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

Zhen Huan sighed softly and turned to An Lingrong, saying, "Lingrong, this harem is like a place of tigers and wolves. Every step is full of danger. Take the spice incident earlier, for example. We still haven't figured out who the sinister person behind it is."

An Lingrong frowned slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes. "Huan'er, no matter who it is, we must not let their conspiracy succeed. I've been carefully studying the remaining spice powder these past few days, and I keep feeling that this formula seems familiar, as if I've seen it recorded in some ancient book, but I can't recall the specifics at the moment."

Zhen Huan held An Lingrong's hand tightly. "Lingrong, thank you for your hard work. If we can follow the clues of this spice and find the mastermind behind this, it will be considered to have eliminated a major hidden danger."

At this moment, the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department arrived with an imperial decree, stating that the Emperor had heard that Princess Longyue was clever and adorable, and had summoned her to the Imperial Study to accompany him, saying that this was a chance for the little princess to play nearby and embody some of the royal decorum. Although Zhen Huan was filled with worry, she dared not disobey the Emperor's order and could only carefully instruct Longyue.

Long Yue blinked her big watery eyes and said to Zhen Huan sweetly, "Don't worry, mother. I will be very obedient."

After Longyue left with her father-in-law, Zhen Huan said to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, I'm so worried. Longyue is only six years old. I'm really afraid someone in this harem will do something bad to her."

An Lingrong softly consoled her, "Huan'er, the Emperor is Longyue's father and will definitely protect her. Let's not panic for now. We still need to focus on figuring out the spice issue."

Zhen Huan nodded. Suddenly, a young palace maid came running in to report that some suspicious footprints had been found in the corner of the Imperial Garden, as if someone was secretly spying on the Yongshou Palace.

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a glance, then immediately left for the Imperial Garden. Deep within the flowerbed, they saw some messy footprints, and the surrounding plants had been trampled to pieces.

Zhen Huan squatted down, examined it carefully, and said, "Lingrong, look at these footprints. They don't look like they belong to a palace maid. The pattern on the sole is quite unique. Could it be the work of collusion between an outsider and someone in the palace?"

An Lingrong looked at it for a long time, then pondered for a moment before saying, "Huan'er, we can't jump to conclusions just yet. However, the direction these footprints extend from seems to be heading towards the cold palace. Should we go explore nearby?"

Zhen Huan gritted her teeth and said, "Go! Even if there is danger, we cannot let go of any clues."

When they came near the cold palace, they heard faint voices. They approached cautiously and hid behind a broken wall to eavesdrop.

Only a hoarse voice was heard saying, "How is the progress of that matter? Has Concubine Xi been hurt by the spices?"

Another shrill voice replied, "We haven't succeeded yet. Concubine Xi and An Lingrong are extremely vigilant. They've noticed the spice issue and are still tracking down its source."

A hoarse voice snorted coldly: "A bunch of losers! If this doesn't work out, you won't get any good results!"

Zhen Huan was so angry that her whole body was shaking. She lowered her voice and said to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, these people are too cruel. They must not be forgiven easily!"

An Lingrong gently pulled Zhen Huan, signaling her not to be impulsive, and then the two of them quietly retreated.

After returning to Yongshou Palace, Zhen Huan paced back and forth anxiously, angrily saying, "Lingrong, how many people in this harem want me dead? I just want you and I to support each other and raise Longyue safely."

An Lingrong poured a cup of tea and handed it to Zhen Huan, saying, "Huan'er, calm down for a moment. Now that we know someone is secretly plotting, if we just follow the clues, we'll definitely be able to catch them all in one fell swoop. Judging from the voice of the person speaking, the hoarse one seems elderly. Could it be a concubine or an old maid?"

Zhen Huan took the tea, took a sip, and her mood calmed down a little. "You are right. The concubines in the harem may appear to be vegetarians and Buddhists, but in reality, they are deep and unpredictable. We must be extremely careful in our actions and must not alert them."

As she was speaking, the Emperor returned with Long Yue. Long Yue skipped over to Zhen Huan and said, "Mother, the Emperor told me many interesting stories and praised me for my cleverness."

Zhen Huan picked up Long Yue and said to the emperor with a smile, "Your Majesty, Long Yue didn't cause you any trouble, did she?"

The emperor smiled and said, "Hanhuan, Longyue is well-behaved and sensible. I like her very much."

After the emperor left, Zhen Huan gently asked Long Yue, "Long Yue, did you see any strange people or things in the imperial study today?"

Long Yue tilted her head and thought for a while: "Mother, I saw a maid sneaking around the door. I asked my father, and he said it was the cleaning maid, but I don't think she is."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a glance, their suspicions growing. Could this nanny be connected to the spice issue?

Zhen Huan said to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, it seems this nanny is quite suspicious. We must find a way to investigate her identity and whereabouts."

An Lingrong nodded and replied, "Okay, I'll arrange for someone to keep an eye on her. Huan'er, you should also pay more attention to your own safety in the palace. I'm afraid they will become desperate and do something bad to you."

Zhen Huan looked at An Lingrong's departing figure, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart. In this harem full of dangers, having a close friend like Lingrong by her side was undoubtedly a blessing in disguise.

A few days later, An Lingrong's spy came to report that the nanny often went in and out of a remote palace at night and secretly contacted a young eunuch.

After Zhen Huan learned about this, she decided to explore the remote palace with An Lingrong at night. When they sneaked in, they heard a fierce quarrel coming from inside.

"How long will it take you to get rid of Concubine Xi? An Lingrong is not someone you can easily deal with. If we keep dragging it out like this, our plans will be ruined!"

"Sir, please give us some more time. We are trying to find a solution. We messed up the spice incident before, and it is really difficult to take action against Concubine Xi in the palace now."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong heard it clearly and were immediately enraged. Zhen Huan could no longer contain herself and rushed in: "You vicious people, today is your end!"

The people in the house were frightened when they saw Zhen Huan and An Lingrong suddenly appear. The nanny and the young eunuch tried to escape, but were stopped by the guards brought by Zhen Huan and An Lingrong.

Zhen Huan's eyes widened in anger as she stared at the conspirators: "Tell me! Who ordered you to do this?"

Those men collapsed to the ground in fear, kneeling and begging for mercy, but they refused to reveal the mastermind behind the incident. An Lingrong sneered, "Do you think you can escape punishment by not confessing? Bring them before the Emperor. I want to see how stubborn they are."

When the Emperor learned of this, he was furious and ordered a thorough investigation. Under torture, the suspects finally confessed that a disgraced concubine, jealous of Zhen Huan's favor, had colluded with foreign officials to frame Zhen Huan in an attempt to regain the Emperor's favor.

After the truth was revealed, Zhen Huan said to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, this time it's all thanks to you. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would still be in danger and unaware of it."

An Lingrong smiled and said, "Huan'er, we are sisters. It's only natural for us to support each other. After this, perhaps the harem will be able to have some peace for a while."

However, they never anticipated that, deep within the harem, more conspiracies were quietly brewing, and a greater storm was about to sweep in. Their road ahead was still long, and every step was filled with unknowns and challenges, but they were united in heart, working hand in hand, fearlessly preparing to face whatever lay ahead.