Traveling through another world to stir the emperor's heart

Jun Lingyuan brought Feng Qingyue back to the palace. Looking at the tall and majestic palace gate, Feng Qingyue thought to herself, "I'm back in this palace again."

She turned to Jun Lingyuan and said, "Give me a token that allows me to leave the palace." Jun Lingyuan responded lovingly, "Okay, but you have to promise me that you can't leave the palace in the near future. It's not safe."

Feng Qingyue nodded helplessly.

As soon as the two arrived at Jun Lingyuan's palace, the Queen Mother arrived. She was meticulously dressed in extravagant attire, her hair adorned with pearls and jade rustling softly as she moved. She walked into the palace with a deceptively slow, yet steady, step, a look of concern immediately crossing her face.

"My dear, you're finally back," the Queen Mother said, pressing her handkerchief gently against the corners of her eyes, as if wiping away tears that weren't there. "Your disappearance has left me terribly worried. I sent people everywhere to look for you, but couldn't find you. My dear, where have you been all this time? I've been so worried."

The emperor sneered inwardly, but pretended to be deeply moved on the surface and said, "Your son thanks your mother for her concern. The day I left the palace to look for Yue'er, I happened to see her being assassinated. I went to rescue her, but unexpectedly, we both fell off a cliff. Fortunately, a farmer at the bottom of the cliff rescued us. However, both Yue'er and I were seriously injured. We recuperated at the farmer's home. After our injuries improved, I contacted the Grand Tutor and was able to return to the palace."

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother said, "My dear, during your absence, the court must be left without someone to preside over the affairs. I can only announce that you are ill. My dear, please understand my difficulties."

Jun Lingyuan understood the Queen Mother's thoughts perfectly, but remained calm and responded respectfully, "Thank you very much, Mother, for your concern. I also know that court affairs cannot be neglected. I wonder if everything is going smoothly during my absence?"

The Queen Mother's heart tensed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. She smiled and said, "My dear Prince, although I have done my best, I am not as familiar with the affairs of the court as you are. During this period, I have only handled some routine government affairs. The major matters are still waiting for your return to decide."

Jun Lingyuan's lips curled up in an imperceptible arc, and he said, "Oh! Really? Thank you for your hard work, mother. From now on, the court affairs and government affairs will be handed over to me."

Feng Qingyue stood quietly nearby, listening clearly to the conversation between the Queen Mother and Jun Lingyuan. She knew: the palace's open and covert struggles had only just begun. The Queen Mother before her appeared gentle and kind, but in reality, she was a scheming and ruthless person. She glanced at Jun Lingyuan, only to see his eyes firm, as if he had already devised a plan.

The Queen Mother exchanged a few more pleasantries, and when she realized she could not get any more useful information from Jun Lingyuan, she left on the pretext of feeling unwell.

Jun Lingyuan looked at the Queen Mother's departing figure, his eyes turning cold. He turned to Feng Qingyue and said, "Yue'er, you have to be careful."

Feng Qingyue nodded obediently and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry, I will definitely not let myself suffer any loss. But you must be careful."

As night fell, the palace was enveloped in moonlight, a scene of tranquility and peace. Jun Lingyuan and Feng Qingyue walked together with steady steps towards Feng Qingyue's bedroom.

Inside Feng Qingyue's bedroom, candlelight flickered. Upon seeing the emperor and Feng Qingyue, the maids all knelt to greet them.

After they entered the house, Jun Lingyuan walked over to her, gently held her hand and said, "Tomorrow at court, the general will step forward and volunteer to lead the army. Do you want to see him off?"

When she heard this, a trace of loneliness flashed across Feng Qingyue's face.

She thought about how she was an orphan in modern times, without a father or a mother, and now she occupied the original owner's body. Everyone was very kind to her, and she felt reluctant to leave. She also understood: war is so cruel, and no one can guarantee a safe return.

Jun Lingyuan listened to Feng Qingyue's heartfelt words, held her hand tightly and comforted her, "Don't worry, they will all return safely."

Feng Qingyue smiled, raised her head and looked at Jun Lingyuan, her eyes full of trust, and said, "I hope so."

As if suddenly remembering something, Feng Qingyue frowned and said, "Your Majesty, we are returning to the palace. The Queen Mother and the Prime Minister may embarrass Father. Please arrange for someone to investigate."

Jun Lingyuan looked at her in surprise and said, "Why do you think so?"

Feng Qingyue crossed her arms, looked at Jun Lingyuan, and said, "Don't look at me. This is logically the case. Just like what's written in the script, everything is causally related."

Jun Lingyuan seemed to have heard something new. He looked at Feng Qingyue as if she were a rare treasure and said with a smile, "Our Yue'er is really smart. But don't worry, I have already made arrangements."

Feng Qingyue asked curiously, "What arrangements does Your Majesty have? Can you tell me?"

Jun Lingyuan gently scratched her nose and said, "Little girl, I can't tell you now. You will know when we go to court tomorrow."

Feng Qingyue pouted and said in a feigned anger, "Humph, Your Majesty always keeps us in suspense."

Jun Lingyuan took a sip of tea and said softly, "I'm just giving you a surprise. I won't let you or General Feng come to any harm."

Feng Qingyue snorted in her heart: "Tsk, you're making it seem so mysterious, it's not like we don't know." Jun Lingyuan just smiled and said nothing.

Meanwhile, the lights in the Prime Minister's residence were brightly lit. The Prime Minister, the eldest prince, and several trusted advisors were discussing matters for tomorrow's court in a secret room.

A counselor asked worriedly, "Sir, is our plan truly foolproof? What if His Majesty has already learned of our plot?"

The Prime Minister sneered and said, "Humph, His Majesty just returned to the palace, what could he know? Those young generals were carefully selected by us and will not reveal any flaws. As long as we act according to the plan tomorrow, we will definitely be able to overthrow General Feng."

Another counselor raised a question: "But sir, General Feng has a very high prestige in the army. What if other generals speak up for him?"

The Prime Minister narrowed his eyes and said, "Don't worry about that. We will emphasize in the court that the war on the border is not going well and put all the blame on General Feng. If other generals dare to speak for him, they will be disregarding the lives of the people on the border. They will not take such a risk."

After listening to the prime minister's advice, the counselors nodded in agreement.

The Prime Minister waved his hand and said, "Alright, everyone go back and make your preparations. Tomorrow at court, only success is allowed, failure is not."

Everyone then dispersed.

Inside the Queen Mother's palace, she was also tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She always felt uneasy, but she couldn't explain why.

The Queen Mother called out, "Someone, go and light my soothing incense."

The maids hurriedly obeyed, and soon the aroma of the tranquilizing incense filled the entire palace. The Queen Mother sniffed the fragrance and gradually closed her eyes.