Time travel, quick transmigration

The next day, as dawn broke, Xiao Huanling had breakfast, packed some dry food, and with a few simple bags, led Liuyun out of the mansion.

"Brother Xiao, please be careful on the road! And please give my regards to Sister Yang."

Jiang He escorted Xiao Huanling to the door, and seeing that Xiao Huanling was about to leave after mounting his horse, he hurriedly stepped forward and said something.

Xiao Huanling nodded.

"I will give my regards to Ayan on your behalf."

"I'll leave this place to you and Zhang Liang. I'll get back as soon as possible."

After saying that, he turned around and rode away.

Jiang He watched Xiao Huanling, dressed in purple and wearing a silver cloak, speed away into the distance until he could no longer see him before turning his gaze away.

Xiao Huanling traveled at breakneck speed, only stopping to eat some dry rations when he felt hungry, and letting Liuyun graze on some grass. He had not been summoned by the emperor to return to Chang'an, which was considered unauthorized absence from his post and would be punishable. To avoid any further complications, he put on the silver mask he had previously ordered to be made after leaving Taiyuan Prefecture to conceal his identity. He needed to return quickly and naturally wouldn't linger on the road.

At this time, Shi Yan was unaware that the person she longed for was on his way to Chang'an to see her. In recent days, she had seen Li Longji become increasingly close to and reliant on Yang Guozhong, and in her name, he had summoned Yang Yuyao and Yang Yuchai to the palace, saying that he pitied her loneliness in the palace and specially arranged for the Yang sisters to keep her company.

Li Longji's initial intentions may have been partly for Yang Yuhuan, but Shi Yan had long seen through Li Longji's amorous and selfish nature. Otherwise, how could Li Longji have secretly been involved with Yang Yuhuan's sister, Yang Yuhuan, and been spending time together? She had already witnessed the two of them being intimate during the day, and now she was no longer surprised to learn of Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan's affair from the people below.

She had previously heard people in the real world talk about the "filthy" Tang Dynasty, but after experiencing Yang Guifei's experiences herself, she truly understood what absurdity meant. Forcibly taking a daughter-in-law, secretly having an affair with her sister-in-law—if the ruler of a nation could be so shameless and disregard moral principles, how could this once-prosperous Tang Dynasty not collapse?

She felt uncomfortable even looking at Li Longji's face. She had advised him before, but he still insisted on appointing Yang Guozhong and making important appointments to treacherous people like An Lushan. She was too lazy to stop him anymore.

"Your Majesty, don't be sad. His Majesty is just being misled. Once he wakes up, he will realize that you are the only one he loves most."

"Your Majesty, Lady Guo is clearly your elder sister. His Majesty summoned her to the palace to keep you company, but since entering the palace, she has completely failed to recognize her place, repeatedly offending you and deliberately mocking you with her words. Why don't you speak to His Majesty about this, and why are you so magnanimous in not holding it against her? You are too kind-hearted. The other day, when Sister Xiaodie came to the palace to see us, she told me privately that Lady Guo doesn't care about you, her younger sister, at all, and that one year during the spring hunt, she started seducing His Majesty at the Lishan Palace... She..."

Shi Yan frowned deeply as she listened. She had always known that A Man was simple-minded and straightforward, so of course she would stand up for her when she was wronged. How could she, Xiao Die, tell A Man such trivial and old stories?

Seeing that Shi Yan remained silent but her delicate eyebrows were deeply furrowed, A Man assumed that she was saddened by being betrayed by her older sister. So, her eyes darkened and a bold idea popped into her head.

"Your Majesty, Aman will go and teach Lady Guo a lesson so that she will never dare to be so presumptuous in front of you again."

Aman's expression was pure and innocent, but her words carried a ruthless edge.

Shi Yan didn't take A Man's words seriously at first, but when she met A Man's eyes, she knew her determination and that she wasn't just joking.

She was also somewhat stunned for no apparent reason.

"Okay, Ah Man, I know you feel sorry for me, but you don't need to cause trouble for Yang Yuyao."

"To be honest, I have never taken Yang Yuyao seriously, nor have I ever considered her family. So no matter what she does, it won't hurt me. If she dares to do anything to me, I won't let her off easily."

"As for His Majesty, it is his own business which woman he wants to be with, and I do not care. He is by nature amorous, and besides, he is of noble status, the ruler of a country, and possesses the world. There has never been only one woman in his harem. People only see that he dotes on Consort Yang Yuhuan, but they do not know how Li Longji could really be devoted to only one woman."

"It's not worth getting hurt for these people. I'm not sad, so you don't need to do anything, Ah Man."

Aman quietly observed Shi Yan's expression as she spoke, and only after confirming that she truly did not care did she slowly nod.

"My slave understands."

"So, Your Highness, is the person you care about the young master Xiao that Sister Xiaodie mentioned?"

Shi Yan was slightly taken aback, but when she thought of Xiao Huanling, her heart was filled with tenderness. After suppressing the slight flutter in her heart, she smiled and nodded.

Looking at the woman in front of him who was smiling gently and happily, Aman secretly made up her mind in an instant to do everything she could to protect the relationship between Shi Yan and the person she loved, so that she could be happy forever.

"Let's not talk about this. I'm a little tired. You should go and rest too."

Aman tidied up Shiyan's bedding, and after Shiyan got into bed and covered herself with the blankets, she lowered the bed curtains and stepped outside to stand.

"Your Highness, please rest. This servant will take her leave now."

Shi Yan responded.

"Go back."

Upon hearing this, Aman bowed and withdrew.

After leaving the inner palace and meeting Yuan'er who was on duty, Aman gave her some instructions before leaving to return to her own residence to rest.

Three days later, in the evening, Xiao Huanling finally arrived in Chang'an. After entering the city, he went to a tavern and bought a jar of Xiao Song's favorite wine, some paper money, and then went to the Xiao family's mausoleum in the suburbs to pay his respects to Xiao Song.

The autumn wind was whistling, and the setting sun painted the earth with a layer of orange-red color. Xiao Huanling stood in front of Xiao Song's tomb and felt the impermanence of life. Facing the person who had fallen asleep underground and would never wake up again, and the cold tombstone in front of him, Xiao Huanling opened the wine jar and poured the wine on the ground.

After burning all the paper money and ingots, Xiao Huanling knelt down and bowed three times to the tomb in front of him.

Xiao Huanling's feelings for Xiao Song seemed to be very complicated. He remained silent from beginning to end, not uttering a single word, until the setting sun disappeared and the afterglow faded. Only then did Xiao Huanling get up, take one last look at the tombstone in front of him, and leave without any lingering attachment.

After paying his respects to Xiao Song, Xiao Huanling mounted his horse and headed into the city. He needed to return to Xiao Garden first to pick pomegranates, and as night approached, he would bring the fresh fruit to the palace to see Shi Yan.

Two days before his departure, Xiao Huanling had already sent a secret letter to He Qi, so He Qi was not surprised when Xiao Huanling appeared at Xiao Garden.

He Qi had just finished clearing the accounts in the accounting room when he heard someone report that a masked man claiming to be an old friend of Xiao Huanling was waiting in the courtyard. He immediately left the accounting room.

Upon seeing the man standing in the courtyard, He Qi immediately recognized him as Xiao Huanling and quickly stepped forward to greet him.

Xiao Huanling gestured to He Qi with her eyes that there was no need for such formalities.

"I'm going to pick pomegranates. Have someone prepare hot water and clothes; I'm going to take a bath later."

He Qi was puzzled by Xiao Huanling's words and did not know what he wanted to do with picking pomegranates, but he still accepted the order and went to prepare.