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

Li Yan instantly lost consciousness, but Yan Xu, who was standing nearby, quickly caught him.

"What are you standing there for? Take them away."

The Emperor Emeritus roared, and only then did everyone react.

Yan Xu glanced at him, covered Li Yan with a cloak, and carried him away. Lai Fu followed behind with his men, and the group left in a grand procession.

In that instant, several sharp blades whistled through the air as a dart hurtled toward the Emperor Emeritus, slicing across his cheek in the blink of an eye.

The surrounding guards drew their swords in unison, shouting, "Protect the Emperor!"

The retired emperor touched the wound on his face; it was small but painful, but not poisonous. This was meant to warn him.

A hoarse voice suddenly came from inside the door.

"Old man, if you dare to hurt my father, we'll both die together."

Her voice was childish yet fierce, like a little wolf cub with its fur standing on end. Tao Jiannan, who was holding Li Qingyan, trembled. This little princess really had nothing she wouldn't say or do.

The Emperor Emeritus was also shocked by her words. He had just woken up and was anxious to protect Li Yan. He then saw Li Yan as a child.

Li Yan was sixteen years old that year, and he and his father were besieged by the enemy.

Li Yan, who was just as tall as him, stood in front of him covered in wounds, holding a sword, and said, "Father, as long as your son is alive, no one can hurt you."

Li Yan single-handedly held on until reinforcements arrived. The most dangerous wound was less than a finger's width from her heart.

"How dare you..."

The eunuch beside the retired emperor had barely opened his mouth when the retired emperor raised his hand to stop him.

He felt no anger at being slashed on the face; instead, he found it rather amusing. His guards went to check but couldn't find him.

This brat actually has a powerful protector by his side, and Li Yan probably doesn't even know it.

"Oh? What if I hurt him? Don't forget you're half-dead right now, little thing."

The retired emperor found it quite amusing that such a small thing dared to threaten him.

Li Qingyan took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Her body couldn't withstand the emotional fluctuations right now.

"That bastard is even more infuriating than my old man! He's even a Taoist priest; his mouth could poison the entire capital. What a bastard!"

"Then you should try it if you can. I'll make sure you die a horrible death."

Despite her young age, Li Qingyan possessed a powerful aura; even through the door, the Emperor Emeritus could sense her anger.

"You want my life? You little brat, you'd better live first."

The retired emperor flicked his sleeves and led his men away, leaving only two words: "Seal the palace." Hearing these two words, Li Qingyan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It would be better to seal off the courtyard, so that Li Yan wouldn't come in again.

"Cough cough cough..."

Li Qingyan coughed a few times, and Tao Jiannan quickly carried her back to bed. Li Qingyan had just woken up when the Emperor Emeritus and the Emperor were confronting each other, so she had Tao Jiannan carry her to the door.

Physician Zhao's eyes reddened. "Your Highness, you really need to change your temper. How can you recover quickly if you're still angry while you're sick?"

The imperial physician Zhao was old and had a long beard. Li Qingyan wanted to laugh when she saw his red eyes, and she reached out her hand as if she were still a baby and was holding his beard.

"Since Physician Zhao is treating my illness, you will all be unable to go home for quite some time."

When Li Qingyan was still an infant, she would get spanked by Li Yan, but since she couldn't grab Li Yan, she could only grab the beard of the imperial physician Zhao, who was taking her pulse. As a result, many of the imperial physician Zhao's beard hairs broke off during that period.

Even after Li Qingyan grew up, Physician Zhao avoided her for a long time.

Now, with his beard being grabbed but not feeling any strength in Li Qingyan's hand, Physician Zhao's eyes reddened even more. "Your Highness is still so mischievous. I am sure I can cure you."

"Cough cough cough..." Li Qingyan suddenly coughed, and spurts of blood came out of her mouth.

Doctor Liu quickly helped her up and poured the medicine into her mouth.

"Your Highness, lie down for a while, don't be afraid, don't be afraid." Imperial Physician Zhao tucked her in. He had watched Li Qingyan grow up, and seeing her suffer now broke his heart.

