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

Zhen Huan frowned slightly and paced around the palace. After a moment, she stopped and said, "Lingrong, although Concubine Jing has been temporarily suppressed by us, she will definitely not give up. We must find a way to completely resolve this hidden danger, otherwise there will be endless trouble in the future."

An Lingrong sat aside, sipping her tea, and said slowly, "Huan'er, I've been thinking about this too. Concubine Jing has been in the palace for many years, has a deep foundation, and has many followers. It won't be easy to completely bring her down. We must take a long-term view and find more evidence against her first."

Zhen Huan sat down, her eyes determined. "I've asked Liu Zhu and Huan Bi to secretly monitor the actions of Concubine Jing's family, to see if they can find any useful clues. However, this will take some time, and I'm worried that Concubine Jing might do something strange again during this time."

An Lingrong put down her teacup and soothed her, "Don't worry, Huan'er. We can't just wait passively. We might as well take the initiative and set a trap to lure Concubine Jing into it."

Zhen Huan's eyes lit up: "Lingrong, your idea is very good! But how should this game be set up?"

An Lingrong pondered for a moment and said, "I heard that Concubine Jing is very fond of a batch of newly-delivered silk tributes. We can use this silk to our advantage. Find some clever people to secretly tamper with the silk, causing it to have flaws, and then deliberately lure Concubine Jing to discover it. She will definitely investigate, and we can use this opportunity to plant some evidence that would be detrimental to her, such as a letter colluding with forces outside the palace."

Zhen Huan was a little worried: "But what if Concubine Jing finds out it was us? Wouldn't that mean we end up losing more than we gain?"

An Lingrong shook her head gently. "Don't worry, Huan'er. We will act with extreme caution. The perpetrators can be found outside the palace and have nothing to do with us. And when Concubine Jing investigates, we will pretend to be kind and help her. She will definitely not suspect us."

Zhen Huan nodded: "That's feasible. But the person outside the palace must be reliable."

An Lingrong said, "I do know someone who's a relative of someone who does business with my mother's family's spice shop. He's smart and tight-lipped, so he could take on this role."

Zhen Huan smiled and said, "Lingrong, I feel much more at ease with you here. Oh, and there's also Concubine Chun. She's simple-minded, so I hope she doesn't get affected by this palace fighting."

An Lingrong also smiled: "Don't worry, Huan'er. I have already told Baoque to keep an eye on Concubine Chun. If there is any disturbance, she should take Concubine Chun to our palace for shelter."

A few days later, Liu Zhu hurried in to report, "Your Majesty, something's happened in Concubine Jing's palace! Someone has tampered with that batch of silk. Concubine Jing is furious and is investigating the matter!"

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a glance, each seeing a hint of joy in the other's eyes. Zhen Huan said, "It seems our plan is starting to work. Lingrong, now it all depends on how we can skillfully deliver the evidence to Concubine Jing."

An Lingrong said, "Don't rush for now. Wait until Concubine Jing is exhausted from investigating, then we will show up. By then, she will be confused and more likely to fall into her trap."

Two days later, Concubine Jing's palace was clueless and she was so angry that she smashed many things. Zhen Huan and An Lingrong pretended to be passing by Concubine Jing's palace by chance and went in to check on her after hearing the noise.

Zhen Huan feigned surprise and asked, "Sister Jingfei, what's wrong? Why are you so angry?"

Seeing Zhen Huan and An Lingrong, Concubine Jing said angrily, "It's that batch of silk that was vandalized. I'm determined to find out who's behind this!"

An Lingrong said softly, "Sister, don't let yourself get too upset. Perhaps someone is jealous of you getting this good thing and is resorting to such a ruthless scheme. Why not start by investigating those who have come into contact with silk?"

Concubine Jing snorted coldly: "I naturally know. I don't need you to teach me!"

Zhen Huan pulled An Lingrong, signaling her not to worry, and said, "Sister, if there is anything you need help with, just let us know. We sisters will definitely do our best to help you."

Concubine Jing glanced at them with disdain: "Are you so kind?"

An Lingrong laughed and said, "Sister, what are you talking about? We are in the harem together, so we should support each other."

After leaving Concubine Jing's palace, Zhen Huan whispered, "Lingrong, looking at Concubine Jing's expression, although she is suspicious of us, there is nothing she can do. We must speed up our pace."

An Lingrong nodded. "Yes. I'll arrange for that person to quietly place the evidence in a conspicuous yet unsuspicious place in Concubine Jing's palace."

A few days later, news spread from Concubine Jing's palace that a letter had been found hidden in the secret compartment of her dressing table, suggesting she was colluding with a profiteer from outside the palace to enrich herself, and also implicating herself in palace secrets. Upon hearing this, the Emperor was furious and ordered Concubine Jing to be confined to the palace until the truth was fully uncovered.

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing the news. Zhen Huan smiled and said, "Lingrong, we've finally solved this big problem of Concubine Jing for now."

