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

As dawn broke, Xiao Yanzi and Hongli had breakfast and then headed to the library together. Along the way, Xiao Yanzi skipped and hopped, seemingly full of anticipation for their exploration that day.

"Fourth Prince, do you think we'll make a new discovery today?" Little Swallow's eyes sparkled.

Hongli looked at her with affection: "I hope so. As long as we don't give up, we will definitely be able to uncover the secret of the murals in the Shadow Pavilion."

As soon as the two stepped into the library, a musty smell of old books wafted over them. They went straight to the bookshelf where the clues had been found the day before and began to search carefully.

"Little Swallow, look at this book!" Hongli suddenly shouted.

Little Swallow hurriedly leaned over: "Fourth Prince, what's written on this?"

Hongli frowned, reading aloud as he looked at the murals: "The secrets of the Shadow Pavilion concern the fate of the nation, and the power behind it is unfathomable. The murals are the key, perhaps containing the method to control the world..."

Little Swallow's eyes widened: "Controlling the laws of the world? How is that possible?"

Just then, Su Peisheng rushed over, looking slightly flustered.

"Fourth Prince, Consort, something terrible has happened! Consort Zhixi has suddenly fainted in her palace and is unconscious. The Emperor and the Imperial Noble Consort have already rushed there."

Xiao Yanzi and Hongli exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

"Why would Zhixi suddenly faint? Could someone have sabotaged her?" Xiao Yanzi wondered.

Hongli pondered for a moment: "In any case, let's go and take a look first."

When they arrived at Zhixi's palace, they saw Imperial Noble Consort Zhen Huan standing solemnly by the bed, and Emperor Yongzheng also had a furrowed brow.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty and Mother," Hongli said, bowing.

Little Swallow also bowed: "Greetings, Your Majesty, Imperial Noble Consort."

Yongzheng looked at them and said, "You've arrived. Zhixi suddenly fainted, and the imperial physician is treating her. What exactly happened?"

Before Xiao Yanzi could speak, Rong Momo interrupted, "Your Majesty, this old servant feels there's something fishy about this. Yesterday, the First Lady and the Second Lady had an argument in the Imperial Garden, and today the Second Lady fainted... this..."

Xiao Yanzi said angrily, "Granny Rong, don't make false accusations! How could my conflict with Zhixi be related to her fainting?"

Imperial Noble Consort Zhen Huan said, "Alright, stop arguing. Let's wait for the imperial physician's diagnosis before we talk about it."

At this moment, Imperial Physician Liu came out from the inner room, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Consort has been poisoned by a rare poison. This poison takes effect slowly and is not easily detected. This old servant will need some time to develop an antidote."

Emperor Yongzheng angrily asked, "Who on earth is so bold as to poison someone in the palace?"

Hongli said, "Father, I believe this matter was deliberately done by someone. I am willing to assist in the investigation and find the mastermind behind it."

Yongzheng nodded: "Very well, I'll leave this matter to you."

After leaving Zhixi Palace, Xiaoyanzi said to Hongli, "Fourth Prince, I don't think this matter is so simple. Could it be the work of the Shadow Pavilion, who want to use this to stir up trouble and disrupt the palace?"

Hongli's expression turned solemn: "It's not impossible. Let's go back to our room and discuss this further."

Back at her residence, Xiao Tao greeted her: "Madam, A Zhu is preparing new clothes for you. She found an extremely beautiful piece of fabric today."

Little Swallow nodded absentmindedly: "Little Peach, you can go down now."

Xiao Tao looked at Xiao Yanzi with some concern and then retreated.

Xiao Yanzi sat at the table and said to Hongli, "Fourth Prince, we can't just sit here and wait to die. I want to go to Zhixi Palace again to take a look; maybe we can find some clues."

Hongli hesitated for a moment: "Wouldn't this be too dangerous? What if people misunderstand..."

Little Swallow said firmly, "I'm not afraid! I'm determined to find out the truth and clear my name."

Hongli had no choice but to nod: "Then I'll go with you."

The two returned to Zhixi's palace, where everyone was acting cautiously. Xiao Yanzi looked around and suddenly discovered a strange sachet on Zhixi's dressing table.

"Fourth Prince, look at this sachet, the smell is a bit strange," Xiao Yanzi said, picking up the sachet.

Hongli took the sachet and smelled it: "This fragrance seems to be problematic, like the catalyst for some kind of poison."

Just then, Rong Mama walked in and saw the sachet in Xiao Yanzi's hand. She shrieked, "Madam, how can you take the concubine's things so casually? Could it be that you..."

Little Swallow said angrily, "Granny Rong, stop framing me! This sachet might be the key clue. I need to show it to Physician Liu."

Rong Momo tried to stop him, but Hongli scolded, "Rong Momo, if you continue to cause trouble, I will not let you off!"

Granny Rong was so frightened that she dared not speak again.

Xiao Yanzi and Hongli took the sachet to Physician Liu. After examining it carefully, Physician Liu said, "Fourth Prince, Princess Consort, the spices in this sachet are mixed with a slow-acting poison. It was probably deliberately placed near the concubine to slowly poison her. But this poison is complicated to make and cannot be obtained by ordinary people."

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yanzi said, "Could it be someone connected to the Shadow Pavilion? They want to use this to frame me and ruin our plan to explore the secrets of the murals."

Hongli nodded: "Very likely. We need to be careful, they might have another move."

Meanwhile, in a secluded corner of the palace, a dark figure was whispering to another person.

"How did things go?" the shadowy figure asked.

"Everything is proceeding according to plan. Zhixi has been poisoned, and now everyone in the palace suspects that Xiaoyanzi is behind it. They are bound to fall into chaos."

