Time travel, quick transmigration

Xiaodie watched the carriage carrying Yang Zhao drive away into the distance before turning her gaze away and returning to the temple with Yunying.

"Now that I have seen you and said goodbye in advance, I will be leaving."

Seeing that the rain was gradually subsiding, and that he seemed to have no reason to stay any longer, Xiao Huanling knew he should leave, even though he was very reluctant. Staying would only make him more reluctant to leave.

Seeing that the person was about to leave, Shi Yan turned her head to look out the window.

"If you're not in a hurry, why not stay and have dinner before you leave?"

"It's goodbye for now, and we'll see each other again sometime in the future. Who knows, the rain might stop soon. Wouldn't it be better if you waited until it stopped before you left?"

“You rode here on horseback in the rain and there was no umbrella to protect you. If you get caught in the rain, you will be the one who feels sick. You got caught in the rain because you came to see me. If you get sick, I will feel bad.”

"So you have to listen to me."

Xiao Huanling was stunned by Shi Yan's slightly domineering and assertive demeanor. He couldn't bring himself to refuse Shi Yan, and besides, he really wanted to stay a little longer, so he didn't argue and obediently nodded.

Seeing that he listened to her and looked like an obedient child, Shi Yan felt that anyone who saw such a refined and bright person as Xiao Huanling would not believe that the other party was actually so gentle and lovely.

Xiao Die rushed into the flower pavilion and went straight to Shi Yan as soon as she saw her.

"My lady, the young master was humiliated by me and left. Luckily he knew what was good for him, otherwise I would have made him lose face and see if he would still dare to help the wicked and act as an accomplice to evil."

Shi Yan couldn't help but burst out laughing when she heard Xiao Die's description.

"Silly girl, that's not how you use the words 'aiding and abetting evil' or 'being an accomplice to a tyrant.' You're quite bold, only thinking about your own words and enjoying the moment, but you didn't consider that you've offended him. He might hold a grudge and make things difficult for you."

Xiaodie's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, but she still stubbornly insisted.

"I'm not afraid of him. Anyway, it's not okay for him to bully you."

Shi Yan's heart softened.

"Silly girl, remember to keep your own safety in mind from now on, don't just think about me. You don't need to worry, I'm here for you. No matter what, I will never let the people around me get hurt."

Shi Yan's words made Xiao Die's nose tingle slightly.

“How could my safety be the same as yours, my lady? Of course you are more important.”

Xiao Huanling watched the interaction between Shi Yan and her servant and was deeply moved.

Yang Zhao fell ill as soon as he returned to his residence. He was so feverish that he was unconscious and lay on his bed. The servants in his residence were in a flurry of activity, but he was unaware of it.

For dinner, Shi Yan specially prepared a vegetarian dish for Xiao Huanling, and the three of them enjoyed a pleasant meal in the Flower Pavilion with the dishes provided by the temple.

After having dinner and sitting for a while, the rain indeed stopped.

Shi Yan saw Xiao Huanling to the door.

"I am leaving."

"Please take good care of yourself."

Xiao Huanling couldn't help but give him some instructions.

Shi Yan smiled and nodded.

"I will, and so will you. Take good care of yourself. Write to me when you have time."

Xiao Huanling's eyes immediately lit up.

"Okay, I will definitely write to you."

"I've heard that there's a kind of eagle that, if trained properly, can carry messages to people thousands of miles away. I'll go find it."

"Wait for my letter."

Xiao Huanling was naturally pleased to write to Shi Yan to let him know that he would also receive a reply. The hope in his heart also lessened the sadness of parting.

"Take care of yourself!"

Shi Yan smiled and nodded.

Xiao Huanling then withdrew her lingering gaze, walked to the corner of the wall, and leaped over it with a quick push of her toes.

Xiao Huanling came silently and left quietly. Shi Yan knew that if it weren't for not wanting to cause her trouble, Xiao Huanling wouldn't have needed to hide like this.

It would be two years before they met again, and to be honest, she felt a little sad.

"Forget it, I don't want to think about these things. In a few days, it will be the time I arranged to meet with Haiyue and the others. I should think more about my plan to successfully escape in the future."

In the Xingqing Hall of the palace, Li Longji, who had just finished enjoying a song and dance performance, was feeling rather listless.

Having learned from the spies that Yang Zhao had used a self-inflicted injury ruse but still failed to see Yang Yuhuan, Gao Lishi, holding a whisk in one hand and the memorial presented by the spies in the other, walked respectfully to the drunken Li Longji and said.

"Your Majesty, I have something important to report."

Upon hearing this, Li Longji lifted his eyelids and glanced at him.

"You all get down."

The palace servants immediately withdrew from the hall.

"Your Majesty, this is a superstition brought in by a spy who secretly followed Lord Yang."

Li Longji reached out, took the document, opened it, looked at it, closed it again, threw it on the table, and sneered.

"As I expected, this person is indeed useless. She is truly stubborn. Two years is nothing; I can wait that long. Now that she has said so, let's see what reason she has to refuse me then."

"It's not that I'm sick, so I'm just sending him some things. After all, he's still a member of Yu Huan's family, so I can't be too harsh on him."

"Lishi, tell me, what kind of good women are there in this world? How could I have lost my heart to her? I treated her with such sincerity, why did she treat me with such a hard heart?"

Gao Lishi had never seen an emperor so disheartened. He also believed that the cold-hearted and aloof Yang Yuhuan was not worth the emperor's attention and effort. Yet, the image of Yang Yuhuan's captivating beauty, a beauty that could rival that of a nation, involuntarily flashed through his mind. He suddenly realized that it was no wonder the emperor was so infatuated with her. Coupled with the original social gap between Yang Yuhuan and the emperor, he seemed to understand Yang Yuhuan's predicament and inner conflict.

"Your Majesty, my wife has Your Majesty in her heart. However, she has concerns, which is why she has to keep her distance from you."

"Your original intention was to have Madam enter the Taoist temple for five years of cultivation, and then welcome her into the palace to accompany you after the storm has passed. Right now, it's just that Madam will be cultivating in a Taoist temple outside. This is fine. Over time, the people of Chang'an will gradually forget about Madam, and they will not remember that she was the Princess Consort of Prince Shou. You can issue an edict to bestow another princess consort upon Prince Shou. Then Madam will truly have no relation to Prince Shou. In just two years, it will have passed in the blink of an eye."

"Besides, you can go see your wife whenever you want."

Gao Lishi's words struck a chord with Li Longji.

"What you said makes some sense. Fine, let's go along with her for now."

Yang Zhao caught a cold and stayed at home for two days before gradually feeling better. He was puzzled that no one in the palace had come to ask him how things were going. He stayed alone in his room, feeling unwell, his heart in turmoil. He was worried that his actions had alienated Yang Yuhuan from him, and he was also afraid that Li Longji would reprimand him for his poor performance.

Not long after lunch, the palace sent a reward to his residence. The eunuch who delivered the reward also carried a message from Gao Lishi. Upon hearing the news, Yang Zhao dragged his ailing body to the front hall to receive the reward. He also learned from the eunuch that the emperor had not blamed him and had told him to rest and recover. However, he felt no relief; instead, he became even more bewildered.