Her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white, Li Huaiyu looked down at the man beneath her and instinctively reached out, placing her hand on his throat. With her fingers slightly spread, she could easily crush him if she tightened her grip!
However, the guard beside her reacted faster than she anticipated, drawing his blade and pressing it against her throat, shouting, “What are you doing?!”
Startled, Li Huaiyu froze for a moment.
The man beneath her, with his dark eyes, gazed at her calmly, showing no intention of resisting. It wasn’t that he couldn’t resist; rather, in her current state, she posed no real threat.
Her hand was already on his neck, a dangerously provocative gesture. The guard’s expression darkened, clearly ready to slice her throat if she made another move!
This was not a good situation.
Thinking quickly, Li Huaiyu softened her expression, transforming her sharp claws into delicate little hands. She traced her fingers down his neck to his chest, blinking innocently as she said, “This young master is truly handsome!”
“…”
Jiang Xuanjin’s previously calm demeanor cracked at her shameless touch.
His brows furrowed, and a hint of anger flickered in his eyes. He pushed himself up, unceremoniously tossing her off him.
“Ah!” Li Huaiyu fell to the ground, rolling twice and nearly crashing into the wall behind her.
“Young master is so fierce!” she exclaimed, feigning injury as she got up. “How can you be so rude to a delicate young lady?”
With such shamelessness, she called herself a delicate young lady. Jiang Xuanjin shook his head, brushing the paper money off his robes with a frown as he stared at her.
Li Huaiyu forced a smile in return, but the turmoil in her heart was hard to quell. To wake up and find herself face-to-face with the man who had killed her was quite a twist of fate. Unfortunately, she had no opportunity for revenge at the moment.
Impulsiveness was for fools; cleverness was the better strategy. Since she had no chance today, she would let him go, for there would be other days. Li Huaiyu thought it through, dusting off her skirt and saying, “If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t let it go so easily, but seeing how charming you are, I’ll let it slide.”
With that, she waved her hand at him. “Until we meet again!”
It was clear she had fallen from the sky onto him, yet her words made it sound as if she were forgiving him for his wrongs. Jiang Xuanjin was left bewildered, even pondering what he had done wrong.
Before he could conclude, Li Huaiyu dashed away with a swift “whoosh.”
“Stop!” he frowned.
Of course, Li Huaiyu wouldn’t stop. Not only did she not stop, but she also ran faster, quickly merging into the crowd gathered along the official road.
She had come to see her coffin; she had no energy to waste on a foe she couldn’t kill!
The funeral procession had emerged from the palace, and the streets were lined with curious onlookers. As Li Huaiyu pushed her way to the front, the cart carrying her coffin passed by just in time.
The tall cart made of pear wood was drawn by eight horses, and atop it lay a nanmu coffin that glimmered with a dark sheen. White silk flowers were tied around the coffin, fluttering in the breeze, while white mourning lanterns swayed on either side, displaying the large characters—
**Danyang.**
This was no dream, nor was anyone playing a trick on her. Princess Danyang was truly being buried, and here she was, inexplicably alive in another person’s body, watching her funeral unfold before her eyes.
“Boom—” The funeral bell sounded, and a handful of paper money was tossed high into the air, scattering down like confetti.
The surrounding crowd felt it was bad luck, spitting and brushing the paper money away, but Li Huaiyu stood still, allowing a piece of paper to settle over her brow. Amidst the noise, she suddenly heard the voice of Emperor Huai Song:
“Your Highness, you didn’t kill Prime Minister Sima, did you? I know you couldn’t have!”
“Whether I did or didn’t, what difference does it make?”
“Justice will prevail; there will always be right and wrong. If it was you, I won’t spare you; if it wasn’t you, I will protect you!”
Protect her? Li Huaiyu snapped back to reality, letting out a low laugh.
The affairs of the court were never as simple as Huai Song thought. Look at her; she believed him once and ended up framed to death. What a painful lesson!
But she wondered, after her death, had Huai Song truly understood? Could he continue to uphold the Li family’s legacy?
Lost in thought, she noticed the crowd around her whispering:
“Look at this spectacle; it’s even grander than Prime Minister Sima’s funeral.”
“Pah! What’s the use of a grand spectacle? When Prime Minister Sima died, the people knelt in mourning. Look at this princess; everyone is just munching seeds and watching the show!”
“What a waste of that fine golden nanmu wood, buried with this filthy creature!”
“May Prime Minister Sima’s spirit rest in peace; the one who caused his death has finally received retribution!”
