jdhmnovel Chapter 201 Ling Huan's New Journey Has Turbulence
Chapter 201 Ling Huan's New Journey Has Turbulence
After the matter with Lord Li came to a temporary end, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong had a rare chance to catch their breath.
An Lingrong looked at Zhen Huan and whispered, "Huan'er, although this victory was narrow, I still feel uneasy. In this palace, apart from Lord Li today, who knows who will show up tomorrow to plot against us, Lord Zhang or Lord Wang."
Zhen Huan nodded slightly. "Lingrong, your concerns are quite true. But we can't always be passive and take the beating like this. We now have some trust in the Emperor, so we must find a way to consolidate it."
At this time, Zhen Huan's personal maid, Jin Xi, said, "Your Majesty, my lady, in my opinion, the situation in the palace is unpredictable. We might as well win over more allies. For example, Concubine Duan, she has always been kind to others and has great prestige in the palace. If we can get her help, we will have more help in our future actions."
An Lingrong's eyes lit up. "Jinxi's words make sense. But will Concubine Duan be willing to join forces with us?"
Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said, "It might be worth a try. I've had several conversations with Concubine Duan. Although she appears frail, she is actually quite insightful. I'll write a letter first to find out what she thinks."
A few days later, Concubine Duan sent someone to deliver a reply letter, inviting Zhen Huan and An Lingrong to come for a chat.
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong arrived at Concubine Duan's palace. Concubine Duan greeted them with a smile: "Sister Huan, Sister Lingrong, I've been waiting for you to come today."
Zhen Huan bowed, "Your Highness, Concubine Duan, how are you? I've made the hassle of coming here because I have something I want to discuss with you."
Concubine Duan gently waved her hand: "You and I are sisters, there is no need to be so polite. I also know the difficulties you are facing in the palace, and I have heard a little about the matter of Lord Li."
An Lingrong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, we have been driven to desperation by Lord Li, and that is why we are seeking help. If you could help us, we would be extremely grateful."
Concubine Duan frowned slightly. "Although Lord Li has been punished, the forces behind him will not let this go. You know, he seems to have a close relationship with Minister Sun, who holds considerable influence in the court."
Zhen Huan was shocked. "We hadn't noticed this Minister Sun before. Your Majesty, do you have any plans to deal with him?"
Concubine Duan said slowly, "Although I live in seclusion, I have my own sources of information. I heard that Minister Sun has a weakness. He loves his only daughter, Miss Sun, very much. Miss Sun is vain and wants to marry into the royal family."
An Lingrong asked doubtfully, "My Lady, what does this have to do with us?"
Concubine Duan glanced at her and said, "If you can do something about Miss Sun and make Minister Sun hesitate, perhaps he won't dare to attack you so easily."
Zhen Huan pondered for a moment: "Your Majesty, do you mean to find a suitable prince to marry Miss Sun?"
Concubine Duan nodded: "That's right. But the right prince still needs careful consideration."
The three were discussing when a young eunuch suddenly came to report: "Your Majesty, bad news! Minister Sun has impeached Your Majesty Zhen Huan in the court, accusing you of interfering in state affairs and forming a clique for personal gain."
Zhen Huan's expression changed: "This Minister Sun really can't wait!"
An Lingrong angrily cried, "Huan'er, he's slandering us! We can't just sit there and wait for death."
Concubine Duan said calmly, "Don't panic yet. The Emperor will understand this impeachment. Let's think of our response first, in case the Emperor summons us."
Zhen Huan took a deep breath. "Your Majesty is right. I, Zhen Huan, have a clear conscience and am not afraid of his impeachment. However, we must uncover the conspiracy behind this as soon as possible."
So, Zhen Huan, An Lingrong and Concubine Duan carefully planned in the palace how to deal with the impeachment of Minister Sun and how to use Miss Sun to restrain Minister Sun.
While waiting for the emperor's summons, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong ran around collecting evidence of Minister Sun's illegal activities.
