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

After a short, covered walkway, the main hall ahead was where the banquet was being held.

The spacious hall was filled with a full one hundred tables for two.

Since all the guests today were esteemed imperial relatives, Xiao Li was seated at the back with the youngest princess.

Xiao Li, stuck at a table with a child: ’...No joke. I feel so humiliated right now!!!’

"Imperial Sister."

Princess Wen Shan, the youngest of the princesses and without a mother, looked at Xiao Li timidly, forcing an ingratiating smile.

Xiao Li studied her for a moment and was surprised to find that the little girl was actually quite pretty.

Although her face was still childish, her features were sharp and delicate, with a hint of valiant spirit. It was easy to see she would grow into a great beauty.

"How old are you?"

Princess Wen Shan replied, "Eleven."

"Oh!"

Xiao Li grunted in acknowledgment and then looked away, offering nothing more.

The Empress and Empress Dowager arrived one after the other. The Master of Rites read an imperial decree, praising the year’s favorable weather, extolling the Emperor’s benevolence, and announcing a general amnesty across the land.

His deliberately drawn-out, melodious tone created an atmosphere of peace and prosperity.

Then, the Emperor raised his cup and offered a few pleasantries.

As Xiao Li listened, her eyes searched for Lou Yan. Surprisingly, he wasn’t by the Emperor’s side.

Her gaze drifted downward and landed on Prince Yanping. He wore a hat, and his eyebrows had been drawn on. At a glance, he looked no different than usual, but that couldn’t change the fact that he was now basically a walking egg.

Xiao Li would never forget the sight of him standing up in the firelight, his head gleaming brightly.

The feast finally began, but Xiao Li had no appetite. She didn’t want to eat, and she couldn’t drink alcohol because of her injuries. She considered just drinking tea, but she was worried about feeling bloated.

’So annoying!’

Just as she was glaring at the table in frustration, a pair of chopsticks placed a meatball in her bowl.

Wen Shan looked at her, timid yet expectant. "Imperial Sister, this one is delicious."

Her sleeves seemed a bit short. As she reached over, they rode up her arm, revealing a sliver of a dark purple bruise.

Noticing Xiao Li’s gaze, she quickly covered it.

"Imperial Sister..."

She hesitated, as if waiting for Xiao Li to ask about it.

Xiao Li simply stared at her until the girl began to grow flustered. Only then did she ask blandly, "How did that happen?"

Wen Shan said, "From my etiquette lessons. The governess hit me."

Xiao Li showed she understood. "Oh."

Wen Shan’s expression froze. ’What does "oh" mean?’

She glanced at Xiao Li cautiously. Seeing that she had no intention of asking anything else, her heart sank. After a moment, she reached out and carefully tugged on Xiao Li’s sleeve.

"Imperial Sister... can I come stay at your mansion for a couple of days?"

Xiao Li: "No."

Wen Shan clutched her sleeves, and a moment later, a tear she’d been holding back dripped down her cheek. "Imperial Sister, they’re abusing me! I’m going to be beaten to death. Can you... can you please save me?"

She begged, looking utterly helpless.

Xiao Li’s attitude didn’t change. "You’re asking the wrong person."

’I pick a fight with everyone I see and kill anyone who crosses me. My reputation is atrocious. You’d have to be an idiot to ask me for help.’

Xiao Li’s refusal was so blunt that it left Wen Shan speechless.

Her hand fell limp in disappointment. She tried to pick up her chopsticks to eat, but she was so heartbroken that she failed twice to grasp them.

For the next half hour, Xiao Li didn’t eat or do anything. She just listened to the girl beside her sobbing quietly.

Wen Shan kept her head down, shedding gold beans as her shoulders hitched, not daring to cry out loud. She was like a little kitten.

The longer she listened, the more irritated Xiao Li became. Finally, after a few rounds of drinks had been served and the dancers and singers at the front were in full swing, people began to leave their seats to change. Xiao Li simply stood up and left.

She had someone send a message to the Emperor, saying she felt unwell and had departed.

’I’m already injured. They can’t force me to stay for the New Year’s vigil, can they?’

With everyone at the banquet, the palace grounds outside were empty.

Mu Bai was still by Xiao Li’s side, protecting her even more carefully on the way out than he had on the way in.

Xiao Li boarded her palanquin. Just as it began to move, fireworks exploded in the distance, their brilliant light dazzling the eye.

The palanquin arrived at the palace gates, where Xiao Li disembarked to switch to her carriage. Just as she was about to step inside, she sensed something was off, but she entered anyway.

Hong Yue, who was following her, jumped in fright when she saw inside, but she said nothing. She silently closed the carriage door and then shut the door to the inner compartment as well.

The carriage slowly departed from the palace. Once they were a good distance away, Xiao Li finally spoke. "Does the Lord Seal Master not need to attend His Majesty tonight?"

