Chinese Valentine’s Day

Author: There is a Rabbit in the South

Chapter 42. Chinese Valentine's Day

"Can you tell me why?" An Lingrong asked.

"Yinxiu didn't say anything." Daukou shook her head, but she also knew the reason, "But I heard that Concubine Hua was impatient to take care of Princess Wen Yi recently. When she saw her crying at night, she had someone give her a tranquilizer.

She, Princess Wen Yi, has been sleeping a lot lately, I think it's because of this."

An Lingrong couldn't help but widen his eyes: "Soothing medicine?"

Cardamom nodded.

That's really like shooting a stone in the foot. An Lingrong couldn't help but feel that Concubine Hua was a bit careless in her move. Everyone in the palace knew how much Cao Guiren valued Princess Wen Yi, but she did it for herself.

For selfish desires, he disregarded the safety and health of the princess. No wonder Cao Guiren turned against him after abandoning his loyalty for many years.

An Lingrong shook his head and sighed, and thought for a while: "It will be Chinese Valentine's Day in a few days. At that time, the emperor will hold a banquet in Changchun Garden to entertain all the princes and concubines. Go and ask for leave from the queen, and tell me

I'm not well yet, so I can't attend." She took a sip of the white fungus soup that Dill brought in, and then said, "You should also go and reply to Mr. Cao, she knows what to do."

Kao Kao responded and hurried out.

Dill was about to help An Lingrong wash up when she heard Xiao Xiazi's voice coming from outside.

"Suzhou has recently donated several pieces of brocade. The emperor remembered that Rong Guiren was wearing the same brocade on the day of the palace election. He thought the nobleman looked good in his clothes, so he asked his servants to bring him new clothes." Xiao Xiazi asked.

The man put the brocade on the table and said with a smile, "Although the emperor can't visit you often in recent days, he is always thinking about you. Although this brocade is not as precious as the Shu brocade, it is still very rare. This is all I got.

The emperor has given all the rewards to the noble man."

An Lingrong's eyes fell on the brightly colored brocade, his expression moved slightly, he couldn't help but think of the past, he stared slightly, turned over all the things in his mind, smiled and said to Xiao Xiazi: "Thank you for being so old, Eunuch Xia."

On a hot day, Dill, give Eunuch Xia a cup of herbal tea to relieve the heat." After that, she asked him again, "Is she okay after taking the recipe from last time?"

Speaking of this, Xiao Xiazi smiled all over her face: "Thank you, Your Majesty. Doctor Zhang's conditioning prescription is extremely rare. She has taken it twice and her health is much better. She also asked the slave to always remember your kindness."

"That's good." An Lingrong didn't say much to him and waved him away.

After Xiao Xiazi left, An Lingrong raised his hand and stroked the floating brocade. He remembered that in his previous life, he went around trying to please everyone, and he was always uneasy after getting rewards. He gave them here and there, but now he no longer has to do that.

Since the emperor rewarded her, she accepted it with peace of mind.

"My lord, the weather is not good today. I'm afraid there's going to be a thunderstorm, so I'd better take a rest early." After taking a bath and having dinner, seeing An Lingrong sitting in front of the embroidery frame again, Dill hurriedly advised, "

The emperor's birthday is still early, and there is no rush in this journey of thousands of miles. The little master is so careful that his eyes are broken."

An Lingrong looked up and saw that the sky was just as Dill said, so he put away his needlework and went to bed early.

At night, thunder roared and rain poured down.

An Lingrong had an uneasy sleep and was awakened by a thunder. Lightning split the sky and the earth and illuminated the entire Old Summer Palace. She lost her sleepiness and got up quietly without waking Dill who was keeping watch, and walked to the corridor alone.

Looking at the pouring rain, An Lingrong was still a little dazed, his head was empty, and he didn't know what he was thinking.

Suddenly, a piece of clothing fell on her shoulder. Looking back, she saw a small mark.

"Why didn't you sleep? But the thunderstorm was too heavy, making it difficult to sleep on the porch?" An Lingrong was a little surprised.

After Xiao Yinzi came to An Lingrong, he completely changed his behavior when he was following Kang Luhai. He was conscientious and diligent. Even if he often didn't show up in front of An Lingrong, he didn't dare to slack off in his daily work.

He was grateful to An Lingrong for saving him that day, and while he was grateful, he also had some other thoughts, but he knew his identity well and did not dare to show it at all.

