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

Xiao Yanzi, Hongli, and Hongzhou sat around the table, the atmosphere somewhat somber.

Hongzhou broke the silence first, looking at Xiaoyanzi and saying, "Xiaoyanzi, the matter of the Shadow Pavilion is becoming increasingly complicated. Do you have any thoughts on this?"

Xiao Yanzi frowned slightly, her eyes resolute: "Fifth Prince, no matter what, we must uncover the secret of that mural! I always feel that the conspiracy behind it is far more than what we have seen."

Hongli nodded in agreement: "Little Swallow is right. The Shadow Pavilion has been operating in the palace for many years, and its influence is deeply entrenched. We cannot let our guard down."

Hongzhou sighed softly: "But the investigation has been fraught with danger, and I am really worried about your safety, Little Swallow."

Xiao Yanzi felt a warmth in her heart and looked at Hongzhou: "Fifth Prince, you don't need to worry about me too much. I'm not as reckless as I used to be. I'll be careful."

At this moment, Xiao Tao came in with tea and handed the tea to the three of them.

Xiao Tao said softly, "Princess, Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, don't overwork yourselves. Have some tea and rest first."

Xiao Yanzi took the tea, took a sip, and then said, "Xiao Tao, have you heard any gossip among the servants in this mansion about the Shadow Pavilion?"

Xiao Tao thought for a moment and replied, "Princess, I didn't hear anything special. However, a few days ago in the garden, I saw a little eunuch acting suspiciously. I was just about to go up and ask him something when he ran away."

Hongli's eyes sharpened: "A mere eunuch? This might be a clue. We need to investigate this eunuch's identity."

Hongzhou stood up: "Then I'll arrange for someone to investigate right now."

After Hongzhou left, only Xiaoyanzi and Hongli remained in the room.

Hongli looked at Xiaoyanzi with a gentle gaze: "Xiaoyanzi, you've worked hard these past few days. If it weren't for your persistent investigation, the Shadow Pavilion's conspiracy would probably have remained hidden."

Xiao Yanzi's cheeks flushed slightly: "Fourth Prince, this is what I should do. I don't want to see anyone committing evil deeds in this palace, and besides, the secret of this mural has been troubling me all along."

Hongli gently held Xiaoyanzi's hand: "Don't worry, no matter what happens, I will be by your side."

Xiao Yanzi felt a surge of emotion, but also a bit conflicted: "Fourth Prince, if others find out about us like this, won't it affect you? After all, you are a prince, and I..."

Hongli interrupted her, "Little Swallow, don't think too much. I don't care about those things. All I know is that I don't want to lose you."

In another palace, Hongzhou was questioning his subordinates about the young eunuch.

The subordinate reported, "Fifth Prince, that little eunuch is named Xiao Shunzi. He is a eunuch who sweeps the Imperial Garden. He usually looks honest and has nothing special about him."

Hongzhou frowned: "Impossible. There's definitely something wrong with him. Go and fetch him for me!"

"Yes, Fifth Prince."

A short while later, Xiao Shunzi was brought before Hong Zhou. Upon seeing Hong Zhou, Xiao Shunzi was so frightened that he knelt down.

Hongzhou asked sternly, "Little Shunzi, I'm asking you, are you a member of the Shadow Pavilion?"

Xiao Shunzi quickly shook his head: "Fifth Prince, this servant didn't do it! This servant is innocent!"

Hongzhou sneered: "Innocent? Then why were you lurking around in the garden? Were you passing messages to the Shadow Pavilion?"

Xiao Shunzi cried and said, "Fifth Prince, this servant was really just being lazy and didn't do anything wrong!"

Hongzhou looked at Xiaoshunzi and hesitated. He didn't know if Xiaoshunzi was telling the truth.

Just then, Xiao Yanzi and Hongli arrived.

Little Swallow looked at Little Shunzi and said, "Little Shunzi, don't be afraid. As long as you tell the truth, we won't make things difficult for you. Do you know something about the Shadow Pavilion?"

Xiao Shunzi raised his head, looked at Xiao Yanzi, then at Hongli and Hongzhou, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Princess, Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, this servant does know something. A few days ago, when this servant was sweeping in the garden, I saw a man in black give Eunuch Li a package, and Eunuch Li hid the package."

Hongli asked, "Which Eunuch Li?"

Xiao Shunzi replied, "It's Eunuch Li from the Imperial Household Department."

Upon hearing this, Hongzhou said, "This Eunuch Li is known for his love of money. Could he be colluding with the Shadow Pavilion?"

Little Swallow said, "No matter what, let's go find Eunuch Li first and find out what's going on."

So the three of them went to the Imperial Household Department to find Eunuch Li. Eunuch Li was sitting in the room counting silver. When he saw them come in, he quickly got up and bowed.

Hongli looked at Eunuch Li and said, "Eunuch Li, I'm asking you, are you colluding with the Shadow Pavilion?"

Eunuch Li's expression changed: "Fourth Prince, what are you talking about? This servant has always served His Majesty loyally, how could I possibly be colluding with the Shadow Pavilion?"

Hongzhou stepped forward and said, "Eunuch Li, you'd better tell the truth. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite."

Eunuch Li still refused to admit it: "Fifth Prince, this servant is truly innocent!"

Little Swallow thought for a moment and said, "Eunuch Li, if you tell the truth now, we can plead for you before the Emperor and give you a lighter sentence. If you continue to be stubborn, you'll be in big trouble once we find out."

Eunuch Li hesitated for a moment before finally admitting, "Princess, Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, this servant will tell the truth. This servant did indeed receive money from the Shadow Pavilion to help them pass on some messages in the palace, but this servant truly has no idea what big plan they are plotting."

