ebookland Chapter 596 New Year's Eve Accident
Chapter 596 New Year's Eve Accident
Zhen Huan couldn't stop her tears from flowing. "Jingxi, it's all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on informing the Emperor of the good news of my twin pregnancy, this difficult situation wouldn't have happened."
Cui Jinxi knelt before Zhen Huan and tried to persuade her with sobs.
"Master, please don't blame yourself so much. It can only be said that you and the young prince are not destined to be together."
"The prince has repeatedly told the emperor that he has no plans to marry for the time being. The princess in your belly is his only blood."
"I have a miserable life, unfortunately, and have to be a self-combed girl in the palace. But even though I have long given up on you, I am still moved by the deep love between you and the prince."
Cui Jinxi kowtowed heavily to Zhen Huan several times.
"I am willing to protect the princess for the rest of my life. Please grant my wish, Master!"
"Jinxi, get up quickly!"
Zhen Huan struggled to pull him up. "I have never doubted your loyalty. You just said that, but do you have a plan in mind?"
Cui Jinxi nodded heavily and whispered in Zhen Huan's ear.
"Master, do you remember the piece that Concubine Hua ordered when you accompanied the Emperor to the opera?"
Zhen Huan widened her eyes in surprise, half covered her mouth and lowered her voice to confirm.
"Jinxi, you said that..."
Bai Zhi only vaguely heard the three words "Empress Hua" and nothing else.
Her mind raced, but she couldn't guess what the master and servant were plotting.
But Bai Zhi knew the importance of this matter, so she found a time when it would be difficult for others to notice and cleverly passed on the news.
"The dragon dies and the phoenix lives? Concubine Hua?"
An Lingrong repeatedly chewed over the news reported by Baoque.
She recalled that Guaerjia Wenyuan's provocation against Zhen Huan in the Imperial Garden caused Zhen Huan to have a miscarriage and then discovered that there was something wrong with the twins in her belly.
But what does this have to do with Concubine Hua?
An Lingrong's thoughts were like flying snowflakes, drifting back to Concubine Hua's recent actions.
On the day she went to the opera, she...she ordered a play.
An Lingrong was so startled that her hand shook and the teacup in her hand accidentally slipped and broke into pieces.
The clever Baoge laughed and said, "Master, tomorrow is Chinese New Year. This broken teacup is a foreshadowing of peace and prosperity for all the years to come!"
"You're just a talker. Baoque, give her a purse."
An Lingrong wiped the tea that splashed on her hands and joked with a smile.
"Bao Ge, you received a reward before New Year's Eve. Have you figured out how to repay me?"
Bao Ge was stunned. His master had never asked this question when he received rewards in previous years.
There were so many things she could do that flashed through her mind, but she wasn't sure which one her master would like.
So Baoge looked towards Baoque for help.
After a moment, she respectfully asked for instructions.
"Master, you and the young masters all prefer Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. How about I stew a pot of it?"
"Okay, Madam will come to the palace to pay her respects during the New Year holidays. I'll definitely let her try some Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, fresh from the jar."
An Lingrong looked at Baoge with satisfaction.
"Then I'll trouble you. If you make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall well this time, I will reward you handsomely."
"Yes, it is my honor to serve my master."
Bao Ge's words revealed joy.
An Lingrong shook her head slightly. Before Bao Ge had anything to say to the black-faced guard, the man couldn't wait to borrow money from her on the pretext of taking care of his comrade's family.
When An Lingrong heard Baoque's report, she was completely stunned.
It would be better for this silly girl to stay in Yongshou Palace for the time being.
When she stood up, she gave Baoque a look and walked straight to the study.
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, the entire palace was decorated with lights and was filled with joy.
At the beginning of the afternoon, Cui Jinxi carefully helped Zhen Huan onto the sedan chair.
This year's New Year's Eve banquet was held in the Qianqing Palace, which was some distance away from the Zhongcui Palace.
Without Cui Jinxi's persuasion, Zhen Huan ordered people to check the sedan chair early in the morning.
The sedan chair was surrounded by thick curtains to keep the cold wind out.
Zhen Huan held her hands to cover her chest, her thoughts drifting to who knows where.
Not long after, greetings were heard from outside the sedan chair.
She lifted the curtain and saw that it was the person she was waiting for.
"It's windy today, why didn't Concubine Qi take the sedan chair?"
"Look at my sister, your memory is really bad. Anyone in the harem who has children will always pay more attention to it."
"Unlike sister Qi, who is fair and rosy, and has a strong body, she doesn't need any external aid to travel."
When Concubine Qi glared at her, Zhen Huan immediately smiled gently.
"Sister Qipin, I can't stand the cold right now, so I'll leave first."
Guaerjia Wenyuan was so angry that her face turned pale and blue. She watched Zhen Huan's sedan chair go away and gave orders with a distorted face.
"Yafang, lock up the bitch who destroyed my sedan chair. Don't give her food or drink until I calm down!"
"Yes, Master, I will send someone back right away to ensure it is kept safe."
The dispute between Zhen Huan and Guaerjia Wenyuan in the palace soon reached An Lingrong's ears.
She called Xiao Linzi to her side and said, "The New Year's Eve palace banquet is about to begin. Go to Yikun Palace and ask Songzhi to keep an eye on Sister Nian and Princess Anle. Don't let them get close to Zhen Huan."
"Also, tell the eunuchs below to be more alert. I suspect Concubine Zhen is going to cause trouble at the banquet."
An Lingrong arranged everything and then led the children to the Qianqing Palace.
The process of the palace banquet was no different from that of previous years, except that she was now in the same position as the empress, and the table was moved diagonally in front of the emperor.
Sitting on the high platform, An Lingrong had a clear view of everything below.
She leaned over and offered the emperor a glass of wine. When she drank it all, her eyes rested on the large desk in front of the emperor.
In the hall, there was the sound of clinking glasses and the aroma of wine filled the air, making people dizzy.
An Lingrong quietly scratched her palms, reminding herself that she had just received the imperial edict to confer the title of Imperial Noble Consort, and she couldn't think about anything else for the time being.
When she glanced down, she suddenly found that Zhen Huan was covering her mouth and Cui Jinxi was bending over and whispering in her ear.
After a while, Zhen Huan left the hall quietly with the help of Cui Jinxi.
Everyone was enjoying the singing and dancing, and almost no one noticed that Zhen Huan and her servant had left the table.
Of course, except for Concubine Qi who was sitting next to her.
As soon as she stood up, An Lingrong saw a young eunuch holding a wine jug following her.
The drinks, singing and dancing arrangements tonight were all very thoughtful, but it was a pity that the palace banquet was about to end abruptly.
Sure enough, about half a minute later, an unfamiliar young eunuch rushed into the hall in panic, knelt on the ground and reported tremblingly.
"Your Majesty, Concubine Zhen had an accident while taking a breath and said she had a severe stomachache."
The emperor, holding the wine glass, stood up in shock and asked, "What on earth happened?"
Since it concerns the royal heir, the young eunuch dared not hide it.
"Your Majesty, Concubine Zhen was watching the lanterns, and Concubine Qi pushed her for some reason, and she lost her balance for a moment..."