coobybook Chapter 178 Ling Huan vs. New Strategist
Chapter 178 Ling Huan vs. New Strategist
Zhen Huan raised her eyes and looked at the noble who came to pay her respects. She whispered to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, this noble looks unfamiliar. I wonder where he comes from."
An Lingrong frowned slightly: "Huan'er, let's listen to what she says first. I have a feeling she has bad intentions."
The new noblewoman bowed gracefully and said softly, "I pay my respects to Sister Huanhuan and Sister Lingrong. I have just entered the palace, and I hope you will take good care of me in the future."
Zhen Huan smiled faintly and said, "You are too polite, sister. We are all in the palace together, so we should support each other. Sister, are you used to the life in the palace after coming here today?"
The noble lady smiled gently, but her eyes seemed to be full of meaning. "Thank you for your concern, sister. However, there are many rules in this palace, and I still need to learn them slowly. I heard that you sisters are quite favored in the palace, and I envy you very much."
An Lingrong said, "Grace is nothing more than the Emperor's mercy. If you are careful with your words and actions, you will also be able to gain the Emperor's favor."
The nobleman nodded: "Sister Lingrong is right. However, I heard that things in the palace seem to be a bit unsettled lately. Sisters, please take good care of yourselves."
Zhen Huan's heart moved, and she asked tentatively, "Why do you say that, sister? What rumors have you heard?"
The noble's eyes flickered, as if she was weighing her words. "Sister, I just happened to hear the palace maids talking privately about something evil happening, but I don't know if it's true or not."
An Lingrong and Zhen Huan exchanged a glance, both sensing a hidden meaning in the nobleman's words. After the nobleman left, Zhen Huan said, "Lingrong, this nobleman probably knows something but won't say it."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, let's send someone to investigate her background first to see if there was anything unusual about her before she entered the palace."
A few days later, the maid sent to investigate returned with a report: "Your Majesty, this new noblewoman is the niece of a minister in the court. I heard that she had a relationship with a mysterious person before entering the palace, but I don't know who it was."
Zhen Huan pondered for a moment, her expression solemn: "It seems this matter is not simple. Lingrong, we must handle it carefully."
A few days later, a tea party was held in the palace, and all the concubines came to participate. The new noble was very attentive at the tea party and took the initiative to pour tea for Zhen Huan.
The noble lady smiled and said, "Sister Huanhuan, this is the new tribute tea this year. I specially saved some for you. Please try it."
Zhen Huan took the teacup, but did not rush to drink it. Instead, she smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, sister. It's just that I have been having a little stomach discomfort recently. Please put this tea aside for now."
An Lingrong watched from the side, her suspicion growing. She whispered to Zhen Huan, "Huan'er, is there something wrong with this tea?"
Zhen Huan winked and said, "Don't make it public yet."
After the tea party, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong brought the tea back to the palace and had it examined by a palace maid who was knowledgeable in pharmacology. The maid was horrified after the examination: "Your Majesty, this tea has been spiked with a small amount of aphrodisiac. While it won't be fatal, it will cause a person to fall into a deep sleep and become confused upon waking."
Zhen Huan angrily said, "How dare this new noble be so bold! He even dared to poison the tea."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, we can't just let this go. We have to find a way to expose her true intentions."
Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said, "We can set a trap in the palace and lure her into it."
So, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong deliberately spread the news in the palace, saying that Zhen Huan had recently obtained a rare treasure, a jade pendant awarded by the emperor, which was extremely precious and had magical effects that could keep people safe.
After the news spread, the new nobleman really became interested. One day, Zhen Huan deliberately displayed the jade pendant in the garden. The new nobleman passed by and saw it, and greed appeared in his eyes.
The noble stepped forward and said, "Sister Huanhuan, this jade pendant is truly beautiful. I have never seen such an exquisite jade pendant before."
Zhen Huan smiled and said, "This is the emperor's kindness. If you like it, you can come closer and take a look."
The new noble lady reached out to take the jade pendant, but Zhen Huan deliberately slipped her hand and it fell to the ground. The new noble lady hurriedly bent down to pick it up, but at that moment, the palace maid beside Zhen Huan shouted, "Noble lady, what are you doing? This is a jade pendant given by the Emperor. How can you be so rude!"
The new noble's face changed, and she said in a panic: "Sister, I just want to help you pick up the jade pendant, and I have no other intentions."
An Lingrong sneered at the side and said, "Really? Your Excellency is so eager, don't you want to take it for yourself?"
The new noble said in panic: "Sister Lingrong has misunderstood. I would never dare to have such thoughts."
Zhen Huan said in a deep voice, "Whether there is a misunderstanding or not, I will know after searching you."
Upon hearing this, the new noblewoman turned pale and tried to escape, but was stopped by the palace maids and eunuchs. After a search, they found a packet of medicine powder on her.
Zhen Huan shouted angrily, "What is this? Why are you carrying the powder?"
Seeing that the matter was exposed, the new noble fell to his knees with a plop, tears welling up in his eyes: "Sister, someone ordered me to do this. If I don't do it, my family will be in danger."
Zhen Huan asked, "Who ordered this?"
The new noble hesitated for a moment, his voice trembling slightly. "Yes... it was an elder from outside the palace. He said that if you can make your elder sister fall out of favor, he will ensure your family's safety and prosperity."
An Lingrong asked, "Who is behind this? You'd better tell the truth."
The new noble lady cried and said, "Sister, I really don't know. I only know that he was contacted by a little eunuch every time."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong decided to start by tracking down the young eunuch and the mastermind behind the crime. After a thorough investigation, they finally found the young eunuch. Unable to withstand the torture, the young eunuch revealed the truth.
The young eunuch trembled and said, "It's...it's Concubine Jing's brother. He was unwilling to be suppressed by the two concubines, so he came up with this plan to let the new nobleman frame the two concubines."
After Zhen Huan and An Lingrong learned the truth, they presented the evidence to the Emperor. Zhen Huan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Lingrong and I have been framed again. This time, it was the new noble who did it, and the mastermind behind it was Concubine Jing's brother. He has refused to change his ways despite repeated warnings and continues to attempt to disrupt the peace of the harem."
The Emperor was furious, his face blazing with anger: "This brother Jingfei is simply lawless! I will not let him off easily."
An Lingrong presented the evidence: "Your Majesty, this is the evidence. Please examine it carefully."
The emperor's face was gloomy, and his eyes were full of majesty. "I will immediately order that Concubine Jing's brother be thrown into prison and severely punished. Concubine Jing will also be demoted to a concubine for indulging her brother and imprisoned in the cold palace, never to be favored again!"
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong thanked the Emperor and left the palace. Zhen Huan breathed a sigh of relief: "Lingrong, this time I have finally completely solved the problem of Concubine Jing's brother."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, I hope things in the harem can calm down for now. However, we still need to be cautious, as the hearts and minds of those in the palace are unpredictable."
However, just when they thought they could take a breather, rumors of a feud between Zhen Huan and An Lingrong spread through the palace. The rumors spread like wildfire, and even palace maids and eunuchs claimed to have seen them arguing in the palace. This brought new troubles to Zhen Huan and An Lingrong, who had to deal with this sudden crisis again, thinking about how to quell the rumors, maintain their friendship and their status in the palace.