After her luck was taken away, she fell in love with the woman who traveled through time.

Liang Tan was suddenly filled with despair. Just as she was thinking about how to survive, Cui Ling, who had been staring at her, suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice: "My Lady..."

Liang Tan was shocked and looked at him in astonishment: "You... recognized me?"

Cui Ling leaned over and helped her up. When he spoke again, his eyes were red: "Even if your Majesty turned into ashes, I would recognize her."

Liang Tan stared at him blankly. She felt relieved after a day of worry. She smiled suddenly, but also a little sad: "Why are you so sure? You have met so many liars, aren't you afraid that I am also a liar? Aren't you afraid that I am an imposter? Besides, don't you find it strange that I am back now when I was clearly dead?"

Cui Ling restrained himself and used his eyes to describe her eyebrows and eyes, and raised the corners of his lips for a long time: "My queen is a fairy above the nine heavens, a compassionate bodhisattva, with wisdom and spirituality. How can life and death stop you?"

Liang Tan suddenly didn't know what to say. He stared at him for a long time and then laughed: "Yes, I'm back."

Cui Ling's Adam's apple moved, and after a long time he raised his hand and held her in his arms.

Liang Tan was stunned at first, and then gave him a hug as if they were a family reunion after a long separation.

When following Cui Ling back to his residence, Liang Tan thought of the women who were running around, and quickly pulled Cui Ling's sleeve: "Cui Ling."

Cui Ling looked back at her and understood: "I will order them to keep their lives and expel them from the palace."

"Then hurry up, or they will die." Liang Tan frowned. It was just imitating her and trying to take a shortcut, which was not a big mistake.

Seeing her anxious, Cui Ling whispered to comfort her: "It's not too late. There are many rules for poisoning in the palace. It will take at least half an hour before the execution. You can go back with me first, and I will ask someone to rescue them."

Upon hearing this, Liang Tan hurriedly followed him.

Cui Ling raised his lips, lowered his eyes and took her back to his residence. As soon as he stepped into the yard, he called a little eunuch.

"Give the order to spare the lives of those counterfeiters and expel them from the palace." He spoke slowly.

The young eunuch was stunned. When he looked up and met Cui Ling's calm eyes, he made up his mind: "Yes."

The young eunuch agreed and left in a hurry. Cui Ling then looked at Liang Tan and said, "It's been solved."

Upon hearing this, Liang Tan stopped worrying and looked around his room.

Cui Ling was the only eunuch in the palace who had not been castrated. His bedroom was a confidential place, carrying his greatest secrets day and night, and no one was allowed to enter or leave. When someone accidentally broke in, he was still executed in front of everyone even though there were no loopholes in the room.

However, now, Liang Tan can walk around and touch and look around curiously, but he is like a wild animal whose fur is stroked, just following him with his eyes, without any vigilance at all.

"Your room is really big," Liang Tan smiled and turned around, just in time to meet his gaze, "It looks bigger than the master bedroom of Fengxi Palace."

Cui Ling raised his lips: "The people below are good at flattering us. They combined two side-by-side houses into one, which makes it look bigger."

"It's good for decoration, everything is good." Liang Tan said, picking up a jade ornament to play with.

Cui Ling walked forward and glanced at her slender fingers: "If your majesty likes it, you can stay here for a while."

"Me? Live here?" Liang Tan opened his eyes wide, "How can that be possible? I am a concubine, and living here with you will cause you trouble."

"No, I can handle it." Cui Ling looked at her steadily.

Liang Tan laughed: "Is Cui Ling so powerful now?"

Cui Ling couldn't laugh: "At least I can protect the queen."

Knowing that he still cares about the assassination attempt, Liang Tan sighed and patted his arm: "I will be careful in the future and will not let this happen again."

Cui Ling lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Liang Tan smiled to liven up the atmosphere: "Also, don't call me Madam, and don't call yourself a slave in front of me. I am just a little showgirl now, it would be bad if others heard it."

"Your Majesty will always be my master." Cui Ling said seriously.

Liang Tan was helpless: "Cui Ling."

"...Okay." As soon as she called his name, he just wanted to obey her.

The two of them fell silent for a moment, and Liang Tan then looked at him twice more.

At the age of twenty-seven, he looked much more mature, his features became more distinct, his eyes more steadier, and his face was as delicate as porcelain. He was obviously a normal man, but he didn't even have stubble, and his face was as clean as a peeled egg.

Her heart moved, and she couldn't help but reach out and touch his chin.

