Chapter 19: Is Yan Huaixuan Also a Transmigrator?

Chapter 19: Is Yan Huaixuan Also a Transmigrator?

That morning, Yan Huaixuan had gotten up for some unknown reason, and when Shen Lian tried to find him again, the door remained tightly shut.

Shen Lian bit his lip. "Husband?" he called softly.

He knocked on the door, but no one replied.

Shen Lian whispered, "Your Highness, may I come again tomorrow?"

Still, there was only silence.

Shen Lian's fingers fidgeted with the hem of his clothes, then he forced a cheerful note into his voice. "Your silence means consent, right? I'll come find you again tomorrow."

He turned and left, deliberately slowing his steps, but the door behind him still did not open.

Shen Lian's fingers tightened slightly beneath his sleeve.

A strange, unnameable feeling welled up in his chest, and he suddenly felt a dull ache in his heart.

Hadn't he told himself not to trust men again? Hadn't he decided to just use Yan Huaixuan?

Why did it hurt so much when Yan Huaixuan ignored him?

Shen Lian sat in his room for a while, then slowly calmed down.

He figured it was because all his hard work over the past few days had gone down the drain, and that was why he felt bad.

Just like an employee about to close a deal when the client backs out at the last second.

Shen Lian pulled the storybook out from under his pillow again—not because he liked reading it.

He just wanted to study the flirting techniques of this era.

The next morning, Shen Lian checked himself in the mirror, then flashed his signature smile.

He entered Yan Huaixuan's chambers, only to find the man who'd been sitting under the tree yesterday was gone today.

A knot of dread formed in Shen Lian's stomach. He pressed his lips together and knocked anyway.

No answer. As usual, Shen Lian said softly, "Your Highness, I'm coming in?"

He pushed the door open, and his smile froze on his face.

The room was utterly empty.

That morning, Yan Huaixuan came out of meditation and instinctively sent a wisp of Spiritual Sense toward Shen Lian's room, but then forcibly stopped himself.

His eyes were cold and distant.

Ling Yun suddenly said, "Your Highness, it's March. The Dragon Blood Orchid is blooming—it can neutralize the poison in your body."

Yan Huaixuan's current body was cursed with a fire poison. Every midnight, his heart burned as if on fire, and it lasted three to four hours each time. In his past life, he'd suffered terribly from this poison.

It was only after he found the Dragon Blood Orchid that he was fully cured.

In this life, he'd cultivated early and could suppress the fire poison, but not eliminate it. It flared up once a week.

Yan Huaixuan stood up. "Let's go."

When Shen Lian arrived, the room was empty.

He sat in the great hall for a long time before finally getting up—not out of sadness, but to figure out why Yan Huaixuan had suddenly gone cold on him yesterday.

Everything had been going so well.

Had he said something wrong? He'd thought Yan Huaixuan was just being self-deprecating.

But on reflection, it seemed like it was after he said, "Your Highness, when you rise to glory, don't forget your humble wife," that Yan Huaixuan's expression changed.

He was just joking—why did Yan Huaixuan take it so seriously?

Could it be—

Shen Lian's eyes narrowed suddenly.

His face went pale.

Then he asked tentatively, "System, besides me, could there be another transmigrator in this world?"

"Someone who also has the script?"

If Yan Huaixuan was also a transmigrator and knew the plot, then Shen Lian's sudden deviation from the story—sucking up to him—would look like nothing but ulterior motives to Yan Huaixuan.

The system frowned. "Impossible. There can only be one system in this world. What are you thinking?"

Shen Lian frowned. "You sure?"

But the system hesitated. "I... I'm not so sure either..."

Shen Lian: "Then what good are you? Get lost."

He'd better test Yan Huaixuan himself, then.

But— Yan Huaixuan wouldn't see him right now.

He needed a plan. Suddenly, an idea flashed through Shen Lian's mind.

"Does Yan Huaixuan have the fire poison?"

"Yes, why?"

Shen Lian mused, "The fire poison was planted by one of the princes. The antidote, the Dragon Blood Orchid, only blooms in March. In his past life, Yan Huaixuan only found out about it after cultivating, and suffered from the poison attacking his heart for a whole year."

