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

Ever since Lingxi successfully developed "Anmengxiang" to satisfy a neighboring nation's needs, its reputation has spread far and wide. Coincidentally, the Persian king's wife and queen visited our court. The Persian queen, a woman of stunning beauty, gentle and dignified grace, was named Adela.

Adela had been plagued by nightmares for a long time, unable to sleep at night, and her face was haggard. Upon hearing this, An Lingrong went to see her with Lingxi.

An Lingrong whispered with concern: "Your Majesty, I heard that you suffer from nightmares. Princess Lingxi and I have made a 'Dream Peace Incense', which may help you sleep peacefully." After saying this, she handed over the sachet.

Adela took the sachet, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, her eyes filled with doubt. "Is this fragrance really so effective? I've been tormented by this nightmare for years, and I find it hard to believe."

Lingxi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please give it a try. It's like a last resort. You might get a surprise."

Adela had no choice but to agree: "Then let's give it a try."

That night, Adela placed the sachet under her pillow, feeling uneasy. But to her surprise, she actually slept peacefully that night, dreamless until dawn. She woke in the morning refreshed and pleasantly surprised.

Adela summoned An Lingrong and Lingxi, "My two benefactors, this fragrance is truly divine! I haven't slept this well in ages."

An Lingrong shook her head slightly. "Your Majesty, your illness has been going on for ten years. The current effects of this incense can only last for three days. I have discussed with Lingxi and would like to upgrade the incense formula for you, but the time required and the herbs required are quite complicated."

Adela said anxiously, "Whatever you need me to do, I will do it, as long as it can cure this nightmare."

Lingxi said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured in our court. Once the three months are up and the incense formula is upgraded, you will be completely free from nightmares. The efficacy of one sachet lasts for a month. After three months, you will be able to recover and return home."

Adela burst into tears of gratitude: "In that case, I thank you both very much. I will definitely repay you handsomely."

However, the Persian princess became jealous of Adela's increasing attention due to her connections with the Qing dynasty and the Xiang region, and she secretly plotted to sabotage the situation.

One day, Lingxi was selecting new materials for making incense in the garden when the Persian princess came with her maid and deliberately provoked her.

The Persian princess said sneerily, "You little princess, do you really have that ability? Are you just playing tricks to deceive the queen?"

Lingxi refused to be outdone and replied, "Your Highness, Queen Mother An Lingrong and I are sincerely helping others. How can you slander us like this? Your Highness the Queen has experienced the effects of this 'An Mengxiang'."

The Persian princess sneered: "Humph! I think you are a liar. This incense recipe may contain some evil methods."

Fu Heng happened to be passing by and stepped forward to defend them, "Your Highness, Princess Lingxi and Queen Dowager An Lingrong are both virtuous and kind people. They would never commit such a fraud. Please do not slander them."

The Persian princess was furious and said, "Who are you? How dare you teach me a lesson?"

Fu Heng clasped his fists and said, "I am Fu Heng, a first-class loyal and brave earl, who only knows how to uphold justice."

The Persian princess walked away in a huff: "We'll see!"

Lingxi was a little worried: "Damn it! I'm afraid the princess won't give up and will definitely try to stop us from making incense for the queen."

Fu Heng comforted her, "Don't be afraid, Lingxi. I'm here and won't let her succeed. I'll send more people to protect you and the incense making place."

After Zhen Huan learned of this, she also came to warn him, "Lingxi, there must be no mistakes in making incense. This concerns the diplomatic relations between the two countries and the reputation of our dynasty. Just focus on making the incense and leave the rest to us."

An Lingrong said, "Huan'er is absolutely right. Lingxi, let's start upgrading the incense formula as soon as possible."

Lingxi nodded, and she and An Lingrong devoted themselves to the research. They searched for rare spices and experimented with their blends.

Lingxi said in distress, "Empress Dowager An Lingrong, this ambergris requires deep-sea whale saliva, which is extremely difficult to obtain. Moreover, this frankincense can only be produced in ancient temples in the Western Regions. What should we do?"

An Lingrong pondered for a moment. "As for the ambergris, we can send someone skilled in water from the palace to search for it at sea. As for the frankincense, I will write letters to the nations of the Western Regions, promising them generous rewards and asking for their assistance."

With the concerted efforts of everyone, the upgrade of the incense recipe has gradually yielded results.

However, the Persian princess did not stop plotting. She bribed the palace kitchen staff to poison Adela's food and put the blame on Lingxi and An Lingrong, so that Adela would resent them and thus sabotage the upgrade of the incense recipe.

The young eunuch from the imperial kitchen secretly hid the poison in his sleeve and was about to sneak into the kitchen of Adela's residence, but was captured by the guards arranged in advance by Fu Heng.

Fu Heng shouted angrily: "How dare you poison the palace!"

The young eunuch trembled with fear and told the truth: "Lord Zhongyong, it was the Persian princess who ordered me to do so. I dared not disobey."

Fu Heng brought the young eunuch and the evidence before the emperor. The emperor was furious: "This Persian princess is so vicious!"

The Persian princess was brought in, but she still argued: "Your Majesty, I am innocent. Someone has framed me."

Adela was disappointed and angry when she heard this: "Princess, I have great trust in you. Why are you doing this?"

Zhen Huan said coldly, "Your Highness, the evidence is irrefutable. What else do you have to say?"

The Persian princess collapsed to the ground when she saw that her plan had been exposed.

The emperor sternly declared, "Princess of Persia, I must punish you severely for your evil deeds. Considering you are a Persian, I order you to return to Persia immediately and never set foot on Qing territory again!"

The Persian princess was deported in disgrace.

When the Persian princess returned to her kingdom, the king was furious when he heard about her evil deeds. He believed that keeping such a vicious woman alive would only cause trouble and seriously damage the diplomatic relationship between the two countries. So, he ordered the princess' death as a warning to others.

After this incident, the upgraded fragrance formula was finally completed. Adela used the newly made sachet and survived three months safely, her nightmares completely cured.

Before leaving, Adela thanked Lingxi and An Lingrong profusely: "My two benefactors, the Qing Dynasty's kindness will be forever remembered in my heart. May the friendship between our two countries be forever strong."

Lingxi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, it would be the best if you could recover. Have a safe journey."

As they watched the Persian queen retreat, they all knew that within the palace and beyond, and within diplomatic relations, the struggle between good and evil never ceased. Only by upholding sincerity and wisdom could they maintain peace in this complex and ever-changing world and continue their legendary story. But they wondered what foreign turmoil this fragrance legend would quietly stir in the future, and how they could calmly resolve it to maintain peace.