Time travel, quick transmigration

Shi Yan only had time to say "Be careful" before Hai Yue and the other two quickly disappeared into the crowd. A Rang and A Ke Zhen quickly entangled Xiao Shen, and with their combined efforts, A Rang successfully robbed Xiao Shen of his money pouch and a certain item.

Ak casually snatched a silver pouch from the waist of a middle-aged man in the crowd and disappeared in a flash.

Shi Yan watched the commotion in the crowd from afar. She saw that A Rang had succeeded, and that Xiao Shen had abandoned his pursuit of Xiao Die and turned to chase after him, disappearing into the crowd. A Ke had taken another middle-aged man's silver bag, which undoubtedly diverted everyone's attention. Xiao Shen would certainly not suspect anything afterward. With this thought in mind, Shi Yan felt somewhat at ease.

Seeing that Xiao Shen was chasing after A Rang, Hai Yue quickly glanced at Shi Yan and then turned and ran in the direction A Rang had left.

Once Haiyue and the others had disappeared, Shi Yan quickly walked forward to meet up with Uncle Zhang and Xiaodie.

Before long, Shi Yan arrived at the place she had agreed to meet Xiao Die. After she got into the carriage, Zhang He took her and Xiao Die back to Dongling Temple.

The return journey was uneventful. Shi Yan and Xiao Die chatted from time to time, and in less than half an hour, Zhang He had driven the carriage back to the official road they had previously traveled.

"Uncle Zhang, stop for a moment. I'll get off here, and you can take Xiaodie back to Dongling Temple."

Upon hearing this, Zhang He stopped the carriage.

"Xiaodie, don't forget to give Uncle Zhang one tael of silver as your wages for today."

Shi Yan gave an instruction and walked to the car door.

Xiao Die nodded in agreement and got up to lift the carriage curtain for Shi Yan.

"My lady, please be very careful!"

Shi Yan got off the carriage and smiled at her.

"It's not a long way. I've traveled it before, so you can rest assured."

Xiaodie pursed her lips and remained silent, her eyes still filled with worry.

Seeing her like this, Shi Yan smiled and told her to go and sit in the carriage.

Xiaodie naturally disagreed.

Unable to do anything else, Shi Yan turned to look at Zhang He.

"Uncle Zhang, thank you for making this trip today."

Zhang He smiled憨厚ly and said no, no, it wasn't hard work at all, and he was very willing to serve her.

"I'm clumsy with words, please don't mind, my lady."

"My lady is so kind, I am so grateful. Thank you for having Miss Xiaodie buy me a gift today."

Shi Yan knew that Zhang He was an honest man who remembered the good things others did for him, and he was also reliable. Therefore, she didn't specifically tell him to keep the matter from Li Qiu.

"Uncle Zhang, please come pick up Xiaodie at this time today, about two weeks from now. I'll let you know in advance if I need your help in the future. Thank you."

Zhang He readily agreed, saying, "No trouble at all, no trouble at all."

Having said everything he needed to say to Xiaodie, Zhang He bid farewell to Shi Yan and left.

Xiao Die only withdrew her gaze after Shi Yan had walked away.

"Uncle Zhang, let's go."

Zhang He responded with an "yes" and drove towards Dongling Temple.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Zhang He brought Xiao Die to the entrance of Dongling Temple. He helped Xiao Die carry all the things she had bought into Huanqing Residence. Xiao Die gave him the silver that Shi Yan had asked for, and then asked him to stay for a couple of cups of tea and sit for a while longer before seeing him out.

The three Imperial Guards guarding the Dongling Temple were puzzled when they saw Xiaodie return with many things she had bought, but they still couldn't find Xiao Shen.

Shi Yan had not yet returned, and Xiao Die's heart was still unsettled. She couldn't sit or stand still, so she simply stood in the courtyard and waited for Shi Yan.

Fortunately, the ordeal didn't last long before Shi Yan appeared at the entrance of Huanqing Residence.

As soon as Shi Yan stepped into the courtyard, she saw Xiao Die running towards her with joy in her eyes.

"My wife, you're finally back."

"What's wrong? Have you been waiting long? You silly girl, come sit in the flower pavilion."

Shi Yan smiled gently and walked towards the flower pavilion.

"Have all the groceries been put away? Where are my snacks?"

Xiaodie's eyes crinkled into crescent moons as she followed Shi Yan into the house.

"Everything is arranged properly, so you can rest assured."

"I've already prepared the snacks for you, just waiting for you to come back. Oh, and there are also treats. I picked out the best ones for you, so you can eat them for quite a while."

The two entered the room and walked to the small couch by the window.

Shi Yan's eyes lit up as she looked at the two bags of pastries and several large bags of snacks neatly arranged on the table.

"Not bad."

“Going out is really tiring. Xiaodie, go boil some water, we’ll make tea and have some snacks while we drink tea.”

"You worked hard too."

"We should treat ourselves well and enjoy ourselves."

"Go!"

Seeing Shi Yan slumped on the couch, exhausted, Xiao Die couldn't help but smile and immediately replied.

"I'll go right away, please wait a moment."

He then went out.

In the palace, Li Longji, who was taking a stroll in the imperial garden, somehow ended up at the place where Shi Yan had performed a dance for him that day. Standing by the lake and looking at the empty pavilion in front of him, Li Longji couldn't help but feel lost and dejected.

He possessed immense wealth and ruled the world, yet he could not obtain the woman he most desired. Now, in his palace, apart from the pure and refined Consort Mei, as aloof as a plum blossom, all the others paled in comparison to Yang Yuhuan, whom he could not have. How could he be happy that Yang Yuhuan refused to enter the palace to accompany him?

Seeing that the emperor was in a bad mood, Gao Lishi, who was behind him, stepped forward and softly called out, "Your Majesty."

Li Longji, lost in his memories, did not respond.

Gao Lishi knew that Li Longji was thinking of someone, and he couldn't bear to see his most beloved master so heartbroken over a woman. So, with the intention of relieving his lord's worries, he smiled in a flattering and understanding manner.

"Your Majesty, you haven't visited Lady Taizhen at Dongling these past two days. I think she must be feeling quite down."

Li Longji was successfully piqued, and his mood clearly brightened.

"how do I say this?"

Gao Lishi smiled and looked at Li Longji with the most convincing expression.

"Your Majesty, think about it. Lady Taizhen has always had you in her heart and is wholeheartedly devoted to Your Majesty. However, she is a bit stubborn due to the constraints of etiquette. Just the other day, you were so warm to her, but these past two days you have suddenly stopped visiting. Naturally, she feels neglected and is eagerly hoping that you will visit her."

"Your Majesty, think about it. Aren't all the ladies in the palace like this? If you neglect them even slightly, they will never be happy."

After a moment's thought, Li Longji's furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

Yes, Consort Zhang, who was once his favorite, Consort Wu, who was his most beloved and favored, and even Consort Mei, as well as several others he had once favored, all became gloomy and dejected because of his slight indifference.

Realizing that Yang Yuhuan was heartbroken because of him, Li Longji instantly became radiant.

"Li Shi, you're right."

"Your words have enlightened me, and I will reward you."

Gao Lishi was also very happy to see that Li Longji was no longer as downcast and gloomy as before.

"Your Majesty flatters me. It's just that bystanders see things more clearly than those involved."

"But I shamelessly accepted His Majesty's reward."

Li Longji chuckled at Gao Lishi's words.

"Well done, what a bold lackey."