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

Zhen Huan flicked her sleeves lightly, her expression calm: "The palace seems calm these days, but undercurrents are actually surging. We still need to be careful."

An Lingrong nodded slightly: "Huan'er is absolutely right. Although the Queen is under house arrest, her followers may be plotting in secret."

Concubine Hua's beautiful eyes were filled with sternness: "What are you afraid of? As long as I am here, I will not let them succeed!"

At this time, Chun'er came bounding over and said, "Sisters, I heard that the allocations for each palace have changed slightly recently. I wonder what the reason is?"

Zhen Huan frowned slightly. "The issue of the quota can be big or small, or someone might be trying to use it to cause trouble. Lingrong, do you have spies in the palaces?"

An Lingrong said softly, "There are a few palace maids I know. I'll go ask around."

An Lingrong summoned a palace maid to inquire, and then returned with a report: "Huan'er, Sister Hua Fei, the head of the Imperial Household Department has been bribed by the Empress's mother's family. They intend to manipulate the allowances, reduce our expenses, and weaken our power."

Concubine Hua slammed the table angrily: "That dog slave! How dare you be so bold!"

Zhen Huan pondered for a moment: "We must not act rashly. We should first gather evidence of the chief steward's corruption and bribery, and then bring him down in one fell swoop, and replace the Imperial Household Department with an honest person."

An Lingrong said, "I have a plan. I can set up a trap to lure the steward into the trap and make him reveal his true intentions."

Zhen Huan's eyes lit up: "Lingrong, tell me quickly, what's the brilliant plan?"

An Lingrong said slowly, "We can pretend that a batch of precious spices is about to be stored in the warehouse and deliberately leak the news. The steward is greedy and will definitely try to embezzle it. Then we can catch him in the act."

Concubine Hua smiled and said, "This is a brilliant plan! I will give the order right away to prepare the spices."

A few days later, everything was ready.

When the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department heard that there were precious spices, he came to the warehouse to check.

He was about to order his men to secretly transport the spices away when Zhen Huan, An Lingrong and Concubine Hua appeared with their guards.

Zhen Huan said coldly, "Master Chief Steward, where are you going?"

The steward's face turned pale: "Your Majesty, this... this is a misunderstanding. I am only here to check the safety of the warehouse."

Concubine Hua scolded: "How dare you quibble! I saw it with my own eyes. You are stealing things from the palace. What is your punishment?"

The steward fell to his knees and said, "Your Majesty, please spare me. I was ordered by the Empress's mother's family to do this. I had no choice but to do this."

Zhen Huan said, "Take him away and wait for the Emperor to deal with him. At the same time, inform the Emperor of this matter so that he knows that the Empress's mother's family is still restless."

After handling the matter, Zhen Huan said, "Although this solves one problem temporarily, the Queen will definitely not let it go. We must take precautions early."

An Lingrong said, "I have prepared some unique spices and placed them in each palace to prevent anyone from secretly poisoning or casting evil spells."

Hua Fei said, "Very good. With Lingrong's spices, I can rest assured."

However, not long after, rumors of discord between Zhen Huan and An Lingrong spread in the palace.

After hearing this, Zhen Huan sighed helplessly, "Who is behind this, trying to drive a wedge between us?"

An Lingrong said firmly, "Huan'er, let's not fall for this trick. As long as we trust each other, the rumors will dispel themselves."

Concubine Hua angrily said, "It must be the Queen's remnant who did this. I will definitely find this person!"

Although the three of them were troubled by rumors, they still maintained their friendship. In the storm of the harem, they responded to the crisis with wisdom, resisted the conspiracy with unity, and moved forward fearlessly towards the peace and honor in their hearts, continuing their legendary chapter. Only by keeping their original intention can they succeed.