Physician Zhao and Doctor Liu hurriedly went to another place to find prescriptions and consult medical books to get medicine. Li Qingyan's condition was developing too quickly and was different from the smallpox cases they usually saw.

How can things progress to the final stage in a single day? They don't have much time left.

Li Qingyan was a restless person. Seeing that the two doctors had left, she sighed. People are most aware of their own bodies.

She could clearly feel her life slipping away rapidly.

"Mr. Tao," she said weakly.

Tao Jiannan never regarded Li Qingyan as a child. Even if she was only three years old, those who followed her would surely have a bright future.

"Your Highness, please get some rest."

Li Qingyan waved her hand, "I'm not feeling well." She desperately wanted to live, but now she was trapped in a dead end. Even if she didn't want to admit it, what could she do? She might as well explain what she needed to do as soon as possible.

"I've gotten to the bottom of your case, but unfortunately I haven't had a chance to investigate further."

She coughed a few more times as she spoke.

Tao Jiannan tried to pour her some water, but was stopped.

"There are also... there are some things I asked General Yan to investigate. You can tell General Yan about them, and he will report them to the Emperor."

"Cough cough cough..."

As he spoke, he started coughing again, and Tao Jiannan's eyes immediately reddened. The imperial examinations were his biggest worry back then, but he never expected that a child would stand up for him and still remember his story now that he was dying.

"Sorry, I... cough cough cough... can't help you much, cough cough cough..."

He started coughing again as he was talking.

Tao Jiannan knelt down beside her, "Your Highness, let's not talk about this anymore. We can discuss these things after you recover. My affairs are not important. Please take good care of yourself, Your Highness."

Whether it's grievance or resentment, it will all be ignored when facing death.

Tao Jiannan had also gone to great lengths and had doubts about the scientific expedition, but all he received was the answer that there were no mistakes.

Even his father thought he was crazy before he died.

Now that it has been recognized and confirmed, it only makes his heart ache. Compared to the truth, he would rather the little prince who has devoted himself to him live on.

"Cough cough cough... cough cough cough..."

Li Qingyan started coughing again, and blood kept gushing from her mouth. Tao Jiannan's eyes widened at the sight.

"Imperial Physician Zhao, Doctor Liu, please take a look at the young prince..."

"Come and see the young prince..."

Li Qingyan's eyes began to glaze over, growing darker and darker. She had experienced this feeling countless times—the feeling of being on the verge of death. Her body was so cold, so very cold.

"Flying Fork, I'm going to die. Looks like you'll be punished and have to choose a new host."

"I should still have quite a few points left, right? Help me exchange something so I can protect Li Yan."

"There are quite a few people who want that old Deng dead."

"It's a pity I didn't get to see Old Deng one last time."

[Host, don't sleep, host, host...]

The last thing a person loses is their hearing. Li Qingyan closed her eyes, but she could still hear the chattering of the flying forks, which she found very noisy.

But the noisy sound was getting farther and farther away from her...

Inside the Hall of Diligent Governance.

Li Yan suddenly opened his eyes, panting heavily, feeling a tightness in his chest.

They were about to get down and go outside.

He was stopped by several red-armored guards. He narrowed his eyes. These were the retired emperor's private guards, numbering only about a hundred.

Each of them was a highly skilled and capable soldier, able to take on a hundred men single-handedly.

These people were personally trained by him for the retired emperor in the early days of the Great Yu Dynasty.

"Is the retired emperor planning a rebellion?"

Li Yan stared intently at the retired emperor sitting not far away. Upon seeing the wound on the retired emperor's face, he instinctively felt that it was done by his brat.

The retired emperor felt his gaze and touched the wound on his face that had just begun to heal.

"You've raised a little wolf cub."

Li Yan smiled; his little brat had woken up.

The retired emperor stood up and flicked his sleeves. "From today onwards, these Red Armor Guards will follow you until you calm down."

He glanced at Li Yan and said, "I don't want to interfere in your affairs, but you are the ruler of a country. Li Yan, wake up! You can't abandon your subjects for the sake of a child."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahaha... My good father, why didn't you think this way back then? Why didn't you persuade Mother in this way?"