Killer Queen + 18

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As Xiao Li glanced up at the high platform, she spotted a group of men approaching. Among them were Prince Wu—Huangfu Haobo—the Fifth Prince, the Seventh Prince, and several other royals. Looked like most of the princes had shown up.

But that wasn't the shocking part. After all, they were all brothers, sons of the emperor.

No—the real shock was seeing another figure among them. A man whose face she could recognize even if he were skinned alive and turned to ash. And now, here he was, casually walking among the imperial sons.

What was even more outrageous? That man was sitting to the right of the Crown Prince, in the very first seat. On the left sat Prince Wu, Huangfu Haobo.

What the hell was going on here?!

"Look, sis! Prince Wu and all our cousins are here too!" Yuwen Ruocai flailed excitedly when she saw the sudden influx of nobles on stage.

Yuwen Ruoxue, meanwhile, quietly looped around her sister and shot a glance at Xiao Li. What she saw made her pause—Xiao Li had a deep frown etched across her face, like she was seeing something she really didn't want to see.

Maybe I'm overthinking it? Ruoxue thought to herself. Xiao Li didn't look lovestruck at all—in fact, her expression even seemed a little... cold.

Cold?

The thought caught Ruoxue off guard. But when she looked again, she realized her gut was probably right.

Feeling the odd gaze on her, Xiao Li pulled herself out of her thoughts and slowly turned her head. Yuwen Ruoxue smiled at her. "A-Xiao, looks like you finally have a chance to meet all the princes of the Ling Empire in one place, huh?"

"They're all princes of the realm?" Xiao Li asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. "Even the one sitting to the right of the Crown Prince?"

Before Ruoxue could answer, Ruocai chimed in, cheeks flushed with excitement. "Of course! That guy in white—he's so handsome, right? That's His Highness the Fourth Prince! Isn't Haotian-ge just dreamy?"

Haotian-ge?!

Xiao Li quickly turned her head, afraid she wouldn't be able to control her expression and scare the sisters.

Wait—did she just call him Haotian-ge?!

How could this be possible?

That worthless, disgusting bastard—the one who'd left her broken and humiliated—he was the Fourth Prince?

Huangfu Haotian, huh?

Ha. Ha!

No wonder he always acted like some holier-than-thou deity, like everything he gave her was some kind of favor from above. So that's where all that arrogance came from?

Unbelievable. Just perfect.

This was one of those "searched high and low only to find it with no effort" moments, wasn't it?

She had been wondering where to even begin looking for him, and now—bam! He shows up in public with his true identity on full display.

They say revenge is a dish best served cold... well, she finally had a target. And she wasn't about to believe she'd never get her chance to settle the score.

Twang——

A clear, melodic note from a zither rang out, making Ruocai bounce up again in excitement. "It's starting! A-Li, look! That's Miss Sai Jun, the top dancer in the capital!"

Well... today was supposed to be a happy occasion, after all. And she'd come with the Yuwen sisters to enjoy the lantern festival. Might as well set those bitter thoughts aside for now and just have some fun.

Xiao Li wasn't like most people—her years of training had drilled into her the ability to regulate emotions fast. She knew better than anyone how feelings could affect decision-making. And if she couldn't control her emotions in a heartbeat, she wouldn't have lasted a day in her old profession.

So she took a deep breath, pulled herself together, and looked where Ruocai was pointing—

Wow. Gorgeous.

A massive lotus-shaped lantern had appeared on the platform, and inside it, a woman in a crimson dress was gracefully dancing to the zither music.

"Sai Jun!"

"Look, it's Sai Jun from Liufang Pavilion!"

In a blink, the crowd was roaring. A bunch of young men even lost their minds and started rushing toward the stage.

Bang! Someone bumped hard into Xiao Li, making her stumble and lose her grip on Ruocai's hand.

"A-Cai—!"

"A-Li—!"

And just like that, both their voices were swallowed by the surging crowd.

Crap. They were definitely separated now.

Thankfully, Xiao Li still had one hand tightly clutching Qin Jian. But even Qin Jian was getting shoved around like crazy by the people around them.

"Hey! What's wrong with you people? Can't you just watch the dance without going nuts?!" Qin Jian shouted, clearly annoyed.

