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

Zhen Huan nodded slightly, her eyes firm, "Lingrong, that's right. However, I've been feeling the atmosphere in the palace has become increasingly strange lately, as if there's an undercurrent."

An Lingrong's expression froze. "Huan'er, have you noticed something? Could it be that someone is secretly plotting something?"

Zhen Huan frowned slightly. "I can't really explain it, it's just a hunch. Although the incident with Concubine Jing seems to have been resolved, I still feel like it's not that simple."

An Lingrong pondered for a moment: "Huan'er, we still need to be more careful. Why don't we start with the people around us and see if there is anything unusual?"

Zhen Huan's eyes lit up. "Lingrong, that's a good idea. My personal maid Liuzhu is always very attentive. I'll ask her to pay more attention. What about you?"

An Lingrong said, "I will also tell Baoque to stay alert. If there is any sign of trouble, she should report it immediately."

A few days later, Liuzhu hurried to report to Zhen Huan, "Your Majesty, I've discovered something strange. These past few days, I've often seen some young eunuchs sneaking around in secluded corners of the Imperial Garden. I don't know what they're doing."

Zhen Huan was startled. "Liuzhu, can you see clearly what they are doing? Is there anything suspicious?"

Liuzhu shook her head: "My Lady, I dare not get too close. I only saw that they seemed to be burying something."

Zhen Huan hurried to find An Lingrong and told her about this. An Lingrong's face was solemn after hearing this: "Huan'er, there must be something wrong. We have to find out."

That night, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong, accompanied by a few trusted guards, quietly came to a secluded corner of the Imperial Garden. In the moonlight, they saw freshly turned soil on the ground.

Zhen Huan whispered to the guards, "Dig it up and take a look."

The guards carefully dug up the soil and found several cloth bags buried inside. When they opened the bags, they found some dolls with talismans written on them. The birth dates of Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were also pasted on the dolls.

An Lingrong said angrily, "Huan'er, someone is cursing us! What kind of vicious person would resort to such despicable means!"

Zhen Huan bit her lower lip. "Lingrong, no matter who it is, we must not tolerate it. But who could have done this?"

An Lingrong pondered, "Could it be the remnants of Concubine Jing's followers? Although Concubine Jing has been confined to the palace for many years, there are undoubtedly some loyal followers who would like to avenge her."

Zhen Huan shook her head. "Not really. Concubine Jing has just been dealt with. If her people were to take action now, wouldn't that be foolish? I think it might be someone else, trying to take advantage of the situation between us and Concubine Jing to fish in troubled waters."

At this moment, a young eunuch passed by, saw Zhen Huan and others, turned around and ran away.

Zhen Huan shouted, "Chase him! Don't let him get away!"

The guards quickly chased after him and soon captured the young eunuch. Zhen Huan stepped forward and sternly demanded, "Tell me! Did you bury these dolls? Who ordered you to do this?"

The young eunuch was so frightened that he trembled all over. "Your Majesty, please spare me! It's...it's Concubine Xin. Concubine Xin was jealous of the Majesties' favor, so she asked me to get these dolls and bury them here, hoping to curse the Majesties to fall out of favor."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were both stunned. Zhen Huan said in surprise, "Xin Changzai? She usually looks gentle and well-behaved, how could she be like this?"

An Lingrong sneered, "Huan'er, in this harem, people's hearts are hidden. The more harmless someone seems, the more likely they are to be hiding deep scheming."

Zhen Huan said in a deep voice, "No matter what, we can't convict Concubine Xin based solely on this little eunuch's words. We must confront her face to face."

The next day, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong went to Concubine Xin's residence. Zhen Huan said bluntly, "Concubine Xin, I heard that you recently sent people to bury dolls in the Imperial Garden to curse An Lingrong and me. Is this true?"

Xin Changzai's face changed, but she quickly regained her composure: "Empress Xi, Empress An Lingrong, what is the origin of this? Someone must have deliberately framed me."

An Lingrong took out the doll and said, "Xin Changzai, this was dug out from the Imperial Garden. It has our birth dates on it. And that young eunuch has confessed that you ordered him to do it. Do you still want to quibble?"

Xin Changzai saw the puppet, and a trace of panic flashed in her eyes, but she still said stubbornly: "Your Majesty, this must be that little eunuch framing me. I have no grudges against you, your Majesty, why would I curse you?"

Zhen Huan stared into Concubine Xin's eyes and said, "Concubine Xin, if you admit it now, perhaps we can give you a lighter sentence. If you wait until the Emperor finds out, you won't be so lucky."

Xin Changzai hesitated for a moment, then suddenly knelt down and cried, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I was just confused for a moment, jealous of your favor, so I did such a wrong thing. Please forgive me this time."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a glance. Zhen Huan said, "Xin Chang Zai, your actions truly chill us to the bone. However, since you can admit your mistakes, we will not report this to the Emperor. However, you must reflect on your actions in your own palace. If you do this again, I will not forgive you."

Xin Changzai nodded repeatedly: "Thank you for your grace, my lady. I will definitely reform myself."

