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

Taiping Palace

Taiping Palace was home to the two youngest princesses. Liang Tai, the mother of the slightly older Princess Wende, lived in the main hall, while Princess Wen Shan lived in the side hall.

Although the two princesses were close in age and had essentially grown up together, there was a world of difference between having a mother and being without one.

Liang Tai herself was not an assertive woman, nor was her maternal family particularly influential.

The Emperor paid no mind to the consorts, and the Empress Dowager had always despised them. Palace attendants were notorious for fawning over the powerful and trampling the weak. For Liang Tai, it took all her effort just to ensure she and her daughter could live in peace.

It was only thanks to her kindhearted nature that Princess Wen Shan had managed to survive this long.

However, Liang Tai could not always keep Princess Wen Shan by her side. This was especially true after the Empress Dowager sent someone to "discipline" the young princess. Liang Tai didn’t dare utter a peep, terrified that the Empress Dowager might send someone to her as well. If that happened, she and her own daughter would be in for a world of suffering.

By the time they finished the New Year’s Eve vigil and returned to Taiping Palace, it was already the Hour of the Ox.

Liang Tai returned with the two children. Both were exhausted, their eyelids so heavy they could barely stay open. She had a palace maid support them, worried they might fall on the very first day of the new year.

"AHEM!"

An old matron leaning against the palace entrance deliberately cleared her throat. She glared at them, her brow furrowed in a malevolent scowl.

Princess Wen Shan, who had been drowsy just a moment before, snapped awake at the sound. Her face went white with terror, and any trace of sleepiness vanished instantly.

"Thank you for your trouble, Liang Tai."

The old matron offered her perfunctory thanks to Liang Tai before reaching out and rudely yanking Princess Wen Shan toward her.

The mother and daughter hadn’t even gone far before they heard Princess Wen Shan’s suppressed scream.

Princess Wende trembled and kept looking back, but her mother simply pulled her along, forcing her to return to their quarters.

It wasn’t that Liang Tai was heartless, but that she was powerless to defy the Empress Dowager. All she could do was protect herself and her own daughter.

The old matron knew they would remain silent, which made her all the more merciless in her abuse of Princess Wen Shan.

Princess Wen Shan’s cries continued for more than an hour. The sounds from her room only ceased when the night watchman’s drum sounded outside.

Having thoroughly tormented the child, the old matron went to catch up on her sleep, completely satisfied. She couldn’t sleep for too long, however. Soon, she would have to go to the Empress Dowager to pay her New Year’s respects and collect her reward money.

Mu Bai, dispatched by Lou Yan, slipped inside to take a look. The little princess was lying on the floor, barely breathing. She had already lost consciousness.

An unnatural flush colored her cheeks. She was clearly feverish.

Anyone who had fought their way up alongside Lou Yan understood one simple truth: in this palace, you couldn’t afford to be charitable.

He had been following Princess Xuanyang all last night and had seen with his own eyes how Princess Wen Shan had pleaded with her for help.

’The boss would never concern himself with such an insignificant princess. This must be Princess Xuanyang’s doing.’

’Since she decided to get involved, Princess Wen Shan can’t be allowed to die.’

Mu Bai glanced down, then easily scooped the girl into his arms. He had intended to place her back on her bed, but after a moment’s hesitation, he carried her away instead.

Today was the first day of the Lunar New Year. Everyone in the palace received a gift, and all were immersed in a festive holiday atmosphere.

The fact that Princess Wen Shan had collapsed on a path and been sent to the Imperial Hospital was hardly considered a major event. As for her governess "accidentally" falling through a hole in the ice and drowning—that was not to be mentioned at all.

On the first day of the New Year, no one would dare risk the Empress Dowager’s wrath by bringing up such inauspicious matters.

Besides, the old matron had only been throwing her weight around Princess Wen Shan’s residence because she’d been assigned by the Empress Dowager. If she were a true confidante of the Empress Dowager, she never would have been sent to tutor such an unimportant princess.

------

On the second day of the New Year, protocol required her to enter the palace and pay her respects.

