Jiǎn Qiū said, “The Empress heard that Zhēn Huán has been ill for so long and hasn’t recovered, and she’s really worried. She specially sent me to check on you.”

Zhēn Huán thought to herself, “Jiǎn Qiū sure knows how to speak in such a sweet way. Anyone who doesn’t know would probably be grateful to her!”

But now, she was no longer the Zhēn Huán who had just entered the palace at seventeen. She was the Zhēn Huán who had lived to eighty-six years old and had been reborn.

She had long seen through the Empress’s little schemes.

Like the Empress, Jiǎn Qiū was also skilled in medicine.

Her coming here, under the pretense of checking on Zhēn Huán’s illness, was really just to probe.

She wanted to see if Zhēn Huán’s illness was truly as serious as the rumors said, or if she was just pretending.

As someone who had stood tall in the imperial harem for decades without falling, the Empress had seen all kinds of tricks and was far too clever to be easily fooled, so Zhēn Huán had to play the part well.

“Young Mistress, take your medicine.” Huàn Bì first handed the medicine to Liú Zhū, then supported Zhēn Huán from behind. Zhēn Huán put on a very weak appearance.

She took the medicine bowl from Liú Zhū and was drinking it when she suddenly started coughing, as if she had choked.

It seemed as though the medicine wouldn’t go down.

Huàn Bì explained to Jiǎn Qiū, saying that Zhēn Huán’s body was weak and that she had been deeply frightened. The imperial physician had prescribed medicine for her to take three times a day, but it still hadn’t worked.

Jiǎn Qiū smiled and said, “Physical ailments heal quickly, but heartaches—those need a cure for the heart.”

That wasn’t enough. She then mentioned how Xià Dōngchūn’s legs had been completely ruined, and the imperial physician said that although she was still alive, she would never walk again.

She also told Zhēn Huán that Huá Fēi had sent Xià Dōngchūn to the cold palace.

Zhēn Huán thought to herself, “Jiǎn Qiū knows full well that I fell ill because of shock, yet she purposely brings up Xià Dōngchūn’s matter to me. She must be hoping I die faster, trying to add fuel to the fire!”

But on the surface, she acted as though she was frightened, all for Jiǎn Qiū’s benefit.

Seeing Zhēn Huán looking so weak, like a frostbitten eggplant, Jiǎn Qiū let her guard down.

After mentioning a few words about Zhēn Huán’s illness and how Fù Chà Guìrén had gained the upper hand, Jiǎn Qiū left Suì Yù Xuān.

Why hadn’t she noticed the Empress’s poisonous nature in her previous life?

She had been used by her for so long, just like a pawn. It was really infuriating.

It turned out that the Empress’s scheming against her had started the moment she entered the palace.

Once you step into the harem, whether you want to fight or not, you’re bound to have to fight.

This was the fate of every woman in the palace who seemed to be living a glamorous life.

But the Zhēn Huán now wasn’t afraid of the fight!

After all, in her past life, she had walked this path all the way through.

Now, the reason she was avoiding conflict was simply because she wanted to rise above the past and take some time to rest.

Zhēn Huán thought that after Jiǎn Qiū returned, she would definitely report everything she had seen in Suì Yù Xuān to the Empress.

Maybe the two of them would laugh at her!

Perhaps they would mock her as a beautiful but useless embroidered pillow.

Zhēn Huán could already picture the Empress pretending to feel sorry for her in front of the concubines.

Sigh, it really was hard on her!

Right now, Fù Chà Guìrén was almost standing out among the newcomers.

Shěn Méi Zhuāng saw that the focus had already shifted to Fù Chà Guìrén, so she told the Empress that she had recovered and was now fit to serve the Emperor.

The Empress then instructed the Jie Shì Fáng to hang up Shěn Méi Zhuāng’s green badge.

During this time when Zhēn Huán and Shěn Méi Zhuāng were both sick, Ān Líng Róng hadn’t been idle. She had been busy caring for both of them.

