coobybook Chapter 181 Ling Huan's Will Become Stronger in the Face of Hardship
Chapter 181 Ling Huan's Will Become Stronger in the Face of Hardship
As Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were talking, Concubine Chun came skipping over with a worried look on her face: "Sister Huanhuan, Sister Lingrong, I heard something happened in the palace again!"
Zhen Huan hurriedly asked, "Chun'er, what's the matter with you being so impatient?"
Chun Changzai frowned and said, "I just heard the palace maids talking about how all the flowers in the imperial garden have suddenly withered. It's winter, and there's not much life to begin with, and now even the few flowers left are gone. Everyone says this is a bad sign, and they're afraid that the harem is about to be hit by another disaster!"
An Lingrong's heart trembled. "This is strange. Could it be that someone is behind this?"
Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said, "Anyway, let's go to the Imperial Garden first."
The three of them arrived at the Imperial Garden, only to find that the once vibrant flowers were now withered, their petals dry and yellow. Zhen Huan squatted down, gently touched a withered flower, and said, "This flower looks like it's been eroded by something. How could it be like this in the cold of winter?"
An Lingrong carefully observed her surroundings and found some strange powder among the flowers. She picked up a little and put it to her nose and sniffed, "Huan'er, this powder has a pungent smell that I've never smelled before. It sounds like some kind of poisonous powder."
Zhen Huan's expression changed. "Poison powder? Who is so cruel as to harm these flowers?"
At this moment, an old gardener came over tremblingly and bowed: "My dear masters, I have failed in my duty. I don't know why this flower suddenly became like this."
An Lingrong asked, "Have you seen any suspicious people around this imperial garden?"
The old gardener hesitated for a moment and said, "Your servant...yesterday I seemed to see a young eunuch sneaking around here with a small bag in his hand. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time. I wonder if it has anything to do with these flowers."
Zhen Huan hurriedly said, "Please describe the appearance of that young eunuch in detail."
The old gardener described the young eunuch's appearance and clothing. Zhen Huan said to Jin Xi beside her, "Go and find out which palace this young eunuch belongs to."
Jinxi took the order and left. Not long after, Jinxi returned to report: "Your Majesty, that young eunuch is from Concubine Xin's palace."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a glance, then headed to Concubine Xin's palace with suspicion. Upon seeing Concubine Xin, Zhen Huan asked directly, "Concubine Xin, I heard that the eunuchs in your palace were sneaking around in the Imperial Garden. Now all the flowers in the Imperial Garden have been poisoned by poison powder. Are you aware of this?"
Concubine Xin was surprised. "Sister Huanhuan, I knew nothing about this! Even though that eunuch is in my palace, I never ordered him to do anything like this."
An Lingrong looked into Concubine Xin's eyes and said, "Concubine Xin, please don't hide it. This matter can be big or small. If it is really related to your palace, no one can escape responsibility."
Concubine Xin said anxiously, "Sister Lingrong, I am truly innocent. I have always kept a low profile in this harem. How could I have done something so offensive to so many people?"
Zhen Huan said, "If that's the case, then we must meet that young eunuch and ask him face to face."
Concubine Xin hurriedly ordered the young eunuch to come up. When the young eunuch came in and saw Zhen Huan and An Lingrong, his legs went weak and he fell to his knees with a thud.
Zhen Huan asked sternly, "You little eunuch, why are you spreading poison powder in the Imperial Garden? Did someone instruct you?"
The young eunuch trembled and said, "Your Majesty, it's... it's my fault. But I was forced to do this!"
An Lingrong asked, "Who forced you to do this? Tell the truth!"
The young eunuch cried, "It's...it's Concubine Jing's brother. He bribed me before, asking me to keep an eye on the two ladies in the palace. This time, he found me again, gave me a large sum of money, and asked me to spread this poison powder in the imperial garden. He also said that he wanted to create the illusion of unrest in the harem so that the two ladies would fall out of favor."
Zhen Huan angrily said, "This brother Jingfei is really haunting us! He has been punished, yet he still tries to stir up trouble."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, it seems we still underestimated his power."
Zhen Huan said to Concubine Xin, "Concubine Xin, although this was done by a young eunuch in your palace, you are also responsible for not disciplining him properly."
