roccoschili Chapter 111 I Want Your Father's Life
Chapter 111 I Want Your Father's Life
Chapter 111 I Want Your Father's Life
Fortunately, the summer nights were long, and Zhou Ninghai's steps were steady. An Changzai walked from Fanying Pavilion all the way to Qingliangtai with Baoque holding a glazed palace lantern.
"The Queen's cooling terrace is indeed the coolest." The summer evening breeze carries a bit of summer heat, making people's skin feel a little sticky.
As soon as An Lingrong walked into the cooling terrace, she felt that the sweat on her body had subsided a lot.
"It's really troublesome to call you here so late."
"Your Highness, why are you being so polite to me? If I wasn't afraid of disturbing your rest, I would have come to your Qingliang Palace to sit for a while."
An Lingrong sat on the stool that Songzhi brought for her with a smile on her face.
Every time Concubine Hua came to see her, there was good news, and An Lingrong had a hunch that this time it would be no mistake.
"I have something that I need your help with."
Concubine Hua gave Songzhi a look, and Songzhi took out the oil paper bag from her sleeve.
An Lingrong followed Concubine Hua's gaze and fell on Songzhi's palm.
"My lady, please look." Songzhi was always respectful to An Lingrong.
An Lingrong took the oil-paper bag from Songzhi and carefully examined the tiny brown pill.
As soon as An Lingrong took the pill from Songzhi, she smelled a strange fragrance, the same fragrance emanating from the brocade quilt given to her by the Queen.
"Your Majesty, may I ask where this thing came from?" An Lingrong was a little nervous. Perhaps today was a good opportunity to say what she wanted to say before.
"I cannot reveal where it came from now, but please tell me, what is in it?"
"It contains musk kernel, patchouli, costusroot, sandalwood, tonka bean, and other ingredients, as well as some other medicinal materials. I am not very proficient in medicinal materials, so I cannot tell you, but the main ingredient here is musk."
"Musk?" Concubine Hua pretended to be confused.
"Yes, Madam, use this with caution. Musk can make women who cannot conceive infertile and can cause pregnant women to have miscarriages. If you are not careful, it can harm people."
An Lingrong's words were very pertinent, proving that An Lingrong trusted him enough. Wen Shichu had also told him before that musk has both advantages and disadvantages to the human body, it all depends on how it is used.
"Do you know what effect this thing has?"
An Lingrong sniffed it again and answered cautiously, "I don't know the exact purpose, but Patchouli, Costus, and Musk are all spices that make a woman's skin smooth and delicate. If you give me some time, I can go back and look through some ancient books on spices, and I think I can get a more accurate answer."
"In that case, Songzhi, go get some oil paper for An Changzai to wrap some of it up." Hua Fei gestured, "Will this little bit of oil paper do any harm to your body?"
Concubine Hua was worried that An Lingrong's exposure to musk during her research would affect her conception.
"It's just a little bit, it's okay." An Lingrong understood what Concubine Hua meant. Now that it had come to this, An Lingrong decided to speak her mind. "Your Majesty, I don't plan to get pregnant, so I don't mind this musk."
Hua Fei's eyes suddenly focused: "What are you talking about! Who among the women in the harem doesn't want to have a child of their own!"
Concubine Hua didn't understand An Lingrong's thoughts.
"Empress!" An Lingrong looked around and saw only Songzhi and Baoque waiting in the palace. Concubine Hua understood and looked at Songzhi.
Songzhi nodded slightly and took Baoque to the door and stood there.
"Your Majesty, when I was in the palace, I discovered that musk was hidden in the quilt that the Empress gave me." An Lingrong finally spoke up, "Your Majesty knows that I am knowledgeable about spices, but you are the only one in the palace who knows about this. The Empress did not know. The day after I slept with her, she gave me the quilt that contained musk."
"At first I thought I was just being overthinking and just put the quilt away without using it. But then Noble Lady Fucha had a miscarriage and Sister Mei almost had one too, so I asked Baoque to take out the quilt and use it as a blanket. When I paid my respects to the Empress the next day, she praised me for being sensible."
"Empress Hua, the Queen doesn't want me to get pregnant."
An Lingrong calmly said these words that she had thought about dozens of times. She believed in Concubine Hua and had to believe in Concubine Hua.
By chance, she revealed to Concubine Hua that she could make incense. At that time, An Lingrong didn't take it seriously, but later, after looking at the quilt all day, An Lingrong just felt that she was lucky.
Fortunately, the person she chose to please was Concubine Hua, not the Empress.
When she saw Hua Fei's angry reaction when she heard that she didn't want to get pregnant, she knew that she had made the right bet.
When I was temporarily staying in the Zhen Mansion, Aunt Fangruo taught me and Sister Zhen that the most important thing for survival in the harem is offspring. At that time, I only cared about the level of my status and did not take these words to heart.
But now, looking at everything happening before her eyes, An Lingrong began to understand why Aunt Fangruo placed so much emphasis on offspring.
Having offspring may be the most advantageous tool for gaining honor and favor, but it is also the biggest reason for suffering from hidden harm.
She didn't understand why the Queen Mother wouldn't allow a concubine to have a child, but she knew that she had to survive in the harem first, until her mother's eye disease was cured and she was strong enough to protect herself and her child. Only then could she have a child of her own.
An Lingrong's eyes were burning as she expressed her views, and she felt relieved.
"Empress Hua, the Empress doesn't want me to have children."
"Empress Hua, the Emperor will not allow you to give birth to a child with the blood of the Nian family."
Concubine Hua suddenly thought of something Zhen Huan said in her previous life.
It is so difficult to have a child in this palace.
This couple is really alike. Even so, the emperor still desires to have children.
A father who aborted his own child and abandoned his own son in the Old Summer Palace was still craving for offspring.
"Even so, you shouldn't hurt yourself with musk." Hua Fei didn't know when a tear slipped from the corner of her eye. Hua Fei lifted her armor and wiped the tear away silently. "Who knows if using musk for a long time will really make you unable to get pregnant forever."
Concubine Hua thought of the secret of Huan Yi Xiang, but she couldn't tell it. The more people knew, the greater the risk.
"Since you don't want to get pregnant, there are ways to deal with it. Your pregnancy-preserving medicine is uniformly prescribed by the Imperial Hospital for all the ladies in the palace. I asked Wei Lin, the young imperial physician in the Imperial Hospital, to quietly change the prescription for you and temporarily replace it with a harmless abortion soup. If you change your mind in the future, you will still have a chance to regret it."
An Lingrong was touched when she heard that Concubine Hua was thinking about her. In the past, she only thought that Concubine Hua and herself were in a relationship of shopkeeper and clerk. Since she had come to rely on Concubine Hua and was used by her, she would naturally be given some benefits.
But now, Concubine Hua is being sincere to me.
"May I ask, Your Majesty, why are you so kind to me?"
"What if I say that I want your father's life?"