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

Only after the incense had burned out did the girl slowly approach Li Qingyan.

Even though she knew she was disfigured, Li Qingyan was still stunned when she saw her scarred face.

What exactly do those people want to do?

To be so ruthless towards a girl who is only sixteen or seventeen.

The girl touched her face.

Did I scare you?

Li Qingyan shook her head. "No, there's no need to worry. There's a physician named Zhao in the palace who has a prescription for removing scars."

The young woman sat opposite Li Qingyan and said softly, "Your Highness, may I tell you about my own story?"

Li Qingyan nodded and let her speak.

This girl's name is Zheng Taohua. She lives in Tianshui Village, Heshui Town. Her mother is a well-known gardener in the village, and her father is the manager of a wealthy family in the town. He is very good at accounting.

The family was considered well-off in the village.

Three years ago, someone suddenly offered a high price to hire a florist, and Zheng Taohua's mother naturally went to do so. There was still some news a few months ago, but then gradually there was no further contact.

Her father also disappeared while searching for her mother.

Zheng Taohua asked many people before she learned that her mother grew flowers in Yu Town, a town she had never heard of before, so she went to look for her.

But when Zheng Taohua arrived in Yuzhen, she felt something was wrong. People were walking around in a hurry, and she didn't see any young girls. The only women she saw were elderly women.

They looked at Zheng Taohua as if she were a piece of merchandise.

But it was too late when Zheng Taohua tried to leave; she was knocked unconscious from behind.

When she woke up, she found herself locked in a room. That room was a young woman's boudoir.

Every fifteen days, someone would come to collect blood. These people wore face coverings, revealing only their eyes, and wore identical clothes, making it impossible to tell whether they were male or female.

Zheng Taohua thought about escaping, but every time she went out, she would be shot by hidden arrows. Those people wouldn't take her life, but they wouldn't let her have an easy time either.

This hurdle lasted three years.

Over the years, she had met other girls, but never had the chance to speak with them.

Until six months ago, these people started drawing blood more and more frequently. Girls were constantly being carried out of the surrounding rooms.

Zheng Taohua was also getting weaker day by day.

One day after her blood was drawn, Zheng Taohua fainted and appeared to be dead. She was then disfigured, stripped naked, wrapped in a straw mat, and thrown into the wilderness, where she was rescued by Li Qingyan.

Li Qingyan's eyes widened; these people were utterly ruthless.

"So, you're the only one who survived?"

Zheng Taohua shook her head.

"No, some girls who live to be twenty are taken away. We don't know where they go."

Li Qingyan rubbed her temples.

Guiyuan City and Linyang City are also Yu Town.

If I'm not mistaken, those girls over twenty years old were probably sold into the brothels of Guiyuan City. But where did the other batch that was exchanged go?

These things need to be investigated by Yan Li's people. If her people were to enter Guiyuan City, it would be too obvious.

Linyang City and Guiyuan City are in the east, while Yuzhen Town and Tianshui Village are in the west.

Tianshui Village -> Yuzhen -> Jingcheng -> Linyang City -> Guiyuan City (from west to east)

These people probably set this up on purpose. Even if they wanted to be discovered and investigated, it would be easy to alert them. No matter where the investigation went, other places could quickly find out and escape.

Without evidence, you can't catch the culprit, let alone investigate the real killer behind it. This network is incredibly vast.

"Peach Blossom, would you be willing to help?" Li Qingyan looked at Zheng Taohua. Whether going to Yuzhen or Tianshui Village, she needed someone to guide her, and Zheng Taohua was the best choice.

But if she doesn't want to, Li Qingyan can't force her.

Zheng Taohua's hands were trembling as she picked up the teacup, spilling water everywhere. She hurriedly wiped it with a handkerchief.

Finally, he could only say in a trembling voice, "Okay."

-----------------

Li Qingyan paced around outside the Imperial Study several times.

The sight made several eunuchs dizzy.

"What's wrong, Your Highness?"

The young eunuch approached her and asked.

Li Qingyan glanced at him, shook her head, and sighed, her rabbit ears hanging down.

I feel extremely worried.

After Laifu came out, he quickly grabbed her shoulders, "Oh dear, my little darling. His Majesty said that if you turn around again, he will break your legs."

"Don't turn it around."

Li Qingyan stamped her foot; this old man was her biggest worry.

"Grandpa Laifu carried me inside; I was tired."

When Laifu heard that Li Qingyan wanted him to carry her, his eyes lit up and he quickly picked her up.

I almost strained my back while holding him.

Laifu sighed, "I'm doomed, I'm getting old. The little prince is so thin now I can't even carry him, let alone when he's older."

Li Yan and Yan Xu were discussing matters when Li Qingyan entered, at which point Li Yan looked up from the map.

"The little piglet is running around outside. Yanxu, take a look and see if it's put a dent in the ground."

Li Qingyan had rabbit ears on her head, one standing up and the other drooping. She wore a bright red palace dress embroidered with golden peach blossoms. She put her hands on her hips and stepped on a white jade inkstone next to her.

Laifu was startled. "That hard thing hurt the young prince's foot."

They quickly brought over some Xuan paper and placed it under Li Qingyan's feet.

"This inkstone has just been wiped clean, Your Highness, please don't slip on it."

Li Yan glanced at Lai Fu and said, "Why don't you send her flying to the heavens?"

Laifu lowered his head and took a few steps back without saying a word, as if to say, "I'm old and my hearing isn't good."

Li Yan felt his head was spinning. Lai Fu had followed him for many years, risking his life for him. He looked capable, but his internal organs were all damaged. Even Zhao Zheng said that it would be good if he could live to fifty.

Lai Fu is now forty-two years old.

Li Yan took a deep breath. One after another, they were really infuriating.

"What are you up to, you little brat? You're going to break down the steps of my imperial study!"

Li Qingyan chuckled, "Dad~"

Li Yan took a half step back, sensing something was terribly wrong. He stared at her warily and said, "Speak your mind, don't beat around the bush."

Li Qingyan rolled her eyes at him. "Your daughter's acting like she's seen a ghost? How cute am I anyway?"

Feicha, who was drinking milk tea, choked on a pearl.

[Cough cough cough...]

[Host, have you forgotten when you tricked Li Yan?]

Li Qingyan rolled her eyes. Other players' systems were helpful, but hers was just like watching a show every day. It was stingy and wouldn't give her any new items. The only benefit it gave her was to keep herself alive.

"If you stab me in the back again, I'll report you to your superiors for eating snacks during work hours."

The flying fork made two whooshing sounds, then fell silent.

After getting some peace and quiet, Li Qingyan continued to say to Li Yan, "Father, can I ask you for a favor?"

Yan Xu glanced at her small feet on the inkstone and quickly took them off for her.

Li Yan took a deep breath and said, "Speak."

"I need to go to Tianshui Village in Heshui Town and also to Yuzhen."

Upon hearing Li Qingyan's request, Li Yan refused without hesitation.

"no."

Yan Xu, unusually, frowned and explained, "Your Highness, do you remember the place where your horse fell off the cliff last time?"

The so-called Yu Town has long been a ghost town, having fallen off a cliff thirty years ago due to a massive earthquake. Since then, it has never seen the sun.

The original residents of Yuzhen also died in that earthquake.

Li Qingyan's eyes widened. No wonder that place was so well hidden...