The Legend of Zhen Huan: Rebirth of An Lingrong: Counterattack to Become the Queen Mother

That day, Zhen Huan sat by the window of Yongshou Palace, gazing at the blossoming flowers outside, her heart awash with longing for Longyue. The child was now six years old, and time had flown by; they hadn't seen each other for three years. Every time she thought of her, Zhen Huan felt a surge of guilt, feeling that as a mother, she owed her child so much. So, she decided to go to Concubine Jing's place today to fetch Longyue and make up for all the years she'd missed.

Zhen Huan carefully dressed up and headed towards Concubine Jing's palace with her personal maid. Along the way, she felt both anxious and worried, as her mind kept replaying the lovely image of Long Yue as a child. She wondered how much taller she had grown and whether her appearance had changed.

Soon, Zhen Huan arrived at Concubine Jing's palace. Concubine Jing was already waiting inside with Long Yue. Long Yue hid behind Concubine Jing, only peeking out her little head to secretly look at Zhen Huan, her big, dark eyes filled with curiosity and unfamiliarity. Zhen Huan's eyes instantly reddened at the sight of Long Yue, and she tried hard to hold back the tears, fearing she would frighten the child.

Zhen Huan slowly squatted down, softened her voice, and said with a trembling voice: "Long Yue, I am your mother. Don't you remember your mother?"

Long Yue just held on tightly to the corner of Concubine Jing's clothes, her little face flushed red, she lowered her head and said nothing, obviously too shy to know what to do.

Concubine Jing gently touched Long Yue's head and gently advised: "Princess, this is really your mother. Call her mother quickly. She misses you so much."

Long Yue raised her head slightly, looked at Concubine Jing, then looked at Zhen Huan, and said softly, "Mother... I, I don't seem to remember much."

Zhen Huan felt a pang of pain in her heart when she heard this, and tears nearly welled up in her eyes, but she still managed to force a smile and said, "It's okay, Longyue. It's all Mother's fault for not visiting you in such a long time. From now on, Mother will be with you more often, and we can get to know each other again, okay?"

Concubine Jing also smiled and said, "Zhen Huan, don't worry. The child is still young. They will naturally become close as they spend more time together. Look, Long Yue has been with me for the past three years. Although she often thinks of you, after all, she can't see you, so it's inevitable that she will feel a little distant."

Zhen Huan stood up and said to Concubine Jing with gratitude, "Thank you for taking care of Long Yue all these years. As her mother, I feel really guilty. I will always remember your kindness."

Concubine Jing waved her hand and said, "Why should we, sisters, exchange such polite words? Longyue is a well-behaved and lovely child, and I am very happy. However, she has always been thinking of you in her heart, and it's just that we haven't seen each other for so long that she feels a little strange."

Zhen Huan squatted down again, looking at Long Yue lovingly, and took out an exquisite purse from her sleeve. She handed it to Long Yue and said with a smile, "Long Yue, look, this is a small gift specially prepared for you by your mother. Do you like it?"

Long Yue looked at the beautiful purse, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and her little hand unconsciously stretched out, then retracted it, still a little embarrassed, saying: "Thank you, mother, it's really beautiful."

Seeing this, Zhen Huan gently took Long Yue's hand, placed the purse in her hand, and said, "Take it, Long Yue. This is a gift from your mother. In the future, your mother will prepare many fun and delicious things for you."

Long Yue then took the purse and whispered, "Thank you, mother."

Zhen Huan looked at Long Yue, her eyes full of love. "Long Yue, can you come back to Yongshou Palace with me? I've prepared many small gifts for you, and I have many interesting things to tell you."

Long Yue looked up at Concubine Jing, as if asking for her opinion. Concubine Jing nodded gently and said with a smile, "Go, Princess, go and get along well with your mother."

Long Yue then whispered, "Okay, mother."

Zhen Huan took Long Yue out of Concubine Jing's palace. Along the way, she tried hard to find topics to chat with Long Yue, hoping to make her relax as soon as possible.

"Longyue, did you learn anything interesting from Concubine Jing?" Zhen Huan asked.

Long Yue thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, Concubine Jing taught me how to paint, and I drew a lot of small flowers and animals."

Zhen Huan smiled and said, "Long Yue is amazing! When we get back, I'll paint with you too. I'll paint a lot of beautiful paintings too. Let's paint a big picture together, okay?"

A hint of anticipation flashed in Long Yue's eyes, and she nodded and said, "Okay, mother."

After returning to Yongshou Palace, An Lingrong heard that Zhen Huan had taken Long Yue back, so she came to visit.

When An Lingrong saw Long Yue, her eyes were filled with joy: "This must be Princess Long Yue, she is so lovely and charming."

Zhen Huan took Long Yue's hand and said to her, "Long Yue, this is Empress An Lingrong, my mother's good sister. You can call her Empress Rong."

Long Yue bowed politely, "Hello, Madam Rong."

An Lingrong smiled and took out an exquisite sachet and handed it to Longyue: "Longyue, this is a small gift from the Queen. I hope you like it."

Long Yue took the sachet and said happily, "Thank you, Madam Rong, it smells so good!"

A few days later, the palace held a flower viewing banquet. Zhen Huan and Long Yue went with her. The garden was ablaze with flowers, and the concubines gathered in groups of three or four.

