An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

Baojuan's eyes were sharp yet filled with resentment. If eyes could truly hurt, An Lingrong would probably be dead a thousand times over by now.

But in the end, Baojuan is now a prisoner.

Although Baojuan brought this upon herself, her situation was still rather tragic. As her mistress and servant, An Lingrong couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for Baojuan in her current state.

Moreover, An Lingrong had never wronged her in the long run, so she didn't know why she was so resentful of her. She was also eager to find out the truth.

"Guard Shi, please remove the strip of cloth from Baojuan's mouth first. I have a few questions for her."

Shi Ran hesitated slightly, but still removed the cloth strip from Bao Juan's mouth.

Just as Baojuan was about to speak, An Lingrong walked up to her, frowned, and said softly, "Baojuan, although I don't know why you resent me so much, as your servant, I still want to advise you. Perhaps you have already given up your life, but there are laws under heaven. Even if you have committed a crime, what about your family? Are you going to abandon them as well?"

Baojuan, who was about to speak, paused for a moment, but then her expression sharpened again. Although she was still unwilling, she held back her words. But seeing An Lingrong approaching, she finally couldn't suppress her anger and spat in An Lingrong's direction.

Shi Ran was quick; how could he allow Bao Juan to act so presumptuously in front of him? So, with lightning speed, he grabbed Bao Juan by the collar with one hand and pressed the short knife against Bao Juan's neck with the other.

This pent-up resentment ultimately failed to fulfill Baojuan's wishes.

Baojuan was being carried by Shi Ran, and could only stand up with her body twisted and turned. She was so angry that her chest heaved, and her eyes were as fierce as knives when she looked at An Lingrong.

An Lingrong shook her head, thinking to herself with a self-deprecating smile, realizing that she was too slow to realize that this girl was so fiery.

After a moment of shock and anger, An Lingrong sighed softly. Realizing that she had ultimately succumbed to her soft heart, a mocking smile appeared on her lips, and her face looked even more haggard.

An Lingrong had not applied any makeup when she woke up that morning, and her clothes were usually simple and plain. In this situation, she resembled a pear blossom just beginning to bloom in the cold. Now, her smile was poignant and delicate, making one feel a pang of pity for her.

An Lingrong moved closer, only two or three steps away from Baojuan. Shi Ran, fearing that Baojuan might do something offensive again, unconsciously turned to the side to block An Lingrong.

An Lingrong nodded her thanks, indicating that it was alright, and walked to within half a step of Baojuan.

“Baojuan, you once told me that you were born into the Bordered Yellow Banner bondservant family, and that if you followed the right path, you could ask for favor in the future and have no worries about your livelihood. Why must you choose this path? What good will it do you or me?”

Baojuan sneered, "My lady, if you were favored, I would have my day. But alas, you are a sickly woman, ill ever since you entered the palace. If you were like Consort Wan, able to meet the Emperor and gain his favor even while ill, that would be good. But unfortunately, you are useless..."

Before Baojuan could finish speaking, a loud slap was heard, and a heavy slap landed on her face.

With her hands tied behind her back, Baojuan had no chance to dodge and could only endure the slap. Her cheek immediately turned red and swelled up.

This slap was delivered by frost and snow.

Ever since An Lingrong was assassinated in Yanxi Palace, Shuangxue had been serving by her side. She roughly knew the cause and effect of the matter. Although she had long known that Baojuan harbored ulterior motives, after hearing what An Lingrong said, she vaguely guessed that her mistress's discomfort yesterday was probably also caused by Baojuan. Thinking of Baojuan's repeated attempts to harm her mistress, her anger had already flared up. Now, seeing Baojuan slander her mistress in front of everyone, she could no longer suppress her anger.

Baojuan was startled when she was suddenly hit. After realizing what had happened, she tried to struggle and pounce on the guard, but her hands were tied behind her back and she could not break free.

Seeing that Baojuan showed no remorse, Shuangxue was even angrier and wished she could slap her again.

"Frost and snow, no!" An Lingrong reached out to stop her.

Shuangxue frowned, still angry, but since her mistress had spoken, she could only bite her lip and stand to the side resentfully.

Baojuan snorted coldly, spat out a mouthful of bloody foam to the side, and looked at Shuangxue with a cold eye, "You are indeed loyal, but have you ever thought about how long a concubine who has been in the palace for more than a year and has not yet had the chance to serve the emperor can protect you?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present turned their heads in surprise.

Everyone knew that the Empress Dowager of Shou Kang Palace was always aloof and never summoned concubines of lower rank. The fact that she had allowed An Lingrong, a mere concubine, to reside permanently in Shou Kang Palace had already caused quite a stir among the concubines. They had initially assumed that this An Lingrong must be highly favored, but upon hearing this, they were surprised to learn that she was a concubine who had not yet received the Emperor's favor.

Some of the guards, less discerning, seized the opportunity to steal glances, eager to see just how beautiful Consort An was that she could win the emperor's favor. Others, older and more detached, sighed inwardly, thinking that such a beautiful concubine was ultimately no different from a palace seamstress.

Although Shi Ran had not served in the palace for long, he knew it was inappropriate to participate in the affairs of the inner palace. Now, after hearing what Bao Juan said, he realized that he had heard something he shouldn't have, so he quickly lowered his head. But then he realized what he had said and immediately turned around and told the guards who had come with him to step back so as not to hear anything more.

An Lingrong waved her hand slightly, "No need to avoid it. There's nothing to hide today. I'm sure the palace guards are well-trained and won't cause any trouble. It's nothing shameful anyway. Just consider it a witness for me."

As for An Lingrong, she had endured countless hardships and humiliations in her past life, and now she was simply out of favor. So what if she was ridiculed?

Shi Ran was taken aback, not expecting that An Lingrong, though seemingly weak, was so open and generous in her dealings.

“Since you find following me not respectable enough, why don’t you find another wiser master? Kang Luhai found Consort Li and served her quite well; it was a good path for him.” As she spoke, An Lingrong secretly observed Baojuan’s expression. “Why don’t you find a more reliable path?”

"Hmph, that idiot Kang Luhai, what difference is there between him and a dog in Consort Li's palace? The harem values ​​unwavering loyalty above all else. How can someone who has betrayed his master be trusted again?" Baojuan said disdainfully.

Upon hearing this, Shuangxue couldn't help but feel a surge of anger in her chest. "Pah! You look down on them, but are you truly loyal to them?"

Baojuan raised an eyebrow and said disdainfully, "It's more enjoyable to be the master than to be a loyal servant."

An Lingrong's brow relaxed upon hearing this; she hadn't expected Baojuan to have such intentions. "That's true, but there's never a free lunch in the palace. The pledge of loyalty must be quite substantial, right?"

Upon hearing this, Baojuan suddenly burst into laughter, as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world. Seeing that Baojuan had given up and was afraid of disturbing the Empress Dowager, Shi Ran was about to cover Baojuan's mouth and nose with his hand, but Baojuan twisted away and looked to the side, saying, "Are all the palace guards so cowardly? Consort An just said she wanted to ask me something."

An Lingrong couldn't help but sigh, truly baffled as to why Baojuan seemed to have gone mad. "Guard Shi, let her continue."

"My lady, I really don't know if you're kind-hearted or foolish. My pledge of loyalty is, of course, your life." Baojuan's eyes gleamed, like an eagle eyeing its prey, making the smile on her face even more chilling.