amaotonovel Chapter 234 Ling Huan and the Palace Glory
Chapter 234 Ling Huan and the Palace Glory
As the Emperor and the Empress Dowager were talking, a eunuch hurried in, knelt, and shouted, "Your Majesty, great joy! Victory has arrived from the frontier. Our army has won a resounding victory today. The enemy has been routed and fled. Peace has returned to our frontier!"
The emperor was delighted and stood up, saying in a loud voice, "This is God's blessing on our dynasty! I am deeply comforted."
The Empress Dowager also smiled and said, "Such joyous news coincides with the birth of Princess Xinyue. This girl is truly an auspicious sign. Your Majesty, Concubine An has given birth to this girl and received this wonderful news. You should reward her generously."
The Emperor nodded slightly. "Your Majesty, Mother, are quite right. Imperial Concubine An has worked hard and made great contributions. I wish to confer upon her the title of Imperial Concubine as a token of my favor."
Zhen Huan, hearing this, bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Sister Lingrong has gone through so much hardship to receive this honor. She truly deserves it."
An Lingrong lay on the couch, weak but joyful, saying, "Your Majesty, I am terrified. This is all thanks to Your Majesty's great fortune and the bravery of the soldiers. I have only done my bit."
Concubine Hua also stepped forward and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! Noble Concubine An's pregnancy has brought good luck to our dynasty, and it is only natural that she should be named Imperial Noble Concubine. Sister Zhen Huan has always taken good care of her, and her contribution is invaluable. Your Majesty should not forget Sister Zhen Huan's contributions."
The Emperor looked at Zhen Huan and said, "You and Noble Consort An have a deep friendship. I also know that Zhen Huan has put in a lot of effort in many matters within the palace. I also appoint Zhen Huan as Imperial Noble Consort. From now on, you two will work together to help me manage the harem."
Zhen Huan bowed again: "I thank Your Majesty for your grace. I will do my best to live up to Your Majesty's expectations."
An Lingrong's eyes were filled with tears: "Huan'er, from now on, you and I are sisters with the same heart."
Zhen Huan walked to An Lingrong's bedside and held her hand: "Lingrong, we must protect all of this and not let the treacherous people take advantage of it again."
A few days later, the grand ceremony of enthronement was held. An Lingrong and Zhen Huan were dressed in gorgeous imperial concubines' attire and wore phoenix crowns on their heads, accepting the worship of the crowd.
An Lingrong whispered to Zhen Huan, "Huan'er, I never thought I would be where I am today. If it weren't for you, I don't know how I would struggle in this palace."
Zhen Huan smiled and said, "Lingrong, don't mention the past. We still have a long way to go. Although Prince Shen has suffered a setback, he must still be in the dark. We must always keep an eye on him."
Concubine Hua watched from the side and said to them, "You two Imperial Noble Consorts are now in high positions and have great power, but being a big tree attracts attention. I wonder how many eyes are watching you in the harem."
Zhen Huan nodded: "Sister Hua Fei is right. Although we have the emperor's favor, we still need to be cautious in our actions."
An Lingrong said, "I'll have the people around me keep a close eye on things so they can be prepared if there's any sign of trouble."
At this time, a young palace maid came to report: "My Lady Imperial Noble Consort, Prince Shen sent a gift to congratulate the two Imperial Noble Consorts on their canonization."
Zhen Huan's eyes glared, "What does he mean? Is he plotting something again?"
An Lingrong frowned, "We must not accept his gift lightly. Huan'er, what should we do?"
Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said, "First, accept the gift and send someone to carefully examine it to see if there is anything fishy. At the same time, inform the emperor of this matter and let him make the final decision."
An Lingrong replied, "Okay, I'll do as Huan'er says."
When the Emperor learned of the gift sent by Prince Shen, he issued an order: "Present the gift. I want to see what he is up to."
When the gift was presented, everyone gathered around. It was an exquisite jade statue of Guanyin, seemingly normal.
After examining it carefully, Zhen Huan said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, although this Jade Guanyin may seem ordinary, I have a feeling that Prince Shen would not give this gift for no reason. It must have a hidden meaning."
The emperor's face was gloomy. "I also think this matter is not simple. Pass on my order to send this Jade Guanyin to the Imperial Hospital for examination. If there is anything wrong, Prince Shen will not be forgiven!"
After a careful inspection by the Imperial Hospital, they discovered that the Jade Guanyin was hollow inside and contained a piece of paper with some obscure words written on it, which seemed to imply that there was an accomplice in the palace who was plotting a bigger conspiracy.
After the emperor saw the note, he slammed the table in anger: "Prince Shen is so bold! How dare you do such a thing under my nose!"
Zhen Huan hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Now that we know he has a conspiracy, we can take precautions in advance."
An Lingrong also said, "Your Majesty, Huan'er and I will fully assist Your Majesty to uncover the culprit and crush Prince Shen's conspiracy."
Concubine Hua volunteered, "Your Majesty, I am also willing to contribute my part. We must not allow Prince Shen to succeed and disrupt the peace of the harem and the court."
The Emperor looked at everyone and said slowly, "With you by my side, I feel much more at ease. This matter requires careful consideration. We must not alert the enemy and must capture them all in one fell swoop!"
Thus, in this seemingly peaceful harem, a more secretive and fierce struggle quietly begins. Can Ling Huan and others successfully resolve the crisis again and protect everything they have worked hard for? And how will Prince Shen's conspiracy be discovered and cracked? Everything is in this unfathomable palace, waiting for the judgment of fate.