Time travel, quick transmigration

"Your Majesty, Aman went and killed Chen Xuanli. It was all Chen Xuanli's fault. Along the way, I thought he was a reasonable, upright, and fair person. I never expected that he would blame Your Majesty for His Majesty's mistakes, the injustice of the rebels, and the cause of this chaotic situation. He is truly despicable."

"If it weren't for his instigation of those soldiers, how could the Empress have become the target of public criticism and faced such a situation?"

Shi Yan felt somewhat comforted when she heard A Man's words of protection for her.

“Ah Man, this situation is not surprising. Sometimes men don’t face the real root of the problem, but instead blame everything on a woman. There are countless examples of this throughout history. In prosperous times, Yang Guifei was the flower of wealth and honor of the dynasty, the most dazzling and radiant pearl, the icing on the cake. But in chaotic times, Yang Guifei became the instigator of all the chaos. The Tang Dynasty no longer needed her, so she had no value in continuing to exist.”

"So there's no need to be angry. We've always had plans in mind, haven't we?"

"We'll wait a moment."

Aman looked at Shi Yan's profile with a mixture of heartache and admiration. She seemed to have guessed what Shi Yan was waiting for, but would the outcome be different from what she expected?

Outside, the cries of the soldiers of the Six Armies requesting the emperor to execute Yang Yuhuan rose and fell, and Shi Yan listened as a slow smile appeared on her lips.

"Your Majesty, what will you do? Will you choose to sacrifice Yang Yuhuan again this time...?"

Having eaten some dry rations and drunk some water, Li Longji, already physically and mentally exhausted, was sitting on a wooden chair in the room, resting with his hand on his forehead and his eyes closed. Suddenly, he heard a commotion outside, so he opened his eyes, stood up, and went out the door. Gao Lishi, who was guarding him, also followed him out of the room.

What happened outside?

Just as Gao Lishi was about to reply, Chen Xuanli slowly walked up to Li Longji and bowed.

Li Longji nodded and glanced at Gao Lishi.

Gao Lishi understood and asked Chen Xuanli.

"General Chen, why is there such a commotion outside?"

Chen Xuanli did not answer, but looked at Li Longji and bowed.

"Your Majesty, it's the voice of the soldiers of the Six Armies. They are loudly requesting Your Majesty to execute Yang Guifei..."

Li Longji stared at Chen Xuanli with surprise.

"What do you mean by your words, my dear minister? Why are the soldiers of the Six Armies requesting that I execute the Imperial Concubine?"

Chen Xuanli lowered his head and remained silent after hearing Li Longji's question, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Li Longji stared intently at the top of Chen Xuanli's head, about to say something, when he heard Chen Xuanli's powerful voice ring out.

"Your Majesty, Yang Guozhong has been executed for treason. The Imperial Concubine Yang can no longer serve Your Majesty. We beseech Your Majesty to spare her life and execute the Imperial Concubine Yang Yuhuan."

"Your Majesty, you should listen to the voices of the soldiers. The Yang siblings have long incurred the wrath of the people. If they are not eliminated, the soldiers will remain resentful, and the country will never be at peace. If Your Majesty does not order the Consort to commit suicide, it will be difficult to appease the people, and it will also chill the hearts of the soldiers who have been protecting Your Majesty's safety..."

Li Longji stared intently at Chen Xuanli. He had only been momentarily stunned upon hearing of Yang Guozhong's death, but Chen Xuanli's order to execute his beloved concubine was something he found hard to accept and was deeply shocked by. Had he really come to this? He, the emperor of a nation, was being forced by his own ministers and soldiers to kill his own woman.

Li Longji suppressed the humiliation churning within him and clenched his hands tightly.

"Where is the Crown Prince? Summon the Crown Prince to see me."

Chen Xuanli ignored the emperor's restrained expression and simply said in a calm voice.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has led his troops to quell the rebellion and is not currently at the post station."

Upon hearing this, Li Longji's lips trembled slightly, and after a long while, he said, "I will handle the matter of the Imperial Concubine myself; you must not act on your own."

After saying that, he turned and went into the house, where he stood with his head turned to the side, leaning on his cane.

The emperor was unwilling to agree to execute Yang Yuhuan, but Chen Xuanli's eyes flashed and he immediately made a plan. He then turned and strode away.

After a while, Wei E, the military advisor of the Capital Prefecture, came to see Li Longji. After being summoned, he said to Li Longji with a worried and sorrowful expression, "Your Majesty, the anger of the people is now difficult to quell, and the situation is extremely critical. Safety and danger are hanging by a thread. I hope Your Majesty will make a decision quickly!"

As he spoke, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly until his face was covered in blood.

Li Longji could not bear to see it, and his heart ached even more.

"The Imperial Concubine lives in the heavily guarded palace and has never interacted with outsiders. How could she possibly know that Yang Guozhong was plotting a rebellion? She is nothing more than a weak woman who has long lived in the inner palace..."

Wei E had already been informed of the consequences by Chen Xuanli and was well aware that the situation had reached a critical juncture. He also knew the seriousness of the matter and that the emperor could no longer harbor any illusions or wishful thinking. Therefore, he simply and directly told Li Longji the fact that Yang Yuhuan had to be killed.

Gao Lishi, who was standing nearby, had also understood the current situation and the implications. He stepped forward and advised Li Longji, "Your Majesty, the Consort is indeed innocent, but the soldiers have already killed her brother. If the Consort is still serving Your Majesty, how can they feel at ease? I hope Your Majesty will consider this carefully. If the soldiers are at peace, Your Majesty will be safe."

The implication is that Yang Yuhuan is now the target of public criticism and must die, otherwise even the safety of the esteemed emperor cannot be guaranteed.

In Gao Lishi's heart, his only master was His Majesty the Emperor, whom he served loyally. For him, the safety of the Emperor was the most important thing. Although he was somewhat reluctant, he could ruthlessly choose to sacrifice one person to quell the current mutiny.

Li Longji could not believe that even the person he trusted most was advising him to execute his concubine.

Gao Lishi suddenly knelt on the ground, looking at the emperor with a sorrowful expression, whose face was contorted with struggle and whose eyes were filled with grief.

"His Majesty!"

Seeing this, Wei E also prostrated himself on the ground and continued to kowtow.

"His Majesty!"

The repeated calls of "Your Majesty" threw Li Longji into turmoil. His heart wavered, and his pride as a monarch crumbled. Recalling the days he spent with his beloved concubine, he was overcome with sorrow. They had once been so sweet and loving, believing they would grow old together, hand in hand, until the end. Who could have imagined such an ending?

"Yu Huan, Yu Huan... I have no choice... I can't protect you..."

Suddenly, Li Longji no longer dared to face the impending life-or-death separation.

With a strength he didn't know he had, Li Longji managed to utter the decree ordering Yang Yuhuan to commit suicide.

"Your Majesty is wise..."

Gao Lishi and Wei E both relaxed at the same time and shouted in unison.

Soon after, Gao Lishi led several palace servants to deliver the prepared imperial edict to Shi Yan.

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Gao is leading his men this way."

Upon hearing this, Shi Yan looked up and casually placed the book she was reading, which she had only half-finished, on the small table beside her.

"As expected, he did not disappoint me. It seems that the emperor has made the same choice again. His so-called love is nothing but... Hmph, laughable."

"Aman, come with me to greet Eunuch Gao, the emperor's trusted lackey."

After hearing this, Aman was stunned for a moment, then quickly responded with a cheerful reply.

"Oh, I'll keep you company."