allonlinenovel Chapter 210 Ling Huan overcomes danger and becomes more determined
Chapter 210 Ling Huan overcomes danger and becomes more determined
An Lingrong frowned and said, "Huan'er, do you think the Emperor will believe us? Concubine Qi has been in the palace for quite some time. If she turns against us, what will we do?"
Zhen Huan's eyes were firm. "Lingrong, we have evidence in our hands. There's no need to be afraid of her! Besides, the peace of the harem cannot be destroyed by her alone. The Emperor will surely see through everything."
Concubine Hua snorted, "That's right! Concubine Qi usually looks honest, but I didn't expect her to be so insidious. If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, I will definitely argue with her to the end!"
Zhen Huan said, "Let's not panic for now. When we meet the Emperor, we'll explain everything clearly."
The three of them came to the outside of the Yangxin Palace and asked to see the emperor.
When the emperor heard that they were coming, he summoned them in.
Zhen Huan bowed and said slowly, "Your Majesty, I and your concubines have discovered a very terrible thing in the palace today, and I have come to report it to Your Majesty."
The emperor frowned slightly: "Why are you so panicked?"
Zhen Huan then explained in detail how Concubine Qi had secretly cursed Concubine Hua and An Lingrong in the palace, and presented the talismans and puppets they had found: "Your Majesty, these were found in Concubine Qi's palace. The evidence is irrefutable. I beg your Majesty to make your decision."
The emperor's face darkened as he looked at those things and angrily said, "How could such a thing happen! Why would Concubine Qi do this?"
An Lingrong whispered, "Your Majesty, I don't know. My sister Hua Fei and I have never offended Empress Qi, yet she resorted to such vicious tactics."
Hua Fei also said: "Your Majesty, the harem should live in harmony. Qi Fei's actions are truly against the palace rules and disturb the peace of the harem. She must not be forgiven!"
The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "I will take care of it myself. You may withdraw first."
Zhen Huan and others thanked him and left.
An Lingrong breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally, the Emperor has been informed. I only hope that he will handle this fairly."
Zhen Huan said, "Let's return to our respective palaces and wait for the Emperor's order. Everyone should be careful and cautious these days and not give anyone else any chance to take advantage of us."
Concubine Hua nodded: "Huan'er is right. After I return to Yikun Palace, I will strengthen the palace guards."
A few days later, the emperor's decree came. Because Concubine Qi cursed the concubines, she was demoted to a concubine, fined one year's salary, and confined to her house for half a year.
After Zhen Huan learned about this, she said to An Lingrong and Concubine Hua, "Although the Emperor has punished Concubine Qi, this is just a minor ripple in the harem struggle. We cannot let our guard down because of this."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, I have a feeling that there is someone behind this who is instructing Concubine Qi. She probably doesn't have the courage to do this alone."
Hua Fei's eyes lit up: "Ling Rong is right! Then we have to investigate carefully to find out who is behind this."
Zhen Huan pondered and said, "We can start with the maids and eunuchs around Concubine Qi and see if we can find out anything."
So, Zhen Huan arranged for Jingxi to get close to the people around Concubine Qi, An Lingrong asked Baoque to keep an eye on the movements of Concubine Qi's family outside the palace, and Concubine Hua also instructed Songzhi to secretly observe the concubines who had close contacts with Concubine Qi in the palace.
Not long after, Jinxi returned with a report: "Your Majesty, I learned from the eunuch beside Concubine Qi that a few days ago, a mysterious person secretly visited Concubine Qi. The eunuch didn't see her face clearly, but the voice sounded like a woman."
An Lingrong asked, "A woman? Who could it be? Could it be one of the concubines in the harem?"
Concubine Hua said, "Humph! No matter who it is, if they dare to stir up trouble under my nose, I will definitely not let them off easily!"
Zhen Huan said, "Let's not speculate for now. Lingrong, do you have any news?"
An Lingrong said, "Bao Que said that Concubine Qi's family hasn't behaved unusually recently. However, Concubine Qi's brother once received a guest at the mansion, whose identity is unknown."
Zhen Huan pondered, "It seems this clue is broken again. Song Zhi, what about you?"
Songzhi said, "Your Majesty, I discovered that Concubine Cao and Concubine Qi had several private conversations before they were confined to their homes, but I don't know the content of their conversations."
Zhen Huan narrowed her eyes slightly. "Noble Lady Cao? She's always been very thoughtful. Could this matter be related to her?"
An Lingrong hesitated. "But Concubine Cao and I usually get along peacefully. Why would she do this?"
Concubine Hua sneered, "That Concubine Cao appears to be friendly with everyone, but who knows what she's really planning! Maybe she wants to use Concubine Qi to deal with us, and then reap the benefits."
