Huanzhu Time Travel: Yan Luo's Unbreakable Love in the Yong Dynasty

Little Swallow anxiously stayed by Lin Yuhang's bedside, her eyes never leaving her brother's pale face. Lin Yuhang lay quietly, his weak breathing making Little Swallow's heart clench. Little Swallow stood beside him, her eyes red-rimmed, her little hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes.

"Sister, Brother Lin Yuhang will be alright, he will!" Little Swallow said, her voice trembling with tears.

Little Swallow gently patted Little Swallow's head, her voice trembling slightly: "Yes, Little Swallow, your brother is so strong, he will definitely get better!"

At this moment, Hongli also hurriedly entered the room. His face was full of worry. He walked to the bedside, looked at Lin Yuhang, and frowned slightly.

"Summon the imperial physician! We must ensure that Minister Lin recovers as soon as possible!" Hongli ordered loudly.

Soon, Physician Liu rushed over and quickly took Lin Yuhang's pulse to diagnose him. After the examination, Physician Liu breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty, Princess, Lord Lin is fine, but he has lost too much blood and needs to recuperate properly," said Physician Liu.

Xiao Yanzi was slightly relieved and looked at Doctor Liu gratefully: "Doctor Liu, then I'll have to trouble you to take care of me."

"Your Highness is too kind. This is my duty," Physician Liu said, bowing.

After Physician Liu wrote the prescription and left, Xiao Yanzi looked at Hongli with worry in her eyes: "Your Majesty, those mysterious forces are really despicable! They actually set up an ambush!"

Hongli nodded solemnly: "They'll use any means necessary to uncover the secrets of the Shadow Pavilion murals. Although Minister Lin found an important clue this time, it has only driven them even more mad."

"What should we do then? This painting might hold the key to unlocking all the secrets; they certainly won't let it go easily!" Little Swallow said anxiously.

After a moment of contemplation, Hongli said, "We must strengthen our defenses and absolutely not let them succeed. This scroll must be properly preserved."

"Your Majesty, why don't we hide the scroll in a secret place so that those bad guys can't find it!" Little Swallow suddenly said.

Hongli looked at Little Swallow and smiled slightly: "Little Swallow's idea is good, but hiding is not a long-term solution. We still need to find clues from the painting as soon as possible and unravel the secret of the Shadow Pavilion murals."

"But this scroll is incomplete, so how easy is it to find any useful information?" Little Swallow said helplessly.

Just then, Consort Ling entered with several palace maids. Consort Ling carried a steaming bowl of medicine, her face full of concern.

"Your Majesty, Princess, I heard that Lord Lin Yuhang was injured, so I specially prepared a nourishing soup for him to help him recover," Consort Ling said.

Little Swallow looked at Consort Ling gratefully: "Consort Ling, you are always so thoughtful, thank you."

Consort Ling smiled and waved her hand: "Your Majesty, please don't say that. We are all family. I am also very distressed that Lord Lin was injured while exploring the secrets of the Shadow Pavilion murals."

Hongli looked at Consort Ling and nodded slightly: "Consort Ling is very thoughtful."

Consort Ling placed the medicine on the table, walked to the bedside, and said softly, "Lord Lin, have some soup; it's good for your health."

Lin Yuhang slowly opened his eyes and said weakly, "Thank you, Consort Ling..."

Consort Ling helped Lin Yuhang up and fed him soup spoonful by spoonful. After finishing the soup, Lin Yuhang's complexion seemed to improve.

"Your Highness, we owe you a great debt of gratitude this time," Lin Yuhang said.

"Lord Lin, you're too kind. Taking good care of your injuries is the most important thing," Consort Ling said.

As everyone was talking, Su Peisheng hurried in and whispered a few words in Hongli's ear. Hongli's face immediately turned gloomy.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Little Swallow asked anxiously.

Hongli looked at everyone and said seriously, "I just received news that those mysterious forces seem to have made new moves. Some strange rumors have appeared in the capital, saying that the murals of the Shadow Pavilion possess mysterious power, and that obtaining them will allow one to control the world."

"This must be a rumor spread by those bad people! They want to sow discord!" Little Swallow said angrily.

“That’s right, they want to use these rumors to create chaos so they can take advantage of the confusion and seize the scroll,” Hongli said.

"Then how should we deal with this?" Little Swallow asked.

Hongli stood up, his gaze resolute: "We must first stabilize public sentiment and prevent these rumors from spreading. Su Peisheng, convey my decree that officials in the capital should step forward to refute the rumors and appease the people."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Su Peisheng accepted the order and left.