"What if I find the antidote for him first?"

Plus, it would also test whether Yan Huaixuan was a transmigrator.

If he was, he'd probably go looking for the Dragon Blood Orchid too, right?

But unexpectedly, the system sneered. "You? The Dragon Blood Orchid is deep in the mountains. Can you even get it?"

Shen Lian's smile dropped. "What are you laughing at? If I can't get it and can't win Yan Huaixuan over, what good does that do you?"

The system: "..."

Shen Lian was getting bolder and bolder with his words, but the system couldn't say anything back.

The system checked its energy and ground its teeth.

"Then how are you going to get it!"

Getting out of the palace was the first hurdle, but Shen Lian quickly thought of someone.

The eighteenth imperial son, Yan Huairong, had also had a fling with the original owner.

Shen Lian pursed his lips. He found the little maid Duke Shen's mansion had assigned to him, then got the maid to deliver a letter to the eighteenth imperial son.

The maid narrowed her eyes. "Has Yan Huaixuan been acting off today?"

Shen Lian said, "Still as dead as ever."

The maid just said "oh" and left with the letter.

Before long, Shen Lian heard a bird call from the West Garden, the most remote spot in the cold palace.

Shen Lian pushed open the door and looked out, only to see a man with a flour-powdered, greasy face. He was dressed like nobility, but his face was lecherous.

The moment he saw Shen Lian, he started leering, "Xiao Lian, it's been so long since you got in touch with this imperial son. I thought you'd forgotten all about me."

Shen Lian had dealt with plenty of guys like this in his past life. He put on a sweet, obedient smile, "It's just that the guy in the cold palace has been all over me lately, and I couldn't shake him off. I just slipped him some medicine, and only now did I get the chance to contact you, Your Highness."

Yan Huairong raised an eyebrow. "You really miss me that much? Sweetheart, let me see how much."

A flicker of disgust crossed Shen Lian's face, but he quickly suppressed it, deliberately keeping him from touching him. "Getting handsy already? Does Your Highness only care about my body?"

Yan Huairong, who thought of himself as a ladies' man, immediately said, "How could that be."

Shen Lian swallowed his disgust and flirted back, then subtly hinted that the cold palace wasn't a good place to fool around, and asked if he could take him out of the palace for a day trip.

Yan Huairong's eyes lit up at once. "Then just dress up as my attendant and come with me. I'll have someone swap clothes with you."

Shen Lian's eyes curved into a smile. "Alright."

He pushed the door open and left, not noticing the figure in moonlight-white robes standing behind him.

Yan Huaixuan was radiating a bone-piercing chill.

Ling Yun's face was just as grim. "Your Highness! This Shen Lian really is all smooth talk in front of you!"

Yan Huaixuan had gone to get the Dragon Blood Orchid, but on his way back, he spotted Shen Lian skulking in the most remote corner of the cold palace, so he followed him.

Who would have thought he'd overhear this conversation.

Yan Huaixuan's expression was unreadable. Though he said nothing, Ling Yun could feel a gale raging around him, only to settle back into stillness a moment later.

Seeing Shen Lian had changed clothes and was following Yan Huairong out of the palace, Yan Huaixuan silently concealed his presence and trailed behind.

Ling Yun was puzzled, but instinct told him his master was in a very bad mood right now. How strange—in a thousand years, he had never felt Yan Huaixuan's emotions stir.

His master's teacher had once said that his master was like a stubborn stone, devoid of heart and feeling.

But now...

Yan Huairong had originally wanted Shen Lian to ride in the carriage, but Shen Lian insisted on riding a horse himself, citing fear of ruining Yan Huairong's reputation.

"Your Highness, I'm a eunuch now. If I were to share the carriage with you, wouldn't that invite gossip?"

Yan Huairong felt even more pleased.

And Shen Lian, thanks to his past life of filming and using horsemanship to climb the social ladder, rode with effortless skill.

Yan Huaixuan followed at a distance, hearing this, and let out a cold laugh.

"Shen Lian is quite thorough."

Nothing like the recklessness he showed in front of him. What an act.