Time travel, quick transmigration

Gao Lishi hadn't dared to look at Shi Yan since he entered the room, as if he was deliberately avoiding eye contact with her, keeping his eyes straight ahead the entire time.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has issued a decree ordering this servant to come and convey it."

He then unfolded the imperial edict and read it aloud.

As the last word fell, Gao Lishi, who was already feeling guilty and uneasy, felt a tightness in his throat.

"Your Highness, please receive the imperial decree."

Perhaps still feeling reluctant, seeing that Shi Yan remained silent and did not accept the imperial edict, Gao Lishi assumed that she could not bear it, so he handed the edict to Aman who was standing to the side.

But as soon as he turned his head, he met Aman's unfriendly and angry gaze. Already feeling guilty, his heart trembled, but he still mustered up his courage and spoke.

"Aman, receive the imperial decree on behalf of your mistress."

Although Aman was resentful of the imperial edict issued by Li Longji ordering her mistress to commit suicide, she had no choice but to accept the edict from Gao Lishi's hand since Shi Yan did not give her permission.

With his hands suddenly empty, Gao Lishi felt a strange sense of relief, as if a hot potato had been removed from his grasp.

"Your Highness, please don't blame His Majesty. He had no choice but to make this decision. He was also heartbroken to write this imperial edict..."

“Your Highness, you should understand that His Majesty has always cherished you. Even in times of crisis, he would take you with him. He is most reluctant to part with you. You can feel how His Majesty has treated you over the years. I have served His Majesty for so many years, and I know better than anyone who he values ​​and cares about.”

"Your Highness, His Majesty is now powerless to stop this..."

As she finished speaking, she choked up and lowered her head.

Shi Yan watched Gao Lishi's self-indulgent and heartfelt performance without any reaction, only feeling extremely ironic.

“Lishi, you are indeed a good servant of your master.”

"After all that talk, your master still wants me to die, so his love and concern are nothing more than that."

"If your master wants me dead, why doesn't he come and tell me himself?"

“If he doesn’t come to see me, how can I bear to die? If I don’t hear him speak for himself, I will never die. Even if you force me, I will not rest in peace when I reach the underworld… I will make those who harmed me suffer forever, filled with resentment!”

Gao Lishi stared in astonishment at the person in front of him, whose tone was gentle but completely unfamiliar. He never expected that the woman who was usually as gentle as a flower would say such harsh words.

He seemed so shocked and surprised that it took him a long time to find his voice.

"Your Highness, you are making things difficult for this servant... His Majesty..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shi Yan interrupted him.

"Li Shi, how have I treated you all these years?"

"Now that it's come to this, are you going to be one of those who drive me to my death?"

The woman addressed him so affectionately, yet spoke words that were deadly, like killing someone by destroying their spirit, without shedding blood but carrying a knife. Gao Lishi looked at the smiling woman and suddenly felt a sense of fear. When he realized that he could feel fear towards anyone other than Li Longji, Gao Lishi found it unbelievable.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

“Go and invite your master. Tell him I have something to say to him.”

Shi Yan smiled gently, displaying a composure and ease that seemed to remain unfazed even if Mount Tai collapsed before her.

Unable to refuse, Gao Lishi bowed respectfully.

"Please wait a moment, Your Highness, while I convey your message to His Majesty."

Gao Lishi straightened up and was about to turn away when Shi Yan's clear voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"Stop calling me Imperial Concubine, and stop addressing me as Your Majesty. I, Yang Yuhuan, have never wanted to be called Imperial Concubine or Your Majesty... If you continue to call me that, it sounds both ironic and laughable to me."

"Have your master go to the Buddhist hall of the nearby temple to see me."

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi turned to look at Shi Yan, feeling a pang of sadness and speechless. In the end, he said nothing and left with the palace servant who had come to deliver the imperial decree.

"My lord, why do you still want to see that heartless, cold-blooded, and selfish emperor?"

“Since he is heartless, Master, you may simply leave. Haiyue and the others are near the temple over there. Once you leave the post station and head to the temple, just shout loudly, and Haiyue and the others will respond. This servant and Haiyue and the others will ensure your safe departure from this place. It is better than continuing to feign compliance with the Emperor, and you will no longer have to face these hypocrites.”

Shi Yan watched with amusement as A Man spoke of the emperor and others with such deep hatred.

“I know you are devoted to me. Of course I must leave this place, and I no longer wish to be entangled with the emperor. But before I leave, I have something I must do.”

"How can I let the emperor live out the rest of his life with a clear conscience after choosing to sacrifice a weak woman to save himself?"

Aman looked at Shi Yan with a puzzled expression.

"What's interesting about the master is..."

Seemingly guessing Shi Yan's intentions, A Man fell silent. In her eyes, the moment the emperor decided to abandon Shi Yan, the imperial affection she had previously believed in became a complete joke. How incompetent must he be to be unable to protect the woman he loved? How hypocritical must he be to feign deep affection only to cruelly abandon her at the crucial moment? The one who had been indulging in pleasure, neglecting state affairs, and allowing treacherous officials to rise to power was not someone else, but the emperor himself. Yet these men placed all the blame on a single woman.

She knew they were about to face the incited soldiers of the Six Armies, and it wouldn't be easy for them to escape unscathed. But no matter how difficult it was, she would fight to the death to protect the woman in front of her.

After exchanging a glance with Shi Yan, A Man secretly made up her mind.

"Come with me to the temple to pay homage to Buddha."

With that, he stepped out the door.

Upon seeing this, Aman immediately followed.

The palace eunuchs left behind by Gao Lishi, fearing they might lose sight of Shi Yan and A Man, immediately hurried to follow behind them.

Shi Yan left the post station and, in front of a group of people who were eyeing her with predatory intent, walked confidently and calmly toward the temple next to the post station.

This was the first time the soldiers of the Six Armies had seen Yang Guifei, the legendary concubine who enjoyed the emperor's favor and rendered the other three thousand concubines ineffective, so close to them. The soldiers, exhausted from days of hunger and resentment towards the incompetent emperor, had, under the instigation of Chen Xuanli and others, vented their anger and resentment on the Yang siblings. Now, seeing Yang Guifei, whom they had so vehemently wished for the emperor's execution, standing before them, so exquisitely beautiful and noble, so graceful and composed, their angry shouts gradually subsided.

Chen Xuanli gazed at Shi Yan, at her graceful figure moving away against the wind, his eyes deep and unfathomable. He acknowledged that Yang Yuhuan truly lived up to her reputation as a beauty capable of captivating a nation, possessing unparalleled charm and noble elegance; no one in the Tang Dynasty could compare to her, and no woman in the world could be found like her again. Forcing the emperor to order her death was indeed regrettable, but that was all he felt. In his view, Yang Yuhuan had to die. For the stability of the empire, for the emperor's clarity, and for future generations to reflect upon themselves, he had to ensure the deaths of the Yang siblings.