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

On the way back to the palace, Xiao Yanzi secretly pulled Hongli aside and whispered, "Fourth Prince, do you think this mural looks familiar? I once glimpsed a foreign painting with similar brushstrokes, and that painting seems to have a great history."

Hongli was startled. He carefully examined the murals in the temple. The brushstrokes and use of color did indeed bear some resemblance to the paintings presented by foreign countries in his memory. He whispered, "Little Swallow, do not spread this matter. The connection is too bizarre. If someone with ulterior motives hears about it, it will surely bring disaster upon us."

Little Swallow nodded vigorously: "Fourth Prince, of course I know. It's just that all of this is too strange, and I am really puzzled."

Seeing the two whispering to each other, Hongzhou couldn't help but lean over and ask, "What are you talking about? Why are you being so mysterious?"

Little Swallow hurriedly waved her hand: "Fifth Prince, it's nothing. It's just that this temple is eerie, and I was a little scared. I was just saying a few words to Fourth Prince to give him courage."

Hongzhou looked at Xiaoyanzi with a hint of doubt in his eyes, but did not ask any further questions.

General Zhao Hui led the way, then turned back and said, “Gentlemen, let’s hurry back to the palace. There’s no guarantee that something might happen along the way.”

Everyone agreed and quickened their pace.

Back in the palace, Xiao Yanzi wanted to go directly to the Emperor to present the evidence, but Hongli stopped her. "Xiao Yanzi, it's almost dusk, and Father is probably tired. We can go tomorrow morning."

Although Xiao Yanzi was extremely anxious, she also felt that what Hongli said made sense, so she had no choice but to be patient for the time being.

That night, Xiao Yanzi tossed and turned in her room, unable to fall asleep. Her mind was preoccupied with the connection between the murals in the temple and the mysterious events. Suddenly, a soft knock came at the door.

Little Swallow asked warily, "Who?"

"It's me, Fourth Prince."

Xiao Yanzi quickly got up, opened the door, and welcomed Hongli into the house. "Fourth Prince, why are you here so late?"

Hongli's expression was solemn: "Little Swallow, I have been thinking about the painting you mentioned today. I have a feeling that there is a huge conspiracy behind it, which may be related to the Shadow Pavilion, or even involve a deeper level of struggle in the palace."

Little Swallow frowned: "Fourth Prince, what should we do? I'm really worried about Lord Lin's safety."

Hongli paced back and forth in the room: "Tomorrow morning at court, we will first present what we saw and heard in the secluded forest, along with the evidence, to Father Emperor, and see how he decides. Afterward, we will secretly investigate the relevant clues about the painting."

Little Swallow nodded firmly: "Alright, we'll do as the Fourth Prince says."

Meanwhile, Zhixi was restless in her room. She said to Rong Mama, "Mama, Xiaoyanzi and the others returned to the palace today, but we haven't received any news from them. This makes me very uneasy."

Rong Momo comforted her, "Don't worry, Madam. I've already sent people to investigate, and I believe we'll have news soon. If they've found out anything, we'll figure out a way to deal with it."

Zhixi bit her lip: "Granny, I always have a bad feeling, as if a great disaster is about to befall us."

Rong Momo snorted coldly: "Fujin, even if they have found some clues, we cannot sit idly by and wait to die. This old servant does not believe that with our power in the palace, we cannot deal with a little swallow."

However, unbeknownst to them, Xiao Yanzi and Hongli were getting closer to the truth, and a palace intrigue was about to be completely changed because of them.

The next morning at court, Hongli and Xiaoyanzi walked into the court with their heads held high, carrying the evidence they had collected in the secluded forest and the black-clad men they had captured.

The Emperor sat on his dragon throne and asked majestically, "Fourth Prince, Little Swallow, did you find anything in the secluded forest?"

