Time travel, quick transmigration

Li Longji had always maintained an attitude of not ignoring Xiao Huanling but not giving him important positions. Given that his own concubine had reminded him before, he had also become wary of An Lushan. He wanted to promote a newcomer who could establish prestige in the army, but after thinking it over, he could not find a suitable one. After seeing Xiao Huanling today, he began to have the idea of ​​cultivating him.

The reason he proposed appointing Xiao Huanling as the military governor of Hedong was twofold: firstly, out of genuine sincerity, and secondly, as a test to determine whether Xiao Huanling was loyal to him, the emperor, or to his crown prince.

Xiao Huanling wasn't stupid. After a moment's thought, he understood the emperor's true intentions. For him, becoming the military governor of Hedong was a good opportunity to consolidate military power and establish his own base. In the future, he would take his beloved away from the emperor and away from Chang'an. Military power and the army he led would undoubtedly be the best bargaining chips. Even if the situation was unfavorable, he could still retreat to Hedong with his beloved.

After making up his mind, Xiao Huanling knelt down on one knee, looking at the emperor with unwavering determination.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to share your burdens."

Li Longji's expression softened, and he was very satisfied with Xiao Huanling's submissive attitude.

"Very good. I will draft an edict soon. Just wait patiently."

"You two have rendered meritorious service this time. In addition to rewarding you, I will also prepare a banquet to reward you."

"Minister Xiao, Minister Jiang, you two should stay in the palace for now. You will accompany me to the horse farm to play polo later."

Li Longji's words were exactly what Xiao Huanling was thinking. If he could stay in the palace, he could find an opportunity to see his beloved. Thinking of this, Xiao Huanling cupped his hands and said.

"The minister obeys the order."

Jiang He was clearly very happy, and with a smile on his face, he respectfully bowed to Li Longji.

Li Longji still had memorials to review, so he instructed Gao Lishi, who was standing nearby.

"Lishi, take Minister Xiao and Minister Jiang to the side hall to rest first."

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi bowed and replied.

"Your servant obeys the decree."

Then he looked at Xiao Huanling and Jiang He.

"This way, gentlemen!"

He then gestured with his hand.

Xiao Huanling nodded, and before leaving, he said "Your subject takes his leave" to the emperor on the throne, before leaving Xingqing Hall with Jiang He and Gao Lishi.

At this moment, Shi Yan was unaware that Xiao Huanling, who was preoccupied with her and almost driven mad by longing, had already entered the palace. Bored, she asked Xiao Die to bring her a reclining chair to the open space in front of Mianhua Pavilion. The sun was shining brightly, and the spring scenery was delightful. Bathed in the warm sunlight, Shi Yan felt soft and relaxed all over. She leaned against the bamboo reclining chair, watching Xiao Die and A Man playing shuttlecock, and would occasionally admire their superb skills.

Xiao Die and A Man took turns kicking the shuttlecock, creating all sorts of amazing tricks with it. The two of them smiled broadly, exuding youthful joy.

Shen Zhi was originally guarding outside the hall when he heard the sounds of laughter and came over. He watched from afar as two girls were playing shuttlecock. Seeing their bright and lively expressions and how much fun they were having, he stood on the corridor with a smile and did not go any closer.

After playing shuttlecock for a while, Xiaodie and Aman got tired and stopped to rest.

Shi Yan noticed that their faces were flushed and their foreheads were covered in a fine sheen of sweat.

"Alright, that's enough for today. You two should rest for a bit, have some hot tea, and then go back to your rooms to wash up and change your clothes so you don't get sick from sweating too much."

Xiao Die and A Man obediently agreed and each picked up their own teacup and took a few sips.

"Your Highness, Ah Man and I will go back to our room to change our clothes first, and we will come back to serve you later."

Shi Yan smiled and waved.

"Go."

Having received permission, Xiaodie grabbed Aman's hand, curtsied to Shi Yan, and then ran away like a butterfly.

Upon seeing this, Shi Yan gently shook her head, and then looked up to see Shen Zhi, who had already turned and left not far away.

"Did you come all this way just to see Xiaodie? You're definitely in love, you can't be apart for a moment..."

Shi Yan chuckled to herself as she gracefully rose from the recliner, waving a futon fan embroidered with peonies and birds as she walked toward Mianhua Pavilion.

She gracefully entered the pavilion and, as usual, walked around the four-panel screen painted with the Four Gentlemen and headed towards the small couch by the window.

As soon as she lifted the beaded curtain and glanced up, she saw a dashing and elegant man, dressed in a dark red brocade robe with a round collar, his face as radiant as the morning sun and as beautiful as a peony, leaning against the couch where she often rested. His tall, slender figure stretched out and relaxed, quickly taking over her usual spot. Perhaps sensing her presence, he slowly opened his closed eyes, calmly glancing at her before a gentle, captivating smile blooming on his face as he sat up from the couch.

"I saw you enjoying watching those two girls play shuttlecock, so I didn't want to disturb you and took the liberty of sneaking here to wait for you. I'm sorry, but I thought this couch would be nice for sleeping. I got up very early this morning, and I had trouble sleeping last night, so I'm borrowing your couch for a short nap."

Shi Yan looked at the increasingly shameless person, and seeing his lazy demeanor and overly exquisite and beautiful face, she couldn't bear to give him a hard time.

"Ah."

He let out a soft hum, his expression indifferent, and walked forward to sit down on the stool beside the couch.

Looking at his beloved's beautiful face, which revealed no emotion, Xiao Huanling felt a little uneasy. His relaxed and carefree attitude vanished instantly, and he immediately got up and walked to Shi Yan's side.

"Angry?"

"It's my fault."

Shi Yan glanced at the anxious-looking person, then gently waved her small fan on her futon, her expression aloof.

"No, no, how could I dare to be angry with General Xiao?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Huanling felt a sense of foreboding. He racked his brains but couldn't figure out what he had done to upset Shi Yan.

But people need to be coaxed when they're unhappy. Adhering to this idea, Xiao Huanling knelt down in front of Shi Yan with his knees bent, looking at her intently and affectionately.

"I missed you so much, I wanted to see you, and now that I've finally seen you, please don't ignore me. You didn't even smile at me, and it makes me very sad."

As she spoke, she clasped Shi Yan's other hand together and placed it on her chest, her tone gentle yet earnest.

"Can you feel it? My heart is beating for you. The thought of seeing you makes my heart want to leap out of my chest."

Feeling the rapid heartbeat in Xiao Huanling's chest, Shi Yan knew he wasn't lying. It turned out that this seemingly carefree and relaxed person was actually so tense and anxious inside.

Looking deeply at the man in front of her, who had lowered his posture and whose eyes only had eyes for her, Shi Yan felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.

"I understand, get up."

"I'm not angry, I just don't agree with you coming to see me alone without telling me. Do you know how dangerous it would be if you were discovered?"

"At least have Cang Yu send me a message so I can prepare in advance and get Shen Zhi out of the way. Shen Zhi is loyal to the emperor; if he finds out you've come to see me, I'm afraid he'll confront you and expose your whereabouts..."

Knowing that his beloved was worried about his safety and not angry, Xiao Huanling breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he looked at the woman in front of him with great emotion, then straightened up and pulled her into his arms with a slight effort.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't have come to see you if I wasn't sure. Why would I let you get into danger? Shen Zhi should have already been sent away by Jiang He."

"Let's not worry about anyone else. It's a rare opportunity to meet, and I just want to have a good talk with you."