The Emperor's Beloved: My Ancestor is the Crown Prince?

Li Lizhi looked at herself in the mirror.

The morning light shone on her face, making the dark circles under her eyes clearly visible. She slowly raised her hand, her fingertips lightly touching her eyelids. The marks of a sleepless night were like some kind of hidden brand.

"Princess," a maid's voice came from outside the door, "it's time to get ready. Today is the palace selection, and Her Majesty the Empress has instructed you to go with her."

Li Lizhi took a deep breath: "Understood."

In the bronze mirror, the corners of her mouth slowly curved into a gentle smile, concealing all the turmoil in her eyes. When she stood up, she was already the gentle and dignified Princess Chang Le.

The event was held at the Linde Hall on the west side of Taiji Palace.

Morning light streamed through the high windows into the hall, illuminating the bluestone floor until it shone like a mirror. The furnishings were simple and solemn, with only a few rows of couches. At the head of the table sat Empress Zhangsun, flanked by several older concubines. Li Lizhi sat to her mother's left, her gaze calmly sweeping across the hall.

The young ladies who were nominated for the position had entered the hall in order and kowtowed according to etiquette. Most of them were fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in various colored ruqun (traditional Chinese dresses), with their heads bowed and eyes lowered, their demeanor respectful.

"A fourteen-year-old woman from the Wu family of Taiyuan."

When the eunuch announced the name of the concubine, Li Lizhi's fingers tightened slightly inside her sleeve.

A young girl walked slowly forward. She wore a light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and her hair was styled in double buns, adorned with only a plain silk flower. Her figure had not yet fully developed, but her slender figure was already evident.

"Your subject, Wu, greets Her Majesty the Empress, Your Highnesses, and Your Highness the Princess."

His voice was clear and resonant, neither arrogant nor humble.

Empress Zhangsun nodded slightly: "Raise your head."

The girl looked up as instructed.

Li Lizhi saw that face—delicate features, fair skin, and naturally rosy lips. Most striking were her eyes, large and bright, with slightly upturned corners, giving her a frank and direct gaze.

Pretty?

She was beautiful. But there were so many beauties in the palace, and her face wasn't the most outstanding among the young ladies.

But when Li Lizhi met those eyes, her heart suddenly tightened.

There was something in those eyes—an almost stubborn brightness, like a stream breaking through the ice in early spring, crystal clear, yet carrying a certain undeniable power.

"Have you been to school?" Empress Zhangsun asked gently.

"Your Majesty, I have studied the 'Rules for Women' and the 'Classic of Filial Piety' with my mother, and I know a few characters."

"Are you skilled in playing the zither or chess?"

"I can play a few tunes on the zither, and I have a basic understanding of the rules of chess." The girl answered respectfully, but without being deliberately humble.

Empress Zhangsun nodded, then turned her gaze to a concubine beside her: "What do you think?"

The palace concubine smiled and said, "She seems quite clever."

"Then let them stay," Empress Zhangsun said gently. "They will be placed in the Yeting Palace to learn palace rules."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." The girl kowtowed again, and as she stood up, her gaze inadvertently swept over Li Lizhi.

That glance was so quick, almost too quick to be mistaken for an illusion. But Li Lizhi saw it—a barely perceptible hint of inquiry flashed in those bright eyes.

Like a small animal entering unfamiliar territory for the first time, it cautiously observes everything around it.

After the young woman left, the selection process continued. Li Lizhi, however, seemed somewhat distracted.

"Changle?" Empress Zhangsun's voice rang out softly.

Li Lizhi snapped out of her daze: "Mother?"

"Are you tired?" Empress Zhangsun looked at her. "If you are tired, go back and rest."

"No need," Li Lizhi smiled and shook her head. "Your son will stay with Mother."

She sat up straight again, but her gaze involuntarily drifted towards the palace gate.

The girl named Wu has left, but her gaze seems to linger in the air.

Li Lizhi recalled the images on the tablet—the magnificent imperial court, the figure behind the beaded curtain, and the repeated calls of "Empress Wu"...

Is this the fourteen-year-old girl?

This bright-eyed girl seemed no different from any other young lady.

Her hands slowly clenched into her sleeves.

