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

The night in the Forbidden City was quiet and deep, the heavy veil of darkness enveloping the entire palace. Only the candlelight in the Empress's bedchamber flickered in the darkness, illuminating the figures of two people inside. Xiao Yanzi had just finished a thrilling battle with the black-clad men who had sneaked into her bedchamber, and was still shaken. She slumped on the edge of the bed, panting heavily, her clothes already soaked with sweat.

"How many eyes are still watching me from the shadows in this palace? How much danger awaits me?" Xiao Yanzi frowned, her voice filled with exhaustion and resentment.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar, followed by the eunuch's shrill voice outside the door: "The Emperor has arrived!"

Hongli strode into the palace, his figure appearing exceptionally tall in the candlelight. Seeing Xiaoyanzi's pale face and disheveled hair, his eyes sharpened instantly. He rushed to her side and asked urgently, "Empress, are you alright? I came immediately upon hearing of the attack!"

Xiao Yanzi raised her head, forced a smile, and said, "Your Majesty, I'm fine. I just didn't expect there to be so many dangers lurking in the shadows of this palace."

Hongli sat down beside her, took her hand, as if to transfer his strength to her: "Don't be afraid, I will investigate this thoroughly and will never let these villains harm you in the slightest!"

Xiao Yanzi leaned on Hongli's shoulder, her unease slightly relieved. Just then, a flash of light appeared in her mind, and those once-vague memories surged back like a raging tide.

"Your Majesty, I...I've regained my memories!" Little Swallow sat up abruptly, her eyes sparkling with excitement, her voice trembling involuntarily.

Hongli was slightly taken aback, then looked at her with delight, his eyes filled with undisguised joy: "Really? That's wonderful! Quickly, tell me, what have you remembered?"

Xiao Yanzi took a deep breath to calm her excited emotions and slowly said, "I remembered my past life, those days I spent with Ziwei, Jin Suo, and Yongqi."

Hongli looked at her tenderly, his eyes filled with memories: "I remember you too, my mischievous Princess Huanzhu, you caused me no shortage of trouble."

Little Swallow smiled and continued, "Back then, Ziwei was determined to find her biological father, which is you. She entrusted the token to me, repeatedly instructing me to bring it into the palace and give it to you no matter what." She paused, a hint of emotion in her eyes, "I carried the token, intending to sneak into the palace, but I accidentally stumbled into the hunting grounds. At that time, I was mistaken for prey, and Yongqi mistook me for a deer, shooting an arrow at me. I was seriously injured on the spot and almost lost my life."

"Later, by a twist of fate, I was mistaken for Princess Huanzhu. When I first entered the palace, I didn't know any of the rules and caused trouble everywhere. I was often harassed by the Empress and Rong Momo." Xiao Yanzi wrinkled her nose, as if the grievances of being harassed were still in her mind. "In order to send a message to Ziwei, I secretly ran out of the palace, but I was discovered and was punished by kneeling for a long time when I returned to the palace."

"And that time, when Liu Qing and Liu Hong were wrongly accused and were about to be beheaded, Yongqi, Ziwei, and I went to storm the execution ground." Xiao Yanzi's voice trembled slightly. "The scene was extremely chaotic. We were almost beheaded, and I was also seriously injured and unconscious for a long time. Everyone thought I wouldn't make it."

Hongli gently stroked her hair, his eyes filled with heartache: "It's all in the past. Fortunately, we're together again in this life."

Xiao Yanzi seemed to remember something and looked at Hongli seriously: "Your Majesty, do you still remember Xia Yuhe? Ziwei is your daughter with her. But since you didn't go to Jinan in this life, there probably won't be a Ziwei."

Hongli frowned slightly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes: "Yes, I deliberately avoided Jinan, not wanting to repeat the same mistake. There would be no Princess Mingzhu Ziwei in this world. I hope Xia Yuhe can live a peaceful and happy life."

Little Swallow nodded: "We must keep these things a secret and never let a third person know."

Hongli gripped her hand tightly, his expression resolute: "Don't worry, this is a secret that belongs only to the two of us."

As the two were talking, a flurry of footsteps suddenly interrupted their conversation. Little Dengzi rushed in, forgetting even to bow, and shouted, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, something terrible has happened! Princess Little Swallow has disappeared!"

"What?" Xiao Yanzi and Hongli stood up at the same time, their faces turning deathly pale instantly.

"What exactly happened? Explain yourself to me!" Hongli asked sternly, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority.

Xiao Dengzi was so frightened that he trembled all over. He knelt down with a thud and stammered, "Your Majesty, Sister Liu Hong just discovered that the princess was not in her room. She searched all over Shufangzhai but couldn't find her, so she sent me to report this."

Little Swallow was extremely anxious, and her eyes instantly reddened: "It must have been done by those with ill intentions! Your Majesty, we must find the Princess as soon as possible!"

Hongli immediately ordered: "Issue my decree that the entire Imperial Guard be mobilized to search the palace from top to bottom, and find Princess Little Swallow before dawn!"

Xiao Yanzi turned to leave, but Hongli stopped her: "Empress, you have just been attacked and your body has not yet recovered. You should stay in the palace. I will go to find the princess."

Little Swallow shook off his hand, her tone resolute: "No! Little Swallow is like my own daughter, how can I stay here in peace? I must go with you to find her!"

Hongli couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he nodded and said, "Alright then, but you must stay close to me and make sure nothing else happens."

The two, accompanied by a group of guards, rushed to Shufangzhai. Liu Hong, her face streaked with tears, knelt on the ground with a thud: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, it's all my fault for not watching over the princess properly, and she was captured."

