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

Yan Zhen turned around, and the Imperial Concubine strode in.

The once plump and graceful woman had become thin, her cheeks sunken, and a few strands of white hair were mixed in with her black hair. Several deep wrinkles had appeared on her face, which used to be well-maintained. Her eyes, which were always gentle and kind, had now become harsh and sharp.

After two months apart, the grief of losing her son seemed to have transformed the Imperial Concubine into a completely different person.

"Yuerong, what nonsense are you spouting!" Emperor Jin said displeasedly, "When I summoned Yining to the palace, I promised her that she would be the future Crown Princess. Jin'er is gone. Do you want me to go back on my word and make Yining a widow for him at such a young age?"

The Imperial Concubine's eyes reddened: "Lingyi is willing, isn't she? She and Jin'er are childhood sweethearts with a deep bond, and she's willing to remain chaste for Jin'er for the rest of her life..."

"Nonsense!" Emperor Jin was furious. "Yining is only sixteen years old. If I let her spend the rest of her life as a Buddhist nun, how am I supposed to explain this to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion? How am I supposed to explain this to General Xiao!"

The Imperial Concubine, as if possessed, dragged Yan Zhen up from the ground and shoved him in front of Emperor Jin: "Lingyi, tell His Majesty, tell His Majesty that you are willing, that you are willing to remain chaste for Jin'er for the rest of your life, that you will never marry anyone else, that you can only be Jin'er's wife..."

Her long fingernails almost dug into Yan Zhen's arm, and she winced in pain: "Your Majesty, please calm down..."

"You don't want to?" The Imperial Concubine suddenly grabbed her shoulders, her eyes almost overflowing with pain. "Weren't you and Jin'er the closest? For your sake, Jin'er hasn't even taken a concubine all these years. He's been so good to you, and he's been determined to marry you. Now that he's only been gone for two months, you've already changed your mind?"

Yan Zhen: "...I didn't."

"Then why won't you agree to my request?" The imperial concubine went berserk, the hairpins and ornaments on her head jingling with her violent movements, and she stared intently at Yan Zhen.

“My son died out there, and he died so tragically. He was only nineteen years old and didn’t even leave any bloodline. He must be unwilling to accept it… Lingyi, why don’t you go and be with him? He must want you to be with him.”

Before she could finish speaking, the Emperor of Jin flew into a rage, pulled the Consort aside, and slapped her hard across the face: "You vile woman! What nonsense are you spouting!"

The imperial concubine was knocked to the ground by the fan, her hair immediately becoming disheveled and her hairpins scattered all over the ground.

She covered her face, her gaze towards the Emperor filled with resentment—a despair and unwillingness that came from having her escape route cut off and all hope extinguished overnight.

"He was your first child, but you had so many sons, while I only had this one." Tears streamed down the concubine's swollen cheeks as she gritted her teeth and said, "If you hadn't insisted on sending him to Sichuan for disaster relief, he wouldn't have died!"

A flicker of guilt crossed the Emperor's eyes, but he quickly added, "He is the Crown Prince; it is his duty to save the people from suffering..."

"You always have so many high-sounding reasons to send him to Xuzhou, to the border, to Sichuan, so that his position as crown prince is more legitimate, and to prevent Lingyi from being buried alive with you, out of pity for her young age," the Imperial Concubine sneered.

"But what's the truth? The morale of the army and the people was earned for you. No matter how hard he worked or how much he toiled outside, he even lost his life. Isn't all the credit still going to you, his father? You didn't let Lingyi become a monk just to keep Xiao in check..."

"Shut up!" Emperor Jin shouted, his expression changing slightly. He called out to the outside of the imperial study, "Someone come here!"

Two guards with swords rushed in: "Your Majesty!"

"The Imperial Concubine spoke inappropriately, so she was sent back to Yongchun Palace to reflect on her mistakes and was not allowed to go out without being summoned."

The imperial concubine was dragged out of the imperial study. As she left, her face was full of embarrassment and resentment, and she kept muttering one sentence.

