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

The word "war" is something that, once uttered, tends to last a long time.

On the day of the Autumn Equinox, Yan Xu led his troops on an expedition. He wasn't supposed to go, but he insisted on going in person. Going to Yancheng was a shared pain for him and Li Yan, and Li Yan personally saw him off at the city gate.

Several princes and princesses were also present.

Li Qingyan, wrapped in her cloak, looked at him with red eyes, "When are you coming back?"

Yan Xu patted her head with his large hand, "I will definitely return before the New Year."

He reached out and hooked his finger with Li Qingyan's.

Li Qingyan's eyes reddened, and she sniffed. "I've learned to ride a horse. Can I give you a ride?"

This is not in accordance with the rules.

Li Qingyan glanced at Li Yan, who nodded and patted the horse beside him. "Go, take Cuiping with you."

He carried Li Qingyan onto the horse, while Cuiping followed behind on another horse.

The princes and princesses displayed varying expressions at this scene. The eldest and second princes remained calm, while the third prince smiled and said, "Interesting."

The eldest princess glanced at the eldest prince, snorted coldly, and her eyes were full of mockery. It seemed these twins were born to be at odds.

The eldest prince glanced at her. "What is it about me that you find objectionable, eldest sister?"

The eldest princess smiled and said, "My elder brother should know this himself."

The two exchanged heated words, their tone tense and on the verge of conflict.

The second princess gritted her teeth, clearly indignant. "We're all princesses, why is she so special? Haven't I done enough?"

Her inventions will surely amass a fortune, surpassing all princes and princesses.

Li Qingyan rode her horse alongside Yan Xu without saying a word.

After walking three miles, Yan Xu told her to stop.

"Your Highness, this is enough. You may go back now."

Li Qingyan nodded and simply said "Okay".

Parting is something that must be experienced. Li Qingyan rode her horse back, and Cuiping followed closely behind her until they stopped at a hillside.

Li Qingyan sat on horseback watching the vast army depart.

Battle reports would arrive in Beijing every now and then, but they were all good news.

Li Qingyan was always happy to receive a battle report.

Yan Xu only wrote a few letters to Li Yan, all of which described the situation at the border. He never mentioned anything about himself, nor did he allow Li Qingyan to deliver letters to him.

This break in contact lasted for several months.

During this period, Yan Li entered the palace once and brought Li Qingyan the gifts prepared by Yan Xu.

Yan Li sat down next to her. "My brother has this problem; he doesn't like to write letters home, just like my father and the others."

"I don't know when my brother started taking a liking to carving these things. Before he left, he asked me to polish them up and give them to you."

Li Qingyan looked at the toys all over the table and suddenly burst into tears, without even knowing why.

Finally, he lay on the table and cried his heart out for a while before he calmed down.

Yan Xu had not contacted her for a long time, from early autumn until deep winter.

Seven days before the Lunar New Year, the last battle report arrived.

The White Tiger Army won a great victory, and west Rong withdrew his troops, seizing control of three cities and paying reparations.

With these three cities, Xirong and Beidi can be separated.

Upon seeing the battle report, Li Yan stood up excitedly, "Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! As expected of the War God General of our Great Yu, truly outstanding!"

Li Qingyan's eyes lit up; this meant Yan Xu could go home.

But they can't come back for the New Year. It will take at least fifteen days to get back on the road. How can a large army move quickly?

Three days later, Li Qingyan received news that the White Tiger Army had disappeared.

Her hands trembled as she looked at the words on the letter. Li Yan noticed that she was in a bad mood and quickly came over to take a look.

"Yan Li has made progress; he can get the information in three days and even bypass the assassins to deliver it to you."

This was done by people specially authorized by Li Yan, specifically to train Yan Li. If she was caught doing something wrong, half of Yan Li's salary would be deducted.

In order to secure his salary, Yan Li went to great lengths to establish intelligence points for transmitting information.

"What are you worried about, little brat? If the White Tiger Army could be discovered by others, it wouldn't be an invincible army. The next time you see them, it should be outside the capital."

The White Tiger army also has another name, "Ghosts." They come and go without a trace, and by the time you notice them, the army is already right in front of you.

Seeing Li Yan so relaxed, Li Qingyan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"The little brat must go to the Wenmian Palace to see the Emperor Emeritus as soon as possible on the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month."

After Li Yan finished speaking, he looked at Li Qingyan's expression and saw her eyes darting around. He knew she had another mischievous idea, so he quickly reminded her.

"Everyone in the harem is going this time, so just bear with it. It's only for one day, so don't argue with the Emperor Emeritus."

Li Yan thought he had angered the Emperor Emeritus enough, but ever since Li Qingyan made him vomit blood last time, he realized that this brat was much more capable than him.

Li Qingyan pouted, "It's the New Year, I'm giving you this much face."

Li Yan narrowed his eyes. Who was the father, him or this little brat?

On New Year's Eve, Li Qingyan was dragged out of bed early in the morning by Li Yan, dressed in a red palace dress with fur trim, and her hair was braided into rabbit ears. Red plum blossoms made of velvet flowers were inserted into the rabbit ears.

Li Qingyan looked at her reflection in the mirror, her lips twitching. This…

Li Yan, on the other hand, looked quite satisfied.

"It's the Lunar New Year, I'm not going to argue with this old man, I'm not going to argue with him."

[Host, are you alright?]

Flying Fork felt that its host had gone a little crazy.

Li Qingyan snorted coldly, "Look at you dressed up like a firework, okay?"

Today I have to see so many brothers and sisters. Li Qingyan rubbed her cheeks. Anyway, it's like this.

Wenmian Hall.

The retired emperor sat in the main seat.

Li Yan led the crowd in offering him New Year's greetings.

The retired emperor glanced at Li Qingyan and said coldly, "You're dressed so tackyly."

If any other child were said that to them, they would probably have hidden behind their parents. Li Qingyan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Li Yan. "He started it."

Just open your mouth.

"It's not as simple as the Emperor Emeritus's attire for the New Year; you'd think it was a banquet instead of the New Year..."

The rest was left unsaid, but everyone understood.

They didn't even give the retired emperor that much face.

The retired emperor looked at Li Qingyan, "You..."

Li Qingyan rolled her eyes. She didn't even give Li Yan face, let alone the retired emperor who looked down on her.

The retired emperor took a few deep breaths and didn't pursue the matter further. Instead, he beckoned to the eldest prince.

"Qinghong, come closer, let me see if you've grown taller lately."

This loving demeanor is completely different from the one that was so hostile towards Li Qingyan just now.

Li Qingyan didn't take him seriously; there were only a handful of people in this palace who she could take seriously.

The eldest princess narrowed her eyes and turned her head away. Li Qingyan, being held by Li Yan, naturally saw this scene, and even saw Consort Jing secretly pinch the eldest princess's arm.

She frowned slightly. Wasn't Consort Jing the one who loved her two children the most? Why was she treating the eldest princess like this?

Before she could think any further, several arrows suddenly pierced the air.

A dark figure descended from the sky, shouting, "You dog emperor, prepare to die!"