Chapter 10 Zhen Huan

Chapter 10 Zhen Huan

The original owner, Zhen Huan, after slaying the dragon and destroying the phoenix, thought that by supporting her adopted son Hongli to ascend the throne, she would be the most noble woman in the world, have greater say in the harem, and her life would no longer be threatened.

But what she didn't expect was that Hongli started to suppress her just after he ascended the throne and before he had a firm foothold. He used the excuse of renovating the Cining Palace to make her squeeze into the Shoukang Palace with the concubines. She lost face and was ridiculed.

After finally moving into the Cining Palace, Hongli couldn't wait to test her feelings. Although she had already adopted Hongzhou into Prince Guo's Mansion, there was a difference between proposing it yourself and being forced to do so.

Hongzhou and Lingxi were raised outside the palace. In order to dispel Hongli's vigilance, prevent Hongli from discovering the secret of the twins and reduce the time they spent together, they were only allowed to visit the palace to pay their respects during the New Year and other festivals.

The mother and son had not seen each other for a long time and their relationship was not very close, which made the original owner very painful. This situation was even more sad than when the previous emperor was alive.

The eldest daughter, Longyue, married into the Dzungar tribe. Not long after, a large-scale rebellion broke out in the Dzungar tribe. Longyue's husband was killed in the rebellion, and Longyue was imprisoned.

Longyue's letter for help and the letter from the rebel leader Dawachi asking for her hand in marriage arrived in the capital together. Hongli did not want to waste time and money on launching a war, so he agreed to Dawachi's request. Longyue married the enemy who killed her husband while she was pregnant.

But Dawachi was not a peaceful person and frequently provoked incidents in border areas. Hongli felt that Dawachi threatened his imperial majesty, so he sent a large army to pacify the Dzungar tribe in the northwest. Dawachi was captured and taken to the capital.

Longyue was also brought back to Beijing, but at that time she was already pregnant with Dawachi's child.

The child that Longyue gave birth to with her ex-husband was also thrown to death by Dawachi. One can imagine how desperate Longyue was at that time. What she hoped for was not rescue from her brother, but to be pushed into another fire pit.

It is impossible to say that you have no hatred or resentment.

The original owner thought, if her own son became the emperor, would he not turn a blind eye to the suffering of his sister? But she had no choice, Hongzhou was Yunli's child, and his bloodline had been suspected, so she could only push Hongli, whom she had always cared for, to the throne.

But I didn't expect that I had raised an ungrateful person.

Zhen Huan: "I want you to help me protect my three children and my family."

As for Yunli, after the passage of time, he no longer has any feelings for her.

Zhang Shan: "As you wish!"

……

"Zhen Huan, daughter of the Dali Temple's Junior Official, is sixteen years old."

"Zhen Huan, the daughter of the Dali Temple's Junior Official, pays respect to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor, and a thousand years and a thousand years of live the Empress Dowager."

"Zhen Huan? Which Huan?"

"Hanhuan Jingwei, holding a piece of wood to pay off a grievance. This is exactly my maiden name."

Zhang Shan couldn't recite those obscene songs in public.

"This is from the 'Fu of Three Capitals' by Zuo Si of the Jin and Wei dynasties."

"Yes, but I am not well educated and do not understand its meaning."

The Queen Mother was displeased with Zhen Huan's appearance, and thought that Zhen Huan was sharp-tongued, so she did not want to choose Zhen Huan to enter the palace. When she was about to speak out to stop her, the Emperor had already given her the sachet.

After Zhen Huan left the palace, she sent someone to inquire about An Lingrong and had her brought to the Zhen Mansion. An Lingrong was a concubine who entered the palace, and the male owners of the Zhen Mansion consciously avoided her, let alone develop feelings for her.

"Sister Huan." An Lingrong stepped forward and bowed to Zhen Huan.

"You're welcome, Sister An. You and I are meant to be together. We are meant to be sisters."

"Yes, yes, you are like sisters who haven't seen each other for many years. When you enter the palace in the future, you should support each other so that you can go a long way." Zhen's mother also echoed.

"Yes, Lingrong was able to enter the palace thanks to sister's crabapple flowers. Thank you, sister."

"That's your destiny."

An Lingrong framed Zhen Huan, but she also helped Zhen Huan eliminate the Queen. Zhen Huan might not continue to be friends with her, but Zhang Shan is not Zhen Huan. She will not let go of anyone she can use.

Not long after, the emperor issued an edict, appointing Zhen Huan as a Changzai with the title "Wan", An Lingrong as a Da Ying, and Shen Meizhuang as a Guiren.