Hearing An Lingrong ask him, Xiao Yinzi bowed and replied: "I slept lightly, and I woke up only when I heard the footsteps of my master. My master, although it is summer, the night wind is still cold. Today

It’s raining heavily again, so you should wear more clothes.”

"Okay." An Lingrong's eyebrows relaxed and she smiled lightly.

Like an ice drink in summer, Xiao Yinzi suddenly felt cool all over his body, his heart skipped two beats unconsciously, and he quickly lowered his head.

At the same time, Huichun walked into the queen's bedroom holding a furnace of sandalwood. She saw the queen twisting Buddhist beads and chanting sutras. Sensing that the queen was in a bad mood, she stepped forward and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, the emperor has left the Qingliang Hall.

, I went to Bitong Academy in the rain, and Concubine Hua has her own day."

"Although the old love is good, it is hard to beat the new favorite." The queen was not happy at all. In her opinion, there was no difference whether it was Concubine Hua or Zhen Huan. But when she heard that Concubine Hua was treated so coldly, she

She is also happy to see the results, "She has experienced the humiliation that I suffered back then."

Huichun nodded: "In the past, when the emperor was with the empress, she used tricks to coax the emperor to come. Now, the emperor is willing to go."

"It is useless to force someone to stay if they are not in your heart." The queen did not smile at all, and her expression became more and more indifferent. She realized that Zhen Huan might become the second concubine Hua. After all, there was a risk of losing control of this chess piece in her hands. She was not Chi Chi.

How can the things in the world live under people for a long time? It is better to make plans in advance. "I remember that the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi presented a mandarin duck and a folding screen last year, so I will reward it to Wangui. I will also say a few words to Zhuqing by the way.

, Mr. Wan is so favored by you, you should always think about Mr. Rong and Mr. Hui, and don’t neglect the sisterhood."

"Yes." Huichun's eyes flashed and he leaned forward to salute.

The queen closed her eyes with a headache, looked at the incense burner, and showed displeasure. She asked Huichun to withdraw, and sat there, chanting until dawn.

In the Luoying Hall on the other side, Xia Dongchun was huddled on the bedside with her belly in her hands and eyes wide open. Although she was well-raised, she could not hide the look of fear in her eyes. There was lightning and thunder outside the window, and she was so frightened that she covered her ears and shivered.

.

On Chinese Valentine's Day, the emperor arrived at the Queen's Palace early. He first talked about tonight's banquet. Hearing that An Lingrong had asked for leave, he asked the Queen to take good care of her. Then he talked about the Hungry Ghost Festival not long after: "Hungry Ghost Festival Sacrifice"

It is a major matter in the palace and must be handled well."

"Yes." The queen spoke about Wen Yilai again, "I heard that Princess Wen Yi has been crying and feeling unwell recently. I will ask the mage to pray for her, so as to ensure the princess's health and success."

Speaking of this matter, the emperor was also worried: "After all, Concubine Hua has never given birth, and she is always unable to take care of the children. You can ask the imperial doctor to be more diligent and cure Cao Guiren as soon as possible."

The queen pursed her lips slightly and nodded in agreement.

After noon, the queen invited Zhen Huan to come over and talk: "During this period, Hui Gui has been recuperating, and Rong Gui has been feeling unwell again. You are so tired that you are going back and forth."

"The queen cares about me, I am ashamed and dare not accept it." Zhen Huan said with a light smile.

"Concubine Hua has always been petty. If she makes things difficult for you, you should be more patient with her." The queen said in a gentle tone. Suddenly she saw Huichun coming in with pine nuts in her arms. She immediately raised her eyebrows and smiled, and reached out to hug her. Seeing Zhen Huan, she was frightened.

She threw herself into Liu Zhu's arms and comforted her with a smile, "Don't be afraid, it's just a cat."

Zhen Huan forced herself to smile, trying to overcome her fear and not to lose her composure: "I heard that Persia paid tribute to a cat, and the emperor rewarded the third elder brother."

"That's this one." The queen touched the fur of the pine nut and said with a smile, "The third elder brother is filial and knew that Concubine Qi likes to raise cats, so he gave it to Concubine Qi. Who knew that Concubine Qi brought her in and it turned out to be a good one for me?

