Chapter 7: Guards, Throw Them Out!
"Imperial Sister, your flowers are so beautiful!"
"Imperial Sister, these pastries are delicious."
"Oh, and Imperial Sister, you seem to be getting more beautiful by the day."
Xiao Li stared blankly at the brocade-clad youth acting like a fool in front of her, her eyes filled with impatience. "So, what are you really here for?"
Prince Wei, Xiao Jingyi, rubbed his nose awkwardly. "Actually, Brother sent me to talk you down."
Xiao Li’s gaze instantly turned cold. Xiao Jingyi immediately backed down. "Imperial Sister, I’m on your side! That Lu Yanzhi is a real piece of work. But this is an order from Brother. I had no choice but to come."
When Xiao Li didn’t say anything, Xiao Jingyi sidled up to her, his fair face practically glowing with gossip. "Imperial Sister, are you really dumping the Prince Consort?"
Xiao Li rolled her eyes at him. "What do you think? That I’m just playing around?"
Xiao Jingyi gave a dry laugh. "Of course you’re serious, Imperial Sister. But you know as well as I do that if Brother doesn’t give his approval, you two will have to stay married. And now he’s even sent me to persuade you."
Xiao Li gave him a single word: "Scram!"
And so, Xiao Jingyi smoothly scrammed.
-----
"Who did you say?" Xiao Li had to wonder if she’d heard correctly.
Hong Yue repeated, "Princess Chen is requesting an audience."
"Heh..." A cold sneer touched her lips. ’So, the female protagonist. Things are about to get interesting.’
Soon, Princess Chen, Liu Xueyin, appeared before Xiao Li. Just like Lu Yanzhi, she was dressed in white, as if mourning a death. Her hair was simply held up with a single pin. With her delicate brows, raven hair, and flawless, pale skin, she could truly be called a peerless beauty.
However, her cold and beautiful face was perpetually etched with a deep, unshakeable sorrow, and her gaze was aloof, regarding everyone with a sort of condescending pity.
It was as if everything in the world required her sympathy.
’Heh, who does she think she is?’
’Her pity always stirred up trouble, and Lu Yanzhi had to trail after her time and time again, cleaning up her messes.’
’Because she once uttered the words "the child is innocent," the original owner of this body was forced to give birth to that vile spawn.’
’She’s so kind, so pure. So, of course, everyone else has to bear all the pain.’
’What a classic, sanctimonious bitch.’
"Princess, can’t you just let Brother Yanzhi go?"
Liu Xueyin’s face was a mixture of conflict, hesitation, and earnest pleading.
The sight almost made Xiao Li puke. She sneered, "And how, exactly, would you like me to ’let him go’?"
Liu Xueyin seemed to take a moment to steel herself, then summoned her courage and looked up at Xiao Li. "If I beg you," she said with the utmost gravity, "will you grant him a divorce?"
Xiao Li looked as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. She held it in for a second before bursting into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha... ha... this is just too hilarious..." She laughed so hard tears streamed down her face.
’What the hell does Liu Xueyin think she is? Who does she think she is?’
Thinking Xiao Li was refusing, Liu Xueyin grew frantic. "Brother Yanzhi will never be happy with you! Why must you two torture each other? You’ve already ruined his reputation, so why can’t you just let him go?"
The smile never left Xiao Li’s face. Wiping her tears with a handkerchief, she asked the other woman a question.
"From what I understand, you and Prince Chen are also a miserable couple. He’s harsh with you, even tortures you on occasion. Why don’t you try persuading *him* to let *you* go?"
Xiao Li’s tone was dripping with sarcasm, but Liu Xueyin seemed to mistake it for a heartfelt confidence. Her face clouded over with pain. "Do you think I haven’t tried?"
Xiao Li sighed with a laugh. "How pitiful."
And she meant it.
’The female protagonist of this book was a sanctimonious bitch Xiao Li could never comprehend, and the male protagonist, Prince Chen, was a repulsive psycho.’
’He despised the Princess Consort the late Emperor had forced upon him, so he gave her the cold shoulder and abused her. He would sleep with her while calling her a slut. He would do it again and again, only to then leave her to be bullied by others. He even got her pregnant, then caused her to miscarry.’