The emperor sent his confidant Aunt Fangruo to teach Zhang Shan etiquette and rules, and Zhang Shan took the opportunity to leave a good impression on Aunt Fangruo.

Bribery is impossible. Aunt Fangruo is the emperor's confidant, powerful and rich. She would not look down on their family's wealth, so Zhang Shan's efforts are not in vain.

However, there might be a chance for her to ask Aunt Fangruo for help in the future, so Zhang Shan would not let go of this opportunity.

Be friendly but don't buy them off. It's good for both sides.

After entering the palace, her residence did not change. It was still the remote Suiyuxuan, but it was close to the Imperial Garden, so there was still a chance to meet the emperor.

In this life, she did not want to replicate the original owner's path, but to truly be a substitute for Queen Chun Yuan.

Love is a luxury for the emperor. Only with love will there be suspicion and vigilance. Just like Nian Shilan, the emperor treated her differently, but in the end, didn’t he still kill her whole family?

The emperor also had feelings for the original owner, but he still let Zhen Yuandao be the knife in his hand. After Nian Shilan died, Zhen Yuandao's knife was also despised, and the Zhen family ended up miserably.

Zhang Shan has a girl named Cui Jinxi by her side, who is a maid in Queen Chunyuan's courtyard and a fellow villager of Su Peisheng. This is her greatest reliance.

Three days after the newlyweds entered the palace, they paid their respects to the Queen. Zhang Shan also met Concubine Hua Nian Shilan, a very bright and beautiful woman, unlike the image of a weak little white flower described in history books.

"Who is Concubine Wan?" Nian Shilan raised his eyes nonchalantly.

Zhang Shan took a step forward and bowed to Nian Shilan again, "I am Wan Changzai Zhen's concubine, and I am honored to meet the Empress Hua."

Seeing that she was still quite submissive, Nian Shilan didn't want to punish Zhang Shan.

After paying respects, the brainless Xia Dongchun thought that by joining the Queen, she had a backer, and she became so arrogant that she was punished with a lash of red.

Zhang Shan also took the opportunity to claim illness to avoid favor, but she had to avoid it because Nian Shilan was too strong.

She also had time to learn Queen Chunyuan's habits from Cui Jinxi to ensure that she could be a qualified substitute.

The first of the newcomers to serve the emperor in bed was Shen Meizhuang. For three consecutive days, she was also granted by the emperor to learn about palace powers and assisted Concubine Hua in handling palace affairs. She was the talk of the town for a while.

But she was also targeted by Concubine Hua.

After the concubines had served him in bed one after another, Zhang Shan recovered from her illness and joined the team vying for favor. The emperor treated Zhang Shan, the substitute, well and promoted her to a noble lady after she served him in bed.

A month later, all the new concubines who entered the palace became pregnant one after another. This was naturally also thanks to Zhang Shan. In this way, the Queen and Concubine Hua could no longer focus their attention on her.

The queen was indeed very busy. With so many pregnant women in the palace, she was busy with abortions and really had no time to plot against Zhang Shan.

A month later, Zhang Shan also found out that she was pregnant. In order to prevent Concubine Hua from taking action against Shen Meiyu, she took the initiative. When the two sisters became pregnant at the same time, she pushed An Lingrong out to consolidate her favor.

"Huanbi, the palace is not a good place to be. If you insist on becoming the emperor's concubine, I will help you, but your future will depend on you."

"Thank you for your help, young master."

Zhang Shan created an opportunity for Huanbi and watched coldly her inferior means of vying for favor.

"I didn't expect Huanbi to be such an ambitious person. I shouldn't have brought her into the palace. She was blinded by the power and wealth in the palace."

Zhang Shan smiled but didn't say anything, and changed the subject directly, "Sister, your belly has grown a lot, don't you usually avoid eating?"

"Since I got pregnant, my appetite has improved a lot. I used to only eat a little at a meal, but now I can eat three bowls of rice. I am a greedy child."

"Sister, I'm afraid someone has tricked you. A fetus that's too big won't be conducive to childbirth..."

Shen Meizhuang's face darkened, and she felt a little uneasy. "What should I do?"

"Don't panic, sister. Eat less and move more from now on. It's only six months old, so the dragon fetus won't grow too big."

During this period, the concubines kept having miscarriages, and the emperor became suspicious. The empress dowager talked to the empress many times, and the empress reluctantly kept the babies in Zhang Shan and Shen Meizhuang's bellies.

Zhang Shan soon gave birth to the sixth prince Hongzhao, and the smile on the queen's face froze.

