Chapter 139 (4,000 words) Poor little thing...

The night was shrouded in darkness, and the wind was cold. Suddenly, a shooting star fell from the sky, and the surroundings suddenly became bright, like a fleeting daylight, creating a spectacular sight.

The next morning, when the sky was bright, the wind died down, the roofs of the buildings were covered with thick snow, and everything was quiet.

The people in the capital were already discussing the strange phenomenon that occurred in the sky last night, and there were many different opinions on it.

"I think it might be a god who has come down to earth!"

"This isn't some kind of deity. It's said that what fell from the sky was a huge rock."

"I also heard that it's a strange stone that glows with lightning. Perhaps it's a treasure from an immortal, so the imperial court ordered it sealed off early on, forbidding anyone from approaching."

Amidst the discussions, Shangguan Sheng rode his horse across the long street in the cold wind, as he was ordered to investigate the cause of last night's strange phenomenon.

After all, any strange vision could be used by ambitious people as a fuse to spread rumors and question the empress's ascension to the throne.

People tend to panic due to unknown signs, so it is necessary to eliminate the source before any accidents happen.

Soon, the sound of horse hooves faded away and the figures in the long street became blurred.

In the distance, towering palaces stand in the center of the capital. In the silence, the sound of recitation can be heard, which is particularly childish and clear, like the pleasant sound of silver bells.

In the courtyard on the east side of the palace lived all the children selected by the Wanqi family to enter the palace.

There are special palace maids to serve daily life and meals, and there are also female officials to teach knowledge and etiquette on weekdays. The palace guards patrol the outer palace closely, so people are not allowed to leave the palace at will.

In the past, the children in the Wanqi family were treated with extraordinary status and were at the age when they loved to play and make noises, so they were not used to being restricted and disciplined in this way.

At first, there were some young children crying loudly, but then many of them were sent out of the palace and never appeared again.

As a result, the remaining children gradually understood the rules of the imperial court, because when they left the Wanqi family's territory, they were told by their elders to please the Empress and Queen Yin.

If the empress ordered him to leave the palace, he would have to leave the capital forever.

Of course, if everyone is treated the same, perhaps it can be tolerated.

But the treatment of the assessment is too different. The first place can meet the empress or Queen Yin, and can even go out of the palace to play. Children's jealousy should not be underestimated sometimes.

One morning, a little girl was walking through the corridor alone with a book in her hand. Suddenly, she saw the clay figurine in her house being played with by another person. She paused for a moment, her expression solemn.

"Give it back to me."

"What's so precious about such an ugly clay figurine? I really don't understand why the Empress would take you out of the palace for a tour."

After she finished speaking, the little girl wanted to take back the clay figurine that was stolen, but was deliberately stopped by several people. The clay figurine was thrown to the ground and stepped on hard, and it was immediately crushed into shapeless pieces.

The wind blew past, extremely cold and biting. The little girl frowned and suddenly raised her hand to push, which soon caused a panic and noise.

The ladies-in-waiting and palace maids rushed over and were shocked when they saw the glaring blood flowing from the forehead of a young child!

After a while, many of the empress's personal guards appeared in the palace. There was crying and shouting in the hall. The little girl knelt quietly, holding the broken clay figurine in her palm, without saying a word. Only the red mark on her tender cheek was particularly obvious.

When children fight, they usually use a lot of force. It is quite impressive that a little girl can push and shove with several people.

However, the female official Chunli looked at her indifferent master and felt something was wrong.

This posthumous child was not highly regarded by the elders of the Wanqi family to begin with, and now that such an incident has occurred, it will obviously bring him a bad reputation.

Xuan Yizhen's gaze swept across the child with a bleeding forehead, then slowly landed in front of the little girl and spoke, "Private fighting is forbidden within the palace. Violators will be severely punished. So why did you fight?"

"Your Majesty, she hit me first and I'm bleeding."