An Lingrong also smiled with relief: "Yes, Huan'er. But we still can't let our guard down. There might be new crises emerging in the harem."

As she was speaking, Chun Changzai came running over, holding a newly made sachet in her hand: "Sister Huanhuan, Sister Lingrong, look at the sachet I made, is it beautiful?"

Zhen Huan took the sachet and said with a smile, "Chun'er is so skillful. This sachet is so beautifully made."

Chun Changzai smiled happily and said, "I've been making this for a long time! I just wanted to give it to my sisters."

An Lingrong took the sachet and sniffed it: "The fragrance of this sachet is also very unique. Chun'er really put a lot of effort into it."

Chun Changzai stayed in Zhen Huan and An Lingrong's palace for a while, then skipped away. Zhen Huan looked at Chun Changzai's back and sighed, "I really hope Chun Er can always be so carefree."

An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, we will do our best to protect her. However, the harem is full of unpredictable events, and no one can fully control them."

Zhen Huan nodded: "Yes. Only if we stick to our original intentions and support each other can we go far in this palace."

However, the peaceful days did not last long, as new rumors began to spread in the palace. It was said that the reason why Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were able to win in the palace fights was because they secretly studied witchcraft and bewitched the emperor and the concubines.

After hearing this, Zhen Huan was so angry that she trembled all over: "How can this be justified? This is absolutely ridiculous!"

An Lingrong also said angrily, "Someone must have deliberately framed us and wanted to put us to death. Huan'er, we must find a way to deal with it quickly, otherwise if this rumor reaches the ears of the Emperor, it will be disastrous."

Zhen Huan suppressed her anger and calmed down, saying, "Lingrong, let's go talk to Concubine Duan first. She's knowledgeable and might have some good ideas."

Arriving at Concubine Duan's palace, she listened to this and her face was also solemn: "This theory of witchcraft is a taboo in the palace. If it is confirmed, the consequences will be disastrous. My two ladies, have you ever offended anyone?"

Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said, "Apart from Concubine Jing, I really can't think of anyone else who would hate us so much as to resort to such a despicable act."

An Lingrong asked, "But the Respected Concubine is under house arrest now. Does she still have the ability to spread rumors?"

Concubine Duan shook her head slightly: "That may not be the case. Although Concubine Jing is under house arrest, the people in her palace may not be under strict surveillance. Maybe she has someone working for her in secret."

Zhen Huan said, "Then what should we do? We can't just sit there and wait for death."

Concubine Duan pondered for a long time and said, "You two ladies may as well take the initiative to apologize to the emperor and say that this is a deliberate false accusation. Please ask the emperor to thoroughly investigate this matter. At the same time, we will also secretly investigate in the palace to see if we can find the source of the rumor."

An Lingrong hesitated: "Take the initiative to apologize? What if the emperor believes the rumors? Isn't it..."

Concubine Duan consoled her, "This is also a helpless move. The situation is critical now. You have no choice but to make your position clear first. If the Emperor trusts you, he will clear your name."

Zhen Huan gritted her teeth and said, "Alright. This is the only way. Lingrong, let's go see the Emperor now."

Arriving outside the Emperor's study, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong felt a little uneasy. After reporting everything, they entered the study. Zhen Huan knelt first and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard rumors in the palace that An Lingrong and I practiced witchcraft. This is a pure false accusation. I implore Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and clear my name and Lingrong's name."

The emperor frowned at them and said, "I have also heard about this matter. I will investigate it myself. You can get up first."

An Lingrong also stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Huan'er and I have served you wholeheartedly and have never done anything so disloyal or unfilial. Someone must be maliciously slandering us, hoping to disrupt the peace of the harem."

The emperor nodded and said, "I understand. I will order someone to investigate. You should stay in your palace for the time being and do not move around freely."

Coming out of the Imperial Study, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong both breathed a sigh of relief. Zhen Huan said, "I hope the Emperor can find out the truth soon."

An Lingrong said, "Well. We can't rely solely on the Emperor. We have to find a way ourselves. I'll ask Baoque to contact some of my connections outside the palace to see if they can find any clues."

Zhen Huan said, "Okay. I'll also have Liu Zhu and Huan Bi keep a close eye on the palace."

As Zhen Huan and An Lingrong waited for the results of the Emperor's investigation, each day felt like a year. The attitudes of the people in the palace towards them also changed, with many avoiding them for fear of being implicated.

Finally, after some investigation, the Emperor discovered that a resentful maid in Concubine Jing's palace, who had been punished, had colluded with people outside the palace to fabricate the lie. The Emperor ordered the maid and those involved to be severely punished, thus clearing Zhen Huan and An Lingrong of all charges.

Upon hearing the news, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong embraced and cried. Zhen Huan said, "Finally, the storm has passed. Lingrong, after going through this ordeal, I understand even more clearly that as long as we sisters stick together, nothing can stop us."

An Lingrong wiped her tears and said, "Yes, Huan'er. Although the road to the harem is difficult, as long as you are with me, I have nothing to fear."