Chapter 3: They’re Pushing Their Luck
"You are not allowed inside!"
"Get out of the way! We’re looking for our master. What in the world have you done to him?"
"This is the Princess’s bedchamber. How dare you!"
"If anything happens to our master, the Lu family won’t let you off!"
A clamor erupted outside. The guards at the door were in a standoff with the Prince Consort’s attendants.
They couldn’t enter the Princess’s bedchamber, but the Prince Consort had been inside for so long without re-emerging, and they were extremely worried.
’What if the Princess failed in her drunken attempt to seduce him, then flew into a rage and drugged him out of shame? It’s not impossible.’
Inside, Hong Yue was applying medicine to stop Lu Yanzhi’s bleeding. Seeing Xiao Li’s calm demeanor, as if she hadn’t heard a thing, she couldn’t help but feel anxious. "Princess, the Prince Consort isn’t awake yet. What are we going to do?"
The Prince Consort’s men were worried he had been taken advantage of by the Princess, but they had no idea their master had nearly lost his life.
The Prince Consort had two bloody holes in his head, one in the front and one in the back. He was still lying on the floor; it was a miracle he wasn’t dead.
’The Princess has gone on a killing spree! Something terrible is about to happen in this Princess Mansion!’
Xiao Li lay on her side on the bed, propping her head up with one hand. Lazily, she said, "He’s just unconscious, not dead. What’s the rush?"
Hong Yue couldn’t bear to hear the word "dead" right now. If two corpses were carried out of the Princess’s room in one night... she didn’t dare to imagine what people outside would say about the Princess.
’In the book, this Hong Yue was a sinister, vicious, snobbish, and cruel lackey. She helped the deranged Princess Xuanyang commit countless evil deeds—poisoning, kidnapping, framing, and fabricating evidence. Her methods of harming others were endless, and she was described as the villainess’s most loyal stooge.’
’But looking at her worried little face now, she doesn’t look like a villain at all. In fact, she’s kind of cute.’
Xiao Li glanced at the man on the floor. ’I just wish this world had cameras. Then I could take a few pictures of Lu Yanzhi. That broken, vulnerable look as he lies there injured in a pool of blood... if that were an illustration in the book, it would definitely satisfy a lot of people’s kinks.’
"Throw him out."
Lu Yanzhi was supported and carried out. As expected, the people outside cried out in disbelief.
"Master! What have you done to our master?"
"Princess, you come out here!"
’How dare they order the Princess around like that. They’ve gotten awfully bold.’
’No matter how out of favor the original owner of this body was, she was still a princess of the Royal Family. Barging into a princess’s residence and shouting at her is more than enough to be charged with insubordination.’
’Among those men outside, I know without even thinking that Lu Yanzhi’s most loyal personal guards, Lu Qi and Lu Shu, must be there. They were chosen from a distant branch of the Lu family and have served Lu Yanzhi personally since childhood. They are the most loyal.’
’They love what Lu Yanzhi loves and hate what Lu Yanzhi hates.’
’The original Princess tried to please the Prince Consort and was always polite to them, but they hated her right along with Lu Yanzhi. Relying on Lu Yanzhi’s status, they never showed the Princess any respect.’
’Heh...’
’I can’t touch Lu Yanzhi, but surely I can handle this bunch of lackeys?’
"Those men outside, give each of them thirty strikes with the heavy plank. And for the one who was just shouting the loudest, strike him across the mouth."
Hearing the order, Yang Jun looked troubled. He walked in, intending to persuade her. "Princess, those are the Prince Consort’s personal attendants..."
"So what?" Xiao Li cut him off coldly. "Are you saying I can’t discipline the Prince Consort’s men?"
Remembering that the original Princess, despite her title, actually held very little power, she added an explanation: "Just follow my orders. I will bear the consequences. As long as you are loyal enough, no one will be able to touch you as long as I live."
It was both an explanation and a promise.
Yang Jun’s head snapped up to look at Xiao Li. He suddenly felt that the Princess today was a complete stranger.
Killing someone, beating the Prince Consort, and now punishing the Prince Consort’s men.
