She Was Written to Die, So She Seized the Throne Instead

Xiao Li was rarely curious, but she was dying to know who had taken the hair-loss potion.

’If this mystery box doesn’t get opened, I’ll never be able to sleep tonight.’

However, everyone had already left. She wouldn’t see anything by staying, so in the end, she had no choice but to leave.

The palace paths were long and covered in a thick layer of snow. Burning braziers crackled and popped, the wind howled as it gusted past, and visibility grew even poorer.

"Princess, watch your step." Today, Xiao Li had brought Lan Yue with her to the palace. She spoke less than Hong Yue but was steady and meticulous.

"I’m fine."

Xiao Li refused her supporting arm. She hadn’t yet reached the point where she needed help just to walk.

There were quite a few people on the palace paths. Every five steps stood a guard clad in armor, but they stood motionless like wooden stakes. The sight was cold and oppressive, heavy with Death Qi.

Especially with the wind and snow creating a hazy, dreamlike scene, it all looked very unreal and carried an indescribable eeriness.

Rong Qing was waiting with his men by the palace gate. Taller and more robust than the average person, his body stood like a boulder in the wind and snow.

"Princess."

Rong Qing spoke, his rugged voice hoarse and mature, inspiring a powerful sense of security.

Xiao Li gave a slight nod and boarded the carriage.

A charcoal fire burned inside the carriage. The moment she stepped in, the wind and snow were shut out, and the instantaneous warmth was enough to bring her back to life.

The horses pulled the carriage forward at a gentle pace. Xiao Li sipped her hot tea, mulling over the day’s spectacular show, which had not yet reached its finale.

’With Lou Yan on the case, Prince Yanping is sure to find out that Chen Pingting was the one who used the poison. As for the fact that it was originally meant for me, well, that’s not so important anymore.’

’Since Princess Consort Hui ended up being the victim, they have no reason to go past the actual culprit and punish me, the original target. Of course, they’ll probably hold a grudge, but am I supposed to be afraid of a little anger from them?’

’Chen Pingting is the Empress Dowager’s niece, and on top of that, she’s the Emperor’s concubine.’

’Prince Yanping is bound to demand justice for his mother, but the Emperor and the Empress Dowager will never hand Chen Pingting over to them for punishment.’

’But no matter how that tug-of-war ends, the relationship between those two factions will definitely not be so amicable anymore.’

’Of course, as far as I’m concerned, their business is no skin off my back. At most, it’s just a show to watch, and probably not a very good one.’

’The Emperor is an idiot; he has a sword but doesn’t know how to use it. Prince Yanping is ambitious, sure, but he clearly lacks the power right now. He’s still in that "scheming in the shadows" phase.’

’So... who on earth actually took the hair-loss poison?’

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

A faint clashing sound reached her ears, and Xiao Li’s train of thought halted.

Rong Qing had already approached the carriage. "Princess, the procession ahead has run into assassins."

Xiao Li just grunted "Mm" and didn’t move, until the guard who had gone to investigate returned. "Reporting to the Princess, it is Prince Yanping’s party that has encountered assassins. The two sides are fighting fiercely."

’Hm?’

Xiao Li flung open the curtain and simultaneously pulled out her handmade spyglass.

It was too dark; she could only see two groups of men locked in a furious battle, the air filled with sparks from their clashing blades. The details of the situation were unclear.

’I don’t like meddling in other people’s business, but I have to stick my nose into this one.’

’Princess Consort Hui must be in a bad way right now. Logically, Jingzhao should be by her side. The only reason he’d be leaving the palace is, of course, to escort Liu Xueyin home.’

’A palace maid called Liu Xueyin away earlier, so I thought she was staying in the palace. But since Prince Yanping is here, that means Liu Xueyin must be with him.’

’An opportunity delivered right to my doorstep. It would be a shame not to seize it.’

Xiao Li immediately wrapped her cloak tightly around herself and jumped down from the carriage. Hit by a blast of snowy wind, she didn’t even feel the cold. Instead, she felt invigorated and incredibly excited.

