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

The person who assassinated the Emperor Emeritus was Xi Zhao, the young swordsman who saved Li Qingyan and Yan Li that day.

No one could have imagined that their reunion would be like this.

Xi Zhao shook his head. "No."

He said, "That hatred has nothing to do with you. Even if I knew your identity, I would still save you."

Xi Zhao sat against the wall, exuding an air of carefree ease.

He said he was willing to accept the consequences of his actions, that he did not regret what he had done, but was willing to pay the price for it.

Li Qingyan took off her cloak and spread it on the ground, then sat cross-legged opposite him.

"Aren't you going to tell me the whole story? Xi Zhao, you're not a bad person. You went to great lengths to infiltrate the palace just to kill the Emperor Emeritus; there must be a reason. So, tell me, okay?"

Xi Zhao shook her head. "No, it's better if you don't know. Go back."

Xi Zhao turned his head away and didn't say anything more.

Li Qingyan didn't insist, but simply said, "Xi Zhao, today is Lunar New Year's Eve. Happy New Year. I'll have someone prepare some food and wine for you."

She stood up, leaving her cloak behind. "The prison is cold. Think carefully about whether you want to continue living."

Before leaving, Li Qingyan told the people of Dali Temple that no one was allowed to interrogate Xi Zhao.

After leaving the cell, Li Qingyan felt much easier to breathe; it had been really stuffy inside.

Cuiping, who was following behind, suddenly grabbed Li Qingyan's shoulder and took a step forward. "Who?"

Li Qingyan then noticed a figure in the shadows. Cuiping realized that this person was quite skilled in martial arts.

The man stepped out from the shadows into the firelight. "Happy New Year, Your Highness, and happy birthday as well."

Li Qingyan's eyes widened. "Yan Xu. Yan Xu, you're back?"

She ran towards Yan Xu and jumped into his arms. "How come you're back so soon? The journey should take at least fifteen days, and it's only been seven."

Li Qingyan excitedly leaned on Yan Xu's shoulder.

After they returned to the capital, the White Tiger Army planned to split into numerous small teams to carry out their mission. Yan Xu was among the first to arrive in the capital.

Along the way, Yan Xu ran five horses to death, and his body was covered in dust from running day and night.

Li Qingyan's face was also covered in dust.

Yan Xu carried her on his shoulders. "I promised Your Highness that we would spend the New Year together. I'm glad I kept my word."

Li Qingyan directed him, "There's a palace banquet today, and you're a great contributor. Let's go straight back to the palace."

Regardless of whether Yan Xu agreed or not, Li Qingyan led him directly back to the palace. She was quite efficient, even arranging the hot springs.

Li Yan knew about this but did not express her opinion, which was taken as tacit consent.

Li Qingyan tidied herself up quickly, changing into a bright red dress embroidered with golden rabbits. Li Yan was very satisfied with the dress he had drawn, but Li Qingyan wanted to burn it, yet she still had to wear it in the end.

After she finished her work, she went to pick out clothes for Yan Xu. After all, the original clothes were all gray and definitely couldn't be worn anymore. The time it took to go to Yan's residence to get the clothes was so long that she was floating in the water.

She was the only one who could choose from the Imperial Clothing Bureau.

Tonight we're hosting a banquet for all the officials, so there are plenty of spare clothes in a wide variety of colors.

Li Qingyan personally selected them, and she was truly dazzled by the choices. Li Yan's wardrobe contained only black, bright yellow, and purple clothes.

But it was only when she was choosing clothes for Yan Xu that she realized for the first time that there were so many styles of men's clothing.

"This dark red color looks good."

Li Qingyan's eyes were almost tired from looking at so many options before she finally found one that she liked. The color wasn't too bright, which was suitable for a banquet. The patterns embroidered with gold thread looked very elegant, and it also had narrow sleeves, typical of military officers.

After giving the clothes to the gatekeeper eunuch, Li Qingyan hurriedly went to find Li Yan, lest she be scolded by him again.

Men tend to become talkative as they get older.

[Host Li Yan is only twenty-eight years old this year.]

Hearing the sound of the flying fork, Li Qingyan paused. "Flying fork, you're back after playing around?"

[Hehe, the main system gave us some new equipment, I'm so happy!]

"Your main system is unusually generous."

Li Qingyan was chatting with Fei Cha and didn't notice what was in front of her, so she bumped into someone.

Because she wasn't tall enough, she bumped into someone's thigh, and the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was red fabric. Looking up, Li Qingyan gave a fawning smile, "Father~"

Li Yan was dressed in a red robe embroidered with golden dragons, which looked particularly festive.

Li Yan raised an eyebrow, "What have you done that makes you so guilty, little brat?"

