Chapter 491 Malfunction

The pearl was caught steadily, and his heart was still pounding in his chest.

She was both surprised and annoyed. After regaining her balance, she immediately jumped away from Chen Yi's embrace and glared at him angrily.

Why did you suddenly make a sound? You scared me to death!

Shen Yi withdrew his hand, his fingertips still seemingly retaining the warmth from before.

“Your Highness, you have wronged me,” he said innocently, spreading his hands, but his gaze seemed to casually sweep over Mingzhu’s reddened ear tips. “It was Your Highness who was gossiping here, and so carelessly. If I hadn’t happened to be passing by, Your Highness would probably have had a close encounter with the earth.”

"Who, who's gossiping?" Mingzhu was stung by his words, her eyes darted around for a moment, and her voice became a little weak, but she quickly straightened her small chest and tried to regain her composure.

“I was just… I was looking at the scenery, yes, looking at the scenery. But you, sneaking around outside eavesdropping, that’s not gentlemanly behavior.”

"You almost tripped while admiring the scenery?" Shen Yi raised an eyebrow, his smile deepening, and deliberately leaned closer. "Your Highness's way of admiring the scenery is quite unique. As for eavesdropping... I walked over openly and honestly. Perhaps Your Highness was too engrossed in talking to hear my footsteps?"

He stood quite close, his cool breath wafting over her, causing Mingzhu's heart, which had just begun to calm, to skip a few beats.

She subconsciously took a half step back, turned her face away, and avoided eye contact with him, but her words were still sharp.

"None of your business. What are you doing at Weiyang Palace?"

Shen Yi straightened up, abandoning his usual nonchalant demeanor, and waved his fan.

"Naturally, it is by order of His Majesty. However, it seems that Her Majesty is speaking with you all. I should not disturb you, so I will take my leave." As he spoke, he bowed to Jiang Huan, He Ling, and the others who came over upon hearing his voice, but his gaze turned slightly mocking when it swept over Mingzhu.

"Princess, next time you're admiring the scenery, make sure you stand firmly." With that, he turned and left with a leisurely air.

Mingzhu made a face at his retreating figure and muttered under her breath, "Who wants your fake kindness..."

She said that, but her fingertips unconsciously curled up. The strong touch of his arm around her waist still seemed to linger, as did the warm breath he had brushed against her ear when he was close...

"Mingzhu, are you alright?" Jiang Huan walked over and asked with concern. Her gaze swept over Mingzhu's flushed face, then glanced in the direction Shen Yi had left. She understood and chuckled to herself.

These two are truly a pair of bickering lovers; they bicker the moment they meet, yet a single glance reveals their mutual affection.

I just don't know when they'll finally break through this barrier.

Oh dear, it's like the emperor isn't worried, but the eunuchs are; even I, a mere bystander, can't help but jump in and help!

"It's nothing." Mingzhu came to her senses and quickly waved her hand.

When everyone returned to the house, He Ling and Ashina Yun also came over. The group chatted for a while, but Mingzhu was clearly distracted, her eyes occasionally drifting towards the door.

Not long after, she excused herself, saying she had been out for too long and it was time to go back, and hurriedly took her leave.

On the way back, Mingzhu walked rather slowly.

Her mind kept replaying that scene: Shen Yi's gentle, smiling eyes, the warmth of his embrace when she fell...

The heat that had just subsided on her face crept back up, and her heart felt like it was pounding with a restless little rabbit, making her feel flustered and uneasy.

"Ugh, so annoying." Mingzhu shook her head vigorously, as if trying to shake these images out of her mind, and unconsciously quickened her pace.

What's wrong with her?

He was just startled and helped her up.

It's no big deal, why think about it over and over again?

Shen Yi, that annoying guy, is always joking around and acting all high and mighty, always putting on a charming and debonair act.

Today... nothing's different today.

Yes, he deliberately scared her to see her embarrass herself. He's the worst!

But when he caught her, his movements were incredibly fast, and his arms were so steady...

"Stop!" Mingzhu stopped in her tracks, covered her flushed cheeks, and whispered a warning to herself to the pillar, "Don't think about it anymore. It must be because I haven't been resting well lately that I'm having these wild thoughts. Yes, that's it."

She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

That's right, Shen Yi has so many female confidantes that they could stretch from the palace gates to the main street.

She wouldn't have any special feelings for that kind of playboy.

Absolutely, absolutely impossible!

Not long after Mingzhu left, Ashina Yun also got up to take his leave.

Only Jiang Huan and He Ling remained in the flower hall. Jiang Huan was about to ask He Ling more questions about the system's electrical noise when she saw He Ling's expression change, her eyes fixed on the empty space in front of her, filled with horror.

"He Ling?" Jiang Huan's heart tightened, and she immediately asked, "What's wrong? Is it the system again...?"

The conversation abruptly stopped, and Jiang Huan heard a series of chaotic electrical noises.

"Warning! Core protocol...buzz...activating..."

Large beads of cold sweat appeared on He Ling's forehead. Deep in her mind, the familiar system interface was being swallowed by a blinding red light.

In the center of the screen, a huge dialog box pops up, and a blood-red countdown relentlessly ticks.

"All data will be formatted and unbound shortly. (Countdown: 30 seconds)"

He Ling's mind went blank, almost exploding.

Without the system, where would her "advanced" knowledge come from, and how could she, as the head of the Ministry of Agriculture, stand on her own?

The key cultivation points and pest and disease atlases for the new crops that are about to be promoted in the south are all in the system's database!

Panic engulfed her like a tidal wave, and the countdown mercilessly ticked: 20 seconds, 19 seconds, 18 seconds...

Just as the countdown reached 10 seconds, He Ling gritted her teeth, used all her willpower, and forcibly exited the system.

"Sizzle—!!!"

A sharp, electrical sound, far louder than ever before, exploded simultaneously in the minds of He Ling and Jiang Huan.

Jiang Huan felt a sharp pain in her temples, as if she were being pricked by needles. She groaned and staggered half a step, only managing to avoid falling over by grabbing the table.

He Ling trembled violently, and her vision became blurry with static. However, the forced exit seemed to work. The red light and garbled code in her mind flashed suddenly as if forcibly cut off, and then disappeared.

A chilling, deathly silence.

The piercing noise that seemed to tear your brain apart finally subsided, but the emptiness it left behind was even more unsettling.

Despite the lingering stinging pain, Jiang Huan quickly stepped forward to support He Ling, who was swaying.

"He Ling? He Ling, how are you? Can you hear me?"

With Jiang Huan's help, He Ling sat down on a chair next to her. Her eyes were glazed over, and it took her several breaths to recover from the dizziness of having her soul forcibly pulled out and then stuffed back in.

She raised her head and looked at Jiang Huan, her lips moved a few times, her voice dry: "Your Majesty, I'm fine, but the system...it...seems to be malfunctioning."