“Very good. Keep an eye on them. We must not let them discover the secret of the murals.”

Xiao Yanzi and Hongli decided to start their investigation by looking into the people around Zhixi. They found Zhixi's personal maid.

"Do you know if the concubine has been in contact with any suspicious people or things recently?" Hongli asked.

The palace maid said tremblingly, "Your Highness, Consort. In recent days, Consort has only been close to Rong Momo, and she also received a gift from a mysterious person, who said it was a rare treasure from the Western Regions."

Little Swallow's eyes lit up: "Where is the gift?"

The palace maid said, "It's in the concubine's storeroom."

The two immediately went to the storeroom and found the so-called rare treasure from the Western Regions, which turned out to be an exquisite box. Inside the box was a jade pendant emitting a strange light.

"This jade pendant looks unusual," said Xiao Yanzi.

Hongli carefully examined the jade pendant and discovered some strange symbols engraved on it: "These symbols seem to be related to the clues we saw in the library."

Just as they were examining the jade pendant, a group of guards suddenly rushed in.

"Fourth Prince, Princess Consort, what are you doing here?" the head guard asked.

Hongli said, "I am investigating the poisoning of Zhixi, and this jade pendant may be a key clue."

The guard said, "Fourth Prince, someone has reported that you and your wife broke into the concubine's storeroom with ill intentions. Please come with us."

Little Swallow said angrily, "We are investigating a case, how can you arrest people without even knowing the facts?"

But the guards ignored them and insisted on taking them away.

On the way being led away by the guards, Xiao Yanzi said to Hongli, "Fourth Prince, someone must be deliberately framing us. We can't let them scheme against us like this."

Hongli comforted her, "Don't be afraid, Little Swallow. I will find a way to prove our innocence."

They were brought before Emperor Yongzheng. Yongzheng looked at them, his face grim: "Hongli, Xiaoyanzi, why did you break into Zhixi's storeroom without permission?"

After bowing, Hongli said, "Father, Xiaoyanzi and I were investigating Zhixi's poisoning. This jade pendant may be a key clue, and we did not intend to do anything wrong."

Emperor Yongzheng frowned: "Your one-sided account is not convincing enough."

At this moment, Imperial Noble Consort Zhen Huan said, "Your Majesty, why don't we let them explain the whole story before making a decision?"

Yongzheng nodded: "Alright, you may speak."

Xiao Yanzi then recounted in detail how she discovered Zhixi had fainted, found the sachet in the palace, learned about the mysterious gift from the palace maid, and finally found the jade pendant in the storeroom.

After hearing this, Imperial Noble Consort Zhen Huan said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, they may really be investigating a case. There may be a misunderstanding."

Yongzheng pondered for a moment: "There are still many doubts about this matter. Hongli, you say that this jade pendant is related to Zhixi's poisoning, do you have any evidence?"

Hongli said, "Father, I have not yet found conclusive evidence, but the symbols on this jade pendant are related to the clues in the murals of the Shadow Pavilion. I believe this is no coincidence."

Yongzheng said, "Then you shall continue the investigation, but you shall not act arbitrarily until the truth is clear."

"Yes, Father Emperor," Hongli replied.

After leaving Yongzheng's residence, Xiao Yanzi and Hongli realized they had fallen into a massive conspiracy, behind which the power of the Shadow Pavilion was gradually emerging. They had to find evidence as soon as possible to clear their names and uncover the secrets of the Shadow Pavilion's murals, or they would face utter ruin in the palace.

As night fell, Little Swallow sat in her room, feeling troubled.

"Fourth Prince, what should we do? Everyone suspects us now, and our movements are restricted," Xiao Yanzi said helplessly.

Hongli held her hand: "Little Swallow, don't be discouraged. We still have some clues that we haven't figured out, such as the symbols on the jade pendant. We can discuss it with General Zhaohui. He is very knowledgeable and may know something."

Little Swallow nodded: "That's all we can do. We hope the general can help us."

The next day, Hongli took Xiaoyanzi to see General Zhaohui. In the general's mansion, General Zhaohui pondered for a long time after hearing about their ordeal.

“Fourth Prince, Princess Consort. I’ve seen the symbol on this jade pendant before on the frontier; it’s the mark of an ancient tribe. This tribe is said to be in league with a mysterious force in the palace, and I suspect it’s the Shadow Pavilion,” General Zhao Hui said.

Little Swallow asked anxiously, "General, how can we find evidence against them?"

General Zhao Hui said, "You can start by investigating the people who come and go from this tribe and see if you can find anyone connected to the palace. I will also send people to assist you secretly."

Hongli said gratefully, "Thank you, General. With your help, we will surely be able to solve the mystery soon."

After leaving the General's Mansion, Xiao Yanzi and Hongli began their investigation as suggested by General Zhaohui. They secretly kept an eye on those in the palace who had connections to the frontier.

One day, they discovered a young eunuch acting suspiciously in a secluded corner of the Imperial Garden, talking furtively with a stranger. Xiao Yanzi and Hongli hid nearby and eavesdropped.

"How's it going?" the stranger asked.

"Don't worry, Xiao Yanzi and Hongli are currently under suspicion and are too busy to care about themselves. They will no longer pose a threat to our plans," the eunuch said.

"We must not be careless. The secret of that mural must not be revealed to them. Keep an eye on them and report any developments immediately."

Xiao Yanzi and Hongli were startled; they were certain that this person was related to the Shadow Pavilion.

"Fourth Prince, should we capture him?" Little Swallow asked softly.

Hongli shook his head: "Let's not alert him yet. Let's follow him and see who else is behind him."

So they secretly followed the little eunuch, and a thrilling chase was about to unfold, and they seemed to be getting closer and closer to the truth of the Shadow Pavilion.