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

After the rumors, Lingxi, though distressed, still frequently visited An Lingrong to learn the art of incense. One day, the two were preparing incense in a quiet room. Lingxi had intended to blend a tranquilizing incense according to An Lingrong's recipe, but due to a momentary oversight, she mistakenly took a few spices and also missed the correct amount.

When the incense was ready, Lingxi sniffed it and found it to be delicate and elegant, quite different from ordinary calming incense. An Lingrong was also surprised and took a closer sniff. After a moment, her eyes were filled with surprise. "Lingxi, although this incense is not made according to a recipe, it seems to have unique effects."

Lingxi was puzzled: "Queen Mother, Lingxi just stumbled upon this by mistake, what use can this incense have?"

An Lingrong said, "I think the aroma of this fragrance is very helpful in calming the mind and promoting sleep. Why not name it 'An Meng Xiang', as it can soothe dreams?"

Lingxi clapped his hands and laughed, "Empress Dowager An Lingrong is a very good name! I just don't know if it really has that miraculous effect."

Zhen Huan happened to arrive at this time. Upon hearing this, she smiled and said, "Why not give it a try? There are many people in this palace who suffer from insomnia. If it really works, it will be a good deed."

So the empress sent several maids to try out the medicine. One of them, having spent so long in the palace, was troubled by worries and often couldn't sleep, looking haggard. She placed "An Meng Xiang" under her pillow, and that night, she fell asleep peacefully, dreamless until dawn. When she woke up in the morning, she felt refreshed and as if she had been reborn.

The maid came to express her gratitude: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress, this 'An Meng Xiang' is truly a magical item! My years of insomnia were cured overnight."

Everyone was delighted, and Lingxi was even more excited: "Great! This incense really has such an effect."

However, as the news spread, it also attracted the attention of others. Although Concubine Ning was demoted to a concubine and confined to the palace, she remained unwilling to give up. After hearing about the "An Mengxiang" incident, she secretly bribed the palace maids to steal the incense recipe.

While Lingxi and An Lingrong were out, the maid quietly sneaked into the incense-making room and rummaged around. In the midst of the panic, Fu Heng came to check the spice reserves and caught the maid red-handed.

Fu Heng shouted, "You palace maid, what are you doing sneaking around here?"

The maid collapsed to the ground in fear: "Lord Zhongyong, this servant... this servant is only here to clean up as ordered."

Fu Heng sneered, "Cleaning? Why are you in such a hurry? Are you looking for the recipe for 'An Meng Xiang'?"

Seeing that she could no longer hide the truth, the maid had no choice but to tell the truth: "My lord, it was Ning who agreed to instruct me. She wanted to get the incense recipe so that she could make a comeback."

Fu Heng brought the maid to the Queen and reported the matter to her.

The Queen angrily shouted, "This Ning Ying is truly a traitor! Pass on my decree to demote Ning Ying to the rank of official concubine and impose house arrest for three years. No one is allowed to visit her!"

Zhen Huan frowned and said, "The people in this palace are so unscrupulous in pursuit of profit. Although this 'An Mengxiang' is good, she has also become a disaster."

Lingxi was a little frustrated: "It's all Lingxi's fault. If I hadn't made this incense, I wouldn't have caused such trouble."

An Lingrong comforted her, "Lingxi, don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault; it's someone else's evil intentions. We just need to be careful and on guard."

Fu Heng said, "The Queen Mother is right. I will assign more people to guard the incense making room and will not let the incense formula fall into the wrong hands."

However, before one crisis subsided, another arose. When the neighboring country heard about the "An Meng Xiang" incident, it sent an envoy, saying that it was willing to pay a large sum of money to obtain the incense recipe. If the Qing Dynasty refused, it was feared that the diplomatic relations between the two countries would be rifted.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor summoned Zhen Huan, An Lingrong, and the others to discuss the matter. "This 'An Meng Xiang' incense recipe is of grave importance. If we give it to a neighboring country, we fear losing the secrets of our Qing dynasty's incense-making. If we refuse, we fear provoking a dispute between the two countries. What good plans do you have?"

Zhen Huan pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I think you could explain to the envoys from the neighboring country that this incense recipe is a secret of the Qing imperial family. It is related to the fate of our nation and cannot be passed on to others. However, as a token of friendship between our two countries, you could have Princess Lingxi make a batch of 'Anmengxiang' and present it to the monarch of the neighboring country, simply saying that this is a gift from the Qing imperial family and that they hope to accept it."

An Lingrong nodded and said, "Huan'er, this plan is brilliant. It not only prevents the incense recipe from being passed on, but also maintains diplomatic relations between the two countries."

The emperor considered it over and over again, then said, "This is the only way. Lingxi, I'll leave this matter to you."

Lingxi accepted the order: "Your Majesty, rest assured. Lingxi will make the incense with all her heart and live up to your expectations."

Lingxi devoted herself to the task of making incense. With the help of An Lingrong and Zhen Huan, she carefully selected the spices and strictly controlled the amount. Finally, she produced a batch of high-quality "Anmengxiang".

The envoy from the neighboring country took the "An Meng Xiang" and praised it after smelling it: "The Qing Dynasty is indeed full of talented people. This "An Meng Xiang" will surely help our monarch sleep peacefully. May the friendship between our two countries last forever."

Through all this, the name "An Meng Xiang" has grown ever more resounding. However, Lingxi and the others are well aware that within the palace, while incense can bring blessings, it can also easily lead to strife. Only by remaining true to their hearts and navigating the ever-changing harem and court with wisdom and courage can they protect themselves and the nation, continuing their legendary story. But who knows what challenges will arise from the lingering fragrance of this incense, and how they will find balance and peace amidst the intertwining conspiracy and goodwill.