Traveling through another world to stir the emperor's heart

The early morning sunlight shines through the cracks in the window and gently falls on the two people sleeping in each other's arms on the bed in the house.

Feng Qingyue drowsily opened her eyes, only to feel a warmth before her eyes and the distinct scent of Jun Lingyuan filling her nostrils. She instantly regained consciousness, realizing she was clinging to Jun Lingyuan like an octopus. The scene of last night suddenly flashed through her mind: one moment she was furiously arguing with him, the next, she had fallen asleep in his arms like a naughty child. Her face burned, and a blush spread rapidly.

Feng Qingyue's mind was in a mess, and she thought to herself: "Where can I put my face? What should I do now? Just get up and leave? What if I wake him up?" Finally, she decided to pretend to be asleep. "As long as I don't feel embarrassed, others will be embarrassed." She closed her eyes tightly, but her body was slightly stiff due to nervousness.

In reality, Jun Lingyuan had already woken up. As an emperor, he had to attend court every morning, and over the years, he had developed the habit of waking up on time. He listened to Feng Qingyue's inner struggles, his lips curling slightly, finding her expression quite amusing. Seeing Feng Qingyue continue to feign sleep with her eyes closed, he didn't expose her. Instead, he carefully moved gently and slowly, getting out of bed, trying not to make any noise so as not to wake her. He straightened his clothes and then quietly walked towards the door.

Jun Lingyuan's footsteps were extremely light, as if he was afraid to disturb the tranquility within. As he reached the door, he couldn't help but glance back at Feng Qingyue, who was still "pretending to sleep" in bed, his eyes filled with a hint of fondness and a smile. Then, he gently pushed the door open, walked out, and slowly closed it behind him. The sound of the door closing was as gentle as the sound of a feather falling.

After Jun Lingyuan stepped out of the bedroom, he whispered to the palace maids guarding outside, "The imperial concubine was exhausted last night. You must not disturb her. Let her rest well."

Hearing these ambiguous words, Feng Qingyue's face flushed instantly, spreading from her cheeks to her ears, as alluring as a ripe cherry. Her heart began to beat wildly, as if being grasped by an invisible hand, and she was somewhat bewildered. Inwardly, she secretly scolded the male protagonist for saying such a misleading statement.

Feng Qingyue listened intently for the sound of Jun Lingyuan leaving, and only when she was sure he was far away did she breathe a sigh of relief and slowly open her eyes. She looked in the direction Jun Lingyuan had gone, feeling an indescribable feeling in her heart. She regretted her own loss of composure last night.

She sat up and stretched, thinking that she had to get back to her research and couldn't dwell on these romantic matters. However, Jun Lingyuan's face involuntarily emerged in her mind, his sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, his half-smile, sending ripples through her heart.

"Oh, I don't want to think about it anymore." Feng Qingyue patted her face, as if to dispel those inappropriate thoughts. She got out of bed and called Ah Cui to help her wash and change clothes.

***

After Jun Lingyuan finished his court work, he returned to his palace. He sat in his study and read memorials. Not long after, someone came to report that the Queen Mother wanted to see him!

"Your son pays his respects to the Queen Mother." Jun Lingyuan bowed respectfully.

The Queen Mother waved her hand gracefully and slowly sat down in a chair. After casually scanning the study, she spoke, "Your Majesty, I came here today because I heard about what happened to the Prime Minister in the court yesterday. I wanted to discuss your views."

Jun Lingyuan lowered his head slightly, but his heart immediately became alert. He knew that the Queen Mother was behind the Prime Minister's affairs. Now that the Queen Mother had come, she might be trying to test his opinion. Jun Lingyuan remained calm and said calmly, "Your Majesty, please speak."

The Queen Mother sighed softly, as if somewhat helpless. "After all, the Prime Minister is my elder brother. I know he did what happened yesterday. But the Prime Minister has served for many years and has always devoted his wholehearted efforts to assisting the Emperor. I believe that he would never do anything that goes against the Emperor's will."

Jun Lingyuan's lips curled up into a faint smile, but his eyes were full of meaning. He knew that the Queen Mother was testing him, while also trying to excuse the Prime Minister.

He said calmly, "Your Majesty, your Majesty is right. I don't want to believe that the Prime Minister would do anything wrong. But the evidence is conclusive in the court, so I have to be cautious." As he spoke, he observed the Empress Dowager's expression calmly.

The Queen Mother's heart tightened, but she maintained a gentle smile on her face. "Your Majesty, although I am related to the Prime Minister, I will not favor him. But could there be some misunderstanding? I heard that the Prime Minister may have been framed. Your Majesty, you must investigate carefully."

Jun Lingyuan sneered in his heart. If he hadn't known that the matter of the Prime Minister was closely related to the Queen Mother, he would have been fooled by her words.

He pretended to be lost in thought, and after a moment he slowly spoke, "I understand what your Majesty means, but the evidence is right before my eyes, and all the officials are watching. I find it difficult to make a decision. Your Majesty, you have lived in the palace for a long time and have seen a lot. What do you think is the hidden truth behind this?"

The Queen Mother's heart trembled. She had not expected Jun Lingyuan to throw the question back to her. After a brief pause, she said, "I am just a woman, what can I understand? But I feel that the Prime Minister's loyalty over the years should not be completely ignored by the Emperor. Perhaps there is someone behind this deliberate plot to overthrow the Prime Minister and disrupt the court."

Jun Lingyuan thought to himself that the Queen Mother was clearly trying to exonerate the Prime Minister, but he couldn't confront her directly. So he said respectfully, "I've taken note of your words, Mother. I will investigate thoroughly and will neither wrongly accuse a loyal minister nor let off anyone with ill intentions."

***

After Jun Lingyuan left, Feng Qingyue decided to conduct another observation test on the northwest corner that she had previously tested. She led Ah Cui towards the northwest.

This direction was located in a remote corner of the Imperial Palace, formerly an abandoned palace. She placed the instrument and watched it rotate, a sense of familiarity welling up in her heart. Then she began to focus on analyzing the data.

However, things were not going smoothly, and she still made mistakes when observing the data. Ah Cui looked on and asked worriedly, "Miss, what's wrong with you today? Are you feeling unwell?"

Feng Qingyue shook her head helplessly: "A Cui, I'm fine, I'm just a little upset."

Ah Cui seemed to have guessed something and whispered, "Miss, are you thinking about the Emperor?"

Feng Qingyue glared at Ah Cui and said, "What nonsense are you talking about, girl?"

A Cui stuck out her tongue and stopped talking. Feng Qingyue sighed.

At this moment, they saw a little palace maid running in a panic in one direction. Feng Qingyue was curious and followed her.

The young palace maid didn't seem to notice she was being followed. She ran to a house in the northwest corner, looked around, and then walked in. Feng Qingyue and A Cui quietly approached the palace, wanting to see what was going on inside.

Peering through the crack in the window, they saw a shocking scene. A figure in black was whispering with a palace maid, the same young maid who had just rushed in in a panic. Feng Qingyue wondered, who was this figure in black? What were they plotting? She decided to continue observing.

At this moment, the man in black seemed to notice something, suddenly looked towards the window, and shouted loudly: "Who is there?"

Feng Qingyue was startled, and the two of them quickly hid aside and quietly walked back to the back of the palace.