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

Chapter 261: Shadow of the Storm and the Battle of Weiyang

Zhen Huan's eyes flashed, and she shouted, "Sister Hua Fei, it looks like these villains are going to fight to the death today!"

Concubine Hua raised her eyebrows and shouted angrily, "Come if you want! How could I be afraid of them?"

An Lingrong also clenched the sachet in her hand and whispered, "Huan'er, sister, don't underestimate the enemy. The Shadow Cult is full of tricks."

The men in black surged forward like a tide, instantly surrounding them. Swords flashed, and a battle was about to break out.

Zhen Huan dodged a sword attack and scolded, "You, the Dark Shadow Cult, are committing evil in the palace. What is your intention?"

The leader of the men in black snorted coldly: "Humph! This is a secret you shouldn't know! When you die, someone will come to clean up this mess."

Concubine Hua swung her sword at the man in black, cursing as she struck him: "You filthy creatures, do you think my sword is ineffective?"

An Lingrong took the opportunity to sprinkle a handful of spices, which blinded several men in black. She shouted, "Huan'er, these spices can hold them back for a while. We must think of a way to escape."

Zhen Huan nodded: "That's right, we can't stay here for long."

At this time, the guards also rushed to join the battle. Eunuch Su followed behind, panting, and shouted, "My ladies, the emperor heard that something had happened here, and he specially ordered me to bring the guards to protect him."

Zhen Huan replied, "Thank you, eunuch. Please tell the guards to hold the position and not let these men in black get close."

The battle became more and more intense, and Zhen Huan, An Lingrong and Hua Fei stood back to back, taking care of each other.

Hua Fei said: "These men in black seem to be well-trained, not like ordinary gangsters."

An Lingrong said, "Sister, you're right. There's something strange about their moves; it must be organized and premeditated."

Zhen Huan pondered for a moment: "Could there be someone behind the scenes manipulating them? What kind of organization is this Shadow Cult?"

Suddenly, a man in black broke through the guards' defense and came straight towards Zhen Huan. Seeing this, An Lingrong stood in front of Zhen Huan without hesitation and stabbed the man in black with the hairpin in her hand.

An Lingrong shouted, "Huan'er, be careful!"

Zhen Huan felt warm in her heart: "Lingrong, why are you doing this?"

Seeing this, Concubine Hua rushed over with all her might, stabbed the man in black to death with a single sword, and cursed, "If you dare to hurt them, I will never forgive you!"

Under the fierce resistance of the crowd, the black-clad men gradually lost. But the leader refused to give up. He took out a black ball from his arms and threw it into the crowd.

"Oh no, it's a hidden weapon!" Zhen Huan exclaimed.

Everyone dodged as the ball landed, creating a cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared, the leader of the men in black had disappeared.

Zhen Huan frowned: "If he escapes, he will definitely be a disaster in the future."

Hua Fei said: "It doesn't matter. He can escape for a while, but he can't escape forever. I will definitely find him."

An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, Sister Hua Fei, let's go back to the palace first. We still need to make long-term plans for the things here."

Returning to the palace, Zhen Huan sat on the couch, deep in thought: "What happened today is definitely not accidental. This Shadow Cult has been lurking in the palace for a long time. What exactly do they want to do?"

Hua Fei said: "No matter what they want to do, as long as I am here, they will not succeed."

An Lingrong said, "I'm worried they'll attack again. We need to strengthen our defenses."

At this time, Xiao Yunzi came in to report: "Your Majesty, all the palaces are spreading the news about the Shadow Cult today, and everyone in the palace is in a panic."

Zhen Huan sighed, "This is exactly the effect they wanted. They wanted to disrupt the harem and create chaos."

Hua Fei said angrily, "Then we can't let them have their way. We have to find a way to appease the palaces."

An Lingrong said, "Perhaps we can hold a banquet and invite all the concubines to attend. We can make our stance clear at the banquet and help to calm people's hearts."

Zhen Huan nodded: "Lingrong, this is a very good plan. Let's do it."

During the preparations for the banquet, Zhen Huan received news that some young eunuchs and palace maids were secretly communicating with the Shadow Cult.

Zhen Huan said to An Lingrong and Concubine Hua, "It seems that the influence of the Shadow Cult in the palace is greater than we imagined. We must first eliminate these traitors."

Hua Fei said: "Then let's start with these young eunuchs and palace maids and interrogate them thoroughly to see what they know."

An Lingrong said, "However, we can't alert the enemy. We have to do this in secret."

Zhen Huan then arranges for secret surveillance of the suspicious eunuchs and palace maids, preparing to capture them all at once when the opportunity arises. The battle against the Shadow Cult has only just begun. In this turbulent harem, how will Zhen Huan, An Lingrong, and Concubine Hua face the coming challenges and safeguard the peace and status of the harem? Everything remains uncertain. Only with unwavering faith, wisdom, and courage can they find a glimmer of hope in this perilous palace struggle and write their own legendary chapter.

Zhen Huan was in the palace garden when she came across a young maid crying in a secluded corner. Zhen Huan approached and asked softly, "Why are you crying here?"

Seeing that it was Zhen Huan, the young maid knelt down hurriedly and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I...I was just scared."

Zhen Huan's eyes softened. "Don't be afraid. Are you hiding something from me?"

The young maid hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, "Your Majesty, my brother has been captured by the Shadow Cult. They are threatening me, forcing me to work for them in the palace, or they will kill me."

Zhen Huan's heart moved: "Do you know where your brother is imprisoned?"

The little palace maid shook her head: "I don't know. I only know that they have a secret base outside the palace."

Zhen Huan helped the young maid to her feet. "Don't worry. I will help you rescue your brother. Tell me everything you know about the Shadow Cult."

The young maid burst into tears of gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will tell you everything I know."

Zhen Huan learned from the young palace maid some of the Shadow Cult's contact codes in the palace and clues about some suspicious individuals. She told An Lingrong and Concubine Hua the news.

An Lingrong said, "It seems we are one step closer to the truth. We can follow these clues."

Concubine Hua said, "I will immediately arrange for people to investigate those suspicious individuals. We must eradicate the Shadow Cult's influence in the palace."

However, during the investigation, they encountered some obstacles. The suspicious persons seemed to sense danger and hid themselves.

Zhen Huan said, "They are so alert, someone must have tipped us off. I'm afraid there are still members of the Shadow Cult among us."

An Lingrong asked, "What should we do? We already know very little about the Shadow Cult, and now there's a traitor inside, making it even more difficult."

Concubine Hua gnashed her teeth and said, "I don't believe that we can't find these traitors! From now on, we will intensify the investigation of all palace personnel and not let any of them go!"

Zhen Huan shook her head. "Sister, if we make such a big fuss, it will probably cause more panic. We should start with the details and observe quietly."

An Lingrong's eyes suddenly lit up: "Huan'er, I have a plan. We can set a trap and deliberately release some false information to lure those traitors into the trap."

Zhen Huan thought for a moment: "Although this plan is risky, it is worth a try. However, the fake news must be realistic."

So, they began to plan how to set up this trap. A battle of wits with the Shadow Cult quietly unfolded in this bottomless harem, and their fate was also in a precarious vortex of conspiracy and counter-conspiracy. Only with firm belief, wisdom and courage, can they find a glimmer of hope in this dangerous court struggle and protect everything they cherish.