An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

After mentioning Lady Miaoyin and Consort Li, Baojuan refused to speak again.

Seeing that it was already dawn, An Lingrong was anxious, but she knew that it was really not advisable to delay any longer.

Shi Ran was naturally unwilling, but due to his duties, he had to put the matter aside for the time being. After paying his respects to An Lingrong, he and a group of attendants took Bao Juan away and waited for the Empress Dowager to summon him so that he could report the matter to her.

The people dispersed, and the courtyard returned to its usual quiet.

As spring deepens, several unidentified birds chirped and twittered in the pale sunlight on the horizon.

An Lingrong covered her brow bone with her pale hand, glanced at the bird hopping happily on the branch that had not yet sprouted buds, and felt a sense of loneliness in her heart.

Many of the insights gained in this life were acquired through the coldness of the previous one. Now that I have returned to the palace, I know that it is difficult to be completely safe in such a place of right and wrong, and I am prepared to be entangled in the intrigues of the harem. But when I am truly moved by this moment, I cannot help but feel exhausted.

Seeing An Lingrong's pale face, Shuangxue knew that her mistress had clearly been tricked by Baojuan. She was very anxious, but she did not know the seriousness of the matter and dared not say anything. She just obediently stepped forward and helped An Lingrong into the inner hall.

Seeing Shuangxue's hesitant expression, An Lingrong knew that Shuangxue was worried about her health, but she found it rather amusing to see Shuangxue not knowing where to start asking and looking so frustrated.

Perhaps being able to tease the frost and snow at this moment is a rare moment of comfort.

An Lingrong deliberately didn't ask, waiting for Shuangxue to stammer for a while before finally blurting out: "Your health is important, why don't we call a royal physician to take a look..."

Shuangxue looked anxious, perhaps only feeling at ease when she was busy. An Lingrong was also helpless, watching Shuangxue bustling around, bringing over a hot water bottle, warming a cup of rose honey, and rummaging through the cabinet for a soft backrest... She was busy for quite a while before she felt everything was settled. Finally, she remembered that breakfast was almost ready, and she still needed to check on things herself to be at ease...

Seeing Shuangxue bustling about inside and out, An Lingrong's heart, which had been tense for a long time, gradually relaxed, and she was finally able to calm down and sort out her thoughts.

It has been about half a year since Baojuan disappeared. Where has Baojuan been hiding during these six months?

Although the palace is large, the guards are strict. No matter which palace or hall, if one more person walks by, there will inevitably be more traces. If Baojuan is alone, even if her movements can be concealed, how will she solve her food, clothing and other necessities?

Baojuan is probably a very patient person. Seeing her today, her complexion is sallow, and she's noticeably thinner than before when she was in Yanxi Palace, indicating that her time in hiding hasn't been easy. It's unclear whether it's because she didn't complete her task properly, which is why the person behind her didn't do their best to protect her. If so, this person is extremely cunning, definitely not a good ally, and may not even genuinely care for her; they might even have a backup plan.

Why should Baojuan trust this person so much and let him do whatever he wants? Killing one's master is a serious crime, and it could even implicate one's family. Don't these consequences make Baojuan wary and determined to fight for the position of mistress?

Did Baojuan have this ambition from the beginning, or was she persuaded by someone along the way?

Thinking back to her past life, she herself had also been out of favor for a long time. At that time, Baojuan was not so impatient... If someone instigated it, such a big plan cannot be decided in a day or two. There must be an opportunity to meet. Who could it be?

But whoever it is, someone who goes to such lengths to offer Baojuan such great benefits must be asking for far more than just a little.

But what exactly is this person asking for?

An Lingrong suddenly remembered Baojuan's words: "My pledge of allegiance is naturally your life, my lady..." Baojuan's chilling smile with blood on her lips reappeared before An Lingrong's eyes, making An Lingrong feel a chill run down her spine.

Who exactly wanted her dead? Was it Consort Hua? The Empress? Or someone else?

However, since she is currently so unknown, what good would it do to take her life?

-----

An Lingrong, lost in thought, dozed off again for a while.

When I got up again, Shuangxue had already prepared breakfast.

Today's breakfast was noticeably more elaborate than usual.

The Ru kiln white porcelain bowl contains glutinous rice and lily porridge, and the finely ground sesame powder is sprinkled on top of the porridge.

The foster care snacks on the plate were several more than those sent in the previous few days, including soft steamed pine nut and rose cake, honey milk and osmanthus pudding, and jujube and chestnut cake, which required a lot of effort to prepare.

Seeing the smile on Shuangxue's face, An Lingrong wiped her hands with the towel in Shuangxue's hands, drank a cup of warm tea to cleanse her mouth, and after washing up a little, she leisurely looked at the table full of bowls and plates, and said with feigned surprise, "Shuangxue, quickly take out my makeup box and let me see. Did you dig out all our savings to prepare such a breakfast?"

Seeing that An Lingrong was still able to joke, Shuangxue's anxiety lessened considerably. "How could that be? What are you thinking, Your Highness? This was specially sent by the Emperor this morning. He said it was a new dessert made in Consort Hua's small kitchen, and he specially sent it to the Empress Dowager to try."

As she spoke, Shuangxue's eyes darted around, and she leaned closer with a smile, "Your Highness, we've been living in Shou Kang Palace for quite some time now, when have we ever seen the Empress Dowager enjoy these kinds of foods?"

An Lingrong's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at Shuangxue, knowing that Shuangxue must be hiding something again. So she pretended to be stern and said, "Have you become more capable? What else do you want to hide from me?"

Shuangxue chuckled, "How could I dare to hide it from you, Your Highness? This morning, while Shi Ran was still waiting outside Shou Kang Palace, Xia Zi, who was by the Emperor's side, brought over a group of palace servants with various snacks and treats. He said that the Emperor was particularly satisfied with the snacks from Consort Hua's small kitchen and specially ordered Xia Zi to send them to the Empress Dowager."

Our Empress Dowager has never liked sweets, but not wanting to offend the Emperor, she sent a portion each to our residence and to Miss Yilan's.

As she spoke, Shuangxue glanced at An Lingrong, her bright eyes sparkling like starlight, and said coquettishly, "I've only ever heard that everything in Consort Hua's palace is very particular, and the kitchen's cooking is exceptional. But I've never heard of such exquisite snacks for breakfast..."

"This servant thinks that His Majesty remembers your fondness for these sweet and savory snacks, and that's why he specially sent them over."

An Lingrong's heart skipped a beat. She had never thought of it this way before. After all, this vast harem was still the emperor's harem. Even though she hadn't been to Shou Kang Palace for a long time, she probably knew quite a bit about what was happening there.

Having figured this out, An Lingrong was no longer in a hurry and said with a light smile, "Perfect, we are fortunate to have a taste of Consort Hua's kitchen today."