Zhen Huan thought long and hard, and the reasons boiled down to two main points.

The first reason lay with An Lingrong herself.

An Lingrong was naturally insecure, sensitive, and prone to overthinking.

Her personality made her feel isolated and unable to blend in, especially in the sisterly bond with Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan.

As time passed, the distance between them grew.

The second reason was that, in the beginning, both Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang had indeed unintentionally made An Lingrong feel out of place.

As Shen Meizhuang once put it, “It’s not the same as growing up together.”

In the bond shared by the three of them, there was always one person who felt neglected or aggrieved.

That person was An Lingrong, who was deeply insecure at heart.

Coming from a humble family, she was constantly looked down upon and treated with disdain. When she met Zhen Huan, she saw her as a lifeline.

Looking back, it was only when her father, An Bishuai, became embroiled in a corruption scandal that An Lingrong began to truly believe that sisterhood was unreliable. This realization caused her to gradually side with the Empress.

Later, Zhen Huan gave away the Fuguang Brocade that An Lingrong had gifted her to Huanbi.

This small gesture made An Lingrong, already prone to overthinking, spiral further.

Now, upon reflection, Zhen Huan deeply regretted her actions.

That Fuguang Brocade was so precious that even An Lingrong couldn’t bear to wear it herself. How could Zhen Huan have thoughtlessly handed it over to Huanbi?

In this relationship, Zhen Huan realized she had made mistakes too.

If these misunderstandings had been resolved in time, things might not have escalated to the tragic ending between her and An Lingrong.

Perhaps even Shen Meizhuang’s death could have been avoided.

Surviving in the imperial harem was a game of endless compromises, and everyone had their struggles and helpless moments.

Now that she had been reborn, Zhen Huan decided not to harshly blame An Lingrong.

This time around, she just wanted to try her best to salvage their sisterly bond.

On the day of the palace selection, Zhen Huan dressed in the same simple and elegant outfit as she had in her previous life.

She even chose to stand in the exact same spot as before, all to ensure she could spot Shen Meizhuang as quickly as possible.

After glancing around for a while, she finally saw Shen Meizhuang’s familiar figure appear before her eyes.

Zhen Huan eagerly approached and softly called out, “Sister Mei.”

When Shen Meizhuang turned to see Zhen Huan, her brows and eyes were filled with a warm smile.

“Huan’er, I’ve heard you were selected for some time now, but I just haven’t had the chance to see you.”

In that moment, Zhen Huan’s eyes almost filled with tears.

The memory of Shen Meizhuang’s death in her previous life had been a deep, lingering pain.

Seeing her now, Zhen Huan felt a surge of warmth and familiarity.

She tightly held Shen Meizhuang’s hand and said, “Sister, traveling such a long way must have been tiring for you.”

Shen Meizhuang replied that during her time resting in the capital, she had already recovered.

Currently, Shen Meizhuang was staying in her own residence in the city, which was far more convenient than when she used to stay at her maternal grandparents’ house. Now, she lived just a wall away from Zhen Huan’s family, making it easy to meet.

Both of them cherished the bond they had shared growing up together.

Having not seen each other in so long, their conversation was naturally filled with warm greetings and fond memories.

Shen Meizhuang complimented Zhen Huan’s simple yet elegant attire, remarking that even dressed so plainly, she was undeniably beautiful.

Zhen Huan, in turn, praised Shen Meizhuang’s stunning appearance, joking that the Emperor would surely be captivated by her and unable to forget her.

As they chatted happily, a sudden commotion broke out nearby.

“Which family’s candidate are you? Pouring such scalding water on me—are you trying to kill me?”

Turning toward the noise, they saw one candidate grabbing another by the hand, yelling furiously.

The timid and apologetic one caught in the scolding was none other than An Lingrong.

The overbearing girl causing the ruckus was someone Zhen Huan vaguely recalled being named Chun, though she couldn’t quite remember her full name.

What Zhen Huan did remember was that this girl had later been punished with a zhang hong by Hua Fei.

That was also the day Zhen Huan, out of curiosity, had seen Fuzi’s body soaked in the well.

“I… I’m An Lingrong. My father… my father is…”

An Lingrong stammered, trembling as she spoke.

Xia Dongchun, while patting her tea-soaked clothes, sneered and said, “What? You can’t even say your father’s official title?”

An Lingrong lowered her head and softly said, “My father is An Bishuai, the Assistant Magistrate of Songyang County.”

At these words, Xia Dongchun’s ridicule only grew harsher.

She mocked An Lingrong for being a nobody from a rural backwater and questioned why someone from such a lowly household would bother to embarrass themselves in the palace.

From the gossiping candidates nearby, Zhen Huan learned that An Lingrong had offended Xia Dongchun, the daughter of a bao yi zuo ling family.

An Lingrong hastily tried to explain:

“I’m new to the palace and was so nervous that I accidentally spilled tea on Sister Xia. It wasn’t intentional. I hope Sister can forgive my unintentional mistake.”

But Xia Dongchun wasn’t willing to let it go.

She continued to insult An Lingrong, claiming that even if she saw the Emperor, she wouldn’t be chosen.

She went on to say that simply being allowed into the Forbidden City was a blessing for someone like An Lingrong and that she shouldn’t entertain any delusions.

Zhen Huan could no longer stand by and watch Xia Dongchun bully An Lingrong so arrogantly.

She wanted to step forward, but Shen Meizhuang stopped her, reminding her that they were in the palace, where it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Desperate, An Lingrong offered to compensate Xia Dongchun for the ruined clothes.

Xia Dongchun coldly snorted, giving An Lingrong a disdainful once-over.

She mocked the coarse stitching on An Lingrong’s outfit and sneered that the embroidered satin she wore was long out of fashion in the capital.

After belittling An Lingrong’s attire, she boasted about her own clothes, which were made of Su embroidery.

She mockingly asked if An Lingrong intended to compensate her with the plain silver hairpins on her head or the cheap gold bracelets on her wrists, which weren’t even fit to be gifts.

An Lingrong repeatedly apologized, admitting fault, but Xia Dongchun still refused to relent.

She demanded that An Lingrong kneel and kowtow as an apology, saying only then would she let the matter go.

Zhen Huan could no longer hold back.

Having lived through everything once before, she now understood why An Lingrong had been so desperate to climb her way up.

“It’s just a set of clothes, Sister Xia. Your generosity and magnanimity make it unnecessary to be upset over something so trivial.”

Though Zhen Huan despised Xia Dongchun, she maintained the necessary decorum in public.

After a few rounds of verbal sparring, Xia Dongchun eventually backed down, letting out a dissatisfied huff before leaving reluctantly.

Once the crowd of onlookers had dispersed, An Lingrong expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Zhen Huan.

Zhen Huan reassured her, saying it was just a small gesture and not worth dwelling on.

Shen Meizhuang, always the composed one, gently scolded, “Even in the palace, you dare act so boldly.”

Through Zhen Huan’s introduction, An Lingrong became acquainted with Shen Meizhuang.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhen Huan suddenly recalled something from her past life: the gossip she had overheard among the palace maids about how An Lingrong had been selected because of the crabapple flower in her hair.

Zhen Huan plucked an autumn crabapple flower from the wall and carefully pinned it into An Lingrong’s hair.

She also gifted An Lingrong a pair of earrings she had been wearing, calling them a token of their first meeting and wishing her success and happiness in the future.

“You’re too kind, Sister,” An Lingrong said, gazing at the earrings in her hand. “But coming from humble origins, I fear I may not live up to your kindness.”