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

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong smiled at each other, their smiles revealing the composure of someone who has weathered many storms. Zhen Huan smoothed her hair and whispered, "Lingrong, this journey has been full of thorns, but with you by my side, I always have strength in my heart."

An Lingrong tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with determination: "Huan'er, we have long been on the same boat. Those evil spirits are just trying to scare us away, but we won't!"

As she was speaking, Chun Changzai came running over like a cheerful little bird, with a bright smile on her face: "Sister Huanhuan, Sister Lingrong, what are you talking about? Chun'er heard that the flowers in the Imperial Garden are blooming. They are so beautiful. Do you sisters want to go and see them?"

Zhen Huan smiled and took Concubine Chun's hand: "Chun'er, this little girl, is always so innocent. But in this harem, there is no such leisure time to appreciate flowers."

Chun Changzai pouted and said, "Sister Huanhuan, you're so tired from scheming and calculating in the palace all day long. It's good to go out and enjoy the flowers and relax occasionally."

An Lingrong couldn't help but laugh. "What Concubine Chun said does make some sense. But we must always be careful. If we're not careful, we might fall into someone else's trap."

Chun often blinked: "Sisters are just overthinking. But Chun'er knows that sisters must have their own difficulties."

A few days later, Zhen Huan was reading in the palace when her personal maid Shanhu hurried in to report, "Your Majesty, something bad has happened! I heard the Emperor has just acquired a tribute horse from the Western Regions. He wanted to ride it today, but the horse suddenly went berserk and nearly injured the Emperor!"

Zhen Huan was horrified and stood up suddenly: "How could this happen? How is the emperor now?"

Shanhu replied, "The emperor has been taken into custody by the guards. He is fine, just a little frightened."

Zhen Huan immediately ordered, "Quick, prepare the sedan chair. I want to go see the emperor."

When Zhen Huan arrived at the Emperor's palace, An Lingrong was already there. Zhen Huan quickly approached the Emperor and knelt in greeting, "Your Majesty, I was deeply concerned upon hearing this. Are you all right?"

The emperor sat on the couch, his face slightly pale, and waved his hand: "Huanhuan, I'm fine, but the horse suddenly jumped up, which is really strange."

An Lingrong also stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this is truly bizarre. Is that horse normally docile?"

The emperor frowned and said, "I have heard that the horse has always been docile, but today it seems to have been stimulated by something."

Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, could it be that someone deliberately tampered with the horse?"

The emperor's eyes glared, "Hanhuan, are you saying someone is plotting to murder me?"

An Lingrong interjected, "Your Majesty, the hearts of people in the harem are unpredictable. We must be on guard."

The Emperor said in a deep voice, "I will investigate this matter thoroughly. You should also be more careful. If you have any clues, report to me immediately."

After leaving the Emperor's palace, Zhen Huan said to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, I have a feeling someone in the harem is responsible for this. Who could it be?"

An Lingrong said thoughtfully, "Huan'er, anyone with such skill and courage must be no ordinary person. Let's return to our respective palaces and keep a close eye on them."

Zhen Huan nodded: "That's the only way."

After returning to Yongshou Palace, Zhen Huan sat by the window, unable to calm down for a long time. Liuzhu brought her a cup of tea and whispered, "Your Majesty, don't worry too much. The Emperor is blessed with good fortune."

Zhen Huan shook her head gently: "Liuzhu, the struggles in the harem are becoming more and more dangerous. I'm afraid that if I'm not careful, I will not only hurt myself, but also implicate those around me."

Liuzhu said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, I am not afraid. As long as I can accompany you, I am not afraid of anything."

Zhen Huan was moved and held Liu Zhu's hand: "My dear Liu Zhu, I am blessed to have your loyalty."

Meanwhile, in An Lingrong's palace, Baoque was also muttering, "My Queen, what should we do? Could it be that those who opposed us before are causing trouble again?"

An Lingrong's eyes were icy: "No matter who it is, if they dare to hurt the Emperor and stir up chaos in the harem, I will not let them off easily!"

A few days later, An Lingrong came to see Zhen Huan, looking a little excited: "Huan'er, I found some clues. I heard that the young eunuch who trained the horse had contact with a mysterious person recently. The mysterious person gave him a package, and then the horse went crazy."

Zhen Huan's eyes lit up: "Lingrong, who is that mysterious person?"

An Lingrong lowered her voice, "The identity has not been confirmed yet, but the young eunuch described that the mysterious person seemed to be a woman, and there was a strange fragrance on her body."

Zhen Huan frowned. "A woman? A fragrance? Who could this be?"

An Lingrong said, "I have sent people to continue tracking down the whereabouts of that mysterious man. I believe there will be results soon."

Two days later, the person sent to investigate returned with a report: "Your Majesty, we've found the person. The mysterious person is a maidservant of Concubine Mu."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were both surprised. Zhen Huan asked, "Mupin? She usually seems to be a peaceful person, why would she do such a thing?"

An Lingrong snorted coldly, "Huan'er, there's no one in this harem who truly lives in peace. She must be trying to get a piece of the harem pie, so she resorted to this despicable strategy."

Zhen Huan stood up and said, "Let's go find Concubine Mu and ask her for clarification."

They arrived at Concubine Mu's palace. When she saw Zhen Huan and An Lingrong approaching, a flash of panic crossed her face, but she quickly composed herself: "Empress Xi, Empress An Lingrong, how come you have time to come to my humble abode today?"

Zhen Huan looked Mupin directly in the eyes and said, "Mupin, do you know what the maidservant beside you did?"

Concubine Mu pretended to be confused: "Your Majesty, I am a well-behaved maid. What could I do? Is there some misunderstanding?"

An Lingrong sneered, "Mupin, stop pretending. Your maid colluded with the young eunuch who trains horses and tampered with the emperor's horse, nearly injuring him. How dare you say you didn't know?"

