In the blink of an eye, Xiao Li tore through to his inner garment, and with another forceful tug, instantly exposed a pale expanse of chest.
Lu Yanzhi struggled desperately backward, but Xiao Li directly knelt between his legs and pressed down hard.
"Ugh!"
His expression instantly changed, his whole body curling up in pain.
Xiao Li pinned him down firmly, not allowing him to move, her fingertips brushing over his handsome face before trailing downward—seemingly heading toward his chest, but ultimately clamping harshly around his neck instead.
Lu Yanzhi arched his head back in agony. It wasn't that he lacked martial skill, and as a normal man, he should have been able to break free, yet he remained trapped under Xiao Li's control.
Looking into Xiao Li's eyes, now filled with madness, she was smiling, but the force in her hands grew increasingly stronger.
At this moment, Lu Yanzhi finally realized: Xiao Li had been driven mad by him—she truly intended to kill him! He tried with all his might to pry her hands away, but they were as unyielding as solid rock. Even a force that should have broken her bones didn't budge her in the slightest. All he could feel was the tightening grip around his neck, the air growing thinner and thinner.
Xiao Li felt her attitude had been fierce enough, yet some people just refused to believe it.
"Xuan Yang Princess can't keep her word and is so vicious—what will happen to Brother Yanzhi from now on?" —Xiao Li paid no mind to what outsiders said. The first thing she did upon waking the next morning was order Yang Jun to arrest people.
Amid her grief, thoughts of Lu Yanzhi surfaced again, intensifying her anguish unbearably.
Moreover, it was better if the Emperor and Empress Dowager remained unaware of her affairs with the male concubines, lest it soil their ears.
Messenger pigeons flew everywhere, making her residence seem as porous as a sieve.
In the end, Lu Yanzhi was dragged out of Xiao Li's room in a disheveled state, his clothes barely covering him. The left side of his face was swollen and red, with traces of blood trickling along the edges—clear evidence of how brutally he had been beaten.
The news had spread so quickly last night, thanks in no small part to the spies within her residence.
She wept silently, mourning the course of her life.
"Lu Yanzhi, where are your books of sages, your sense of propriety and shame, your morals and ethics?"
"You're proud, you're noble—so your nobility means you don't dare vent on others, yet you dare show a cold face to the one person who deeply loves you, Xuan Yang!"
"Don't you all know? You all know, but you refuse to think about it. You're just bullies who prey on the weak. That's why you knelt in the palace without daring to utter a word, yet dared to come here drunk and cause a scene!"
"You were forced to become the Imperial son-in-law, forced to marry a woman you don't love, yet you don't resent the Lu family for failing to refuse on your behalf, nor do you hate the Emperor for using his power to pressure you. Instead, you resent a woman who has no control over her own life yet loves you with all her heart. Wu Chen Gentleman? Pah! You're nothing but a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong."
But Lu Yanzhi, getting drunk and trying to bully others, deserved that beating! The Empress Dowager, who had just begun to think Xiao Li was sensible: …This is sheer lawlessness! No, tomorrow I must send someone to properly teach her some manners.
The two onlookers were terrified, not even daring to apply the medicine with force.
Previously trapped inside the original body, forced to watch events unfold, Xiao Li had been filled with hatred. But no matter how much she hated, all that remained was the powerlessness of not being able to reach through the screen. Now, finally in control of this body, this beating was so satisfying! Holding in grievances only consumes oneself; going mad consumes others.
Maintaining her position, she looked down on him from above, her smile chilling and regretful: "I really wish I could strangle you right now, but that would be letting you off too easily."
The fight between the Imperial son-in-law and the Princess was truly vicious.
Xiao Li not only beat them but also directly sold them off.
Lu Yanzhi stared blankly at Xiao Li, unable to speak for a long time.
Just moments ago, she had used brutal force to try to take Lu Yanzhi's life, while he struggled desperately in response. Xiao Li's hands were scratched with countless deep, bloody gashes, a gruesome sight that was painful to behold.
The anxious Emperor: Indeed, he had relaxed his vigilance too soon.
