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

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong emerged from the Emperor's palace, looking slightly exhausted. Zhen Huan sighed softly, a hint of relief in her eyes: "This time, the potential crisis has finally been resolved. The Emperor is wise and did not let that young lady off easily." She raised her hand slightly and adjusted the hair by her ear.

An Lingrong nodded slightly, a faint smile on her lips: "Yes, sister. But we can't relax. This harem is like a jungle full of traps. If we are not careful, we will be trapped in it." Her eyes became sharp, like a vigilant cat, ready to deal with danger at any time.

"Hmph! Those people just like to play these conspiracies and tricks, we must not let them succeed!" Chun'er walked over angrily, her little fists clenched tightly, her little face flushed red with anger, "If anyone dares to make trouble next time, I will never let them go!" Her eyes were wide open, burning with anger.

Mei Zhuang followed Chun'er with a serious expression: "Chun'er, don't be impulsive. We discovered it in time this time, but it may not be the same next time. We have to be more cautious." She patted Chun'er's shoulder gently, her eyes full of worry.

"Sister Meizhuang, I know! I'm just too angry." Chun'er pouted and looked at Zhen Huan and An Lingrong, "Sisters, what should we do next?"

Zhen Huan pondered for a moment and said, "We must personally check the preparations for every palace activity, especially the personnel arrangements. We cannot let those with ill intentions sneak in." There was determination in her eyes, and she looked into the distance, as if she was planning something.

"Yes, sister is right. We also need to carefully check the items used in the activities." An Lingrong agreed, her hand gently placed on the sachet at her waist. It contained a homemade fragrance that helped her stay awake. "We can ask the ladies of each palace to participate in the inspection. This will increase the number of manpower and make everyone more vigilant."

"This is a good idea! I'll tell the other ladies right away." Chun'er said excitedly, then ran away happily.

A few days later, a flower viewing party was to be held in the palace. Zhen Huan, An Lingrong, Mei Zhuang, and Chun Er arrived at the Imperial Garden early in the morning, directing the maids and eunuchs to set up the garden.

"These flowers are placed too sparsely. They should be arranged more closely to create a feeling of prosperity." Zhen Huan said to the palace maids. As she spoke, she adjusted the position of the flowers with a focused and serious look.

"Also, these tables and chairs need to be arranged neatly, and the tablecloths must be flat, without any wrinkles." An Lingrong was also directing from the side. She carefully checked every detail, her brows slightly furrowed. "This is a palace event, there is no room for carelessness."

Mei Zhuang was checking the drinks and snacks. "We need to make sure the drinks are perfect, and the snacks are exquisitely designed." She picked up a snack, examined it, and said to the eunuch in charge of the snacks, "The pattern on this snack is a little blurry. Make a new one."

Chun'er was talking to the other ladies about precautions: "Sisters, we must be extra careful this time! If you find any suspicious people or things, you must tell Sister Zhen Huan and Sister An Lingrong immediately." Her eyes were bright and full of enthusiasm.

The flower viewing party began, and the ladies arrived one after another, wearing gorgeous clothes and laughing happily.

"Empress Wan and Empress An, this flower viewing party is so beautiful!" a lady exclaimed.

"Yes, this is the result of everyone's joint efforts. I hope everyone can have fun today." Zhen Huan replied with a smile, but her eyes were scanning the crowd, paying attention to whether there was anything unusual.

An Lingrong also smiled and talked with the ladies, but her hand never left the sachet around her waist, and she remained alert at all times.

Suddenly, a young palace maid walked towards Zhen Huan with a tray of wine, her eyes flickering. An Lingrong noticed her strangeness, her eyes stern, and stepped forward to stop the little palace maid: "Which palace are you from? Why haven't I seen you before?"

The young maid was a little flustered: "Your Majesty, I am new here and work in the imperial kitchen. This wine is prepared for the ladies."

Zhen Huan came over and looked at the little palace maid: "Let me see the wine."

The young maid trembled as she handed the wine to Zhen Huan. Zhen Huan sniffed it and her eyes became sharp: "There's something wrong with this wine! What did you add to it?"

The little maid was so frightened that she knelt down and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, spare my life! Someone...someone told me to do this, I dare not disobey!"

"Who is it?" An Lingrong asked loudly, her eyes filled with anger, her face slightly pale. "If you don't tell the truth, I will order you to be beaten to death right now!"

The little maid burst into tears: "It was...it was the nanny beside Concubine Rong. She said that if I didn't do as she said, she would kill my whole family."

"It's Concubine Rong again!" Chun'er shouted angrily, "She tried to harm Sister Lingrong last time, and she still hasn't given up this time!"

