Run, Consort! The Princess Is Cursed by Fate

It was rumored that the Second Princess of Li was a spoiled wastrel, clueless about music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and song, but an expert at brawling and bullying the weak. It was rumored that the Second Princess of Li was a jinx. Her birth killed her mother, and in her youth she caused the death of a prince from another kingdom. They even said that once she grew up, she would surely bring about her husband’s death. She was well past the age of fifteen, but no one dared marry her, and she had no betrothal. She was perfectly happy enjoying her freedom, until a consort appeared out of nowhere. Worse, the emperor himself issued the decree arranging their marriage. Her prospective consort would rather die than comply, until the utterly unscrupulous princess kindly offered him a choice: “The noose is ready, and the poison is poured. Pick one.” Only later did she realize that he had merely been yielding to gain the upper hand, and that everything had gone according to his plan. The princess: “I thought I’d married a lamb, but it turns out he’s a bona fide wolf.” It was rumored that the consort was humble, mild-mannered, and courteous, too weak to lift a finger. Everyone groaned: “It’s all a lie. Every bit of it.” The princess: “I heard Minister Li was jumped on his way to court yesterday, beaten so badly he can’t get out of bed.” The consort: “That was me.” The princess: “I heard young Lord Lin fell into the lake while boating the day before yesterday and nearly drowned. Now he’s terrified of water.” The consort: “That was me.” The princess: “I heard…” The consort: “That was me.” The princess: “For heaven’s sake, if you’re going to do it, fine, but why give my name whenever you confess? You’re ruining my reputation. Could you at least keep a low profile?” The consort glanced at her. “Other people have reputations. You only have a name and a voice.” One day, the emperor summoned her in a fury. “I hear you’ve beaten several high-ranking officials over the past month. Why?” The princess: “I didn’t like the look of them, so I beat them. Why would I need a reason?”