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

Hongzhou slightly raised his chin, looked at Xiaoyanzi and Hongli and said, "Then let's start by investigating the clues about the Shadow Pavilion's collusion with the palace. I've heard that some of the palace's purchasing records seem a bit strange recently, and perhaps we can find clues about the Shadow Pavilion's people planted in the palace."

Little Swallow's eyes lit up: "Fifth Prince, your news is so timely! Let's go check the purchasing records right away."

Hongli pondered for a moment and nodded, saying, "Alright. However, we still need to be careful and avoid alerting the enemy."

The three men arrived at the Imperial Household Department and explained their purpose to the head eunuch: they wanted to see the recent purchasing records. The head eunuch looked troubled: "Fourth Prince, these purchasing records are palace secrets. Without His Majesty's decree, this servant dares not take them out without authorization."

Hongzhou frowned and rebuked, "The Fourth Prince and I are acting on the Emperor's orders to investigate the poisoning of Lord Lin. These purchasing records may be related to the case. If you obstruct us and delay the investigation, can you bear the consequences?"

The head eunuch was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and said, "Fifth Prince, please forgive me. This servant will go and fetch it right away."

A short while later, the head eunuch returned with a stack of account books. The three sat together and carefully examined them. Little Swallow looked at the densely packed accounts and felt a headache coming on: "These numbers and items are making my head spin. Can you figure anything out?"

Hongli pointed to an account book and said, "Look, the quantity of silk purchased here far exceeds the palace's needs, and the price is quite high. The supplier is a shop called Shenghuazhai. Could Shenghuazhai be related to the Shadow Pavilion?"

Hongzhou pondered, "I've heard that the owner of Shenghuazhai has connections with some martial arts figures. Perhaps there's something fishy going on. We might as well go and investigate Shenghuazhai."

So, the three disguised themselves and went to Sheng Hua Zhai. Inside, various silks and brocades were on display. The shop assistants greeted them warmly: "Gentlemen, what would you like to see?"

Hongzhou, pretending to be a wealthy young master, casually said, "Bring out your finest silks for me to see."

The shop assistant quickly replied, "This way, sir." While selecting silk, Hongzhou casually struck up a conversation with the shop assistant: "Your shop is doing really well. Do you have any special sourcing channels?"

The shop assistant's eyes flickered for a moment, then he smiled and said, "Young master, you're joking. We're a legitimate business, and our products are sourced from all over the country."

Little Swallow observed the shop assistant's expression and grew suspicious. She suddenly said, "Your assistant looks flustered. Is he hiding something?"

The shop assistant's expression changed: "Miss, don't make false accusations. I'm just a errand boy, I don't know anything."

At this moment, Hongli stepped forward, took out a piece of silk he had found in the Imperial Household Department's account book, and asked, "Do you recognize this silk? It came from your Shenghuazhai."

Upon seeing the tattered silk, the shop assistant broke out in a sweat: "This... I don't know, sir, you should ask our manager."

As they were talking, the shopkeeper came out from behind. The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man with a sly look in his eyes. He was startled when he saw the silk fragment in Hongli's hand, but quickly regained his composure: "Esteemed guests, although this silk fragment is similar to ours, it does not prove that it is ours. Why do you gentlemen bring this fragment to question me?"

Hongzhou snorted coldly: "Shopkeeper, do you know that this silk is involved in a major case in the palace? If you tell the truth, you may be treated leniently; but if you dare to conceal it, you will not be able to bear the consequences."

The shopkeeper's expression changed slightly, but he still stubbornly said, "Fifth Prince, please don't scare me. I really don't know."

Little Swallow said anxiously, "How can you be so stubborn! We've already found out that your Shenghuazhai is colluding with the Dark Shadow Pavilion, and you still won't admit it!"

The shopkeeper trembled slightly upon hearing the words "Shadow Pavilion." Hongzhou keenly noticed the shopkeeper's reaction, exchanged a glance with Hongli, and then said, "Shopkeeper, if you confess now, we can plead for you before the Emperor and save your life. If we wait until we find out, you'll regret it."

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, then finally relented: "Fine, fine. I'll confess. It was the people from the Shadow Pavilion who contacted me and asked me to tamper with the silk purchases, to overreport the quantities so they could make a huge profit. I only know they have people in the palace, but I really don't know who they are."

