"Imperial Sister, your flowers are so lovely!"
"Imperial Sister, these pastries are absolutely delicious."
"Oh my, Imperial Sister, you seem to be growing more beautiful lately."
Xiao Li stared speechlessly at the brocade-clad youth clowning before her, eyes brimming with impatience: "So what exactly are you here for?"
Wei Wang Xiao Jingyi awkwardly rubbed his nose: "Actually, Emperor Brother sent me to act as a mediator."
Xiao Li's gaze instantly turned icy. Xiao Jingyi immediately surrendered: "Imperial Sister, I'm on your side. That Lu Yanzhi is utterly worthless. But this is Emperor Brother's command—I had no choice but to come."
Seeing Xiao Li remain silent, Xiao Jingyi stealthily shifted closer to her, his fair face full of gossipy curiosity: "Imperial Sister, are you really abandoning the Imperial son-in-law?"
Xiao Li shot him a disdainful look: "What else? Do you think I'm joking?"
As if everything in the world required her sympathy.
Originally, it should have been a mutually satisfactory arrangement, but those two had genuinely disgusted her moments earlier.
"Hahaha… hahaha… this is just too hilarious." She laughed until tears streamed from her eyes.
Xiao Li's sarcastic tone made Liu Xueyin mistake it for heartfelt sincerity, her face filled with melancholy pain: "Do you think I don't want to?"
Xiao Li speared a piece of watermelon with a silver fork and pointed it at them: "Guards, throw them out!"
She's so virtuous, so noble—letting others bear all the suffering.
Xiao Jingyi climbed down from the courtyard wall, fanning himself with exaggerated elegance: "I wasn't eavesdropping intentionally. I just suddenly remembered there was something I hadn't finished saying."
"As far as I know, you and Chen Wang are also an estranged couple. He shows you no affection and occasionally torments you in various ways. Why don't you persuade him to let you go?"
"Heh." A cold sneer escaped her pale red lips. Female protagonist, ah—things are about to get interesting.
She slightly lowered her gaze, crimson lips curling upward, eyes filled with profound malice as she blatantly threatened: "Go tell Emperor Brother that if he wants me to compromise, he'll have to exchange it for rewards."
Hah, who does she think she is?
The two departed with expressions of fury and humiliation, and Xiao Li instantly felt the air become fresher.
Xiao Jingyi's eyes immediately sparkled—there were benefits to be had? "Imperial Sister, don't worry! Leave it to me!"
This… is also a damn lunatic!
Flirting right in front of her—did they think she was dead?
Seeing Liu Xueyin safe and sound, his tense nerves finally relaxed slightly.
What good could possibly come from a banquet hosted by the Empress Dowager at this time?
Because of her childish declaration of "the innocent child," the original host was forced to bear the bastard child.
The Lu family had suffered such a great loss—they absolutely had to extract Lu Yanzhi from the Princess Manor. Thus, the Emperor's clever calculations were destined to fail.
Thinking Xiao Li wouldn't agree, Liu Xueyin immediately grew anxious: "Brother Yanzhi won't be happy with you. Why must you torment each other? Now Brother Yanzhi's reputation has been completely ruined by you. Why can't you just let him go?"
Xiao Li: "Yue." It reeks of Qiong Yao drama.
"Had enough of the show? Why haven't you crawled out yet?"
Isn't this a living saintly bitch? "Princess, could you please let Brother Yanzhi go?"
But the Emperor wants to whitewash the peace and continue playing relatives while controlling others, without considering whether they're willing.
It's no longer that she wants to divorce Lu Yanzhi—it's that Lu Yanzhi is desperately trying to escape her grasp.
After speaking, she even patted Xiao Jingyi's cheek and enticed, "Fief, gold, silver, population—you go negotiate. If you satisfy me, I'll give you thirty percent. Understand?"
"The Empress Dowager is hosting a banquet tonight and insists you attend."
Hong Yue repeated, "Chen Wangfei requests an audience."
This statement was sincere.