Little Swallow quickly stepped forward, helped Liu Hong up, and held her hand, saying, "Liu Hong, now is not the time to blame yourself. Think carefully, was there anything unusual before the princess disappeared?"

Liu Hong frowned, trying hard to recall: "Your Majesty, the princess said she couldn't sleep tonight and wanted to go to the courtyard for some fresh air. I didn't think much of it at the time and went with her. Later, I heard a cat meow, which distracted me for a moment. When I turned around, the princess was gone."

Hongli pondered for a moment and analyzed, "It seems that the other party came prepared and deliberately diverted your attention."

Little Swallow gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with anger: "No matter who it is, whoever dares to touch Little Swallow, I will never let them get away with it!"

Just then, Fu Lun arrived in haste with the imperial bodyguard Er Kang. Fu Lun stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I heard that Princess Xiao Yanzi has gone missing, so I have come to help. My son Er Kang, as an imperial bodyguard, will certainly do his utmost."

Hongli nodded slightly: "Erkang, you will come with me to search for the princess. You must do your best. Fulun, you are responsible for continuing to investigate suspicious persons in the palace. We must not miss any corner."

Erkang stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a loud voice, "As a bodyguard of the emperor, I will certainly live up to the emperor's trust and will not hesitate to die for it!"

As everyone was discussing the matter, Lin Yuhang arrived. He said to Xiao Yanzi, "Sister, I've come to help too. Whoever kidnapped the princess, we must rescue her safely!"

Little Swallow looked at him with emotion: "Thank you, brother. With you here, I have more confidence."

Hongli quickly arranged for everyone to act: "Lin Yuhang, you take some guards to search the vicinity of the Cold Palace. It's a remote place, and the princess might be hidden there. Erkang, you and I will search in the direction of the Imperial Garden. Empress, you and Liu Hong will wait for news at Shufangzhai. If there are any clues, send someone to notify us immediately."

Although Xiao Yanzi was unwilling, she knew that this was not the time to be willful, so she could only nod and say, "Your Majesty, you must be careful and bring the princess back safely!"

Hongli looked at her with a firm gaze: "Don't worry, I will definitely bring the princess back unharmed!" After saying that, he hurriedly left with Erkang and the others.

Little Swallow paced back and forth in Shufangzhai, each step heavy and hurried, as if pounding on everyone's hearts. Liu Hong, Xiao Zhuozi, Mingyue, Caixia, and the others also looked anxious, barely daring to breathe, their eyes fixed on the doorway, as if Little Swallow would appear there at any moment.

"It's all my fault. If only I had been more careful..." Liu Hong said remorsefully, her eyes reddening even more.

Little Swallow comforted her, "Liu Hong, it's not your fault. Those bad people are too cunning. What we need to do now is trust the Emperor and the others. The princess will definitely be safe and sound."

Time ticked by, each second feeling like torture. Little Swallow kept looking towards the door, hoping someone would bring good news, but each time, the door was empty, and her hopes were dashed time and time again.

After an unknown amount of time, footsteps finally came from outside. Little Swallow immediately rushed out, only to see Hongli and Erkang returning looking exhausted, with no sign of Little Swallow behind them.

"Your Majesty, where is the princess? Have you found her?" Little Swallow asked anxiously, her voice trembling slightly.

Hongli shook his head, his expression grave: "Not yet, but we have found some suspicious footprints and are following the clues. Your Majesty, don't worry too much, the princess will definitely be alright."

Little Swallow bit her lip, her eyes filled with worry: "Your Majesty, how can I not be anxious? Little Swallow is still so young, if anything happens to her, I..."

Hongli held her hand, trying to give her strength: "I understand how you feel. We will definitely find the princess. Now, we need to calm down and analyze the clues carefully."

The group returned to Shufangzhai and sat together. Erkang took out a piece of paper with some footprints drawn on it and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, we found these footprints in the grass in the Imperial Garden. Judging from the size and depth of the footprints, there should be two people, and one of them had unsteady steps, so it is very likely that he was with the princess."

Lin Yuhang also said, "I also found some strange traces near the Cold Palace, as if someone had left them in a hurry. However, I haven't found the princess's whereabouts."

Looking at these clues, Xiao Yanzi tried to calm herself down, her eyes filled with determination: "These footprints and traces suggest that the princess is very likely still in the palace. We can't overlook any corner; we must find her!"

Hongli nodded: "The Empress is right. We will continue to expand the search area. Even if we have to turn the entire palace upside down, we will find the Princess!"

Just then, Consort Ling rushed over. Seeing everyone, she quickly said, "Your Majesty, Empress, I heard that the Princess has gone missing! What should we do?"

Xiao Yanzi felt a warmth in her heart when she saw Consort Ling: "Consort Ling, you've come. We're currently trying to find the princess. Do you have any suggestions?"

Consort Ling thought for a moment and said, "I think we can ask the eunuchs and maids in the palace. Maybe someone saw something. In addition, we can strengthen the guards at each palace gate to prevent those people from taking the princess out of the palace."

Hongli agreed: "Consort Ling is right. Fu Lun, immediately arrange for people to question the eunuchs and maids. At the same time, strengthen the guards at the palace gates and carefully check anyone entering or leaving."

Furen accepted the order and left. After discussing for a while, the group decided to continue with their previous plan and split up to search for Little Swallow.

As night deepened, a tense atmosphere enveloped the entire palace. Little Swallow and everyone else were searching for Little Swallow, but where was she hidden? What were the motives of those who had abducted her? All of this remained unknown, waiting for everyone to uncover the mystery.