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

Zhen Huan pursed her red lips and spoke slowly, "Although the Queen's faction has suffered a temporary setback, they will not give up. Rumors have been spreading again in the palaces recently. I'm afraid they are using their old tricks again, trying to disrupt the harem and seek a lifting of the ban."

An Lingrong frowned slightly and replied, "Huan'er, these rumors are spreading like wildfire, and they may be directed at you, me, and Sister Hua Fei. We must be careful not to fall into their trap."

Concubine Hua's eyes were filled with majesty as she snorted coldly, "How could I be afraid of such vile tactics? No matter what rumors they spread, I will crush them one by one!"

Zhen Huan shook her head slightly. "Sister, please don't be impulsive. If the rumors are just groundless, we will appear guilty if we retaliate hastily. The most urgent task is to find the source of the rumors and curb them at their root."

At this moment, Chun'er hurried over, her face filled with anxiety. "Sisters, this is bad! I heard rumors among the palace maids that you are practicing witchcraft in the palace, cursing the Emperor and the other concubines. What should we do?"

An Lingrong's expression changed. "Witchcraft is a taboo in the palace. If this rumor were to spread, it would surely cause a huge uproar."

Zhen Huan thought calmly for a moment and said, "Don't panic yet. Lingrong, you are familiar with the pharmacology of spices. Do you know any spices or objects that could be mistaken for witchcraft?"

An Lingrong pondered, "Some spices, when mixed, have a strange smell. If used by someone with ulterior motives, they might be considered witchcraft. There are also some objects that resemble dolls. If they appear in inappropriate places, they can easily cause misunderstandings."

Concubine Hua angrily said, "It must be that bitch Queen who's behind this! She wants to use the name of witchcraft to bring us down completely."

Zhen Huan said, "Sister, please don't jump to conclusions. Let's first search our own palace carefully to see if there are any suspicious objects secretly placed there."

Everyone returned to their respective palaces to search.

Zhen Huan carefully looked around the palace and suddenly found an exquisite doll in a corner with several needles stuck in it. Zhen Huan was startled and called the palace maid: "Where did this doll come from?"

The maid shook her head in horror: "Your Majesty, I don't know. I have never seen such a thing before."

Zhen Huan ordered people to put the doll away and went to meet An Lingrong and Hua Fei.

An Lingrong also discovered some suspicious spice ashes. Her face was solemn. "Huan'er, it seems someone has deliberately framed us. These spice ashes definitely didn't appear by chance."

Concubine Hua gnashed her teeth and said, "If you dare to play these tricks in my palace, I will not let you off easily!"

Zhen Huan said, "Let's go to the Queen's palace now and see how she explains it. Although she is under house arrest, she is definitely involved in these things."

The three of them arrived outside the Queen's Palace, but were stopped by the guards.

Zhen Huan shouted, "The Queen has committed a grave offense, and now many suspicions are linked to her. We want to see the Queen, and you dare to stop us?"

The guard looked embarrassed: "Your Highness, the Empress has ordered that no one is allowed to enter."

An Lingrong whispered, "It seems the Queen has made preparations. She wants to hide in the palace and wait and see what happens."

Concubine Hua angrily said, "I don't care what she says! Get out of my way, or don't blame me for being rude!"

During the stalemate, the eunuch beside the emperor came forward and said, "My lords, upon hearing this, I summon you all to the Yangxin Palace."

Everyone came to the Yangxin Palace.

The Emperor's face darkened. "I've just confined the Empress, and now there's another disturbance in the harem. Tell me, what exactly is going on with this witchcraft incident?"

Zhen Huan stepped forward and reported the discovery of the doll and the spice ashes. "Your Majesty, this must have been a deliberate attempt to frame me and the others. Although the Empress is under house arrest, she has many followers, and this may have been the work of one of them, intent on stirring up harem strife and disrupting government order."

The Emperor glanced at the three of them and said slowly, "I will send someone to investigate this matter thoroughly. Before the truth is revealed, please refrain from causing any more trouble."

Coming out of the Yangxin Palace, Concubine Hua angrily asked, "How could the Emperor believe those rumors so easily and even send people to investigate us?"

Zhen Huan comforted her, "The Emperor simply does not want the harem to be in chaos. We are upright and have nothing to fear. As long as the truth is uncovered, we will be cleared of all charges."

An Lingrong said, "Huan'er is right. We might as well start with the concubines who are the most likely to spread the rumors. Perhaps we can find some clues."

So, they began to pay attention to the palace concubines who were talking behind their backs.

A concubine looked panicked when she saw Zhen Huan and others coming.

Zhen Huan's eyes were sharp as a torch. "Sister, I heard you've been spreading rumors about witchcraft in the palace lately. Is that true?"

The concubine fell to her knees with a plop: "Your Majesty, I am innocent. It was Sister Baoque who asked me to speak up. She said that if I could make this matter a big deal, Your Majesty would definitely reward me handsomely in the future."

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a glance. "It's Baoque again. It seems the Queen, despite being under house arrest, is still secretly manipulating everything."

Hua Fei said: "This time, I will make Bao Que tell the whole truth!"

They went to look for Baoque again, but Baoque was nowhere to be found.

Zhen Huan said, "Bao Que must have been hidden by the Queen's people. We must find her as soon as possible, otherwise the witchcraft case will be difficult to clear."

In the process of searching for Bao Que, they discovered that Bao Que had frequent contact with a mysterious little eunuch.

An Lingrong said, "This young eunuch might know Baoque's whereabouts. If we capture him, we might be able to find a key clue."

Everyone searched everywhere for the young eunuch and finally captured him in a remote corner of the imperial garden.

The young eunuch was so frightened that he trembled all over. "My ladies, please spare me! Aunt Baoque is in the abandoned palace beside the Taiye Lake."

Zhen Huan and others hurried to the abandoned palace, but found Bao Que dead with a letter beside her.

Zhen Huan opened the letter, her expression growing increasingly grim. "This letter says that the Queen is colluding with a force outside the palace to usurp the throne. The witchcraft incident is only part of their plan. Their goal is to disrupt the harem first and then take advantage of the situation."

An Lingrong was shocked and said, "The Queen is so ambitious! What should I do?"

Hua Fei said: "We must report this to the Emperor immediately. We must not let the Queen's conspiracy succeed!"

Amidst the turbulent times, Zhen Huan, An Lingrong and Concubine Hua join hands to break the impasse, bravely explore the truth, protect the peace of the palace, and write a new chapter in the legend.