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

The night was as dark as ink, and the walls of the Forbidden City cast eerie shadows under the moonlight, as if concealing countless untold secrets. Inside the Kunning Palace, candlelight flickered, illuminating Xiao Yanzi's slightly weary yet vigilant face. Although her magnificent phoenix robe had lost some of its daytime solemnity, it still could not conceal her imperial majesty.

"Xiao Tao, are you sure the sound just now wasn't your imagination?" Xiao Yanzi lowered her voice, her eyes fixed on the window, her hand unconsciously tightening around the ruyi scepter by the bedside, her last line of defense.

Xiao Tao swallowed hard and shook her head nervously. "Your Highness, I heard it very clearly. It sounded like someone was walking outside the window." Her voice trembled slightly, and her hands gripped the hem of her clothes tightly. In the quiet night, any sound could send shivers down one's spine.

Little Swallow got up quietly and walked towards the window, taking each step carefully, afraid of making the slightest sound. She turned slightly to the side and looked out through the crack in the window. In the moonlight, she saw a dark shadow flash by, moving extremely fast. If she hadn't had sharp eyes, she would have hardly noticed it.

"Damn it, how many spies are still in this palace!" Xiao Yanzi cursed under her breath, a flash of anger and determination in her eyes. She knew all too well that her every move could be monitored by enemies lurking in the shadows, and this palace intrigue was far more dangerous than she had imagined.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came. Xiao Tao quickly went forward to open the door and saw Su Peisheng rushing in with a panicked expression. He knelt on the ground with a thud: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! His Majesty was just assassinated in the Imperial Garden. Although he is not seriously injured, the assassin is very agile and has not yet been caught."

Xiao Yanzi's expression changed drastically, and she almost dropped the ruyi scepter in her hand: "What? The Emperor was assassinated? Su Peisheng, what exactly happened?" Her voice rose involuntarily, her heart filled with worry and anxiety.

Su Peisheng quickly recounted the events in detail. It turned out that when Hongli was taking a walk in the Imperial Garden, he was suddenly attacked by a man in black. Fortunately, the guards around him reacted quickly, which allowed Hongli to escape, but the man in black escaped in the chaos.

"This must be a traitor's conspiracy!" Xiao Yanzi said through gritted teeth. "They've become desperate after their plan was exposed. Su Peisheng, immediately issue the order to strengthen security in the palace, especially the Hall of Mental Cultivation and the Kunning Palace. We must not allow the assassins any further opportunities."

"Yes, sir!" Su Peisheng accepted the order and left.

Xiao Yanzi was extremely anxious. She knew that she had to find the traitor as soon as possible, otherwise Hongli and the entire palace would be in even greater danger. She quickly tidied her makeup, put on a cloak, and hurried to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the atmosphere was heavy. Hongli sat on the dragon throne, his face gloomy, toying with a dagger in his hand—the weapon left behind by the assassin.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Little Swallow asked with concern as she hurried into the hall.

Hongli raised his head and saw Xiaoyanzi. A hint of relief flashed in his eyes: "I'm fine. I just didn't expect these people to dare to assassinate me in the palace." His voice was low and cold, revealing an uncontrollable anger.

Xiao Yanzi walked to Hongli's side, looked at the dagger, and frowned: "Your Majesty, this assassin's technique is so skillful, he must have been specially trained. It seems that the power of this traitor is even greater than we imagined."

Hongli nodded slightly: "I have already sent people to investigate, and I believe we will soon have some clues. However, we cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom; we must take the initiative." His eyes revealed determination and resolve, as if he had made up his mind to wipe out the traitors in one fell swoop.

Just then, a guard rushed in: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, Princess Hejing requests an audience, saying she has important news."

Hongli and Xiaoyanzi exchanged a glance and quickly said, "Summon them immediately."

Princess Hejing entered the hall, her face pale and panting: "Father, Mother, I just received news that a friend of mine in the martial arts world said that he has found out a secret stronghold of the Shadow Pavilion in a dilapidated temple on the outskirts of the capital."

Little Swallow's eyes lit up: "Hejing, are you sure? This is an important clue."

Princess Hejing nodded vigorously: "I'm sure. My friend said that he saw several suspicious-looking people enter that dilapidated temple, and he also heard them mention the Shadow Pavilion."

After a moment of contemplation, Hongli slowly said, "It seems we have finally made a breakthrough. Tomorrow, I will personally lead my troops to the ruined temple to investigate."

Little Swallow quickly stopped him: "Your Majesty, it's too dangerous. What if it's an enemy trap? Let Yongqi and me go instead."

Hongli smiled slightly and took Xiaoyanzi's hand: "My mind is made up. You and Yongqi are not fully recovered from your injuries. How can I let you take risks? Don't worry, I will bring enough guards to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Little Swallow had no choice but to nod: "Then Your Majesty must be careful and must not act rashly."

