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

Upon meeting the Imperial Concubine, Yan Zhen exchanged a few pleasantries with her. Suddenly, the Imperial Concubine said, "His Majesty is ill."

Yan Zhen was fully aware of this, but feigned surprise: "How is the illness? What did the imperial physician say?"

The Imperial Concubine shook her head: "At the beginning of the year, a new batch of young ladies entered the palace. His Majesty was already weak, and his excessive indulgence has made his body even more depleted. As soon as winter came this year, the cold entered his body, causing ascites. The imperial physician said... it wasn't a good thing."

Yan Zhen frowned, putting on a worried expression.

The Jin emperor in the previous life died of illness three months later. Judging by the time, it should be about time for him to show signs of decline.

"I'm telling you this to give you a heads-up. The previous emperors have been fiercely competing for the crown prince all these years. If His Majesty doesn't announce who he will appoint as crown prince and the news of his illness gets out, they will only fight even harder for that position. Your status is special, so you need to be extra careful. Try not to go out recently."

The Imperial Concubine's words were sincere and genuinely concerned for her safety.

Yan Zhen nodded solemnly: "Thank you for the reminder, Your Majesty. I will remember it."

Yan Zhen did not stay at Yongchun Palace for long and soon took his leave.

In the following days, Yan Zhen went about his business as usual, traveling back and forth between the Agricultural and Sericultural Office, Yihua Palace, and the experimental fields on the outskirts of the capital.

She cannot slack off as she will be testing new, higher-yielding varieties next spring.

Before they knew it, it was the original owner's birthday.

Xiahou Chuan invited Yan Zhen to go out to the night market. Before it got dark and the palace gates were locked, Yan Zhen changed into some simple men's clothing and left the palace with Hongyu, who was dressed as a servant.

The night market was open for three days, which was unprecedented in the Jin Dynasty. In addition, people had become well-fed and clothed in recent years, and more people were willing to spend money, making the night market very popular.

Yan Zhen met up with Xiahou Chuan and strolled around the night market, while Hongyu and Xiahou Chuan's servant followed behind them at a distance.

Although Xiahou Chuan was a prince, he had long since left the palace to establish his own residence. Having spent many years mingling in the streets, he was very familiar with all sorts of trinkets at the night market. He enthusiastically explained them to Yan Zhen, as if their unpleasant parting at Yihua Palace last time had never happened.

Strolling to a mutton stall, the milky white mutton soup bubbling in the pot emitted a rich aroma, making Yan Zhen's mouth water. She suggested sitting down and trying some.

The two ordered two bowls of mutton soup, and Yan Zhen felt warm after drinking it.

After drinking the mutton soup, Yan Zhen was attracted by the juggling stall in front of him.

As she approached, the juggler suddenly breathed fire in her direction, the heat almost scorching her face. She instinctively turned to the side, but someone reached out and grabbed her waist.

She looked up and saw Xiahou Chuan.

The two were very close, with Yan Zhen held in his arms, and he could even smell the mutton odor lingering on his cloak—it smelled so strong.

Yan Zhen frowned, about to push him away, but Xiahou Chuan held her waist tightly, his eyes brimming with affection: "Aheng, I..."

Before he could finish speaking, the juggler breathed out another mouthful of fire.

This time, it seemed that the force was not well controlled, and the fire set off the hair of the audience members who were crowded in the front row. With a scream, the people around became restless and turned around to push out, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

In the chaos, Yan Zhen and Xiahou Chuan were separated.

Yan Zhen was so jostled in the crowd that she could barely stand. A bad feeling crept into her heart—in novels and TV dramas, whenever such a plot appeared, something unexpected was bound to happen next.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when a pair of hands, like ghosts, reached out from behind her, covered her mouth and nose, and dragged her into a dark alley.

Yan Zhen's heart skipped a beat.

The hand covering her mouth and nose was covered with rough calluses, and her back was pressed tightly against a hard chest. Yan Zhen quickly determined that the person was a man, and a very tall one at that.

She didn't panic or struggle. She quietly reached for her waist, drew the short blade she always carried, and tried to stab the newcomer in the chest and abdomen.

But when she thrust out her knife, the short blade seemed to strike an impenetrable wall, making a crisp "clang" sound.

The next moment, she felt a sharp pain in her wrist, and the short blade flew out of her hand. At the same time, she was quickly abducted into a dark alley.

She made a mistake—this person's martial arts skills are far superior to hers!

Once inside the alley, Yan Zhen's hands were pinned against the wall by the man, creating a posture that conveyed a strong sense of confinement.

The alley was dimly lit, and Yan Zhen could only vaguely see that the other person was dressed in black, tall, and his face was hidden in the darkness, so he couldn't see his features.

Even with her vision blurred, Yan Zhen could feel the intense pressure and aggression in the other person's gaze as they looked her up and down.

She's a formidable opponent; she can't beat her.

Realizing this, Yan Zhen became somewhat unsettled.

Her mind raced, analyzing who the kidnapper might be, their motives for kidnapping her, and how she could persuade them to stop their actions if she couldn't win a fight...

But before she could figure things out, he did something that caught her off guard—he suddenly lowered his head, kissed her lips, and bit her lightly.

Yan Zhen felt a jolt all over her body from the bite, and goosebumps immediately rose on her skin. She raised her leg and thrust it into his groin.

But the other person seemed to have anticipated her advances, easily deflecting her attacks and pressing his body closer to hers, his kisses becoming increasingly brazen.

Being pinned against the wall, hands and feet restrained, and sexually assaulted—Yan Zhen had never suffered such a loss in all the missions he had undertaken.

While she was furious, she realized from his clumsy kissing technique, which consisted of nothing but random nibbling and biting, that he might be a virgin.

Thinking of this, she relaxed her body slightly, looked up to meet the other person, and gave them a little response.

The man was indeed taken aback, then excitedly wanted to get closer to her—right now.

Taking advantage of the other party's relaxed vigilance, Yan Zhen bit his lip hard.

"Well……"

The other person grunted and immediately released her, taking a step back.

It was at this moment that Yan Zhen, who was used to the dim light in the alley, saw the other person's face clearly, and the facial features looked somewhat familiar.

She narrowed her eyes, unsure, and asked, "Xiahou Che?"

"……it's me."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yan Zhen slapped him hard across the face.

Xiahou Che was stunned by the slap, covering his face and staring blankly at her.

"How dare you! You have such audacity!" Yan Zhen's tense nerves relaxed, followed by a burst of rage.

Thinking of how pathetic she looked, pinned down by this kid and unable to move, she raised her hand again and slapped him twice more, left and right.

Xiahou Che neither dodged nor flinched. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth where he had been slapped. He even licked it, then frowned and said, "What's that taste? It's so pungent."

Yan Zhen: "..."

She clenched her fists, suppressing her rising anger; now was not the time to settle scores.

When did you return to Beijing?

For the past five years, Xiahou Che has been guarding the southwest with Liu Su, and has not returned home for any holidays.

Her sudden appearance in the capital suggests that something unexpected has happened that she is unaware of.

"I just arrived this afternoon."

Why did you suddenly come back?

As far as she knew, the Jin emperor did not summon him back to the capital.

Xiahou Che stared intently at her, his straightforward and frank gaze completely devoid of the caution and unease of five years ago, replaced by undisguised ambition.

"I heard the old emperor is ill, so I've returned to fulfill my promise and fight for the throne to marry you as my empress."