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

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong knew very well that although a conspiracy had been temporarily exposed, the calmness in the harem was only superficial and the undercurrent was still surging.

Zhen Huan sat on the couch in Yongshou Palace, her expression solemn. "Lingrong, although we've uncovered the conspiracy between the disgraced concubine and the foreign ministers, I'm increasingly uneasy. I feel like this is just the beginning, and there seems to be a larger force manipulating this."

An Lingrong gently sat beside her and held her hand. "Huan'er, don't worry too much. When an enemy comes, we will fight with our soldiers; when a flood comes, we will block it with earth. No matter what difficulties lie ahead, we two sisters will be able to overcome them together."

At this time, the personal maid Huanbi came in and reported: "Your Majesty, Concubine Jing is here to visit."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a glance and hurriedly stood up to greet them. Concubine Jing entered the palace, bowed, and said worriedly, "Huan Huan, Lingrong, I've heard about recent events, and I truly feel the harem is unpredictable. I've been in the palace for many years, and I'm well aware of the complex intertwining of some forces. Although you may have won this time, you're afraid of offending those behind the scenes and facing retaliation in the future."

Zhen Huan frowned slightly, "Sister Jingfei, we all know this. But if we keep retreating, it will only make those people more arrogant."

An Lingrong nodded: "Empress Jingfei, we will also be careful and will not be easily tricked."

Concubine Jing sighed: "I hope so. By the way, I came here today for another matter. A maid in my palace found a sachet in a remote corner of the imperial garden. The fragrance of the sachet is very strange, I have never smelled it before. I suspect it is related to the previous incident of spices in your palace." As she spoke, Concubine Jing took out the sachet and handed it to Zhen Huan.

Zhen Huan took the sachet, sniffed it carefully, and frowned even more tightly: "This fragrance... Lingrong, take a look."

An Lingrong took it and examined it carefully for a moment, her expression changing slightly. "Huan'er, the spices in this sachet are extremely rare, and the mixture is very strange. If worn for a long time, it will cause mental confusion, hallucinations, and may even be life-threatening. It's just as toxic as the spices we used earlier."

Anger flashed in Zhen Huan's eyes: "Who on earth is so cruel and mad, using spices to harm people time and time again?"

An Lingrong pondered, "This sachet might be a clue for us. We can investigate the manufacturing process and the source of the fragrance."

Concubine Jing said, "I will also have my palace keep an eye on it. If there is any news, I will inform you in time."

A few days later, An Lingrong, through her connections in a spice shop outside the palace, discovered that some of the spices in the sachet came from a mysterious spice merchant, who seemed to have close ties with a court official.

An Lingrong hurried to Zhen Huan's palace and said, "Huan'er, there's some clue. The person behind that spice merchant might be Lord Li in the imperial court. Lord Li has always had some connections with the harem, and his wife often visits and has close ties with some of the concubines."

Zhen Huan's eyes turned cold: "Why did Lord Li get involved in the affairs of the harem and try to murder me?"

An Lingrong shook her head: "It's not clear yet, but we can start with his wife. I heard that his wife will come to the palace to visit Lipin in the near future."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong decided to set up a "chance encounter" on the road that Lady Li's wife had to pass through to enter the palace. When Lady Li's sedan chair reached a corridor, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong came towards them with the palace maids and eunuchs.

Zhen Huan greeted with a smile, "Isn't this Madam Li? It's been a while. Which sister are you visiting in the palace today?"

Madam Li hurriedly stepped down from the sedan chair and bowed. "Greetings to Her Majesty Xi Fei and Her Majesty An Lingrong. I'm here to see Her Majesty Li Fei, who has been feeling unwell lately."

An Lingrong said casually, "Madam Li, this is truly thoughtful. I recently acquired some new spices with unique scents. Would you be interested in trying them, Madam Li?"

Madam Li was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "The spices that Madam Lingrong has must be excellent. It's just that I don't know much about spices, and I'm afraid I'll disappoint Madam Lingrong's kindness."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a glance, both noticing something strange about Madam Li. Zhen Huan added, "Madam Li, you're too polite. I've heard that Lord Li enjoys considerable prestige at court, and I'm sure his family is harmonious and happy."