Cui Ling's Adam's apple moved for a moment, but his face didn't show it at all: "Is there any problem?"

"I just think your skin is very good, but what medicine did you use?" Liang Tan withdrew his hand.

Cui Ling raised the corner of his lips: "Well, I took some medicine, it's no harm to my body."

"Bring the medicine here for me to see." Liang Tan was still worried.

Cui Ling finally smiled this time: "Give the medicine to the queen... Here, do you understand?"

"You have to read it even if you don't understand it." Liang Tan glared at him unhappily.

Cui Ling had no choice but to turn around and walk to the wall, open a secret compartment in front of her, and take out a small porcelain bottle.

"It's hidden so tightly." Liang Tan joked.

"It's better to be cautious." Cui Ling said, handing her the porcelain bottle.

Liang Tan opened it and sniffed it, and even poured out a little to observe it like him, looking serious as if she really understood it. Cui Ling kept looking at her with a smile, until she suddenly poured the medicine in her palm into her mouth, and then she frowned instantly: "My queen!"

"Everyone said don't call me queen... bitter!" Liang Tan's face changed.

Cui Ling quickly poured her a cup of tea. Because no one dared to enter his room, the tea on the table was always cold, which was convenient for Liang Tan to rinse her mouth.

Seeing her rinse her mouth several times before stopping, Cui Ling felt helpless: "Why do you eat everything?"

"If you don't try it, how do you know if this medicine is harmful to your body?" Liang Tan was also confident. She really didn't understand herbal medicine, but she knew that if this medicine was harmful, Cui Ling would never let her take it. Even if she took it, he would immediately take her to see the imperial physician, instead of just letting her rinse her mouth.

"You know I can't do anything to you." Cui Ling naturally knew why she wanted to taste it.

Liang Tan smiled and walked around the room again. Cui Ling followed her and spoke after a long silence: "My queen, do you want to leave the palace?"

Liang Tan was stunned.

Cui Ling's throat was tight and she could hardly speak, but she still spoke with difficulty: "I will have someone cross out your name. You stay here and I will send you out of the palace in a few days."

Liang Tan stopped walking and asked: "Why do you want to leave the palace?"

"You don't like it here." Cui Ling answered confidently, a fact he had already seen many years ago.

Liang Tan paused: "But you are here."

Cui Ling was slightly stunned.

"Where can I go when you are here?" Liang Tan looked at him helplessly.

Cui Ling stared at her for a long time, and his heart suddenly fell: "Then stay, I will protect you."

Liang Tan smiled, thought for a moment and then said, "I don't want to be a concubine or queen anymore. Can you let me be a palace maid? It would be best if I don't have to worry about anything and just stay by your side."

After all, she had been the mistress of the harem, had raised children herself, and now she held great power in the government. She felt that she could still make this request.

As expected, Cui Ling nodded: "Of course I can, but it will be unfair to you."

"It would be unfair to deal with that old man again," Liang Tan said with a sigh, "I don't have the protection of time now, so I can't be sure whether he will have any evil intentions towards me."

Cui Ling looked at her smooth face after hearing this, and nodded after a moment of silence: "Got it."

Cui Ling was extremely efficient. After he finished speaking, he asked Liang Tan to wait in the room while he went to the nanny who was in charge of the files of the concubines.

Half an hour later, everything was done, and he hurried to his residence with the new clothes he had asked for from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This was the first time he had shown his eagerness outside since Liang Tan's death, but he didn't care at all, and only wanted to go to the palace.

"I'm back." He couldn't help but speak as soon as he stepped into the door.

But no one answered.

Cui Ling's face changed and he rushed into the room. The next moment he saw her lying on her bed, sleeping soundly with a frown on her face.

Cui Ling suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away. He stood alone for a long time before silently walking forward and carefully covering her with the quilt.

The room was silent, with expensive spices costing ten gold coins per inch lit.

He stood by the bed, using his eyes to describe her features in a calming atmosphere. Nine years had passed before he knew it. They had not seen each other for nine years. He had been walking alone in the storm all these years. It seemed that he did not miss her much. But every time he closed his eyes, he would always think of her lying in a pool of blood, and the pair of cold eyes he had accidentally met before he stepped out of Fengxi Palace.

Cui Ling stared at Liang Tan's face, finally leaned forward, raised his fingers and lightly touched her slightly wrinkled brows.

Liang Tan, who was sleeping, felt the coolness of his fingertips and couldn't help but snort. Cui Ling withdrew his hand abruptly as if he had been electrocuted and twisted his fingers awkwardly.

