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

Zhen Huan frowned and whispered to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, this box looks very strange. I have never seen anything like it in the palace."

An Lingrong examined the box carefully and replied, "Huan'er, it's indeed strange. The symbols engraved on it seem to be some ancient spell, but I can't yet grasp its deeper meaning."

Zhen Huan beckoned the young eunuch forward and asked, "Where did you find this box? Was there anything else unusual around it at the time?"

The young eunuch replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, I saw it in the water beneath the willow trees by the lake in the Imperial Garden. Aside from the faint glow from the box, I didn't notice anything unusual. The soil around the lake, however, seemed to have been disturbed."

An Lingrong pondered for a moment and said, "Could it be that someone deliberately placed this there, waiting for us to take the bait?"

Zhen Huan nodded, "It's very possible. But if we don't investigate, I'm afraid this box will cause even greater disaster. Lingrong, do you have any ideas?"

An Lingrong bit her lip and said, "Huan'er, let's take this box back to Yongshou Palace first and find a secluded place to study it carefully. We must not let anyone else know."

Zhen Huan agreed. After returning to Yongshou Palace, they placed the box on the table. Under the flickering candlelight, the dim light seemed even more mysterious.

Zhen Huan leaned closer to the box and murmured, "What secret does this box hold? Is it aimed at one of us, or both of us?"

An Lingrong examined the symbol and said, "Huan'er, I feel like this is some kind of sorcery, perhaps meant to curse us. But who would go to such great lengths?"

At this time, Zhen Huan's personal maid Huanbi couldn't help but say, "My two majesties, could this be the work of the remnants of those who wanted to harm you before?"

Zhen Huan glanced at her and said, "It's possible. But we can't just rely on speculation. We need to find solid evidence."

An Lingrong's eyes suddenly lit up. "Huan'er, I remember seeing similar symbols in an ancient book. It seems to be related to a lost witchcraft technique. If it really is witchcraft, then we're in big trouble."

Zhen Huan's face changed. "Witchcraft? This is a taboo in the palace! If someone falsely accuses us of using witchcraft, it will be a disaster!"

An Lingrong comforted her, "Huan'er, don't panic. Let's see if we can decipher the secret on this box. If we can find the person behind it, perhaps we can resolve this crisis."

As they were talking, the Emperor suddenly arrived at Yongshou Palace. Zhen Huan and An Lingrong hurriedly stood up to greet him.

The Emperor looked at the box on the table and asked, "Hanhuan, what is this? I heard on the palace road that you brought back a strange box."

Zhen Huan's heart tightened, and she quickly replied, "Your Majesty, Lingrong and I found this box in the Imperial Garden. Because of the strange symbols on the box, we brought it back to investigate. We don't know what it is used for yet."

The Emperor approached the box, examined it carefully, and frowned. "I've never seen this symbol before, Huanhuan. Please don't get involved in anything dangerous."

Zhen Huan knelt and saluted: "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will be careful and cautious."

After the emperor left, Zhen Huan breathed a sigh of relief: "Lingrong, the emperor has noticed this box. We must speed up and find out the truth."

An Lingrong nodded and continued studying the symbols. After a while, she said, "Huan'er, I seem to have found some clues. These symbols, when combined, seem to point to a place—the abandoned palace near the cold palace."

Zhen Huan asked doubtfully, "That abandoned palace? Why is it related to that place? Could it be that someone from the cold palace is behind this?"

An Lingrong stood up and said, "No matter what, we have to go there. Maybe we can find more clues there."

So, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong, along with a few guards, quietly went to the abandoned palace. The palace was cold and gloomy, and filled with a foul smell.

They searched the palace carefully. Suddenly, An Lingrong found some ashes and remnants of cloth in a corner.

An Lingrong picked up the cloth, examined it carefully, and said, "Huan'er, this cloth looks like something someone in the palace would wear, and these ashes... look like something was burned."

Zhen Huan pondered, "Could it be something related to witchcraft? But who did this?"

Just then, they heard a faint cry. Zhen Huan was startled and whispered, "Lingrong, did you hear that? Why is there crying in this palace?"

An Lingrong held Zhen Huan's hand tightly. "Don't be afraid, Huan'er. Let's follow the sound and see what happens."

They followed the direction of the crying and found a dilapidated room. When they opened the door, they saw a palace maid huddled in the corner, her face full of fear.

Zhen Huan asked softly, "Who are you? Why are you crying here?"

The maid raised her head and saw Zhen Huan and An Lingrong, and quickly knelt down: "Your Majesty, please spare me! Your Majesty, please spare me!"

Zhen Huan said, "Get up first and tell us what happened in this palace? Did you put this box in the imperial garden?"

The maid trembled and said, "My Lady, it wasn't me. It was a maid. She forced me to do something strange here, and I dared not disobey. She also brought the box. She seemed to be casting some evil spell."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong looked at each other, and Zhen Huan asked, "Where is the nanny now?"

The maid replied, "She just went out and said she was going to prepare some things and would be back soon."

An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, it seems we have to wait here for her to come back before we can uncover the truth."

Zhen Huan nodded: "Okay. Let's wait here and see what she's up to."

They waited quietly in their room, their hearts filled with anxiety and unease. They didn't know what kind of changes the nanny would bring when she returned, nor did they know what conspiracy was hidden behind all this. Whether they could successfully resolve the crisis again and continue to move forward in the mist of the harem remained uncertain. But they held each other's hands tightly, and their determined eyes told each other that no matter what, they would not back down.