"Furthermore, strengthen the palace's security and keep a close watch on this painting around the clock. We must not allow those mysterious forces any opportunity to take advantage!" Hongli continued to instruct.

"Yes!" the guards beside him replied in unison.

"Little Swallow, don't let your guard down either. During this time, you and Little Swallow should stay in the palace as much as possible and not go out casually," Hongli instructed Little Swallow.

"I understand, Your Majesty. But we can't keep playing defensively like this; we need to find a way to take the initiative!" Little Swallow said.

Hongli nodded slightly: "You're right, we can't just sit here and wait to die. Minister Lin, you know this painting quite well, where do you think we should start our investigation?"

Lin Yuhang pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, although this scroll is incomplete, the patterns and symbols on it are very unique. I think we can start by studying these patterns and symbols, and perhaps we can find some clues."

“Alright, then focus on recovering. Once you’ve recovered a bit, you can study the painting with us,” Hongli said.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Lin Yuhang replied.

At this moment, Xiao Dengzi rushed in: "Your Majesty, Princess, there is a man outside the palace who claims to be an expert in calligraphy and painting. He says he has important matters to discuss with Your Majesty, and they are related to the murals in the Shadow Pavilion."

Hongli and Xiaoyanzi exchanged a glance.

"Bring him in!" Hongli said.

A moment later, Xiao Dengzi led in an elderly man with white hair. Upon seeing Hongli, the old man immediately knelt down and bowed.

"This humble commoner, Wu Daozi, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Hongli looked at Wu Daozi and said, "Mr. Wu, please rise. You said it's related to the murals of the Shadow Pavilion. What exactly is going on?"

Wu Daozi stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have some knowledge of calligraphy and painting. Recently, I heard rumors in the capital about the murals of the Shadow Pavilion, and I also learned that Your Majesty is looking for clues related to the murals, so I came here to help."

Little Swallow looked at Wu Daozi with anticipation in her eyes: "Mr. Wu, can you really help us unravel the secrets of the Shadow Pavilion murals?"

Wu Daozi nodded slightly: "Princess, I dare not guarantee that I can completely unravel the secret, but I have some understanding of the brushwork and patterns of various paintings and calligraphy, and perhaps I can find some clues from this scroll."

Hongli said, "Alright, then I will give you this opportunity. Su Peisheng, bring the scroll here so that Mr. Wu can take a look."

Su Peisheng quickly presented the scroll. Wu Daozi took the scroll, carefully unfurled it, and examined it closely. He frowned occasionally and nodded frequently, his expression extremely focused.

After a long while, Wu Daozi put down the scroll and said, “Your Majesty, Princess, this scroll is indeed extraordinary. Judging from the brushwork and patterns, it is related to a mysterious ancient symbol. This symbol is said to contain great power, but I dare not make a definitive conclusion about its specific meaning. However, I can try to restore this scroll, and perhaps I can find more clues from it.”

A hint of surprise flashed in Hongli's eyes: "Mr. Wu, then I'll trouble you. I order you to stay in the palace and focus on restoring the scroll. Just give me whatever you need."

"This humble subject obeys the decree!" Wu Daozi replied.

Just as Wu Daozi was about to begin repairing the scroll, Xiao Dengzi suddenly rushed in again.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Princess Hejing has suddenly disappeared!"

"What!" Hongli's expression changed drastically. "What happened? How could a princess just disappear?"

"Your Majesty, we don't know either. The servants said that the princess went out for a walk this afternoon and hasn't returned since; they can't find her anywhere," Xiao Dengzi said anxiously.

Little Swallow was also taken aback: "Princess Hejing has always been well-behaved and wouldn't disappear without a reason. Could it be that she was taken away by those mysterious forces..."

Hongli's face turned extremely grim: "Send people to search immediately! Find Princess Hejing as soon as possible!"

"Yes!" Little Dengzi accepted the order and quickly ran out.

Xiao Yanzi looked at Hongli with worry in her eyes: "Your Majesty, could this be a conspiracy by those mysterious forces? Are they trying to threaten us with Princess Hejing?"

Hongli clenched his fist: "No matter what their schemes are, I will not let them succeed! We must find Princess Hejing as soon as possible!"

Little Swallow also became nervous: "Sister, Father Emperor, will Princess Hejing be in danger?"

Little Swallow comforted her, "Little Swallow, don't worry, Father has already sent people to look for her. Princess Hejing will be alright."

But where did Princess Hejing go? Was she kidnapped by a mysterious force, or is there another hidden story? Will Hongli, Xiaoyanzi, and the others be able to find Princess Hejing before danger strikes? End of this chapter. Stay tuned for the next chapter.