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

Xiao Li assumed Xiao Jingzhao and Xiao Jingyu were about to try and rescue the woman from Po Feng.

She had already prepared to step back and let them have at it, but instead, the two of them pointed their swords at her.

Xiao Jingzhao, with his big, bald head and a grim expression, said, "Get lost. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning. I will never let her fall into your hands."

Xiao Jingyu stood like an unmoving iceberg. He said nothing, but his stance made his intentions perfectly clear.

Xiao Li was speechless.

’Of course,’ she thought. ’When the heroine isn’t in danger, the male lead and his sidekick fight over her without a care in the world. But the moment she’s in danger, they unite against a common enemy to take them down.’

And now, Xiao Li had become that common enemy.

’So, since Po Feng was Lu Yanzhi’s man and Lu Yanzhi is dead, this Death Warrior is now a player in his own right?’

’The enemy is strong, and I’m outmatched. This isn’t good.’ Xiao Li took a subtle step back. "Prince Chen is a traitor, and Po Feng is a wanted fugitive. Prince Yanping, by standing with them, have you considered how you’ll explain yourself to His Majesty?"

Prince Yanping’s arm, still pierced by the shaft of a broken arrow, throbbed with pain. He glared at Xiao Li, his eyes filled with killing intent. "That’s assuming His Majesty ever finds out."

Xiao Jingyu didn’t move, but Po Feng settled Liu Xueyin in a corner under someone’s watch. He then turned to face Xiao Li, saber in hand. Clearly, he was now willing to be Prince Yanping’s accomplice.

Rong Qing felt a sense of calm wash over him. ’I knew it would come to this.’

’The Princess’s pay is extravagant, but none of it is earned for free.’

His towering frame shielded Xiao Li as he brandished his massive broadsword with an imposing air.

Though he said nothing, his entire being conveyed his stance: To kill the Princess, you’d have to step over my dead body first.

Xiao Jingzhao frowned—or rather, since he had no eyebrows, the two wrinkles above his eyes squeezed together. "You’re a descendant of the Rong Family! They were founding generals who won countless honors for the empire. Instead of fighting for your family’s glory on the battlefield, you act as a watchdog for that venomous harpy. You bring shame to the Rong Family name!"

Before Rong Qing could even react, Xiao Li loosed three arrows at once, not even bothering to aim.

Xiao Jingzhao scrambled to dodge them. "Xuanyang, are you out of your mind?" he roared.

Xiao Li moved to Rong Qing’s side, her longbow drawn taut and aimed at Xiao Jingzhao’s forehead. "I just saw a dog barking its head off and thought I’d help it quiet down."

"Xiao Jingzhao, if you want a fight, fine. If you want to kill me, bring it on. But you’d better watch that filthy mouth of yours."

"Rong Qing is a rare treasure I worked hard to find. Whether or not he brings shame to the Rong Family isn’t something your foul mouth gets to decide. And the honor of the Rong Family is none of your damn business."

"And another thing—that bald head of yours is absolutely hideous!"

The moment she finished speaking, she loosed the arrow. "Rong Qing!"

Treating his long broadsword like a javelin, Rong Qing hurled it forward with tremendous force.

Xiao Jingzhao frantically dodged Xiao Li’s fatal arrow, only for Rong Qing’s broadsword to follow immediately after, piercing his foot and pinning him to the ground.

Rong Qing’s body followed the path of his blade. The instant Xiao Jingzhao cried out in pain, Rong Qing yanked the sword free and charged at the nearby Xiao Jingyu.

Po Feng had been lying in wait. The moment Rong Qing moved away from the Princess, he pounced like a hunting cheetah. In the same instant, Xiao Li whipped out an already-loaded pistol.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

She fired five shots in quick succession. Po Feng reacted with incredible speed, dodging three of the bullets, but the last two found their mark. One struck his shoulder, and the other hit him square in the forehead.

THUD!

Po Feng’s body collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace.

Xiao Li stared impassively at his still-twitching corpse.

"Failing to kill me after several attempts showed your incompetence. Letting you live long enough for a third attempt would have shown mine."

Po Feng had brought over a dozen Death Warriors with him. He was the most skilled in martial arts among them, yet he had been killed in an instant by the Princess—or more accurately, by the Hidden Weapon she wielded.

