in2ebook Chapter 277: Undercurrents in the Imperial Palace
Chapter 277: Undercurrents in the Imperial Palace
Zhen Huan patted her chest lightly, and said with lingering fear, "It was truly dangerous just now. If this guard hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been disastrous."
An Lingrong nodded in agreement, "Yes, Huan'er, the mastermind behind this will definitely not let it go. We must thoroughly investigate the identity of this man in black robes."
Concubine Hua raised her eyebrows and shouted angrily, "Humph! No matter who he is, if he dares to stir up trouble in front of me, I will make him wish he were dead!"
At this moment, the Emperor heard the news and hurried over: "Hanhuan, Lingrong, are you all right?"
Zhen Huan bowed gracefully, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My concubine and Sister Lingrong are doing well, but this man in black robes is truly strange."
The Emperor looked at the black-robed man who was being held captive and said in a deep voice, "Take off your mask. I want to see who is so bold."
The man in black robe slowly took off his mask, and everyone was shocked to find that it was Concubine Kang.
Zhen Huan was surprised and asked, "Mrs. Kang, why is it you? Why would you do such a treasonous thing?"
Kang Chang's face showed a hint of ferocity: "Humph! Zhen Huan, An Lingrong, do you think you can sit on the throne securely? I was just being ordered around. If you want to blame someone, blame you for blocking their way."
An Lingrong pressed on, "Under someone's orders? Tell me clearly, who ordered you to do so?"
Kang Changzai just sneered and said nothing more.
The emperor said angrily, "Mr. Kang, if you don't confess the truth, I will not forgive you."
Kang Changzai fell to her knees with a plop: "Your Majesty, I dare not tell you. If I do, I will surely die."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a glance, and Zhen Huan said, "Your Majesty, I believe there must be something hidden behind this matter. Why not first detain Concubine Kang and then slowly interrogate her."
The emperor nodded: "Just as Huanhuan said."
After the Emperor left, Concubine Hua said, "The person behind Concubine Kang must be extraordinary, to make her so devoted."
An Lingrong pondered for a moment. "Could it be the remnants of the Queen's followers? Although the Queen has been confined, she has been operating in the palace for many years and must have loyal followers."
Zhen Huan shook her head slightly. "Not likely. If she were a remnant of the Queen's faction, Consort Kang wouldn't have exposed herself so easily. I think it might be someone connected to the previous dynasty, hoping to disrupt the government by exploiting the harem's affairs."
As she was speaking, Chun'er came running over, "Sisters, I heard what happened just now. Concubine Kang is so evil. We must not let her off."
Mei Zhuang also arrived soon after: "We must not rush into this matter. We must handle it carefully and not fall into the enemy's trap."
A few days later, Zhen Huan received an anonymous letter which simply said "If you want to know the truth, please meet me in a secluded corner of the Imperial Garden."
Zhen Huan held the letter, wondering, "Could this be a trap? But if I don't go, I'm afraid I'll miss the truth."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, I'll go with you so I can take care of you."
Hua Fei immediately said, "I will go with you, and see who dares to be so presumptuous in front of me."
When they arrived at a remote corner of the Imperial Garden, they saw a little eunuch standing there trembling with fear.
Zhen Huan asked, "Were you the one delivering the letter to me?"
The young eunuch knelt tremblingly and said, "Your Highness, I was forced to do this. It was Lord Li who threatened me and ordered me to deliver the message. He also said that if I didn't do it, he would kill my entire family."
An Lingrong frowned. "Lord Li? But the Lord Li in the court?"
The young eunuch nodded. "That's right. Lord Li also said that the Kang Changzai incident was orchestrated by him. He wanted to use Kang Changzai to get rid of the concubines and then strengthen his own power in the harem."
Zhen Huan's eyes turned cold: "This Lord Li is so bold that he dares to interfere in the affairs of the harem."
Concubine Hua gnashed her teeth and said, "I will never let him go. I will make His Majesty aware of his crimes."
Zhen Huan pondered, "We still need evidence. It's hard to bring down Lord Li based solely on this little eunuch's one-sided statement."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, we can start with Concubine Kang. Perhaps we can get evidence from her."
So, Zhen Huan and others went to interrogate Concubine Kang again.
Zhen Huan looked at Concubine Kang and said earnestly, "Concubine Kang, do you think you can save yourself by not telling the truth? Lord Li won't care whether you live or die. If you tell the truth, perhaps the Emperor will give you a lighter sentence."
Kang Changzai's eyes flickered as he hesitated again and again: "Really? Zhen Huan, please don't lie to me."
An Lingrong said, "Mrs. Kang, you have no other choice now. The only way out is to confess."
Kang Changzai sighed, "Forget it, forget it. I'll tell you the whole story. Lord Li gave me a kind of aphrodisiac incense and told me to spread it in the palace to cause chaos, and then take advantage of the opportunity to attack you. He also promised me that if I succeeded, he would make me a concubine."
Zhen Huan asked, "Where is the incense now?"
Kang Changzai said, "It's in the secret compartment in my palace."
Zhen Huan immediately sent someone to get the aphrodisiac, and took Concubine Kang and the aphrodisiac to see the emperor.
Zhen Huan cried to the emperor, "Your Majesty, this is Lord Li's conspiracy. He is trying to disrupt the harem. Please, Your Majesty, help us."
The Emperor looked at Mixiang and Concubine Kang and was furious. "This Lord Li is completely lawless. I will investigate this matter thoroughly and will not tolerate it."
Afterwards, the emperor sent people to arrest Lord Li and brought him to justice. After interrogation, Lord Li confessed to his crimes.
The Emperor issued an edict: "Lord Li formed a clique for personal gain and attempted to disrupt the harem. His crime is unforgivable. He shall be stripped of his official position, his property confiscated, and exiled to the frontier. Concubine Kang aided and abetted the tyrant and is banished to the cold palace, where she shall remain forever."
Zhen Huan and others successfully resolved the crisis again, and the harem temporarily returned to peace.
But Zhen Huan knew very well that this peace was only temporary. In this deep palace, there were still countless conspiracies and intrigues surging in the dark.
One day, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were walking in the palace and saw some palace maids bullying a new lady.
Zhen Huan stepped forward and scolded, "What are you doing? Why are you bullying this young lady?"
When the palace maids saw that it was Zhen Huan, they knelt down in fear and said, "Your Highness, Imperial Noble Consort Xi, we know we were wrong. We saw that this young lady was new and didn't know the rules, so we wanted to teach her a lesson."
An Lingrong helped the young lady up: "Young lady, are you okay?"
The young lady looked at Zhen Huan and An Lingrong gratefully and said, "Thank you, my ladies. I am Lan Yi, a newcomer to the palace. I am new here and do not know the palace rules. I hope you can teach me."
Zhen Huan smiled and said, "Sister Lan Yi, you don't have to be polite. In this palace, we sisters should support each other."
An Lingrong also said, "Yes, if you have any problems in the future, just come to us."
Lan Yi said, "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. It is my great fortune to have met you two."
However, in this seemingly harmonious harem, another storm is about to come.
One day, news came from the Imperial Hospital that a precious medicinal material in the palace was suddenly missing in large quantities, and it was suspected that someone had secretly smuggled it out of the palace and sold it.