A Calamity Star Reborn, Still a Calamity Star

Xiling Dynasty.

The sixteenth year of Yongqing, autumn.

A gentle breeze blew as dawn approached in the east.

Four princes knelt in a neat row outside the palace's Xuanzheng Hall. The atmosphere was oppressive and nerve-racking.

"Tap! Tap! Tap!"

At some point, a set of unusually clear, ringing footsteps sounded beyond the green stone steps of Xuanzheng Hall. The person was heard before they were seen, and the footsteps were exceptionally uninhibited and brazen in the solemn, revered palace.

Hearing them, the four princes kneeling with their heads bowed hardly needed to think to know who had arrived.

"Oh, what are my imperial brothers doing kneeling here? Is the floor outside Xuanzheng Hall not bright enough for you, so you're polishing it clean with your kneecaps?"

A cool, smiling voice rang out with an air of nobility, sounding both brazen and radiant.

The first prince at the head of the line felt a headache coming on. Father was still furious, so what had she come for? To pour oil on the fire?

He kept his head down and his eyes closed, playing dead without answering.

The fifth prince, kneeling at the very back, turned and looked up to glare at Di Qingyu, who had come to mock them.

"What's it to you?"

Di Qingyu wore an ornate dark-red palace dress. Though the weather was somewhat warm, she was still wrapped in a silver-white fur cloak, as if she were sensitive to the cold.

A smile bloomed on Di Qingyu's lustrous face. She walked without a hint of decorum, mischievous yet graceful and unhurried, and came to the four men's side before speaking languidly.

"Tsk, I came right away when I heard my imperial brothers had been punished. I didn't expect fifth brother to be so unappreciative."

The fifth prince couldn't help snapping back in indignation.

"What did you come for, to laugh at us?" His knees were nearly rubbed raw from kneeling.

The first prince's temple twitched. Those two traded barbs whenever they met. The second and fourth princes behind him hurriedly reached out from either side to cover the fifth prince's mouth, then offered apologetic smiles to Di Qingyu behind them.

The second prince said, "Fifth brother is joking, sixth sister. Don't mind him. We did wrong, so naturally we should be punished."

The fifth prince protested, "Mmph!" Why are you covering my mouth? Look at her gloating face—she's practically laughing out loud!

Di Qingyu folded her arms and tilted her head slightly.

"It seems you don't need my help. Oh well, I'll go back, then."

This time, the first prince finally raised his head.

The first words out of his mouth were, "What do you want?"

"Oh, eldest brother, there's no need to be so distant. But since you're offering, I can't very well turn down your kindness." Di Qingyu modestly played innocent after gaining an advantage, and the next second, she smiled like a fox.

"I heard Father recently bestowed a set of warm, nourishing jade chess pieces on you. They can cool you in summer and warm your hands in winter."

The first prince's hands tightened on his knees. "I only received those jade pieces three days ago. I haven't even used them yet."

"Oh." Di Qingyu lowered her head and idly fiddled with her beautiful nail guards. If he had used them, she wouldn't have asked.

With that quiet sound, she turned to leave.

One second, two seconds.

"You can have them." The first prince took a deep breath. "I'll have someone deliver them to your palace as soon as I get back."

Di Qingyu smiled. "Then thank you, eldest brother."

With that, she turned to the other three. She didn't say a word, but her meaning was already clear.

For every one who paid, she would get one out.

The second prince sighed and gave up resisting. "I recently acquired a fine piece of calligraphy and painting by Master Zhusi."

Di Qingyu smiled. "You're too kind, second brother."

The fourth prince spoke through the pain. "That exquisite liquor you've been thinking about, I'll give you two jugs."

Di Qingyu raised a brow and said lazily, "Five jugs."

"Three!" He had only brought back five jugs in all from the war! This little devil!

"Five jugs," Di Qingyu said mildly.

"Four!"

"Deal!" Di Qingyu brought the hammer down.

Next was the fifth prince, who was always trading barbs with Di Qingyu.

The fifth prince kept up his defiant front and turned his head away. "Hmph, I don't want you pleading for me."