Their first instinct was to charge, but the dark, gaping muzzle was now pointed at them. Even though they had no idea what kind of Hidden Weapon it was, its lethality was undeniable. They didn’t dare make a move.

Xiao Li’s voice was cold, yet laced with a lazy confidence. "Who’s next?"

The Death Warriors were frozen in place, daring neither to advance nor retreat. Po Feng’s body lay just ahead of them, and while they wanted to retrieve it, they were too afraid to move.

Suddenly, a loud voice cried out, "Princess, we’re here!"

WHOOSH!

Hundreds of torches were raised at once, illuminating the entire street as if it were day.

The guard Xiao Li had sent to fetch the Patrol Camp had returned, bringing soldiers from half the city’s barracks to completely surround the area.

Xiao Li was speechless. ’I had my weapon out and was about to go on a rampage, and they show up now?’

The guard, who was quite young, rushed to Xiao Li’s side with his sword raised, looking brave and full of fervor.

Xiao Li’s eye twitched. She had to fight the urge to empty a clip into him. ’Where did this moron come from?’

"Rong Qing, fall back."

Now that the Patrol Camp was here, she couldn’t keep fighting.

Rong Qing retreated to Xiao Li’s side, guarding her as they prepared to leave.

Xiao Li walked over to the two miserably beaten brothers. Seeing the fear and wariness in their eyes, she felt a sense of satisfaction. ’Good, they’re finally scared. Otherwise, these bastards would never take me seriously. Anyone would feel free to pick a fight with me, and that’s just annoying.’

"I’m taking Liu Xueyin. If either of you breathes a single word of what happened tonight, I’ll put a knife in her."

"Think carefully before you speak. I doubt she can withstand death by a thousand cuts!"

Xiao Li boarded her carriage. Lan Yue hauled Liu Xueyin up and tossed her into a corner, still unconscious.

The carriage began to move, and the men of the Patrol Camp parted in an orderly fashion to let it pass.

Few men in the Patrol Camp had ever seen Princess Xuanyang in person, but that didn’t stop them from knowing the legends surrounding her.

While the murder of her husband was the most sensational tale, it was far from the only shocking thing she’d done.

In the past half-year, quite a few people had died in the Imperial City, and this Princess was connected to their deaths nine times out of ten.

All sorts of ambushes and assassination attempts seemed to center on her, yet it was always others who ended up dead. The Princess herself always managed to walk away unscathed.

The Capital City was home to countless noblewomen, each with their own unique talents and beauty. But Princess Xuanyang stood alone. With her dazzling beauty and the constant companionship of the Death God, she was mockingly nicknamed the "Peony of the Yellow Springs."

The scene was one of stark contrasts: a burning carriage, blood, corpses, and a group of wounded, unidentified men, all looking battered and miserable. Amidst it all, only Princess Xuanyang elegantly boarded her magnificent carriage and departed at a leisurely pace, with no one daring to stand in her way.

In contrast, Princess Xuanyang’s guards were tall and imposing, clad in reinforced armor and mounted on powerful, well-fed steeds. Their formidable presence made the Patrol Camp soldiers look pitiful by comparison.

Every one of them was green with envy. They’d heard that just being chosen as one of Princess Xuanyang’s guards earned you ten gold coins. But looking at their gear, their armor alone was worth more than ten gold coins. And those horses... were those the legendary Hanxue Horses?

Soldiers like them, in the Patrol Camp, could work their entire lives and never afford such a getup.

Just then, the carriage slowed to a stop. A woman’s voice, lazy yet chilling, drifted out from within. "If you capture every last one of them, I will personally request a reward for you from His Majesty. But if you let them escape... Heh."

Faced with such a casual taunt, who would dare admit they weren’t up to the task?

The Patrol Camp’s Commander immediately responded, "We will not disappoint you, Your Highness!"

With a wave of his hand, he commanded, "Arrest them all! Kill anyone who resists!"

Xiao Jingyu looked for an escape, but there was nowhere to run.

Xiao Jingzhao announced his identity. "I am Prince Yanping."

The Commander was taken aback. He squinted, taking a closer look. The man had no hair. No matter how uninformed he might be, he’d never heard that Prince Yanping was bald.

"Arrest them all!"

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