"You are not allowed to enter!"
"Step aside! We're looking for our young master. What have you done to him?"
"This is the Princess's bedchamber! How dare you!"
"If anything happens to our young master, the Lu family will never forgive you!"
Chaos erupted outside the door as the guards stationed there confronted the Imperial son-in-law's attendants.
While they couldn't enter the Princess's bedchamber, their young master had been inside for so long without emerging that they grew deeply concerned. It wasn't impossible that the Princess, having failed to seduce him while drunk, might resort to drugging him in a fit of humiliated rage.
"This one is too plain. This one looks like mourning attire—how unlucky!"
Yang Jun suddenly looked up at Xiao Li, struck by how unfamiliar the Princess seemed today.
The Imperial son-in-law's men worried he might be taken advantage of by the Princess, unaware that their young master had nearly lost his life.
Qian Momo and the others had only come to care for the original host after she was placed under the Empress's care.
Her subsequent descent into madness stemmed from realizing all hope was lost and her life ruined.
It was time to teach them a lesson.
Lu Yanzhi was carried out supported by others, and as expected, his men gasped in disbelief at the sight.
Yang Jun strode out and soon had the Imperial son-in-law's men taken away. Fortunately, Lu Yanzhi had never felt any belonging in the Princess's residence and had brought only a few personal attendants. With Yang Jun taking action, they had no one to turn to for help and could only endure the beating.
The Imperial son-in-law lay on the floor with two bloody wounds—one on his forehead and one on the back of his head. It was a miracle he was still alive.
Reflecting on how the original host, despite being a Princess, held little real power, Xiao Li added by way of explanation, "Just follow orders. I will take responsibility. As long as you remain loyal, no one can touch you while I live."
"Young master! What have you done to our young master?"
In the end, she learned to swallow her pride, living cautiously and fearfully, growing increasingly numb and obedient, allowing herself to be manipulated.
The original host had been fostered under the Empress, now the Empress Dowager. Though they were nominally mother and daughter, they were not close.
Xiao Li couldn't help but find amusement in the sight of that scrunched-up little face. In the book, Hong Yue was a sinister, vicious, and opportunistic lackey who assisted the deranged Xuan Yang Princess in numerous evil deeds—poisoning, kidnapping, framing, and false accusations—her methods of harming others endless, described as the most loyal henchman by the antagonist's side.
But it was all her own wishful thinking. Lu Yanzhi did not care for her, dooming it to be a tragedy.
It was both an explanation and a promise.
She had never put on airs as a Princess, always positioning herself as Lu Yanzhi's wife.
"So what?" Xiao Li coldly interrupted him. "Am I not allowed to strike the Imperial son-in-law's men?"
Wanting to live but unable to live well, wanting to die but unwilling to give up, she eventually broke down.
She died when Xuan Yang Princess was seven years old, leaving only a vague but warm shadow in the original host's memory.
Qian Momo stood quietly by, waiting for Xiao Li to select her items, seeming to have finally accepted the fact that the Princess she had watched grow up had committed murder. She stepped forward to help Xiao Li dress.
With the Empress's scolding and punishments, the Emperor Brother's rejection, and the bullying and isolation from the other princes and princesses, who could have helped her?
"Throw him out."
Even if the original host was out of favor, she was still a royal elder Princess. Trespassing into the Princess's quarters and shouting loudly were enough to warrant a charge of insubordination.
The Empress Dowager could never truly favor an adopted daughter, and the Emperor treated this sister as a pawn. Thus, the palace servants around the Empress Dowager held no respect for the original host, delivering messages with more arrogance than the Princess herself.
Marrying a man as exceptional as Lu Yanzhi rekindled her dormant heart with longing for love and the future.
How dare they shout orders at the Princess so brazenly? They’ve been given far too much face. Xiao Li stepped into the sedan chair, gazing absently ahead while sifting through the original host’s memories.