Hongli stepped forward and respectfully said, "Father, your son and I discovered traces of the Shadow Pavilion in the secluded forest and were attacked by them. These men in black are members of the Shadow Pavilion; their martial arts are strange and their moves are peculiar. Your son suspects that the poisoning of Lord Lin was the work of the Shadow Pavilion in collusion with certain forces in the court. Here is some evidence we found near their lair; please take a look, Father."

After speaking, Hongli presented the evidence. The eunuch laid out the evidence before the emperor one by one, and the emperor examined it carefully, his face growing increasingly gloomy.

"Hmph! How could this happen! I will punish these treacherous officials severely!" the Emperor said angrily.

Below the imperial court, the ministers discussed the matter, all expressing their indignation at the Shadow Pavilion's evil deeds.

At this moment, Xiao Yanzi could no longer suppress her doubts and curiosity, but she could not reveal the matter of her rebirth, so she could only say tactfully, "Your Majesty, I have also discovered something strange. In a temple in the secluded forest, there are some murals with an extremely unique and rare style. I have never seen anything like them before. I suspect that there may be some important secret behind them, perhaps related to the secrets of the Shadow Pavilion. I beg Your Majesty to allow us to continue our investigation."

Upon hearing this, although there were some doubts in the court, there was no shock or uproar as before.

The Emperor nodded slightly: "In that case, you may continue your investigation, but you must not act rashly."

After the morning court session ended, Hongli pulled Xiaoyanzi aside and said softly, "Xiaoyanzi, you handled things well in court today and thankfully did not mention any more dangerous words."

Little Swallow stuck out her tongue: "Fourth Prince, I've learned my lesson."

Hongzhou watched them from the side, feeling increasingly puzzled. He always felt that there were some unknown secrets between Xiaoyanzi and Hongli, and these secrets seemed to be intricately connected to the overall situation of the palace.

"Fourth Brother, Little Swallow, are you hiding something from me?" Hongzhou couldn't help but ask.

Xiao Yanzi and Hongli exchanged a glance, and then Xiao Yanzi said, "Fifth Prince, we only have some thoughts on the matter of Lord Lin, nothing more."

Hongzhou clearly didn't believe them, but he didn't press them any further.

Meanwhile, in the inner palace, Zhixi and Rong Mama learned of the morning court session and were greatly alarmed.

"Granny, they've found out so much! What are we going to do?" Zhixi said anxiously.

After a moment of contemplation, Rong Momo said, "Madam, it seems we can only avoid their sharp edge for now. This old servant will find a way to completely sever our connection with the Shadow Pavilion, and we must not let them trace it back to us."

Zhixi nodded helplessly: "That's all we can do. Granny, I'm leaving everything to you."

Xiao Yanzi and Hongli then secretly began investigating the origin of the scroll. They searched through various ancient books in the imperial study, trying to find records about the mysterious scroll.

“Fourth Prince, look at this.” Little Swallow suddenly pointed to an ancient book and said, “It mentions a mysterious treasure from a foreign land. Although it doesn’t explicitly say it’s a painting, some of the features described seem to be related.”

Hongli carefully read the text in the ancient book: "It seems we need more clues. Xiaoyanzi, we can't just limit ourselves to the Imperial Study. Perhaps we can ask the ministers who have been sent on missions to foreign countries."

So they began visiting senior officials in the court. At the home of one such official who had previously served as an envoy to foreign lands, they obtained some new clues.

"Fourth Prince, Little Swallow, I remember hearing about a sacred object in that foreign land that could influence people's fate, but its details were extremely mysterious, and I only heard about it by ear," the old minister recalled.

Little Swallow's eyes lit up: "Influencing the course of fate? This must be the key. We must find out the truth."

Hongli said, "That's right, but our actions at this moment have probably already alerted some people, so we must be even more careful in our subsequent actions."

However, their investigation attracted the attention of some. In the dark corners of the palace, pairs of eyes were watching them closely, and a new crisis was about to unfold.