0p0 Chapter 164 Lingrong Huan'er controls the waves
Chapter 164 Lingrong Huan'er controls the waves
Zhen Huan sat by the window, handkerchief tightly clasped in her hand, her face solemn, "Lingrong, although the matter of Concubine Jing is resolved, the harem is still far from peaceful. This is truly worrying."
An Lingrong sighed softly, "Huan'er, don't worry. When the enemy comes, we will fight them with our troops; when the water comes, we will block it with earth. Let's wait and see what tricks this dark force will use."
At this time, the personal maid Bao Que hurried in, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the palaces have been secretly stockpiling medicinal herbs recently, as if they are preparing for some serious illness."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a puzzled glance. Zhen Huan asked, "Stockpiling medicinal herbs? Why would they do this out of the blue? Lingrong, what do you think?"
An Lingrong pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Huan'er, there must be something strange about this. Perhaps someone wants to use the matter of the medicinal herbs to create panic in the palace, or perhaps... there's another conspiracy."
As she was speaking, Concubine Chun came running over, her face full of panic: "Sister Huanhuan, Sister Lingrong, I heard from the palace maids that there might be a plague breaking out in the palace. What should we do?"
Zhen Huan hurriedly comforted her, "Chun'er, don't believe the rumors. This matter is still unknown, and we will definitely investigate it thoroughly."
An Lingrong asked, "Chun Changzai, where did you hear this news?"
Chun Changzai replied, "A maid in the small kitchen of my palace heard it from the people in the imperial kitchen, and now the whole harem is spreading it!"
Zhen Huan stood up and said, "It seems this matter has spread widely. If it is not stopped in time, it will definitely cause chaos. Lingrong, we must go to the emperor and ask him to intervene to calm people's hearts."
An Lingrong nodded: "Huan'er is right, there is no time to lose."
The two men went to the Emperor's Palace of Tranquil Longevity and requested an audience. Upon hearing this, the Emperor frowned, "You can't talk about the plague casually. I'll send someone to investigate. You should return to the palace first and don't panic."
Coming out of the Yangxin Palace, Zhen Huan said, "Lingrong, I always feel that there are two dark hands behind this, manipulating everything. We can't just wait for news from the Emperor, we have to take action ourselves."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, I think we can start with those people in the Imperial Kitchen and the Imperial Hospital who are spreading rumors so widely, and see if we can find some clues."
Zhen Huan agreed: "Okay, let's do it this way. I'll have Jinxi go to the Imperial Kitchen, and you have Baoque go to the Imperial Hospital."
A few days later, Jinxi and Baoque returned with a report. "Your Majesty," Jinxi said, "a young eunuch in the imperial kitchen said a maid gave him money to spread the news of the plague in the imperial kitchen. The maid looked like one of Concubine Xin's concubines."
Bao Que also said, "Your Majesty, an assistant physician from the Imperial Hospital said that a young palace maid came to him for some powder that can make people look sick. The young palace maid came from Concubine Ning's palace."
Zhen Huan's eyes widened. "Noble Lady Xin? Concubine Ning? Why would they do this?"
An Lingrong pondered, "Huan'er, perhaps they want to take advantage of the chaos in the harem to gain some benefits. We must be careful and not let them succeed."
Zhen Huan gritted her teeth and said, "Let's go to Concubine Xin's palace first and ask for clarification."
Arriving at Concubine Xin's palace, Zhen Huan asked directly, "Concubine Xin, I heard that someone from your palace spread rumors of plague in the imperial kitchen. Is this true?"
Concubine Xin looked innocent: "Empress Xi, this is so unfair! How could I do such a thing? Someone must have deliberately framed me."
An Lingrong said from the side: "Noble Lady Xin, if it wasn't you, then why is the maid who spread the rumors someone from your palace? Don't try to make excuses."
Concubine Xin said anxiously, "My Lady An, although that nanny is in my palace, she's been acting strangely lately, and I was just trying to find a reason to send her away. I really didn't know she could do such a thing."
Zhen Huan looked at Concubine Xin and said, "Concubine Xin, I hope you are telling the truth. We will investigate the truth. If it is really related to you, you will not be able to escape the punishment according to the palace rules."
After leaving Concubine Xin's palace, An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, I don't think Concubine Xin is lying. I'm afraid there's someone else behind this."
Zhen Huan said, "Anyway, let's go to Concubine Ning's palace and see what she has to say."
Arriving at Ningpin's palace, Ningpin still looked lazy: "Hey, what brings the two ladies here?"
Zhen Huan angrily asked, "Ningpin, was it you who ordered the palace maids to go to the Imperial Hospital to get medicine powder in order to create a false plague in the palace?"
Concubine Ning sneered, "Zhen Huan, why do you say it was me? What evidence do you have?"
An Lingrong asked, "Concubine Ning, that little maid left your palace. Do you still want to deny it?"