What kind of thing did she, Liu Xueyin, think she was? Who did she believe herself to be? Later, he finally developed a conscience and embarked on a "chasing wife to the crematorium" journey, but what happened? The female lead was truly a sanctimonious hypocrite—brutally abused, yet when Chen Wang pretended to be pitiful and miserable, she eagerly returned to him.
A wicked glint flashed in Xiao Li's eyes as she crooked a finger at Xiao Jingyi. The latter obediently scurried over, only to have Xiao Li grab his collar and yank him close.
Xiao Li nearly vomited at the sight and sneered, "Then how do you expect me to spare him?"
Liu Xueyin smiled as gently as a flower blooming slowly, "I'm fine, and you?"
Lu Yanzhi hurried over, wanting to reach out but restraining himself to stand two steps away, merely gazing at her with deep concern and affection, "Are you alright?"
Liu Xueyin also shed her earlier gloom, becoming ecstatic, "Brother Yanzhi."
Yet her face remained cold, always carrying an unresolved melancholy, her gaze indifferent, looking down on everyone with condescending pity.
Xiao Li sighed with a laugh, "How pitiful."
Xiao Li gave him just one word: "Scram!"
He detested this Princess Consort forced upon him by the late emperor, so he neglected and abused her, sleeping with her while calling her a slut, repeatedly bedding her yet abandoning her to others' bullying, getting her pregnant only to cause her miscarriage.
The female lead in this book was a sanctimonious hypocrite Xiao Li couldn't comprehend, and the male lead, Chen Wang, was a disgusting lunatic just to look at.
Lu Yanzhi barged in so brazenly.
Liu Xueyin seemed to have mustered great courage, then looked up at Xiao Li with utmost seriousness, "If I beg you, can you agree to a divorce with him?"
How pathetic!
Soon, Chen Wangfei Liu Xueyin appeared before Xiao Li. Like Lu Yanzhi, she was dressed in funeral-white robes, her hair tied up with a single hairpin. With willow-leaf eyebrows, dark hair, icy skin, and jade-like complexion, she could indeed be called a peerless beauty.
Because of her compassion, she constantly stirred up trouble, and Lu Yanzhi repeatedly cleaned up the mess for her.
Xiao Li kept her smile, wiping tears with a handkerchief as she asked her.
The two of them gazed at each other as if no one else was present, until Lu Yanzhi remembered Xiao Li's existence. He promptly shielded Liu Xueyin behind him, his expression instantly turning cold and disgusted, "Don't involve innocent people in matters between you and me."
Xiao Jingyi forced a dry laugh, "Of course, Imperial Sister is serious, but you know well that unless Emperor Brother agrees, you two will likely remain married, let alone now that he's sent me to persuade you."
His injuries should have mostly healed, but the scars hadn't fully faded, so he wore a cyan embroidered headband on his forehead, looking quite elegant and unique. Unfortunately, his anxious expression completely ruined that elegance.
Liu Xueyin's face was a mix of conflict, hesitation, and earnest pleading.
"Princess, the Imperial son-in-law has barged in!" The Princess Manor guards obeyed the Princess, but they dared not actually lay hands on the Imperial son-in-law.
Xiao Jingyi promptly rolled away.—"Who did you say?" Xiao Li doubted her own ears.
Xiao Li had initially been eager to ditch Lu Yanzhi and was looking forward to the outcome, but now she changed her mind.
So, now that you’ve taken all the benefits, you’re trying to gloss things over?
Xiao Li felt as if she had heard the biggest joke of the century. After holding back for a moment, she burst into laughter.
“Xue Yin!”
Xiao Li: Does he think this place is some kind of no-man’s-land?
Revoking the imperial marriage decree was absolutely necessary.
Lately, the Emperor’s actions had been quite aggressive, but the Lu family was no ordinary noble house—even the Emperor dared not swallow them up in one go.
Watching Xiao Jingyi’s cheerful retreating figure, Xiao Li couldn’t help but scoff: “Truly a fence-sitter, both bootlicking and clever.”
Xiao Jingyi was now an idle prince, and later, when imperial power shifted, he immediately switched allegiances and still ended up as an idle prince.
No one was better at recognizing which way the wind blew than him.