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

The first rays of morning sunlight struggled to pierce through the thick clouds, illuminating the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City. What should have been a vibrant scene failed to dispel the oppressive atmosphere within the Kunning Palace. Xiao Yanzi, dressed in a bright yellow phoenix robe, sat regally in the main seat. The gold-embroidered phoenix seemed to tremble uneasily with her slightly shaking body. Her hands unconsciously clenched the hem of her skirt, her knuckles turning white from the force. Her eyes, filled with worry, stared intently at Yongqi's hand as he bandaged her wound.

"Yongqi, does it hurt?" Xiaoyanzi's voice trembled slightly, a mother's heartache and self-blame for her injured child.

Yongqi raised his head and gave a reassuring smile, though the smile concealed his exhaustion: "Empress Mother, I'm not in pain. This little injury is nothing." As he spoke, he moved his bandaged arm, trying to reassure Xiaoyanzi.

Physician Liu packed his medicine chest and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, the Fifth Prince's injury is not serious. He only needs to take his medicine on time and recuperate for a few days to fully recover."

Little Swallow nodded slightly and said softly, "Thank you for your trouble, Physician Liu. Little Peach, see Physician Liu out and give him a generous reward."

After Physician Liu left, Xiao Yanzi walked to Yongqi's side and gently patted his head, just like when they were children: "Yongqi, this time it was the Empress Dowager's oversight that put you in danger."

Yongqi quickly grasped Xiaoyanzi's hand: "Empress Mother, please don't say that. This is my own decision, and it has nothing to do with you. Besides, we did not come away empty-handed; at least we confirmed that there was something wrong with the spice shop."

At this moment, Xiao Tao hurriedly walked in: "Your Majesty, the Emperor has sent someone to convey a message, asking Your Majesty and the Fifth Prince to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to discuss important matters."

Xiao Yanzi and Yongqi exchanged a glance, a hint of seriousness flashing in their eyes. "Let's go, Yongqi, let's see what new ideas your Emperor Father has." Xiao Yanzi stood up, straightened her phoenix robe, and straightened her back. Although she was full of worries, as the Empress, she had to remain calm.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Hongli, dressed in a black dragon robe, sat upright on the dragon throne, his face stern, his eyes sharp and majestic. Seeing Xiao Yanzi and Yongqi enter, he slightly raised his hand: "Please sit down."

After bowing, Yongqi recounted his experiences from the previous night in detail to Hongli. Hongli listened, his brow furrowed, and his fingers rhythmically tapped the armrest: "The power behind this spice shop is not simple; they dared to ambush Yongqi. It seems our investigation has already touched upon their interests."

Xiao Yanzi chimed in, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, that steward of the Imperial Household Department is definitely a key figure. We must find him as soon as possible and pry out clues about the traitor from him."

Hongli nodded slightly: "I have already sent people to investigate the whereabouts of that steward, and I believe we will have news soon. However, this traitor has been hiding in the palace for many years, and his influence is deeply entrenched. We must act with caution and not alert him."

Just then, Su Peisheng rushed in, looking flustered: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Department requests an audience, saying that the library where important palace books are stored suddenly caught fire last night. Although it has been extinguished, many books were destroyed, resulting in heavy losses."

Everyone's expression changed drastically. Hongli suddenly stood up, his eyes wide with anger: "What? The library is on fire? What exactly happened?"

Su Peisheng quickly replied, "According to the head of the Imperial Household Department, the cause of the fire is unknown, and the eunuchs guarding the pavilion discovered it when the fire was already quite large."

Xiao Yanzi was startled, vaguely sensing that the fire in the library was related to their investigation of the traitor. "Your Majesty, the fire in the library is too suspicious. Could it be that someone deliberately set it up to destroy some evidence?"

Hongli pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Very likely. It seems this traitor has already detected our actions and is starting to act desperately. Yongqi, how are your injuries? Are you able to move?"

Yongqi immediately stood up and said firmly, "Father, my injuries are not serious and will not affect my movements."

Hongli nodded: "Alright, you immediately lead the guards to the library to assist the Imperial Household Department in thoroughly investigating this matter and find out the real cause of the fire."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Yongqi accepted the order and left.

Xiao Yanzi watched Yongqi's departing figure, her heart filled with worry. "Your Majesty, Yongqi's injuries haven't healed yet. Please let him go, I..."

Hongli held Xiaoyanzi's hand and comforted her, "I know you're worried about Yongqi, but this matter is of great importance. Yongqi is steady and reliable, and I trust him. Moreover, I will send the most elite guards to protect him, so don't worry."

Little Swallow sighed softly: "I hope everything goes well for Yongqi. Your Majesty, what should we do next?"

Hongli paced to the window, gazing at the palace outside, his expression grave: "This traitor is so cunning, we can no longer investigate using conventional methods. I intend to start with those who have dealings with the spice shop, following the clues to see if we can catch the big fish behind it all."

At the same time, Yongqi led his guards to the library. The library was in complete disarray; charred wood emitted a pungent odor, and the floor was littered with burnt pages of books. Wang Fu, the head of the Imperial Household Department, rushed forward, his face filled with anxiety: "Fifth Prince, you've finally arrived! This library suddenly caught fire; it terrified this old servant!"