Sitting beside Xiao Li was a tall, imposing figure with an overwhelming presence—it was Lou Yan.

He carried a slight chill from the outside, a sign he had only just entered himself.

Lou Yan opened a food box and began laying out its contents as he answered her question. "I am seeing the Princess out of the palace. I will return to my duties afterward."

There were three dishes in total: ginseng chicken soup, braised meatballs, and five-colored sweet dumplings. All were steaming hot, as if they had just been taken off the stove.

"The Princess did not eat just now. Would you care to sample this slave’s handiwork?"

Xiao Li was genuinely surprised. "You know how to cook?"

Lou Yan answered casually, "I once spent a year in the Imperial Kitchen and learned the basics. I hope the Princess will grant me the honor."

She might not do it for anyone else, but she had to give Lou Yan some face.

Xiao Li reached for the bowl, but he moved it just out of her reach, insisting on bringing the spoon to her lips. His eyes were fixed on her. "The Princess’s hand is injured. This slave will serve you."

Xiao Li: "..."

Seeing that Xiao Li was unwilling to open her mouth, Lou Yan pulled the spoon back slightly and said with a deep, suggestive tone, "If the Princess is unwilling to be served like this, this slave has other methods."

Suddenly understanding his meaning, Xiao Li grabbed his wrist, lowered her head, and drank the soup from the spoon.

’I’m an invalid right now. I can’t handle that kind of stimulation.’

Seeing that she had eaten, Lou Yan didn’t try to tease her further and simply focused on feeding her.

It wasn’t much, just half a small bowl of each dish, making sure she ate a little of everything.

It was New Year’s Eve. He was personally feeding the woman he had chosen a meal he had cooked with his own hands. No one could possibly understand the significance of this moment to him. Not even his princess knew how satisfied he felt.

Seeing Lou Yan ladle another half-bowl of chicken soup, Xiao Li frowned. "I can’t eat anymore."

’Normally I could eat more, but we’re in a moving carriage. It wouldn’t be good if I ate too much and got sick.’

Lou Yan firmly scooped up a full spoonful and held it to her lips. "One last bite."

Helpless, Xiao Li opened her mouth and drank. The next instant, Lou Yan leaned in, tilting his head up to kiss her.

He stole the soup she hadn’t yet swallowed, but it wasn’t enough. One hand gently cradled the back of her head, deepening the plunder. From a seemingly humble posture, he asserted a powerful claim, all while managing to place the bowl of soup steadily on the table.

Xiao Li’s heart felt as if it had been seized in a fist. It took her a long moment to recover. Then, with her good hand, she squeezed his face and kissed him back fiercely.

’As if she’d let him get away with bullying her!’

The carriage stopped at the entrance to the Princess Mansion. It was time for Xiao Li to get out.

Inside the carriage, she tried to calm the indescribable agitation stirring within her. ’Seriously, I’m not a man, but if this teasing and torment continues, I’m going to short-circuit sooner or later.’

She raised a hand and shoved Lou Yan’s face aside, saying irritably, "Get back to the palace."

She stood up to leave. Just as she reached the door, she seemed to remember something and glanced back. "Have someone check on Princess Wen Shan. If you find anyone beating her, just kill them."

’Abusing a princess is a crime for which death is not too great a punishment.’

Xiao Li was no saint and didn’t have much sympathy to spare. She didn’t even acknowledge her own identity as Xuanyang, let alone care about some "imperial sister."

’She was well aware of her own reputation and character. For someone to approach her for help, knowing she was a villain, it was hard not to suspect their motives were impure.’

’And don’t assume all children are innocent. Princess Wen Shan was eleven. A child that age who had survived this long in the depths of the imperial palace was by no means simple or naive.’

Even if Wen Shan was simply asking for help, Xiao Li couldn’t protect her openly.

’Otherwise, if people found out she’d taken pity on Wen Shan, wouldn’t they use the girl as a weakness to manipulate her?’

’What would happen when they held a knife to Wen Shan’s throat to force her hand? Would she give in or not?’

’So, the best thing for both of them was to have no relationship whatsoever.’

However, seeing as Wen Shan was still just an eleven-year-old child, Xiao Li could help her this one time. She would get rid of the person abusing her. As for what happened after that, that was Wen Shan’s own fate.

Xiao Li returned to her mansion, her departure swift and decisive. It was the very picture of heartlessness.

In the pitch-black carriage, Lou Yan took a deep breath and glanced down, his eyes suppressing a frantic desire. But it wasn’t time. Not yet.

"Princess..." His voice was husky and bewitching, tinged with desire. He seemed to savor the simple title on his lips, making it sound both intimate and ambiguous, yet heavy with a suppressed, dangerous urge to possess and conquer. "This slave obeys!"

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