Chapter 13

Chapter 13

That night, I sat on the roof drinking.

I downed one cup after another.

Xie Wuyang gently took hold of my wine cup.

“Your Highness, you’re drunk.”

“Ha!” I drained the rest of the wine from the jar in one gulp. “Xie Wuyang, if you were in my position, how would you break this deadlock?”

Xie Wuyang furrowed his brows and fell silent.

Even as he carried me to bed, his brow remained tightly knit. It seemed he was truly giving the question serious thought.

I rolled over and drifted into a deep sleep.

The next day, he gave me his answer.

“Then choose someone who has no family to be executed, who isn’t afraid of death, and who… is fond of Your Highness.”

“Where would I find such a person?”

“Look with your heart, and you will find them.”

Xie Wuyang’s cheeks flushed crimson as he leaped away.

Imperial Mother still hadn’t given up on finding someone for me to marry.

She seemed to have only just realized that I was no longer under her control, and she was now trying to exert a heavy-handed grip on my marriage.

The husbands she selected for me each had their own traits, but without exception, they were all useless sons of noble families.

I didn’t want to be hurt by her actions, yet I still found myself spiraling into self-doubt.

Am I not good enough?

Did I do something wrong?

Should I simply never have been born from Imperial Mother’s womb?

At the Mid-Autumn Feast, the sovereign and his subjects celebrated together.

The young men my mother had set her sights on were all present at the banquet, each as well-behaved as a quail.

By now, everyone in the capital knew that Princess Nanping had lost favor. No one wanted to marry me, and I didn’t want to marry anyone. Despite knowing we would only become a resentful couple, we were forced to share the same banquet today.

A sense of suffocating resentment congealed in my heart, making it hard to breathe.

I picked up a cup of tea to take a sip, but the moment I lifted it, I sensed something was wrong.

I gripped the cup tightly and pointed at the maid who had just served me. “Stop right there,” I said coldly.

Imperial Mother frowned, her expression displeased.

Ignoring her, I moved before the maid could pretend she hadn’t heard me. I quickly grabbed her shoulder and forced the tea down her throat.

Imperial Mother was incensed. “Nanping, where are your manners!”

Manners!

In the past, it was precisely because I was too well-mannered that I allowed myself to be bullied to this point.

“Imperial Mother, why are you so anxious? Are you afraid of how she’ll react after drinking the tea?”

“Absurd! Look at what you’ve become!”

“Imperial Mother, what exactly have I become?”

I stared at her, a wave of bitterness washing over me. Right now, I looked like a madwoman, like an outcast-anything but the proud and confident Li Nanping I used to be.

Imperial Mother’s bright eyes narrowed slightly, her brow unable to hide her loathing.

At that moment, the maid began to tremble all over. Her eyes were filled with confusion and lust. Her face flushed a deep red as she clawed at her own clothes, caught in a desperate struggle between her dignity and her desires.

This scene stunned everyone present.

Anyone with a discerning eye understood immediately what had happened to the maid.

And that cup of tea had originally been intended for me.

The maid was quickly dragged away.

My mind was clearer than ever as I waited to see how Imperial Mother would explain this.

Imperial Mother opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately her face darkened. “This Princess will investigate this matter thoroughly. If I find out who committed such a loathsome act in the palace, I will show no mercy.”

“Heh,” I let out a light sneer, flipped the table over, and turned to leave.

Imperial Mother was furious. “Li Nanping!”

I didn’t look back.

I didn’t believe her.

I couldn’t rely on Imperial Mother; I had to seek justice for myself.

And so, at the Jinwen Gathering where the Crown Prince invited countless scholars and students, the Crown Prince drank joyfully and excessively. With unsteady steps, he was supported into a room to change his clothes.

At that very moment, I-who had been disguised in men’s clothing-pulled a string of firecrackers from my sleeve, lit them, and tossed them onto the ground.

The loud crackling and popping of the firecrackers startled everyone. Countless people scattered in all directions, ducking into rooms for cover. Numerous guards rushed into the Crown Prince’s room to protect him, with Luo Chen leading the charge.

From inside the room came the sound of a man and a woman struggling with each other.

“Brother Crown Prince, don’t…”

“Duanhua, be a good girl…”

That day, everyone found out.

The Crown Prince had a woman hidden in his room.

That woman was none other than the Crown Prince’s cousin-Zhao Duanhua.

The two of them were disheveled and entangled, having nearly committed an act of indecency.

Luo Chen let out the roar of a man who had been cuckolded. He pulled the two apart, quickly wrapped Zhao Duanhua in a cloak, and glared at the dazed Crown Prince with eyes full of hatred.

I watched the scene with cold eyes, gave a mocking laugh, and went to the palace. I voluntarily knelt before the entrance of Emperor Father’s sleeping quarters.

I was the one who did this, and it would be easy to find out. Knowing I couldn’t escape it, I came to accept my punishment first.

Before long, the Crown Prince arrived in a fit of rage. As he passed me, he kicked me ruthlessly, again and again.

“You bitch! I knew it was you! Why did you set me up?”

I grabbed his ankle firmly. Losing his balance, he fell onto his backside, yet he still continued to kick at me viciously.

I brawled with him just like we used to when we were children.

Eventually, the maids and eunuchs pulled us apart, but we still strained toward each other, wishing we could tear one another into a thousand pieces.