaman took out the command flag from the brocade box and was about to chant the scriptures, he looked up and saw that the divine birds crows had followed him there. They were flying in flocks and circling endlessly in the sky above the sacrifice. Some crows with long wingspans even pecked and injured several of the Fourteenth Prince's personal guards.

Rumors immediately spread throughout the imperial court.

The army's morale was already low even before it set off.

Some even advised the late emperor that the current emperor was disregarding national interests and brotherly affection in his pursuit of power.

There are also rumors circulating among the people that the current emperor tampered with the banner, deliberately using the name of the divine bird to disrupt the morale of the army, prevent the Fourteenth Prince from re-entering the battlefield and gaining military merit, and attempt to eliminate a rival on the road to the throne ahead of time.

The late emperor was unable to make a decision immediately, and there was much discussion in the court.

At this time, Nian Gengyao, who had just been transferred to Sichuan, heard about this on his way to his new post. He wrote a memorial to the emperor that very night, earnestly requesting that the late emperor, in order to avoid the disaster of brothers fighting amongst themselves, transfer the fourteenth prince's banner to him and request that it be changed to the Nian family banner. He vowed to use his own life to refute the treacherous rumors. The late emperor agreed, and soon after, Nian Gengyao defeated the Dzungars, and the rumors were dispelled.

Later, when Nian Gengyao returned to Beijing to report on his duties, he met with the current emperor, who was then Prince Yong. During their casual conversation, he learned that the battle against the Dzungars was extremely dangerous, and Nian Gengyao had truly survived by the skin of his teeth. Therefore, the emperor vowed that he would never again personally visit Nanshan to offer sacrifices during his lifetime, nor would he allow Nian Gengyao to face such danger again.

However, Nian Gengyao was grateful for the emperor's recognition and favor. The emperor had just ascended the throne and was also facing a war in the northwest. Knowing that the emperor was troubled by this matter, Nian Gengyao volunteered to lead the expedition.

To demonstrate the bond between ruler and subject, the emperor once again personally went to Nanshan to offer sacrifices. However, because he had broken his vow, he suddenly developed a high fever when he set off. But the emperor's determination remained undiminished, and he refused to back down, stubbornly holding on until he reached Nanshan.

General Nian couldn't bear it, so he vowed to offer his own flesh and blood to the mountain god for favor. He then cut his wrist and offered his blood as a sacrifice to the Southern Mountain. Strangely enough, the emperor suddenly broke out in a sweat, and his high fever subsided.

Therefore, this story has become a popular tale of a wise ruler and his subject. It is even rumored that although the current emperor and Nian Gengyao are ruler and subject, their destinies are intertwined and destined to help each other.

However, the emperor never went to Nanshan to offer sacrifices again after that.

-

If anything were to harm the Emperor's health, Consort Hua would surely be furious.

As Consort Hua left, her eyes blazing with anger, she said fiercely to An Lingrong, "I think you're spending too much time in Shou Kang Palace. Why don't you go to Xian Ruo Pavilion and see what happened to that woman, so you can make plans for yourself as soon as possible?"

An Lingrong sat by the window, holding the exquisite jade cup that Zhu Xi had just brought. The bright sunlight fell into the exquisite jade cup, but what shone out was a soft light.

Savoring Zhu Xi's words, An Yingying was intelligent and could understand the Empress Dowager's intentions even in casual conversation. She was a clever and insightful person. The Empress Dowager said that this exquisite jade cup was the perfect gift for An Yingying to enjoy.

An Lingrong's mind became clearer. Regardless of the reasons, the Empress Dowager now wanted to choose someone with a clean background, someone who would be used by her and by the Emperor.

When the Empress Dowager mentioned the Nanshan sacrificial ceremony, the only thing that came to mind was the beautiful story of the relationship between Nian Gengyao and the current emperor. The fact that the Nanshan sacrificial ceremony, which had not been held for a long time, was brought up again was inevitably related to Nian Gengyao.

Therefore, An Lingrong had already made up her mind. The other day, the matter of the Nanshan sacrifice was mentioned. Whether this Wanfu embroidered scroll was needed for the sacrifice was still unknown, but it was crucial that Consort Hua knew about the Nanshan sacrifice.

Nian Gengyao won a great victory in the Northwest campaign and returned to the capital to report on his outstanding military achievements. Consort Hua was naturally overjoyed to hear this, which is why she was beaming with pride today.

All the affairs of the inner palace pointed directly at Consort Hua. Although she was powerless to refute them, General Nian was her greatest "refutation." As long as Nian Gengyao was around, Consort Hua didn't even need to defend herself.

However, this arrangement also made An Lingrong uneasy.

Since the Nanshan sacrifice was once a beautiful story between the emperor and his ministers, would they deliberately try to overturn it this time? Wouldn't that be a great loss of face for the royal family? Is the Empress Dowager's move to consolidate Consort Hua's position, or is she pushing the issue to make Consort Hua's actions a reality?

Consort Hua's reaction was indeed unexpected by An Lingrong. The Nanshan sacrificial ceremony was crucial to the Emperor's health, so Consort Hua's initial anger was understandable. However, if the Emperor and Empress Dowager were to focus on stabilizing the army and creating another auspicious occasion, it would bring immense glory to the Nian family once again. Could it be that between family honor and personal love, Consort Hua had chosen the latter?

An Lingrong gazed intently at the shimmering light of the exquisite jade cup under the sunlight. Thinking of Consort Hua's fate in her past life, a sorrowful smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of her eye. Even with Consort Hua's favor and affection, what could she do? Even the deepest love couldn't escape the machinations of imperial politics.

However, for An Lingrong herself, this time things had taken a turn for the better. This time, she was no longer just dust in the power struggles of the harem, but a cog in the machine of imperial politics.