Grabbing a bow and arrows for a weapon, she had Rong Qing lead the way. The group stealthily advanced, sticking to the shadows of the eaves.

Xiao Li had given her orders in advance: "We’re just going to snatch someone. Once we have them, we leave."

Kidnapping someone was bad enough, but their target was a woman.

Rong Qing and the guards were speechless.

As for the Princess’s hobbies, it was not their place to comment.

They had been over a hundred meters away, so it wasn’t a long walk. They stopped about forty or fifty feet from the fight, a distance from which they could see everything clearly.

A squad of men in black were continuously trying to fight their way toward the carriage. Clearly, their target was inside.

’Both sides are lost in the heat of battle, but the carriage is right in the middle of it all. Snatching someone won’t be easy.’

’I need a plan. At the very least, I have to get the people out of that carriage.’

The thought had just crossed Xiao Li’s mind when suddenly, a flaming arrow landed on the carriage. A pot of flammable oil had been tied to it, and when it shattered, flames instantly spread.

THUD! THUD!

Two more arrows carrying pots of flammable oil came flying over, and one of them even shot in through the window.

The carriage door finally opened, and the people inside ran out looking disheveled. As expected, it was Xiao Jingzhao and Liu Xueyin.

Their clothes had caught fire, and they tried to beat out the flames as they scrambled out. One careless misstep sent them tumbling from the carriage shaft.

As if on cue, Liu Xueyin cried out and pitched forward. Xiao Jingzhao immediately spun around and caught her, using his own body to cushion their fall as they tumbled from the carriage together.

Xiao Li watched, speechless. She was just about to complain about this cliché romantic mishap when she suddenly saw a smooth, shiny egg stand up... Huh????

’For a second, I thought I was seeing things. What was that perfectly round, smooth thing, gleaming in the firelight even more brightly than the snow?’

’Has an egg gained sentience?’

The next moment, the "egg spirit" perhaps felt a bit cold and quickly pulled the hood of its large cloak over its head.

’The round, shiny egg vanished. And looking at that face... isn’t that my dear Second Brother?’

’He didn’t look like this back in the palace. I almost didn’t recognize him without any hair.’

’No hair... Hahaha...’

’So this is where the mystery box was hiding!!!’

Xiao Li hugged herself helplessly. It was just too funny, but holding back the laughter was sheer torture.

’Hahahahaha...’

’The poison from Jia Ruo... my own brother ate it! And it was so effective! Not a single hair left! Hahahaha!!!’

Rong Qing speechlessly grabbed Xiao Li’s wrist. "Princess, please stop repeatedly hitting my head with your bow."

Xiao Li was trembling as she tried to stifle her laughter. She wanted to explain that she wasn’t actually hitting Rong Qing’s head with the bow, she was just shaking uncontrollably. But the moment she opened her mouth, an unstoppable peal of laughter burst out.

"Hahahahaha..." No one could understand how delighted she was at this moment. This was just too much fun.

"Hahahaha..."

Xiao Li’s unconcealable laughter echoed down the street. Rong Qing and his men were speechless, and even the two groups fighting fiercely up ahead were distracted and turned to look.

The burning carriage had become the bonfire for this late-night ’gathering’, and now Xiao Li’s position was clearly illuminated.

She smiled and waved at the two groups. "What a coincidence! Fancy seeing you here, my dear egg-spirit Second Brother. And Fourth Brother, too."

The leader of the men in black stiffened. Xiao Jingzhao, ignoring Xiao Li’s teasing, whipped his head around to look at the man.

"Jing Yu?"

His identity exposed, Xiao Jingyu didn’t pretend anymore. He ripped off his black face mask, his icy gaze fixed on Xiao Jingzhao, then flickered to Liu Xueyin, who was being protected in Xiao Jingzhao’s arms. "Second Brother, please return my Princess Consort to me."

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