The power struggles among the women in the harem seemed to never have any effect on the Emperor’s mindset.

For the past month, the Emperor had continued to visit Zhen Huan’s palace as usual.

Now that An Lingrong was pregnant, the Emperor had started visiting her more frequently as well.

Even Shen Meizhuang, who was always busy dealing with the matters of the harem, would occasionally have the Emperor stop by her palace.

During their time at the Yuanmingyuan, the Emperor’s affection had mostly been directed towards the three sisters.

Watching this scene, the Empress couldn’t help but feel anxious. These women always made her feel like something was stuck in her throat.

One day, An Lingrong, accompanied by Ju Qing, went to visit the still unconscious Yu Ying’er.

She told her everything that had happened recently.

She also mentioned that Zhen Huan’s people were taking great care of her parents, so there was no need for her to worry.

An Lingrong reassured her that she would make sure the people who had wronged her would be punished before she returned to the palace.

Whenever An Lingrong spoke about how Yu Ying’er had risked her life to save her and her unborn child, tears would fall from her eyes like pearls that had broken free from their string, and no matter how much she wiped them, they wouldn’t stop.

These memories stirred up feelings from An Lingrong’s past.

Before she entered the palace, she and her mother had relied on each other for survival. Aside from her mother, no one had ever treated her with true sincerity.

Her father, An Bihuai, had initially been a spice merchant, while her mother, Lin Xiu, was a skilled embroiderer.

Later, Lin Xiu fell hopelessly in love with An Bihuai.

An Bihuai was not from a prestigious background, but he had ambitions of climbing the social ladder.

So he thought of using the money his wife earned from selling embroidery to donate and secure himself a minor official position.

Because Lin Xiu deeply loved An Bihuai, she worked tirelessly at her embroidery, not knowing how many days and nights passed before she had saved enough money to help her husband secure a small official post.

The thought of one day living with her husband as equals, walking side by side, filled her heart with happiness.

With a heart full of joy, she brought the money—blood, sweat, and tears—to her husband.

But An Bihuai wasn’t the type of man who was content or who cherished his wife.

He watched as Lin Xiu aged and grew weaker from overwork, and began to entertain the idea of taking a concubine.

And Lin Xiu, because of her love for him, kept compromising time and time again…

At first, An Bihuai still cared for her and their daughter, but later, he began to favor the concubine and neglect his wife.

This forced Lin Xiu and her daughter to live a life worse than that of the servants…

Her mother’s weakness and inaction had shaped An Lingrong into the sensitive and suspicious person she had become.

First Lin Xiu, and then An Lingrong, were nothing more than tools for An Bihuai’s rise to power.

Whenever An Lingrong thought of these things, her heart would ache with grief.

She longed for familial affection, for a father’s love, for warmth.

But from childhood to adulthood, all she had seen was coldness and heartlessness.

That’s why she had never longed for the Emperor’s love…

The appearances of Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang had slowly warmed her heart, one that had never been valued.

Yu Ying’er’s selfless act of saving her life made her realize that true feelings did exist in this world.

So she had made up her mind to cherish this rare and precious sisterly bond.

As she spoke of this, Yu Ying’er’s eyes filled with tears of emotion.

Seeing this, An Lingrong felt an immense sense of relief.

Thankfully, Yu Ying’er could still hear her, thankfully, she was still alive…

Back in the palace, An Lingrong excitedly shared the news that Yu Ying’er’s health was improving.

Upon hearing this, Bao Juan became extremely anxious.

It was time to create an opportunity for Bao Juan to make her move!

An Lingrong shared her plan with Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang, and both of them agreed.

Though Yu Ying’er was still unconscious, the imperial physician had said that she could be fed some liquid food.

An Lingrong decided to use this method to provoke Bao Juan into taking action.

“Ju Qing, go make some ginseng soup. I need to visit Yu Ying’er later.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

After receiving her orders, Ju Qing hurriedly went to the small kitchen.

Bao Juan, who had been worrying about not having a reason to leave, heard An Lingrong say:

“Bao Juan, I’m feeling a bit tired right now. I’m going to rest for a while. Once Ju Qing is done, you can come and call me.”

Upon hearing this, Bao Juan smiled, and a few more wrinkles appeared on her face.

Outside the door, Kang Luhai exchanged a glance with An Lingrong before quietly following her.

When they arrived at the small kitchen, Bao Juan pretended to help but accidentally spilled water on Ju Qing.

As she helped Ju Qing wipe it off, she smiled and said:

“Sorry, Ju Qing, I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s fine, Bao Juan-jie. It’s just that this…” Ju Qing pointed at the ginseng soup being cooked.

Bao Juan smiled, “It’s fine. Go change your clothes quickly. I’ll watch over it here.”

“Then I’ll trouble you, sister.”

Ju Qing said before leaving the small kitchen.

Once she confirmed that Ju Qing had truly left, Bao Juan took out the poison she had prepared earlier from her waist.

Just as she was halfway through adding it to the soup, Kang Luhai quietly entered and snatched the poison from her hand.

“Bao Juan, what exactly are you putting into the soup?” he asked.

“I… I…” Bao Juan, who had been so focused on adding the poison, was completely startled and stunned.

“Come on, let’s go see the Mistress. We’ll clear things up in front of her. Let’s go…” Kang Luhai said as he grabbed Bao Juan, pulling her to An Lingrong.

Bao Juan, terrified, stumbled backward, “Kang Gonggong, Kang Gonggong, please, please forgive me just this once! Please don’t take me to see the Mistress, please…”

“Forgive you?”

“Let me tell you the truth. I know everything you’ve done. I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

“So don’t bother begging me. The only thing I care about now is this—whoever betrays the Mistress, that person will have to answer to me, Kang Luhai!”

“Kang Luhai is going to take care of this disaster today. Come with me!”

Having been through the experience of betrayal himself, Kang Luhai now despised people like he had once been.

When he brought Bao Juan before An Lingrong, she feigned ignorance:

“Kang Gonggong, why did you bring Bao Juan here? Is something wrong?”

Kang Luhai, ever sharp, understood that An Lingrong was acting this way to avoid revealing anything to the Empress.

He played along:

“Mistress, just now while I was patrolling near the small kitchen, I saw Bao Juan put this poison into the soup you were planning to bring to Miss Yu.”

Kang Luhai held up the poison he had taken from Bao Juan’s hand, showing it to An Lingrong.

“What?” An Lingrong looked shocked, as though she couldn’t believe it.

Kang Luhai secretly smiled to himself. He thought, his young mistress was truly talented—not only could she sing, but her acting skills were first-rate too.

“Bao Juan, I’ve treated you well all this time. Why would you poison the soup to harm me?”

Bao Juan trembled as she knelt on the ground, “I… I…”

Kang Luhai, seeing Bao Juan stutter like this, felt a surge of anger. It reminded him of how he had been when he was caught.

The sight of it made him seethe with fury. How could he have once been like this?