Traveling through another world to stir the emperor's heart

After Jun Lingyuan received the note, a playful smile played on his lips. He gently shook the note in his hand, his eyes fixed on Feng Qingyue. He said jokingly, "My beloved, you look so nervous. Is there some unspeakable secret hidden in this note? Are you hiding something from me?"

Feng Qingyue secretly groaned inwardly, her eyes fixed on the note in Jun Lingyuan's hand, her mind racing like gears as she diligently thought of a response strategy. Seeing Jun Lingyuan pressing her every step, she steeled her resolve and fabricated a lie: "Your Majesty, I... I once had a crush on someone, and this note may contain some memories of him."

Upon hearing this, Jun Lingyuan's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a bone-chilling chill. His eyes widened, filled with anger and disbelief. In that moment, he forgot that the person before him wasn't the real Feng Qingyue. He had never imagined that his beloved concubine harbored someone else in her heart.

Feng Qingyue took advantage of Jun Lingyuan's momentary pause and reached out without hesitation to snatch the notebook away. Jun Lingyuan finally came to his senses and instinctively wanted to take the notebook back, but Feng Qingyue had already quickly hidden it behind her back.

"My dear, you are so brave!" Jun Lingyuan's voice was filled with a hint of anger that he tried hard to suppress.

Feng Qingyue lowered her head, not daring to meet Jun Lingyuan's eyes. She whispered, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. That's all in the past. Now, Your Majesty is the only one in my heart. This note... this note is just a relic from my youth and ignorance. I wish to destroy it and completely sever those thoughts from the past."

Jun Lingyuan stared at Feng Qingyue, his fury still blazing. But seeing her pitiful appearance, he couldn't help but hesitate. He didn't know whether he should pursue the matter further or believe what Feng Qingyue said. After all, deep down, he had feelings for this woman that were difficult to express in words.

"My dear, you'd better tell the truth." Jun Lingyuan said coldly.

Feng Qingyue's body trembled slightly, and she nodded gently: "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you."

Jun Lingyuan gave her a deep look, then turned and walked out of the room. Feng Qingyue watched Jun Lingyuan's departing figure and breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that she had gotten away with it for now, but what would she do next? She looked at the note in her hand, her heart filled with endless worry.

Feng Qingyue gently opened the note and examined its contents by the dim candlelight. The handwriting was beautiful, recording the original owner's thoughts. These included her concerns about her family, her aspirations for the future, and some girlish sentiments. Feng Qingyue read carefully, wanting to learn more about the original owner so she could better maintain her disguise in this general's mansion.

After Jun Lingyuan returned to his room, the image of Feng Qingyue's face when she'd mentioned she had a crush on someone kept resurfacing in his mind. His heart felt like it was tangled in a knot, a knot he couldn't untie. He began to doubt his previous judgment of Feng Qingyue.

After Feng Qingyue finished reading the note, her mood grew heavier. She put the note back where it belonged and walked towards her room.

Feng Qingyue returned to her room and slowly lay down on the bed. However, the contents of the notebook kept appearing in her mind, and her thoughts were gradually drawn back to the memories of the original owner.

The original owner, Feng Qingyue, had been a bright and clever child since childhood, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and was also a master of embroidery and needlework. She was like an incomparably bright pearl, radiating a unique and dazzling light within the general's mansion. Her parents treated her like the apple of their eye, and her brother doted on this little sister.

In this general's mansion, the original owner's life was filled with warmth and laughter. Her family's upbringing was extremely strict, and she lived up to their expectations, mastering ancient etiquette with remarkable thoroughness. During her time in her boudoir, her life was simple and pure, spent every day studying poetry, playing the zither, or engaging in needlework.

The original owner had a childhood sweetheart. However, this man, driven by his lust for power, wanted to marry the prime minister's daughter. Furthermore, he even wanted her to be his concubine. Unable to bear this indignity, the original owner agreed to enter the palace. Before her marriage, the original owner's world was practically devoid of men. She had always been a well-behaved young woman, strictly adhering to her family's teachings, never leaving the house. Even when servants occasionally came in and out of the palace, she always avoided them. As for the Emperor, Jun Lingyuan, she had only met him from a distance on a few rare occasions. At the time, her mind was simple, and she didn't have a deep impression of the emperor. She only caught a fleeting glimpse of him, and then she immersed herself in her own boudoir life.

Feng Qingyue couldn't help but sigh. The original owner's life had been so smooth, while she now had to struggle to navigate this unfamiliar world under her identity. She felt both pity for the original owner and worry about her own situation. If Jun Lingyuan discovered that she wasn't the real Feng Qingyue, not only would her own life be in jeopardy, but everyone in the general's mansion would also be implicated.

Suddenly, Feng Qingyue sat up from her bed, a thought intruding upon her mind: Where had the original owner gone? She had inexplicably arrived in this world, possessing the original owner's body. Had the original owner been transported to their own time? This thought startled her. If that were the case, then if she could return, would the original owner also return? She began to ponder the connection, but the more she thought, the more her headache grew.

She knew full well that she didn't belong in this world. While everything here was full of novelty, it was also fraught with danger. She missed her old life, the convenience and freedom of the modern world. But if she really went back, what would happen to the General's Mansion? What would happen to Jun Lingyuan? She shook her head helplessly, feeling that her thoughts were a bit too far-fetched. After all, she wasn't even sure how to survive in this world right now.

Meanwhile, Jun Lingyuan was also distraught in his room. He pondered over Feng Qingyue's words from the previous night, and something seemed increasingly strange to him. The information the secret guards had given him indicated that Feng Qingyue had lived a secluded life before her marriage. How could someone suddenly appear to be in love with her? The more he thought about it, the more he felt like Feng Qingyue was hiding something, but he couldn't figure it out.

His mind kept replaying every moment he had spent with her. From the first time he saw her in the tree, he was curious about who this woman was. Although he noticed her bold behavior, he didn't take it too seriously at the time.

As time went by, Feng Qingyue's every smile and frown seemed to take root in his heart. He remembered her occasional playful remarks, and even then, he felt that this woman was different, unlike the other women in the palace, who were so reserved and rigid. She would chase butterflies in the imperial garden, her clear laughter like a silver bell. That scene, like the most beautiful painting of spring, was deeply etched in his mind.

But now, she suddenly mentioned that she once had a crush on someone, which made Jun Lingyuan's feelings become complicated. He was jealous of the man who once occupied Feng Qingyue's heart. He didn't know what his feelings for Feng Qingyue were, nor did he know how to treat her. This tangled emotion kept him awake for a long time that night.