He scooped Li Qingyan up in his arms, looking at her dress embroidered with golden rabbits. "Didn't you dislike this outfit? Why did you wear it anyway?"

Li Qingyan rubbed her nose. "What's wrong with the patterns Dad drew? They're the most beautiful clothes in the world."

Can't she just smash herself to death right now? Yan Xu is dressed in the same color as the two of them.

She almost wanted to slap herself. When did Li Yan ever have a red dragon robe? Wasn't it just his wedding dress that was red?

Seeing her guilty look, Li Yan raised an eyebrow.

"That little brat must have done something wrong. He was only gone for a short while, what else did he do besides bringing Yan Xu back?"

However, when Li Yan's imperial carriage encountered Yan Xu, he finally learned what had happened.

Yan Xu was also stunned. "Your Majesty, I have overstepped my bounds."

He said he was going back to change his clothes.

Li Yan waved her hand, "There's no need to make a fuss."

This shows that he doesn't care whether Yan Xu and he are wearing the same color clothes.

Upon arriving at Fuyun Hall, the ministers showered him with auspicious words. Many also noticed Yan Xu's attire, but since he had come with Li Yan, no one dared to say anything.

Li Yan sat on the dragon throne, holding Li Qingyan in his arms. The Empress sat beside him.

This kind of occasion is quite boring; aside from eating, drinking, and saying some high-sounding words, there's nothing else.

Feeling a bit bored, she climbed down beside Li Yan and sat down next to Yan Xu.

"Are you unhappy about the banquet?"

She had noticed earlier that Yan Xu was in a low mood, so she came over after everyone relaxed.

Yan Xu poured her a glass of fruit drink.

"I am fine, just a little tired."

Li Qingyan rested her chin on her hand, "If I had known, I wouldn't have dragged you here so early. It would have been so much better to go home and rest."

She was so happy that she forgot that Yan Xu must have been very tired from traveling all that way.

Yan Xu shook his head. "I am very happy to be able to spend the festival with His Highness. I am happier than if I were resting."

But Li Qingyan could clearly sense his dejection...

Many young princes and princesses have also come to the banquet today, the youngest of whom is only one year old.

Li Qingyan found the drooling little children quite amusing, but she wouldn't easily interact with them, lest any problems arise and she be blamed for it.

The second prince sat next to Consort Li. The mother and son simply nodded when they saw Li Qingyan, their expressions equally gentle.

The eldest prince and the eldest princess sat together, having heard that Consort Jing was ill. They didn't know what had happened.

"These two are clearly twins, so why do they seem so distant?"

Li Qingyan took a bite of the fish; Yan Xu had picked out the bones, and she ate it without any remorse.

But the second princess, who loves to show off the most, didn't come today...

Li Qingyan felt something was strange.

When the appointed time came, everyone dispersed.

Li Qingyan sat in the imperial study, hiccuping incessantly. Li Yan frowned slightly. "Little brat, how much have you eaten? Have I been neglecting you?"

"Was the food served at the banquet really that delicious?"

Yan Xu, standing to the side, quickly explained, "Your Majesty, this is not the young prince's fault. It is because I have no experience in taking care of children that the young prince has indigestion."

Li Qingyan rubbed her face. She couldn't sleep now; if she did, she would only feel worse. "Li Yan, Yan Xu, I want to go for a walk."

Seeing her so distressed, Li Yan said nothing more and took her hand, leading her outside. Yan Xu followed behind them.

Li Qingyan waved to Yan Xu, "Yan Xu, come quickly, come quickly."

Yan Xu quickly walked to Li Qingyan's side and took her free little hand in his.

From the palace walls, one could see the city ablaze with fireworks. Li Qingyan sat on Yan Xu's shoulder, her face painted with various colors by the flames.

"Have you ever seen a chivalrous knight-errant? How should one interrogate a criminal like this?"

Li Qingyan yawned, like a little rabbit perched on Yan Xu's head, while Li Yan leaned against the city wall, looking unusually relaxed.

"Is Your Highness referring to Xi Zhao?"

Li Qingyan wasn't surprised that Yan Xu knew this person; she would have thought there was a problem if he didn't.

"Yes. He was determined to die, and I just felt there must be a reason for it. He was a good person and shouldn't have died."

"Besides, that old man Deng isn't a good person; I've even thought about killing him."

Li Qingyan naturally didn't say the last part, but Li Yan glanced at her and said, "Some things you can think about, but you can't do."

Li Qingyan's lips twitched. Did Li Yan have mind-reading abilities? She gave him a fawning smile, "Understood, Father~"

Even little rabbits have their nemesis.

Yan Xu held Li Qingyan's legs to prevent her from falling, "Your Highness, go find Yan Li if you encounter this kind of person. He's very good at talking."

Li Qingyan's eyes lit up immediately; she had almost forgotten about Yan Li.