"She stole the clay figurine given by the Empress and deliberately stepped on it. According to palace rules, she deserves death."

The little girl spoke the murderous words very calmly, and even the female official Chunli couldn't help but feel shocked.

On weekdays, the little girl looks quiet and well-behaved, but I didn’t expect that she could be so cruel. It really shows that you can’t judge a person by his appearance.

There was a moment of silence in the hall. Xuan Yizheng held the hand warmer wrapped in a colorful sheath in his palm. His eyes swept across the little girl's gloomy eyes, and he suddenly understood why Yin Xing said she looked like him.

If I like someone, I like him/her directly; if I hate someone, I hate him/her extremely, without any room for maneuver.

"Come here, escort the child who stole and caused trouble today out of the palace. As for you, you will be confined to the palace for three months to reflect on your crime. You are not allowed to go out even once and consider your guilt."

"As you command."

The female official Chunli immediately responded and was somewhat surprised by her master's tolerance.

Normally, those who caused trouble today should have been sent out of the palace, but the master showed extra mercy to the little girl.

If it is said that it is entirely due to preference for Queen Yin, perhaps it is not entirely true.

After all, Empress Yin would not deliberately interfere with the Lord's decision regarding state affairs or the selection of the Crown Princess.

Outside the hall, the winter wind was fierce, and many children were no longer as lively as before. The heavy snow was falling, and the whole place was gray.

As time passed, it was almost the New Year and the weather was getting colder. Yin Xing rarely left the palace, so when he realized he hadn't seen the little girl for a while, he learned that she was under house arrest for fighting.

In the afternoon, Xuan Yizhen was flipping through the documents. He seemed unconcerned by Yin Xing's attentive gaze and said calmly, "She must be confined to her house for three months, not a single day less. Otherwise, if she acts so recklessly in the future, she will definitely not be fit to be the Crown Princess."

Yin Xing softly leaned into Xuan Yizhen's arms, snuggling with her intimately, and said, "Yizhen, I don't mean to plead for mercy, but it's just too pitiful for a little girl to be alone during her first New Year's holiday in the capital."

"She was an orphan since birth, and has been celebrating the holidays like that all these years. You are too soft-hearted." Xuan Yizheng tightened his arms around Yin Xing, lowered her slender neck, kissed her earlobe, and said resentfully.

Yin Xing shivered because he was ticklish, and then he heard Xuan Yizheng's faint smile, thinking to himself that she was indeed teasing him on purpose.

However, Xuan Yizheng obviously had her reasons for making this decision, so Yin Xing stopped pleading for the little girl.

After all, Yin Xing learned from the female official Chun that the little girl beat another child from the Wanqi family until he bled, and this incident would definitely lead to others investigating and holding him accountable.

The selection of the Crown Princess is no easier than the competition for the Crown Prince back then.

The little girl was a posthumous child, and she had no close relatives to support her. Even though they were both descendants of the Wanqi family, the competition would probably be very cruel.

House arrest may protect the little girl from the spotlight, Yin Xing thought to himself to comfort himself.

However, Yin Xing couldn't help it and decided to secretly check on the little girl.

Although the little girl was under house arrest and not allowed to go out, it shouldn't be against the rules for me to go see her, Yin Xing thought to himself to justify himself.

In the afternoon, Yin Xing tiptoed into the confinement room. He couldn't see clearly through the window lattice, so he raised his hand to signal the palace maid to open the door and stepped inside.

The conditions in this confinement room were worse than Yin Xing had imagined. There was no underground fire path in the entire house, only a charcoal basin, and it was obviously still a bit cold.

Yin Xing looked at the little girl with her back to him. She was sitting in front of a large desk with books piled high on both sides and plush gloves that she had taken off neatly placed beside her.

Such a well-behaved little girl, she definitely didn’t fight on purpose!

Just as Yin Xing was explaining biasedly, he realized that the little girl was not reading a book, but was raising her hands to stack crooked and collapsed clay figures. Her expression was very serious, like a little adult.

