Huanzhu Time Travel: Yan Luo's Unbreakable Love in the Yong Dynasty

Xiao Yanzi, holding the handkerchief embroidered with the strange pattern, frowned and said to Hongli, "Your Majesty, the pattern on this handkerchief is so bizarre; it must be the key to that mysterious organization! But we have no clue what to do!"

Hongli's gaze was deep, and he said in a deep voice, "Empress, do not worry. I have already asked Su Peisheng to find some experts who are familiar with various patterns and symbols. Perhaps they can figure out something."

Su Peisheng rushed over at this moment, bowed, and reported: "Your Majesty, this old servant consulted several knowledgeable scholars, but when they saw this handkerchief, they all shook their heads and said they had never seen it before, only saying that it looked like a blend of the styles of the martial arts world and foreign lands!"

Little Swallow stamped her foot anxiously: "Oh dear! This is really troublesome! Is this clue going to die here?"

Consort Ling gently advised from the side, "Your Majesty, do not be discouraged. Although we cannot find the pattern for the time being, didn't that palace maid say that it was related to the ministers in the court? Perhaps we can make a breakthrough from there."

Xiao Yanzi's eyes lit up: "Consort Ling is right! We can't get stuck on this handkerchief; we have to start with the ministers."

Hongli nodded: "Yes, I have already given the order to General Zhaohui to secretly keep an eye on the interactions between court officials and martial arts figures, and to report back immediately if there is any disturbance."

Just then, Yongqi walked in, bowed, and said, "Father, I heard that there was a little eunuch in the Imperial Household Department who was secretly passing items to people outside the palace a few days ago. When he was discovered, he tried to make excuses. I find this matter suspicious, so I came to inform you, Father."

Hongli's eyes narrowed: "Oh? Is that so! Bring that little eunuch here immediately, I want to interrogate him myself."

Before long, the young eunuch was brought in, trembling with fear, and knelt down begging for mercy: "Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life! This servant... this servant was forced into this situation!"

Hongli said sternly, "Hmph! Forced into it? Tell me, who forced you, and what did they convey to you?"

The young eunuch cried and said, "Your Majesty, it was... a man in black who gave me silver and asked me to send out a list of some items from the Imperial Household Department. I really dared not disobey!"

Little Swallow hurriedly asked, "Is there anything special on that list of items?"

The young eunuch said in a trembling voice, "This servant...this servant sees these as ordinary items, but the man in black seems to value them highly and even threatened this servant not to make a sound."

Hongzhou also entered the palace at this time. After hearing about this, he said, "Your Majesty, I think there must be something fishy about this list of items. It may be related to the mysterious organization's plan to enter the palace. They probably want to know the arrangement of items in the palace through the list so that they can carry out their plan more easily."

Hongli pondered for a moment and said, "Hongzhou is right. Issue my decree to have the Imperial Household Department thoroughly investigated to see if any items have been lost or moved abnormally recently."

At the inn outside the palace, Hongzhou's subordinate came to report again: "Your Highness, those martial arts figures sent people out today, seemingly heading towards the north of the city. Should we follow them?"

Hongzhou decisively said, "Follow them! Make sure you see clearly who they met and what they did, and don't alert them."

Meanwhile, in the palace, Xiao Yanzi, along with Xiao Tao and A Zhu, continued searching for clues in the Imperial Household Department. Xiao Tao, flipping through the account books, suddenly exclaimed, "Your Majesty, come quickly! There are several entries in this account book that have been altered; they look very suspicious!"

Little Swallow leaned over to take a look: "Oh dear! Someone must be trying to cover something up. Ah Zhu, go and fetch the head steward of the Imperial Household Department. I need to get to the bottom of this."

When the head eunuch of the Imperial Household Department arrived, he hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, this... this was probably a mistake made by a servant, which is why it was corrected. This servant doesn't know the details either."

Little Swallow scolded, "Hmph! An accident? I don't think it's that simple! These days, accidents keep happening in the palace, and your Imperial Household Department is so unclear about the situation. What should your punishment be?"

The head steward was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me! This servant will go and investigate carefully and will definitely give Your Majesty an explanation."

On the other side, Princess Hejing and Qing'er were walking along a path in the palace. Princess Hejing said worriedly, "Sister Qing'er, Father Emperor and Mother Emperor are busy investigating those mysterious matters every day. I'm so worried about them!"

Qing'er patted her head and comforted her, "Princess, don't worry. The Emperor and Empress are very intelligent and will definitely be able to resolve the crisis. Let's just be good and not cause them any trouble."

At this moment, General Zhao Hui entered the palace to report: "Your Majesty, I have discovered that the Minister of Rites has recently been in contact with several Jianghu figures, and his behavior is quite mysterious. However, there is still no conclusive evidence to prove that he is related to that mysterious organization."

Hongli frowned and said, "Minister of Rites? Hmph, I've always thought he was quite decent, I never expected him to get involved in such a thing. Keep an eye on him, and make sure he doesn't notice."

Little Swallow said angrily from the side, "These people, for some nonsensical purpose, are causing trouble both inside and outside the palace. If I find them out, I will not let them off easily!"

Hongzhou chimed in, "That's right, Your Majesty. We must uproot them completely and restore peace to the palace."

But the mysterious organization still lurks in the shadows, like a vast net casting a shadow over the palace, making their next move unpredictable. Can Xiao Yanzi and her companions follow the existing clues, unravel the mystery, uncover the truth, and break through this suffocating fog of intrigue?

This chapter concludes here. Stay tuned for the next chapter.