He had thought Di Qingyu would seize the chance to extort him and bargain for a while, but to his surprise-

"Tch, wait here. I'll go plead for you." Di Qingyu lazily adjusted her hair bun.

A gust of wind swept past him.

"Hey, where did she go?"

Seeing that she had already gone inside, the fifth prince suddenly grew a little anxious.

"She went in," the second prince said with a low chuckle and a shrug.

The fifth prince's feelings turned complicated at once. "Wait, she hasn't taken anything from me yet. Why did she go in? Has her conscience awakened?"

Should he give her something later?

The fourth prince patted his shoulder and twisted the knife. "Fifth brother, she didn't even ask you. Obviously, she isn't getting you out. Your three brothers will be going back to rest soon, so you stay here and kneel properly. I'll have someone bring you food, if Father lets you eat."

Their imperial sister was petty and would repay the slightest grievance.

"I-!"

Hearing that, the fifth prince's earlier guilt vanished at once, and he trembled with anger. "Di Qingyu, she-she's infuriating me to death, ah!!"

He knew it! That madwoman wouldn't be so kind!

Inside Xuanzheng Hall.

"Those little bastards!"

Crash!

As soon as Di Qingyu entered, a teacup shattered at her feet. Fortunately, hardly any tea splashed onto her expensive dress. After all, she was poor.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" The palace maids and eunuchs attending in the hall hurriedly fell to their knees.

Seeing Di Qingyu enter, they bowed to her as well.

"Greetings, Sixth Princess."

Di Qingyu waved for them to rise.

"Greetings, Father."

Di Qingyu walked over and first gave the emperor a perfectly proper bow. Then she straightened and lowered her head, her manner worlds apart from her unruly behavior outside. She was also standing at just the right distance that she couldn't see the words on the memorials on his desk.

"All of you, withdraw for now."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

When Di Yunqian, emperor of Xiling, saw her arrive, his brows relaxed and some of the anger between them faded.

"Qingyu, you're here. You saw what's happening outside, didn't you?"

Di Qingyu nodded slightly and chuckled. "What did my four imperial brothers do to make you so angry, Father? In my opinion, making them kneel outside is too light a punishment. Their stipends should be withheld for a year and they should be beaten with the cane."

According to the rules, a princess was not allowed to speak recklessly about the princes before the emperor.

Yet Di Qingyu spoke as though it were perfectly ordinary, and the emperor showed nothing unusual either.

At her words, Di Yunqian immediately bristled, his beard twitching and eyes glaring. "You were out there so long, I suspect you extorted them, didn't you? If they find out you called for more punishment instead of persuading me to spare them, they'll probably come complaining to me."

Di Qingyu stood below him and shrugged.

"I only said I'd put in a good word for them after accepting their gifts. I never said it would definitely work." She was quite frank about accepting gifts.

Di Yunqian sighed softly. Di Qingyu was only fourteen, yet she could already make fools of several of her imperial brothers. Those unfilial sons really were...

Good-for-nothings!

Di Yunqian pushed a confidential letter to the front of the desk. "Come and see. This is the trouble the four of them caused. I originally sent them to deal with the flooding in Yulu City, along the lower reaches of the Xi Canal, so they could gain some experience. Who knew they would make light of the disaster? Not only was the relief grain and provisions ambushed and seized before it even reached Yulu City by mountain bandits who had sprung up along the middle reaches of the Xi Canal, but thirty percent of the officers and soldiers they took with them were killed or wounded. If the soldiers hadn't fought desperately to escort them out, Xiling might have become a laughingstock with four princes captured alive by mountain bandits!"

Only after receiving his permission did Di Qingyu step closer and reach for the paper on the desk.

She examined it closely, her expression betraying no reaction, though it changed briefly when her gaze fell on one particular spot.

The emperor, however, was also watching for changes in her expression.

After a mere dozen seconds or so, Di Qingyu respectfully put the confidential letter down.

Di Yunqian said nothing, so Di Qingyu did not ask anything of her own accord either. She merely stood quietly below him.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, seeing that she still hadn't spoken, Di Yunqian finally opened his mouth.

