Time travel, quick transmigration

The sky outside the palace was just beginning to lighten, and the candles inside had burned out the night before. Shi Yan walked to the dragon bed and lifted the dragon curtain. Inside the bright yellow dragon curtain, Li Longji was fast asleep. Through the dim light, a man's face bearing the marks of time came into Shi Yan's view. Although he was well-maintained as the ruler of a country, he was still old, and no matter how strong his body was, wrinkles were inevitable on his face.

"Men with power and influence are lucky, especially the most powerful man in the country. Even if he is no longer young, he can still attract many people to flock to him."

"At this time, Li Longji was sixty years old, a full thirty-six years older than Yang Yuhuan. If this were in our real world, no matter how famous and powerful one was, it would be impossible to marry someone as young and beautiful as Yang Yuhuan. Moreover, Yang Yuhuan had such a status with Li Longji. In the real world, the two of them would undoubtedly be drowned in spittle and attacked by countless people."

0804 also strongly agreed with what Shi Yan thought.

"Yan Yan, many emperors in ancient times were absurd and muddle-headed, and it is not surprising that Li Longji was like that. In the first half of his life, Li Longji worked hard and was a wise ruler, but in the second half of his life, he indulged in pleasure, favored treacherous officials, and neglected state affairs. He did indeed make mistakes for the country and the people."

"It's perfectly normal for you to dislike him."

"Yan Yan, get ready quickly, the emperor is about to wake up."

Upon hearing this, Shi Yan immediately took off her shoes and sat down on the dragon bed. To make it look realistic and avoid arousing Li Longji's suspicion, she deliberately messed up her hair and clothes, making her look like she had just woken up.

"Your Majesty, how is the Imperial Concubine?"

Gao Lishi's voice suddenly rang out outside the tent, catching Shi Yan off guard and causing her to pause in surprise.

"Is it permissible to enter the palace without asking permission according to the rules of the Tang Dynasty?"

Shi Yan was puzzled because she didn't understand some of the palace rules. She was glad that she woke up in time, otherwise Gao Lishi would have caught her sleeping in the outer hall last night.

Gao Lishi waited respectfully outside the tent, but when he received no response from the Emperor and Empress, he began to feel puzzled. If it weren't for the fact that it was time for the morning court session, and the Emperor and Empress hadn't risen from their seats, he wouldn't have dared to enter the hall and disturb his masters' peaceful sleep.

"Your Majesty, has the Imperial Concubine awakened? This servant has brought people to assist you both in your washing and grooming..."

Shi Yan lay on the outside of the couch with her eyes closed, intentionally keeping a distance from Li Longji. When she felt the person beside her move, she pretended to wake up slowly and turned her head to look at Li Longji, who had already opened his eyes.

The emperor, who had just woken up, cast a hazy gaze at her, his eyes, which had been sleepy and slightly sharp, instantly softened with tenderness and a smile.

"My beloved concubine is awake. Did you sleep well last night?"

As he spoke, he reached out and pulled Shi Yan into his arms with tenderness. The sudden closeness made Shi Yan's heart pound. Men in the early morning were indeed terrifying. Seeing the ambiguity in Li Longji's eyes, and worried that things were getting out of her control, Shi Yan shyly pulled away from Li Longji's embrace and slowly sat up from the couch, trying to remain calm.

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Gao is waiting outside the tent, as if he has something important to discuss with you."

As the beautiful, warm, and soft woman left his arms, Li Longji frowned slightly, reluctantly sat up, moved to the edge of the bed, lifted the curtain, and said in a deep voice to Gao Lishi, who was standing with his head buried in front of the bed.

"What do you need to report? Why do you disturb my peaceful sleep before dawn!"

Gao Lishi had no words to express his suffering and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Your Majesty, what time is it? It's already dawn. You really know how to find fault with your servant."

But he only dared to argue in his heart and did not dare to actually confront the angry emperor.

For a time, he could only suffer in silence while putting on a smiling face.

“Your Majesty, it is getting light late today, and the candles lit last night have all gone out. We were afraid that we would disturb Your Majesty by coming in without permission, and the Imperial Concubine did not come into the palace to light the lamps because she was resting. The light in this palace is dimmer than usual, and it does not feel like dawn.”

Unexpectedly, Gao Lishi came up with such a reason, which did indeed soothe Li Longji's emotions. He glanced outside the hall and then looked back at Gao Lishi's face.

"I will adjourn court today and spend some quality time with my beloved concubine."

This has never happened before.

Gao Lishi was immediately dumbfounded. Thinking of the ministers who were already waiting to see him, and the angry looks and discussions he was about to face, Gao Lishi was in a dilemma.

Shi Yan, who had been sitting quietly inside the dragon tent listening to Li Longji and Gao Lishi's conversation, was suddenly unsettled.

"What does the emperor mean? He just made Yang Yuhuan a Noble Consort, and only one night later he stopped attending court. Isn't this putting Yang Yuhuan in the eye of the storm, making her a bewitching concubine who has bewitched the emperor in the eyes of the officials? We can't let the emperor do that."

"If this were to truly be true, as Bai Juyi later wrote in his poem, 'The spring night is too short and the sun rises high, from then on the emperor no longer holds morning court,' then Yang Yuhuan would probably be truly despised by the world."

Just as Shi Yan was having a very active internal discussion, Li Longji, who had decided to skip court, had already lowered the bright yellow dragon tent and was preparing to lie down on his couch for a nap.

"Your Majesty, it is not appropriate to cancel the court session today. I have just entered the palace to accompany you, and you are already skipping court. What will the court officials think of me?"

"Your Majesty, I also wish you could spend more time by my side, but if my personal desires cause me to neglect state affairs, I will be truly uneasy. Your Majesty, please rise. You can spend time with me again after you return from court. Is that alright..."

Shi Yan mustered her courage and went all out, using a coquettish gesture to pull Li Longji out of bed.

Li Longji couldn't resist the coquettish beauty's pleading, so he was pulled to sit up.

"Yu Huan, Yu Huan, I really can't do anything with you, so I'll do as you say."

"Gao Lishi, assist me in changing my clothes and washing up."

As he spoke, he lifted the dragon tent and got off the bed.

Upon seeing this, Gao Lishi looked up with delight, not forgetting to cast a grateful glance at Shi Yan.

"Sleep a little longer, I'll have dinner with you when I get back..."

Before leaving, Li Longji gave him a few instructions.

After everyone left, the main hall became quiet. Shi Yan, who was no longer sleepy, simply got up and got off the bed.

Xiao Die and two palace maids, who were waiting outside the hall, watched Li Longji leave for court before pushing open the hall door and entering.

"Your Majesty, was everything alright last night?"

Knowing that Shi Yan had no feelings for the emperor, Xiao Die was worried about how Shi Yan would interact with the emperor last night, fearing that something might happen. So she stayed up all night and kept watch outside the palace.

Seeing that Shi Yan was unharmed and the emperor looked cheerful and not angry, Xiao Die, suppressing her doubts, walked up to Shi Yan and bowed.

Shi Yan had just said that there was no need for such a grand ceremony when she saw Xiao Die looking up, her eyes were pale and she looked like she hadn't slept well.

"Where did you sleep last night? You look like you didn't sleep well, with such dark circles under your eyes. Were you worried about me and couldn't sleep?"

"You silly girl, I can handle it, don't always worry about me."

Xiao Die responded sullenly, without telling Shi Yan that she had stayed outside the palace all night, afraid to go to sleep, for fear of causing trouble.

"Your Majesty, I know you are suffering, but once you enter the palace, you can no longer live as you please. For your own sake, and for the sake of the person in your heart, you should let go of some things."