Little Swallow pressed on, "Then do you know what the connection is between the Shadow Pavilion and that mysterious mural?"

The shopkeeper shook his head: "I really don't know. I'm only in charge of purchasing; I know nothing else."

Although they didn't get any information about the murals, they did obtain some useful clues. After the three left Sheng Hua Zhai, Hong Zhou said, "It seems that the Shadow Pavilion's influence in the palace is not to be underestimated. We must be careful."

Hongli nodded and said, "That's right. We also need to start from other aspects and continue to investigate the relationship between the Shadow Pavilion and the murals."

Back at their lodgings, they found Granny Rong lurking suspiciously in the courtyard. Little Swallow frowned: "Granny Rong, what are you doing here?"

Rong Momo was startled and quickly said, "This servant was just passing by and saw that the masters were not here, so I was worried that something might have happened."

Hongzhou looked at Rong Mama suspiciously and said, "Rong Mama, you'd better behave yourself. If I find out you're up to no good, I won't let you off easily."

Granny Rong gave a meek reply and hurried away. Little Swallow watched Granny Rong's retreating figure and said, "There's definitely something wrong with Granny Rong; we need to be careful."

That night, Little Swallow was alone in her room, pondering the day's events. Suddenly, she heard the melodious sound of a flute drifting from outside her window. The music seemed to possess a magical power, drawing her out of her room. She followed the sound and arrived at a secluded corner of the palace.

A man dressed in black stood there playing a flute. Little Swallow asked warily, "Who are you? Why did you lead me here?"

The man in black put down his flute and slowly turned around: "Little Swallow, you shouldn't be investigating the Dark Shadow Pavilion murals. It will bring you death."

Little Swallow frowned: "How did you know I was investigating this? Who exactly are you?"

The man in black chuckled lightly: "Who I am is not important. What is important is that if you continue to investigate, not only will your own life be in danger, but you will also implicate those around you."

Little Swallow said without fear, "I'm not afraid! I must uncover the truth and protect the people around me."

The man in black shook his head: "You're a stubborn woman. Since you won't listen to advice, don't blame me for being impolite." With that, the man in black drew his sword and thrust it at Xiao Yanzi.

Little Swallow quickly drew her sword to defend herself. The two engaged in a fierce battle under the moonlight. Little Swallow used all her skills, but the man in black was highly skilled, and she gradually found herself at a disadvantage.

Just as the man in black was about to stab Xiao Yanzi, Hongli and Hongzhou heard the commotion and rushed over. Hongli shouted, "Stop!" and then joined the fight.

Hongzhou, not to be outdone, joined forces with Hongli to attack the man in black. Seeing the situation was unfavorable, the man in black feigned a sword strike and turned to flee.

Hongli wanted to give chase, but Xiaoyanzi stopped him: "Fourth Prince, don't chase after them. This man in black is too skilled in martial arts; even if we catch him, we might not be able to catch him."

Hongzhou, panting, asked, "Who exactly is this man in black? Why did he target Xiaoyanzi?"

Little Swallow pondered, "I don't know either. But it must be related to the Shadow Pavilion or that mysterious mural."

This incident made them even more aware of the seriousness of the situation. The three of them regrouped in the room to discuss their next steps.

Hongzhou said, "We can't just sit here and take the initiative. I think we can start with that Jianghu organization. Since they have connections with the Shadow Pavilion, perhaps we can find the secret of the murals from them."

Hongli agreed: "Fifth Brother is right. But these Jianghu organizations are shrouded in mystery; how can we find them?"

Xiao Yanzi suddenly remembered the mysterious old man's words: "If we keep walking along this road, we might find some clues. Perhaps, in the process of investigating the collusion between the Shadow Pavilion and the palace, we will come across clues related to martial arts organizations."

Therefore, they decided to continue their investigation into the Shadow Pavilion's influence within the palace, while also keeping an eye out for any clues linking them to martial arts organizations. In the days that followed, they traveled extensively, investigating whether the palace eunuchs, maids, and guards had any connections with the Shadow Pavilion.

During the investigation, they discovered a young eunuch behaving suspiciously. This eunuch frequently entered and exited a secluded palace late at night, and each time he emerged, he appeared flustered.

They decided to follow the young eunuch. One night, the young eunuch went out as usual. The three of them quietly followed him. The young eunuch arrived at the secluded palace, and soon after entering, they heard faint voices coming from inside.

