Chapter 15: The Emperor’s Attitude

Li Ning’an was serious and stern, which made Yan Ziqi hesitant to joke around.

He led her to the study, which hadn’t been cleaned in quite some time and was covered in dust.

Yan Ziqi, indifferent, used his sleeve to wipe a seat for Li Ning’an. She, however, disdainfully placed a handkerchief on it before sitting down.

“How did it end up like this?” she asked.

This didn’t look like a place where someone had been diligently studying. Surely, Yan Ziqi wasn’t naturally gifted at leading troops without any effort?

“There’s only me in this house, and I don’t come here often. What’s the point of cleaning it?” Yan Ziqi said nonchalantly. He didn’t even bother wiping the seat before sitting down himself.

“You…” Li Ning’an was growing increasingly annoyed with his carefree attitude.

The steward sent a maid to serve fresh tea, then, like Hongxiu, silently stood in the hallway.

Hongxiu thought: …The steward at Duke Xiang’s mansion is truly diligent, personally standing guard here.

Li Ning’an sipped the tea, taking two small gulps. It was pre-rain Dragon Well tea, and its flavor was quite good.

“I made a bet with Li Ningyi, so you better shape up. Write a memorial immediately, asking to be sent to the border to make military achievements,” she said.

Yan Ziqi looked at her as if she were crazy. “General Tong has already won a victory, and he specifically sent the battle report back.”

If he went now, it would look like he was stealing credit.

Yan Ziqi, after all, had studied the classics for several years. The Iron Cavalry Army used to be under his family’s name, but now it served General Tong. If he went at this time, it would seem like he had ulterior motives.

“I might be a fool, but I’m not stupid. You want the world to curse me as a glory-stealing villain!” Yan Ziqi was adamant about not going.

He lowered his gaze, his expression one of complete indifference, as if no matter what she said, he wouldn’t be moved.

However, his grip on the teacup tightened for a moment before quickly returning to normal.

“Stealing glory? I’m your most beloved concubine! Someone made a bet about you and me. If you don’t go, we’ll both lose face,” Li Ning’an said.

Li Ningyi had bet with her, too.

Just because the emperor refused didn’t mean the bet didn’t count.

Li Ning’an began to act unreasonably, “I don’t care. If you don’t write it, I’ll knock you out and send you to the border myself.”

This was something Li Ning’an was entirely capable of doing.

Under her threat, Yan Ziqi wrote the memorial.

By the next morning, the memorial had already reached the emperor’s desk. When Emperor Mingde read it, he was both amused and exasperated.

The memorial read:

“Your Majesty, your daughter is stubbornly insisting that I go to the border. If I refuse, she says she will knock me out and throw me there herself. You should either tie her up in the palace and gag her, or give me some menial position like a cook, so I can at least give her an explanation. But I can’t guarantee I won’t blow up the kitchen—I don’t know how to cook.”

After reading it, Emperor Mingde chuckled at the childish antics but also realized that Ning’an needed to be reined in.

“Summon Princess Ning’an,” he ordered.

Yan Su, noticing the sky just beginning to lighten, feared that Princess Ning’an was still asleep. Having watched the princess grow up and understanding the emperor’s indulgent attitude toward her, he cautiously suggested:

“Your servant believes Princess Ning’an might not be awake yet.”

Emperor Mingde lightly set the memorial down, but to Yan Su, it felt like a heavy blow.

“I’ve already finished morning court, and she’s still lazing around,” the emperor said.

Emperor Mingde was diligent. After returning from a court session with no urgent matters, he had been reviewing memorials ever since. It just so happened that Yan Ziqi’s was the thirteenth one he reviewed. Li Ning’an, of course, had no idea her memorial had reached her father so quickly.

While she was fast asleep in her bedchamber, her maid Xing’e panicked and rushed to wake her up.

“Princess, if you don’t wake up, my head will roll!”

Eunuch Yan himself had come to summon her to the Qian Kun Palace, which meant the princess must have caused some serious trouble.

Xing’e called out several times, but the princess remained dead asleep, leaving her no choice but to physically push her awake.

Li Ning’an groggily washed her face and changed her clothes, heading for the Qian Kun Palace.

As she walked, she gradually came to her senses.

The news that Princess Ning’an had been summoned to Qian Kun Palace early in the morning spread like wildfire, reaching the ears of every palace in no time.

