After being reborn, the empress only wanted to seduce the emperor and seize the empress's posit

Chapter 13 Sachet
The Empress gently turned the jade bracelet in her hand, turned her gentle gaze to Consort Liang, and asked with concern.

"Your Highness, how is the eldest princess doing these days? I heard that she caught a cold a few days ago, and I am very worried about her."

Consort Liang bowed slightly, and when she spoke of the eldest princess, the look of resentment on her face was already radiating maternal warmth.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. The eldest princess is much better now and has been quite lively lately, which has brought me great comfort."

Upon hearing this, the Empress's lips curved into a gentle smile: "That's good then."

He then turned to the concubines and instructed them: "The Emperor has only recently ascended the throne, and the harem also needs to produce offspring to ensure the continuation of the royal bloodline. You must all do your best and not be jealous of each other, do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, we will follow Your Majesty's instructions."

Having said that, the Empress gently raised her hand: "Alright, you may all go back now."

In an instant, all the concubines in the hall rose and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, we take our leave."

As their jeweled ornaments swayed, their figures gradually disappeared outside the palace gates.

Seeing that Lu Jingning had not left, the Empress assumed that she had something to discuss with her and said with a smile, "Does Consort Lu have something to discuss with me?"

"I've heard that Your Majesty often suffers from insomnia, so I specially made a calming sachet for you, hoping it can help Your Majesty," Lu Jingning said with concern as she presented the sachet to the Empress.

"Consort Lu is so kind. Qingming, please accept this and hang it by my bedside," the Empress said gently, though her face still showed signs of illness.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Qingming walked up to Lu Jingning, gently took the sachet, and presented it to the Empress.

The Empress gently picked it up and brought it to her nose: "It has a faint floral fragrance, could it be jasmine?"

"Your Majesty, that's right. I dried jasmine flowers, ground them into powder, and mixed them with the herbs. It has a faint floral fragrance," Lu Jingning explained.

"Consort Lu is indeed intelligent. If there are any problems you cannot solve in the future, just come to me."

Lu Jingning nodded: "Yes, thank you, Your Majesty."

The Empress looked at Lu Jingning with great affection and couldn't help but ask, "Have you settled into the food and lodging since entering the palace?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. We're getting used to everything."

The Empress was much relieved upon hearing this: "That's good. You should go back early too, it'll get hot soon, don't get sunburned."

Looking at the Empress, Lu Jingning was filled with emotion: "Yes, Your Majesty, please rest well. This concubine will take her leave."

Lu Jingning walked out of Changchun Palace step by step, and the Empress was still as gentle as ever.

"Your Majesty, this Consort Lu has been serving you for three days in a row!" Qingming said in disbelief.

The Empress, who was turning the bracelet in her hand, paused slightly upon hearing this: "Consort Lu is gentle and kind-hearted; it's only natural that the Emperor likes her."

Qingming nodded, somewhat saddened: "But even though the Emperor knows you're ill, he hasn't come to see you."

The Empress was already used to it and comforted Qingming, saying, "His Majesty is simply busy with state affairs."

"However, Consort Lu is going to take away some of the Imperial Concubine's favor."

The Empress coughed a few times, glancing at the sachet in Qingming's hand: "Keep a close eye on Consort Lu, and report to me immediately if anything happens."

"Why, Your Highness?" Qingming asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Now that Consort Lu has gained favor, there will surely be people in the palace doing some underhanded things behind her back," the Empress warned.

Qingming didn't understand why the Empress cared so much about Consort Lu, but she knew she was a servant and shouldn't ask too many questions: "Yes, this servant understands."

Outside Changchun Palace
“My lady, I heard that the lotus flowers in the Imperial Garden are about to bloom. Let’s go take a look,” Chun’er suggested.

Lu Jingning also felt a bit bored, so he replied, "Let's go take a look."

Chun'er helped her to the Imperial Garden. A gentle breeze blew, carrying the fragrance of lotus blossoms. The lotus flowers in the pond stood tall and graceful, like fairies dancing.

Lu Jingning was attracted by the lotus flowers in front of him and wanted to get closer to take a look.

"My lord, you should not go any further," Chun'er said with some concern, looking at the mud in front of Lu Jingning's feet.

Lu Jingning, however, didn't seem to care at all: "It's alright."

She tiptoed slightly, reaching out to touch the nearest flower, but slipped and lost her balance.

"what"

"My lady!" Chun'er exclaimed, rushing over and barely managing to grab her hand tightly.

Chun'er could only shout loudly, "Help! Help!"

Chun'er's cries broke the tranquility of the Imperial Garden, and several guards rushed over upon hearing the noise.

Seeing this, one person steadily stretched out his arm and firmly grasped Lu Jingning's other struggling hand.

Lu Jingning's face was pale, and his eyes flashed with panic, but he forced himself to remain calm and slowly got up with the help of the strength.

Finally, with everyone's help, she staggered to her feet and looked around with lingering fear.

Chun'er was so anxious that tears were about to fall. She quickly helped her up and asked repeatedly, "My lady, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Lu Jingning said, waving his hand as he suppressed his fear.

Chun'er wiped away her tears and said gratefully, "It's fortunate that the guard intervened in time, otherwise you would have been in danger, my lady."

Lu Jingning looked in the direction Chun'er pointed, and there stood the guard silently to the side.

Lu Jingning stared intently, his heart skipped a beat, recognizing the familiar face: "It's you?"

The guard who just saved her was the same guard who, in the previous life, the virtuous concubine falsely accused her of having an affair.

What's going on? Why did I meet him so early in this life?

Seeing Lu Jingning's blank stare and puzzled expression, Chun'er asked with concern, "My lord, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Lu Jingning snapped back to reality, shook his head slightly, and forced a smile: "I'm fine."

She slowly turned to the guard, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "You saved me, you should be rewarded. What reward do you want?"

Upon hearing this, the guard knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, and said, "It is my duty, I dare not ask for a reward."

His voice was steady and powerful. In the sunlight, his armor reflected a faint light, his face was resolute, and his eyes revealed an unquestionable loyalty.

After saying this, he did not linger, but stood up, bowed, and said, "Your subject takes his leave."

After saying that, he turned around and strode away, his back as straight as a pine tree.

As Lu Jingning watched the guard's retreating figure, a mix of emotions welled up within her. She gently parted her lips and said, "Chun'er, once we get back, quickly find out about this guard's background."

Upon hearing this, Chun'er immediately nodded cleverly and turned to leave.

Lu Jingning called her back, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Make sure it's detailed; I need to know everything about him."

"Yes, I understand," Chun'er replied.
Lu Jingning was very curious. He had just asked the guard what reward he wanted, but the guard said he didn't want anything.

Why did he accuse me of having an affair in my past life? If he loved money, he would have asked me for a reward just now, but he didn't.
Could it be that Consort Xian has some kind of leverage over him? That's possible. We'll have to wait for Chun'er to investigate before making any decisions.

If this person is trustworthy, we should bring him into our camp, lure Consort Xian into a trap, and catch her off guard.

(End of this chapter)