Time travel, quick transmigration

In Shi Yan's view, although Li Qiu was a prince, he had most of his time free each day and usually spent it in the prince's mansion.

Their relationship was less one of affection and more one of mutual respect. At least, Shi Yan never showed any intimacy towards Li Heng, yet Li Heng was never lacking in consideration and gentleness when he was with her. Perhaps this was the norm for most couples in ancient times, and Li Heng didn't find Shi Yan's lukewarm attitude unacceptable, though he couldn't help feeling insecure.

Li Heng's interests could be described as refined, and Shi Yan would often accompany him as he composed poems and painted, adding fragrance to his ink and smiling in his presence. Li Heng would also accompany Shi Yan to stroll in the garden, watching her play with Xiao Die and Yue Ling.

To some of the servants in the Prince's mansion, their daily interactions appeared to be intimate and loving.

Time flew by, and a few days later, an imperial edict suddenly arrived, summoning Prince Shou and his consort Yang Yuhuan to the palace for an audience. Shi Yan was taken aback when she received the edict, and then, together with Li Qiu, she accepted the edict and expressed her gratitude. She glanced at Li Qiu's expression and saw that he looked very happy. For some reason, she felt helpless and speechless at the fact that people in feudal dynasties felt honored to be summoned by the emperor.

Having received advanced modern ideas and higher education, and having been influenced by the concept of equality for all, it was really difficult for her to have any reverence for ancient emperors, even though she knew that ancient emperors had the power of life and death.

Before you lies a magnificent and densely packed complex of buildings, which is the palace from the Tang Dynasty.

Not only Taiji Palace, Daming Palace, and Xingqing Palace, but also Chengtian Gate, Xuanwu Gate, Ganlu Hall (the first palace in the inner court) that Shi Yan had heard about in TV dramas, Liangyi Hall (the gathering place for important officials), and temples such as Anren Hall, Daji Hall, Baifu Hall, and Chengqing Hall.

Although Shi Yan was eager to see the entire Tang Imperial Palace, she abandoned the idea after considering the purpose of her trip. She was not a person of this era, and there was no need for her to seek a sense of belonging and add unnecessary entanglements.

According to 0804, Li Longji now spends most of his time in Xingqing Palace and only occasionally goes to Daming Palace for official business.

Led by a eunuch, she and Li Qiu went to Xingqing Palace to pay their respects to the Emperor and Consort Wu Hui. After traveling for an unknown amount of time, Shi Yan and Li Qiu finally arrived at Xingqing Palace.

Shi Yan glanced around at her surroundings. She hadn't felt too tired from being carried on someone's shoulders the whole way. In fact, she admired the ancients quite a bit. Not only the eunuch leading the way, but also the palace servants carrying her were all breathing steadily and showed no signs of fatigue.

As soon as they arrived at the palace entrance, they heard a chanting voice. Li Heng had already dismounted and was standing beside Shi Yan, taking her hand and leading her into the palace.

Upon entering the hall, Shi Yan felt a strong gaze upon her. After a moment's hesitation, she raised her head to look in the direction of the gaze, and her eyes met those of a man in his forties who sat high on the dragon throne, wearing the Ming Emperor's dragon robe and a crown. He was handsome and had the bearing of a dragon and a phoenix.

"So this is what Emperor Xuanzong of Tang looked like. Could it be that Emperor Li Longji in our world's history also looked like this?"

Shi Yan couldn't help but feel puzzled.

The man's eyes were bright, not cloudy at all. Shi Yan watched as his eyes gradually changed from sharp to deep and lost in thought. She took in the changes in his eyes and the expression on his face, and couldn't help but look away to look at Consort Wu Hui beside him.

Consort Wu Hui truly lived up to her reputation as a favored beauty for many years. Not only was her appearance bright and charming, but her eyes and brows were also full of endless allure. Even though she had given birth to several children and was no longer young, her beauty and grace remained undiminished.

Consort Wu Hui, Yang Yuhuan's mother-in-law, was smiling as she looked at Yang Yuhuan and Li Yuhuan and beckoned them to come forward.

"Your Majesty, look how well these two lovely children are matched."

"My beloved Heng'er is so fortunate to have married a princess like Yu Huan. Now that I see him married and has someone who loves him dearly, I am truly happy."

After Wu Luoheng finished speaking, she did not receive a response from Li Longji. She couldn't help but feel suspicious and turned to look at Li Longji beside her. Seeing that he was staring blankly at the person below, she called out to him again.

"His Majesty."

This finally received a response from Li Longji.

"Yes, my dear consort is absolutely right."

His tone was smiling, but his answer was somewhat perfunctory.

Wu Luoheng didn't take it to heart and smiled as she spoke to Shi Yan and Li Heng for a long time, her words full of gentleness and concern.

Shi Yan responded occasionally, politely but not overly distant, though she appeared rather quiet overall.

Shi Yan could always feel the gaze of the emperor who ruled the world and the nation from the dragon throne. Thinking about why he was like this, Shi Yan couldn't help but mentally complain about Li Longji. If she didn't know Yang Yuhuan's fate, she might have had some goodwill towards Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, who created the Kaiyuan era of prosperity. But the one in front of her was no longer the wise and diligent ruler she once knew, but Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, who indulged in pleasure with his favorite concubine by his side, disregarded ethics and morality, and even took a liking to his own daughter-in-law. In the end, he sacrificed Yang Yuhuan to save his own life, almost destroying the Tang Dynasty.

Because she disliked Li Longji's gaze so much, she never looked at the high and mighty emperor again during that time, and didn't even give the gentle-tongued emperor at the head of the table a glance when she left.

Li Longji remained lost in thought, gazing intently at Shi Yan's departing figure. Although his beloved Consort Wu Hui, Wu Luoheng, was speaking intimately with him beside him, his mind was filled with the breathtaking beauty of Shi Yan from their first meeting—her every smile, her every gesture, and her melodious voice, as sweet as a nightingale's song. His heart pounded like a drum. He refused to believe that he had been captivated by her mesmerizing eyes at first sight; he dared not admit that he had fallen for his daughter-in-law.

At this moment, his heart was pounding like a surging sea, so turbulent and intense, but as the ruler of a country, he could only try his best to restrain his restless heart due to his status.

"What a pity, such a beautiful woman with unparalleled beauty became Heng'er's princess."

"Qiang'er is truly blessed..."

At this moment, Li Longji couldn't help but feel a little down. However, he still cared about social norms and ethics, as well as his own status. Therefore, although he was unwilling, he did not intend to do anything that would be beneath his dignity.

Since the day she entered the palace and met Emperor Xuanzong, Shi Yan, because of 0804's words that she would soon leave the palace, couldn't help but feel a complicated mix of emotions when she was with Li Heng, who knew nothing about her.

On this day, Shi Yan was summoned to the palace again by imperial decree. This time, the messenger was Gao Lishi, a favorite of Li Longji and the most trusted eunuch by him. In Shi Yan's first impression, Gao Lishi was a fair-skinned, beardless, and kind man with a warm smile. However, she knew that this was just a facade. How could someone who could serve the emperor be a simple person?

Gao Lishi subtly sized up Shi Yan, his smile growing even more respectful and shrewd. Having served the emperor so closely, he naturally understood the emperor's thoughts. Considering why the emperor valued Yang Yuhuan as his daughter-in-law, Gao Lishi, as a loyal servant, became even more attentive to Shi Yan.