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

Chapter 317: Shocking Waves and Undercurrents

Zhen Huan's eyes were firm. "That minister has close ties with the Shadow Cult and must have many secret letters. If we can obtain them, it will be irrefutable evidence."

An Lingrong bit her lower lip lightly. "But it must be hidden very secretly. How can we find it?"

Concubine Hua said anxiously: "Send someone to turn the minister's house upside down!"

Zhen Huan shook her head. "Don't worry, sister. This is too rash. We can start with the people around him, and maybe we can find out some information."

An Lingrong's eyes lit up. "Huan'er, I heard that the minister has a trusted aide who is always by his side. Perhaps he knows the inside story."

So they sent someone to approach the aide quietly.

A few days later, the dispatched person reported back: "Your Majesty, that staff member seems to have a bad habit of drinking. He often goes to the tavern in the east of the city. He may reveal the truth after drinking."

Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said, "Lingrong, do you have any spices that can make people drunk and confess?"

An Lingrong said, "Yes, I'll go prepare it right away. I'll also arrange for a clever palace maid to act in the tavern."

The palace maid took advantage of the drunken aide in the tavern and cleverly used incense to make him mutter to himself.

The maid leaned in to listen carefully, then hurried back to the palace to report, "Your Majesty, the staff member said the letter was hidden in a secret compartment in the study, using an ancient painting as a mechanism."

Zhen Huan was delighted: "Excellent! But we still need to be careful. There must be many guards in the minister's mansion."

Hua Fei sneered and said, "I will mobilize some people to sneak in at night, and we will definitely succeed."

That night, Concubine Hua, along with several agile guards, quietly sneaked into the minister's mansion.

An Lingrong was waiting outside the mansion, feeling extremely nervous: "Huan'er, I hope everything goes well."

Zhen Huan said softly, "Don't worry, Sister Hua Fei has always been resolute and courageous. There will be no mistakes."

A moment later, Concubine Hua and the others came out with the letter. "Humph, that filthy person thought he was hiding it well, but I still found it!"

Zhen Huan took the letter and glanced through it quickly, her expression growing colder. "This letter actually implicates several officials. The Shadow Cult's influence in the court is far greater than we imagined."

An Lingrong said worriedly, "What should we do? If we rashly report this to the Emperor, it might cause a huge uproar."

Zhen Huan pondered for a long time. "Put the letter away first, and then we can make a detailed plan. Perhaps we can consult with a few loyal and prestigious old ministers."

They found the old minister, who read the letter with a serious expression: "We must be extremely cautious about this matter. If we handle it improperly, there may be chaos in the court."

Zhen Huan said, "My lord, we also understand the pros and cons of this. However, if we do not eliminate the Shadow Cult and this evil force within the court, there will be no peace in the harem and the court."

The old minister nodded and said, "Your Highness, your majesty is righteous. I will do my utmost to help you. You can first secretly divide them and defeat them one by one."

At this moment, news came from the palace that several concubines had inexplicably fallen ill with strange symptoms, and the imperial doctors were helpless.

Zhen Huan was shocked and said, "Could it be that the Shadow Cult is doing evil again?"

An Lingrong said, "I'll go take a look. Perhaps I can find some clues from the symptoms."

An Lingrong rushed to the concubine's quarters and, after a careful inspection, frowned. "This symptom looks like a chronic poison, and it's similar to the secret poison of the Shadow Cult that I've heard of."

Concubine Hua angrily said, "They are so cruel! They even spared no innocent concubines!"

Zhen Huan asked, "Lingrong, do you have an antidote?"

An Lingrong shook her head helplessly. "The formula for this poison is extremely complex. I'll need some time to develop an antidote. But the most urgent task is to find the person who poisoned it."

They began to search the palace for suspicious people, and the palace maids and eunuchs were all in panic.

A eunuch trembled and said, "Your Majesty, I saw a dark figure lurking near the concubine's residence, but it was too dark and I couldn't see it clearly."

Zhen Huan said, "Continue the investigation! We must not let the Shadow Cult act recklessly again!"

Amidst these numerous difficulties and crises, Zhen Huan, An Lingrong and Concubine Hua rushed around, planning strategies, searching for the truth, or rescuing palace concubines. They relied on each other and faced everything with perseverance. In the turbulent waves of the harem and the court, they struggled to sail towards the other side of peace, determined to continue their legend. Although the road ahead was long and difficult, their faith was as strong as a rock and they would never give up.