Shen Meizhuang gave birth to a princess named Jinghe. When she learned that he was not the emperor's prince, Shen Meizhuang was disappointed for a long time, but the princess was also a good person.

An Lingrong was very envious, but not jealous of Zhang Shan and Shen Meizhuang, and she also looked forward to raising the child herself.

"Don't be anxious, Sister An. You are still young, and the grace is great. You will have a child."

"Well, I listen to my sister."

Concubine Hua punished the pregnant Noble Concubine Fucha by making her kneel in the sun for an hour, causing her to have a miscarriage, and thus lost her newly acquired position as Noble Concubine.

Still under house arrest now.

Since Zhang Shan became pregnant, she was promoted to Wanpin. After giving birth to the Sixth Prince who looked like the Emperor and Queen Chunyuan, she was promoted to Wanfei. The concubines in the palace were so jealous that they tore several handkerchiefs into pieces.

Shen Meizhuang was also promoted to Huipin, and had the power to assist in managing the harem. She gradually tasted the power, but she had a good relationship with Zhang Shan and would not plot against her.

An Lingrong became pregnant and was promoted to Noble Lady An, a promotion she received twice. She was very happy, but not long after, her child was aborted by the Queen's spy planted in Xianfu Palace.

Although Baojuan did not accuse the Queen, An Lingrong was very thoughtful and guessed who was behind it, and she hated the Queen even more.

Only An Lingrong, who stood against the Queen, was on Zhang Shan's side, and Zhang Shan felt relieved.

An Lingrong easily intensified the relationship between Concubine Hua and the Queen. Huanyixiang was given by the Emperor, but it passed through the hands of the Queen, and the Queen became the Emperor's scapegoat. The Queen had the help of the Queen Mother, while Concubine Hua had the help of Nian Gengyao, so the fight ended in a draw.

But the emperor stood on the opposite side of Nian Gengyao, and the Hua Fei brothers and sisters turned from being equal to each other to being defeated. Nian Gengyao colluded with Prince Dun to rebel but failed and was killed by the emperor. Hua Fei was demoted to Nian Daying, and the nine clans of the Nian family were exterminated.

The Empress Dowager had an affair with Longkodo. The Emperor threatened the Fourteenth Prince's life and asked the Empress Dowager to execute Longkodo personally. After Longkodo died, the Empress Dowager also fell ill.

In these troubled times, the Queen could not act recklessly. The Sixth Prince was already three years old, and Zhang Shan took the opportunity to become pregnant again. This time, the baby was Longyue.

Concubine Qi wanted to make friends with Zhang Shan and win her favor. Just two days after she moved to Suiyuxuan, Zhang Shan moved to Yongshou Palace.

Nian Shilan bore a grudge against the Queen and set fire to Jingren Palace in the middle of the night. Half of the Queen's hair was burnt by the fire, and she looked extremely miserable.

Nian Shilan was executed by the Queen Mother. Before her death, she learned the truth about Huan Yixiang and the miscarriage of her child, and went crazy. Aunt Zhuxi didn't care whether Nian Shilan was really crazy or not. After drinking a glass of poisoned wine, Nian Shilan died.

Of course, the emperor would not know about this. Nian Shilan's death aroused the emperor's guilt towards her. He buried her as an imperial concubine, and the queen was unhappy but there was nothing she could do.

Anyway, it’s not the first time. She is obviously the first empress since the emperor ascended the throne, but the emperor just named Rouze as Empress Chunyuan, making her the next empress.

After the Empress Dowager passed away, the Queen no longer had any ceremonial guards, but the Empress Dowager still left a life-saving imperial decree for the Queen, stating that Ulanara could not be deposed and the Emperor would not disobey her last will.

But the empress dowager didn't know that just after her death, Aunt Zhuxi, who was in charge of the will, also died unexpectedly. The will fell into Zhang Shan's hands, and within the night, it turned into ashes.

The Empress Dowager passed away and the Emperor has not entered the harem for a long time, but he still went to the Old Summer Palace to escape the summer heat this year.

The fourth prince Hongli was somewhat intelligent, but the emperor did not like him. Without the secret help from Zhang Shan and the Zhen family, the fourth prince became thin and had not even finished learning the Three Character Classic. Zhang Shan interfered, and the people who came to the Old Summer Palace to serve the fourth prince were all illiterate, and the emperor did not send anyone to teach him.

He knew his own shortcomings, and also understood that if he was questioned by the emperor, he would not be able to utter a single word, so he wanted to find a foster mother for himself.

