Reborn Daughter: The Young Lady Wants to Make a Trouble

The Emperor looked down at the Crown Princess. She met all his expectations, but more importantly, he wanted to see what she could offer.

"You've been standing for a while, why don't you sit down?" It sounded like a suggestion, but it sounded more like an order.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Li Xueyue said enthusiastically.

Her eyes fell on the empty seat next to Yu Zhen. Only then did she realize that the eldest prince and the other princesses were not there.

Despite this, Li Xueyue climbed the Golden Stairs. There were guards stationed at the first step, and another group of guards could be seen at the top of the stairs leading to the platform.

The emperor's throne was in the center of the platform, and the others sat on both sides of the throne, with the distance between the seats being about an arm's length.

"This way." Yu Zhen reached out his hand to her as he approached.

There was silence in the courtroom, but the couple didn't notice.

"Thank you," she responded enthusiastically.

Li Xueyue smiled and slid her hand onto his open palm. She sat down with his help. Feeling the pressure from the crowd, she turned her attention to the ministers who were staring at her and Yu Zhen in silence with stunned faces.

What happened?

She blinked, and for a moment, they looked either at the ceiling or at the floor. When she turned around, she saw Yu Zhen glaring at the ministers fiercely. If looks could kill, then they would be dead.

"Ignore them." Yu Zhen said in a deep voice. Curiosity flashed in her eyes, and he smiled.

Li Xueyue thought there was no problem. She nodded silently, completely unaware that the royal family's eyes were fixed on them.

The emperor had never seen his son show such emotion. This brooding man rarely smiled, unless it was with evil intentions. His eyes were always fierce and dark.

But when the prince looked at the princess, his eyes softened and his face was full of admiration.

"Hmm..." the emperor hummed.

Even for the emperor, it was a surprising turn of events. He continued to observe the two. His eyes turned to his wife, who was equally surprised by her son's gentleness. Until now, Yu Zhen had not let go of the princess's hand.

"How interesting," the Emperor murmured before sitting on the throne.

It was going to be a long day and he needed to relax. After all, this would be one of his last moments on the throne.

The emperor turned his chin towards a man of similar age standing beside him. Wu Xiang had grown up with the emperor, like their child.

"Let the appointments begin," he told Principal Wu.

Principal Wu lowered his head, even though they had known each other for many years.

In a calm but firm voice he said, "As you wish, Your Majesty."

Prime Minister Wu turned sharply toward the eunuch who had announced the opening of the court session.

This was Li Xueyue’s first experience in a formal palace environment. As she observed how the emperor governed the court, she couldn’t help but compare him to the late Emperor Fadong. Things were different here. The workload wasn’t pushed onto the prime minister.

"Is that so?" the emperor asked after hearing the question. He paused, rubbing his long beard.

She watched in awe as the Emperor listened thoughtfully to the troubles that were presented to him. He would spend several minutes thinking carefully about the problem and coming up with a solution to it. He would smile when necessary and frown when necessary.

There was another thing Li Xueyue noticed. Sometimes, before the emperor had figured out a solution, Yu Zhen had already written a written solution and presented it to his father. He was much faster than his father and his work efficiency was also very high.

When the emperor had reservations about certain issues, Yu Zhen would step in and offer his own insights. Whenever the emperor struggled, Yu Zhen would help.

"I saw a different side of you today," Li Xueyue said when the day finally came to an end. Her shoulders ached from sitting in court all day.

"Did you?" Yu Zhen seemed to be thinking about something.

He reached out and gently stroked the back of her head. He frowned as his fingers brushed against her hairpin. He preferred her simple hairstyle.

"Is this heavy?" he asked, pointing at her hair, which was covered in various accessories, some of which cascaded down from her head.

Li Xueyue nodded slightly. Her accessories swayed with the small movement.

"Next time, Yangguang, I will let you wear something more comfortable." Yu Zhen said.