Hongli asked, "Then tell us all the messages they asked you to pass on."

Eunuch Li said, "They just instructed me to keep an eye on the Fourth Prince, Miss Xiao Yanzi, and the Fifth Prince's every move, and then pass the message on to a mysterious person."

Hongzhou asked, "Who is that mysterious person?"

Eunuch Li shook his head: "This servant doesn't know. This servant has only seen him once. He was dressed entirely in black, so I couldn't see his face."

Although they didn't learn the identity of the mysterious person, they did learn that the Shadow Pavilion had been monitoring them.

Little Swallow said, "It seems we need to be more careful from now on."

Hongli nodded: "That's right. The tentacles of the Shadow Pavilion have stretched too far. We must find their lair as soon as possible and wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Back at her lodgings, Xiao Yanzi was alone in her room, deep in thought. She had a feeling that there was a bigger conspiracy behind the Shadow Pavilion, and that the mysterious martial arts organization must be connected to it all.

Suddenly, she had an idea. She decided to take the risk and lure the snake out of its hole.

Xiao Yanzi found Hongli and Hongzhou and told them her plan: "Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, I think we can pretend to have found the secret of the mural and then lure out the people from the Shadow Pavilion."

Hongzhou was a little worried: "Little Swallow, this is too dangerous. If the people from the Shadow Pavilion take the bait, you will definitely be in danger."

Little Swallow said firmly, "Fifth Prince, I know there is danger. But this is a good opportunity for us to find out the truth, and I don't want to miss it."

Hongli looked at Xiaoyanzi, thought for a moment, and then said, "Xiaoyanzi, if you want to do this, I will go with you. I won't let you take the risk alone."

Hongzhou also said, "I'll come too. It's safer for the three of us to be together than for you to be alone."

Little Swallow looked at them gratefully: "Thank you, Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince."

So they began to act according to plan. Little Swallow deliberately spread the word in the palace that she had found an important clue about the Shadow Pavilion murals in an ancient book and learned the secret hidden in the murals.

After the news spread, they set up an ambush in a secluded palace, waiting for the Shadow Pavilion members to take the bait.

A day passed, and there was still no sign of them. Little Swallow was getting anxious: "What if they don't take the bait?"

Hongzhou comforted her, "Don't worry, Little Swallow. They're definitely observing us from the shadows. Let's wait a little longer."

The following evening, a group of men dressed in black quietly arrived at the palace. They cautiously entered the palace, looking around.

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!"

Upon seeing this, the men in black drew their swords, preparing for battle. A fierce battle ensued.

During the battle, Xiao Yanzi spotted a familiar figure. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the manager she had met at Sheng Hua Zhai before.

Little Swallow exclaimed in surprise, "It's you! You really are from the Shadow Pavilion!"

The shopkeeper sneered, "Little Swallow, do you think you can catch me? Today is your death day!"

As he spoke, the shopkeeper brandished his sword and charged at Xiao Yanzi. Xiao Yanzi quickly drew her sword to defend herself.

Hongli and Hongzhou also joined the battle, and the three of them fought a desperate battle against the people of the Shadow Pavilion.

During the battle, they discovered that these Shadow Pavilion members were highly skilled in martial arts and seemed to possess some strange martial arts techniques.

Hongli's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "These people's martial arts don't seem to be from the Central Plains. Could they be related to that mysterious Jianghu organization?"

While fending off the attacks, Little Swallow said, "No matter who they're connected to, we must catch them today!"

After a fierce battle, they finally subdued the Shadow Pavilion members.

Little Swallow looked at the shopkeeper and asked, "Tell me, what exactly is your Shadow Pavilion plotting? What secret does this mural hold?"

The shopkeeper still refused to say anything: "Little Swallow, don't expect to get any information out of me."

Hongzhou stepped forward and said, "If you don't speak, we have plenty of ways to make you talk."

The shopkeeper looked at them, feeling somewhat afraid, but he gritted his teeth and refused to speak.

At this moment, Little Swallow thought of a plan. She said to the shopkeeper, "Do you think we can't do anything if you don't tell us? I know you must have family outside the palace. If you don't tell us, I'll bring your family here."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's face changed drastically: "Little Swallow, you can't do this!"

Little Swallow said, "If you don't want your family to be implicated, tell us everything you know."

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment before finally speaking: "Alright, I'll tell you. The Shadow Pavilion has been searching for that mural because it hides the secret of a treasure. This treasure is said to grant people limitless power and even change the course of the world."

Little Swallow asked, "Then what does this treasure have to do with your Shadow Pavilion?"

The shopkeeper replied, "The founder of our Shadow Pavilion was once a disciple of a martial arts sect. After learning the secret of this treasure, he founded the Shadow Pavilion, hoping to find the treasure and dominate the world. And that mural is the key to finding the treasure."

Hongli asked, "Where is this treasure?"

The shopkeeper shook his head: "I don't know. I only know that this treasure is related to a mysterious ritual, and that ritual requires that mural."

Although they knew some of the secrets about the murals, they still didn't know the exact location of the treasure or the details of the mysterious ritual.

Little Swallow said, "It seems we need to continue investigating."

Hongli nodded: "That's right. The Shadow Pavilion's conspiracy has not been fully exposed yet, so we cannot let our guard down."

This incident deepened their understanding of the Shadow Pavilion. However, they also knew that more dangers and challenges awaited them. Their bond grew stronger through these adventures. With Hongli and Hongzhou by her side, Xiao Yanzi matured into a strong and courageous woman, while Hongli and Hongzhou, in their interactions with Xiao Yanzi, came to appreciate the preciousness of love and friendship even more. They continued their pursuit of the truth in the Yongzheng-era court, writing their own legendary story.