Hong Yue went to brew a fresh pot of flower tea to soothe the mind and calm the liver, while Lan Yue and Qian Momo applied medicine to Xiao Li's arms and wrists with pained expressions.
This seemingly absurd yet somehow logical twisted reasoning left him speechless.
"If you resisted the marriage so much, why didn't you refuse it back then? The Lu family loved you so much—why did they still choose to sacrifice you and make you suffer?"
Only after dealing with everyone did she send word to the Emperor, claiming it was all to preserve the royal family's dignity.
But just as Lu Yanzhi was on the verge of suffocation, Xiao Li released her grip.
"Consummate the marriage? Do you think I still give a damn about a scumbag like you now?" "For three years of marriage, I gave my heart and soul. All Xuan Yang ever asked for was a shred of your affection, to become true husband and wife with you. Yet you thought Xuan Yang was just shamelessly craving men, and even sent a guard to humiliate your own wife."
"Your whole family wanted to use this opportunity to get rid of me, but you knew even better that the Emperor would never issue an Imperial Decree for divorce. So you pinned your last hope on me, wishing I'd genuinely despise you and grant you your wish."
The Emperor: "…"
"Xuan Yang had no biological mother and was raised under the Empress's care since childhood, forced into circumstances beyond her control. What about you? Were you also left with no choice?"
But they miscalculated one thing: the only ones Xiao Li dared not challenge were the Emperor and Empress Dowager. Everyone else, she now regarded with utter contempt.
Xiao Li gripped his chin, forcing him to look directly at her: "Lu Yanzhi, you hate me? What right do you have to hate me? Just because I was the one bestowed upon you in marriage?"
What a disaster!!! Chen Wang Manor
"Hah, how ridiculous!"
But in her letter, Xiao Li concluded by declaring an irreconcilable feud with the Lu family—she would eradicate them, ensuring their complete disappearance!!!
The entire Chao Yang Courtyard was silent and empty.
After venting her rage fiercely, Xiao Li remained in a pleasantly elevated mood, barely feeling the pain in her hands.
"Hah, have you all forgotten? If the Emperor refuses to grant me a divorce, do you really think I can confront him directly?"
She was someone who intended to keep male concubines. If rumors spread freely within the manor, wouldn't that utterly disgrace the royal family's reputation?
"This servant was bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. If the Princess wishes to sell this old servant, she should first ask whether the Empress Dowager agrees."
"Beat them!"
Lu Yanzhi clutched his throat, retching painfully with blood choking his words, unable to utter a sound.
The netizens spoke true! News from the Princess Manor spread as if on wings. Though not widely disseminated, all who needed to know had learned of it.
Liu Xueyin wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, her exposed shoulders and arms covered in bruises of varying depths. The room was thick with the scent of passion, but the man had long since vanished, leaving her alone to face the hollow silence, battered and bruised.
The Emperor's vision darkened repeatedly in disbelief. Never before had anyone dared to boss him around so righteously while also digging into his pockets.
Not only did Xiao Li leave him speechless, but she also openly ordered him around—not only demanding his help in explaining things to the Empress Dowager, but also using her work injury as an excuse to have the Emperor dispatch Imperial Physicians and bestow medicines and tonics.
The Lu family: Their anxiously suspended hearts finally sank into despair.
"Beat everyone once. Those who confess which side they colluded with shall be thrown to that side. Those who cannot name anyone shall be directly sold off."
Should he praise her for being considerate?
No wonder she dared to be so bold—this backing was indeed beyond what a mere Princess like her could challenge.
Everyone carried out their duties in an orderly manner—cleaning, sweeping, mopping the floors—but all moved with deliberately light steps, not daring to make a sound, even holding their breath as if wishing to vanish.
"Xuan Yang did not marry you because she liked you; she grew to like you because the Emperor arranged the marriage."
"This servant was bestowed upon the Princess by His Majesty."
Xiao Li stood up, but still seething with resentment, she couldn’t resist slapping him hard across the face once more.
"Xuan Yang merely fell for her rightfully wedded husband—what crime is there in that?"
The Emperor knew this was impossible, yet he couldn’t deny being pleased by these words.
"Summon the Imperial Physician!"