Time travel, quick transmigration

What sweet words! Yang Yuhuan believed the emperor's sweet talk and ended up dying a tragic death full of resentment. The emperor's words, which sounded like vows, were poison. Taking them seriously would never end well.

Seeing that the atmosphere between Li Longji and Shi Yan was peaceful and the situation was developing in a positive direction, Gao Lishi breathed a long sigh of relief.

He silently murmured, "The Three Pure Ones have manifested their power." A hint of joy finally appeared in Gao Lishi's eyes.

The atmosphere on their side seemed quite good, but Xiao Huanling, who was hiding in the shadows and watching Shi Yan closely, looked very unwell, as if he was trying his best to suppress something.

Only after watching Li Longji and Shi Yan bid farewell and reluctantly leave with Gao Lishi, and seeing Shi Yan silently heading towards Huanqing Residence, did Xiao Huanling, whose emotions were fluctuating, suddenly move and pull Xiao Die, whom he was holding by the shoulder, backward quickly towards Huanqing Residence.

Xiao Die had originally gone to the front hall to fetch Shi Yan, but unexpectedly, as she approached the Sanqing Hall, she saw twelve guards in court attire standing neatly in an open space not far away, along with the eunuch chief, Gao Lishi, whom she had met before, and the incomparably noble Emperor. She was immediately terrified and covered her mouth, thinking the Emperor had come to punish her. She dared not reveal herself, lest no one be there to rescue Shi Yan. Worried about Shi Yan's punishment, she was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, and ran back to Huanqing Residence in a daze. Perhaps because she was too flustered, Xiao Huanling noticed her distress and asked if something had happened to Shi Yan. Unable to withstand Xiao Huanling's persistent questioning, she told him everything. Xiao Huanling's expression immediately changed, and he pulled her out. Then, the two of them happened to witness Shi Yan talking to Li Longji.

Xiao Die was thrown aside by Xiao Huanling and almost fell to the ground. She patted her chest and immediately lowered her head timidly when she met Xiao Huanling's stormy eyes.

"Your master was forced to come to this Taoist temple to cultivate because of that person."

“That person just now was the Emperor.”

Xiao Huanling had never met the emperor before and therefore didn't recognize him, but having learned some things from Xiao Die, how could he not understand the identity of that middle-aged man with his noble bearing? However, Li Longji's arrival threw him off balance. The emperor he had just seen clearly harbored lust for Shi Yan; as a man himself, he could easily see the obvious emotions in Li Longji's eyes. Today, learning from Xiao Die the whole story of why Shi Yan had become a nun and cultivated herself, and witnessing what he had seen, all exceeded his expectations. He was furious that the emperor he revered harbored such unsavory thoughts about his daughter-in-law, and that he had used his supreme imperial power to strip Shi Yan of her status as Princess of Shou, forcing her into Taoist cultivation and arbitrarily controlling her fate.

Xiao Huanling hated the fact that the emperor was using the pretense of making Shi Yan a nun to actually possess her. He did not believe that Shi Yan would like the emperor, who was originally her father-in-law, and he was even more convinced that Shi Yan was not the kind of person who would easily submit to imperial power.

Xiao Die nodded nervously to Xiao Huanling.

"That person is indeed His Majesty the Emperor."

"Our lady has somehow displeased the Emperor. Not only will she not be able to become a princess, but she's also forced to become a Taoist nun. Originally, our lady and Prince Shou were deeply in love and very happy. But His Majesty insisted on separating them with an imperial decree. Our lady is young and beautiful; how could she willingly become a Taoist nun? Helpless, our lady had no choice but to leave the palace and find a Taoist temple to cultivate herself. Why won't His Majesty let our lady go..."

Xiao Die's words stung Xiao Huanling's heart like a needle. He knew he shouldn't be upset by the affection between Shi Yan and Prince Shou, but learning from Xiao Die that Shi Yan and Prince Shou were deeply in love still made him jealous. He was jealous that Prince Shou had won Shi Yan's love. However, he also looked down on Li Heng, a husband who couldn't protect his wife. If Li Heng truly had the responsibility and determination to protect Shi Yan, why would Shi Yan have come to Dongling Temple alone to cultivate?

Therefore, Li Heng meant nothing to him and was not worthy of Shi Yan's love.

"Why are you two standing in the yard? What happened? Why do you both look so glum?"

As soon as Shi Yan entered Huanqing Residence, she saw Xiao Huanling and Xiao Die standing in the courtyard, looking dejected and lost in thought. Curious, she went up to them and looked at them with concern.

Upon seeing Shi Yan, Xiao Huanling immediately concealed all her emotions and gave her a smile.

"Nothing could possibly happen."

"I was just feeling a bit down and wanted to talk to Xiaodie, but maybe I was too long-winded and Xiaodie got impatient and that's why she was unhappy."

Xiaodie pouted but couldn't say anything, unable to refute.

Shi Yan saw Xiao Die's sullen expression and assumed that Xiao Huanling's mischief had really offended Xiao Die, so she smiled.

"Our Xiaodie is beautiful and kind-hearted, she won't hold it against you."

"Come on, Xiaodie, let's ignore this guy."

As she spoke, she walked over, took Xiaodie's arm, and walked forward, leaving Xiao Huanling standing there, staring blankly at her back.

Shi Yan appeared completely untroubled and without a trace of sorrow. If he hadn't known of the emperor's feelings for her and his despicable attempt to possess her, he might have been completely unaware of her situation and her hardships. He would have preferred that Shi Yan not be so calm and composed, but at least to show him her vulnerability and pour out her heart, even if it meant getting angry and cursing.

"I found Liuyun."

Xiao Huanling suddenly shouted loudly at Shi Yan, who had already reached the bedroom door.

Shi Yan was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered and turned to look at Xiao Huanling, who was still standing in the courtyard.

"When did you go to find Liuyun?"

Xiao Huanling noticed her doubts and decided to tell a small lie. He smiled.

"Today, after having lunch with you, I had nothing to do and couldn't stay idle, so I decided to go out and look for Liuyun. I had been a little worried about its safety."

Shi Yan responded with an "oh".

Xiao Huanling continued.

"Thanks to your two servants for taking such good care of me, my injuries have healed a lot. Would you like to come with me to see Liuyun tomorrow?"

"It's springtime now, and the scenery in the countryside is beautiful, perfect for a spring outing. Usually at this time, the drifting clouds would carry me as I race against the wind, which feels wonderful and very interesting."

"How about we go horseback riding together tomorrow?"

Xiao Huanling had a strong urge to make Shi Yan happy. He racked his brains trying to figure out what to do, but having no experience in winning people's hearts, he blurted out an invitation for Shi Yan to go horseback riding together.

Shi Yan saw the eagerness and expectation in Xiao Huanling's eyes. She didn't actually know how to ride a horse, but for some reason, she was reluctant to refuse Xiao Huanling. She couldn't bear to see the dazzling light in Xiao Huanling's beautiful eyes disappear.

"Okay, we'll sneak out after breakfast tomorrow."

Shi Yan suspected that Li Longji had sent people to hide outside Dongling Temple, ostensibly to protect her safety, but in reality to monitor her.

Xiao Huanling seemed to understand the hidden meaning in her words, but he didn't seem to care why she had to leave quietly. He just smiled and said, "It's settled then."