Concubine Xin hurriedly said, "Sister Huanhuan, I know I was wrong. I will definitely teach this young eunuch a lesson and will also strengthen the control of the people in the palace in the future."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong came out of Noble Lady Xin's palace. Zhen Huan said, "Lingrong, Concubine Jing's brother must have accomplices outside the palace. We must find a way to completely eradicate his power."
An Lingrong nodded. "Huan'er, I think we can use the Emperor's influence to thoroughly investigate his network of connections outside the palace."
After discussing it, the two returned to the Emperor's presence. Zhen Huan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the poison powder incident in the Imperial Harem Garden has been investigated. It was Concubine Jing's brother who instructed the eunuchs in Concubine Xin's palace to do it. This Concubine Jing's brother has repeatedly violated palace rules and disturbed the peace of the harem. He must have many other schemes outside the palace. Please order a thorough investigation again."
The Emperor frowned, his face filled with anger. "I will not let such a lunatic off lightly! I will immediately dispatch someone to investigate his every move outside the palace and apprehend all his accomplices."
An Lingrong presented a sample of the poison powder found in the Imperial Garden: "Your Majesty, this is the poison powder. It can be used as evidence."
The emperor took the poison powder, his eyes cold and grim: "I want to see who dares to be so presumptuous in my harem!"
Coming out of the Emperor's palace, Zhen Huan breathed a sigh of relief: "Lingrong, I hope this time we can truly resolve this serious problem."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, I hope so. But the road to the harem is always paved with thorns."
A few days later, the people sent to investigate came back and reported that they had found evidence outside the palace that Concubine Jing's brother was colluding with some illegal businessmen. They intended to create chaos by controlling the supply of materials in the harem, thereby affecting the status of Zhen Huan and An Lingrong in the palace.
After Zhen Huan learned about this, she said to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, their plot is truly sinister. We can't just sit there and wait for death. We have to find a way to deal with this supply crisis."
An Lingrong pondered for a moment. "Huan'er, I think we can start with the palace's inventory and take stock of the existing supplies. Then, we can look for reliable suppliers outside the palace to prepare for any emergency."
Zhen Huan agreed, "Lingrong, this is a very good plan. Let's first ask the people from the Imperial Household Department to check the inventory."
The two arrived at the Imperial Household Department, only to find the director's attitude rather cold. Zhen Huan asked, "What do you mean? Don't you know that I and Lady Lingrong are here for a matter of great importance?"
The head of the Imperial Household Department bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Young Master, it's not that I'm being negligent. It's just that the allocation of supplies in the palace has been a bit chaotic recently, and we've been extremely busy. Furthermore, we've heard that the suppliers outside are being controlled by certain forces, and we're worried about the subsequent supply."
An Lingrong said, "Show us the inventory list first, and we'll take care of the rest."
The head of the Imperial Household Department hurriedly asked someone to bring the inventory list. Zhen Huan and An Lingrong carefully checked and found that many of the supplies in stock were almost gone.
Zhen Huan frowned and said, "This situation is more serious than we thought. We must find a new supplier as soon as possible."
An Lingrong suddenly thought, "Huan'er, my mother and Concubine Xiao run a spice shop outside the palace. Perhaps they know some reliable merchants who can help us solve the problem of material supply."
Zhen Huan's eyes lit up: "Lingrong, your idea is good. Send someone to contact your mother and Concubine Xiao immediately."
An Lingrong immediately ordered Baoque to go. A few days later, Baoque returned with a report: "My lady, Madam and Concubine Xiao have contacted some reliable merchants who are willing to provide supplies for the harem, but it may take some time to prepare and transport them."
Zhen Huan said, "As long as the problem can be solved, time is not the most pressing issue. Let's first appease everyone in the palace and stabilize their hearts."
So, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong explained the situation to the concubines in the palace, telling everyone that they were already working on solving the problem of material supply and that there was no need to panic.
However, just when the problem of material supply was gradually turning around, a rumor spread in the palace that An Lingrong's spice shop had banned spices. Once this rumor was confirmed, it would not only affect the reputation of the spice shop, but might also put An Lingrong in an irretrievable situation in the palace. How should they deal with this sudden rumor crisis?