in2ebook Chapter 186: New Struggle for Ling Huan Yu
Chapter 186: New Struggle for Ling Huan Yu
An Lingrong's heart tightened when she heard this, and she hurriedly said to Zhen Huan, "Huan'er, if the position of Imperial Concubine falls into the hands of others, there will be many troubles in the future. We must make plans early."
Zhen Huan frowned slightly, her eyes firm, "Lingrong, don't panic yet. Let's first find out what the Queen Mother has in mind and see who she has her eye on."
An Lingrong nodded and said, "Huan'er, this is a very good idea. I will ask Baoque to ask the maids in the Empress Dowager's palace."
A day later, Baoque returned with a report: "My lady, I heard that the Queen Mother intends to make a niece of hers a noble concubine. That woman is gentle and demure, and she is quite pleasing to the Queen Mother."
Zhen Huan thought for a moment: "It seems that the situation is not favorable for us. But we can't just sit there and wait for death."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, perhaps we can demonstrate our virtue and talents to the Queen Mother and change her mind."
Zhen Huan's eyes lit up. "Lingrong, you are good at making spices. You can make some unique spices for the Queen Mother to help her calm her mind. I can show her calligraphy and zither skills in front of her to win her favor."
An Lingrong agreed: "Okay, Huan'er. Let's follow this plan."
So, An Lingrong carefully selected the secret recipe of spices and busied herself in the palace's incense-making room. Zhen Huan also diligently practiced calligraphy and zither in her own palace.
A few days later, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong went to the Empress Dowager's palace with gifts. Zhen Huan bowed to the Empress Dowager and said, "Your Majesty, I have recently practiced a few new calligraphy pieces and would like to ask for your guidance."
As she spoke, the palace maid unfolded Zhen Huan's calligraphy work. The Queen Mother nodded slightly and said, "Han Huan's calligraphy has improved considerably. There is a spirit between the lines."
Zhen Huan bowed and thanked her, "Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. I am humbled and overwhelmed."
Then, An Lingrong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have prepared some spices. These spices have a calming effect on the mind and can relieve the fatigue of your body. Please accept them."
The Queen Mother took the spice and smelled it. "Hmm, this spice has a unique scent, very pleasant. Lingrong is thoughtful."
An Lingrong said respectfully, "It is my great honor to be able to share the Empress Dowager's worries."
At this time, the nanny beside the Queen Mother said, "It is rare that the two young ladies are so thoughtful. However, the Queen Mother also considered the royal heir in the selection of the Imperial Concubine."
Zhen Huan hurriedly said, "Madam, what you said is absolutely right. Lingrong and I also hope to have more children for the royal family. We will serve the emperor even more wholeheartedly in the future."
After coming out of the Queen Mother's palace, An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, I wonder if the Queen Mother has changed her mind."
Zhen Huan said, "No matter what, we have done our best. Now let's see what kind of person the Queen Mother's niece is. If she has a good character, perhaps we can make friends with her."
A few days later, the Empress Dowager's niece, Niuhulu, came to the palace to pay her respects. When Zhen Huan and An Lingrong saw her, they found her to be beautiful and well-mannered.
Zhen Huan spoke first: "Sister Niu Hulu, after seeing you today, you are indeed as gentle and charming as the rumors say."
Nianhulu bowed and said, "Sister Zhen Huan and Sister An Lingrong, thank you for your kind words. I have just entered the palace, and I hope you will take good care of me."
An Lingrong said, "You're too polite, sister. We'll be in the palace together in the future, so we should support each other."
After a few words, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong found that Nianhulu was not an arrogant person, and they felt a little relieved.
But not long after, news spread in the palace that Nianhulu had fainted in her own palace, and some people secretly spread rumors that Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were jealous of her favor from the Queen Mother and secretly took action.
Upon hearing the rumors, Zhen Huan angrily exclaimed, "Who is this person maliciously slandering us behind our backs? Lingrong, we must get to the bottom of this."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, there must be something fishy going on. Let's go check on Sister Niu Hulu first."
The two of them arrived at Nianhulu's palace, only to see her lying on the bed with a pale face. Zhen Huan approached her and asked with concern: "Sister, what happened to you?"
Niuhulu said weakly, "Sisters, I don't know why I suddenly fainted. When I woke up, I heard those rumors. Sisters, please don't take them to heart. I believe it wasn't you who did it."
An Lingrong said, "Since my sister trusts us so much, we must find out the truth and clear our names."
After some investigation, they found out that it was a young palace maid in Niuhulu's palace who was bribed to put a small amount of dizziness-causing drugs in her food and then spread rumors.
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong brought the maid and the evidence before the Emperor. Zhen Huan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this incident involving Sister Nianhulu fainting was a deliberate attempt to frame me and Lingrong. They bribed the maid to poison her and spread rumors to disrupt the harem. Please investigate."
The emperor was furious: "How could such a thing happen! I will not forgive you lightly."
An Lingrong presented the evidence: "Your Majesty, this is the evidence. Please make the decision for us, Your Majesty."
The emperor's face was gloomy. "I will punish severely the person who is behind this. Niuhulu has been innocently implicated. I will have the imperial physician take good care of her."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong thanked the Emperor and left the palace. Zhen Huan sighed, "Lingrong, when will this harem strife end?"
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, as long as we stick to our hearts and support each other, we can overcome any storm."