Concubine Qi gave it to me as a gift." Seeing that Zhen Huan was really scared, the queen didn't tease her much, so she let Huichun hug her again, and then said intentionally or unintentionally, "Although Songzi was raised by me, she still has a lot of love.

I am also careful every day. The closer you are to meek, the easier it is to be careless. It would be bad if you accidentally hurt yourself."

The Queen was reminding Zhen Huan to pay more attention to Bi's promise in the near future, but Zhen Huan was in a state of fear and could not understand the meaning of the Queen's words for a while.

The queen was not in a position to say more, and only talked about tonight's Chinese Valentine's Day banquet: "I'm going to ask you to take leave tonight. For some reason, Cao Guiren is also unwell and said it's inconvenient to come in the evening. Hui Guiren is still in Xiaoyue, and Xia Chang is pregnant."

Thank you for your hard work, I also exempted her from attending. I'm afraid there will be few people tonight, so my dear Wan, you must show off more, lest the emperor lose face in front of all the princes."

"I understand." Zhen Huan nodded, understanding the other meanings of the queen's words.

Mr. Cao has never been absent from this kind of banquet. Why is it such a coincidence tonight?

The queen's original intention was to drive a wedge between Zhen Huan and An Lingrong, but An Lingrong personally sent someone to tell Zhen Huan.

"My young master wants to meet Cao Guiren tonight. He said that Concubine Hua did not treat Princess Wen Yi well. Cao Guiren is interested in her. If he can take her in at once, it will be a heavy blow to Concubine Hua. The stakes are very high.

, my young master specially asked this slave to come and speak to the noble man, so that you can have some peace of mind." Dill told Zhen Huan one by one what An Lingrong had said.

Zhen Huan felt relieved and nodded: "Tell your little master, I already understand this matter."

As night fell, Changchun Garden was filled with singing and dancing, and the Old Summer Palace suddenly became silent, and Wen Yi's cry became particularly prominent.

Cao Guiren reluctantly glanced in the direction of Qingliang Palace, turned around and left with a heartbroken heart.

Walking all the way to Xinghua Village, Dill opened the corner door to welcome Cao Guiren in. An Lingrong had been waiting for a long time. When he saw Cao Guiren, he smiled and said, "Sister Cao, long time no see."

"I hope that Mr. Rong will remember the past friendship and save the lives of the concubine and the princess." As soon as Mr. Cao came in, he knelt down to An Lingrong without saying a word, his voice was sad and gentle, and he was already crying.

An Lingrong was surprised for a moment, and quickly stood up to help Cao Guiren: "Sister Cao, why did you say this?" She pulled Cao Guiren to sit down together, and said slowly, "I'm waiting for Sister Cao to go there together, why does sister come first?"

Why are you separated from me? Sister, you might as well tell me slowly."

Seeing An Lingrong say this, Cao Guiren calmed down a little and felt a little more confident. He asked her to tell her about Concubine Hua's recent treatment of Wen Yi. He couldn't stop crying again: "I narrowly escaped death before giving birth to this baby."

Wen Yi took care of her day and night and never dared to relax for a moment. She only stayed with Concubine Hua for a few days and was already on the verge of death. Yesterday, the nanny quietly ran out and told me that Wen Yi had been getting less milk in the past few days and could not even smile.

I don’t laugh very much..." As he said this, he cried until he choked again.

An Lingrong also felt distressed: "Wen Yi is like a jewel to my sister, but in the hands of Concubine Hua, she treats it like a fish eye and uses it at will. How can someone like her deserve a child!"

"Sister, if you can lend a helping hand this time, sister, I will definitely keep it in my heart." Cao Guiren looked at An Lingrong with tears in his eyes.

An Lingrong patted her hand and talked to her for a long time before sending her out of Xinghua Village.

"My lord, it's rare for Cao Guiren to be so anxious. He went straight to the topic without saying a word. It seems that he is really anxious." Dill looked at Cao Guiren's walking figure and said, "My lord, do you want to help her?

?”

"Of course I want to help, but the emperor has to talk about this matter." An Lingrong's eyes looked far away, and suddenly he landed on a place far away, thinking of someone, "Is Concubine Duan also going to do it tonight?"

Didn’t you go to Changchun Garden?”

"Concubine Duan came to the Old Summer Palace to recuperate from her illness. Except for the day of Princess Wen Yi's birthday party, she has not been out the rest of the time. Naturally, she will stay in the Changchun Palace tonight," Dill replied.
To be continued...