Everyone thought she must have committed some offense to be summoned so early in the morning.

She stayed for more than half an hour—something that had never happened before.

However, when Li Ning’an arrived at Qian Kun Palace, instead of acting like she was there to receive a scolding, she behaved like a sycophant, grinding ink for her father.

Originally, Emperor Mingde saw her acting obediently and wasn’t planning on pursuing the matter further. He thought it was fine to give her some small official positions in the capital—no big deal.

But the border battlefield was a place where heads could be lost, where one could end up dismembered. It wasn’t something to joke about.

Before long, Li Ning’an said her hands were sore, stopped grinding ink, sat in a chair, and even started rubbing her stomach.

“Eunuch Yan, I came so early to pay my respects, but I haven’t eaten yet. Could you get me some pastries and fruit tea?” she requested.

Yes, she was here to pay respects, not to listen to a reprimand from her father.

Since the emperor didn’t object, Eunuch Yan took it as approval.

“I’ll prepare it right away, Your Highness.”

In no time, the pastries and tea Li Ning’an liked were brought in.

While Emperor Mingde continued reviewing memorials, she nibbled and drank slowly.

Occasionally, the emperor glanced at her and scolded her lightly.

“The heavy responsibilities at the border are beyond Yan Ziqi’s abilities and are not something you can make jokes about.”

“In the future, don’t cause trouble over such matters. When I saw his memorial, I thought something serious had happened.”

Li Ning’an merely responded with casual hums, not taking it to heart at all.

The emperor continued, “If you really want to get him a minor official position, there’s no need to make a public spectacle of it.”

“The court is complicated. For minor positions, don’t I have the final say?”

“After all, you’re still a child, your thinking isn’t thorough.”

The first few sentences were a reprimand, but the latter ones were more like gentle advice, reminding her to be more cautious.

If you give others a handle to criticize you, even I, as your father, will be in a difficult position.

Li Ning’an’s eyes brightened instantly. She ingratiatingly picked up a fresh pastry and offered it to him.

“Father, you’re right. I understand now.”

“Eunuch Yan, Father hasn’t had breakfast yet, has he? Go quickly and prepare breakfast for him.”

Li Ning’an snatched the memorial from her father’s hands and set it aside, pulling him up. “I’ll stay and have breakfast with you before I leave.”

When Li Ning’an left Qian Kun Palace, Li Ningyi “coincidentally” passed by.

They met in the corridor, and Li Ningyi spoke first:

“Well, well, it’s like the sun’s rising in the west. How is it I’m seeing Third Sister at this hour?”

“Ah, I thought I was going to get scolded, but instead, I left with a full belly. Father’s meals are always the best,” Li Ning’an teased, rubbing her stomach to show how well-fed she was.

Li Ningyi had never enjoyed the privilege of dining alone with their father.

Li Ningyi felt a surge of anger but managed to suppress it.

“Don’t forget our bet. Yan Shizi can’t even go to the border. How will he ever achieve military merit?” Li Ningyi sneered.

Li Ning’an nodded, entirely unbothered by her sarcastic remarks.

Without wasting more time on her younger sister, she returned to her chambers.

Although their father appeared full of vitality, the poison had already spread through his body.

Why couldn’t she have been reborn before her father was poisoned?

Now, she couldn’t find the culprit, nor did she know what the antidote was.

At that time, the imperial physicians were helpless, and her mother had sent out royal decrees far and wide, seeking skilled doctors.

In the end, it was a barefoot doctor from the common folk who proposed a ruthless solution that barely saved her father’s life.

In her previous life, she had been trapped by Fu Minglang and never learned whether her father died from a lack of an antidote or if he had been killed by Fu Minglang.

The priority now was to find that doctor as soon as possible.

But unfortunately, he had no fixed abode, making him difficult to locate.

She needed capable people around her, especially with the inn needing to open soon. She had to set up an intelligence network and gather secret guards.

Most importantly, she had to give Yan Ziqi a good beating.

He had the nerve to change the content of the memorial and even complained to her father.

Just then, Hongxiu returned from outside and handed her an invitation.

“Princess, the Duchess of Dingguo has sent an invitation, inviting you to attend a flower viewing at her residence in three days.”

Oh no!

How could she have forgotten about this event?