Time travel, quick transmigration

After sending Li Heng back to his residence, Li Longji, who had been suppressing his anger, finally couldn't hold back any longer and casually swept the memorials on his desk to the ground.

"Is she expressing her dissatisfaction with me? How dare she defy the imperial decree and leave the palace without permission, disappearing without a trace. Does she think I won't do anything to her, won't punish her!"

"How dare she be so insolent!"

Li Longji felt his imperial dignity had been challenged, and his anger surged. However, after venting his anger, he hesitated to utter a single word about punishing Yang Yuhuan.

Gao Lishi understood Li Longji's thoughts perfectly well. Once the emperor had released his anger, he looked up at Li Longji, who was still sulking above him, and spoke up to appease him.

"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. This servant feels there may be some hidden story. Since Lady Taizhen has already left the palace, we just need to find her whereabouts as soon as possible and bring her into the palace."

"Your Majesty is so wise that you must have realized that there must be a reason why Lady Taizhen left the palace without permission to cultivate elsewhere. You are just too worried about her safety, which is why you are so anxious and agitated."

"It's not that I want to speak up for Your Highness or mediate for you, but Your Highness was depressed because of His Highness. You went with me to the Pear Garden to select palace maids to choreograph songs and dances. You put a lot of effort into it, just to make His Highness happy. Your Highness's sincerity in caring for His Highness proves that you have His Highness in your heart."

"Why not wait until we see the Lady, and then His Majesty can personally explain? Who in this world is not afraid of death? If not forced to, how could anyone have the courage to defy His Majesty's will?"

These words greatly dissipated Li Longji's anger.

"Even if she really has something to hide, she could have told me. Why make me lose face like this? I was full of anticipation today and happily sent someone to pick her up, but she just disappeared. It's one thing that she left the palace beforehand, but she didn't even give me a message."

Li Longji was still annoyed with Yang Yuhuan, but his tone had softened considerably. Although Gao Lishi's words had appeased him, he couldn't be happy to be ignored by the person he cared so deeply about.

"Send someone to find out where she is now. Once you find her, don't alarm her. Just come back and report immediately."

"Remember, once you find her, arrange for someone to protect her in the shadows. I want her to be unharmed. Understood."

Gao Lishi immediately replied, "Yes."

"This servant has noted it down. Your Majesty, please rest assured."

At this moment, Li Longji was still looking forward to the days when he could spend a long time with Yang Yuhuan. However, he had not yet received Yang Yuhuan and could not see the person he longed for day and night. Li Longji's heart felt like it was being boiled in oil. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was suffering from unbearable pain.

"Alright, you may leave now. Quickly send someone to find her."

Seeing that Li Longji was becoming impatient, Gao Lishi quickly bowed and withdrew from the hall.

After leaving Xingqing Palace and looking up at the sky where clouds were rolling and unfolding, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"My lady, you have really put me in a difficult position. I have to take care of you and appease His Majesty at the same time. It's really tough."

"Even if you are unwilling to enter the palace, you cannot defy the Emperor's will. No matter how unwilling you are, you will eventually have to accept your fate. This servant will do everything I can to help you, but you must not truly anger His Majesty. His Majesty is most unforgiving of those who disobey, and besides, our Emperor is both affectionate and cold-hearted..."

The eunuchs and palace maids along the way treated him with utmost respect, but Gao Lishi did not feel any arrogance or superiority. Having served the emperor closely, he knew all too well the unpredictability of the monarch's heart, and lived on the edge of a precarious situation, where the slightest misstep could lead to his utter destruction. He had only one master in this Tang Dynasty, so even if he felt some pity for Yang Yuhuan, he would not hesitate to make her disappear from the world without hesitation should Li Longji be involved or threatened.

Inside the Huanqing Residence of Dongling Temple, a harmonious atmosphere prevailed. Shi Yan, of course, had no idea that Li Longji in the palace had already lost his temper because of her presumptuous actions, and Li Heng had also been reprimanded and scolded for leaving the palace without her knowledge and without directly reaching the Emperor's ears. Perhaps even if she knew, she wouldn't care, since she disliked both Li Heng and Li Longji, so why would she care about their affairs?

"This is a bowl of soup I cooked for you with millet, a few dates, and two spoonfuls of honey. You haven't eaten anything since you woke up, and you just drank a bowl of medicine, so your stomach must be feeling unwell."

"The conditions here in the temple are limited, so this is the only thing I could find that's relatively nourishing. Tomorrow, Xiaodie and I will look for some ingredients to make soup for you. Just make do with this for today. You can drink it after it cools down a bit."

Shi Yan placed the tray containing the millet porridge on the side table, smiled and instructed Xiao Huanling, then went to sit down at the wooden table on the other side of the screen to have dinner with Xiao Die.

Xiao Huanling watched Shi Yan walk around the screen until she disappeared from sight before turning his gaze to the large bowl of golden, soft and sticky millet porridge in the white porcelain bowl with blue and white decorations on the table.

Because Shi Yan told him that she had cooked the millet porridge for him herself, he felt that no matter how delicious the food he had eaten before was as precious as a bowl of millet porridge cooked by Shi Yan, which made him feel hungry. He had never had anyone care about him like Shi Yan before, and he felt very warm, but also a little bittersweet.

He slowly sat up from the couch, reached for the bowl of millet porridge, and ate it with great satisfaction, bite by bite.

"It's soft, smooth, and fragrant, with the sweetness of dates and honey. I never knew corn porridge could taste so good."

As soon as Xiao Huanling finished his meal, he felt as if his entire body had been replenished with energy. He secretly marveled at how delicious the millet porridge Shi Yan had cooked was, and soon the porcelain bowl was empty. Looking at the empty bowl, Xiao Huanling was surprised that he had eaten so cleanly, and paused for a moment. Feigning composure, he put the bowl back and sat on the couch, staring blankly at the screen. His focused expression seemed to suggest that he could actually see something through the embroidered bamboo, rocks, flowers, and birds on the screen.

Shi Yan and Xiao Die's dinner was delivered to Huanqing Residence by Wen Ying. Although the dishes were simple, there were five in total, and they looked exquisite and fresh. Shi Yan found the taste quite acceptable. After all, the ingredients in this era were all natural, and eating healthily was much better than blindly pursuing delicacies.

Xiaodie originally wanted to eat at another place because, according to her understanding of the rules, a servant should not disrespectfully eat at the same table as her master. However, Shi Yan insisted on keeping her there and persuaded her to stay. So the two of them sat down happily together and finished their dinner in a very harmonious and quiet atmosphere.

Afterwards, Xiaodie cleared away the dishes, took the food box, and went out. Shi Yan sat and drank tea. After sitting for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, she got up to see Xiao Huanling.

"Your appetite is good, that's good, it means your injury is improving."

He glanced at the empty bowl, then casually walked to the stool by the tatami mat and sat down.

"You've just eaten, so it's not good for you to go to sleep too early. I'll sit here for a while and chat with you to pass the time."

Shi Yan suggested.

Xiao Huanling really wanted to go out for a walk. Staying on the couch all the time made him feel like a useless person, but he couldn't refuse Shi Yan's suggestion.