"Your Majesty, Heaven is watching what people do, and Heaven is watching what people do..."

The hoarse, tearful voice gradually faded into the distance. Emperor Jin looked at Yan Zhen and sighed helplessly, "Yi Ning, you've been frightened."

Yan Zhen seemed not to hear, completely lost in thought.

Emperor Jin frowned: "Yining? Yining?"

Yan Zhen then came to her senses. She stared at Emperor Jin for a while, then suddenly knelt down.

The Emperor Jin was exasperated by her appearance: "Yi Ning, you don't need to say anything more. I will not agree to you becoming a nun..."

"Your Majesty, I will not become a nun." Yan Zhen's gaze was firm. "I have requested to go to Sichuan to continue His Highness the Crown Prince's unfinished wish and to oversee the post-disaster reconstruction for the victims."

Emperor Jin was taken aback, thinking he had misheard: "What did you say?"

Just as Yan Zhen was about to repeat herself, Emperor Jin waved his hand to interrupt her: "Don't be ridiculous. How can a weak woman like you travel thousands of miles to the disaster area? If something happens to you, I will not be able to explain it to your father and mother."

Yan Zhen smiled bitterly: "But if I don't find something to do, how am I supposed to get through the rest of the days?"

Emperor Jin: "...Try to think more positively."

Yan Zhen shook her head: "When I first learned of the Crown Prince's death, I did think of following him, but my body and hair are given to me by my parents. My parents are still alive, and it would be extremely unfilial to commit suicide."

The Crown Prince died for the sake of his country and its people. As His Majesty's personally appointed Crown Princess, I should think what the Crown Prince thought and remember what he desired. I am willing to dedicate the rest of my life to fulfilling the Crown Prince's unfinished wishes. I humbly request Your Majesty's permission!

The Jin emperor remained silent.

"Moreover, I am not the only one who cannot endure it." Yan Zhen said sincerely, "If I can do what the Crown Prince has done as the Crown Princess, it can bring some comfort to the Noble Consort."

Emperor Jin was taken aback, and his expression was no longer as firm as before.

The Imperial Concubine was a concubine he had taken when he was still a prince. The two had gone through thick and thin together for many years. Compared to the Empress, who was in poor health, the Imperial Concubine, who was graceful, generous and understanding, won his heart more.

Although he was angry at her absurd and disruptive behavior, he still felt pity for the woman who had been with him for half his life, grieving the loss of her son.

He looked at Yan Zhen again. If a trip to Sichuan could resolve the conflict between these two women, it might not be a bad thing.

Thinking of this, he agreed, "Alright, I promise you."

After leaving the Imperial Study, Yan Zhen went to Yongchun Palace.

Although the Imperial Concubine had the absurd idea of ​​being forced to be buried alive with Xiahou Jin, her prestige accumulated over many years in the palace and her powerful maternal family still held some value.

Before setting off for Sichuan, she needed to win over some people.

Although Emperor Jin ordered Consort Gui to stay at home, he did not forbid other concubines and princesses from visiting her.

Yan Zhen told the Imperial Concubine about his decision.

The woman, who had been sitting on the couch with her hair disheveled and her eyes glazed over, was stunned for a long time after hearing this. Then she grabbed her hand, tears streaming down her face, unable to say a word.

Back at Yihua Palace, it was only a short while before the imperial edict appointing Feng Yanzhen as the Pacification Envoy to go to Sichuan and Chongqing to assist the disaster victims in post-disaster reconstruction was promulgated.

The entire Yihua Palace was stunned.

Green Pearl had been quite depressed these days. Upon hearing this news and learning about Yan Zhen's original intention to go to the disaster area, she strongly insisted on going with him.

Yan Zhen had no intention of taking her along.

Aside from Hongyu, who knows martial arts, and Ziying, whom she had to bring along, she didn't plan to bring anyone else.

After much persuasion, they finally managed to calm Green Pearl down. Then, at night, Xiahou Che arrived stealthily under the cover of darkness.