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

A young man dressed in black descended from the sky, his sword aimed straight at the Emperor Emeritus's face.

"Protect him! Protect him!"

Hu Xu shouted and spread his arms like a duck to protect the Emperor Emeritus, but the assassin, clearly not wanting to harm anyone, simply bypassed him.

Just as the sword was about to strike the retired emperor's head, a pebble flew straight at the man's knees, and in the blink of an eye, the man was kneeling on the ground.

The man hadn't given up yet, when suddenly there was a 'bang' and he fell to the ground.

Li Qingyan walked out from behind the chair, holding a white jade porcelain bottle in her hand, and glanced at everyone in the room with disdain.

"What are you yelling for? Just do it!"

If it weren't for the large crowd, Li Yan would have wanted to cover his forehead. "Will this brat cause trouble after learning martial arts?"

He didn't just start a fight without warning, did he? This brat has a really bad temper...

She didn't inherit his good temper at all.

The Emperor Emeritus was stunned. He had actually been saved by this little thing? Had this little thing changed its nature?

Li Qingyan felt his gaze, glanced at him disdainfully, and said, "The founding emperor, you think? So afraid? Don't you know to act first in a crisis?"

These sarcastic and infuriating words made the Emperor Emeritus's lips twitch. "Still the same scoundrel."

Li Yan quickly came over and hugged the person in his arms. He glanced down at the Emperor Emeritus and asked perfunctorily, "Father, is there anything you need?"

There was no worry in his eyes, only regret that his father hadn't died. The two, one big and one small, looked almost the same, and their words were equally infuriating.

The retired emperor waved his hand repeatedly, "Go back, all of you."

He wanted to curse, but Li Qingyan had just saved his life.

Li Qingyan leaned on Li Yan's shoulder and directed the guards, "Take that person away."

Seeing Li Yan nod, they dragged the assassin away.

The crowd came in a grand procession, and left in a grand procession as well.

The retired emperor rubbed his forehead, feeling a buzzing in his head.

"Your Majesty, your bottle..."

"How did you manage to break the Third Princess?"

Hu Xu looked at the Emperor Emeritus's favorite white jade porcelain vase, now shattered, with a pained expression. The Emperor Emeritus looked at it every day, and now it was broken.

The retired emperor waved his hand, "Enough, enough, there's no need to bother with that little beast."

Li Yan carried Li Qingyan onto the imperial carriage and left; they only needed to wait for the banquet that evening.

"Respectfully seeing off His Majesty (Father)."

The Empress stood at the forefront, watching the imperial carriage depart into the distance. She only saw Li Yan on the first and fifteenth of each month, and each time they met, they would only talk about books for half the night.

She took a deep breath and turned to look at the concubines.

"My sisters have all been frightened, so please go back and rest."

Liu Yao was helped onto the phoenix carriage by the nanny and left.

After the two highest-ranking individuals left, the others felt much more at ease and also left on their own.

Consort Jing closed the door as soon as she returned to Huirong Palace, saying only that she wanted to rest.

However, he led his two children into the main hall, while the palace maids and eunuchs were driven out.

Only trusted confidants remained at the door.

Consort Jing glanced at the eldest princess. "Is she truly incompetent or simply unwilling to go up? Why did you let that bastard save the Emperor Emeritus today?"

The eldest prince stood beside Consort Jing, observing coldly.

The eldest princess remained calm. "Mother should ask the eldest prince why he retreated when he saw the assassin, since he was right next to the emperor."

Consort Jing's face darkened when questioned like this, and she slammed her hand on the table.

Are you questioning your own family?

The eldest princess slightly raised her eyes and looked at Consort Jing. "Mother, why are you making things difficult for me? I'm just a five-year-old child. I haven't been selected by name, and I have no talent. What am I supposed to compete for?"

Consort Jing raised her hand as if to hit someone, but then lowered it. If she were to leave a mark on the eldest princess's face, the Twelfth Bureau of the East and West would likely intervene, and if things escalated, she would have a hard time explaining herself.

"Get out."

Seeing the furious Consort Jing, the eldest princess's eyes were filled with frost and disgust. "Your subject takes his leave."

The eldest princess left with her back straight, displaying a stubbornness that refused to admit defeat, which was what Consort Jing disliked most.

"Mother, there's no need to be angry. My eldest sister's abilities are limited, so this is fine."

The eldest prince's voice was calm.

"Limited ability? Ha..." Consort Jing sneered, "Is she limited ability or unwilling to help you? You are her brother, the higher she helps you climb, the better her future will be, yet she is so ungrateful."

He said these words with gritted teeth.

How could she not understand her daughter?

She clearly has talent but doesn't show it at all. Is she trying to drive her crazy?

The eldest prince lowered his eyes. "Mother, do you think she might know something?"

Consort Jing paused, her hand holding the teacup still. "What could she possibly know? Don't overthink it."

The eldest princess, having returned to the Twelve Palaces of the East and West, finally breathed a sigh of relief and locked herself in her bedchamber.

She bit her nails, 'Why did it turn out like this? Where is he?'

Inside the vast palace, only the little girl in the light blue dress huddled together, looking utterly lonely.

"Li Yan! Li Yan! Li Yan!" Li Qingyan shouted several times, tiptoeing to finally peek over the table. "How about I interrogate that assassin?"

Li Yan used a cinnabar brush to dot her forehead, creating a cinnabar mole. The tiny mole against her fair skin made Li Qingyan look somewhat like a little fairy.

His eyebrows and eyes looked exactly like Yan Xu's. Li Yan was a little dazed. People who knew Yan Xu late did not know that he had a small cinnabar mole between his eyebrows when he was a child.

Back then, Yan Xu was fair-skinned and chubby, and everyone who saw him said he was a reincarnation of a celestial child. However, the cinnabar birthmark disappeared as Yan Xu grew up and his skin darkened; to be precise, it was unclear whether it disappeared or simply became less noticeable due to his darker skin.

Li Yan touched Li Qingyan's brow and wiped away the cinnabar mole he had just applied. "Go if you want, anyway, you're the one who arrested him."

Li Qingyan wrinkled her nose.

"Li Yan, you're so childish, you even drew on my face."

After saying that, she snorted coldly and skipped away with Cuiping. Li Yan pursed her lips, "Little brat..."

He looked at Laifu and said, "Bring her back. I think this kid is going to get a beating again."

Lai Fu dutifully poured tea, saying, "Your Majesty, your study was only recently renovated. If it is renovated again, people will start talking nonsense again."

Li Yan glanced at his study, then waved his hand and said, "Never mind, never mind."

Even if you have money, you shouldn't spend it like this.

The prisons of Dali Temple, where serious criminals were held, were extremely damp and dark, illuminated only by firelight.

The moment you step inside, you can smell the putrid odor.

The prison guards respectfully led her inside, saying, "Your Highness, please take your time."

He kept turning back, afraid that Li Qingyan might bump into something.

This third princess is quite famous now. Not only did she design a water conservancy project that the Ministry of Works praised, but she also solved a major case, and now she has saved the Emperor Emeritus. If anything were to happen to her, all the people in the Dali Temple would be buried with her.

Li Qingyan didn't mince words and walked down in a few steps. "Where is he?"

The jailer hurriedly led Li Qingyan to the assassin's cell; they hadn't yet tortured the man.

"Open the door."

The warden hesitated before issuing the order, "This... Your Highness is an assassin..."

Li Qingyan reached out and took the key directly. These people were just afraid of taking responsibility, so why didn't she just do it herself?

Looking at that face, Li Qingyan sighed, "Does Xi Zhao regret saving me?"