On her sixteenth birthday, Li Qiqi stole porridge at the city gate and ended up stealing from the spoon of the Princess Consort of Prince Su.
The beggars filling the street all dropped to their knees, but the Princess Consort hugged her and called her "baby"!
On her first day at the manor, her three older brothers took turns "inspecting the goods":
The eldest brother felt her wrist for a pulse, his frown deepening. "Malnourished, with the cold sunk into your bones."
The second brother held a sword to her neck. "Tell me, who sent you?"
The third brother silently handed her a cup of warm milk. A note was tucked under the cup: "Drink it."
Everyone waited to see her get thrown out.
But that night, the Princess Consort dreamed of Qiqi standing in a sea of flames, crying out for her mother.
The next day, a silk shop on West Street mysteriously caught fire. As the shopkeeper's wife came rushing out, wailing, Qiqi stood across the street, chewing on candied hawthorn. Without even looking up, she said, "There's a secret passage behind the third pillar on the east side."
From then on, the Prince Su Manor had a little darling everyone had to pamper.
Those who tried to harm her ended up having their lives saved by her.
Those who looked down on her eventually knelt and begged, "Miss Qiqi, tell my fortune!"
Even the sickly Third Prince, who lived in the palace, had people carry a sedan chair over to fetch her. "Cousin, tell me honestly: how many years do I have left?"
Then came the day of the palace banquet, when an envoy from an enemy nation presented a jade seal as a taunt.
In the silence, Qiqi yawned and lightly tapped the table with her fingertip. "Don't worry. In three breaths, he'll kneel on his own."
Blood suddenly burst from behind the envoy's knees, and he landed on the floor with a solid thud.
The Emperor dropped his wine cup on the spot. "Whose girl is this?!"
All three brothers stood up at once. "Ours."
The Crown Prince added leisurely, twisting the knife: "Father, she's your niece."