Since Fù Chà Guìrén had gained favor, Ān Líng Róng also had to keep an eye on her but didn’t mind much, tolerating everything.

Shěn Méi Zhuāng joked that Ān Líng Róng had such a good temper; if it were her, she probably wouldn’t have been able to endure it.

After saying that, the three of them laughed, and life was relatively carefree.

In this life, Zhēn Huán and Shěn Méi Zhuāng paid extra attention to Ān Líng Róng’s feelings, and their bond had grown even stronger.

In her free time, Shěn Méi Zhuāng would teach Ān Líng Róng to read poetry and books, but every time Ān Líng Róng picked up a book, she’d get sleepy, and as soon as she put it down, she was full of energy.

Shěn Méi Zhuāng didn’t understand why Ān Líng Róng was like that. She saw it, but later on, she just stopped trying to teach her.

The day after the green badge was hung, the Emperor summoned Shěn Méi Zhuāng.

She was happy but also felt a little nervous.

After several days of favor, she couldn’t help but worry.

She felt that she needed to discuss this matter with Zhēn Huán.

So she told Zhēn Huán all her concerns.

Zhēn Huán recalled the “Green Chrysanthemum Scandal” from her previous life—

Because the Emperor favored Shěn Méi Zhuāng and had sent her many green chrysanthemums, it just so happened that Huá Fēi saw it and thought they were given to her, so she ordered the flowers to be put down.

When she later realized they were for Shěn Méi Zhuāng, she threw all the chrysanthemums in the palace out of the window.

The next day, when Shěn Méi Zhuāng was on her way to Jing Rén Palace to greet the Emperor, a little eunuch splashed water on her clothes, causing her to be late. This gave Huá Fēi a reason to punish both her and Jìng Fēi by cutting their monthly stipend for two months.

Later, because the Empress intervened, the punishment was reduced by one month.

Zhēn Huán thought about this incident and subtly told Shěn Méi Zhuāng that she had had a strange dream the night before. In the dream, Huá Fēi punished her because of the “green chrysanthemums.”

She advised Shěn Méi Zhuāng to make sure that any rewards involving “green chrysanthemums” should be given to Huá Fēi instead.

At that moment, Zhēn Huán really wished she could just tell Shěn Méi Zhuāng everything about her rebirth.

Otherwise, she’d have to keep making excuses and fabricating reasons, and it didn’t feel good.

Shěn Méi Zhuāng, somewhat skeptical, said that Zhēn Huán was being overly cautious; it was just a dream, how could it be real?

But today, the Emperor really did send a lot of chrysanthemums to Xián Fú Palace, and Shěn Méi Zhuāng, seeing the “golden-threaded imperial chrysanthemums,” fell into deep thought.

Just then, the Emperor walked over to her, holding a green pearl pouch.

Shěn Méi Zhuāng snapped out of her thoughts and, with a soft voice, greeted him, “Your Majesty, you’re here…”

The Emperor first asked Shěn Méi Zhuāng if she liked the chrysanthemums he sent, then asked why, with so many flowers, she specifically liked chrysanthemums.

Shěn Méi Zhuāng replied, “I’d rather die with fragrance on the branch than have my petals blown away by the north wind.”

The Emperor said he liked how she was not greedy, and then added:

“I heard that there are green chrysanthemums in the flower chamber… They were cultivated for quite a while before they bloomed, and I’ve decided to reward them to you.”

When Shěn Méi Zhuāng heard “green chrysanthemums,” her eyes lit up—

It wasn’t because of their rarity, but because the dream Zhēn Huán had really came true!

Recalling Zhēn Huán’s words, Shěn Méi Zhuāng immediately became cautious. She looked at the Emperor and said:

“Your Majesty, you’ve already given me so many chrysanthemums, and I truly don’t dare to be too greedy…”

“I’ve heard that Huá Fēi also likes chrysanthemums. Please, Your Majesty, do me a favor and don’t let Huá Fēi get upset with me over this.”