One day, Zhen Huan ran into Miss Sun in the Imperial Garden. Miss Sun looked at Zhen Huan with a domineering look and said, "Zhen Huan, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you are favored in the palace. My father will not let you go."
Zhen Huan sneered, "Miss Sun, don't let your father use you without realizing it. Do you think everyone else knows about your family's scandals?"
Miss Sun's face changed: "You are talking nonsense!"
Zhen Huan approached her and whispered, "Your father is corrupt and accepting bribes in the court, forming a clique for personal gain. If the emperor knew about this, do you think your Sun family would still have a good life?"
Miss Sun was afraid, but she still said stubbornly, "If you can't produce any evidence, don't slander me."
Zhen Huan smiled softly: "Evidence? There will always be evidence. If you can persuade your father to stop, perhaps you can still preserve the prosperity of your Sun family."
After a confrontation with Miss Sun, Zhen Huan returned to her residence and said to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, Miss Sun may seem arrogant, but she's actually guilty. If we speed up the collection of evidence, we'll definitely make Minister Sun suffer the consequences."
An Lingrong nodded: "Huan'er, I will order someone to investigate further."
Finally, the emperor summoned Zhen Huan to confront Minister Sun.
In the court, Minister Sun firmly impeached Zhen Huan: "Your Majesty, Zhen Huan formed a clique with An Lingrong and others in the palace to seek personal gain and interfere in state affairs. Such behavior is extremely disrespectful. Please punish her severely."
Zhen Huan bowed respectfully to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I am innocent. Minister Sun is slandering me. I have only supported my sisters in the palace. How can you accuse me of forming a clique for personal gain? It is Minister Sun who has been found guilty of corruption and bribery, forming a clique for personal gain. The evidence is irrefutable. Your Majesty, please investigate."
As she spoke, Zhen Huan presented the evidence she had collected.
The emperor took the evidence and said with a gloomy expression: "Minister Sun, do you have any explanation?"
When Minister Sun saw the evidence, his face turned pale and he fell to his knees with a plop: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I was deceived by the treacherous people and did such a wrong thing."
The emperor said angrily, "As an important official of the court, you have committed such illegal acts and even attempted to slander others. Your crime is even more serious."
Minister Sun pleaded bitterly, "Your Majesty, I am willing to atone for my sins. My daughter, Miss Sun, is gentle and virtuous, and I am willing to send her to the palace to serve Your Majesty."
The emperor frowned. "How can you arbitrarily arrange the affairs of my harem? Minister Sun, I will deal with the crime you have committed justly."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong looked at each other, and both saw relief in each other's eyes. The storm seemed to have subsided, but they knew that the road to the palace was still full of unknowns and challenges.
On the way back to the palace, An Lingrong said to Zhen Huan, "Huan'er, this time we are all thanks to Concubine Duan's advice, otherwise it would not have been so easy for us to deal with it."
Zhen Huan nodded: "Yes, Lingrong. In this palace, one more ally means one more guarantee. But we can't always rely on others, we must continue to strengthen our own strength."
An Lingrong looked thoughtful. "Huan'er, you're right. I think I can put more effort into making spices and develop some unique spices to present to the Emperor to consolidate our position."
Zhen Huan smiled and said, "Lingrong, your idea is very good. I trust your skill in making incense."
However, not long after they returned to the palace, An Lingrong encountered a new problem with her spice making. She discovered that someone had secretly swapped the ingredients in her spices, causing the flavor of her spices to be much worse than before. An Lingrong was furious and anxious: "Huan'er, this must have been done intentionally to ruin my plan."
Zhen Huan comforted her, "Lingrong, don't worry. Let's first find out who did it, and then find a way to solve it. There are too many people in this palace who want to do bad things, so we have to be careful."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong then set out to investigate the substitution of spice ingredients. However, with so many people involved in the palace, finding the mastermind behind the incident proved difficult. They were once again caught in the maelstrom of the palace, and the future remained uncertain.