The Legend of Zhen Huan: Rebirth of An Lingrong: Counterattack to Become the Queen Mother

Chapter 319: Palace Secrets and Dangers

Zhen Huan whispered, "Sister Hua Fei, please contact the ministers. Ling Rong and I will stay in the palace and monitor all movements. We must not let the Shadow Cult take advantage of us again."

An Lingrong nodded. "Huan'er is absolutely right. I've been feeling the atmosphere in the palace has become increasingly oppressive lately, as if something major is about to happen."

Chun Er came over and said, "Sisters, I heard that there have been strange noises in the cold palace at night recently, and many palace maids and eunuchs were scared!"

Zhen Huan's expression was solemn: "The cold palace? Could it be that the remnants of the Shadow Cult are planning something there?"

An Lingrong pondered, "Huan'er, I want to go check around the cold palace. Maybe I can find some clues."

Zhen Huan said worriedly, "Lingrong, the cold palace is gloomy and it's too dangerous for you to go there alone. I'll let Xiao Yunzi accompany you."

An Lingrong and Xiao Yunzi came to the vicinity of the cold palace and faintly smelled a strange fragrance.

An Lingrong frowned. "This fragrance... seems strange. Xiao Yunzi, can you smell it?"

Xiao Yunzi sniffed and said, "My lady, I smell it. It smells very strange, like a mixture of many spices."

An Lingrong's mind raced: "Could it be that the Shadow Cult is concocting some special spice to use in their conspiracy? I need to carefully identify it."

As he was speaking, an old palace maid staggered out from the cold palace.

The old maid looked away when she saw An Lingrong: "Noble Consort An, why are you here? This place is unlucky."

An Lingrong asked softly, "Madam, have you seen any unusual people or things in the cold palace?"

The old maid hesitated, "My lady, I didn't see anything, but this cold palace is indeed restless at night."

An Lingrong saw that the old palace maid was hiding something and took out a silver ingot: "Mammy, if you tell the truth, this silver will be yours."

The old maid hesitated for a moment, then approached An Lingrong and whispered, "Madam, I once saw a dark figure heading deep into the cold palace, carrying some strange objects. It seemed like they were performing a ritual."

An Lingrong was startled. "A ritual? Mammy, did you see the shadow clearly?"

The old maid shook her head: "It was too dark, I couldn't see clearly, I just thought the figure looked like a man."

An Lingrong thanked the old palace maid and hurried back to the palace with Xiao Yunzi to report to Zhen Huan.

After hearing this, Zhen Huan said in a deep voice: "Men? Apart from the guards and eunuchs, how could men come and go freely in this palace? Unless..."

An Lingrong continued, "Unless someone was secretly behind this and deliberately brought this man into the palace, could it be someone colluding with the Shadow Cult?"

Concubine Hua returned at this time and heard about this. She said angrily, "How could this happen! I will definitely find this traitor!"

Zhen Huan said, "Sister, please don't worry. Let's first find out how that man entered the palace and what they are doing in the cold palace."

An Lingrong said, "I think we can start with the palace gate guards and check the recent entry and exit records. Maybe we can find some clues."

Concubine Hua immediately ordered someone to investigate.

Soon, the guards came back to report, "Your Majesty, there's nothing unusual in the recent entry and exit records. There were just a few times when the carts delivering food seemed a little overweight, but we didn't find anything during the inspection."

An Lingrong's eyes lit up. "Overweight? Could it be that the man hid in the carriage and sneaked into the palace?"

Zhen Huan said, "It's very likely. Let's find out who delivered the food and which palaces he has connections with."

After some investigation, it was discovered that the person who delivered the food was related to the family of a low-ranking palace concubine.

Zhen Huan and others came to the concubine's residence.

Zhen Huan said coldly, "Sister, do you know what your family members have done in the palace?"

The concubine knelt down in panic: "Your Majesty, I don't know. My family has never told me about this."

Concubine Hua sternly said, "How dare you quibble! If you're not telling the truth, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The concubine was so frightened that she cried, "Your Majesty, I really don't know. I only know that my family seems to have received a sum of money recently, and they say they have made a big business."

An Lingrong asked, "Do you know who gave you that silver?"

The concubine shook her head: "I don't know. I just hope Your Majesty will understand and not wrongly accuse me."

Zhen Huan said, "Let's first confine her here and investigate the truth before taking any action."

Coming out of the palace concubines' quarters, Zhen Huan said, "It seems there's more to this matter than meets the eye. We can't miss any details."

An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, I'm worried that the Shadow Cult is using this concubine as a cover to plot something bigger, perhaps something harmful to the Emperor."

Zhen Huan's expression changed: "If that's the case, then it's terrible. We must find out the truth as soon as possible and protect the emperor."

Hua Fei said: "Yes! If the emperor makes a mistake, the palace will be in chaos. We must race against time!"

In the fog of the secret affairs of the imperial palace, Zhen Huan, An Lingrong and Hua Fei go deeper and deeper, use their wisdom to solve doubts, rely on their courage to explore the mysteries, and in the midst of dangers, they guard the peace of the imperial palace and continue to write legends. Although they face many difficulties, their faith is as strong as a rock and they forge ahead.