Zhen Huan said, "No matter what, let's first try to find Concubine Cao."
The three of them came to Concubine Cao's palace.
Concubine Cao was startled when she saw them approaching, but she quickly composed herself and bowed, saying, "How come you ladies have the time to come to my humble abode today?"
Zhen Huan smiled and said, "Lady Cao, I came here today just to chat with you about family matters. Have you heard about some things that happened in the palace recently?"
Concubine Cao pretended to be puzzled: "What are you talking about, Your Majesty? I have been staying at home in the palace recently and have not heard anything."
Concubine Hua said, "Hmph! Lady Cao, don't pretend to be ignorant. Are you really unaware of Concubine Qi's affairs?"
Concubine Cao's expression changed slightly. "What about Concubine Qi? I only heard a little bit about it. Concubine Qi was demoted and confined. It seems that she had committed some crime. I really don't know the details."
An Lingrong looked at Concubine Cao and whispered, "Concubine Cao, someone saw you having a private conversation with Concubine Qi before she was confined to her house. How do you explain this?"
Concubine Cao's heart tightened, but she still pretended to be calm: "Empress An, it was just a chance encounter. We chatted for a few minutes. It's nothing serious."
Zhen Huan stared into Concubine Cao's eyes and said slowly, "Concubine Cao, if you tell the truth now, perhaps we can give you a lighter sentence. If we wait until we find out, you will regret it deeply."
Concubine Cao's forehead was covered with cold sweat. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Your Majesty, I...I do know some things, but I was forced to do so!"
Zhen Huan said, "Tell me now."
Concubine Cao said, "It's Concubine Hua's brother, Nian Gengyao. He's incredibly powerful at court. I'm afraid my safety and Princess Wenyi's will will be threatened, so I'm trying to use Concubine Qi to create some chaos and keep the ladies busy. I have no intention of harming them!"
Hua Fei angrily said, "How dare you frame my brother! My brother is loyal to the court, how could he do what you said!"
Zhen Huan stopped Concubine Hua and said to Concubine Cao, "Concubine Cao, you have no evidence to support your words. Please stop slandering me."
Concubine Cao hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I have a letter as proof. It was sent by Nian Gengyao, threatening that if I don't follow his orders, Princess Wen Yi will be harmed."
As she spoke, Concubine Cao took out a letter and handed it to Zhen Huan.
Zhen Huan took the letter, looked at it, and said solemnly: "This letter..."
An Lingrong asked, "Huan'er, what's in the letter?"
Zhen Huan said, "Although the letter bears Nian Gengyao's seal, the words are vague and it's difficult to determine its authenticity. This matter requires further consideration."
Concubine Hua said, "It must have been forged by Concubine Cao! She wants to drag my brother into this trouble. She deserves death!"
Zhen Huan said, "Sister, please don't get excited yet. Let's show the letter to the Emperor and he will make the final decision."
The three of them came to the Yangxin Palace again with the letter.
After reading the letter, the emperor's face darkened. "I will send someone to investigate this matter thoroughly. You should all withdraw and refrain from causing any more disturbances in the palace."
After Zhen Huan and the others left the Yangxin Palace, Concubine Hua said anxiously, "Huan'er, what should we do? My brother must have been framed!"
Zhen Huan comforted her, "Sister, the Emperor will find out the truth. What we need to do now is to find the person who is truly behind all this, so that more innocent people will not be implicated."
An Lingrong asked, "But who is behind this? Does he want to deal with us, or use us to bring down Nian Gengyao?"
Zhen Huan said, "No matter who it is, we cannot let him succeed. We must unite more closely and face this unknown danger together."
However, just as they were trying to find out the truth, new rumors spread in the harem, saying that Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were arrogant because of their favor, did not take other concubines seriously, and even had intentions to murder the royal heir.
After hearing this, Zhen Huan angrily said, "Who is spreading rumors and causing trouble again? This is simply fabricated out of thin air!"
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, if this rumor is not stopped in time, our situation in the palace will become even more difficult."
Hua Fei said, "We can't just sit there and wait for death. We have to find a way to find the source of the rumor and fight back fiercely!"
Zhen Huan calmed down, thought for a moment, and said, "Let's start with those palace maids and eunuchs who love to gossip and see if we can get some clues. At the same time, we can also do some good deeds in the palace to set things straight."
Zhen Huan and the others then began a new round of investigation and response. They knew that every step in the harem was fraught with danger and challenges, but they would not retreat, for they shared a common belief: to carve their own path through these numerous difficulties, marching resolutely towards the throne of the harem master, and no matter how many difficulties and obstacles lay ahead, they would overcome them one by one.