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

The Imperial Guards returned to the palace to report. Their commander went straight to Hongli and Xiaoyanzi, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty! When we arrived at the estate, the enemy suddenly retreated. We felt something was amiss!"

Hongli narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice, "There must be a conspiracy involved. They wouldn't retreat for no reason. They must have something in mind."

Little Swallow chimed in from the side, "Yes, what exactly happened?"

At this moment, General Zhao Hui also came to the palace to report: "Your Majesty, although the prince and I did not find conclusive evidence in the estate, we did find some fragments of correspondence, but the writing on them was blurred and it was difficult to make out the whole picture."

Hongli took the fragments and examined them carefully. He then said to Su Peisheng, "Su Peisheng, go and convey my decree to summon the scholars of the Hanlin Academy to the palace and let them see if they can decipher these fragments."

Su Peisheng quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, this old servant will take care of it right away."

Hongzhou returned to the palace, bearing his injuries, yet still holding his head high. Seeing this, Xiaoyanzi said with concern, "Hongzhou, you're injured! Quickly summon Physician Liu to treat you!"

Hongzhou waved his hand dismissively and said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, this little injury is nothing. It's just that the mysterious organization in that manor is utterly despicable!"

Hongli looked at Hongzhou and asked, "Hongzhou, did you meet with the leader while you were at the manor?"

Hongzhou frowned and recalled, "Brother, there was a man in that manor who seemed to be the leader, but he kept his face covered. His voice was very hoarse, and he was spouting nonsense, saying that their plan had only just begun."

Little Swallow exclaimed in surprise, "It's only just begun? What are we going to do? What other schemes do they have up their sleeves?"

Consort Ling said softly from the side, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, I believe that the most urgent task is to strengthen the palace guards to prevent them from attacking again."

Hongli nodded and said, "What Consort Ling said is very true. I will arrange for the Imperial Guards to increase patrols and strictly guard all the key roads in the palace."

Xiao Tao suddenly said from the side, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, could the note in the box found under the palace floor tiles be related to what happened on this estate?"

A-Zhu nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, maybe we can find some clues on that note and unravel the conspiracy of this mysterious organization."

Hongli looked at the note and the fragment of the letter in his hand and murmured, "There must be a connection between the two. I must find the key."

Hongzhou asked in confusion, "Brother, the things on this note and fragment are so difficult to decipher. Could it be some kind of ancient secret code or a Jianghu sect's code?"

Hongli pondered for a moment and said, "It's not impossible. I've heard that some sects in the martial arts world are skilled at using unique codes to transmit messages. This mysterious organization may be colluding with forces in the martial arts world."

Little Swallow's eyes lit up, and she said, "If it's related to the martial arts world, then can we find some martial arts practitioners to help us decipher it?"

Hongli shook his head and said, "That's not advisable. These are matters of palace secrets, and it's not good for too many people in the martial arts world to know about them, lest it cause unnecessary trouble. Let's wait for the interpretation results from the scholars of the Hanlin Academy."

While waiting, Xiao Yanzi was restless in the palace, pacing back and forth in her room, muttering to herself, "What exactly does this mysterious organization want? Will their conspiracy endanger everyone's safety?"

Seeing Xiao Yanzi's anxious expression, Hong Zhou comforted her, "Sister-in-law, don't worry too much. With your brother here, the palace will surely be safe."

Little Swallow looked at Hongzhou and said gratefully, "Hongzhou, we owe you and General Zhaohui a great debt this time. If it weren't for your valiant resistance in the manor, who knows what might have happened."

Hongzhou smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, you're too kind. This is what I should do. I only regret that I couldn't wipe out that mysterious organization in one fell swoop."

After a long while, Su Peisheng arrived with the scholars of the Hanlin Academy. After the scholars bowed, one of them stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we have carefully studied the note and letter fragments and found that the symbols on them resemble a coded message that mixes various secret phrases. We have only deciphered part of the content, but it seems to be related to an organization called the 'Shadow Society,' and it also mentions words such as 'treasure' and 'court secrets.'"

Hongli's expression changed, and he exclaimed in surprise, "The Shadow Society? What kind of organization is that? Why have I never heard of it before? And what about that treasure and palace secrets?"

The scholars all shook their heads, indicating they didn't know. Little Swallow said anxiously, "What can we do? Knowing only their name isn't enough to stop their plot!"

Hongzhou clenched his fist and said, "No matter what kind of background these Shadows are, I will not allow them to run rampant in the palace!"

Hongli's eyes were resolute as he said, "I will not tolerate this either. From this day forward, conduct a thorough investigation of all those connected to the Shadow Society, both inside and outside the palace, and nip their conspiracy in the bud!"

Everyone responded in unison, "As you command!"

Meanwhile, in a corner of the palace, a dark figure stealthily flashed by, seemingly watching everything. The crisis in the palace seemed to be spreading. Whether Xiao Yanzi, Hongli, and the others could truly unveil the mystery of the Shadow Society and resolve these crises remained to be seen.

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