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

An Lingrong smiled and said, "Huan'er, we are sisters. We should share joys and sorrows. As long as we work together, we can overcome any storm in this harem."

Zhen Huan nodded slightly, her eyes firm. "Lingrong, although the matter of Concubine Jing has come to an end for now, I still have some doubts in my heart. How could she do such a thing when she was so good in the past?"

An Lingrong frowned slightly. "Huan'er, I also feel that something is amiss. Perhaps we should delve deeper and not be misled by appearances."

Zhen Huan pondered for a moment. "I want to go to the cold palace to see Concubine Li. Maybe I can get more clues from her. Would you like to go with me?"

An Lingrong responded without hesitation, "Huan'er, of course I want to go with you. This cold palace must be hiding many secrets, and we must be careful in dealing with them."

When they arrived at the cold palace, they found it gloomy and cold all around, and Concubine Li was sitting in the corner with messy hair.

Zhen Huan called softly, "Princess Li, we're here to see you."

Lipin slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with resentment: "Humph, what are you doing here? Are you here to laugh at me?"

An Lingrong stepped forward and said, "Lipin, we are not here to humiliate you. We just want to know how you and Jingfei planned the spice incident."

Lipin sneered, "Plot? I'm just a pawn being used by her! She promised me benefits, saying that if I could overthrow you, I could regain the emperor's favor. I was so blinded by greed that I believed her!"

Zhen Huan was shocked: "You said you were used? Do you have any evidence?"

Lipin smiled bitterly and shook her head: "Evidence? I don't have any evidence. I only know that she gave me that spice, saying it would make you unconscious, but she never thought that in the end it would harm me."

An Lingrong and Zhen Huan looked at each other and saw doubt in each other's eyes.

Zhen Huan then asked, "Do you know if Concubine Jing has any connections outside the palace? The source of those spices is probably not simple."

Lipin thought for a moment and said, "I once heard the maids around her mention that she seemed to have dealings with a spice merchant outside the palace, but I don't know who it was."

After coming out of the cold palace, Zhen Huan said to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, it seems we have to start with this spice merchant. If we can find him, perhaps we can uncover Concubine Jing's true identity."

An Lingrong nodded. "Huan'er, I'll send someone to investigate right away. However, since this is a matter outside the palace, we can't do it ourselves. We need to find someone we can trust to help us."

Zhen Huan thought for a moment: "Sister Mei has always been intelligent and calm, and we have a deep friendship. I think I can ask her for secret help."

An Lingrong agreed, "Sister Mei is indeed the right person. Let's go discuss this with Sister Mei right away."

After meeting Sister Mei, Zhen Huan told her the whole story in detail.

After hearing this, Mei Jie frowned slightly and said, "There are indeed many suspicious points in the matter of Concubine Jing. I will send someone to investigate the spice merchant and let you know as soon as I have any news."

A few days later, Sister Mei sent a message saying that the spice merchant had been found.

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong hurried over to meet him. The spice merchant knelt tremblingly on the ground, "Forgive me, madams. I was only following orders. It was Madam Jing who asked me to provide those special spices."

Zhen Huan said sternly, "You're following orders? But do you know that spices are harmful? And you dare to help the tyrant!"

The spice merchant cried and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, I don't want to do this either. Your Majesty Jingfei threatened me, saying that if I don't do it, my whole family will be killed. I am really helpless."

An Lingrong asked, "What other agreements did Concubine Jing have with you? Did she tell you what to do if the truth came to light?"

The spice merchant trembled and said, "Empress Jing said that if anything happened, she would find a scapegoat and would never involve me. I thought she could protect me, but I didn't expect..."

After hearing this, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong had a deeper understanding of Concubine Jing's cruelty.

Zhen Huan sneered, "This Concubine Jing has such a deep and sinister mind. We must not let her get away with it."

An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, let's go see the Emperor again and present this new evidence. This time, we must make sure Concubine Jing receives the punishment she deserves."

When the emperor heard this, his face turned pale: "How dare Concubine Jing deceive me like this!"

Concubine Jing was brought before the Emperor again. Seeing that the truth had been revealed, she gave up her excuses and looked coldly at Zhen Huan and An Lingrong: "Do you think you have won? The struggle in this harem never stops. Sooner or later, you will all fall from favor."

Zhen Huan said calmly, "Jing Fei, you have committed many evil deeds, and today is your retribution. We have a clear conscience and would never be as treacherous and cunning as you."

The Emperor shouted angrily, "Jing Fei, I remember your past merits and wanted to give you a lighter sentence, but you refuse to repent and still dare to speak so arrogantly. From this day forward, Jing Fei will be demoted to a commoner and expelled from the palace!"

Concubine Jing's eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe her fate. She collapsed to the ground and was dragged away by the guards.

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong smiled at each other. This time, they successfully resolved the crisis.

Zhen Huan sighed, "Lingrong, I'm so grateful to have you by my side along the way. Without you, I really don't know what I would do."

An Lingrong held Zhen Huan's hand and said, "Huan'er, we rely on each other. As long as our friendship remains unchanged, we can overcome any difficult situation in the harem."

Yet, they understand that the turmoil within this harem will never subside. New conspiracies may be quietly brewing in the shadows, but they are fearless, for they have each other's companionship and trust. They will continue to forge ahead in this harem of calculations, striving towards the pinnacle of supreme power, writing their own immortal legends.