mtl008 Chapter 324: Not a good start
Chapter 324: Not a good start
"Bao Que, have our people pay more attention to Concubine Lan these days, especially when she has any interactions with the Fourth Prince."
An Lingrong, who has memories of her past life, knows how ambitious the Fourth Prince is.
Among the concubines with high status in the palace, the only one who came from a prominent Manchu family was Concubine Lan, while Concubine Hua, Concubine Jing and Shen Meizhuang, who came from the Han Army Banner, were naturally looked down upon.
As for myself, who has two sons, I might have been classified as an enemy by the Fourth Prince long ago.
It seems that the people she had arranged to stay in the prince's residence earlier should be put to use.
"Yes, Master, I will arrange it right away."
Baoque left in response.
Bao Ge, who stayed behind to help An Lingrong change her clothes, asked softly.
"Master, as the saying goes, 'Boys and girls should not sit together for seven years.' The Fourth Prince is only a few years older than Concubine Lan. How do you think he will persuade Concubine Lan to help him stay? I see that the Fourth Prince, with his flaws, has nothing to offer that can impress others."
"Bao Ge, come closer."
An Lingrong told the whole story of how the deposed queen had drugged Concubine Lan without hiding anything.
"I believe Concubine Lan's low profile is also related to her knowledge of this matter."
"The Fourth Prince certainly has nothing, but don't forget that being the Emperor's nearly adult son is his greatest honor."
In his previous life, the Fourth Prince was also raised by Zhen Huan, who was only a few years older than him, which is why he was able to rise to prominence.
It was his adoptive mother Zhen Huan who spared no effort to praise his talent, wisdom and strategy in front of the emperor that made the emperor pay attention to his fourth son as a chess piece.
However, the Concubine Lan she chose this time is very different from Zhen Huan.
When An Lingrong got up and went out, she glanced in the direction of Jingren Palace. She thought that the emperor would let the empress dowager's body be kept in Fengxian Hall, which would make it convenient for her to act.
Just by looking at the emperor's act of building a thatched hut at the Cining Gate, it can be seen that he has no intention of moving the empress dowager's coffin elsewhere.
Let's wait until she deals with the current situation before planning other things.
Before breakfast, An Lingrong informed Hongli of what was happening on his side, and asked Baoque, Xiaolinzi and Eunuch Wu to keep an eye on the other three children.
When she entered the mourning hall, she passed by Hongli and smelled a strong smell of plaster.
After careful identification, she found that it was a blood-activating and blood-stasis-removing plaster containing medicinal herbs such as Sanguisorba officinalis, Dipsacus asper, Panax notoginseng and costus root.
The strong smell of medicine was a bit suffocating, and he couldn't sit still even when guarding the spirit.
All the concubines who came in later were unconsciously attracted by Hongli's attention.
An Lingrong noticed that Concubine Lan quickly glanced at Hongli, frowned as if she saw something dirty, and knelt in the corner farthest from Hongli.
An Lingrong lowered her eyes after seeing this scene.
Although Concubine Lan rarely goes out, according to reports from her subordinates, she seems to have a natural fear of tall men.
The few times before, when he returned to Shoukang Palace to deliver supplements, he always stood far away from the guards to avoid suspicion.
Concubine Lan's change occurred after the time she worshipped Buddha at Erlang Temple. Did anything happen during that trip that was difficult for her to accept?
Could it be that there is another reason for Wu Ya Wanying's death?
The Empress Dowager? The Fourteenth Prince? Concubine Ying?
In a flash, An Lingrong thought of a secret circulating in the harem.
When the Empress Dowager heard that the late Emperor had passed the throne to the Emperor, she was so angry that she banged her head against the pillar to prevent the Emperor from succeeding to the throne.
She is willing to sacrifice her life for the Fourteenth Prince, so it is not surprising that she lets the Emperor's concubines serve the Fourteenth Prince... to confuse the Emperor's bloodline.
An Lingrong stared straight at the coffin placed in the main hall. No wonder she always felt that the emperor was not so sad about the death of the empress dowager in the past two days, and even seemed relieved.
The Queen Mother has really racked her brains for the Fourteenth Prince!
For a moment, An Lingrong wondered if the emperor was the son of the empress dowager's enemy?
But on second thought, the Uya clan has been operating in the palace for many years, so how could they allow the prince's bloodline to be mixed up?
An Lingrong has a father like An Bihuai, and she can empathize with the emperor's experience.
However, thinking that her mother Lin lived such a miserable life because she felt sorry for An Bihuai, An Lingrong shook her head lightly, and completely drove away the slightest sympathy for the emperor from her heart.
"Please ask Concubine Hua to lead the six palaces, the princes, and the princesses to send the Queen Mother off respectfully!"
The eunuch's singing and shouting brought An Lingrong back to her senses, and she quickly wiped her face gently with a handkerchief.
The spicy taste made her cry, and she was not the only one who used external objects to express her sorrow.
This harmless, odorless powder was delivered to Yongshou Palace by Wei Lin yesterday.
An Lingrong thought that Concubine Hua did not trust the imperial physicians, so she ordered someone to send some to her.
She could feel Wei Lin's superb medical skills just by adding a pinch of powder.
As tears like pearls rolled down the face of Concubine Hua beside her, An Lingrong silently raised the volume of her cries, trying not to make Concubine Hua stand out too much.
The two imperial concubines in front were crying hard, so Concubine Qi and Concubine He naturally didn't want to fall behind.
The "wailing" sound from the main hall could be heard outside, shocking the ministers and female relatives.
When it was their turn to cry, each one tried their best to do so.
An Lingrong, who was resting in the back hall, heard that an elderly concubine had fainted from crying, and she silently glanced at Concubine Hua.
The two of them did not set a good example, so the mourners who came after them had to try their best to express their sadness over the passing of the Queen Mother.
An Lingrong felt guilty and spoke carefully.
"Sister Hua Guifei, the old lady is over seventy years old. Let's go and see her."
The late emperor lived a long life and treated the elderly relatives with preferential treatment. After the emperor ascended the throne, he also treated those relatives who were law-abiding well.
The old lady fainted while guarding the coffin, so Concubine Hua, as the person in charge of the seal, should indeed go to visit her.
She nodded and gave instructions to Concubine Jing.
"I and Concubine Shu will be back soon. I'll leave this room to you."
Among the people present, Concubine Hua and An Lingrong only trusted the good-natured Concubine Jing.
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will take good care of the prince and the princess."
As soon as the two of them stepped out of the door, Concubine Jing gathered Hongzhan, Anle and the other three around her and stared at them and Hongxia without blinking.
Ulanara Sulan felt a pang in her heart when she saw Concubine Jing's protective behavior towards her children. None of them were her biological children, so why was she so foolishly protecting them so closely?
She unconsciously touched her abdomen, feeling even more upset.
"Sister Jingfei, the room is stuffy and hot. I'm going out for a walk and will be back soon."
Concubine Jing was a kind person, she stared at him gently.
"Sister Lan Fei, go ahead. The road outside is slippery, so please watch your step."
Ulanara Sulan nodded and hurried out of the side hall.
Chuntao, who followed closely behind her, put the white fox cloak on her master and asked in a low voice.
"My lady, where shall we go?"
"Let's go and take a look at the Cining Palace Garden."
The front hall is occupied by clan members, ministers and family members, while the back hall is occupied by the emperor. Neither of them is a comfortable place to breathe.
Concubine Lan decisively chose the Cining Palace Garden which was closer.