Time travel, quick transmigration

Shi Yan smiled upon hearing this but said nothing.

"Xiao Die, have Xiao Shen take you out of the palace tomorrow. I have something I need you to do."

Xiaodie was startled for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening.

"Your Majesty, do you perhaps intend for me to go see Haiyue?"

Shi Yan gave Xiao Die an approving look.

"Yes. According to the information A-Man has gathered, A-Ling will be setting off for Taiyuan Prefecture in five days. I have heard His Majesty mention several times that the Turks have been quite restless recently, and war may break out soon. Although A-Ling is highly skilled in martial arts, swords and spears have no eyes on the battlefield, and the Turks are fierce and good at fighting, so we really have to be careful. Let Hai-Yue and the others go with her to secretly protect A-Ling's safety. Firstly, I will feel more at ease, and secondly, they can also gain some experience."

"I haven't contacted them much in the past two years, only sending you gifts and money during holidays. To be honest, I don't know the specifics of their situation over the past two years, but given Haiyue's personality, he certainly wouldn't have neglected his training."

Xiaodie also agreed with Shi Yan's words.

"To be honest, Your Majesty, every time I leave the palace to see Haiyue these past two years, he always asks me how you are doing, and he seems to care about you a lot. I asked him out of curiosity if he had ever thought of pleading with you to redeem his indenture and gain his freedom, but he said he didn't know anything about freedom. He only knew that you had been kind to them, and that as long as Your Majesty still needed him, he would do anything, even die a thousand deaths."

"I am quite gratified to hear this, after all, someone is so loyal to Your Majesty. But I also think that the other person is a bit foolish."

Shi Yan learned about Hai Yue's inner thoughts from Xiao Die, and was quite moved.

"I knew Haiyue was a sincere person when I first met him, but I didn't expect him to be so stubborn. Oh well, when everything settles down, he won't owe me anything anymore. I'll try to persuade him, and I'm sure he won't be so inflexible anymore."

Ah Man didn't know Hai Yue, and knew nothing about what Shi Yan and Xiao Die were talking about, so she stood quietly to the side without saying a word.

Xiao Die nodded, but she wasn't sure if her master could persuade Hai Yue to let go of his feelings. After all, she had long known that Hai Yue liked Shi Yan, but she chose to keep quiet about it because she didn't want her master to bother her.

"Your Majesty, after breakfast tomorrow, I will have Xiao Shen take me out of the palace. Should we go to Bao Cui Ge first and have Chen Huang call Hai Yue to the shop to meet us?"

Shi Yan pondered for a moment and then nodded.

"After you have Xiao Shen take you out of the palace, have him wait elsewhere. Do not let him know that Bao Cui Ge is related to me, nor let him know about the existence of Hai Yue and the others. This is my privacy and secret. Do you understand?"

Xiaodie was stunned for a moment, feeling conflicted about having to deceive Shen Zhi and be wary of him. She liked Shen Zhi and believed that she shouldn't deceive the person she liked, but she couldn't disobey Shi Yan's orders, which made her feel extremely troubled.

Seeing Xiaodie's troubled expression, Shi Yan knew she was putting Xiaodie in a difficult position. It was indeed very painful to deliberately hide something from the person you liked.

“Xiao Die, I know you don’t want to hide anything from Shen Zhi, and it’s not that I don’t trust him. But you must understand one fact: although Shen Zhi likes you and now works for me, ultimately he only serves the Emperor. He can’t change his mind. If he discovers Bao Cui Ge and Hai Yue’s existence, he will be suspicious. He will definitely tell the Emperor, and then all my plans will be in vain. Can you bear to see me in such a desperate situation?”

"Furthermore, you are not deceiving him. Although you two are in love with each other, you are ultimately loyal to different masters. Before you get married, you are just Xiaodie. You can act according to your own wishes and be loyal to the person you have chosen. There is nothing wrong with that. Even if Shen Zhi discovers something one day, he has no right or reason to blame you. If he resents you for not understanding you because of this, you should think carefully about whether he is worthy of your affection."

Shi Yan's words were like a revelation to Xiao Die.

"I understand what Your Majesty means. Your Majesty, rest assured, I will definitely convey your words to Haiyue perfectly."

Shi Yan smiled faintly.

"Okay, I always trust you to get things done."

"I will write a letter myself, and you can give it to him at that time."

"There's nothing wrong here, you two can go and rest for a while."

Xiao Die and A Man knew that Shi Yan usually took a nap at this time, so they bowed and left.

As night fell, Cang Yu flew into the palace with the letter Xiao Huanling had given to Shi Yan. Shi Yan, who had nothing to do and was not sleepy at the moment, was leaning against a small couch by the window eating walnuts.

Inside the Mianhua Pavilion, the lights were on. Xiaodie was cracking walnuts for the greedy Shi Yan with a small hammer, while Aman sat on a round stool telling Shi Yan about interesting stories she had heard and the local customs she had seen.

The three chatted and laughed in a warm atmosphere.

"You two eat too, don't just eat for me. Walnuts are good for the brain, they're very nutritious. You two eat too."

Shi Yan pushed the walnuts in the plate aside and smiled, gesturing for Xiao Die and A Man to stop first.

"Aman, have some tea."

Shi Yan then pointed to the teacups on the table.

"This servant is not thirsty."

Aman pursed her lips, her eyes smiling, and shook her head.

"Your Majesty, this servant has a question."

Shi Yan smiled at her. "Okay, go ahead."

Ah Man tentatively asked.

"I've only ever seen people play with these walnuts before, and I've heard people say that they can be used as medicine, but I've never seen anyone eat them as a snack. Your Highness, you say that walnuts are good for the brain, is that true? Does that mean that eating them regularly can make people smarter?"

Shi Yan was immediately taken aback, and suddenly the walnuts in her mouth didn't taste so good anymore.

"I heard this from a physician. As for whether walnuts are really good for the brain, that's not the point. The point is that they are indeed nutritious and taste delicious."

Ah Man nodded in sudden realization.

"I see. That explains why Your Highness loves to eat these hard and difficult-to-peel dried fruits."

As he spoke, he glanced at the fruit on the plate, unable to resist wanting to taste it.

Shi Yan covered her mouth and chuckled when she saw A Man's greedy look. She grabbed a handful and handed it to A Man. Seeing A Man take it, she grabbed another handful and put it in Xiao Die's hand.

Looking at the strangely shaped nuts in their hands, Aman and Xiaodie exchanged glances before turning to Shiyan.

"Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty."

Shi Yan was annoyed.

"Why be so particular? Eat up and try it."

So the two of them picked up some nuts and put them in their mouths, and as they chewed, they slowly began to taste a special flavor.

"It tastes a little astringent and slightly bitter at first, but it's actually quite fragrant as you chew it."

Xiaodie said frankly.

Ah Man really didn't like the taste of walnuts, but thinking that the walnut kernels in her hand were a good thing bestowed upon her by her empress, she lowered her head and ate them all.

Shi Yan found the expressions on their faces quite amusing.

The three of them talked for a while, and then Shi Yan said she wanted to rest in her bedchamber.

After Shi Yan returned to her bedchamber, Xiao Die and A Man went out to prepare everything for her washing and bathing.