When Concubine Xia saw Zhen Huan and Long Yue coming, she couldn't help but sneer, "Hey, isn't this Concubine Xi? Bringing the princess to this flower viewing banquet, are you trying to show off?"

Before Zhen Huan could speak, Long Yue raised her head and said in a childish voice, "Who are you? Why do you speak to my mother like that? My mother is the best mother!"

Xia Changzai was choked by Long Yue's words, and her face turned pale and blue.

Zhen Huan gently patted Long Yue's shoulder and said to Concubine Xia, "Concubine Xia, please don't lose your composure in front of the children."

An Lingrong also came over and said coldly, "Xia Changzai, if you continue to be so rude, don't blame us for being rude."

Xia Changzai snorted and turned away.

Zhen Huan looked down at Long Yue and said with relief, "Long Yue, you are so brave."

Long Yue smiled and said, "Mother, I will protect you!"

At the flower-viewing banquet, Long Yue looked at everything around her curiously, while Zhen Huan and An Lingrong patiently explained to her the names and stories of various flowers.

Suddenly, a young eunuch came running over and whispered something in Zhen Huan's ear in a panic. Zhen Huan's face suddenly became solemn.

Seeing this, An Lingrong asked softly, "Huan'er, what's wrong? What happened?"

Zhen Huan frowned and said, "Lingrong, the eunuch just said that there was a strange smell of spices suddenly appearing in Yongshou Palace, as if someone had done it on purpose. But I didn't burn any incense before I left, so I'm afraid this is not a simple matter."

An Lingrong was startled. "Could it be that someone is behind this again? We need to go back and take a look."

Zhen Huan nodded and said to Long Yue, "Long Yue, my mother has something to do and needs to go back to Yongshou Palace. You should stay here with Nanny and don't run around."

Long Yue said with some concern: "Mother, I want to go with you."

Zhen Huan comforted her, "Be good, Long Yue. Mother will be back soon."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong hurried back to Yongshou Palace. As soon as they entered the palace, they were hit by a pungent spice. An Lingrong sniffed carefully and her face changed. "Huan'er, there's something wrong with this spice. It seems to be mixed with some herbs that can cause hallucinations. If you smell it for a long time, I'm afraid it will be harmful to your body."

Zhen Huan was furious: "Who on earth is so cruel and ruthless as to dare to do evil in my palace?"

An Lingrong thought for a moment and said, "Huan'er, let's ventilate the palace first to let the smell dissipate, and then we can investigate carefully. I suspect someone is trying to frame you, or to harm Princess Longyue."

Zhen Huan ordered the maids to open the doors and windows while saying, "No matter who it is, I will not let them off easily! Why is there always this haunting ghost in this harem, plotting and framing people again and again?"

An Lingrong sighed, "Huan'er, we're so powerful now, it's inevitable that some people will be jealous and resentful. But as long as we sisters work together, we can definitely find the mastermind behind this."

As the scent of spices in the palace gradually dissipated, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong began to carefully search for clues in the palace. They found some residual spice powder next to an incense burner in a corner, and An Lingrong collected it and prepared to go back and study it.

"Lingrong, thanks to you this time, otherwise, I really don't know what to do." Zhen Huan said gratefully.

An Lingrong held Zhen Huan's hand and said, "Huan'er, don't say such things. We are sisters and should support each other. I will definitely find out the source of this spice and make the truth known."

However, just as they were about to investigate further, the Emperor suddenly summoned Zhen Huan. Zhen Huan was puzzled, wondering what the Emperor had summoned her for. She straightened her clothes and said to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, I will go see the Emperor first. You stay here and keep an eye on the situation in the palace."

An Lingrong nodded: "Don't worry, Huan'er, you can go."

Zhen Huan came to the emperor's study, bowed, and asked, "Your Majesty, you summoned me, but what is it?"

The Emperor looked at Zhen Huan with a serious expression. "Huan Huan, I heard something happened in Yongshou Palace today. Someone was using strange spices in the palace. Is this true?"

Zhen Huan answered truthfully, "Your Majesty, it is true. My sister Lingrong and I are preparing to investigate. I wonder how Your Majesty learned of this?"

The Emperor frowned and said, "I have my own spies in the palace. Huanhuan, you know that in the harem, matters like this cannot be taken lightly. If not handled properly, it may cause even greater disturbances. Do you have any ideas?"

Zhen Huan said, "Your Majesty, I haven't found out who did it yet, but Sister Lingrong has collected some remaining spice powder and is going back to study it. I believe we'll find a clue soon."

The emperor nodded slightly. "Hanhuan, I have always trusted you in your work. However, you must also pay more attention to the peace of the harem and do not let me down."

Zhen Huan said respectfully, "I will follow the emperor's instructions and will do my utmost to maintain peace in the harem."

After leaving the Emperor's study, Zhen Huan's resolve to uncover the mastermind behind the incident grew even stronger. She returned to Yongshou Palace and continued to discuss countermeasures with An Lingrong, while Princess Longyue played nearby, unaware that her mother and Empress Rong were facing a severe test. Looking at Longyue's innocent appearance, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong secretly vowed to protect her no matter what, preventing her from coming to any harm. They also vowed to uncover the truth within this turbulent harem and bring the punishment due to those with ill intentions. They knew the road ahead was long, filled with unknowns and challenges, but they would not retreat, only move forward with even greater courage.