She was frail and knew proper manners. How could she eat people?

By the time Di Qingyu returned to the royal city, it was already dark.

She went straight to Zhihua Pavilion, changed back into her own clothes, switched carriages, and headed back to the imperial palace.

When she reached the palace gates-

"Halt!"

A cold, solemn, resonant male voice suddenly rang out.

The voice, mingling with the rain outside, woke Di Qingyu from her nap inside the carriage.

"The sixth princess is in the carriage. This is her travel token." Chunzhi lifted a corner of the curtain and showed the token.

In the past, showing the token had always been enough to get through, but this time was different.

"My apologies. His Majesty recently ordered strict inspections of everyone entering or leaving the palace. May I ask the sixth princess to step out of the carriage and allow us to inspect it?"

The voice outside was upright and unyielding, as though he would insist on an inspection even if the emperor himself came.

"It's raining now, sir..." Chunzhi was worried that Di Qingyu would catch a chill.

"Chunzhi." Di Qingyu's brows twitched slightly, and she interrupted her. "Let's get out. They're only acting on Imperial Father's orders."

Chunzhi fell silent. "Yes."

She immediately took an oilpaper umbrella from the carriage, got out first, and opened it.

Xialin picked up a fluffy fur cloak and draped it over Di Qingyu's shoulders.

The carriage curtain lifted, and Di Qingyu, dressed in a dark red palace gown, bent down and stepped out. Chunzhi immediately moved the umbrella over her to shield her from the rain.

"Cough..." As soon as she stepped down, a cold wind swept over her, and Di Qingyu coughed softly. The beauty's brows knitted, making her look delicate and pitiable.

"Please, go ahead with your inspection." Di Qingyu stepped aside and looked up at the man leading the guards.

He looks a little familiar. I'm not sure; let me have another look.

Isn't this Zhu Wuyang? We've met again so soon.

The young man before her looked about seventeen, and in his armor he looked quite the respectable figure. Then Di Qingyu thought of how, in her previous life, someone had cried with red-rimmed eyes, distressed by her injury. She wanted to laugh, but held it in.

The youth had sword-shaped brows and starry eyes, with an imposing bearing. One hand rested on the sword at his waist. His shoulders were broad, his waist narrow, and he radiated a magnificent, upright spirit. It was clear he came from a military family.

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness."

After only a couple of glances, Zhu Wuyang politely looked away and gave the guard beside him a signal to hurry and search.

"...Yes, yes."

The guard beside him saw Di Qingyu often, and the sight of Zhu Wuyang daring to stop her carriage made him break out in a cold sweat. In his own reckless youth, he had once stopped her too, and a single lash of the whip had taught him his lesson.

Di Qingyu raised her eyes and looked at Zhu Wuyang, so full of youthful vigor. Her lips curved slightly, and she spoke softly.

"I've passed through the palace gates many times, yet I've never seen you before. Might I ask who you are..."

Dressed in dark red brocade, Zhu Wuyang raised his hands in salute, his expression indifferent. "You're too courteous, Your Highness. I am Zhu Wuyang, the eldest son of the general's household. I only returned to the royal city a few days ago. My father asked His Majesty to give me a post as an imperial guard so I could gain experience."

His father had taken him to the battlefield to gain experience when he was ten. His father had been summoned back to the royal city by His Majesty several years ago, while he had remained stationed at the border until he was recalled this year.

Di Qingyu nodded slightly. "I see."

The guard conducting the inspection did not dare delay them. He merely gave the carriage a few cursory glances before reporting back.

"Nothing unusual was found."

Zhu Wuyang looked at Di Qingyu and nodded. "Sorry for the disturbance, Your Highness. Let them through."

Di Qingyu said nothing more. She simply let Chunzhi help her back into the carriage and entered the imperial palace.

The carriage rolled slowly inside, leaving only the guards to continue their watch.

Zhu Wuyang watched the carriage depart, his starry eyes narrowing slightly. As soon as he returned to the royal city, he had heard plenty of rumors about this sixth princess: teasing cats and walking dogs, getting into fights, confronting officials, accepting money and valuables. Which ordinary princess would dare do any of those things?

Interesting. It seems this royal city is no more boring than the border.

Yaohua Palace.

"Crack! Crack!" Whips cut through the air.

"Ah! Princess, I know I was wrong! I'll never reveal your likes and dislikes again! Please spare this servant's life!"

In the courtyard, a stream of bloodstained water wound across the rain-soaked stone ground to the knees of rows of kneeling palace maids and eunuchs. The wet chill soaking their bodies was nothing compared to the icy fear in their hearts.

Di Qingyu sat beneath the eaves, sheltered from the rain. Her elegant, noble figure looked exceedingly cold and stern.

"Chunzhi, drag her away and beat her to death."

Those final words made the hearts of everyone in Yaohua Palace tremble.

"Ah! No! Aah!" Bloody smears and claw marks were left on the ground, and she looked like a howling vengeful ghost.

Di Qingyu sat at ease, one bent arm resting on the armrest. Her cold, uncaring fox eyes swept over the people below. "You've served me for a year now. You've all seen it: a dog that can't be raised to loyalty will be chopped to pieces, stuffed into meat buns, and fed to the other dogs."

At her words, everyone lowered their heads, trembling all over and falling as silent as cicadas in winter.

After a pause, Di Qingyu lightly tapped the fingertips of her raised hand. Chunzhi and Xialin immediately took things out and went down, each carrying a tray covered with red cloth. Xialin pulled off the cloth, revealing gleaming silver.

The two of them distributed it to the palace maids and eunuchs below.

Di Qingyu said coldly, "Where there is punishment, there is reward. You're still alive, which means you remain loyal to me. This is what I can give you. Here, anyone with the brains to climb the ranks has a boundless future. As long as you're loyal, your methods don't matter. Understood?"

The palace maids and eunuchs, who had just been scared half to death, accepted the gleaming silver with trembling hands and suddenly felt as though a windfall had struck them on the head. This reward alone was worth a full year of their wages!

Wasn't this small allowance precisely what they had entered the palace for? Yet the sixth princess gave them money no other palace did.

In an instant, their fear and lingering dread were swept away by this wealth, and one after another, they kowtowed in excitement to give thanks.

"Yes, this servant understands!"

"We servants will be loyal to Your Highness and never harbor divided hearts!"

After these simple rewards and punishments, Di Qingyu waved her hand, and the group dispersed to resume their duties.

Di Qingyu returned to the hall as well.

"Your Highness, the one asking about your likes and dislikes was Jieyu Wei, whom His Majesty recently took as a consort. She is the legitimate daughter of Wei Ning, the vice minister of punishments. That maid only told her that you like money and valuables."

Di Qingyu raised a brow. "Wei Ning is usually so upright and unyielding that he gives no one face, and he dislikes building connections or joining factions. Yet he was willing to send his daughter into the imperial palace."

She had heard that he had only one wife, with whom he had a son and a daughter, and no concubines. He had always treasured his daughter.

The events of her previous life had happened so long ago that she could not remember some of them clearly. Her actions since being reborn had also set off a series of chain reactions, and some things had come as a surprise.

"Never mind. Since she wants to ask me for something, she'll come to me herself sooner or later." Di Qingyu waved a hand lazily and yawned. "Come on, it's time to rest."

"Yes."