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

Chapter 254: Dangerous Battle in the Cold Palace

Zhen Huan shouted, "Sister Lingrong and Concubine Hua, don't be afraid! These rats must be manipulated by the mastermind behind this, and they want to eliminate us here!"

An Lingrong held the sachet in her hand and said calmly, "Huan'er, this sachet contains homemade spices. It might confuse them for a moment, but the effect is limited."

Concubine Hua responded domineeringly: "No matter what kind of spices they are, I will fight them to the death today! Let's see who dares to touch us!"

Someone in the shadows sneered, "Three ladies, you can't escape even if you have wings. Just wait and accept your death!"

Zhen Huan shouted angrily, "Don't be so arrogant! Who are you? Why are you ambushing us here?"

The shadowy figure said, "Humph, we are just following orders. As for the rest, you don't need to know."

At this time, the chief guard said, "Your Majesty, these people have strange martial arts skills. We must be careful when dealing with them."

Zhen Huan nodded: "Do your best to resist, don't fight too long, look for their weaknesses."

An Lingrong whispered to Zhen Huan, "Huan'er, I see there's something we can exploit in the layout of this cold palace. If we can lure them into that blind spot, we might be able to turn defeat into victory."

Zhen Huan's eyes lit up: "Lingrong, you are thoughtful and considerate. This is indeed a good idea."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Hua shouted, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's fight and retreat at the same time to lure them over."

Everyone began to move slowly towards the blind spot that An Lingrong mentioned, and the black shadows followed closely.

Suddenly, An Lingrong threw out the sachet, and a strange fragrance filled the air. The shadows slowed down for a moment, and Zhen Huan took the opportunity to shout, "Now, retreat over there!"

But just when they were about to reach the blind spot, another group of men in black appeared in front of them.

Concubine Hua gnashed her teeth and said, "These people are so cunning, attacking me from both sides. Do they think I am easy to bully?"

Zhen Huan's heart sank. "It seems today's battle is likely to be disastrous. But we must not give up."

An Lingrong looked around and said, "Huan'er, these newly appeared men in black seem different from the previous ones. Their attire... seems like they belong to some mysterious organization."

Zhen Huan looked at him carefully. "Are you saying that this person isn't Prince Shen or one of the important officials in the court, but someone else?"

An Lingrong said, "I'm just guessing. But if that's the case, then we have even more enemies."

Hua Fei shouted angrily: "If one comes, kill one, if two come, kill a pair! I want to see how many of them can fill this cold palace!"

The battle intensified, and many of the guards were injured. Zhen Huan was extremely anxious: "This is not a solution. We must find a way to break out."

An Lingrong suddenly thought, "Huan'er, Sister Hua Fei, I've heard of a lost sonic technique that can disturb the mind. I only have a passing knowledge of it, but I think I can give it a try. I just need you to buy me a moment."

Zhen Huan said without hesitation: "Okay, Lingrong, do as you please. We will protect you."

Hua Fei also said: "With me here, who dares to approach you!"

An Lingrong sat cross-legged on the ground, channeling her sonic energy. At first, the sound was faint, but gradually grew stronger, like a sharp whistle echoing through the cold palace.

Affected by the sound waves, the black shadows began to move slowly, revealing their flaws.

Seeing this, Zhen Huan shouted, "Rush out now!"

Summoning their courage, they fought their way towards the side with fewer black-clad men. Swords clashed, sparks flew. Zhen Huan, An Lingrong, and Concubine Hua supported each other, and with the guards' desperate protection, they finally broke free from the encirclement.

Hua Fei panted: "Finally it's out, but we can't just let it go like this."

Zhen Huan said, "Of course not. We must find out the origins of these men in black and the mastermind behind them."

An Lingrong said, "I'm worried that the conspiracy behind this is more complicated than we imagined, and that more forces are involved."

Zhen Huan pondered for a moment: "No matter what, let's return to the palace and make a long-term plan. We must inform the emperor about this matter of the cold palace and ask him to send more people to protect the harem."

After returning to the palace, Zhen Huan immediately asked to see the emperor.