Listening to the insults around her, Li Huaiyu wiped her face with the paper money, pretending to be angry as she shouted, “Yes, retribution!”
The nearby crowd glanced at her, nodding in approval. “This young lady seems to be a person of justice.”
“She must have been persecuted by Princess Danyang as well.”
“Exactly!” Li Huaiyu nodded emphatically. “She took away my freedom and ruined my reputation, exhausting me for eight years. Truly despicable!”
So tragic? The crowd looked at her with newfound sympathy.
Li Huaiyu felt a bit of sympathy for herself as well.
Eight years of a ridiculous dream, earning a reputation of betrayal in death. But while a good name may last a hundred generations, a bad one can linger for thousands of years. Thinking this way, ha! She didn’t lose out!
With a grin, Li Huaiyu watched the coffin pass before her, unable to resist waving at it.
Thank you for your hard work, Danyang.
The mourning lanterns swayed in the wind, the characters for Danyang flickering back and forth as if waving goodbye to her.
Li Huaiyu’s eyes turned red, and she turned to leave.
However, just then, a commotion erupted in the distance, and screams rang out like thunder—“Get out of the way! Move aside!”
Several large bundles of straw were ignited, rolling down from the eaves of a nearby building, turning into flaming fireballs that rushed toward the center of the funeral procession, heading straight for the coffin.
“Fire!”
Screams erupted, and the crowd on both sides of the road scrambled to avoid the flames. The fireballs rolled along, igniting the paper money scattered on the ground, and the flames spread rapidly.
The funeral guards panicked; many drew their swords, while the spirit guardians in the middle grasped their scabbards to block the fireballs. However, surrounded by paper money, the flames surged uncontrollably, and they could only watch helplessly as the white silk on the coffin caught fire.
“Put out the fire! Quickly!”
The once orderly funeral procession descended into chaos. Li Huaiyu stood by, stunned, and once she understood what was happening, she couldn’t help but laugh.
How unpopular was she? Even her funeral couldn’t be peaceful. Wasn’t it said that the dead should be honored? Did these people even care about that rule?
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
As if to confirm her thoughts, a large group of masked individuals suddenly emerged from behind the burning eaves, each wielding a knife, moving swiftly like locusts descending upon her coffin.
“Protect the spirit!” the Tiger Ben General shouted, and in an instant, all the martial officers on the official road drew their weapons to confront the unexpected guests.
However, they were caught off guard and could not withstand the attackers’ preparations. The masked group split into three teams, with two teams flanking the coffin, engaging the guards in battle, while the middle team, armed with shovels, charged directly at the cart made of pear wood, swiftly prying open her coffin.
Crack!
Li Huaiyu heard the dull sound and looked at the nearly frenzied masked individuals before her. She wanted to laugh but couldn’t pull her lips into a smile.
Indeed, she had offended so many people while alive; how could they let her rest in peace? They would surely drag her body out and tear it apart!
It was truly tragic; as a princess, she had hardly heard a kind word in life, and now even in death, she found no peace. Even the Tiger Ben General, who was supposed to escort her, likely hoped for her miserable end. He didn’t even try to stop them, merely watching as her coffin lid was slowly lifted by the group.
Watching the coffin lid rise high, Li Huaiyu felt a tightness in her throat. Her gaze swept over the expressionless guards, her fists clenched tightly, then helplessly relaxed.
Well, she had brought this upon herself. The world believed she deserved this fate, so she would accept it. What was there to be dissatisfied about?
Taking a deep breath, she turned away, unable to watch any longer.
However, as she turned, a figure in a turquoise robe swept past her. The hem of the robe fluttered in the wind, the embroidered water patterns rippling as if alive, dazzling her eyes.
Li Huaiyu froze, following the shadow with her gaze.
The agitated masked person was about to throw her coffin lid into the street when suddenly, they felt a weight in their hand. A powerful force surged, and before they could react, they lost their grip.
With a loud “thud,” the coffin lid fell heavily back into place, sending up a cloud of incense ash.
Everyone was stunned, looking up in disbelief, only to see a figure land atop the coffin, their turquoise robe billowing, exuding an air of elegance, resembling a graceful nobleman. Yet this nobleman had an imposing presence, firmly standing on the coffin lid, making it feel as heavy as a mountain, impossible to pry open.
He casually brushed aside the burning paper money, standing tall with his sleeves gathered, his gaze sharp as he commanded, “Enough of this nonsense!”