Seeing this, Yin Xing hesitated to interrupt until he heard the little girl sigh in frustration. Then he walked closer with heavy steps and asked, "What's wrong?"

Hearing the sound, the little girl turned her head and looked at the suddenly appeared Queen Yin in bewilderment. She subconsciously raised her hand to cover the clay figurine, but it was too late. She could only say sullenly, "The clay figurine is broken."

"It's okay, I'll try." Yin Xing bent down and sat aside, raised his hand to roll up his wide sleeves, dipped his fingertips in water, and tried to put the clay figure back together.

After a while, with a thud, the clay figure's head fell on the table like a puddle of mud, so dirty that it was impossible to pick it up.

Yin Xing stopped moving awkwardly, blinked, tilted his head to look at the little girl, and said guiltily: "Sorry, how about we go out of the palace next time and learn how to make clay figurines?"

The little girl nodded hesitantly and replied, "Well, the Queen won't be angry, right?"

"No, I know you will never do anything bad on your own initiative, and now you are very well behaved and are in solitary confinement for reflection." As he spoke, Yin Xing took the little girl's dirty hands and washed the mud and water together.

"But His Majesty might be angry and send me out of the palace." The little girl looked at Queen Yin who was washing her hands, her eyes dimmed, and she regretted fighting.

If I were to be expelled from the palace by the Empress for this, Queen Yin would adopt other children in the future and she would not be so kind to me.

Yin Xing wiped the water droplets off the little girl with a handkerchief, and lied without blushing or beating his heart: "Don't worry, I asked Her Majesty, she won't send you out of the palace because of this matter."

In fact, Yin Xing couldn't tell what Xuan Yizhen was thinking, because she didn't seem to like little girls very much.

Hearing this, the little girl looked at Queen Yin with half-belief and half-doubt, thinking that she was so different from the Empress, as if she had no idea how strict the Empress was.

The children sent to the palace by the Wanqi family had monthly examinations, and if their grades were very poor, they would be sent out of the palace.

"By the way, this clay figure is no longer in good shape. Why don't we stop working on it now?" Yin Xing held the little girl's hand, feeling a little cold.

It was obvious that the little girl had been playing with clay figures all day, so her hands were so cold.

"Well, I can't make clay figures well. I'm a bit stupid." The little girl felt that reading was easier, but making clay figures was difficult.

"How could that be? You are so smart. Even His Majesty, who seems to be omnipotent, can't make clay figures. So don't be too harsh on yourself." Yin Xing comforted the easily discouraged little girl, thinking that she had very high expectations of herself.

This is very similar to Xuan Yizheng. Perhaps the bloodline of the Wanqi family has some genetic reasons.

After a long time, Yin Xing comforted the little girl and reluctantly left the confinement room, only to find that the sky was a little gray.

Returning to the high-platform hall from the narrow palace passage, the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors is so great that you can feel the warmth right away.

Yin Xing watched some palace maids bow and leave, feeling a little confused.

It shouldn't be time for dinner yet.

Then Yin Xing saw a strange dark rock appear in front of him and was a little surprised.

Xuan Yizhen stood still, his expression calm as he said, "If you hadn't come back, I would have thought you were spending the night with the little girl and forgot to go back to your bedroom."

"How could that be? What the hell is this thing, Yizhen?" Yin Xing responded with a silly smile. How could she not know that Xuan Yizhen was bothered? She walked forward and held her hand, showing a friendly attitude towards her.

As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling person, and Yin Xing found that Xuan Yizhen is soft-hearted and does not respond to harshness, which is undoubtedly the best way to coax people.

"It's an alien object that caused some panic a while ago. It looks a bit strange." Xuan Yizheng shook Yin Xing's warm hand and didn't bother with her in the end, explaining patiently.

When Yin Xing heard it was something from outer space, he subconsciously pulled Xuan Yizhen away and said in a vigilant tone, "This meteorite from an alien planet won't have any radiation, right?"