Yang Jun hesitated upon hearing the command and entered to advise, "Princess, those are the Imperial son-in-law’s personal attendants…"
She obeyed him, pleased him, admired him, yearning to live as an ordinary couple with him.
Xuan Yang Princess’s birth mother was not a palace maid, but her grandfather was merely a lowly county magistrate. In this palace, she had no backing, no wealth, no influence—perhaps even worse off than a palace maid.
Inside the room, Hong Yue was bandaging Lu Yanzhi’s wounds to stop the bleeding. Seeing Xiao Li’s unnerving calm, she grew anxious: "Princess, the Imperial son-in-law hasn’t woken up yet. What should we do?"
"Princess, come out!"
Xiao Li couldn’t be bothered to explain—they would find out soon enough.
The Princess had gone mad with killing! The Princess’s estate was about to face a major disaster! Xiao Li lay sideways on the bed, propping her head lazily: "He’s just unconscious, not dead. Why the rush?"
Yang Jun had shown mercy with the thirty strikes, so after being released, the group could still carry Lu Yanzhi away.
Killing, beating the Imperial son-in-law, and now punishing his men.
The original host had tried to please the Imperial son-in-law and treated them politely, yet they joined Lu Yanzhi in resenting her, relying on his status to never regard the Princess with respect.
Qian Momo and the others were loyal and considered the original host’s interests, but they were merely servants.
Before noon, messengers arrived from the palace.
Hong Yue couldn’t bear to hear the word "dead" now. If two corpses were carried out of the Princess’s room overnight, she dreaded how others would speak of the Princess.
Among those outside, she knew without thinking that Lu Yanzhi’s most loyal personal guards, Lu Qi and Lu Shu, were surely there. Selected from the Lu family’s distant relatives, they had served by his side since childhood, unwavering in their devotion.
She picked through a pile of clothes, finally selecting a red-and-white gradient Liu Xian skirt. The color looked quite demure: "This one."
It was also her own incompetence—she’d been too frightened earlier, or she would have advised the Princess against beating the Imperial son-in-law. Now, trouble was inevitable.
But looking at her little bitter-melon face now, how could she resemble a villain? She was utterly adorable.
Xiao Li glanced at the man lying on the ground, regretting only that this world had no cameras. Otherwise, she could have taken more photos of Lu Yanzhi—his fragile, blood-soaked appearance would make perfect illustrations in a book, satisfying many people’s peculiar tastes.
They fled the Princess’s estate as if escaping flood or beast.
"Give each of those outside thirty strikes. For the one who shouted the loudest, aim for his mouth."
"The Princess has been wronged, and the Imperial son-in-law deserves to die a thousand deaths. But the Lu family holds great power—even His Majesty treads carefully. What if this escalates to the Emperor?"
"Understood!"
Gentleness, virtue, and kindness were all admirable traits, but in this devouring palace, without favor or cunning, the outcome was singular.
The story didn’t mention it, but the original host’s memories were filled with instances of the Empress Dowager slapping her face and hands, pinching her flesh, and forcing her to kneel as punishment.
The Empress Dowager summoned the Xuan Yang Princess to the palace.
After finishing her meal, Xiao Li unhurriedly had her attendants dress and groom her.
This was actually quite excellent. Previously, the Princess had constantly tried to please the Imperial son-in-law, making their loyal retainers feel humiliated before the Imperial son-in-law's people.
Hah. She couldn't touch Lu Yanzhi, but could she not deal with these underlings?
Liking what Lu Yanzhi liked, hating what Lu Yanzhi hated.
Xiao Li could understand her, but she wasn't her!
What bound people's hearts most in this world wasn't blood ties or emotions: it was power, wealth, and interests.
So what if this imperial palace was a dragon's den and tiger's lair? As long as there were people, there would always be places she could exploit.
At worst, she could simply overturn the chessboard – if she couldn't have her way, then no one would.