Pulling Li Su behind her, Qiao Ci kicked one of the black-clad men flying, snatched his sword, and with a sweep, slit the throats of the other two!
Seeing how strong the Crown Princess was, the remaining black-clad man tried to bite his tongue to commit suicide, but Qiao Ci knocked him unconscious with the pommel of his sword.
With the danger eliminated, Li Su quickly found a rope and bound him securely, stuffing a piece of cloth in his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue.
The incident soon alerted the Emperor, who dispatched the Imperial Guards to surround the Eastern Palace.
The only surviving black-clad man was handed over to the Emperor by Qiao Ci, who believed the Emperor would find a way to make him reveal the mastermind, including who had facilitated the assassins' entry. Everything would then be brought to light.
When an emperor's rage is unleashed, a thousand miles of corpses can follow.
The Emperor's efficiency in investigating a case was undeniable, especially with the little spoon secretly providing clues.
Soon, the mastermind behind the black-clad men was revealed to be the Fourth Prince, Li Feng, along with Ao Xiang, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards who had granted the assassins easy access.
Furthermore, the Fourth Prince directly implicated Li Churian. Ao Xiang, Li Churian's confidant, also could not withstand the torture, and the person who instructed him was also Li Churian.
The moment she learned of the plan's failure, Li Churian collapsed to the ground, glaring venomously at Zhao Shimei. "Qiao Ci has such profound martial arts; why didn't you tell me! Are you all in on this together, setting a trap for me? Zhao Shimei, I treated you well, and yet you betray me!"
The plan was considered foolproof; Qiao Ci and Li Su were destined to die under the siege of ten assassins.
Unexpectedly, Qiao Ci was so formidable that she killed nine assassins with her bare hands and captured one alive.
Zhao Shimei was more panicked than Li Churian. A terrifying thought crossed his mind: he was wrong! Terribly wrong! The variable wasn't Li Su; the variable was Qiao Ci!!!
In her previous life, Qiao Ci, accustomed to a life of luxury, was utterly incapable of fighting. How could she possess such formidable skills?
At this moment, Zhao Shimei's expression was filled with fear. If the soul in Qiao Ci's body wasn't the original princess, then who was it?
Seeing his bewildered state, Li Churian couldn't resist stepping forward and slapping him. "I'm talking to you, are you deaf?"
The slap jolted Zhao Shimei awake, his expression instantly turning grim. He raised his hand and slapped Li Churian back. "Does hitting me solve anything? You always bragged about yourself, but what kind of assassins did you send? They couldn't even kill a mere Li Su!"
At this moment, he vented all his anger and fear onto Li Churian. If it weren't for her and her brother's appearance, the Qiao Ci with such high martial arts would have been his wife.
Yes, the moment he suspected that the person in that body might be a different, unknown soul, Zhao Shimei no longer felt afraid.
Because he was also special; he possessed memories from two lives. He and she were a match made in heaven.
"Zhao Shimei, do you want to die?" Li Churian, covering her face, stared at Zhao Shimei in disbelief.
"Whether I live or die is no longer for you to decide. Now that the plot is exposed, the Fourth Prince has been demoted to commoner status. And you, the mastermind, where do you think you'll end up? I am most familiar with the laws of Fengming Kingdom; women participating in politics have very serious consequences."
"I am Father Emperor's most beloved daughter; Father Emperor would not bear to punish me," Li Churian feigned composure.
Zhao Shimei looked at Li Churian and suddenly found it hilarious.
In his previous life, to become his concubine, she had made Fengming Kingdom cede cities to Tenglong Kingdom. However, all of that was just a smokescreen.
It was to dispel Tenglong Kingdom's vigilance and to make Tenglong Kingdom believe that Li Churian valued Fengming Kingdom, facilitating her gathering of internal information about Tenglong.
Finally, with his and Fengming Kingdom's Fourth Prince – oh no, at that time he was already Fengming Kingdom's new Emperor – working in collusion, Tenglong Kingdom was destroyed and annexed by Fengming.
Because of his outstanding merits, he was enfeoffed as a king of a different surname, enjoying immense prestige.
He had not expected the Fourth Prince in this life to be so incompetent, being removed from power so quickly.
Li Churian had been a fool from beginning to end. Her superficial glory was merely a fabricated illusion created by her numerous admirers.
Before the two could argue further, they were arrested by the Emperor's men and thrown into prison.
Due to the large number of people implicated, and all clues pointing back to Li Churian, the Emperor showed her no leniency. Like the Second Prince, she was demoted to commoner status and banished to the frontier, never to return to the capital again!
When Li Churian heard the imperial decree, she was stunned.
She merely didn't want someone she disliked to become emperor, nor did she rebel. How could things have escalated to this point?
However, whether she was willing to accept the reality or not, it did not change the established outcome!
As Zhao Shimei was her husband, he shared the same guilt.
Before their departure, Zhao Shimei bribed a jailer and escaped. He managed to reach Qiao Ci. "Grand Princess, it's Shimei."
Li Su was also present, tightly gripping Qiao Ci's sleeve, as if afraid she might be lured away by Zhao Shimei. Qiao Ci merely glanced at Zhao Shimei and had someone escort him away.
Zhao Shimei became anxious and shouted, "Qiao Ci, I know your secret!"
Qiao Ci remained expressionless. "What secret do you think I have?"
"You are not the Grand Princess Qiao Ci of Tenglong Kingdom at all! You are a wandering ghost from who knows where!" Zhao Shimei decided to go all out, to perish together. "Qiao Ci was pampered since childhood and could not possibly have such profound martial arts. Li Su was beaten to death the day after you entered the Princess's mansion! You are not Qiao Ci!"
Xiao Shaozi, within the space, heard this and its chrysanthemum tightened. "Host, don't admit it! If you admit it, this world might collapse due to the psychological shifts of a few protagonists. Don't admit it!"
Qiao Ci rolled her eyes imperceptibly. "Xiao Shaozi, have you been reading too many novels? How can a world formed over billions of years collapse so easily? Even if the protagonists die, new protagonists will appear, let alone changes in the psychology of a few people."
"Ah?" Xiao Shaozi's tone was confused. "But the seniors all said so. To prevent the host from breaking character, this is how they were taught to speak."
Qiao Ci didn't reply to Xiao Shaozi. Instead, she said to Zhao Shimei, "But I am Qiao Ci. You can remember your past life, so why can't I?"
Ignoring his shocked and regretful expression, Qiao Ci calmly ordered, "Beat him up and send him back."
Li Su, on the side, looked at Qiao Ci with dawning suspicion. He suddenly recalled the two faces Qiao Ci had shown him when they first met. With teary eyes, he looked at Qiao Ci. "If in my past life my end was to be beaten to death, then in this life, are you here to save me?"