Concubine Ning sat up straight and said slowly, "I just asked that little palace maid to get some ordinary medicine powder. Who knows what she did with it? Please don't make false accusations against her."
Zhen Huan said, "Ningpin, don't be so stubborn. Are you secretly colluding with Concubine Xin to disrupt the harem?"
Concubine Ning laughed heartily. "Zhen Huan, you think too highly of me. I don't have the time to conspire with Concubine Xin. However, there are many people in this harem who want you to fall from grace. You should think carefully and stop staring at me."
Coming out of Ningpin's palace, Zhen Huan felt somewhat discouraged: "Lingrong, these two people refuse to tell the truth. What should we do?"
An Lingrong comforted her, "Huan'er, don't lose heart. Although they refuse to admit it, we already have some clues. We can tell these clues to the emperor and let him make the decision."
Zhen Huan nodded: "That's all I can do. But when will these harem conspiracies and intrigues end?"
An Lingrong held Zhen Huan's hand and said, "Huan'er, as long as we don't give up, we will be able to break these conspiracies one by one."
However, just as they were about to meet the emperor, rumors suddenly spread in the palace that Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were deliberately creating panic in the harem in order to compete for favor.
Upon hearing this, Zhen Huan's eyes reddened with anger: "Who is maliciously slandering us again? This is absolutely despicable!"
An Lingrong calmly analyzed, "Huan'er, this rumor spread so quickly, someone must have done it deliberately. Their goal is to make us lose favor with the Emperor."
Zhen Huan said, "We can't just sit there and wait for death. We have to find a way to find the source of this rumor and clear our name."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, let's go back to the palace first and start investigating the maids and eunuchs around us. Let's see if anyone has been bribed to spread rumors."
After returning to the palace, they began to carefully question the people around them. Zhen Huan asked Jin Xi, "Jin Xi, have you noticed anything unusual about the people around you?"
Jinxi thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, recently Xiao Yunzi said that he saw a young eunuch talking with a mysterious person in the corner of the palace wall. The young eunuch seemed to be Concubine Kang in the palace."
On An Lingrong's side, Bao Que also said, "Your Majesty, I have discovered that a palace maid is always sneaking into the Imperial Garden. That maid is from Concubine Qi's palace."
Zhen Huan said, "It seems the source of this rumor may be related to Concubine Kang and Concubine Qi. We need to go meet them."
Arriving at Consort Kang's palace, Zhen Huan asked, "Consort Kang, I heard that a young eunuch in your palace was talking with a mysterious person in a corner of the palace wall. Are they planning to spread rumors and frame Ling Rong and me?"
Kang Changzai's expression changed. "Empress Xi, this... this is a misunderstanding. The young eunuch just met with his brother. It's not what the Empress said."
An Lingrong said, "Mrs. Kang, please don't try to quibble. If you don't have something to hide, why do you look so flustered?"
Kang Changzai lowered his head and dared not speak.
Then, they went to Concubine Qi's palace. Zhen Huan directly questioned: "Concubine Qi, why do the maids in your palace always sneak into the Imperial Garden? Are they spreading rumors?"
Concubine Qi feigned composure, "Zhen Huan, please don't spit blood at me. The maids in my palace only went to the Imperial Garden to pick some flowers and plants for the palace decoration."
An Lingrong produced the evidence and waved it in front of Concubine Qi: "Concubine Qi, this is the record of the exchange of letters between that palace maid and a mysterious person. How dare you say it has nothing to do with the rumors?"
When Concubine Qi saw the evidence, her legs softened and she knelt down. "Your Majesty, I... I was forced to do this. It was Concubine Li. She threatened me, saying that if I didn't help her, my son would lose favor with the Emperor."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were both shocked: "Lipin? Why would she do this?"
Concubine Qi cried and said, "Princess Li is jealous of your Majesty and Lady An's favor. She wants to use the rumors to make you lose favor so that she can take over the power of the harem."
Zhen Huan said, "Concubine Qi, although you were forced, you also participated in this matter and cannot be easily forgiven. We will report this matter to the emperor, and he will decide how to deal with it."
Coming out of Concubine Qi's palace, Zhen Huan said, "Lingrong, this Concubine Li hid herself so well, we were almost deceived by her."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, this time we must make sure she gets the punishment she deserves. Let's go see the Emperor and tell him everything."
Arriving before the Emperor, Zhen Huan explained the entire story in detail: "Your Majesty, these rumors in the harem are all instigated by Concubine Li. She intends to disrupt the harem and cause me and my sister Lingrong to fall from favor. I beg Your Majesty to investigate this matter."
The emperor's face darkened after hearing this. "I will handle it myself. This harem is filled with such a foul atmosphere. I will never tolerate evil."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong felt a little comforted. They knew that although they had resolved the crisis again, the road to the harem was still full of challenges. They had to remain vigilant at all times to survive in this dangerous harem and continue to write their own legendary stories.