The next morning, as dawn broke, Hongli, dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit with a sharp sword at his waist, stood dashingly outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Behind him stood a group of elite guards, each with a serious expression, fully prepared for battle.

Little Swallow stood to the side, her eyes filled with worry: "Your Majesty, you must return safely."

Hongli gently touched Xiaoyanzi's cheek: "Don't worry, I will. You must also be careful in the palace and take good care of yourself and Yongqi." After saying that, he mounted his horse and led his guards away from the palace in a grand procession.

On the outskirts of the capital, the area around the dilapidated temple was completely silent, with only the whistling of the wind in their ears. Hongli led his guards cautiously closer to the temple, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily, his sword slightly drawn, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

"Everyone be careful, there might be an ambush here," Hongli said in a low voice, his voice carrying an undeniable authority.

As they approached the dilapidated temple gate, Hongli raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop. He carefully examined the gate and noticed some strange symbols on it, like some kind of mark.

"What is this symbol?" a guard asked curiously.

Hongli frowned: "This should be the mark of the Shadow Pavilion. It seems we've found the right place." With that, he pushed open the door forcefully. Inside the dilapidated temple, there was an old and worn-out atmosphere. There were some old tables and chairs around the perimeter, and on the wall in the center, there was a huge mural of the Shadow Pavilion.

"Your Majesty, there's a situation here!" a guard suddenly shouted.

Hongli turned around abruptly and saw a group of men in black rush out from a corner of the dilapidated temple, surrounding them. The leader of the men in black sneered, "Hongli, you've finally come. Today is your death day!"

Hongli's expression changed, but he remained calm: "Hmph, you think you can kill me?" His voice was full of disdain and confidence.

With a wave of his hand, the leader of the men in black charged at Hongli and his companions, weapons gleaming. Hongli was the first to charge, his swordsmanship fierce, each move carrying a deadly edge. The guards, not to be outdone, engaged in a fierce battle with the men in black. The air was thick with shouts of battle, and the glint of swords flashed across the sky.

However, the men in black outnumbered them, and Hongli and his companions gradually found themselves in a predicament. Hongli's clothes were torn in several places, and he suffered a minor injury to his arm, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered, his eyes shining with an indomitable light.

"Your Majesty, you are injured! Retreat quickly!" a guard shouted anxiously.

Hongli shook his head: "No, we can't just go back like this. We must find evidence and expose their conspiracy."

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from outside the dilapidated temple. Hongli was overjoyed: "Reinforcements have arrived!"

Yongqi, clad in silver armor and wielding a long spear, arrived leading a group of soldiers. Upon seeing Hongli, Yongqi cried out, "Father, your son has come to rescue you!"

Upon seeing this, the leader of the men in black's expression changed drastically: "Damn it, we've fallen into a trap! Retreat!"

How could Hongli let this opportunity pass? He shouted, "Trying to run? Not so easy!" With that, he ignored his injuries and charged at the man in black again.

Under the combined attack of the group, the men in black gradually lost their strength and fell to the ground one after another. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the leader of the men in black turned to escape, but was stabbed by Yongqi with a spear.

“Tell me, who is the mastermind behind this?” Yongqi pointed his gun at the leader of the men in black’s throat, his eyes icy cold.

The leader of the men in black sneered, "You want me to talk? Dream on!" With that, he suddenly bit the poison in his mouth and collapsed to the ground, dead.

Hongli kicked the corpse in anger: "Damn it! They succeeded again."

At this moment, Yongqi walked to Hongli's side and asked with concern, "Father, are you alright?"

Hongli shook his head slightly: "I'm fine, but I'm really unwilling to let some of these people escape."

Yongqi looked around and spotted the mural in the Shadow Pavilion: "Father, look, this mural is very similar to the pattern on the ancient book we found in the library before."

Hongli stepped forward and carefully examined the murals: "That's right, it seems this dilapidated temple is an important stronghold of the Shadow Pavilion. However, we are still a step too late; they must have already moved important evidence."

Just as they were about to leave the dilapidated temple, a guard found a worn-out ledger in a corner. Hongli took the ledger, examined it carefully, and a look of surprise appeared on his face: "Yongqi, look, this ledger records the transactions between the Shadow Pavilion and some people in the palace. Although it doesn't explicitly identify who the traitor is, it is undoubtedly an important clue."

Yongqi smiled and said, "Father, that's wonderful! With this ledger, we're one step closer to the truth."

Hongli carefully put away the account book: "Let's go back to the palace. We need to find out who is behind these accounts as soon as possible and completely uncover the conspiracy behind them."

However, what they didn't know was that this was just the beginning; an even greater crisis awaited them...