Xuan Yizhen looked at the startled Yin Xing with a puzzled look and asked, "What is radiation?"

"I don't know how to explain the specifics of the principle, but it's something invisible and intangible, and it could be very dangerous."

"Since this is an invisible and intangible danger, how can you be sure you're not scaring yourself?"

As he spoke, Xuan Yizheng raised his hand and gently touched Yin Xing's nose, which was red from the cold wind, and couldn't help teasing her.

Yin Xing blinked subconsciously, looking somewhat innocent. He didn't know how to explain the scientific reasoning to Xuan Yizheng for a moment, so he had to look closely at the meteorite and found that the material was indeed very special.

Dark and smooth, with remarkably clean edges and sharp corners, yet its surface is covered in countless grains. It actually looks a bit like a speaker?!

At first glance, this thing really looks like some modern object with mechanical partitions.

The meteorite shouldn't be in this shape at all. Yin Xing suddenly felt a little ominous.

Seeing Yin Xing's interest, Xuan Yizhen took her by the hand and approached the meteorite, saying reassuringly, "Don't worry. Since I asked Shangguan Sheng to bring this object to the palace to see the emperor, it has naturally been inspected many times. It's harmless, but the original discoverer said it would emit a strange light, so I wanted to see it with my own eyes."

Now it seems to be just a piece of stone, nothing special.

After hearing what Xuan Yizheng said, Yin Xing was no longer as vigilant as before. After all, if there was a radiation hazard, someone would have died long ago and would not have been sent to the palace.

Yin Xing immediately reached out his hand to touch the meteorite out of curiosity, wanting to see if it was a speaker. Unexpectedly, he saw a light like an electric current quickly appearing on the surface of the dark stone. His fingertips suddenly felt numb and he felt a little dizzy.

This evil meteorite actually launched a sneak attack, how unethical!

The electric shock-like feeling made Yin Xing subconsciously want to let go of Xuan Yizheng's hand, but he was completely out of control. He fell into a wave of dizziness and then lost consciousness.

When the darkness in front of me dissipated, I was surrounded by the imperial garden with lush grass, and it was not the season of winter snow.

What's even more strange is that Yin Xing discovered that Xuan Yizhen was not by his side, and time and space changed in an instant.

Could that meteorite be some kind of system tool?

I'm afraid it's hard to tell what year it is now.

Just as Yin Xing was anxiously trying to find the palace maids to inquire about the details, he found that they could not see him.

The palace maids walked past Yin Xing with solemn expressions, whispering, "Empress Wanqi's illness is getting worse, and Princess Zhanghua isn't looking well either. I'm afraid she's been possessed by some evil spirit."

"Did something happen to Princess Zhanghua?" Yin Xing subconsciously asked with concern when he heard Xuan Yizhen, but still got no response from the palace maids.

Seeing this, Yin Xing had no choice but to shut up and follow the palace maids closely, intending to go and see how Xuan Yizheng was doing.

Of course, it would be more accurate to say that Yin Xing floated over.

However, when Yin Xing saw the childhood Xuan Yizhen in the dark room of the palace, he was surprised to find that he seemed to have come to Xuan Yizhen's past time and space.

It’s over. Which time and space will Xuan Yizhen, who touched the meteorite hand in hand with me, go to?

After all, it is unlikely that two forms of one person will appear in the same space and time. It's really terrible!

-----------------------

The author has something to say: Thank you to 14 lovely readers for quietly clicking on the collection to support you (≧▽≦)

Thanks to 19 lovely readers for following the update and leaving comments and rewards (≧▽≦)

New article recommendation collection: The fate of accidentally flirting with the paranoid queen (through the book)

A sweet story about a beautiful ambitious paranoid and a pure love silly little white rabbit. I hope you can click on the new article collection to support it (≧▽≦)

The author has many more completed works, please click on the column to read them, please (≧▽≦)