They approached the palace, trying to hear what was being said inside. They only heard a deep voice say, "How's it going? Has anyone suspected us?"

The young eunuch's voice came through: "Reporting to Your Excellency, no one has suspected us yet. It's just that the Fourth Prince, Little Swallow, and the Fifth Prince are investigating the matter at Shenghuazhai, and they seem to have discovered some clues."

The deep voice scoffed, "They're investigating quite thoroughly. We can't let them continue. Go and make arrangements to eliminate them when the opportunity arises."

The young eunuch quickly replied, "Yes, sir."

Hearing this, the three were startled. They hadn't expected the Shadow Pavilion to be planning to harm them. Hongli said in a low voice, "Let's leave here first, then figure out a way to deal with it."

Back at their lodgings, they began to discuss their next move. Hongzhou said, "We can't just sit here and wait to die; we have to strike first. I have an idea: we can set a trap to lure them in."

Hongli asked, "Fifth brother, what are your specific plans?"

Hongzhou explained his plan in detail: "We can deliberately spread the word that we have found important evidence related to the Shadow Pavilion murals in a certain place, and then set up an ambush there. When they come to seize the evidence, we will wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Little Swallow clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Fifth Prince, this is a great idea! Let's do it this way!"

So they began to act according to plan. They chose a remote, abandoned palace as their ambush site, and then deliberately spread rumors within the palace.

After the news spread, they waited in the abandoned palace for the Shadow Pavilion members to take the bait. A day passed, and nothing happened. Little Swallow was getting anxious: "What if they don't take the bait?"

Hongzhou comforted him, "Don't worry. They will definitely come; they are just waiting for the right time."

Sure enough, the following night, a group of men in black quietly arrived at the abandoned palace. They looked around cautiously before entering the palace.

When they entered the palace, they found it empty. Just as they were about to leave, torches suddenly lit up all around them. Hongli, Xiaoyanzi, and Hongzhou, along with their guards, surrounded them from all sides.

Hongli shouted, "You have fallen into our trap! Surrender now!"

Seeing this, the men in black drew their swords, ready to fight. A fierce battle ensued. This time, they were well-prepared, and their guards were all brave and skilled in combat. The Shadow Pavilion members were gradually overwhelmed.

During the battle, Xiao Yanzi spotted a familiar figure. She looked closely and realized it was Rong Momo. Xiao Yanzi exclaimed in surprise, "Rong Momo, it's you! You're from the Shadow Pavilion!"

When Rong Momo saw that she had been discovered, she said viciously, "Little Swallow, don't be so smug. Today is your death day!" With that, she brandished her weapon and charged at Little Swallow.

Little Swallow went to meet her and engaged in a one-on-one battle with Granny Rong. Although Granny Rong was old, her martial arts skills were not weak. Little Swallow and Granny Rong fought fiercely and were evenly matched.

After Hongli and Hongzhou dealt with the other men in black, they also came to help. Under the combined attack of the three, Rong Momo was finally subdued.

Little Swallow said angrily, "Granny Rong, why do you work for the Shadow Pavilion? Why are you trying to harm us?"

Rong Momo sneered, "Hmph! Do you think I work for the Shadow Pavilion willingly? I was forced into it. If I didn't do what they asked, they would kill me."

Hongzhou asked, "Do you know the secret of the Shadow Pavilion and that mysterious mural?"

Granny Rong shook her head: "All I know is that they are looking for the murals, saying that they contain immense power. That's all I really know."

Although they didn't get any more secrets about the murals from Rong Momo, they had captured a group of people from the Shadow Pavilion, which could be considered a partial victory. They handed these people over to the Emperor, who ordered that the Shadow Pavilion members be severely punished.

This incident dealt a blow to the Shadow Pavilion's influence within the palace. However, they knew this was merely the tip of the iceberg, with many more secrets awaiting their discovery. They continued their investigation into the Shadow Pavilion's connection to the mysterious murals and the secrets of their rebirth. Along the way, their relationship was constantly tested and refined. With the companionship and help of Hongli and Hongzhou, Xiaoyanzi gradually matured. She was no longer the impulsive woman she once was, but had learned to face difficulties and challenges with wisdom and courage. Hongli and Hongzhou, in their interactions with Xiaoyanzi, also gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of love and friendship. They knew the road ahead was still long, but they were prepared to join hands and write their own legendary story during the Yongzheng era.