Chapter 32: To Survive in the Imperial Palace, You Must Wear a Mask!

No longer needing to marry into the Northern Wang Ting, freed from a tragic fate, Li Si’s mood was excellent.

Just back at the palace, she immediately headed to where Li Chen was.

At this moment, her heart was partly excited, mostly thrilled.

If any of the other princes became emperor, she might not have been so tense.

Those princes had always doted on her since childhood.

The Crown Prince, as the future heir to the dynasty, knew of this hobby of hers and ordered people to collect rare and precious books from all corners to satisfy her thirst for knowledge.

Moreover, the Crown Prince was deeply learned and often helped her understand confusing passages in the books.

Li Si had always admired this elder brother and believed he would surely become a wise emperor.

Because she could see the imperial dignity and wisdom in the Crown Prince.

The Second Prince was an exceptionally gifted cultivator; each time he returned from his sect, he brought Li Si a special gift—last time, he brought back a jade pendant saturated with rich spiritual energy.

Whenever Li Si wore it, she felt a warm current flowing from the pendant, slowly surging into her body.

Wherever this warmth passed, her meridians seemed gently nourished.

Li Si greatly admired her second brother for his immense power, capable of summoning wind and rain.

The Third Prince was commander of the dynasty’s border troops, having spent years fighting on the battlefield and earning glorious military achievements for the realm.

Each time he returned victorious, he always brought the Ninth Princess some spoils of war.

Last time, the Third Prince brought back a spiritual beast, a gray wolf, which she turned into a fat dog that panted heavily after walking a few steps.

This brother spoke little, but he always kept his promises to Li Si, earning her deep respect.

The other princes also showed her kindness, but it was all surface-deep.

Because Li Si was a princess, the Emperor had taught her since childhood to be well-mannered and cultured.

As a princess, she should love reading books, obey her elders, never make excessive demands, and always act according to her status.

When receiving care from her elder brother, she must strive to praise him; when receiving the Emperor’s favor, she must appear genuinely delighted.

Her mother had told her these things since childhood: to live in the palace, one must learn to disguise oneself.

Whether she liked something or not didn’t matter—what mattered was what others liked.

Everyone in the palace wore their own ‘masks’.

Everyone seemed warm, seemed close, but hearts were hidden behind chests.

This was precisely why Li Si disliked living in the palace.

Only before Li Chen could she shed her disguise and become the mischievous, adorable little sister.

Her thoughts instantly returned to over a decade ago, when she loved visiting Li Chen to play.

Because his room held many toys she had never seen before—her favorite was called ‘LEGO’, a name Li Chen taught her.

She thought it was magical, able to be assembled into whatever shape she desired.

Another thing that left a deep impression was ‘Transformers’—at the time, Li Si thought this toy was incredible, able to transform from a humanoid into a four-wheeled vehicle.

There were also some beautiful girls with multicolored hair—Li Chen told her they were called ‘hand-figures’ and forbade her from touching them; she was heartbroken then!

Li Chen also taught her to play with spinning tops and yo-yos.

Whenever she had free time, she loved running to Li Chen’s room to play with these toys.

But as she grew older, the Emperor told her to reduce contact with Li Chen.

Perhaps in the Emperor’s eyes, she should associate more with her other brothers, who were truly outstanding.

Spending too much time with Li Chen would turn her into a mediocre person obsessed with playthings.

The young Li Si knew she couldn’t live the life she wanted.

So Li Si resumed her princess persona, burying her affection for Li Chen, along with her innocence and mischief, deep within her heart—and their visits grew fewer.

But today was different—only her favorite brother remained in the palace.

Perhaps outside the palace, Li Si still put on a facade.

But since entering the palace, she bounced as she walked.

Because Li Chen was emperor—he would never demand she act like a princess.

For the first time, she felt the breath of freedom in the palace.

No longer the gloomy, rigid imperial court.

So Li Si was thrilled, because she was about to meet this brother.

“Hehe, Brother Li Chen hid himself so well—he’s on the same level as the Master!”

Li Si believed Li Chen had refused the Northern Wang Ting’s marriage proposal, even openly provoking them, solely because he cared for her as his little sister!

!

Passing palace maids could even see stars of admiration shining in her eyes.

At this moment, a young girl dressed in lavish palace attire glided lightly through the corridors, her face lit with curious and mischievous smiles.

She walked with ease to the door of the Imperial Study, but just as she was about to push it open, a slender figure caught her eye.

The figure stood quietly beneath the window of the Imperial Study, slightly turned aside, her bright eyes peering curiously through the lattice.

Her posture was graceful, like willow branches swaying in spring wind, drawing repeated glances.

A wave of curiosity surged in Li Si; she crept closer softly, as if afraid of disturbing the quiet.

When her fingers lightly touched the slender figure’s shoulder, the other woman clearly startled.

The beautiful girl spun around instantly, her large, watery eyes widening in shock, eyelashes trembling like a frightened fawn.

Her hands instinctively clasped her chest, her slightly parted red lips revealing surprise and shyness.

Her expression was both adorable and captivating, stirring an instinctive urge to protect her.

Seeing this, Li Si couldn’t help but burst into laughter—she found the girl’s reaction utterly adorable.

She carefully studied the beautiful girl before her and realized the girl was just as stunningly beautiful as herself.

This was the first meeting of the Twin Beauties of the Imperial Capital; from their gazes, it was clear both were awed by the other’s beauty.

“Huh? Are you Brother’s concubine?” Li Si asked curiously, her tone playful and probing.

Upon hearing this, the girl’s cheeks flushed crimson; she waved her hands frantically, quickly explaining: “No, no, no, I’m not.”

Sensing that sounded odd, she amended: “I’m not yet.”

Her voice was clear and melodious, tinged with both seriousness and cuteness.

Hearing this, Li Si found it even funnier—she had never met such a cute yet strict girl in all her life.

As a princess, she was never as restrained as Chu Ruoyan in the palace.

She blinked her eyes, secretly planning: as a good little sister, she must help her brother vet this future concubine—see just how worthy she was.

If she turned out to be unsuitable, she’d have to tell her brother plainly—not let some wicked witch corrupt him.

Just as Li Si was about to speak, Chu Ruoyan made a ‘shhh’ gesture, then pointed toward the Imperial Study.

Li Si leaned in curiously, their two exquisite faces drawing close—Chu Ruoyan’s cheeks flushed even redder, and she felt a faint dizziness.

As soon as she reached the window, Li Si heard loud cursing coming from inside.

(End of Chapter)