Li Xueyue thought it was funny that he looked so troubled by just a few hairpins. Nevertheless, she nodded in agreement.

"Is it fun?" a voice asked from behind them.

Yu Zhen suppressed the frown on his face. He wanted to take Li Xueyue away from here as soon as possible, but it seemed that he would be delayed by those damn elders.

He turned around and stood in front of Li Xueyue.

"I see that you have at last found something to protect," said the Emperor.

Yu Zhen felt his sleeve being gently pulled, and before he knew it, Li Xueyue took the initiative to walk out of his protective shadow.

Li Xueyue was surprised to find that the emperor's warm gaze fell on her. He looked like a serious man with wrinkles on his face, but his eyes revealed something different.

She wondered why there were so many rumors about his horrible treatment of the two princes.

"She is my princess. If I don't protect her, who else can I protect?" Yu Zhen said coldly, grabbing her wrist before she could curtsy.

Li Xueyue's heart sank. The rumors must be true. The emperor glanced at his son, and his eyes became stoic. Only then did she realize that the emperor must have doted on his daughter and disciplined his son.

"Your tone remains as disrespectful as ever," the Emperor hissed.

“I don’t want to wear a mask around you.”

The emperor pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. His second son had a point.

The emperor thought this was one of Yuzhen’s redeeming qualities. His son had never wavered for anyone. Never yielded. Never submitted. Not even Emperor Jian of Han.

The Emperor decided to ignore his son for the moment. He turned his attention to the Princess. He noticed how curious she had been the entire time.

Instead of staring off into space boredly, daydreaming about somewhere other than the throne room, she was attentive and observant.

"Little Princess, did the audience enjoy the show today?" asked the emperor.

"This is the first time I've seen it." Li Xueyue said. "This is thought-provoking, Your Majesty."

The Emperor raised his brows at her words. She could have given him a mild response and called it a day. But she didn't.

He was pleased. The little princess really knew how to turn things in her favor. After completing the blow, a hesitant smile curled up the corners of her lips and her eyes softened.

He was very curious about who trained her to be like this. Li Xueyue was the daughter of the prime minister and the princess.

The world must be her sandbox. It's strange. She's neither spoiled nor overbearing. This is in stark contrast to his daughters, who are loud and demanding.

"Really? Little Princess, what did you learn from this experience?" asked the Emperor.

"How to be a strict ruler."

For the first time, the Emperor saw her flaws. She forgot to address him by his proper name, but he ignored it. Especially because of the tiger that loomed near her.

The Crown Prince hovers over her, protective and possessive. Anyone who hurts his beloved will be hurt.

The emperor almost found it ridiculous. He had never seen his son like this before. This was a completely new experience for him.

"Your words sound like a mild compliment." The emperor deadpanned.

Ouch, ouch, his son glared at him. Despite his young age, the Crown Prince's presence was overwhelming. He could almost see the black wisps swirling around his son.

"This is not a compliment to Your Majesty." Li Xueyue murmured.

The emperor raised his eyebrows. She had finally shown her bold, daring side. He didn't want to be offended, but wanted to hear more - to see how wise she was.

She didn't continue, a calm smile on her lips. She blinked innocently. This softened the blow of her words and soothed any bad feelings the other person might have.

The emperor’s tired eyes widened a little. He had just seen another side of her. If the imperial palace had a harem, Li Xueyue would definitely rule.

She reminded him of a plant called belladonna—beautiful on the outside, but deadly on the inside.

"Now, I know why you became Princess Wuyi's favorite." The emperor laughed.

The ministers were frightened by the sound. Their emperor's laugh was warm and funny to hear. It was one of the rare moments when the ministers saw the emperor so happy about something. And most of them had worked beside the emperor for most of their lives.

Their eyes fell on the person who was talking. Everyone was surprised to find that it was the Crown Princess.

The ministers exchanged glances and began to whisper. The Crown Princess was not only favored by the Emperor, but also respected by the ministers.