"What do you know?! You think just anyone can dance like her? That's Sai Jun! Sai Jun! I'm gonna go dance with her—just like the 'Butterfly Lovers'!"

Xiao Li was speechless. Damn. Hardcore fans are the same in every era, huh?

By the time she and Qin Jian finally squeezed out of the crowd, Xiao Li's whole body ached.

"I swear, fans these days are terrifying," she said, rubbing her sore legs and giving Qin Jian a bitter smile. "Next time we see a mob like that, we stay far away."

But Qin Jian just pouted, clearly unhappy. "Miss, we finally came out to have fun and this is how it ends? Everyone's rushing forward and you're squeezing out. Not only are we sore all over, but now we missed the whole performance by the most beautiful dancer in the capital!"

"Pfft." Xiao Li laughed. "You silly girl. You just wanna watch someone dance? Want me to do a little dance for you instead?"

She'd just been joking, but to her surprise, Qin Jian took it seriously. "You mean it?"

Xiao Li froze. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, suddenly suspicious—only to meet Qin Jian's eyes, gleaming with excitement.

"Miss... honestly, the last time you danced that 'Falling Blossoms in Snow' piece at the Prime Minister's estate, I loved it. Can you do it again later? Just for me?"

"Stop it!" Xiao Li cried. What the hell? She was the young lady of the house, not some performer meant to entertain her maid!

Where was the logic in that?

"Miss~~" Qin Jian pouted again. "I knew you were teasing me!"

Clearly, Qin Jian hadn't wasted all her years following Xiao Li. She'd gotten pretty good at reading people.

Xiao Li sighed in defeat. But Qin Jian wasn't done.

She stomped her foot. "Fine! You're always bullying me! Hmph! Well, I'm not letting this go! The master and madam already said we had to stay with you till the lantern festival ends, so we're going back in! I need to see Sai Jun dance!"

Xiao Li looked up at the wall of people, then down at her aching legs and sore shoulders. Her heart sank. "You want to go back in there? Are you nuts?! It's worse than rush hour at Shanghai's subway!"

But that stubborn Qin Jian just wouldn't quit. "I don't care—we still have to find the Yuwen sisters, right?"

"I'm not going."

"Fine, but what about Brother Wang and the others? They're still inside too! You gonna leave them behind?"

Seriously, this girl had too many reasons.

"Let's go! Just suck it up one more time—we need to find everyone first!" she said, grabbing Xiao Li's hand and dragging her toward the crowd again.

"Move aside! Make way!"

Just as they reached the edge, they heard an authoritative voice shout from inside: "His Highness the Crown Prince is feeling unwell and needs to return to the palace. Anyone who dares block the way—beware this whip!"

Xiao Li yanked Qin Jian back. "Stop! Didn't you hear that? Someone's coming out! Don't be dumb and rush in or you'll get yourself whipped!"

Qin Jian stuck out her tongue and ducked her head. "Okay, okay, I'm back."

They stood just outside the crowd and, moments later, saw a group of people forcefully making their way out.

At the front was a burly general with a golden whip, clearing the path. Behind him, seven or eight armored guards lined the sides. And in the center, two strong bodyguards were carrying a shoulder-carriage.

Reclining weakly inside the palanquin—

"The Crown Prince?" Qin Jian nearly shouted, if not for Xiao Li quickly signaling her to hush. She leaned in and whispered, "Miss, what's going on? Didn't the emperor say the Crown Prince was in charge of tonight's festival?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down unless you want trouble," Xiao Li scolded, smacking her on the head. "Do you even realize who you're surrounded by? Watch your mouth!"

Cough, cough… cough…

A fit of coughing from the palanquin made Xiao Li frown unconsciously.

So the Crown Prince really was that sick…

But if he was already coughing like this, on the verge of collapse… could he really be the kind of man Ruocai described? The kind who would give up an empire for love?

Loyal to his kingdom… and even more loyal to his love.

What kind of man was he?

With those thoughts swirling in her mind, Xiao Li couldn't help but glance up toward the palanquin.

"Brother! Are you okay? Just hold on, alright? I'll take you to Dr. Mo as soon as I can. Just wait a little longer. Once we find him, you'll feel better—I promise. You have to hang in there!"

Xiao Li froze mid-glance.

Him!

He was here too?! He was with the Crown Prince this whole time?!

"....."