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

Hongli paced back and forth in Shufangzhai, his face ashen, his eyes filled with anger and anxiety. Xiaoyanzi stood beside him, equally anxious, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her dress.

"These despicable traitors from the Shadow Pavilion dare to act so brazenly in the palace!" Hongli suddenly stopped and slammed his fist on the table. "If we can't find the lost books, all our efforts will be in vain!"

"Your Majesty, please don't upset yourself." Xiao Yanzi quickly went to Hongli's side. "We must think of a way quickly; we can definitely find the books!"

"Issue my decree: send more men to thoroughly search the palace, leaving no corner unchecked!" Hongli commanded loudly.

"Yes!" The guard commander immediately accepted the order and hurriedly left with a group of guards.

"Your Majesty, how did the Shadow Pavilion know that the classics were in the Shufangzhai?" Xiao Yanzi asked in confusion.

Hongli frowned and pondered for a moment. "There must be an inside agent of theirs in the palace. It seems we need to be careful of the people around us."

"But who could it be?" Xiao Yanzi asked with a worried look. "There are so many people in the palace, it won't be easy to find the accomplice."

"No matter who it is, I will not let him go!" Hongli's eyes were firm. "The most urgent task now is to retrieve the ancient texts and break the formation so that we can completely eradicate the Shadow Pavilion."

At this moment, Xiao Tao walked in carrying tea, her voice trembling slightly: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, please have some tea to calm your anger."

Little Swallow took the tea and set it aside. "Little Peach, did you get a clear look at those men in black?"

Xiao Tao shook her head. "It was too dark at the time, and they were wearing masks, so I couldn't see them clearly. I only remember that they were very skilled in martial arts and moved very quickly."

"Then how did they break in?" Hongli asked.

"I don't know either, Your Majesty. Caixia and I were guarding the door when we suddenly heard a noise inside. When we went in, those men in black were already searching for things," Xiaotao said.

“It seems they came prepared,” Hongli said. “They must have found out about the situation at Shufangzhai beforehand.”

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" Little Swallow asked anxiously.

"Let's wait for the results of the search," Hongli said. "At the same time, let Wu Daozi and the others continue to study the remaining classics and see if they can make any new breakthroughs."

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will go and tell Mr. Wu right away,” Xiao Yanzi said.

"Wait, Little Swallow." Hongli called out to Little Swallow, "You stay in the palace and don't run around. The people from the Shadow Pavilion might have other plans, and I'm worried about your safety."

"I understand, Your Majesty. You must be careful too," said Xiao Yanzi.

After Xiao Yanzi left, Hongli fell into deep thought. He knew that the Shadow Pavilion's operation had made the situation even more serious. Not only were the books lost, but there might also be an inside agent within the palace, forcing him to act with extreme caution.

Meanwhile, in the Shadow Pavilion's secret stronghold, the leader looked at some of the stolen books and a smug smile appeared on his face.

"Hmph, Hongli, so what if you got the books? We still managed to steal a portion of them," the leader said.

"Chief, what use are these books to us?" a man in black asked.

“Of course it’s useful. Although it’s only a part, it might contain the key information we need,” the leader said. “Immediately have someone study it and see if we can find any clues to break the formation.”

"Yes, leader!" the man in black replied.

Inside the palace, the guards searched the area but found nothing.

"Your Majesty, we have searched the entire palace, but we have not found the lost books," the captain of the guards reported upon returning.

"Keep searching! We must find it!" Hongli said angrily.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The captain of the guards once again accepted the order and left.

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

"Let him in," Hongli said.

Hongzhou hurried in and saw Hongli's gloomy face, and knew that something was wrong.

"Brother, I heard something happened in the palace, that the classics were stolen?" Hongzhou asked.

Hongli nodded. "Yes, these traitors from the Shadow Pavilion dare to run wild in the palace."

“Brother, don’t worry. I’ve collected a lot of information about Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and the Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces these past few days. It might be helpful in breaking the formation,” Hongzhou said.

"That's good. My brother, we owe you a lot this time," Hongli said.

“Brother, this is what I should do,” Hongzhou said. “By the way, is there anything I can help with? I also want to contribute to the search for the ancient books.”

Hongli pondered for a moment, then said, "Brother, could you secretly investigate and see if there are any suspicious people in the palace? I suspect there might be an inside agent from the Shadow Pavilion."

“No problem, Your Majesty. I will investigate carefully,” Hongzhou said.

"Also, you need to be careful yourself. People from the Shadow Pavilion are capable of anything," Hongli cautioned.

"I understand, Your Majesty. Don't worry," Hongzhou said.

After Hongzhou left, Hongli continued to ponder countermeasures. He knew that the current situation was very unfavorable for them, but he would not give up easily.

"Your Majesty, I have brought Mr. Wu with me," Little Swallow said as she walked in.

Wu Daozi entered, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, I heard that the classics have been stolen?"

Hongli nodded. "Yes, the situation is very serious. Mr. Wu, could you take a look at the remaining texts? Have you made any new discoveries?"

Wu Daozi opened the remaining texts and studied them carefully. "Your Majesty, although a portion is missing, the remaining content contains some important clues. However, to completely decipher the formation, we will need more time and information."

“No matter how much time it takes, you must study it as soon as possible,” Hongli said. “The Shadow Pavilion won’t give us much time.”

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

"Mr. Wu, thank you for your hard work. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to tell me," Hongli said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Your humble servant will certainly live up to your expectations," Wu Daozi said.

Xiao Yanzi chimed in, "Mr. Wu, do you think the books that the Shadow Pavilion stole might help them break the formation?"

Wu Daozi frowned. "Your Majesty, it's hard to say. However, we cannot let them succeed. We must speed up our research and strive to break the formation as soon as possible."

“Yes, we must be faster than them!” Hongli said.

However, just as they were diligently studying the classics, another piece of bad news came from the palace.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Physician Liu has gone missing!" Su Peisheng rushed in to report.

"What? Physician Liu has disappeared?" Hongli exclaimed in surprise. "What happened?"

"Your Majesty, this morning, Physician Liu went to the Imperial Hospital as usual, but he hasn't returned yet. The people in the Imperial Hospital are searching everywhere, but they can't find him," Su Peisheng said.

"Could they have been captured by the Shadow Pavilion?" Little Swallow asked.

“Very likely. Physician Liu is very familiar with the situation in the palace and is also proficient in medicine. The people of the Shadow Pavilion may want to get something from him,” Hongli said.

"Your Majesty, what should we do?" Little Swallow asked anxiously.

"Send people to search immediately! We must find Physician Liu!" Hongli said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Su Peisheng accepted the order and left.

"Your Majesty, will Physician Liu be in any danger?" Xiao Yanzi asked worriedly.

Hongli held Xiaoyanzi's hand. "Xiaoyanzi, don't worry. We will definitely find Physician Liu. Now, we can't panic. We must continue to think of ways to break the formation and deal with the Shadow Pavilion's conspiracy."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I'll listen to you," said Xiao Yanzi.

But was Physician Liu truly captured by the Shadow Pavilion, or is there another hidden story? And can they break the formation before the Shadow Pavilion can protect the peace of the palace? Everything remains uncertain, and the crisis within the palace grows ever stronger like dark clouds, suffocating everyone… End of this chapter. Stay tuned for the next chapter.