Chapter 200 -

Chapter 200: Chapter

As night fell, Yueqing woke up from the floor. Duchess Meiyun and the rest of the Xi family came by to check on Wenzhe, giving Yueqing a chance to step outside for some air.

With Nine and Lu Yue following close behind, a palace maid walked ahead to show her the restricted areas.

As they walked, the familiar sights hit Yueqing hard. The palace looked just the same, but colder and sadder. When they passed a stone path near a pond, she froze. Memories of her first mission rushed back. Someone had shoved her into this very water when she was unkempt and helpless. She had thrashed and choked, nearly drowning before someone pulled her out just in time.

That was only the first of four painful memories. She passed three more spots: a corridor where she was falsely accused, a courtyard where she was beaten, and a terrace where she was publicly humiliated, each time barely surviving through sheer luck and system grit.

Finally, the path led straight to a place that still gave her nightmares: the Cold Palace. It was the grim, rotting courtyard where she had spent the rest of her miserable life in her past timeline before dying alone.

Lu Yue frowned, staring at her mistress in confusion. Yueqing wasn’t even waiting for the maid to guide her anymore. She moved through the twisting palace grounds like she knew every single stone from the back of her hand.

Nine watched her from the side and let out a quiet sigh.

As she walked further along the path, Yueqing moved through the twisting palace grounds like she knew every stone by heart, leaving the maid behind. Lu Yue stared in confusion, while Nine let out a quiet sigh.

Suddenly, she spotted a group of people ahead: three princes in fancy robes and attire, along with two giggling ladies. She recognized one of them immediately... it was the Third Prince, Xiao Chen.

The other princes were ganging up to mock him cruelly.

"Ah, brother," one of the princes sneered with a fake smile, "if I’m not wrong, tomorrow is your mother’s birthday, is it not? Father doesn’t even care. He never even acts like she once existed."

Another prince laughed loudly, mocking him further. "Look at him. A prince born to a disgraced concubine, crawling around the palace like a stray dog. Even the servants whisper behind your back. Your mother died forgotten, and you will end up the exact same way, discarded and rotting in some forgotten corner!"

The two ladies beside them covered their mouths, giggling behind their silk fans as they chimed in. "It’s true. Why does he even bother showing his face?"

Xiao Chen’s face darkened with absolute fury. His fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white, and he lunged forward, raising his fist to smash it into the mocking prince’s face.

Yueqing was still furious with Xiao Chen for what he had done to Wenzhe, and she fully intended to turn around and walk away. But something inexplicable compelled her feet to move.

Before Xiao Chen’s fist could land, Yueqing rushed forward, stepping right into the middle of the chaos and grabbing his arm to stop him.

Xiao Chen froze, his eyes widening in shock as he looked down at her.

Yueqing turned her sharp, cold gaze toward the other mocking royals. She offered a brief, stiff bow of slight respect, but her voice cut through the air with icy authority.

"My greetings to Your Highnesses," Yueqing said coolly, her eyes flashing with disdain. "Even if opinions differ, speaking with such malice toward a fellow blood relative is unbefitting of royal dignity. Mocking someone’s family is not only rude, it is deeply unfair."

The surrounding princes stared at her in stunned silence, completely caught off guard by her sudden interference.

The other princes frowned deeply, their expressions souring as they stared at the unexpected intruder.

"Who does this woman think she is, sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong?" one of the princes spat, his face twisting in irritation as he looked Yueqing up and down.

Another prince squinted at her for a moment, his eyes widening slightly as recognition hit him. He leaned over and muttered, "Wait... I think she is Su Yueqing. The Grand Chancellor’s daughter."

Hearing those words, the other princes immediately snapped their mouths shut. The arrogant sneers vanished from their faces, replaced by sudden, uneasy tension.

They might have looked down on Xiao Chen, but they knew better than to cross Su Yueqing’s family. Her father, the Grand Chancellor, held immense power and influence in the imperial court. If they offended her and got on the Chancellor’s bad side, he could easily whisper in the Emperor’s ear and completely ruin their standing.

Realizing the danger, the princes swallowed their pride, keeping their mouths tightly closed and glaring away in silence.

Despite the fear of the Grand Chancellor, one of the arrogant princes still did not care. His pride was too bruised to let a mere woman lecture him. He sneered, stepping forward and aggressively shoving Yueqing back.

"Stay out of this, you meddlesome wench!" the prince shouted, his face contorted with rage. "I am of royal blood! Who do you think you are to lecture me in front of my peers?!"

The rough shove sent Yueqing stumbling backward off balance.

That single push was all Xiao Chen needed to completely snap. All his lingering hesitation vanished, replaced by a dark, murderous fury. Seeing hands laid on her made his vision red.

Before anyone could blink, Xiao Chen lunged forward with terrifying speed and slammed a devastating, bone-crushing punch straight into the prince’s face. The impact echoed across the courtyard as the prince crashed hard to the ground, spitting blood.

"Your highness!" the other royals shrieked in panic.

Across the courtyard, Lu Yue let out a terrified gasp and rushed forward, while Nine zipped through the air right beside Yueqing to check if she was hurt. But Xiao Chen was already on top of the fallen prince, raining down brutal, unholding punches with absolute rage for daring to touch her.