flstandardbreds Chapter 182 Ling Huan Debunks Rumors and Protects Xiang's Reputation
Chapter 182 Ling Huan Debunks Rumors and Protects Xiang's Reputation
An Lingrong's face turned pale upon hearing the rumor. She said anxiously, "Huan'er, if this rumor spreads, the spice shop will be annihilated, and I will have difficulty staying in the palace. What should I do?"
Zhen Huan gently patted her back and soothed her, "Lingrong, don't panic. Let's calm down and think about where this rumor came from."
At this time, Bao Que hurried in and reported, "My lady, I have heard that this rumor seems to have been spread by a eunuch in the Imperial Household Department. That eunuch often has dealings with some spice merchants outside the palace."
An Lingrong's eyes glared. "Someone must have deliberately framed me and bribed the eunuch. Huan'er, I want to meet that eunuch and get to the bottom of this."
Zhen Huan nodded: "I will go with you, so that I can take care of you."
The two of them went to the Imperial Household Department and met the eunuch. An Lingrong said coldly, "Eunuch, why are you spreading rumors and slandering my spice shop?"
The eunuch knelt down with a thud, but he stubbornly said, "My lady, I am innocent! I only heard a few words from others, but I did not spread any rumors."
Zhen Huan asked, "Who did you hear that from? If you don't tell me the truth, I will not let you off easily."
The eunuch hesitated, "Your servant... Your servant cannot speak. If you speak, your life will be over."
An Lingrong said, "If you don't tell me, your life is in danger. Have you thought about it carefully? Do you want to be punished now, or tell the truth and seek forgiveness?"
The eunuch hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Yes... it was a master who gave me money and asked me to spread rumors in the palace. He also said that if I could make the young lady fall out of favor, there would be a generous reward."
Zhen Huan asked, "Which sir is it?"
The eunuch trembled and said, "He is... He is a good friend of Concubine Jing's brother who was punished before. He wants to avenge Concubine Jing's brother."
An Lingrong said angrily, "They really won't give up!"
Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said to An Lingrong, "Lingrong, we can't convince the public with just this eunuch's one-sided statement. We need to find more solid evidence."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er is right. I think we can start with the spice merchants he dealt with. Perhaps we can find some clues."
So, they sent someone to secretly investigate the spice merchant. A few days later, the person they sent returned with a report: "Your Majesty, Young Master, we've discovered that the spice merchant recently received a batch of spices of unknown origin, and it seems he's trying to frame Young Master Lingrong's spice shop."
Zhen Huan said, "What a sinister plot! We must not let them succeed."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, I think we can use their trick against them. We can pretend to be unaware first, and then catch them red-handed when they make a move."
Zhen Huan's eyes lit up: "This is a brilliant plan."
A few days later, the spice merchant took advantage of the night and secretly transported a batch of spices to the vicinity of the spice shop, intending to secretly put them into the spice shop and put the blame on others.
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong, who were well prepared, arrived with their guards and captured them on the spot.
Zhen Huan said sternly, "How dare you frame Lady An Lingrong here!"
The spice merchant was so frightened that he knelt down and begged for mercy: "My Lady, my young master, it was us who were blinded by our greed and were ordered by that master. Please spare our lives."
An Lingrong said, "If you want to live, you must tell him all about his conspiracy and hand over all your correspondence and other evidence."
The spice merchant quickly agreed and presented the evidence.
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong returned to see the Emperor with the evidence. After bowing, Zhen Huan said, "Your Majesty, the recent rumors in the palace about Concubine An Lingrong's spice shop are a deliberate frame-up by a close friend of Concubine Jing's brother. He bribed the spice merchants and the eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department in an attempt to defame Concubine An Lingrong and disrupt the harem. Please investigate."
The emperor took the evidence and his face darkened. "How could this happen! These people are truly audacious."
An Lingrong said, "Your Majesty, my spice shop has always been law-abiding and we don't own any banned spices. Please, Your Majesty, make this decision for me."
The Emperor nodded. "I will take care of it myself. That friend of Concubine Jing's brother, along with the spice merchant and the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department, will be severely punished. No leniency will be shown."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong thanked the Emperor and left the palace. Zhen Huan said with relief, "Lingrong, we've successfully resolved the crisis again this time, and the spice shop has been saved."
An Lingrong breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks to Huan'er for planning with me, otherwise I really don't know what to do. But the conspiracies and intrigues in this palace are really hard to guard against."
Zhen Huan said, "As long as we sisters work together, we can overcome any difficulties. However, after this incident, we must be more cautious to avoid being plotted against again."
An Lingrong nodded: "Huan'er is absolutely right."
But just when they thought the storm had subsided, another foreign princess came to marry the emperor. This princess was young, beautiful, and good at singing and dancing. She attracted the emperor's attention as soon as she entered the palace. This undoubtedly brought new challenges and crises to Zhen Huan and An Lingrong. How should they gain a firm foothold in this new situation and protect their friendship and status in the palace?