Yongqi looked around and asked, "Steward Wang, was there anything unusual before the fire started?"

Wang Fu frowned and recalled, "Reporting to the Fifth Prince, this old servant did not notice anything unusual before the fire started. The eunuchs guarding the pavilion all said that everything was normal last night, but suddenly they smelled burning, and by the time they discovered the fire, it was already raging."

Yongqi crouched down, picked up a charred page, and examined it carefully: "Could someone have deliberately set the fire?"

Wang Fu quickly waved his hand: "Fifth Prince, this library is heavily guarded. Normally, no unauthorized people can get in. How could someone deliberately set it on fire? This old servant guesses that the candle flames might have accidentally ignited the books?"

Yongqi snorted coldly: "Steward Wang, do you take me for a three-year-old? The candles in this library are all guarded by special personnel. How could they easily ignite the books? Moreover, last night when I was investigating the spice shop, I was ambushed. Now the library has suddenly caught fire. Don't you understand the connection between these events?"

Wang Fu's expression changed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead: "Fifth Prince, this old servant... this old servant really doesn't know."

Yongqi stood up, staring coldly at Wang Fu: "Steward Wang, I hope you really don't know anything about this. If I find out you're involved, don't blame me for being impolite."

After saying that, Yongqi turned to the guards and said, "Search carefully for any clues, don't overlook any trace."

The guards obeyed and dispersed, beginning a thorough search of the library. Yongqi paced back and forth among the ruins, pondering the truth behind this series of events. He had a feeling that the library fire was not accidental, but a carefully orchestrated conspiracy by an insider to disrupt their investigation and destroy any possible evidence.

Suddenly, a guard shouted, "Fifth Prince, come quickly!"

Yongqi hurried over and saw the guards pull out a metal object from a pile of ashes. Although it was burned black, it was still clear that it was an ingenious mechanism.

"What is this?" Yongqi took the metal object and examined it carefully.

The guard shook his head: "Fifth Prince, I don't know either, but judging from its appearance, it doesn't seem to be an ordinary thing."

Yongqi's heart skipped a beat. He recalled seeing similar mechanisms when investigating the murals in the Shadow Pavilion. "Could the fire in this library be related to the Shadow Pavilion?" he muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yanzi returned to Kunning Palace, sat by the window, and gazed at the sky outside, lost in thought. She felt that behind all these events, there seemed to be an invisible hand controlling everything.

"Your Majesty, please don't worry too much. The Fifth Prince is a lucky man, and he will surely find out the truth," Xiao Tao said softly from the side.

Little Swallow nodded slightly: "I know, but this traitor is really despicable, ruining our plans time and time again. Little Peach, tell me, how can we find this traitor?"

Xiao Tao thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, why don't we start with those who have been associated with the remnants of Ulihak's gang? Maybe we can find some clues."

Little Swallow's eyes lit up: "You're right. But most of these people are very well hidden, so finding them is no easy task."

Just then, Azhu hurriedly walked in: "Your Majesty, Princess Hejing requests an audience."

Little Swallow quickly said, "Please come in."

Princess Hejing entered, bowed, and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, I heard that the library has caught fire. What happened?"

Xiao Yanzi briefly recounted the events to Princess Hejing. After listening, Princess Hejing frowned and said, "Your Majesty, I think this matter is definitely related to an internal traitor. Moreover, I have recently noticed that something seems amiss in that concubine's palace."

Xiao Yanzi was slightly taken aback: "What's unusual about the concubine's palace?"

Princess Hejing lowered her voice and said, "Your Majesty, yesterday when I passed by Consort Na's palace, I saw a strange eunuch hurriedly coming out of it, looking flustered. I found it strange, so I sent someone to inquire, and it turned out that the eunuch was not from the palace."

Xiao Yanzi's expression changed: "Is this true? That concubine has always harbored resentment towards me and the Emperor. Could she be connected to this traitor?"

Princess Hejing nodded: "I also have my suspicions. Your Majesty, should we send someone to investigate that concubine's palace?"

After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Yanzi slowly said, "This matter cannot be handled rashly. Although that concubine is only a concubine, she has considerable power behind her. Without solid evidence, searching her palace rashly may cause unnecessary trouble."

Princess Hejing said anxiously, "Your Majesty, if we don't find out the truth soon, who knows what even more terrible things this traitor might do."

Little Swallow gently patted Princess Hejing's hand: "I know, don't worry. Let's think of another way and gather more evidence. Before that, we must not alert the enemy."

Princess Hejing nodded helplessly: "Alright, Your Majesty, I'll do as you say."

Meanwhile, Yongqi's investigation in the library made new progress. A guard discovered a hidden compartment in a corner of the library, containing an ancient book that had not been burned. The cover of the book bore a strange symbol, which was the emblem of the Shadow Pavilion.

Holding the ancient book, Yongqi felt both excited and nervous. He knew this book might be the key to uncovering the traitor's identity, but he also realized that while he was getting closer to the truth, danger was closing in step by step…