amaotonovel Chapter 166 Lingrong Huan'er Meets a Strong Enemy
Chapter 166 Lingrong Huan'er Meets a Strong Enemy
Zhen Huan frowned slightly, worry in her eyes. "Lingrong, where does this mysterious woman come from? Concubine Jing is already so difficult to deal with. What if she has someone behind the scenes?"
An Lingrong gently patted Zhen Huan's hand and comforted her, "Huan'er, don't panic. When an enemy comes, we will fight him with our troops; when a flood comes, we will block it with earth. Let's send someone to investigate first. We will definitely find some clues."
Zhen Huan nodded, "That's all we can do. Jinxi, please arrange for more clever palace maids and eunuchs to keep an eye on the whereabouts of that mysterious woman."
Jin Xi bowed and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
A few days later, the dispatched person returned with a report: "Your Majesty, the mysterious woman lives in a remote palace and rarely interacts with others. However, I have discovered that she often secretly exchanges items with the maids around Concubine Jing."
Zhen Huan's eyes glared, "It's definitely related to Concubine Jing! Lingrong, it looks like we have to take the initiative."
An Lingrong thought for a moment: "Huan'er, I want to find a way to get closer to that mysterious woman and see if I can find out her purpose."
Zhen Huan was a little worried: "Lingrong, this is too dangerous. If she has bad intentions, you might be in danger."
An Lingrong said firmly, "Huan'er, if we don't take a risk, we will only become more passive. I will proceed with caution, don't worry."
So, An Lingrong took Bao Que and pretended to pass by the mysterious woman's palace by chance. When An Lingrong walked into the palace courtyard, she saw the mysterious woman sitting on a stone bench admiring the flowers.
An Lingrong bowed and said, "Sister, how are you? I'm An Lingrong. I happened to be passing by today and saw the beautiful flowers in bloom in this courtyard. I couldn't help but come in to take a look. Please don't blame me, sister."
The mysterious woman looked up, sizing up An Lingrong, a barely perceptible smile forming at the corner of her mouth. "An Lingrong? I've heard of your great name for a long time. You seem quite refined and leisurely."
An Lingrong approached with a smile: "Sister, the flowers in this palace seem different from those elsewhere. Sister, you must have taken great care of them."
The mysterious woman said coldly, "An Lingrong, there's no need to try to get close to me. I know what you and Zhen Huan are thinking. Do you think you can control this harem?"
An Lingrong was startled, but remained calm. "Sister, what do you mean? Huan'er and I just want to live a peaceful life in the palace."
The mysterious woman sneered, "Live a peaceful life? You are so favored in the palace that many people are jealous. I am here to shatter your beautiful dreams."
An Lingrong thought to herself that this woman was so straightforward, she must have something to rely on. She said, "Why would you oppose us, sister? We have no grudge against you."
The mysterious woman stood up and said slowly, "No grudges or hatred? You are so glorious in this harem, but have you ever thought about the feelings of others? I just can't stand it."
An Lingrong knew it was difficult to get more out of this woman, so she said goodbye and left. Returning to Zhen Huan's palace, Zhen Huan hurriedly asked, "Lingrong, how is it?"
An Lingrong's face was solemn. "Huan'er, this woman has come with ill intentions. She openly stated that she wants to oppose us and seems extremely dissatisfied with our favor in the palace."
Zhen Huan pondered for a moment. "She's so confident, she must have someone behind her. Could it be that Concubine Jing has other accomplices?"
At this moment, Concubine Chun came running over, panting, "Sister Huanhuan, Sister Lingrong, this is bad! That mysterious woman is crying in front of the Emperor, saying that the sisters are bullying her and that they are using sorcery and spices in the palace to confuse the Emperor."
Zhen Huan angrily said, "This is sheer nonsense! How dare this woman slander us in front of the Emperor?"
An Lingrong said calmly, "Huan'er, don't worry. Let's go see the Emperor and explain everything to him."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong came before the Emperor. Zhen Huan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that a woman slandered me and An Lingrong in front of Your Majesty. I am so wronged!"
The Emperor frowned. "Hanhuan, An Lingrong, is what that woman said true? I heard her cry so pitifully, saying that you were being domineering in the palace and using spices to harm people."
An Lingrong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this is pure slander. I'm skilled in perfumery, and I simply used it to create fragrances to please everyone. How could I possibly harm anyone? I don't know what that woman's intentions were, but she deliberately framed me and Sister Huan'er."
Zhen Huan continued, "Your Majesty, Lingrong and I have always been discreet in our words and actions in the palace, and have always gotten along well with the other palace sisters. How could we have done something like bullying others? Someone must have deliberately instigated this."
The emperor looked at them and said, "I will investigate. If you have truly committed evil, I will not forgive you. If someone has falsely accused you, I will not let you off lightly either."
Coming out of the Emperor's palace, Zhen Huan was somewhat disheartened: "Lingrong, the Emperor doesn't seem to fully trust us. What should we do?"
An Lingrong comforted her, "Huan'er, the Emperor only said he would investigate, not convict. As long as we can find evidence that the woman framed us, we can clear our name."
So, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong started looking for evidence. They found that the mysterious woman had dealings with a spice merchant outside the palace, and that the merchant seemed to have given her some special spices.
An Lingrong asked suspiciously, "Huan'er, could there be something wrong with this spice? That woman is trying to frame us."
Zhen Huan said, "It's very likely. We have to find that spice and see what it is."
After some trouble, they found the spice. After careful study, An Lingrong discovered that the spice contained a hallucinogenic ingredient that, if used in small amounts, could cause hallucinations and make people believe they were being bewitched.
An Lingrong exclaimed in surprise, "Huan'er, we've found evidence! This spice is the key to how that woman framed us."
Zhen Huan also became happy: "Great! Lingrong, let's go report this to the Emperor right away."
Arriving before the Emperor, An Lingrong presented the spices, "Your Majesty, this is the spice that the mysterious woman used to frame me and Sister Huan'er. This spice contains hallucinogenic ingredients. If used, it will cause people to have the illusion that they are under a sorcery."
The emperor took the incense, smelled it, and his face darkened. "How could this be possible! How dare that woman be so bold as to deceive me!"
Zhen Huan took the opportunity to say, "Your Majesty, there must be a mastermind behind this woman. Please investigate thoroughly and restore peace to the harem."
The emperor nodded and said, "I will investigate this thoroughly. You may withdraw."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong left the Emperor's palace. Zhen Huan breathed a sigh of relief: "Lingrong, this time the crisis has finally been temporarily resolved. But who is the mastermind behind this? It's still unknown."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, no matter who they are, as long as we don't give up, we will definitely catch them one by one."
However, just when they thought the situation was gradually calming down, another palace maid found a rag doll in the well. It had Zhen Huan's birth date written on it and was covered with needles. Rumors immediately spread in the harem that Zhen Huan had been cast into a witchcraft spell, which brought new troubles and challenges to Zhen Huan and An Lingrong.