“Sister Mei, are you alright? Lingrong came to see you.”

As soon as An Lingrong entered the palace hall, she immediately began fussing over Shen Meizhuang with concern.

Shen Meizhuang invited An Lingrong to sit:

“Thankfully, it was a close call. I was just talking about you with Huan’er earlier, and now here you are! Truly, as they say, ‘speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives.'”

An Lingrong looked at Zhen Huan and smiled. “I figured Sister Wan would be here too.”

“When I first heard the news, I was so scared my heart almost leapt out of my chest. Later, when I heard that the one who fell into the water wasn’t you, Sister, but a young eunuch who pushed someone, I was finally able to relax.”

“I originally wanted to come over immediately to check on you, Sister, but I thought there would be an interrogation to handle first…” An Lingrong glanced at Shen Meizhuang and then at Zhen Huan, adding:

“Sister knows Lingrong isn’t good at such matters, so I thought it better to leave it in Sister Wan’s hands.”

Hearing this, Zhen Huan held Shen Meizhuang’s hand and jokingly said, “Sister Mei, look, we have someone here who knows how to shirk responsibility!”

“You’re blaming Lingrong unfairly this time,” Shen Meizhuang replied with a smile.

An Lingrong exchanged a glance with Juqing, who immediately understood. Juqing retrieved a small box from her sleeve, its pleasant fragrance wafting through the air. An Lingrong took the incense and handed it over:

“Lingrong thought, even though Sister Mei wasn’t hurt, you must have been greatly frightened. So, I hurried back to prepare this calming incense to help Sister sleep peacefully.”

Shen Meizhuang accepted the box, her eyes lighting up with a smile. She brought it close to her nose and took a sniff.

“It smells wonderful. I love it. Lingrong, you’ve been so thoughtful.”

“As long as Sister likes it, Lingrong is happy. Doing something for Sister brings me joy.”

How considerate Lingrong was!

This version of An Lingrong was so meticulous and warm-hearted!

Zhen Huan saw this and felt pleased deep down.

She thought back to the previous life, to how sensitive and insecure An Lingrong had been.

It was precisely because of that sensitivity and insecurity that Lingrong overthought everything.

Perhaps in their past life, Zhen Huan had overlooked the small, seemingly insignificant details that ultimately led to estrangement between them.

Zhen Huan realized that while she had been kind to An Lingrong in their previous life, her approach had been condescending, as though she were bestowing favors from above. She had never truly treated Lingrong as an equal. No wonder Lingrong had felt uncomfortable.

This time, no matter what, Zhen Huan wouldn’t let that happen again!

To outsiders, becoming the Empress Dowager might seem glorious. But only Zhen Huan knew how dull and lonely her later years had been—

All her opponents had been defeated.

Sister Mei had died during childbirth.

Consort Duan had seldom left her residence after the Emperor’s death, focusing solely on raising Wenyi.

Consort Jing? Too reserved, with little to say.

Lady Xin? Straightforward to a fault, incapable of understanding Zhen Huan’s poetic sentiments. Conversations with her rarely lasted more than a few sentences before the words ran dry.

Why else would Zhen Huan have resorted to keeping cats in her later years? She was so bored, she had no other choice!

Sometimes, she wondered how joyful her later years might have been if everyone had lived.

Especially Hua Fei. That woman walked with such swagger, as if nothing in the world could scare her. Zhen Huan couldn’t help but imagine what Hua Fei would’ve been like as an old woman, strutting around less confidently, no longer able to flaunt her arrogance.

Thinking about it now, Zhen Huan decided she didn’t need to fight so ruthlessly this time.

Those who deserved to die—like the Empress—still had to go. If not, the imperial harem wouldn’t truly be under Zhen Huan’s control.

Those who were cunning enough to outwit her couldn’t be allowed to stay either. Who knew when they might plot against her?

As for those who were merely outwardly arrogant, once subdued, they could remain. Why kill them when they could provide companionship in her later years?

That night, the three sisters stayed together in Shen Meizhuang’s palace, laughing and chatting merrily.

The next day, Xiaoyun overheard from Jinxiu that Hua Fei had sent Caiyue away under the pretense of gifting Shen Meizhuang “fine ink.” Only then did he realize—

Ah, it was fine ink (好墨), not fine cat (好貓)! His ears really were unreliable!

Lady Li had been sent to the Cold Palace, and her servants were scattered. Some were reassigned to other palaces, while others were sent to perform hard labor. As for someone like Kang Luhai, who had betrayed his mistress, no one dared to use him.

Zhen Huan had considered asking the Emperor for him when Lady Li was sent away. But doing so outright might seem too deliberate. She needed the timing and excuse to be just right.

So, she called Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong to discuss the matter.

Shen Meizhuang believed that requesting Kang Luhai at this time might invite gossip, making it seem like Zhen Huan had deliberately placed him by Lady Li’s side to spy.

To avoid unnecessary complications, keeping Kang Luhai near Zhen Huan wasn’t advisable.

He also couldn’t stay with Shen Meizhuang. Otherwise, her near-drowning incident might be twisted into a conspiracy orchestrated by her and Zhen Huan to frame Lady Li.

After much thought, they concluded that assigning Kang Luhai to An Lingrong was the best choice. First, Lingrong had no involvement in the Thousand Carp Pond incident. Second, she genuinely lacked a capable eunuch at her side.

But how to justify requesting him?

If directly asking might draw criticism, they needed to create a valid reason for Kang Luhai to remain—

Inspired by the near-drowning incident, the sisters decided Kang Luhai needed to prove his worth.

After finalizing their plan, Zhen Huan sent word to Kang Luhai.

When Kang Luhai received the message, he was overjoyed. Determined to seize this opportunity, he swore to cherish it and never betray his master again.

He would never again be the despised, unwanted servant everyone looked down on!

One day, while An Lingrong was walking, she suddenly fainted. Kang Luhai happened to pass by and saved her.

News of the incident spread quickly, and An Lingrong seized the opportunity to request Kang Luhai from the Empress.

When Kang Luhai was officially assigned to An Lingrong, he thought to himself, I’m no longer a stray servant no one wants.

Because of Zhen Huan’s influence, An Lingrong valued Kang Luhai greatly.

As for Kang Luhai, he served An Lingrong with utmost care, often helping her deftly handle the Fucha Lady’s petty troubles.

Before long, rumors spread within the palace: Lady Li had gone mute.

The Empress, knowing this had to be Hua Fei’s doing, sought the Emperor’s guidance:

“Your Majesty, while Lady Li was indeed at fault in the incident with Noble Consort Shen, she has served you for many years. Now, she’s suddenly mute. For the sake of both reason and sentiment, shouldn’t we investigate this?”

As the Empress spoke, she closely observed the Emperor’s expression, ready to stop if he showed displeasure.

“Investigate? Investigate what?” The Emperor paused and looked at her.

“Her silence is a blessing. At least now she won’t spout useless nonsense all day!”

Clearly, the Emperor was still bitter about Lady Li’s tattling to the Empress Dowager!