Zhen Huan said anxiously, "Your Majesty, I was attacked in the cold palace. Those men in black came with great force, and it seems that multiple forces were involved. Please, Your Majesty, help me."

The Emperor was furious: "How could this happen! I will not tolerate it. Huanhuan, please tell me in detail."

Zhen Huan recounted in detail what happened in the cold palace, including An Lingrong's discovery and response.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor's face darkened. "There is such chaos within the harem. I will have a thorough investigation into that mysterious organization and any connection to Prince Shen or important officials at court."

Zhen Huan continued, "Your Majesty, I feel this matter may be related to the previous incident involving Prince Duan. I hope Your Majesty will investigate it thoroughly."

The Emperor nodded. "I understand. Huanhuan, you, Lingrong, and Concubine Hua must be extra careful these days. I will arrange for more guards to protect you."

Zhen Huan thanked him and left. When she returned to her palace, An Lingrong and Concubine Hua were already waiting for her.

Hua Fei asked, "What does the emperor say?"

Zhen Huan said, "The Emperor will investigate this matter thoroughly. But we cannot rely solely on the Emperor. We must find the truth on our own."

An Lingrong said, "I have a feeling that the mysterious organization that appeared in the cold palace seems to be looking for something, perhaps something related to Prince Duan?"

Concubine Hua was puzzled: "Prince Duan has been deposed for many years. What could be so worthy of such a big fuss?"

Zhen Huan pondered, "This is what we need to find out. I've asked Xiao Yunzi to inquire about that mysterious organization and see if there's anything we can find."

A few days later, Xiao Yunzi came to report: "My Lady, I have found out that the mysterious organization seems to be called the Shadow Cult. They appear and disappear in the martial arts world, and are good at assassination and finding secret treasures."

Zhen Huan frowned, "The Shadow Cult? The secret treasure? What does this have to do with Prince Duan?"

An Lingrong asked, "Could it be that when Prince Duan was framed, some treasure was hidden away, and the Shadow Cult wants to take it for themselves, or use it to achieve some purpose?"

Hua Fei said, "No matter what, if the Shadow Cult acts recklessly in the harem, it will definitely cause unrest. We must find a way to stop them first."

Zhen Huan said, "Sister, you are right. We should first strengthen the defenses in the palace, especially those places where items related to Prince Duan may be hidden."

So, Zhen Huan, An Lingrong and Hua Fei began to make arrangements in the palace, arranging guards and palace maids to keep an eye out for suspicious people and things.

But just as they were busy, news came that an old nanny in the palace had suddenly disappeared, and this old nanny had stayed in Prince Duan's Mansion.

Zhen Huan had a bad feeling: "This old nanny's disappearance is definitely not accidental. I'm afraid it was the Shadow Cult's doing. They must want to learn something from the old nanny."

An Lingrong said, "Then we must find the old nanny as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous."

Hua Fei said: "But this harem is so big, how easy is it to find someone?"

Zhen Huan said, "We must search no matter how difficult it is. We can start from the old nanny's residence to see if there are any clues left behind."

Everyone went to the old nanny's residence and searched carefully. Zhen Huan found a strange jade pendant under the bed, which was engraved with some strange symbols.

An Lingrong took the jade pendant and examined it. "I've never seen this symbol before. Could it be a mark related to Prince Duan?"

Hua Fei said, "Whether it is true or not, take it first. It may come in handy."

As they were studying the jade pendant, a commotion erupted outside the palace. It turned out to be members of the Shadow Cult making trouble outside the palace gates, demanding entry to search.

Zhen Huan said angrily, "How dare they be so bold as to openly shout outside the palace gate."

Hua Fei said: "I will go and meet them and see what they can do!"

Zhen Huan stopped her, "Sister, please don't be impulsive. Let's go back to the palace and discuss countermeasures. The Shadow Cult dares to act like this, so they must have a plan."

The three of them hurried back to the palace, where a new crisis and challenge lay before them. Whether they could resolve the crisis again and find the truth in the fog of the palace was still unknown. They could only move forward with firm faith, wisdom and courage.