Reincarnated as the daughter of my mortal enemy, all I want is to ascend the throne.

Liu Chengzhi was both angry and dared not show it when faced with a three-year-old child who had embarrassed him.

Getting angry at a little kid makes him seem petty.

"So it's the little princess. The butler will lead the way for her."

Li Qingyan stood with her hands behind her back and her chin raised, exuding an air of "what can you do about it?" and was quite smug.

The courtyards were deep and secluded, especially the women of noble families who lived in the back courtyards, which were even further away.

Laifu carried Li Qingyan, and the round shape of the red ball wasn't very noticeable when she was walking on the ground. From a distance, it really looked like he was carrying a red pom-pom.

It's all Li Yan's fault for making Li Qingyan look like this. Before Li Qingyan left, he insisted on adding more clothes for her, changing her already thick cloak into an even thicker fox fur cloak.

The hat was trimmed with white fox fur, which made Li Qingyan's face look even whiter and softer, making one want to take a bite.

Liu Yao's courtyard is in the southeast corner, and outside the gate is a small grove of red plum trees.

The girls in the family don't live too far from their elders, but Liu Yao's courtyard looks big, but it's been set up separately, clearly a place for outsiders to live.

As soon as Li Qingyan entered the courtyard, she felt something was even more wrong; everything in the courtyard was new and showed no signs of life.

A young woman would never move to a new place before getting married, unless her original residence was a place that outsiders could not see.

The people inside the house had known for a while that Laifu was delivering something, so they waited in the yard.

The woman at the head of the group was dressed in a simple light purple dress and wore a matching cloak. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she was clean and tidy. However, her eyes were downcast, and she seemed rather dull.

Li Qingyan patted Laifu on the shoulder, signaling him to put her down.

"I am here on my father's orders to deliver a white jade ruyi to Miss Liu."

The child's voice was still childish, but no one dared to treat him lightly; they knelt down to receive the gifts.

Lai Fu took the white jade ruyi from the eunuch behind him and handed it to Liu Yao, saying, "Miss Liu, this is for you."

"Thank you... thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty."

His voice lacked confidence, and when he raised his hand, it was out of sight of others.

Li Qingyan took advantage of her small stature to see the scar hidden in her sleeve.

She took a step forward.

"what……"

She 'accidentally' stepped on a pebble and fell towards Liu Yao. Taking advantage of the situation, she tugged at Liu Yao's collar, and when she saw the scar under the collar, Li Qingyan's eyes widened.

What kind of good family would mistreat their daughter like this?

"Your Highness, my little prince."

Laifu quickly picked up Li Qingyan and brushed the snowflakes off her.

"Where does it hurt, Your Highness?"

Anyone who has watched their young master grow up would be just as anxious as Laifu when they see him fall or bump into something.

but……

Li Qingyan glanced at the nanny and maidservants following Liu Yao, but none of them offered to help her up.

"It doesn't hurt, it's okay."

Li Qingyan stomped her foot and reached out to let Laifu pick her up.

Seeing her lively and energetic, Laifu finally breathed a sigh of relief, said goodbye, and left the Liu residence.

Li Qingyan remained silent throughout the journey, without the complaints she had made on the way there. She sat in the carriage looking preoccupied.

"Father, I'm back."

Li Qingyan obediently called out.

Upon hearing this small commotion, Li Yan's previously composed face finally brightened. If he called her "father," then everything was fine.

He nodded and said "Mm".

Inside the main hall, Li Yan and Yan Xu sat on the left and right sides of the main seats, with Yan Feizhang sitting to Yan Xu's left.

Li Qingyan climbed onto the chair below Li Yan and sat down.

"We've had enough fun, let's go back to the palace now." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

As expected, Li Qingyan nodded, her chubby little face trembling slightly.

However, when Li Yan tried to hug her, she insisted on reaching out her arms so that Yan Xu could hold her.

"Little brat."