But this was excellent. Before, the Princess had always tried to curry favor with the Prince Consort, which made them, her loyal vassals, unable to hold their heads high in front of the Prince Consort’s people.
It was time they were taught a lesson.
"This subordinate obeys!"
Yang Jun strode out, and a short while later, had the Prince Consort’s men taken away.
It was also thanks to Lu Yanzhi’s lack of attachment to the Princess Mansion that he had only brought a few personal attendants to serve him. When Yang Jun made his move, they had no backup and could only take the beating.
Thirty strikes with the heavy plank. Yang Jun had held back, so after they were released, the group could still carry Lu Yanzhi away.
They fled the Princess Mansion as if pursued by a ferocious beast.
After her meal, Xiao Li unhurriedly had her attendants help her dress and get ready.
"This one is too plain. This one looks like mourning clothes—how unlucky!"
She picked through a pile of clothes, finally selecting a Flowing Immortal Skirt with a red and white gradient. ’This color looks quite docile.’ "This one."
Nanny Qian stood to the side, waiting quietly as Xiao Li chose her attire. Seemingly having finally accepted the fact that the Princess she had watched grow up had killed someone, she stepped forward to help Xiao Li dress.
"Princess, you have been wronged, and the Prince Consort deserves to die a thousand deaths. But the Lu family is powerful—even His Majesty must be wary of them. If this matter is brought before the imperial court, what are we to do?"
’I was useless, I was too scared just now. Otherwise, I would have definitely advised the Princess. How could she beat the Prince Consort?’
’Now we’re in big trouble.’
Xiao Li couldn’t be bothered to explain. They would find out soon enough anyway.
Before noon, someone from the palace arrived.
The Empress Dowager summoned Princess Xuanyang to the Imperial Palace.
The original owner of her body had been fostered by the Empress—now the Empress Dowager. Although they were mother and daughter in name, they were not close.
It wasn’t written in the story, but the original owner’s memories were filled with instances of the Empress Dowager slapping her face and hands, pinching her, and forcing her to kneel.
The Empress Dowager would never dote on an adopted daughter, and the Emperor also treated this younger sister as a pawn. Therefore, the Palace Attendants serving the Empress Dowager were never respectful to the original Princess. When they came to deliver a message, they put on more airs than the Princess herself.
Xiao Li boarded the palanquin and gazed ahead distractedly, sifting through the original owner’s memories.
’Princess Xuanyang’s birth mother was not a palace maid, but her grandfather was a mere County Magistrate. In this palace, without support, money, or power, she was perhaps even worse off than a palace maid.’
’Gentle, virtuous, and kind are all wonderful qualities, but in this man-eating Imperial Palace, without favor or a bit of cunning, there was only one possible outcome for her.’
’She died when Princess Xuanyang was seven. In the original owner’s memory, there was only a blurry but warm shadow of her.’
’Nanny Qian and the others only came to care for the original Princess after she was sent to live with the Empress.’
’Nanny Qian and the others were loyal and considered the original Princess’s well-being, but they were only servants.’
’The Empress’s beatings and punishments, her Brother’s rejection, the bullying and isolation from the other princes and princesses—who could have helped her?’
’In the end, she learned to swallow her anger and live cautiously, in constant fear. She became increasingly numb, more and more obedient and docile, allowing herself to be manipulated by anyone.’
’Marrying an outstanding man like Lu Yanzhi, the longing for love and a future reawakened her desolate heart.’
’She never put on the airs of a princess, always seeing herself as Lu Yanzhi’s wife.’
’She submitted to him, fawned over him, and admired him, wanting to be an ordinary married couple with him.’
’But it was all just wishful thinking on her part. Lu Yanzhi did not like her, and so it was destined to be a tragedy.’
’The reason she eventually went mad was simply because she realized all hope was lost and her life was ruined.’
’She couldn’t live a proper life, but she was too unwilling to die, and so she broke down.’
Xiao Li could understand her, but she was not her!
’In this world, the things that can best unite people are not blood ties or affection, but power, wealth, and profit.’
’So what if this Imperial Palace is a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den? As long as there are people, there will always be something for me to exploit.’
’And if all else fails, I’ll just flip over this chessboard. No one gets a happy ending.’