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

Clutching the secret letter, Xiao Yanzi hurried back to Kunning Palace, her skirt billowing like colorful clouds. The pearls on her phoenix crown swayed slightly with her rapid steps, reflecting her increasingly solemn expression. Stepping through the palace gates, she called out, "Xiao Tao, quickly go and invite the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Tell them I have important matters to discuss and they must come immediately!" Xiao Tao obeyed and dashed off like a swallow in flight.

"A-Zhu, bring these two in. I want to interrogate them thoroughly." Xiao Yanzi's voice was cold, and her usually lively eyes were now filled with authority. The maid and eunuch were brought into the hall, their legs went weak, and they knelt down with a thud, trembling.

"Speak! What exactly does the coded message in this letter mean? What is the secret between that concubine and the Shadow Pavilion? If you utter a single lie, I will make you taste the bitterness of torture!" Little Swallow's eyebrows furrowed, her eyes blazing with anger. She clutched the secret letter tightly in her hand, the paper crumpled slightly from her fingertips.

The palace maid was terrified, tears streaming down her face, and kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please spare me! This servant really doesn't know much. I only heard that the concubine say that if she could spread the news from the palace, there would be a great reward. This eunuch always came to collect the message, and I never asked about the specific content!" As she spoke, she wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve, her body trembling like a leaf.

The eunuch hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, I was only following orders and truly did not know the details. I dared not disobey Your Highness's orders!" He lowered his head, his voice trembling with tears, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, wetting the ground in front of him.

Before Xiao Yanzi could ask any more questions, Hongli and Zhen Huan, led by Xiao Tao, hurriedly entered Kunning Palace. Hongli, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, walked quickly with a solemn expression; Zhen Huan, supported by a palace maid, had a calm demeanor and a sharp, all-knowing gaze.

"Empress, is there conclusive evidence?" Hongli asked urgently, his eyes falling on the two kneeling figures.

Xiao Yanzi quickly presented the secret letter: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please take a look. This is a secret letter we found in the hands of these two when they were captured in the Imperial Garden. It is full of strange symbols and coded messages, which I believe are letters between that concubine and the Shadow Pavilion."

Zhen Huan took the letter, examined it carefully, and frowned slightly: "These symbols seem to be similar to those recorded in some ancient books, and are related to secret organizations in the martial arts world. It seems that the matter of Consort Na colluding with the Shadow Pavilion is probably true."

Hongli's face darkened, and he roared angrily, "That audacious concubine! How dare she commit such a treasonous act! Guards, bring that concubine to me immediately!"

Before long, the concubine was escorted into Kunning Palace by guards. She was still dressed in her magnificent purple qipao, but her hair was now somewhat disheveled, and she looked flustered. Seeing the people in the hall, she forced herself to remain calm: "Your Majesty, Empress, Empress Dowager, why is this? What crime have I committed to be treated like this?"

Hongli snorted coldly: "Even now, you still dare to play dumb? Did you have this letter delivered to the eunuch by the palace maid? What exactly are you trying to achieve by colluding with the Shadow Pavilion?"

The concubine's face turned deathly pale, but she still tried to argue, "Your Majesty, someone must be deliberately framing me. I am utterly loyal to Your Majesty, how could I possibly collude with the Shadow Pavilion?"

Little Swallow stepped forward, pointed at the concubine's nose, and said angrily, "The evidence is conclusive, and you still won't admit it! The palace maids and eunuchs we just caught have all confessed, so don't even think about denying it!"

The concubine's eyes flickered, and suddenly she knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, I was forced into this situation! The people from the Shadow Pavilion threatened me, saying that if I didn't cooperate with them, they would kill my family. I was confused for a moment and made a terrible mistake. I beg Your Majesty to spare my life!" As she spoke, she prostrated herself on the ground and wept bitterly, her tears soaking the ground.

Hongli's face turned ashen, and he was furious: "As a concubine, you do not think of sharing the burdens of the royal family, but instead collude with traitors. Your crime is unforgivable!"

Zhen Huan sighed softly, "Your Majesty, this matter needs further consideration. Since that concubine knows about the Shadow Pavilion's conspiracy, perhaps we can get more clues from her."

Hongli nodded slightly, suppressing his anger: "Fine, I will spare your life for now. But you must truthfully confess what the Shadow Pavilion's conspiracy is, and who their accomplices are."

The concubine sobbed, "Your Majesty, I don't know much either. The people from the Shadow Pavilion said they want to create chaos in the palace, making things difficult for Your Majesty and the court. As for other inside agents, I really don't know. They are extremely cautious in their actions, and every time they communicate, it's through coded messages and secret letters."

