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

The ground in Bashu was cracking, and Xiahou Jin led his troops out that very afternoon.

Yan Zhen escorted him to the palace gate and straightened the fur collar of his cloak: "It's freezing cold, please take good care of yourself on this journey."

"Alright." Xiahou Jin thought for a moment, then untied the tassel from his sword and placed it in her hand. "I will be back as soon as possible. Just wait for me."

Xiahou Jin mounted his horse, and Yan Zhen went up to the city wall. She watched him leave from afar until the winding procession disappeared from sight. Only then did she turn her gaze away and say expressionlessly, "Return to the palace."

The next day, Hongyu came in to report: "Princess, there is news from the Yeting Palace."

As she spoke, she placed the stone in her hand on the table.

Yan Zhen sat in front of the dressing table without turning around. He casually removed the hair ornament from his head and the pearls from his earlobes: "After nightfall, go and bring the person over."

Hongyu hesitated and asked, "Bring them to Yihua Palace?"

"Yes, avoid people."

Hongyu understood: "Yes."

At midnight, the inner palace was completely silent, with only a single lamp burning dimly in the Yihua Hall.

When Hongyu led Xiahou Che in, Yan Zhen noticed that there were several more bloody welts on his neck and the back of his hands from whipping.

Winter had arrived in the capital, and on a freezing night, he was only wearing a thin shirt and tattered shoes that exposed his toes, offering no protection from the cold. Standing in front of Yan Zhen, he shivered uncontrollably from the cold.

Yan Zhen looked him up and down and gave Hongyu a wink.

Hongyu turned and left, while Yan Zhen stood up, took off his cloak, walked to Xiahou Che, and gently draped it over him.

Xiahou Che was stunned when he was enveloped by the cloak, which still carried warmth and a faint fragrance. He subconsciously took a step back.

Yan Zhen noticed his resistance and wariness, and smiled: "The investigation into Liang Sheng's death has led you to this?"

Xiahou Che bit his lip and said in a low voice, "They suspect I did it, but they have no evidence and haven't found Liang Sheng's body."

Yan Zhen nodded approvingly: "Yes, you handled it well."

Xiahou Che did not lower his guard because of her praise. He looked at her like a young beast confronting a human, with a suppressed unease in his eyes because of the unknown danger and the lack of chance of winning.

"You said you'd help me get out of the Yeting Palace, what are you planning to do?"

Instead of answering, Yan Zhen asked, "Can you grow flowers?"

Xiahou Che hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "My mother taught me when I was little, and she even left me a notebook."

"I'll pull some strings and get you transferred to Hibiscus Pond, the place where your mother planted the Jade Pavilion." Yan Zhen looked down at him. "I've paved the way for you this far. Now, do you know what to do?"

Xiahou Che lowered his eyes and pondered for a while, his long eyelashes casting a shadow on his eyelids.

When he looked up, his eyes were firm: "I know."

At this moment, Hongyu pushed open the door and came in, carrying a medicine box in her hands.

She placed the medicine box on the table next to Yan Zhen and took out a small white porcelain bottle from it.

Yan Zhen took the bottle, opened the stopper, and said to Xiahou Che, "Come here."

Xiahou Che stood still, realizing what she was about to do, and refused, "No need, I..."

"I told you to come here!" Yan Zhen's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an absolute and unyielding authority. "If you want to become one of my people, the first thing you have to do is obey me."

Xiahou Che's jaw tightened, and he walked over with a reluctant expression.

"Hand out."

Xiahou Che rolled up his sleeves, revealing his scarred hands to her.

Yan Zhen took out the ointment, rubbed it into his palm, and applied it to the back of his hand, which was covered with frostbite and bloodstains.

The soft touch landed on her stiff, rough knuckles. Xiahou Che was stunned for a moment, then looked up and stared at her.

Half of her face was hidden in shadow, while the other half, illuminated by the candlelight, was exquisitely beautiful. Her hair was as black as clouds, and her skin was as smooth as cream. Even at such close range, no flaws could be seen on her face.

Xiahou Che was engrossed in watching when Yan Zhen suddenly looked up and their eyes met.

Xiahou Che panicked and lowered his head in a flustered manner.

Yan Zhen saw through his little scheme but didn't expose him. Instead, she asked, "You just said that your mother taught you how to grow flowers when you were little—do you still remember your mother?"

"Remember some."

What kind of person is she?

Xiahou Che pursed his lips and remained silent.

"When you're in front of His Majesty in the future, you'll inevitably mention her," Yan Zhen advised. "No matter how much resentment you harbor towards her, you must not utter a single word about her in front of His Majesty, understand?"

Xiahou Che nodded after a long pause: "Mm."

After applying the medicine, Yan Zhen placed the small porcelain bottle in his hand: "Apply it once before bed every day. These hands of yours will be used to hold the vermilion brush and decide life and death in the future, so take good care of them."

Taking advantage of the darkness, Hongyu escorted Xiahou Che back to the Yeting Palace.

When she returned to Yihua Palace, Yan Zhen was still awake.

"Princess, I think Xiahou Che is clever, but he doesn't have a good temper. What if he makes a mistake and causes trouble in front of the Emperor, and then exposes you?"

"What can you do with whatever an unfavored palace servant says? Where's the evidence?" Yan Zhen said lazily. "If he causes trouble, just discard him. He's just a pawn casually placed on the chessboard anyway. What's there to worry about?"

Hongyu pondered for a moment, then lowered her head and said, "I was overthinking it."

Yan Zhen's gaze fell on the cloak draped over her arm. The white satin was embroidered with exquisite red plum blossoms in gold and silver threads, and the brim of the hat and the collar were surrounded by a circle of white fox fur, which was quite valuable.

When Xiahou Che was leaving, he tried to take it off, but she stopped him, saying that it was cold at night and that he should wear it back to the Yeting Palace.

He was cautious, and upon returning to the Yeting Palace, he insisted that Hongyu bring the cloak back.

Hongyu followed her gaze to the cloak: "Princess, should we keep this cloak?"

Yan Zhen initially wanted to say that it was lost, but after thinking about it again, she said, "Keep it."

"Yes."

-

Yan Zhen did not personally intervene, but had Hongyu handle the arrangements, spending money to transfer Xiahou Che from the Yeting Palace to Furong Pond to serve as a flower servant.

She gave Xiahou Che a three-month timeframe, but unexpectedly, news came from Furong Pond after only twenty days.

"Miss, the lotus flowers in the Hibiscus Pond are in bloom!" Green Pearl chattered in Yan Zhen's ear early in the morning, telling him about the interesting things she had heard from outside.

Another palace maid, Ziying, who was combing Yan Zhen's hair, asked curiously, "Don't lotus flowers only bloom in summer and autumn? It's already winter, how can they still be blooming?"

"You don't know this, do you? I heard that the birthday of the newly arrived Consort Shu is approaching, and the manager of Furong Pond, in order to please this most favored mistress at the moment, dug ditches to introduce hot spring water and forced the lotus flowers to bloom."

Green Pearl spoke eloquently: "The whole palace knows about this news. Many concubines have gone to admire the flowers. Miss, shall we go and take a look too?"

Zi Ying said, "Stop making a fuss, the princess is frail and can't stand the cold..."

“Alright, let’s go take a look.” Yan Zhen interrupted Zi Ying.

Maybe we'll get to see a good show.