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

If Changning Academy was the place most longed for by scholars, then the Yi family were the founders of this place.

The deans of the past were all members of the Yi family, but after the Yi family ran into trouble, it was the turn of outsiders.

The execution of the entire Yi family enraged the civil officials and directly led to the collapse of the previous dynasty from within.

"I never imagined there was still someone from the Yi family alive. But his assassination attempt on the Emperor Emeritus..." Li Yan paused, then realized, "Is the Emperor Emeritus connected to the Yi family's affair back then?"

Li Qingyan nodded. "I don't know if what Xi Zhao said is true or not. This matter is of great importance, so I had no choice but to come back to you."

If it's true, the civil officials in the court will surely protest when this matter is exposed, and at that time, I'm afraid the emperor and his ministers will become estranged.

Li Qingyan frowned; then she might have no choice but to kill Xi Zhao.

It's not for the sake of Lao Lao Deng's dog life, but for the sake of the people. The discord between the ruler and his ministers will destabilize the foundation of the Great Yu, and the surrounding small countries will definitely take this opportunity to divide up the Great Yu. At that time, war will break out everywhere, and the people will be displaced.

Although it goes against my conscience...

But a monarch cannot act solely on his conscience.

Li Qingyan told Li Yan everything Xi Zhao had said.

Li Yan placed her beside him, and Yan Xu tied the last few little pom-poms on her. However, it was Yan Xu's first time tying these things, and he was a little clumsy.

Li Yan rested her chin on her hand and looked at them. "The retired emperor wouldn't do such a thing."

He had a bad relationship with the retired emperor, but he didn't believe the retired emperor would do such a thing.

The retired emperor and the old man of the Yi family were friends for many years. Compared with the previous incompetent emperor, the Yi family was more inclined to support the retired emperor. Moreover, at that time, the Yi family had already intended to leave the capital and go to Yucheng, where the retired emperor was located.

For the retired emperor, killing the Yi family was a foolish thing to do that would not have been worth the loss.

Li Qingyan breathed a sigh of relief; at least she didn't have to kill Xi Zhao. Just as Yan Xu finished tying the last pom-pom, Hong Yu returned, placing a letter on the table. Then she vanished.

Li Qingyan glanced at the slightly crooked pom-pom in the mirror, then turned to look at Yan Xu with blinking eyes. "Yan Xu's skills are quite good."

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and pinched her cheek. "Hmm?"

Li Qingyan's face was pinched until it was somewhat deformed.

He quickly said, "Dad~ these rabbit ears are so lifelike!"

Seeing Li Yan's expression soften, Li Qingyan presented the envelope with both hands, "Father~ see what's going on, after all, you know your father better."

"All Old Deng does is pinch my cheeks all day long. Doesn't he know that makes me drool?"

[The host was referring to a little child. You'll be at least four years old after the New Year.]

"Flying Fork!!! Whose system are you anyway?"

[I'm going to eat hot pot now. Good luck, host.]

After saying that, Fei Cha closed the chat and ran away.

Li Qingyan took a deep breath. When could she finally beat this guy up?

Li Yan opened the envelope, took out the letter inside, glanced at it, and then snorted coldly.

"This is a forgery of the Emperor Emeritus's handwriting."

The late Crown Prince's handwriting was personally taught by the retired Emperor, making it difficult to distinguish between the two. To prevent the late Crown Prince from interfering, Li Yan specially learned how to differentiate between their handwriting.

He couldn't distinguish the handwriting of others, but he could tell at a glance whether it was the Emperor Emeritus's handwriting.

Li Qingyan looked up at the so-called "report letter".

"I need to go to Wenmian Palace. Li Yan, would you like to come with me?"

Li Yan shook her head. "Me? He probably won't say anything. It's better if you go and ask him."

Since Li Yan wasn't going, she went by herself, reaching out for Yan Xu to lift her down. Li Qingyan toddled out the door.

Seeing this, Laifu quickly shouted, "You guys hurry up and follow, little darling, please slow down and don't fall."

Li Qingyan shouted "I know!" as she ran faster. The palace maids quickly followed.

Who would dare to run around in the palace?

The palace maids of the Qin Zheng Hall wore uniform dark blue robes, which made them appear exceptionally solemn and easily recognizable from afar.

The only little girl they could follow was the third princess.

If you see her from a distance, you should stay away; if you bump into her, things could get very serious.

Li Qingyan stepped into the Wenmian Hall.

"The Third Princess and the Emperor Emeritus are still resting. Please allow me to inform them."

Hu Xu stood directly in front of Li Qingyan, his eyes narrowing like a fawning fox.

Li Qingyan raised her eyebrows slightly, a gesture exactly like Li Yan's.

Do you really think she's one of those people in the harem? She dared to anger even the Emperor Emeritus, let alone a mere eunuch.

"Is that so?"

She looked up at Hu Xu with a smile on her face.

"Of course, I'll trouble you to wait a moment, Third Princess."

Hu Xu assumed Li Qingyan had given in and looked down at her with an air of superiority.

Li Qingyan curled her lips slightly and kicked him in the back of the knee.

With a thud, Hu Xu knelt down on the ground. Caught off guard, the suddenness of the fall caused him to wince in pain.

Li Qingyan looked down at him, snorted coldly, and walked inside.

Hu Xu gritted his teeth in pain. The little eunuch beside him tried to help him up, but was slapped away. "Get out of my way."

"The Emperor Emeritus, the Emperor Emeritus."

Li Qingyan walked and called out, afraid of not waking the person.

The Emperor Emeritus hadn't slept deeply during his afternoon nap, and he woke up quickly upon hearing the shout. Before he could even get off the chaise longue, he saw a pair of fluffy rabbit ears, and looking down, he saw Li Qingyan's bright black eyes.

He shrank back in fright, then patted his chest.

"Why is the little thing running around like that?"

Li Qingyan ignored him; the old man never had anything nice to say to her anyway. She simply stepped onto the footstool on the floor and plopped down on the jade pillow, using it as a small stool.

"Your Majesty, I have something to ask you."

The Emperor Emeritus found her unruly behavior displeasing, but he didn't want to argue with her too much.

"Tell me quickly what it is."

Hurry up and finish what you've got, so he won't get angry seeing that face.

Ignoring his thoughts, Li Qingyan took out a letter from her bosom. "Take a look."

The retired emperor took the letter with some doubt, and his face grew darker as he read it. "Good, good, I killed him too quickly back then. He actually dared to imitate my handwriting."

Seeing his expression, Li Qingyan yawned. "So, do you know who harmed the Yi family?"

The retired emperor frowned upon hearing her question. "What? You still believe me?"

Normally, the first person you would suspect is this little guy.

Li Qingyan shrugged. "I don't believe it."

He said those two words crisply and without any attempt to hide it, and there was even a hint of disdain in his expression.

She rubbed her eyes. "But Li Yan said you couldn't do such a thing, and I believe what Li Yan said."

The retired emperor lowered his eyes and remained silent for a long time.

After a long pause, he asked, "Does he trust me?"

"Hahaha... He actually believes in me."

Li Qingyan seemed to hear sadness in the laughter, and looking at the Emperor Emeritus's aged face, she fell silent.

The Emperor Emeritus laughed for a long time before stopping. "It's truly laughable. Even the late Crown Prince suspected me of doing it back then. Interesting, very interesting indeed."

He looked at Li Qingyan. "Who was that assassin?"

Li Qingyan looked wary. "What do you want to do?"