Li Yan gritted his teeth and said something, but still gave in to her wish, lest she start crying again in a little while.

Li Qingyan leaned on Yan Xu's shoulder, her head gradually becoming sleepy. Bloodlines are a mysterious thing; Li Qingyan inexplicably felt a fondness for Yan Xu.

Li Yan also noticed this affection, and every time she saw it, she would scold him as "the heartless little devil," but she did not stop the two from getting close.

"Yan Xu will take that child with him to the palace tomorrow."

Li Yan lifted the curtain of the carriage window and said this.

The horse-drawn carriage crunched and disappeared into the distance, crushing the newly fallen snow.

Yan Xu patted the snow off his shoulder as if he could still feel the soft, cuddly bundle in his arms just now. It was his daughter, but she would never be his daughter again.

"Is Yan Feizhang right?" Yan Xu looked at the child beside him. The child looked somewhat familiar. Even at such a young age, he had an air of pride and was an interesting child. "Today he will stay at the General's Mansion. Tomorrow he will come with me to the palace to meet the Emperor."

"Thank you, General Yan."

Yan Feizhang bowed respectfully, showing neither fear at seeing the emperor nor joy at saving the little princess, remaining calm and composed.

The snow fell thicker and thicker until it covered the tire tracks before stopping.

Li Qingyan, dressed in a bright yellow nightgown, sat cross-legged opposite Li Yan, looking up at him and asking, "Li Yan... will Liu Yao die?"

If an outsider heard this, they would be puzzled, especially if a three-year-old child asked it. They would be alarmed, wondering if the child had been frightened.

But Li Yan remained calm, knowing that Li Qingyan understood.

Those who have listened to their speeches in the court since they were infants are well aware that the old and new aristocratic forces are not on good terms, especially after Prime Minister Liu stepped down, the old aristocratic forces were weakened, and their discontent grew stronger.

Li Yan cannot eliminate them for the time being; he can only try to balance the emotions of both sides.

It would be best to give the position of Empress to an old noble family, as they would occupy the position of Queen Mother. However, she absolutely cannot have children, so that the new nobles will feel at ease knowing that the Queen Mother is childless.

Once both sides are satisfied, the balance of power will be restored.

Even emperors are subject to constraints, but these constraints will eventually be removed; it just takes time.

"No, she was never valued, and she's a bit slower than others, so she's no threat in the palace."

Li Yan's words meant that he was willing to spare Liu Yao's life.

Seeing Liu Yao living her whole life in scheming, Li Qingyan felt a sense of desolation. She didn't want to be treated like that, so... she had to kick this old tyrant off the throne and ascend to the throne herself.

After figuring it out, Li Qingyan tossed a copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War into Li Yan's arms, saying, "Read to me, I want to sleep."

This little child is the only one who can openly call the emperor, and he obediently shrinks into the blanket when he sees people.

Li Yan shook her head. "Can you understand it? Why don't we find a teacher to teach you?"

"gentlemen?"

Li Qingyan, who was about to fall asleep, suddenly brightened up and scrambled out of bed.

"Can I attend classes like them now?"

The "they" she referred to were her imperial brothers and sisters, but she refused to acknowledge the little ones.

"You're not with them; you're given the right to choose your own teacher."

Hearing Li Yan say this, Li Qingyan was even happier. This meant that she could choose any of the civil and military officials in the court.

She smiled and patted the blanket off herself. "Then I'll choose carefully."

Her voice grew weaker and weaker as she spoke, and she fell asleep before Li Yan could even begin reading.

The tiny bundle, half its face tucked into the blanket, and Li Yan moved the blanket away, afraid that it would suffocate.

When Li Yan was taking care of Li Qingyan alone, he would often wake up in the middle of the night and check her breathing with his fingers.

"Little brat."

The gentle voice echoed in the night sky, but unfortunately no one heard this side of the ruthless emperor, who was known as a madman.