’Then, he finally grew a conscience and came groveling back for his redemption arc. And what was the result? The female protagonist, a true saint to the end, had been abused beyond human decency, but the moment Prince Chen put on a pitiful act, she went running right back to him.’
’How pathetic!’
"Princess, the Prince Consort just forced his way in!"
The guards of the Princess Mansion answered to the Princess, but they wouldn’t dare actually lay a hand on the Prince Consort.
And so, Lu Yanzhi charged in without restraint.
His injuries seemed to be mostly healed, but the scar hadn’t faded completely, so he wore an embroidered, sky-blue ribbon across his forehead. It looked quite elegant and chic, but his anxious expression completely ruined the effect.
"Xue Yin!"
He visibly relaxed upon seeing that Liu Xueyin was safe and sound.
Liu Xueyin’s earlier gloom vanished, replaced by sheer, joyful surprise. "Brother Yanzhi."
’What the hell?’ Xiao Li thought. ’Do they think no one else is here?’
Lu Yanzhi strode toward her. He seemed to want to reach out but restrained himself, stopping two paces away. He gazed at her with worried eyes full of deep affection. "Are you all right?"
Liu Xueyin’s smile was as gentle and beautiful as a slowly blooming flower. "I’m fine. And you?"
Xiao Li gagged internally. ’This feels like some cheesy soap opera.’
After gazing into each other’s eyes for a moment as if they were the only two people in the world, Lu Yanzhi finally remembered Xiao Li was there. He instantly pulled Liu Xueyin behind him, his expression shifting in a flash to one of cold disgust. "Don’t involve innocent people in our affairs."
’This one... is another fucking psycho!’
Xiao Li speared a piece of watermelon and popped it into her mouth. She then pointed her silver fork at them. "Guards! Throw them out!"
The pair left, their faces masks of fury and humiliation. Xiao Li instantly felt the air in the room lighten.
"Enjoyed the show? Now get out here!"
Xiao Jingyi hopped down from the courtyard wall, fanning himself with a deliberately suave air. "I wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose. I just suddenly remembered there was something I forgot to tell you."
"The Empress Dowager is hosting a banquet tonight. She insists you attend."
’What good could possibly come from the Empress Dowager hosting a banquet at a time like this?’
’The Emperor has been making some major moves lately. But the Lu family isn’t just any aristocratic family, so even he doesn’t dare to try and swallow them whole.’
’So now that he’s gotten what he wanted, he’s ready to just smooth things over?’
’But even if the Emperor wants to pretend everything is fine and keep them as in-laws to maintain his leverage, he hasn’t considered whether they’re willing to play along.’
’After suffering such a huge blow, the Lu family will do whatever it takes to get Lu Yanzhi out of the Princess Mansion. The Emperor’s little scheme is doomed to fail.’
’Annulling the marriage is inevitable.’
Xiao Li had also been eager to get rid of Lu Yanzhi and was looking forward to this outcome, but... now she’d changed her mind.
’It was no longer about her wanting to divorce Lu Yanzhi. It was about *him* being desperate to escape her grasp.’
’It should have been a win-win situation, but... what those two just did truly disgusted her.’
’Being all lovey-dovey right in front of her... did they think she was invisible?’
A wicked glint flashed in her eyes. Xiao Li crooked a finger at Xiao Jingyi. He scurried over obediently, only for her to grab him by the collar and pull him close.
She lowered her gaze slightly, a smirk playing on her lips. Her eyes were filled with profound malice as she delivered a blatant threat. "Go tell Brother that I can concede, but it’ll cost him. I want rewards in exchange."
After speaking, she patted Xiao Jingyi’s cheek and added in a tempting whisper, "Fiefdoms, gold, people... you do the negotiating. If I’m satisfied with the results, you get a thirty percent cut. Got it?"
Xiao Jingyi’s eyes lit up instantly. ’There’s a perk like this?’
"Don’t worry, Imperial Sister! You can count on me!"
Watching Xiao Jingyi’s cheerful retreating figure, Xiao Li couldn’t help but scoff. ’What a classic opportunist. A suck-up, but a clever one.’
’Xiao Jingyi was currently a Prince with no real duties. Later, when Imperial Power shifted, he immediately latched onto the new authority and managed to remain... an idle Prince.’
’No one was better at adapting to the times than him.’