Liang Tan slept until almost midnight. When he opened his eyes, he saw Cui Ling sitting on the footstool and sleeping soundly on the edge of the bed.

Liang Tan stared at him for a while and said helplessly: "Why do you frown even when you sleep?"

As she spoke, she reached out her hand to smooth his brows. Cui Ling, who was sleeping soundly, moved a little, and the next moment he slowly opened his eyes.

"Did I wake you?" she asked, blinking.

Cui Ling stared at her for a moment, and after making sure it was not a dream, he sat up and said, "No, I wasn't asleep to begin with. Why are you awake at this time?"

"I'm hungry." Liang Tan looked at him eagerly.

Cui Ling laughed and asked someone to go to the small kitchen to make some food and send it over.

Liang Tan hadn't eaten a single bite of food since she traveled through time. When she saw the freshly cooked food, she suddenly forgot about everything else. Cui Ling watched her concentrate on eating, and stood by her side, picking up food for her with chopsticks.

"You haven't had dinner yet, right? Don't just focus on me." Liang Tan glanced at him.

Cui Ling raised his lips: "I'm not hungry."

She ignored him and directly picked up a meatball and handed it to his mouth: "Ah——"

Cui Ling smiled and bit the meatball. Liang Tan was satisfied and forced him to sit on the chair: "I've already said that I'm no longer the queen. You don't have to follow the rules of master and servant."

"It's my duty to serve you." Cui Ling's voice was gentle.

Liang Tan glanced at him and said, "There is no right or wrong. If you continue like this, I will not live here anymore."

She was powerless now, and couldn't go anywhere except here, so this threat was nothing. Cui Ling nodded seriously and said, "I will change."

Liang Tan was satisfied then and took the initiative to help him set the table.

After the two of them finished their meal, Liang Tan turned around and fell onto the bed, lying there motionless.

"Go out and digest the food." Cui Ling advised.

Liang Tan looked at him lazily and said, "Maybe tomorrow. I'm too tired today."

Thinking about how she was caught and escaped today, Cui Ling didn't say anything more and just stood there motionless.

Liang Tan closed his eyes and dozed off for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, he found that he was still standing there. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Anything else?"

Cui Ling's Adam's apple moved, and his black eyes looked at her steadily: "I want to stay."

Liang Tan was stunned for a moment, then sat up: "Then I'll go to the side room." There are the most rooms in the palace anyway.

Cui Ling pursed her thin lips, neither nodded nor shook her head, just looked at her quietly.

Liang Tan understood and said helplessly: "There is only one bed in this room."

"I can sleep on the floor." Cui Ling replied.

Liang Tan had a headache: "Why are you doing this..."

"Madam," Cui Ling called her, then remembered her instructions, so after a moment of silence, she spoke again, "Liang Tan."

It was the first time he called her name, just two simple words, but he said it very awkwardly.

Not only did he sound awkward, Liang Tan also felt awkward listening to him, but both of them concealed this awkwardness very well.

"Liang Tan," he called her again, "I'm afraid you'll leave."

"I'm already back, why would I leave?" Liang Tan smiled helplessly.

Cui Ling stood there stubbornly.

Finally, Liang Tan gave in: "Put on two more quilts. The floor is too cold."

After getting her permission, Cui Ling was finally happy. He immediately went to the closet to take out all the quilts, then carried them all the way to the door.

Liang Tan saw what he was planning and quickly stopped him: "No!"

Cui Ling frowned and turned back: "Do you regret it?"

"…I'm not regretting it. It's just that there's wind at the door and you'll be cold at night." This person must be afraid that she would leave. Liang Tan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Come over here, don't stay there."

Cui Ling was silent for a long time, but finally walked towards her and put down the bedding beside the bed.

Liang Tan breathed a sigh of relief and lay down again. Cui Ling made the quilt and turned off the light, and the room suddenly fell into darkness.

One of them was lying on the bed, and the other was lying on the floor, but neither of them felt sleepy. They just listened to each other's breathing quietly.

After a long while, Liang Tan asked, "Cui Ling, have you been doing well these past few years?"

Cui Ling glanced sideways, his eyes piercing through the darkness and landing on the bed curtains. After a while, he said, "Not good."

"I'm having a hard time when you're not around." Cui Ling continued to stare at the bed curtain. He shouldn't have told the truth, shouldn't have made her sad, but after meeting again after a long separation, he didn't want to pretend that everything was normal.

Liang Tan was indeed sad: "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have died."

Cui Ling heard this and raised the corners of his lips a little: "Stupid or not, who wants to die?"