Little Swallow frowned: "That's all? You'd better not hide anything, otherwise, I will never let you off easily!"

The concubine immediately kowtowed: "Your Majesty, everything I have said is true, and there is not a single lie."

Just then, Yongqi hurriedly walked in and knelt on one knee: "Father, your son has discovered some new clues in the secret stronghold of that abandoned mansion."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Hongli's eyes: "Yongqi, tell me quickly, what did you discover?"

Yongqi stood up and said, "Your subject found an account book there, which records the transactions between the Shadow Pavilion and the palace's spies. Judging from the information in the account book, besides that concubine, there seem to be other spies, and they are involved in some important palace affairs."

Hongli's expression grew increasingly grim: "Is this really the case? It seems that the Shadow Pavilion's influence has infiltrated every corner of the palace. Yongqi, continue your investigation and make sure to find all the spies."

After receiving the order, Yongqi turned and left. Hongli looked at the concubine kneeling on the ground and said coldly, "You had better cooperate with Yongqi's investigation and tell the truth about everything you know. If you conceal anything again, I will not let you off easily!"

The concubine nodded repeatedly: "Your Majesty, I understand. I will cooperate fully."

A few days later, Yongqi came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation again, looking tired but with a hint of excitement: "Father, after extensive investigation, I have finally discovered some important clues. The conspiracy of the Shadow Pavilion seems to be related to the succession to the throne. They want to support a puppet emperor and control the court."

Upon hearing this, Hongli's expression changed drastically: "Outrageous! They dare to attempt to interfere with the succession to the throne of my royal family! Yongqi, have you found out who they want to support?"

Yongqi shook his head slightly: "There is no conclusive evidence yet, but I suspect that their target may be... a certain prince."

Hongli pondered for a moment and said, "No matter who it is, we must not let their conspiracy succeed. Inform all the princes to be on high alert in the near future and not to go out casually. At the same time, continue to intensify the pursuit of the remnants of the Shadow Pavilion."

Meanwhile, Xiao Yanzi was not idle in the inner palace either. She summoned several trusted concubines, including Consort Ling and Qing'er, to Kunning Palace to discuss countermeasures.

"The palace is fraught with danger these days; we must proceed with extreme caution," Xiao Yanzi said gravely. "My dear sisters, do you have any thoughts?"

Consort Ling frowned slightly: "Your Majesty, I think we can start with the palace maids and eunuchs in the inner palace. If the Shadow Pavilion wants to operate in the palace, it must have bribed some people. We can observe them secretly and see if there are any suspicious people."

Qing'er nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I think we can also use some banquets and events to observe the words and actions of the concubines in the palace. Perhaps we can find clues from them."

Little Swallow nodded slightly: "What you two sisters say is absolutely right. Then I'll trouble you two sisters to keep a close eye on the movements in the inner palace, and report to me immediately if there is anything unusual."

Just as everyone was discussing, Xiao Tao hurriedly walked in: "Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Liu requests an audience, saying he has important matters to discuss."

Little Swallow paused slightly: "Send it quickly."

Imperial Physician Liu entered the hall, his expression panicked: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened. That concubine has suddenly fallen into a coma and cannot be woken up no matter what we do."

Little Swallow's expression changed: "Is that so? Let's go, I'll go take a look."

The group arrived at Consort Na's palace, where they found her lying on the bed, pale-faced and barely breathing. Imperial Physician Liu was taking her pulse, his expression grave.

"Imperial Physician Liu, what happened? Why did the concubine suddenly faint?" Xiao Yanzi asked anxiously.

Imperial Physician Liu shook his head slightly: "Your Majesty, I am not sure either. The concubine's pulse is disordered, and it seems that she has been poisoned by an extremely rare poison. I cannot think of a way to detoxify her at the moment."

Xiao Yanzi frowned: "Poisoned? Could it be that the people of the Shadow Pavilion were afraid she would reveal their secrets, so they poisoned her?"

Consort Ling said from the side, "Your Majesty, regardless of whether it was the work of the Shadow Pavilion, the most urgent task now is to find an antidote and wake up that concubine. Perhaps she knows some important clues."

Little Swallow nodded slightly: "Imperial Physician Liu, you must do everything you can to find an antidote. If needed, you can always ask other imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital for help."

Physician Liu quickly agreed: "Your Majesty, I will obey your command and do my utmost."

Looking at the unconscious Consort Na, Xiao Yanzi felt a sense of foreboding. She knew that this battle with the Shadow Pavilion was far from over…