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

Zhen Huan gently touched Chun'er's head and said softly, "Chun'er, don't be careless. The harem seems calm, but there are undercurrents." There was a hint of worry in her eyes and her brows were slightly furrowed.

An Lingrong nodded slightly and said softly, "Sister, you are absolutely right. Although the disturbance of the past few days has subsided, the person behind it may not be willing to give up." There was a hint of vigilance in her eyes, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the handkerchief.

Mei Zhuang walked over with a serious look on her face: "We must prepare early and cannot wait for the enemy to attack again before responding." Her hand rested lightly on the sachet at her waist, her expression serious.

At this time, the young eunuch Xiao Yunzi hurried over, bowed, and said, "My ladies, there's news from the Imperial Household Department that a batch of new cloth that arrived in the palace recently went awry when it was distributed to the various palaces."

Zhen Huan asked, "Oh? What's wrong?"

Xiao Yunzi replied, "Your Majesty, some ladies were supposed to receive high-quality fabrics, but were replaced with inferior ones. And among those inferior fabrics, there are even some with defects. Many ladies are complaining."

An Lingrong's eyes glared, "Someone must have done this on purpose, trying to stir up trouble in the harem."

Chun'er said angrily: "Who is so bad! Doing something to these fabrics!" Her little face turned red and her little fists were clenched tightly.

Mei Zhuang calmly analyzed: "Don't jump to conclusions yet, let's go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to see the situation first."

When they arrived at the Imperial Household Department, the head steward of the department saw them and hurriedly bowed, saying, "Empress Wan, Empress An, Empress Hui, ladies and gentlemen, I am also investigating this matter, and I really don't know where the mistake was made."

Zhen Huan looked at the steward with a sharp gaze: "You really don't know? The distribution of this fabric is the responsibility of the Imperial Household Department. Now that something like this has happened, you can't escape blame."

The steward wiped the sweat from his forehead and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have already questioned the eunuchs and palace maids responsible for this matter. They all said they did nothing wrong. But this result... I also find it strange."

An Lingrong walked forward, picked up a piece of defective cloth, examined it carefully, and then asked, "Where did you purchase this cloth?"

The steward replied, "Madam An, we purchase ours from the largest cloth shop in the capital, and there has never been a problem with it."

Zhen Huan pondered for a moment and said to Mei Zhuang, "Sister Mei Zhuang, I think this matter may be related to the cloth shop. Perhaps someone bribed the cloth shop staff and tampered with the fabric."

Mei Zhuang nodded: "That's possible. We need to send someone to investigate that cloth shop."

An Lingrong said, "I'll go. I know a bit about spices and fabrics, so maybe I can find some clues."

Zhen Huan was a little worried: "Lingrong, will it be dangerous for you to go alone?"

An Lingrong smiled slightly: "Don't worry, sister, I will be careful. I will take Xiao Yunzi with me. With him, he can take care of me."

An Lingrong and Xiao Yunzi arrived at the cloth shop. The owner of the cloth shop smiled broadly upon seeing them. "Your Highness Consort An, your presence truly brings honor to our humble shop. I wonder what your Highness may wish for."

An Lingrong looked at him coldly and said, "Let me ask you, is the cloth supplied to the imperial palace from your cloth shop?"

The boss nodded quickly. "That's right, Madam. Those fabrics are all top-quality goods carefully selected by our shop. How could there be any problem?"

An Lingrong took out the piece of fabric with the flaw and asked, "How do you explain this piece?"

When the boss saw the cloth, his face changed and he stammered, "This... maybe something went wrong during transportation and someone swapped it."

Xiao Yunzi scolded him, "Don't try to quibble! This cloth clearly came from your cloth shop. You must have colluded with others and deliberately tampered with the cloth to disrupt the harem!"

The boss was so scared that he knelt down and begged for mercy: "My lady, I am innocent! I would never dare to do such a thing. Someone threatened me, so I had no choice but to obey."

An Lingrong asked, "Who threatened you? Tell the truth!"

The boss trembled and said, "It was... a father-in-law. I don't know his name. He just said that if I didn't obey, he would destroy my cloth shop and kill my whole family."

An Lingrong and Xiao Yunzi exchanged a glance and understood what was going on. They returned to the palace and informed Zhen Huan and Mei Zhuang of the incident.

Zhen Huan said, "It seems that the person behind the scenes is causing trouble again. We must find a way to find that eunuch."

Mei Zhuang said, "There are so many eunuchs in the harem that it's not easy to find this person. We can start with the eunuchs who have had dealings with the cloth shop."

So, everyone began a secret investigation. After some investigation, they found that a man named Li Gonggong was the most suspicious. He had recently been in frequent contact with some mysterious people and was behaving suspiciously.

Zhen Huan and others came to Eunuch Li's residence. Eunuch Li was about to go out, but when he saw them, his face turned pale.

Zhen Huan snarled, "Eunuch Li, you're so bold! How dare you stir up trouble in the harem and tamper with the fabric!"

Eunuch Li fell to his knees and cried, "Your Majesty, I was forced to do this! It was Empress Hua's clan who ordered me to do this. They wanted to cause chaos in the harem so they could seize the opportunity to regain power."

After hearing this, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were extremely angry.

An Lingrong said, "The people of Concubine Hua are truly stubborn! The lessons we've learned from the past aren't enough, and they've come up with this conspiracy again."

Zhen Huan said, "We must not let them off easily this time. We will take Eunuch Li to see the Emperor and let him make the final decision."

Everyone came to the emperor's palace, and Zhen Huan reported to the emperor what had happened in detail.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor was furious: "The Hua Fei clan has refused to change despite repeated admonitions, and dared to disturb the harem! I decree that all of the Hua Fei clan members involved in this incident be thrown into prison and severely punished!"

After dealing with this matter, the harem temporarily returned to peace. But Zhen Huan and An Lingrong knew that this was only temporary and new conspiracies could emerge at any time.

One day, Zhen Huan was practicing the zither in the palace, and An Lingrong came to listen. Zhen Huan's music was melodious, yet tinged with a hint of sadness.

An Lingrong said softly, "Sister, the sound of the zither seems to convey a thousand thoughts. Are you still worried about the affairs of the harem?"

Zhen Huan sighed slightly: "Lingrong, the struggles in the harem are endless. I am afraid that if we are not careful, we will fall into the enemy's trap."

An Lingrong held Zhen Huan's hand and said firmly, "Sister, as long as we sisters are united, we will be able to handle anything. No matter how many difficulties and obstacles we face, I will face them together with you."

Zhen Huan looked at An Lingrong with a touching look in her eyes: "Lingrong, I feel much more at ease with you around."

However, amidst this seemingly peaceful moment, a new crisis is quietly approaching. A general returns from the frontier, renowned for his military exploits, earning the Emperor's admiration. His sister is brought into the palace and given the title of Concubine Ning. Concubine Ning is both forthright and thoughtful. What challenges will her arrival bring to Zhen Huan and An Lingrong?