Reborn as a Sickly Child: The Emperor's Beloved

After Shen Yanyan returned to Yaohua Palace, Xiao Jingzhan was busy every day. He would occasionally come to Shen Yanyan's palace in the second half of the night, and the rest of the time he went to the concubines in various palaces.

Time passed quietly, and the days passed one by one. In the blink of an eye, the beginning of autumn has arrived. In the calm after experiencing many things, Shen Yanyan felt that she had been in Yaohua Palace for a long time.

Yaohua Palace, a quiet and beautiful palace, is located in a corner of the palace.

Inside the palace, Shen Yanyan sat quietly by the window, gazing at the scenery outside. The sunlight shone through the mottled leaves onto her, forming patches of golden light. Her thoughts drifted with the breeze, recalling every little detail of the recent past.

The breath of the beginning of autumn brought a hint of coolness. Shen Yanyan felt the comfort of the breeze caressing her face, as if all her troubles were blown away. There was a kind of tranquility in her eyes, as if she had found a moment of inner peace in this quiet time.

The furnishings in the palace were still elegant, and the incense burner exuded a faint fragrance that filled the air. Dongxue gently stroked the strings of the zither, playing a melodious melody, letting the notes jump in the air. Her music flowed with emotion, as if telling her thoughts.

Listening to the somewhat sad piano music, Shen Yanyan turned her head to look at Dongxue and asked, "Dongxue, are you missing home?" Dongxue, like Xia Zhu, is a servant of the Shen family, and the whole family lives in the Shen Mansion in Yangzhou.

"I miss home, too, and my villa." Shen Yanyan sighed, missing the days in Yangzhou.

Dongxue nodded, feeling somewhat guilty. She had unintentionally played the song to entertain the Empress, but as she played it, the tune became distorted, causing the Empress to become sad.

"My queen, it's all my fault. I made you sad." Dong Xue put down the zither and stood up to apologize to Shen Yanyan.

"It's okay. It's normal to miss home. Xia Zhu and you will suffer if you come into the palace with me. You will have to stay in this palace all your life and spend your days like years. When you are old enough, if I haven't left the palace yet, I will let you two get married." Shen Yanyan looked at the huge Yaohua Palace with a sigh. The struggle between His Majesty and Prime Minister Gao was getting more and more severe.

Xia Zhu and Dong Xue's faces turned pale. Seeing Shen Yanyan looking a little aggrieved, they said in unison: "I won't leave. I will always follow you, Madam."

Shen Yanyan smiled and nodded, "Yeah. Just teasing you guys."

In fact, she meant it sincerely.

She thought that it was impossible to find a way to leave the palace. Her brother was far away in the western border and would inevitably be involved in this bloody storm. She also entered the palace. Whether it was Yangzhou or the capital, she could no longer stay out of it like before. The last time she went home, her grandmother said that the four brothers of her eldest uncle and second uncle were all serving in the court. With the situation of their Shen family, they could no longer remain neutral.

Based on her understanding of Xiao Jingzhan, Gao Xiang and Jin Ling would probably end up in trouble. This matter was quite risky, but it was worth a gamble. If they won, their Shen family would move up to the next level, but if they lost, they would die with Xiao Jingzhan.

Xiao Jingzhan has been entering the harem frequently recently and often goes to Concubine Gao's place. It seems that he has a plan.

Thinking that things at the Zhuangzi estate were about to be accomplished, the Shen family had to take a gamble, whether they wanted to or not, and they could only win, not lose.

Shen Yanyan thought about the letter she had sent back to Yangzhou, and just hoped that everything went well in the manor.

In order to have an extra guarantee, Shen Yanyan felt that she still had to go find Xiao Jingzhan. After all, those potato seeds in the farm were of great importance.

The summer was hot, the sun was blazing, and the scorching sun was ruthlessly burning the earth. Shen Yanyan stood in the house, looking at the scene outside through the window.

The scorching sun was hanging high in the sky, emitting a scorching light that made people dare not look directly at it. She thought to herself that the temperature outside was extremely hot at the moment, and it would be too hot to go out.

Shen Yanyan secretly thought that she should wait until the sun went down before going to the Yangxin Palace. By then, the scorching heat might subside a little, and it would be more comfortable to walk on the road. She would rather wait a little longer than risk going out in such hot weather.

The days in this palace are the same every day. Shen Yanyan looks at the weather outside and feels inexplicably irritated. Since she entered the palace, she has been staying in Yaohua Palace every day, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Thinking about the potatoes, she had to make a deal with Xiao Jingzhan to let her out of the palace for two days. It was really boring to stay in the palace.

In the evening, the sky was gradually dyed with a layer of orange-red afterglow. Shen Yanyan walked lightly with Xia Zhu towards the Yangxin Palace. Their figures looked particularly soft and beautiful in the afterglow of the sunset.

Shen Yanyan was wearing a light pink palace dress, with her skirt fluttering gently in the wind, as if blending in with the surrounding beauty. Her face was beautiful and her eyes were filled with calculation and happiness. Xia Zhu followed closely behind, wearing the clothes of a palace maid, looking well-behaved and quiet.

Along the way, they passed through the gardens and corridors of the palace. In the garden, flowers were in full bloom, exuding fragrance. Shen Yanyan stopped from time to time to admire the blooming flowers, feeling happy and relaxed. In the corridors, antique lanterns were hung, adding a mysterious and peaceful atmosphere to the palace in the evening.

Shen Yanyan sighed secretly, the palace is great, you can see flowers all over the garden in different seasons.

