Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

After reviewing the walkthrough and considering his current predicament of falling into the water, Yan Zhen quickly guessed that he had transmigrated to the point where he fell into the water at a palace banquet and was rescued by Xiahou Jin.

If nothing unexpected happens, Xiahou Jin will jump down to save her soon.

She cannot marry Xiahou Jin, how can she break this deadlock?

Her mind raced. Just then, she heard a "plop" sound above her head as someone swam into the water. She immediately looked up and, through her blurry vision, saw the man swimming towards her. She paused slightly.

With a face as fair as jade and eyes as bright as stars, what a beautiful face!

The man swam to her side, reached out and put his arm around her waist, intending to pull her up.

Yan Zhen narrowed her eyes, quickly hooked her arms around his neck, and struggled like someone who had fallen into the water and was in a panic.

The water resistance was high, and the heavy clothing made it difficult for Xiahou Jin to carry her up in a short time.

The two floated up and down in the water. After a short while, several more sounds of people jumping into the water came from above, as if dumplings were being dropped into the water. Palace maids and guards came down to rescue them.

Yan Zhen seized the opportunity and kicked Xiahou Jin, who was suffocating and pale, away. He then turned and swam towards the palace maid who had jumped down, and took the initiative to climb onto her arm.

Soon, her palace maid was brought out of the water and pulled ashore.

A large group of palace servants screamed "Princess!" and swarmed around her, wrapping her up tightly in cloaks.

Holding his breath underwater for too long was too much for the original owner's body to handle, and Yan Zhen felt dizzy.

Before losing consciousness, she vaguely saw Xiahou Jin also being rescued and brought to the other side.

He was soaking wet, and his handsome face was as white as a ghost.

-

When Yan Zhen woke up again, he saw a light blue curtain embroidered with dark patterns, and beneath him was an exquisite and luxurious canopy bed with thousands of intricate carvings. He could smell a faint sandalwood fragrance in the air.

She glanced around discreetly, without making a sound immediately.

Based on her past experience, there were palace maids on duty outside the curtains. At this time, as long as she made a sound, the palace maids would immediately lift the curtains and come in.

The nodes she passed through were too rushed and chaotic; she needed some time to process the walkthrough.

After reviewing the walkthrough twice, Yan Zhen frowned slightly.

Xiao Lingyi lived in an era where the emperor's power was paramount. Her father's achievements overshadowed the emperor's, arousing the emperor's suspicion. She was placed in this position, and whether she married Xiahou Jin or not, her life was destined to be a tragedy.

Because she was a hostage, she could not leave the palace.

If she married any prince, he would suppress her in every way because he was afraid that her relatives would interfere in politics and seize power.

She had no choice at all.

Xiao Dingfang helped the then-prince Emperor Jin ascend the throne in his early years, making him a great contributor to the emperor.

He was a meritorious official, a general with a large army, and a war god who was deeply loved by the people. No matter how much the Jin emperor feared him, he could not kill him easily.

Therefore, Emperor Jin chose to use this method to slowly wear down the Xiao family.

The online guide says that the Xiao family has no male heirs in this generation, which is probably the work of the Jin Emperor.

Just like Xiao Lingyi, who married Xiahou Jin, who "had difficulty conceiving" and whose "child died at birth," she was unable to give birth to a prince on top of the emperor's already suspicious basis.

Her only end was confined to her sickbed, dying of depression.

The most terrifying thing is that Xiao Lingyi was consciously trapped in this predicament, watching helplessly as she walked step by step toward her doom.

Unable to struggle or escape, she could only calmly and helplessly accept her fate of destruction and that of the entire Xiao family.

Yan Zhen pondered for a moment. Since the path ahead seemed to lead to a dead end no matter which way he went, he might as well break with convention.

She quickly came up with a plan in her mind, a plan that secretly excited her.

She had done so many ancient missions, playing roles such as princess, imperial concubine, empress, and even empress dowager, but she had never sat in that supreme position.

Isn't this the perfect opportunity?

Having made up her mind, she gently turned over and let out soft moans.

Sure enough, the next moment, a maid lifted the curtain and came in: "Miss, you're awake."

Yan Zhen pretended to have just opened his eyes. When he looked up, he saw that the girl in front of him had an oval face and was not particularly beautiful, but her eyes were calm and collected. She was a servant girl brought from the Xiao family by the original owner and was named Hongyu.

She raised her hand, and Hongyu immediately helped her sit up.

Still feeling dizzy, Yan Zhen coughed twice and asked, "How long have I been asleep?"

“A whole day and night,” Hongyu said in a low voice. “Last night you had a high fever, and the First Prince summoned the imperial physician. The fever finally subsided after a whole night of working up a sweat.”

Yan Zhen seized upon the key phrase in her words: "The First Prince has been here?"

"Yes, they also sent a lot of medicinal herbs."

She stepped aside, and sure enough, there was a stack of brocade boxes on a table not far away, with precious medicinal herbs emitting a faint fragrance.

Yan Zhen was silent for a moment, then said, "Help me up."

She got up and, while washing up, asked about the situation inside the Red Jade Palace.

The original owner was Princess Yining, personally bestowed by Emperor Jin. She fell into the water during a palace banquet, and the eldest prince jumped into the lake to rescue her in front of everyone—although unsuccessfully, the discussion it generated would only be high.

She wanted to know if the wind direction was moving in the direction she expected.

"The Imperial Concubine was furious and ordered a thorough investigation into the matter, saying that it concerned the princess's reputation and that no one in the harem was allowed to discuss it."

Yan Zhen raised an eyebrow. This is interesting.

The current Empress has no children and is in poor health, coughing easily when exposed to wind. All affairs of the inner palace are handled by the Consort, whose son is the eldest son of the Emperor, Xiahou Jin.

Moreover, the princes who are close in age today were all born to concubines of the rank of consort or above in the palace, which is why the position of crown prince has remained undecided.

Now, the Imperial Concubine's flustered attempt to cover up the matter seems like a disguised attempt to prove her innocence to everyone—this was definitely not Xiahou Jin's scheme to force Princess Yining into marriage and help him become the Crown Prince.

As the mistress and servant were talking, a voice announced from outside: "The Imperial Concubine has arrived!"

Yan Zhen tidied her appearance and, supported by Hongyu, went to the door. Seeing the Imperial Concubine walking quickly towards her, she curtsied.

"Greetings, Your Highness..."

Halfway through the ceremony, the Imperial Concubine rushed over and helped him up, saying, "Your fever has just subsided, why are you getting up? Go back to bed."

The other person's tone and attitude were familiar yet tinged with anxiety. Yan Zhen was puzzled and took the opportunity to glance at her out of the corner of his eye as he stood up.

The Imperial Concubine was only thirty-five years old this year. She was plump and had a gentle temperament, which was quite different from the domineering and aloof image of the favored concubine that she had imagined.

The Imperial Concubine pulled Yan Zhen to sit down on the edge of the couch and reached out to feel her forehead with concern: "Are you feeling better? Does your head still hurt?"

Her actions were so natural and friendly, just like those of an elder in the family. Yan Zhen couldn't tell if she was just a good actress or if she really had such a good relationship with the original owner.

Yan Zhen shook her head and said softly, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm feeling much better."

"You've had a hard time." The Imperial Concubine sighed, gently patting her back as if to soothe a frightened child. "You must have been terrified. I never imagined those people would dare to make a move in public."