0p0 Chapter 213 Ling Huan's Idle Worries and New Undercurrents
Chapter 213 Ling Huan's Idle Worries and New Undercurrents
With Nian Gengyao's downfall, the conspiracy forces stirring up trouble in the harem and court suffered a severe blow. Zhen Huan, An Lingrong, and Concubine Hua finally breathed a sigh of relief. But they also knew that new challenges and conspiracies might be quietly brewing within the palace.
Zhen Huan sat in her palace and sighed to An Lingrong and Hua Fei who had come to visit her, "Although Nian Gengyao and his followers have been eliminated, there is still no true peace in this palace. I always feel uneasy."
An Lingrong nodded gently, "Huan'er is absolutely right. Look at the people in the palaces now. They may seem calm, but even their private glances seem to conceal hidden thoughts."
Concubine Hua frowned, "Hmph! Could it be that there are still some remnants of evil? Or is there a new force trying to stir up trouble in this harem?"
Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said, "Sister, please don't be anxious for now. Let's first pay attention to the movements of the various palaces, especially the newly promoted concubines and maids. They may seem well-behaved now, but who knows what they are thinking."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, I heard that the new concubine Ye who entered the palace is quite talented and often attracts the attention of the emperor. Could it be..."
Zhen Huan shook her head slightly. "I can't see any signs of trouble with Ye Yingying for now, but it's always a good idea to keep a close eye on her. Sister Hua Fei, is there anything unusual happening in your palace?"
Hua Fei said, "My palace is quite peaceful, but Songzhi said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs seems to have withheld some of my money when distributing funds to the various palaces. Although it's not a big deal, I'm afraid there's something fishy going on in this detail."
Zhen Huan's eyes glared. "The Imperial Household Department? This department has always been a place where various forces have infiltrated. Could it be that someone is trying to tamper with the supplies to suppress us?"
An Lingrong said, "If that's the case, we can't just sit there and wait for death. Huan'er, do you have any ideas?"
Zhen Huan pondered for a moment: "Let's send someone to the Imperial Household Department to investigate and see what they have to say. If there's anything wrong, we can then go to the Emperor to discuss it. But this time, we can't be as direct as before. We have to act in secret."
Concubine Hua agreed and said, "Huan'er, this is a very good plan. I will ask Songzhi to find a clever young eunuch to go there, and no one will notice."
A few days later, Songzhi reported back, "Your Majesty, Young Master, the eunuch has heard that the head of the Imperial Household Department has been replaced by a new person. This new person seems to be related to a new noble in the court, and this new noble has some connection to the previous conspiracy."
Zhen Huan's expression changed. "So, you're planning to use the Imperial Household Department incident to slowly restore that power?"
An Lingrong said worriedly, "Then how should we deal with this? The head of the Imperial Household Department is in charge of many affairs in the palace. If they take control, my life in the palace will become difficult again."
Zhen Huan said calmly, "Let's start by finding evidence against this new steward. Since he's new to the position, there are bound to be many things he hasn't done thoroughly. An Lingrong, you're an expert on spices, so you can look for clues in the matter of spices to see if you can uncover any corruption or substituting inferior goods for genuine ones. Sister Hua Fei, you have a lot of experience in the palace, so you can find some of the old maids and find out about this steward's popularity within the palace, his ways of doing things, and so on."
An Lingrong replied, "Okay, Huan'er, I'll arrange it right away."
Concubine Hua also stood up: "I will also go and give the order."
After some time, An Lingrong came to report: "Huan'er, I discovered that the new steward has secretly changed the supplier of spices. The quality of the spices from the new supplier is far inferior to the previous ones, but the price is much higher. There must be something fishy going on."
Zhen Huan nodded: "Well done, Lingrong. This is a handle for him. Sister Hua Fei hasn't returned yet, let's wait."
Not long after, Concubine Hua also returned to the palace, a hint of pride on her face. "I've found out everything. This steward is extremely unpopular in the palace. Many palace maids and eunuchs are dissatisfied with him, saying that he often withholds monthly wages and yells at the servants. Moreover, he has dealings with some illegal merchants outside the palace, and often smuggles some palace items out to sell."
Zhen Huan's eyes flashed with determination. "That's great. We'll organize the evidence and find a suitable time to present it to the Emperor. But this time, we have to be subtle and not let anyone know in advance."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, I think we can discuss this matter when the Emperor comes to my palace to appreciate the incense. I'll use the matter of the incense to point out the steward's problems with spice procurement, and then Sister Hua Fei can present the other evidence one by one. This way it won't seem out of place."
Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said, "This plan is feasible. Then let's prepare first."
On the day when the Emperor came to appreciate the incense, An Lingrong respectfully presented her newly made incense: "Your Majesty, this is a new incense I made, called Tranquil Incense, which has the effect of calming the mind and spirit. Your Majesty, please taste it."
The emperor sniffed it and said with a smile, "Noble Concubine An is indeed clever and skillful. This spice is wonderful."
Zhen Huan said at the right moment: "Your Majesty, although these spices are good, the spice situation in the palace is a bit chaotic now."
The emperor asked in confusion, "Oh? Huanhuan, what do you mean?"
An Lingrong continued, "Your Majesty, I've discovered that the new head of the Imperial Household Department has serious problems with the purchase of spices. He's secretly changed suppliers, causing the quality of the spices to decline while the prices to inflate. I'm afraid there's corruption involved."
The emperor's face darkened: "Is this true?"
Concubine Hua stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, there is more to it than that. This steward has a very bad reputation in the palace. He withholds monthly allowances and colludes with illegal merchants outside the palace to smuggle items from the palace. I have detailed evidence here, Your Majesty, please take a look." As she spoke, she presented the sorted evidence.
The Emperor took the evidence, examined it, and angrily exclaimed, "How dare such a villain act so recklessly! I will not let him off lightly!"
Zhen Huan and others were secretly happy, thinking that the matter could be resolved smoothly.
However, a few days later, the reported steward of the Imperial Household Department was not punished. Instead, news came out that the emperor only gave him a warning because it was his first offense.
Zhen Huan was shocked when she heard this: "How is this possible? We have irrefutable evidence, why is the Emperor acting like this?"
An Lingrong was also bewildered: "Did we do something wrong? Or is there something else going on?"
Hua Fei angrily said, "Someone must have spoken up for him in front of the Emperor. How many people in the palace are secretly colluding with him?"
Zhen Huan calmed down and said, "It seems we need to investigate further. This time, we can't just look at the surface. We need to start with the people around the emperor and see who is influencing his decision behind the scenes."
Zhen Huan and the others then began a new round of covert investigation. They discovered that it was a eunuch close to the Emperor who had accepted bribes from the Imperial Household Department's chief steward and was speaking well of him to the Emperor. This eunuch, in turn, had a past relationship with a concubine who held considerable prestige within the palace and often had a say in the Emperor's affairs.
After Zhen Huan learned of this, she said to An Lingrong and Concubine Hua, "This situation is very difficult. We have to deal with the head of the Imperial Household Department, and we must also be careful of this eunuch and the Concubine Dowager. If we confront the Concubine Dowager directly, we might be seen as disrespectful."
An Lingrong said, "Then can we start with that eunuch? First, expose his bribery and let the Emperor see his true colors. This might lead him to reconsider his decision on the steward."
Zhen Huan nodded: "This is the only way to try. We must plan carefully and cannot make any mistakes."
They began to collect evidence of the eunuch's bribery, and learned from the palace maids and eunuchs that the eunuch often accepted large amounts of money and property from the General Manager of the Imperial Household Department, and also arranged some convenient things for him in the palace.
Zhen Huan compiled the evidence and, taking advantage of a private audience with the Emperor, tactfully explained the matter: "Your Majesty, I have heard some things about the palace that have caused me concern. Some say that the eunuchs close to Your Majesty are secretly colluding with the head of the Imperial Household Department, accepting large bribes and affecting the fair handling of palace affairs. I shouldn't have said anything, but this concerns the integrity of the palace, and I can't help it."
After hearing this, the emperor frowned and said, "Hanhuan, is this true?"
Zhen Huan presented the evidence: "Your Majesty, I dare not speak nonsense. This is the evidence I have collected. Please examine it carefully."
After reviewing the evidence, the Emperor was silent for a long time. "I understand, Huanhuan. I will handle this matter properly."
Zhen Huan and the others anxiously awaited the emperor's decision. Finally, the emperor issued an order to severely punish the eunuch who accepted bribes, and to dismiss the head of the Imperial Household Department and investigate, and to appoint a more capable person to replace him.
Zhen Huan breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally, this crisis has been resolved, but the road to the palace is really difficult every step of the way."
An Lingrong said, "Yes, Huan'er. But as long as we sisters work together, we can always deal with it."
Hua Fei said: "That's right, no matter what conspiracy he has, we are not afraid!"
But what they don’t know is that in the dark corners of the palace, there are more eyes watching them, and a new crisis is quietly approaching.