Concubine Mu's face turned pale. "Your Majesty, I... I really don't know. That palace maid must have done it behind my back. I'm going to interrogate her right now."

Zhen Huan said sternly, "Mupin, do you think you can shirk your responsibility like this? That maidservant was your friend. You are to blame for what she did."

Concubine Mu fell to her knees with a thud: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I was just confused for a moment and jealous of the Emperor's favor towards the ladies, so I did such a wrong thing. Please have mercy on me, Your Majesty."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a glance. Zhen Huan said, "Mupin, what you did was truly outrageous. But since you admitted your mistake, we will not report this to the Emperor. However, you must reflect on your actions in your own palace. If you do it again, I will not forgive you."

Concubine Mu nodded repeatedly: "Thank you for your grace, my ladies. I will definitely change my ways."

After leaving Mupin's place, An Lingrong said to Zhen Huan, "Huan'er, the harem struggles are endless. Although we have resolved the crisis this time, who knows what the next one will be like?"

Zhen Huan sighed, "Lingrong, as long as we are together and support each other, no matter what storm comes, we can always get through it."

Soon after, news of a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was announced. Zhen Huan said to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, this Mid-Autumn Festival banquet will be quite something. We must prepare in advance."

An Lingrong nodded. "Huan'er, this time we need to put more thought into our attire and gifts. We need to show our care without being too ostentatious."

Zhen Huan said, "As for the clothes, I'll have the Imperial Household Department prepare some suitable fabrics, along with some exquisite embroidery. As for the gifts, do you have any good ideas?"

An Lingrong thought for a moment and said, "I can mix some special spices and make them into sachets as gifts. These spices have a calming effect on the mind and help with sleep, so they're perfect for the Mid-Autumn Festival."

On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong dressed up and went to the banquet hall. The banquet hall was decorated with lights and there was a lively scene.

The concubines presented gifts to the emperor one after another. When it was Zhen Huan's turn, she presented her carefully prepared embroidery: "Your Majesty, this is a Mid-Autumn Festival picture embroidered by me personally. I hope Your Majesty likes it."

The Emperor unfolded the embroidery and said with a smile, "Hanhuan's embroidery skills are becoming more and more exquisite. I like it very much."

An Lingrong also stepped forward and presented a sachet: "Your Majesty, this is a sachet I specially made. It has a calming effect. I hope Your Majesty can sleep well on this Mid-Autumn Festival night."

The emperor took the sachet and sniffed it: "Lingrong's spices are always unique."

However, during the banquet, an accident occurred: a palace maid who was performing singing and dancing suddenly fainted on the stage.

There was a sudden commotion in the banquet hall. Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a glance, both sensing something was amiss.

An Lingrong whispered, "Huan'er, I'm afraid someone is causing trouble again."

Zhen Huan nodded: "Let's go and take a look."

They walked over to the palace maid. An Lingrong checked her condition and frowned, "Huan'er, she looks like she's been poisoned."

Zhen Huan was shocked. "Poisoned? He got poisoned at the banquet. What should I do?"

An Lingrong said calmly, "Don't panic yet. Let's see if there's anything suspicious around her."

After a thorough inspection, An Lingrong discovered some powder on the maid's sleeve. She sniffed it and said, "This is a slow-acting poison. But how did it get into her body?"

At this time, a concubine stood up and said, "Empress Xi, Empress An Lingrong, this palace maid is from Concubine Ning's palace. Could it be Concubine Ning..."

Zhen Huan scolded him, "Don't make random guesses. Don't make random statements without evidence."

An Lingrong said to Zhen Huan, "Huan'er, we still have to go to Concubine Ning's palace to investigate, so that we can get to the bottom of the matter."

Zhen Huan nodded: "There is no time to lose, let's go now."

Arriving at Lady Ning's palace, Zhen Huan asked directly, "Lady Ning, do you know that a maid in your palace was poisoned at the banquet?"

Lady Ning said indifferently, "I don't know. Although that maid is a member of my palace, what happened to her today has nothing to do with me."

An Lingrong said, "Lady Ning, we found poison powder on her sleeve. Can you explain?"

Concubine Ning sneered, "How can I explain this? Someone must have deliberately framed me."

Zhen Huan looked into Lady Ning's eyes and said, "Lady Ning, if it wasn't you, do you know who was trying to frame you?"

Concubine Ning was silent for a moment. "I have no intention of competing for favor in this harem, but there are always people who see me as a thorn in their side. I don't know who it is, but I think it must be someone with whom I have had a conflict."

An Lingrong pondered and said, "Lady Ning, who have you had a conflict with?"

Concubine Ning glanced at Zhen Huan and An Lingrong and said, "I once had a dispute with Concubine Li, but she has been banished to the cold palace. And... there was Concubine Jing before."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were moved. Zhen Huan said, "Although Concubine Jing has been confined, her influence in the palace may not have been completely eliminated. Could it be the work of her remnants?"

An Lingrong said, "It's very likely. We need to re-investigate the people around Concubine Jing."

So, they started a new round of investigation. After some effort, they finally found out that it was a palace maid who was once trusted by Concubine Jing. In order to avenge Concubine Jing, she secretly tampered with the palace maid's clothing and hid poison in it. She wanted to create chaos at the banquet and put the blame on Concubine Ning, thereby provoking conflicts between Zhen Huan and the other concubines.

When the truth came to light, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong reported the matter to the emperor, who was furious and severely punished the maid.

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

Although the future is still full of unknowns and challenges, they do not flinch and continue to write their own legendary stories in this harem, moving step by step towards the supreme throne of the harem master. In this world surrounded by palace walls, they use their wisdom and friendship to withstand endless storms and conspiracies.