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

An Lingrong responded with a firm gaze, "That's right, Huan'er! We've been through so much, what else is there to be afraid of? However, although the matter of Concubine Jing has come to an end for the time being, I always feel that the atmosphere in this harem is getting more and more strange."

Zhen Huan frowned slightly. "Lingrong, have you noticed something? I feel a little uneasy too. It seems like there's an undercurrent surging beneath the calm."

An Lingrong approached Zhen Huan and whispered, "Huan'er, think about it. Concubine Jing has always been cautious, but this time she's suddenly been dragged into this spice conspiracy. Even with the eunuch's testimony and the letter, I still feel like things are more complicated than they seem. Could someone be manipulating everything behind the scenes, deliberately making us think it was Concubine Jing's doing?"

Zhen Huan pondered for a moment and said, "What you said does make some sense. But if there really is a mastermind behind this, what is his purpose? Is it just to provoke a fight between us and Concubine Jing?"

An Lingrong shook her head. "I'm not sure yet, but I think we have to be careful. Lately, I've noticed something strange about the maids and eunuchs around me. It's like someone is secretly watching our every move."

Zhen Huan was shocked. "Is this really true? Then we have to start by investigating the people around us. Do you have any suspicious candidates?"

An Lingrong pondered and said, "My little maid Cui'er in the palace has been so flustered these past few days, her eyes evasive. I wanted to ask her about it, but I was afraid of alerting her."

Zhen Huan suggested: "Why don't we find an excuse to send her away, and then send someone to secretly search her residence to see if we can find any clues."

An Lingrong nodded: "That's all we can do. I hope I can find some clues from her."

A few days later, the people sent by Zhen Huan came to report that a sachet was found in Cui'er's residence. The spices in the sachet had a very strange smell, somewhat similar to the spices used by Concubine Li before.

Zhen Huan held the sachet and said to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, look at this sachet. Could it be the connection between Cui Er and those conspirators?"

An Lingrong sniffed carefully, her face solemn. "Huan'er, although these spices are similar, the formula seems slightly different. I need to study them more carefully."

An Lingrong returned to her palace and after some research, she discovered that the spice was mixed with a rare flower and herb that was only found in a remote corner of the imperial garden.

An Lingrong hurried to find Zhen Huan and said, "Huan'er, I know the key to this spice. The flowers and plants in this spice come from the Imperial Garden. We can go there and check it out. Maybe we can find clues to the person behind this."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong came to a remote corner of the Imperial Garden, where they saw some traces of trampled flowers and plants, as well as some strange footprints around.

Zhen Huan squatted down and carefully observed the footprints. She said, "Lingrong, look at these footprints. They look like men's. Could there be an outsider involved?"

An Lingrong also watched carefully: "Huan'er, this is troublesome. If an outsider is involved, then the conspiracy will be even more complicated. We must quickly find a way to find out the identity of this outsider."

As they were talking, they suddenly heard a faint voice. They walked cautiously in the direction of the sound and hid behind a bush to eavesdrop.

A man's voice was heard saying, "How is the matter going? Have Zhen Huan and An Lingrong been fooled by our plan?"

A woman's voice replied, "Sir, it seems they are suspicious of Concubine Jing, but I have a feeling they won't be fooled so easily."

The man snorted coldly: "Humph! If they continue to pursue this matter, don't blame us for being rude. We must find a way to stop them!"

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were furious when they heard this. Zhen Huan couldn't help but whisper, "These people are so despicable! How dare they plot against us like this!"

An Lingrong quickly grabbed Zhen Huan and signaled her to be quiet. After the two men walked away, An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, we can't reveal ourselves just yet. We need to go back and think about how to deal with this."

Returning to the palace, Zhen Huan angrily said, "Lingrong, how many people in this harem are against us? What can we do to completely get rid of these conspiracies and tricks?"

An Lingrong consoled her, "Huan'er, don't worry. Now that we know someone is plotting something in the Imperial Garden, we can set a trap there and lure them in."

Zhen Huan's eyes lit up: "Lingrong, this is a great plan! We can pretend to go to the Imperial Garden again to track down clues, and then arrange for people to ambush around. When they appear, we can catch them all in one fell swoop!"

An Lingrong nodded: "However, we must act carefully and not let them discover our plan."

So, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong began to carefully plan a trap. They selected some capable guards and secretly ambushed them in various places in the imperial garden.

A few days later, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong pretended nothing had happened and returned to the Imperial Garden. In a secluded corner, they pretended to have discovered some new clues and discussed them loudly.

After a while, the woman from before appeared stealthily. When she saw Zhen Huan and An Lingrong, she pretended to be calm and walked over.

Zhen Huan looked at her and asked, "Who are you? Why are you wandering here?"

The woman bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I am a maid in the Imperial Garden. I heard something was wrong here, so I came to check it out."

An Lingrong sneered, "You're a palace maid? I don't think you are! Tell me, who are you? Are you secretly plotting against us?"

The woman's face changed and she tried to escape, but was stopped by the guards who were lying in ambush nearby.

Zhen Huan said sternly, "Bring her to the palace and interrogate her thoroughly! I want to see who is behind her!"

The guards took the woman back to the palace, and after a period of torture, she finally confessed. It turned out that she was a palace maid bribed by an outsider, and that outsider was a senior official in the court. He was jealous of the power of Zhen Huan's family and wanted to weaken the influence of Zhen Huan's family in the court by framing Zhen Huan and An Lingrong, so as to achieve his own political goals.

After Zhen Huan learned the truth, she angrily said, "How dare these people do anything for power! I will not let them go!"

An Lingrong advised, "Huan'er, don't be impulsive. We must tell the Emperor about this and let him handle it."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong came before the emperor and told him the whole story.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor was furious: "How unreasonable! I will severely punish these traitors!"

The emperor immediately ordered the dismissal of the foreign official, who was investigated and thrown into prison, and his family was also implicated.

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong successfully resolved the crisis again, and their friendship became more indestructible through these tests.

Yet, they also understand that the harem's struggles never cease, and new challenges may arise at any time. But they remain undaunted, knowing that as long as they work together and trust each other, nothing can stop them from advancing through the harem. They remain steadfast in their pursuit of the throne, writing their own legendary stories along this thorny and intriguing road.