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

Inside the Shufangzhai, Xiaoyanzi sat by the bed, watching her sleeping little swallow, her worries lingering. She gently held the little swallow's hand and murmured, "Little swallow, you must stay safe and sound. I will never let those bad people hurt you again."

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door, and Xiao Tao walked in and said softly, "Your Majesty, Consort Ling has sent someone to inquire about the princess's injuries and has also brought some tonics."

Little Swallow nodded slightly, "Please thank Consort Ling for me, and tell her that Little Swallow only suffered minor injuries and is fine now."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Xiao Tao replied, turning to leave.

"Xiao Tao," Xiao Yanzi called to her again, "the palace has been quite turbulent lately. You and A Zhu must stay by Xiao Xiao Yanzi's side at all times and must not slack off in the slightest."

"Your Highness, rest assured, we servants will stay by your side at all times," Xiao Tao said firmly.

Meanwhile, in the Shadow Pavilion's secret stronghold, the Shadow Pavilion leader was busily arranging plans.

"You few, disguise yourselves as imperial physicians and infiltrate the Imperial Hospital. Remember, be extremely careful and don't give yourself away. Once you find an opportunity, immediately search the palace for what we need," the leader ordered the men in black.

"Yes!" the men in black answered in unison.

"The rest of you, create chaos outside the palace and try to draw away the palace guards. This operation must succeed; failure is not an option!" A ruthless glint appeared in the leader's eyes.

"Rest assured, leader, we will certainly live up to your expectations!" everyone declared.

Meanwhile, in the streets and alleys of the capital, Fu Lun and Er Kang, accompanied by a group of guards, were searching for information about the Shadow Pavilion.

"Erkang, we must find clues about the Shadow Pavilion as soon as possible, and we can't let them run rampant in the palace anymore," Furen said with a solemn expression.

Er Kang nodded. "Father, I understand. It's just that the Shadow Pavilion is too well hidden. Finding them is no easy task."

Just then, a guard ran over and said, "Lord Furen, Young Master Erkang, we overheard some news in a tavern that seems to be related to the Shadow Pavilion."

Fu Lun and Er Kang exchanged a glance. "Quick, what news?"

The guard, panting heavily, said, "I heard that the Shadow Pavilion has been making a big move recently, seemingly targeting someone in the palace, though we don't know who it is. They also mentioned something mysterious that seems to be related to what they've been searching for."

Furen frowned. "It seems the Shadow Pavilion is indeed plotting something. We need to speed things up."

"Father, should we go back to the palace to report to the Emperor?" Erkang asked.

“No rush, let’s go check other places and see if we can find more clues,” Furen said.

Inside the palace, Hongli was still in his study, pondering strategies to deal with the Shadow Pavilion. Hongzhou sat beside him, both remaining silent.

“Brother, we can’t just be passively defending; we need to think of a way to take the initiative,” Hongzhou broke the silence.

Hongli raised his head. "Fifth brother, I've been thinking about this too. But we still know too little about the Shadow Pavilion. If we act rashly, we might fall into their trap."

"So we're just going to wait here like this?" Hongzhou said anxiously.

“Of course not. Fu Lun and Er Kang are already out gathering information. Let’s wait for their news,” Hongli said.

Just then, Su Peisheng walked in and said, "Your Majesty, Wu Daozi requests an audience."

Hongli's eyes lit up. "Let him in quickly!"

Wu Daozi hurriedly entered the imperial study, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, my research on formations has made some progress."

Hongli and Hongzhou stood up at the same time. Hongli asked eagerly, "Tell me quickly, what's the progress?"

Wu Daozi said, "After several days of research, I have discovered that this formation is related to an ancient book. If we can find this book, we may be able to completely break the formation."

Hongzhou asked, "Where is this book?"

Wu Daozi shook his head. "Your Majesty, I do not know yet. I only know that this book may be hidden in a mysterious place, and its exact location needs to be further explored."

Hongli frowned. "It seems we've encountered another problem. However, this can be considered a clue. Mr. Wu, continue your research and be sure to find this book as soon as possible."

“Yes, Your Majesty! Your humble servant will do his utmost,” Wu Daozi replied.

After Wu Daozi left, Hongli said to Hongzhou, "Fifth brother, it seems we need to take a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, we should continue to have Fulun and Erkang gather information about the Shadow Pavilion; on the other hand, we should expedite the search for the whereabouts of that book."

Hongzhou nodded, "Your Majesty is right. However, we still need to strengthen the protection of Little Swallow."

"Yes, I've already ordered the guards to strengthen the security at Shufangzhai. I hope nothing bad will happen to Little Swallow," Hongli said.

However, the Shadow Pavilion acted even faster than they had anticipated. The next day, a group of men in black created chaos outside the palace, drawing the attention of the palace guards. Simultaneously, several men in black disguised as imperial physicians successfully infiltrated the Imperial Hospital.

Inside the Imperial Hospital, a man in black whispered to his companion, "We need to find a way to get into the palace quickly; time is of the essence."

“Hmm, let’s see how things go first and find a suitable time,” the other man in black replied.

Meanwhile, in Shufangzhai, Little Swallow had already woken up. She saw Little Swallow beside her and smiled happily.

"Sister Empress, I feel much better," Little Swallow said.

Little Swallow smiled and patted her head, "That's good. When you're healed, how about I take you horseback riding?"

"Yes, yes! I love riding horses the most!" Little Swallow said excitedly.

Just then, Xiao Tao hurried in. "Your Majesty, something seems amiss at the Imperial Hospital. There are several unfamiliar imperial physicians behaving strangely."

Little Swallow's expression changed. "Could it be someone from the Shadow Pavilion? Little Peach, go and inform the Emperor immediately. I'll stay here and watch over Little Swallow."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Xiao Tao turned and ran out.

Little Swallow clenched her fists tightly. "Hmph! Shadow Pavilion, how dare you plot against Little Swallow again! This time, I will not let you succeed!"

Little Swallow asked somewhat fearfully, "Empress, are those bad guys coming again?"

Little Swallow hugged Little Swallow in her arms and comforted her, "Little Swallow, don't be afraid. Your big sister is here. They can't hurt you."

Soon, Xiao Tao led Hongli and Hongzhou to Shufangzhai.

"Little Swallow, what exactly happened?" Hongli asked.

Xiao Yanzi told Hongli what Xiao Tao had said, and Hongli's face turned very ugly.

"This Shadow Pavilion is far too arrogant! They dare to openly infiltrate the Imperial Hospital," Hongli said angrily.

Hongzhou asked, "Brother, what should we do now?"

Hongli pondered for a moment, "Let's not alert them yet. We'll secretly send people to keep an eye on those suspicious imperial physicians and see what they're up to. At the same time, we'll strengthen the guards at all the entrances to the palace and make sure they don't get inside."

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Hongzhou replied.

"Little Swallow, you and Little Swallow stay in Shufangzhai for now and don't go out easily. There are guards protecting you here, so it will be very safe," Hongli said to Little Swallow.

Little Swallow nodded, "Your Majesty, you must also be careful. The people of the Shadow Pavilion are cunning and treacherous; be careful not to fall into their trap."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful," Hongli said.

However, the Shadow Pavilion's men in black are already stirring within the Imperial Hospital, seeking an opportunity to infiltrate the palace. While the palace guards have strengthened their defenses, will they be able to detect the Shadow Pavilion's plot in time and thwart their actions? How will Xiao Yanzi and Hongli deal with this impending crisis? Everything is shrouded in uncertainty. End of this chapter. Stay tuned for the next chapter.