When they finally arrived in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the afterglow of the setting sun just happened to shine on the hall door, making it shine with golden light.

When the young eunuch guarding outside the palace saw Shen Yanyan coming, he hurried in to report to Eunuch Li.

After a while, Li Defu hurriedly walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Li Defu stared at Concubine Yan, with a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

He walked towards Shen Yanyan quickly, and greeted her swiftly, while extending his right hand, making an invitation gesture, motioning her to enter the inner room. Shen Yanyan was graceful and walked lightly, with a smile on her face, she followed Li Defu's guidance and walked into the inner room.

Li Defu lagged slightly behind Shen Yanyan, and protected her carefully all the way, as if she was a precious treasure.

After entering the inner room, Li Defu gently closed the door, isolating the outside noise from the outside. The inner room was decorated simply and elegantly. Li Defu led Shen Yanyan to a carved bench, and after she sat down, he stood beside her with a respectful expression.

Shen Yanyan was a little confused when she saw that there was no one around.

"Where is His Majesty? Is he still in the imperial study?" Shen Yanyan was a little confused. This shouldn't be the case. He would usually be in the Yangxin Palace at this time.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty is discussing matters with the adults in the study. Let me take Your Majesty to the inner room and arrange dinner for her first. Your Majesty will be back when he finishes his work." Li Defu looked at Shen Yanyan and said respectfully.

Shen Yanyan nodded. So that's how it is. He is really busy.

"Your Majesty, have you had dinner yet?" Shen Yanyan looked at Li Defu and asked. If not, she would wait for him.

"No," Li Defu responded with a bow.

"Then I will wait here to have dinner with His Majesty. Eunuch Li, you don't have to stay here to watch over me. Go and watch over His Majesty. I'll walk around the Palace of Tranquil Longevity by myself. Call me after you've discussed things over there." Shen Yanyan thought that she had lived here for several days before and was familiar with the place. It would be okay for her to walk around and wait for him. Anyway, since she was here, she might as well talk about things before leaving.

"Yes, then I'll let the queen go first." Li Defu leaned over and walked forward. Since the queen wanted to wait for His Majesty to have dinner together, he should go and tell His Majesty. Otherwise, if His Majesty was too busy and the queen was hungry, he would be the one who would be in trouble.

Shen Yanyan wanted to go out for a walk, but she found it difficult to run, so she gave up the idea.

She turned around and found a local magazine in the hall, then walked into the side hall. The side hall was decorated very elegantly, and Shen Yanyan lay on the couch with ease. The couch was soft and comfortable, as if it was tailor-made for her. She gently flipped through the book in her hand, her eyes focused and gentle, as if she was in another world.

The evening sunset shines through the window onto her, creating mottled light and shadows that make her look like a fairy in a painting. At this moment, she is quiet and beautiful, blending in with the surrounding environment.

Looking at the book in her hand, Shen Yanyan sighed. She didn't remember that she was a book lover. It was because there was nothing to kill time in this boring ancient times and this even more boring palace that gradually made her fall in love with reading.

Looking at the book in her hand, which was an introduction to this continent, Shen Yanyan became interested. She did know a few of the surrounding countries, but she was not very clear about them. There were few educated women in this world. Even the daughters of powerful families could only read some books that restricted women's thoughts, and some account books. There were some truly talented people, but they were very rare.

The book says that this continent is called Jiuzhou Continent. There are four big countries and many small countries on the continent. The four big countries belong to the Dali Dynasty, that is, Li Kingdom. Xiao Jingzhan's country is the largest. Li Kingdom is rich in resources and covers a vast area. Its location is the best among the four countries.

The Li State occupied the Central Plains and some areas in the north, and had many surrounding countries.

To the east is the territory of the Li Kingdom, with endless sea and countless small islands.

To the northeast is the cold Beilin Kingdom, which has been in a long-term standoff with Beidi.

To the northwest was the Xiliang Kingdom established by the Xiliang people, who often clashed with the Li Dynasty.

There is a Beidi Kingdom between Xiliang and Beilin, whose strength is comparable to Beilin.

In the southwest, there are many mysterious tribes. It is said that the people there are good at Gu insect pharmacology. They maintain a certain connection with Li Dynasty, but they do not belong to Li Dynasty or any country. There are countless tribal nations.

Lichao is adjacent to Beilin State, and the two sides have frequent trade exchanges. Xiliang has always had exchanges with Beidi.

In general, there are many countries surrounding Li Chao, distributed in all directions, and they have formed complex political, economic and cultural relations with Li Chao.

Among the four countries, Li State is on good terms with Beilin, has little contact with Beidi, and is at odds with Xiliang. Xiliang is on good terms with Beidi, and has no contact with Beilin. Beidi and Beilin are at odds, and the four countries restrict and balance each other.

Xiliang, located in the northwest, has always coveted the fertile land in the west of Li State and wanted to take it for itself, so it often had frictions with Li State.

Shen Yanyan read the book and gained a general understanding of the situation between countries.

The distribution of these major countries is somewhat similar to the distribution of the Song Dynasty and its surrounding countries in modern dynasties. Li State is located in the Central Plains and is a piece of fat meat. Looking at the three major countries around it, Shen Yanyan deeply felt that Xiao Jingzhan's life was really not easy.

She used to live in the Divine Doctor Valley and had no idea what the outside world was like. She had never understood the structure of this continent. Only now did she realize how heavy the burden Xiao Jingzhan was carrying.