Madam Li laughed dryly. "Your Majesty, you are too kind. There are so many trivial matters at home, and I have many worries."

After a few pleasantries, Madam Li hurriedly said goodbye and headed to Lipin's palace. Zhen Huan looked at her from behind and said to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, there's definitely something wrong with Madam Li. She seems to be deliberately avoiding topics related to spices."

An Lingrong nodded: "That's right, we have to find a way to get some information from Concubine Li."

So, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong came to Lipin's palace again. Lipin felt a little uneasy when she saw them coming.

Zhen Huan smiled and said, "Sister Lipin, I heard that you were not feeling well, so Lingrong and I came to visit you."

Lipin pretended to be calm: "Thank you for your concern, my two sisters. I just caught a cold, it's nothing serious."

An Lingrong looked around the palace and saw an exquisite box on the table. She walked over and opened it. Inside were some spices similar to the mysterious sachet.

An Lingrong feigned surprise and said, "Sister Lipin, this spice is so special. Where did you get it from?"

Lipin's face changed, and she stammered, "This... this was given to me by a friend. I thought it was beautiful, so I kept it in the palace to enjoy."

Zhen Huan stepped forward and said softly, "Sister Lipin, you and I are sisters in the palace. If you have any difficulties, you might as well speak up. It would be bad if someone with ulterior motives took advantage of you."

Lipin hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "My two sisters, I have to be honest. This spice was given to me by Madam Li. She asked me to use it secretly in the palace, saying that it would help me gain favor. I was confused for a moment and accepted it."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were delighted, having finally found the key clue. Zhen Huan said, "Sister Lipin, you know this spice is poisonous. If you use it, you will not only harm yourself, but also implicate others."

Lipin was horrified: "I... I really don't know. My two sisters must save me."

An Lingrong consoled her, "Don't panic, Sister Lipin. As long as you tell us everything truthfully, we will find a solution."

After coming out of Lipin's palace, Zhen Huan said, "Lingrong, it seems that Lord Li and his wife want to use Lipin to harm me. We must inform the emperor of this as soon as possible."

An Lingrong nodded: "Okay, but we still need solid evidence. We can't give them any chance to quibble."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong secretly collected some evidence about Lord Li's collusion with the harem and his evil intentions, and then went to the emperor's study together.

Zhen Huan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Ling Rong and I have recently discovered a major conspiracy. Someone wants to use spices to murder me, and the mastermind behind it is actually Lord Li in the court."

The emperor frowned: "Hanhuan, do you have any evidence?"

An Lingrong presented the evidence she had collected one by one: "Your Majesty, these are the sachets, the spices, the testimony of the witness Lipin, and the evidence of Lord Li's dealings with the spice merchant. Please examine them carefully."

The emperor looked at the evidence with a gloomy expression: "In my harem, there are people who are so bold and presumptuous as to collude with foreign officials and disturb the peace of the harem!"

The Emperor immediately ordered the arrest of Lord Li and his wife and imprisoned them. After interrogation, Lord Li finally confessed that he was jealous of Zhen Huan's father's position in the court and wanted to murder Zhen Huan to distract her father and weaken his power so that he could rise to a higher position in the court.

After the truth was revealed, Zhen Huan breathed a sigh of relief: "Lingrong, this time it's all thanks to you. If it weren't for your meticulous thinking, we would have found it difficult to expose their conspiracy."

An Lingrong smiled and said, "Huan'er, this is the result of our joint efforts. However, I'm afraid there are other conspiracies lurking in the harem, so we still can't let our guard down."

Zhen Huan nodded: "That's right, we must always remain vigilant, protect ourselves, and protect the peace of this harem."

However, just when they thought they could breathe a sigh of relief, another young eunuch came to report that a strange box was found in the lake of the Imperial Garden. The box was engraved with strange symbols and emitted a faint glow around it. No one knew what the object was, nor did they know what new crises and challenges it would bring to them. Zhen Huan and An Lingrong looked at the box in the young eunuch's hands, their eyes once again filled with worry and determination. They knew that no matter what was hidden behind the box, they must face it together to solve the endless mysteries and dangers of the harem.