Xiao Qingyi arrived three days after the selection process ended.

This time, she wore a pale yellow jumpsuit, carried a pink backpack, and her hair was tied into two small buns, each adorned with a light-up rabbit hair clip. Her appearance immediately enlivened the side hall of the Lizheng Hall.

"Sister Lizhi!" Xiao Qingyi rushed over and hugged Li Lizhi's leg. "Yiyi missed you!"

Li Lizhi smiled and picked her up: "Sister missed Yiyi too. Have you been good these past few days?"

"Good girl!" Xiao Qingyi nodded vigorously, then whispered mysteriously in her ear, "Sister, I have a secret to tell you—brother bought me new chocolates, they're super delicious! I saved one for you!"

She took a foil packet out of her bag, carefully opened it, and inside was a heart-shaped chocolate.

Li Lizhi took it and put it in her mouth. The slightly bittersweet taste melted on her tongue, accompanied by a rich milky aroma.

"Is it delicious?" Xiao Qingyi asked with bright, sparkling eyes.

"It's delicious." Li Lizhi patted her head. "Thank you, Yiyi."

"You're welcome!" Xiao Qingyi smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents, then as if suddenly remembering something, "Oh right, sister, where's my tablet? You know, that black tablet, I forgot it here last time."

Li Lizhi's heart skipped a beat.

She got up and walked to the dressing table, opened the bottom drawer, and took out the tablet wrapped in a handkerchief: "Here it is. Your sister is keeping it for you."

Xiao Qingyi took it and skillfully turned on the screen. She flipped through the photo album to find a picture of her with her modern family—her father was holding her, her mother was laughing beside her, and her brother was making a funny face.

"Sister, look! This is my dad, this is my mom, and this is my brother!" Xiao Qingyi pointed at the screen, introducing them one by one. "We even went to the amusement park last week and rode the huge Ferris wheel!"

Li Lizhi looked at the completely different world in the photo—skyscrapers, colorful lights, and people in strange costumes. She remembered the TV series she had watched on her tablet that night, those fragments about the future.

"Yiyi," she asked softly, "in your time...did girls also study and become officials?"

Xiao Qingyi tilted her head and thought for a moment: "Sure! Our kindergarten teachers are all girls, and there are doctors, police officers, scientists... so many! My mom says girls can do anything!"

She spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, completely unaware of what that statement meant in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Lizhi remained silent for a moment.

"Then... can a girl be an emperor?" she asked even more softly.

Xiao Qingyi blinked: "Emperor? What's an emperor?"

Li Lizhi was stunned.

"It's...the person who manages the country," she tried to explain.

"Oh! The big boss!" Xiao Qingyi exclaimed in realization, "We have a big boss! But..." She frowned slightly, "I've never seen a girl be a big boss. But my mom says there will be one someday!"

As she spoke, she clicked on a video on her tablet: "Look, sister, this is our school's Children's Day performance. The girls in our class are playing Mulan! Our teacher said Mulan is amazing; she disguised herself as a man to fight and protect her country!"

In the video, a group of children dressed in theatrical costumes are performing on stage, their innocent voices singing "Who says women are inferior to men?"

Li Lizhi watched, her heart churning with complex and indescribable emotions.

"Sister," Xiao Qingyi suddenly leaned closer and touched her face with her little hand, "Are you unhappy?"

"No." Li Lizhi held her small hand. "Sister was just thinking... Yiyi's world is so wonderful."

"My sister's world is wonderful too!" Xiao Qingyi said earnestly. "There's my Crown Prince brother, my beautiful sister, Si Zi, Zhi Nu... I love them all!"

As she spoke, she took out another small box from her schoolbag: "Oh right, my brother asked me to give this to the Crown Prince."

Li Lizhi took the box and opened it. Inside was a pair of glasses—frameless with very thin lenses.

"Brother said this can protect your eyes," Xiao Qingyi repeated her brother's words with difficulty. "Crown Prince Brother always stays up late reading. Brother also said... also said..."

She thought hard for a moment and said, "He also said that the Crown Prince should take care of himself and get some rest, because health is the foundation of everything!"

Li Lizhi chuckled: "Revolution?"