Zhen Huan frowned and said, "Take this little maid away first and keep an eye on her. We will go find Concubine Rong and ask her about this."

Everyone arrived at Rongpin's palace. When Rongpin saw Zhen Huan and the others, her face changed: "Empress Wan and Empress An, what do you mean?"

Zhen Huan looked at Rongpin coldly: "Rongpin, your nanny ordered the young palace maid to poison the wine at the flower viewing party. Do you admit your guilt?"

A trace of panic flashed across Rongpin's eyes, but she quickly calmed down: "Your Majesty, what are you talking about? I don't understand. My nanny has been in the palace all the time, how could she do such a thing?"

"Hmph! You still dare to quibble? That little maid has already confessed!" An Lingrong shouted angrily. She took a step forward and stared at Rongpin with a rage that seemed to devour her. "Why do you keep framing us again and again?"

Rongpin sneered, "Madam An, please don't slander me. Perhaps that little palace maid was instructed by someone to deliberately frame me."

"You..." Chun'er was so angry that she wanted to rush forward, but was stopped by Meizhuang.

"Rongpin, we have already given you a chance. Last time, you bribed the eunuchs to place poison powder on the road that An Lingrong had to pass, and this time you want to poison the flower viewing party. Do you really think we are easy to bully?" Zhen Huan glared at Rongpin with anger flashing in her eyes. Her body trembled slightly, showing that her anger had reached its extreme.

Just when the two sides were at a stalemate, the emperor arrived.

"What's going on?" the emperor asked with a frown.

Zhen Huan stepped forward and told the emperor what had happened. After hearing this, the emperor's face darkened: "Rongpin, what else do you have to say?"

Concubine Rong knelt on the ground in fear: "Your Majesty, I am innocent! I really did not instruct Nanny to do these things."

"Hmph! With all the evidence in front of us, you still dare to quibble?" The emperor was furious. "I have always doted on you, yet you are so ungrateful as to stir up trouble in the harem!"

"Your Majesty, I...I was framed!" Rongpin cried and begged for mercy.

"Enough! From today on, you will be demoted to a concubine and confined to your own palace. Without my order, you are not allowed to take a single step out!" the emperor ordered.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhen Huan and others bowed.

Although there was another unexpected incident during this flower viewing party, it was fortunately resolved in time. Zhen Huan and An Lingrong returned to the palace and sat down to rest.

"Sister, this was really dangerous. If you hadn't discovered that something was wrong with that little palace maid, the consequences would have been disastrous." An Lingrong said with lingering fear. She picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, but her hands were still shaking slightly.

"Yes, Lingrong. The struggles in the harem are really getting more intense. We must be more careful." Zhen Huan nodded, a hint of worry in her eyes. "We can't always be passive and take the beating. We have to think of a way to make those who want to frame us dare not make any move again."

"Sister, I think we can establish a mutual supervision mechanism in the harem. Let the ladies in each palace supervise each other, and report any suspicious behavior immediately." An Lingrong suggested. She put down her teacup, with a glint of wisdom in her eyes.

"This idea is good, but it may be difficult to implement. We have to let the ladies understand that this is for the peace of the harem, not for the struggle for power and profit." Zhen Huan said, she fell into deep thought.

"We can start with the ladies who have a good relationship with us, such as Concubine Jing and Concubine Duan. Let them help publicize the benefits of this mechanism, and then gradually promote it." An Lingrong continued.

"Okay, let's do it. Let's go and discuss it with Concubine Jing and Concubine Duan now." Zhen Huan stood up.

In Jingpin's palace, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong discussed the idea of ​​establishing a mutual supervision mechanism.

Jingpin nodded in agreement: "Concubine Wan, Concubine An, your idea is very good. The harem really needs such a mechanism to maintain order. However, it will take some skills to get the ladies to accept it."

Concubine Duan also said, "Yes, we can link this mechanism with the interests of the ladies. For example, if a conspiracy is discovered and prevented, a certain reward will be given."

"This is a good idea! We can discuss it with the emperor and get him to agree to this reward mechanism." Zhen Huan said.

Therefore, Zhen Huan and others began to implement a mutual supervision mechanism in the harem. At first, some ladies were reluctant to participate, but after seeing the benefits, more and more ladies joined in.

Once, a lady discovered that another lady's maid was secretly passing some strange letters, so she immediately reported it. After investigation, it was found that these letters were evidence of collusion with forces outside the palace.

"This time, thanks to this young lady's timely report, a crisis was avoided. According to the reward mechanism, I will report to the emperor and reward this young lady." Zhen Huan announced in the palace.