After leaving Concubine Xin's place, An Lingrong said to Zhen Huan, "Huan'er, the struggles in the harem are really hard to guard against. Although we spared Concubine Xin this time, there's no guarantee that others won't do something similar again."

Zhen Huan sighed, "Lingrong, I know that too. But we can't be paranoid. As long as we stick to our hearts and support each other, I believe we can always get through this."

Some time later, news came from the palace that a distant small country had sent a beautiful woman named Yao Ji as tribute. It was said that Yao Ji was extremely beautiful and talented in singing and dancing, and she was highly anticipated by the emperor.

After hearing this, Zhen Huan said to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, with Yao Ji's arrival, there will probably be another disturbance in the palace. We must prepare in advance."

An Lingrong nodded: "Huan'er, I don't know what kind of personality Yao Ji has. Let's send someone to find out first, and then make a decision."

Soon, news about Yao Ji arrived. It was said that Yao Ji was arrogant and scheming. She had heard about the goings-on in the palace on her way here and seemed to covet the status of Zhen Huan and An Lingrong.

Zhen Huan frowned. "It seems that Yao Ji is not a pushover. Lingrong, we must be careful and not let her succeed so easily."

An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, we might as well treat her with courtesy and see what she's up to first. If she truly has ill intentions, it won't be too late for us to take action."

On the day Yao Ji entered the palace, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong went to greet her. They saw Yao Ji dressed in gorgeous clothes, walking gracefully, and she was truly beautiful.

Yao Ji saw Zhen Huan and An Lingrong and bowed slightly. "Greetings, Empress Xi and Empress An Lingrong. I have long heard of your great names, and seeing you today, I can see that they truly live up to their reputations."

Zhen Huan smiled and said, "Sister Yaoji, you are too polite. You have come a long way and must have worked hard on your journey."

An Lingrong also said, "Yes, Sister Yaoji, this palace will be your home from now on. If there is anything you are not used to, please feel free to tell us."

Yao Ji smiled softly: "Thank you both ladies for your concern. I will adapt well."

However, that very night, Yao Ji came to the emperor's bedroom and performed a dance. The emperor was deeply attracted by Yao Ji's dance and praised her highly, and also rewarded her with many precious things.

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong felt uneasy after learning about this. Zhen Huan said, "Lingrong, this Yao Ji is indeed extraordinary. She won the Emperor's favor as soon as she arrived."

An Lingrong consoled her, "Huan'er, the Emperor is just intrigued by this. We don't need to take it too seriously. Let's see how she reacts."

But in the following days, Yao Ji frequently displayed her talents in front of the emperor, and often hinted at the faults of Zhen Huan and An Lingrong in her words. It seemed that the emperor's favor for Zhen Huan and An Lingrong was gradually divided by Yao Ji.

Zhen Huan was a little anxious: "Lingrong, we can't go on like this. We have to find a way to let the emperor see Yao Ji's true face."

An Lingrong pondered for a moment. "Huan'er, I have a plan. Isn't Yao Ji good at singing and dancing? We can hold a banquet in the palace and invite Yao Ji to perform. Then, we can find an opportunity to expose some of her little tricks."

Zhen Huan's eyes lit up: "Lingrong, this is a brilliant plan. Let's do it this way."

On the day of the banquet, Yao Ji danced gracefully on the stage. Everyone in the audience was captivated by her dancing. After the performance, everyone applauded.

Zhen Huan smiled and stepped forward. "Sister Yaoji's dance is truly wonderful. I heard that you often use a special spice to practice dancing, which makes your movements more graceful. Could you please let me experience this spice?"

Yao Ji's expression changed, but she quickly returned to normal: "Your Majesty, this spice is just an ordinary spice from my hometown. There's nothing special about it."

An Lingrong said from the side, "Sister Yaoji, why are you so stingy? It's just a spice, what's the harm in letting us take a look?"

Yao Ji hesitated for a moment, then took out the spices. An Lingrong took the spices, sniffed them, and then said in surprise, "Sister Yao Ji, there seems to be something wrong with this spice. It contains an ingredient that, if used for a long time, will weaken the body. Don't you know that, sister?"

Everyone was surprised when they heard this. Yao Ji hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, I was unaware of this. This spice was given to me by someone from my hometown, and I always thought it was harmless."

Zhen Huan sneered, "Sister Yaoji, are you truly ignorant or are you pretending not to know? You dance with this spice to please the Emperor, yet you disregard his health. What are your intentions?"

Yao Ji fell to her knees with a plop: "Your Majesty, I am innocent! I really didn't know there was anything wrong with this spice."

The emperor's face was gloomy. "Yao Ji, don't try to quibble. I love you so much, yet you act like this. From today on, you are confined to your own palace and must reflect on your actions!"

Yao Ji cried and begged for mercy, but the emperor remained unmoved.

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

Although the future is still full of unknowns and challenges, they do not back down and continue to write their own legendary stories in this harem, moving step by step towards the throne of the harem master.