A life of two souls traveling through time

As dawn broke and the sky turned crimson, the mist gradually dissipated over the bustling city. Birdsong lingered among the trees in the courtyard. At this moment, the Han Prince's mansion was completely silent. The servants were busy, but each one was as quiet as a cicada in winter.

In the backyard bedroom, the lingering fragrance of incense filled the air. Fallen petals slowly awoke, and there was Helian kneeling before the bed. She looked haggard, her forehead was covered in sweat, her lips were tightly clenched, and her brows were deeply furrowed. Every now and then, she would lightly pound her numb legs with her fists, as if she had been punished to kneel there all night.

"He Lian." Seeing that this girl was ultimately implicated by her, Luo Ying felt guilty and dared not look up at her. She only frowned slightly and called out in a hoarse voice.

"Your Highness? Your Highness, you're awake!"

Helian was half asleep when she suddenly heard a voice calling her. She was startled and looked up to see that Luoying had woken up. She was overjoyed and tried to get up, but her legs were numb and weak, so she stumbled and fell back to the ground. She then moved to Luoying's side with tears in her eyes and cried.

"Hel me up."

Luo Ying's heart softened, and she couldn't help but cough twice. Her pale lips twitched slightly as she forced a smile at her.

Helian responded and propped herself up on the bed. After recovering, she carefully helped Luoying up, then poured her a cup of warm tea and handed it to her, asking, "Your Highness has been sleeping for three days. You must be hungry. I will tell the kitchen to send you breakfast right away."

Luo Ying took a couple of sips of tea, shook her head, and said to her with a hint of guilt, "I'm sorry, I caused you to be punished."

At this moment, her black hair was disheveled, the wound on her forehead was wrapped in a cloth, her beautiful face had lost all color, leaving only a fragile paleness, and her once bright and sparkling eyes had become dull and lifeless, only showing weariness. The wound was still throbbing, causing her brows to furrow from time to time.

"Your Highness, what are you saying? It was only because I failed to protect you properly that Your Highness was injured. Compared to the suffering you have endured, what are my injuries?" He Lian said, her eyes welling up with tears.

Although three days had passed, the ferocious face of Consort Meng that day, which looked like she wanted to eat people, was still vivid in her mind, making her tremble with fear whenever she thought about it. If it weren't for the maid with a knife who was guarding outside who heard the noise and rushed in, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"I'm alright now, don't cry anymore." Seeing this, Luo Ying quickly reached out and pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed, comforting her. Then, her eyes darted to the quiet window, and she continued to ask, "Where are the other four?"

"Oh, Your Highness, you're finally awake!" Before Helian could reply, a middle-aged woman suddenly rushed in. Upon seeing Luoying awake, she immediately stepped forward with delight, curtsied, and smiled.

Upon seeing this, He Lian's expression turned serious, and she quickly got up and waited quietly by the bedside. Luo Ying noticed that the woman's face was unfamiliar, and seeing He Lian's trembling demeanor, she couldn't help but frown slightly.

"My name is Qiu. I am an old servant in the palace. I was ordered to come to the Prince's residence to serve the Princess. Is there anything the Princess would like to eat since she has just woken up? I will have someone make it for her right away!" Before Luo Ying could ask, the woman bowed and introduced herself.

"Thank you for your trouble, Granny Qiu. I have a terrible headache right now and no appetite. Granny Qiu, please go ahead with your work. He Lian is fine here." Luo Ying's fingertips, which were resting on the quilt, stiffened slightly. She forced herself to remain calm and raised her hand to lightly touch her forehead, speaking weakly.

"Oh dear, it was my oversight! I'll go fetch a doctor right away!" Upon hearing that the princess had a headache, the woman was immediately filled with fear and hurriedly retreated outside.

Seeing Granny Qiu leave, Luo Ying anxiously asked He Lian about the palace's reaction after learning of her injury. He Lian stammered as she explained that all the servants in the Han Prince's mansion, except for her, had been replaced by Yan Qiao. Now, Eunuch Zhang and Granny Qiu were ordered to manage the mansion, and the imperial tomb guard had been demoted and punished. This was only a lenient punishment by Yan Qiao, considering the imminent war.

Upon hearing this news, Luo Ying's heart sank to the bottom—it was truly a case of overreaching and making things worse, bringing trouble upon herself. From now on, Yan Qiao's spies would be everywhere in the Han Prince's mansion, and her actions would only be further hindered.

It wasn't until Granny Qiu brought the doctor that Luo Ying came to her senses, but she was already exhausted. She only gave the doctor a few listless replies and then ignored everyone else. He Lian and Granny Qiu assumed that the princess had just woken up from her serious injuries and had not yet recovered her energy.