With the operation of the mutual supervision mechanism, the conspiracy incidents in the harem gradually decreased, and Zhen Huan and An Lingrong finally had some breathing space.

On a leisurely afternoon, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong took a walk in the imperial garden.

"Sister, the harem has been much quieter recently, which is really rare." An Lingrong said with a smile. She looked at the blooming flowers around her, feeling particularly happy. Her eyes were full of smiles, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised.

"Yes, I hope this peace can last forever." Zhen Huan also said with a smile. She reached out and gently touched the flowers, feeling this rare tranquility. "We can also use this time to do something meaningful. For example, improve the living conditions of the palace maids and eunuchs."

"Sister, that's exactly what I was thinking. We can start with their living environment and diet." An Lingrong nodded, her eyes softening. "These palace maids and eunuchs have had a hard time too. They've sacrificed so much for the harem."

Therefore, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong set out to improve the lives of the palace maids and eunuchs. They applied for some funds from the emperor, renovated their residences, and improved their diet.

The palace maids and eunuchs were very grateful: "Empress Wan and Empress An, you are really kind people! We will definitely work harder to serve the harem."

"Everyone has worked hard. This is what you deserve." Zhen Huan said with a smile.

In this harem, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong used their kindness and wisdom to not only protect their own peace but also bring harmony and warmth to the harem. Their legendary story continues, becoming role models in the hearts of everyone in the harem, inspiring everyone to pursue a better life.

However, the peaceful days did not last long. One day, Zhen Huan was resting in her palace when a young eunuch rushed in and said, "Empress Wan, something bad has happened! The harem's storehouse is on fire!"

Zhen Huan sat up suddenly: "What? Quick, gather some people to put out the fire!"

When Zhen Huan, An Lingrong and others rushed to the warehouse, the fire was already very big.

"Quick! Fetch some water to put out the fire!" An Lingrong shouted, directing the actions of the palace maids and eunuchs. Her face was a little blackened by the smoke, but her eyes were determined. "We must save the storehouse!"

After everyone's efforts, the fire was finally brought under control, but some precious items in the warehouse were still damaged.

"How did the fire start?" Zhen Huan asked with a frown.

A palace maid trembled and said, "Your Majesty, I saw... I saw a dark figure running away from the storeroom. It seemed like they had deliberately set the fire."

"Someone did this on purpose again!" Chun'er said angrily, "We must get to the bottom of this!"

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong looked at each other. They knew that a new challenge had begun.

"From now on, patrols of the harem will be stepped up, especially in important areas like the warehouse and the imperial kitchen," Zhen Huan ordered. "We must find the arsonist!"

During the investigation, they found some suspicious footprints and a piece of burnt cloth. After comparison, they found that the cloth was a material unique to the outside of the palace.

"It seems that it was done by people outside the palace. Why did they burn the harem's storehouse?" An Lingrong pondered, her brows furrowed, and her eyes were full of confusion.

"Whatever their purpose is, we can't let them succeed." Zhen Huan said, "We can start with the people who have recently entered and left the palace to see if there are any clues."

After some investigation, they found that a businessman from outside the palace had been frequently active near the harem and had come into contact with some palace maids and eunuchs.

"Call here all the palace maids and eunuchs who had contact with the merchants." Zhen Huan ordered.

After interrogation, a eunuch confessed: "Madam, the merchant gave me some money and asked me to place some flammable materials near the warehouse. I didn't know what he was going to do!"

"Where is that businessman?" An Lingrong asked.

"I...I don't know. He said he would come to see me again." The eunuch replied.

"Hmph! Just sit back and wait for him. We'll just wait for him here!" A cold glint flashed in Zhen Huan's eyes.

A few days later, the merchant showed up as expected, and was caught by the guards as soon as he entered the palace.

"Who are you? Why did you set fire to the harem storehouse?" Zhen Huan asked. She stood in front of the merchant with a stern look, like a judge.

The businessman was so frightened that he knelt down and begged for mercy: "My Queen, please spare my life! Someone...someone asked me to do this. They said that if I could do it, they would give me a large sum of money."

"Who is it?" An Lingrong asked loudly.

"Yes... he is an adult in the palace. I don't know him, but I know that he is wearing gorgeous clothes and looks very high-ranking." The merchant replied.

"It seems there is a bigger conspiracy behind this. We must continue to investigate." Zhen Huan said with determination in her eyes.

This incident made Zhen Huan and An Lingrong realize that the safety of the harem is still facing great threats. They cannot slack off in the slightest and must continue to protect the peace of the harem. No matter how many difficulties and obstacles lie ahead, they must persevere because this is their mission and the meaning of their survival in this harem.