Xiao Li was speechless. ’I really don’t want to go. Why do I have to suffer through this torment? I’m injured! Don’t they know what an injured person is?!’

"Xuanyang! Stop right there!"

Xiao Li had just gone through the motions of paying her respects to the Empress Dowager and was about to leave. Chen Pingting hadn’t been inside; instead, she was waiting for her outside.

Hearing the shout, Xiao Li kept walking without a backward glance. She had only just learned why the Empress Dowager was protecting Chen Pingting so fiercely, unwilling to even consider a punishment: Chen Pingting was pregnant.

’It’s the oldest trick in the palace. A pregnant woman is either the target of a scheme or is using her child to frame someone else.’

’Given how much Chen Pingting hates me,’ Xiao Li figured, ’if I so much as look at her, she’ll probably claim it made her miscarry.’

’I never thought I’d see the day I was running scared from Chen Pingting. How pathetic.’

And the moment she remembered this frustration was all because Chen Pingting was pregnant, Xiao Li couldn’t help but direct her anger at the Emperor.

’Didn’t you claim to dislike her? Said you couldn’t even stand the sight of her? And yet you still got her pregnant!’

Xiao Li stomped off, seething with anger, but before she could even find the Emperor, she ran into Jia Ruo and her brother.

Talk about a small world for enemies.

The moment Jia Ruo saw Xiao Li, her anger flared. Today, however, she didn’t rush forward. Instead, she stood beside Xiao Jingzhao, looking at Xiao Li with contempt and disgust, clearly drawing courage from her brother’s presence.

"Xuanyang, have you forgotten how to greet your elder brother?" Xiao Jingzhao’s voice was frigid, and his chilling gaze was as unsettling as a viper locking onto its prey.

"Elder brother?" Xiao Li sneered, her melodious voice laced with poison. "Who? You? Are you sure you could handle a greeting from me? Prince Yanping, on the other hand, has already kneeled once. How about you do it again? I can definitely handle that."

The image of being forced to his knees flashed uncontrollably through Xiao Jingzhao’s mind, and the humiliation was absolute.

"Disrespectful and utterly lawless! Xuanyang, be as arrogant as you like. I’ll be waiting for the day you bring about your own ruin!"

Xiao Li scoffed, looking at him as if he were a fool. "No talent, no strength to fight back... all you can do is hope for karma to strike me down, is that it?"

"Don’t you worry, Prince Yanping. Even if I do get my comeuppance, you won’t be around to see it."

She toyed with the piece of Warm Jade in her hand, her voice lazy. "I came across an interesting, nameless poison recently. It kills the moment it enters the bloodstream—incredibly potent. I’m quite fond of it."

"I’m particularly fond of the saying, ’give them a taste of their own medicine.’ I’m just trying to decide... would it be better to use it on the person who wronged me, or would it be more interesting to use it on the person they care about most and watch them suffer?"

Xiao Jingzhao’s pupils contracted, and fear flashed in his eyes. But he was stunned into silence, able to do nothing but watch as Xiao Li shot him a contemptuous glance and sauntered away.

Jia Ruo sensed that something was wrong with her brother. Confused, she asked, "Brother, why aren’t you saying anything?"

A storm of emotions churned in Xiao Jingzhao’s eyes before his gaze finally settled on Jia Ruo’s face. "You need to be more careful from now on. Don’t let anyone catch you with your guard down."

’That Xiao Xuanyang is a lunatic. She truly doesn’t care about anything, and to make matters worse, she has that incredibly skilled guard.’

’You can’t win an argument against her, and you can’t kill her. She’s utterly terrifying.’

Xiao Jingzhao thought about the purpose of his return. His plans had been perfectly laid, but because of Xuanyang, everything was now in chaos.

Jia Ruo still hadn’t grasped his meaning when Xiao Jingzhao spoke again. "Just stay in the palace and keep Mother company for a while. Don’t go looking for trouble with Xuanyang."

’He couldn’t let Xuanyang derail his plans. He would tolerate her for now. Once his grand design came to fruition, crushing a mere gnat like Xuanyang would be an effortless task.’

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