"Qingyu, tell me, what do you think?"

Di Qingyu's fingertips drew her fur cloak closer around her as she lowered her head. "I have no particular opinion, Father. I only think my imperial brothers have been somewhat unfairly treated."

"Tell me, how have they been unfairly treated?" Di Yunqian pondered briefly.

Di Qingyu first chuckled and said, "Father, let me say this first: these are merely the shallow opinions I've formed from reading too many history books. They don't amount to much."

Di Yunqian naturally knew what she meant and waved a hand. "Speak freely."

Di Qingyu said, "Father, the court's relief supplies and convoy should have had official escort banners to identify them. Failing that, they at least had officers and soldiers escorting them. Moreover, the route for transporting the relief supplies was confidential, so not many people should have known it. Ordinary mountain bandits do no more than rob homes and plunder for enough food and clothing. Normally, when they see an official convoy, they avoid it and only dare rob wealthy landowners and merchants. Yet not only were those bandits able to set an ambush in advance and bold enough to rob an official convoy, they even dared kill officers and soldiers."

"I'm afraid they weren't after the supplies, but were acting for someone else."

"Since the person behind them was determined not to let the court's convoy through, whoever went would naturally have run into trouble. My four imperial brothers were unlucky in that respect. Of course, they are highly capable and should have been able to reduce their losses, yet thirty percent of the soldiers were killed or wounded. That was their fault, and they do deserve punishment."

At the end, Di Qingyu lowered her gaze and said no more.

Di Yunqian's expression darkened as he listened. He leaned back on the dragon throne. "Then tell me, who could be behind it?"

"Father, I have no insight into that." Di Qingyu shrugged, looking entirely innocent.

"Cough, cough, cough." She began to cough, her radiant face turning somewhat pale.

"Enough. I'll find someone to handle this matter. It's been chilly lately, so put on more clothes." Di Yunqian had originally wanted to say more, but when he saw her coughing, his brows drew together in concern.

"A hundred-year-old ginseng root was presented as tribute just yesterday. Take it back to nourish your body."

Di Qingyu didn't stand on ceremony. "Yes. Thank you, Father."

But after saying that, she remained where she was, showing no intention of leaving.

"Is there something else?"

"I accepted their gifts but haven't gotten the matter settled. My conscience is uneasy," Di Qingyu said with a teasing smile.

Di Yunqian choked with anger. "You certainly know how to make plans. You take the gifts, and I issue the decree."

"Father, I'll share one of the two jugs of exquisite liquor with you." Di Qingyu had a calculating look on her face. "And I'll borrow flowers to offer to Buddha with second brother's calligraphy and painting by Master Zhusi. Haven't you taken a liking to that great master's work lately?"

"..."

Di Yunqian's expression turned subtle, and he gave a light cough.

Seeing him wavering, Di Qingyu added, "Don't worry. My four imperial brothers won't find out about this."

"Fine. Take those four unfilial sons away when you leave." They had knelt for a whole day, which was enough. The sight of them was irritating.

"Not four, but three." Di Qingyu shook her head.

"How so?"

Di Qingyu said shamelessly and seriously, "Because fifth brother didn't ask me for help. Presumably, he feels terribly guilty about this matter and would be too embarrassed to shamelessly return to his residence and rest. Even if he did return, he probably wouldn't be able to eat or sleep. So I can't bear to disappoint fifth brother's noble wish to kneel outside and carry a switch on his back to beg forgiveness. Let him keep kneeling to ease his conscience."

"..." Di Yunqian's mouth twitched as he listened. As he saw it, fifth brother hadn't slipped the girl any money, so she was making things difficult for him.

Yet Di Qingyu spoke with such righteous conviction that he actually thought it would be quite good to let fifth brother keep kneeling!

Di Yunqian had been suffering headaches these past few days and couldn't be bothered with their petty affairs, so he simply waved a hand.

"Take however many you like. I still have to discuss how to handle this matter with several ministers."

"Yes. I'll take my leave."