At night, after taking her medicine, Luo Ying drifted off to sleep. She didn't know how much time had passed when she vaguely heard the sound of a door being pushed open. Then, a candlelight flickered, and footsteps entered quietly. A faint, sweet fragrance wafted into her nostrils, and she froze, instantly waking up—just as He Lian had said, since she was injured and fell into a coma, he had been quietly coming to the Han Prince's mansion every night.

Luo Ying suddenly thought about it again and couldn't help but feel secretly pleased, thinking that this self-inflicted injury might not be completely ineffective.

"Your Majesty, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices has sent a messenger with a message."

As Yan Qiao stepped into the bedchamber, a guard appeared outside the door without saying a word, holding a letter in both hands.

Luo Ying remained lying on the bed, pretending to sleep, her fingertips tightly gripping the corner of the blanket, listening intently to the sounds from the outer bedroom.

Yan Qiao opened the letter and then let out a cold laugh: "I knew long ago that Jing Song Kingdom didn't have the guts, but I don't mind playing along."

"Your Majesty, if this assassination attempt wasn't carried out by the Jing Song Kingdom, then it could be…"

"Inform the person in charge of the secret operation, and do not alert them. Continue the investigation."

"Yes."

The guards obeyed and quickly disappeared into the night. When Yan Qiao turned around and lifted the curtain to enter the inner chamber, she saw Luo Ying kneeling on both knees. She was still haggard and weak, her fairy-like figure swaying precariously, like a newly blooming begonia flower that had been ravaged by wind and rain, making her pitiful.

A hint of pity flashed in Yan Qiao's phoenix eyes, and she wanted to step forward to help her up, but she heard her speak in a faint, distant voice:

"It is against propriety for His Majesty to come here so late at night."

She easily broke the taboo that couldn't be spoken aloud, causing Yan Qiao's eyes to darken instantly. His thin lips pressed tightly together, and his hands, which were behind his back, clenched into fists, but quickly relaxed. He then chuckled and sat down by the window, gazing at her for a long time before softly asking:

"Does your head still hurt?"

"I was confused for a moment and trespassed into the forbidden area of ​​the imperial mausoleum, violating the rites of the ancestral temple. Furthermore, I angered Consort Meng with my slip of the tongue and disturbed the ancestral spirits. I deserve to die a thousand deaths. I am willing to listen to Your Majesty's judgment!" Luo Ying did not answer, but only prostrated herself on the ground to beg for forgiveness. The wound on her forehead accidentally hit the ground, and she was in so much pain that tears welled up in her eyes, but she gritted her teeth.

"It's good that you know you were wrong, get up." Yan Qiao didn't see the pain on her face clearly, and when she saw her kneeling solemnly, she couldn't help but laugh.

Luo Ying remained unmoved, silently continuing to kneel before him.

"What? Is Princess Shuyi dissatisfied with my leniency towards you?" Yan Qiao narrowed her phoenix eyes, twirling the jade thumb ring on her thumb, and said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, I dare not presume. I am deeply grateful that Your Majesty has come to visit me out of brotherly affection. However... it is late, and I beg Your Majesty..."

"Thinking of brotherly affection?"

Before Luo Ying could finish speaking, Yan Qiao let out a cold laugh. He gripped the jade ring tightly, his phoenix eyes darkened, he was angry but did not speak, and his whole body was filled with a bit of a chilling aura.

Luo Ying felt the emperor's imposing presence before her and couldn't help but tremble. She secretly regretted her actions: Had she overacted? If she had truly angered the Western Moon Emperor and driven him away, wouldn't this self-inflicted injury ruse have been wasted?

"When did Princess Han become so close to the Rong family?" After a long silence in the room, Yan Qiao took a deep breath and then said with a half-smile.

"Three days ago, I was picking lotus flowers in the Purple Garden when, unfortunately, the two imperial brothers-in-law also came to visit. That's how we met. But I knew my place and left in a hurry without saying a word to them." Seeing that the other party had finally spoken, Luo Ying secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she raised her eyes with tears in them and replied truthfully, looking pitiful.

According to He Lian, during her coma, the Empress also came to visit Han Wang's mansion, accompanied by the Imperial Uncle Rong Linze.

"Well said, you know your place!" Yan Qiao's gaze softened but remained unfathomable. He finished speaking calmly and then suddenly stood up: "Take good care of your injuries. Don't leave the manor for the next three months." With that, his elegant and slender figure darted out of the inner chamber.

Once the bedchamber was quiet, Luo Ying slumped to the ground with a sigh of relief, her eyes suddenly darkening. She couldn't help but laugh at herself: Was he going to punish her by confining her for three months? Yan Qiao wasn't her elder brother after all; he wouldn't easily lose his mind in the face of beauty. And what Yan Qiao had just said—that this assassination attempt wasn't carried out by Jing Song—could it be...?

Thinking of this, Luo Ying's eyes widened, revealing her anxiety—now that I am under house arrest and surrounded by Yan Qiao's spies, how can I get the news out?