In his previous life, the Fourth Prince also wanted to rely on his mother to gain status, but the original owner allowed him to be self-reliant and enrich himself, so the Emperor naturally saw that he was excellent.

Now, Zhang Shan ignored him, so the Fourth Prince went to find Concubine Qi. He was only a few years younger than Concubine Qi, and it was not like Concubine Qi was unable to have children. The arrogant Concubine Qi even humiliated him.

After Nian Shilan passed away, Concubine Cao pretended to be pitiful. Everyone sympathized with her and gradually forgot that she had conspired with Nian Shilan to harm the palace concubines.

"The Emperor truly loves Princess Wen Yi, and he held such a grand birthday banquet for her."

"Princess Longyue, who is not as good as sister Wan Fei, hosted a hundred-day banquet for all the ministers. I am really envious." A trace of jealousy flashed across Concubine Cao's eyes.

"Longyue looks like the emperor, so it's normal for the emperor to favor her. I also like Longyue." It seemed like persuasion, but in fact it was adding fuel to the fire, making Concubine Cao even more jealous.

Princess Longyue looks nothing like the emperor, it’s just that the emperor favors Concubine Wan and Princess Longyue.

"Your Majesty, if the Empress and Sister Cao feel that you are partial, are they dissatisfied with your decision?"

"Princess Wan, Concubine Cao's mistake was unintentional. Forgive her when you can. We are all sisters in the same palace. Don't make it too embarrassing."

Well, she said both good and bad things.

but……

"Yes, I obey your order. To express my apology, I will give the princess a necklace to make amends."

"Hey, Sister Wanfei, this collar looks familiar!" An Lingrong spoke out out of curiosity.

"I heard that Princess Wen Yi really liked the necklace given by Concubine Jing, but unfortunately it was lost, so I made an identical one for her."

"Sister is so thoughtful. The princess likes it. Don't lose it again next time."

"The princess is already grown up, and this collar is not suitable for her current age. Sister, please help her put it away." Concubine Cao was so angry that she almost got into a fight with Zhang Shan.

"Is that so? Sister Jingfei, did you prepare a gift that is appropriate for Princess Wenyi's age?"

Concubine Jing, who was called upon, came over with a box containing a butterfly hairpin. Princess Wen Yi liked it very much at first sight, but Concubine Cao's face had already turned dark.

The previous marriage of Princess Chao Gui had already frightened Concubine Cao. Zhang Shan knew Concubine Cao's weakness, and used it to force her to stand up against the Queen. The things collected and the people found before were handed over to Concubine Cao, and it was up to her to perform.

Empress Chunyuan was the emperor's Achilles' heel, and anyone who touched her would die. The empress killed Empress Chunyuan and the second prince, and the emperor would not let the empress go. Without the empress dowager's decree, the empress was deposed.

Zhang Shan quickly became pregnant with her third child, also twins, a boy and a girl. At the same time, Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong were also pregnant.

Zhang Shan gave birth prematurely to the Seventh Prince Hongzhou and Princess Lingxi, and was promoted to Consort Wan.

A month later, Shen Meizhuang gave birth to the eighth prince Hongyang and was promoted to Huifei. An Lingrong gave birth to the ninth prince Hongxing and was promoted to Rongpin.

Without the queen in the palace, the survival rate of the emperor's children was much higher. Nine out of ten pregnancies resulted in safe births, and the other one was completely caused by her own fault.

When the Third Prince reached the age to get married, the Emperor remembered that the Fourth Prince, who was the same age as the Third Prince, had such a son.

Dong E was granted as the legitimate wife of the third prince, and Ulanara Qingying was granted as the legitimate wife of the fourth prince.

In the thirteenth year, the emperor died suddenly. The regent took out the imperial edict written in Manchu, Mongolian and Chinese from the back of the Zhengda Guangming Hall, confirming that the throne would be passed to the sixth prince Hongzhao.

When Hongzhao ascended the throne, the Junggars sent people to ask for a princess in marriage. Zhang Shan found a fierce and elderly royal girl, made her a princess, and married her to the Junggars.

A year later, there was a riot in Dzungar. A princess of the royal family killed Dawachi and took the opportunity to seize power, becoming another powerful princess.

More than ten years later, Lingxi had grown into a graceful princess. Korchin came to ask for the princess' hand in marriage. Originally, he wanted to marry the legitimate princess, but there was only one legitimate princess, and the empress dowager and the emperor had already chosen a prince consort.

So Korchin settled for the second best and asked to marry Prince Bao's eldest daughter. Hongzhao readily agreed, and both parties were satisfied.

A world where only Qingying and Hongli were hurt was achieved.