After the emperor read her mind, the salted fish concubine effortlessly won the title of empress.

Chapter 443 Extra Chapter: The Struggle for the Throne 1

Shen Shixi was swinging her short legs while waiting for food. When she saw the two children coming in, she ignored them completely.

Yang Tingyue was very unhappy and rushed over to throw a punch. Shen Shixi raised her foot and kicked her in the stomach. Li Yuanyin quickly helped her up, realizing that this girl was not someone to be trifled with.

"Brother, brother, come out quickly, she's hitting someone!" Li Yuanyin shouted.

Hearing the commotion, Li Yuanke came out and saw Yang Tingyue raising her foot to kick Shen Shixi. Shen Shixi was no pushover either; she grabbed a teacup and threw it, splashing all the water inside onto Yang Tingyue. Li Yuanyin was also not spared.

"Ugh, how could you be so mean? Why did you hit me?" Li Yuanyin was speechless. This kid has such a bad temper.

Shen Shixi gave Li Yuanyin a sinister look and said to Li Yuanke, "Brother Yuanke, your younger brother is stupid, blind, and deaf."

Li Yuanyin was furious. This was the first time he had ever seen such an unreasonable and ill-mannered child. "Brother, look at her..."

"She's still young, and you're only three years old? And Yang Tingyue, what are you doing in my palace? Did I invite you here? You come here and start hitting and cursing people. Don't you have any manners?"

Li Yuanke came over and checked Shen Shixi over, then asked, "Did they hit you?"

Shen Shixi shook her head and snorted coldly, "She's your cousin? She's really ugly!"

Yang Tingyue was furious. How dare they call her ugly in front of her cousin? Pointing at Shen Shixi, she yelled, "You're the ugly one! You're the ugly monster!"

Li Yuanke roared, "Get out! Get out of here! And you, Yuan Yin, you get out too!"

Yang Tingyue pointed at Shen Shixi and asked, "Why doesn't she leave?"

Shen Shixi then turned to Li Gui and said, "Didn't you hear me? What are you all standing there for? Throw this arrogant and rude woman out, and also get this prince who's siding with his own family out of the way!"

Li Gui and the others quickly stepped forward, "Miss Yang, please!"

After Yang Tingyue and the other two were chased away, they probably complained to Consort Xiao. Not long after, someone came to Li Yuanke's mother's palace. "Eighth Prince, the Empress said that since Your Highness has guests, there is no reason not to see them. Please take Miss Shen Er to her."

That makes sense. No matter what, Consort Xiao was Li Yuanke's birth mother, and Shen Shixi wanted to meet her.

After arriving and paying her respects to Consort Xiao, Consort Xiao pulled her into her arms and was immediately delighted. "You are so beautiful. I've always wanted a girl, but I never had the chance. Your name is Xixi, right? I'll have Eighth Prince take you to the palace more often."

Shen Shixi guessed that she must have heard that the Emperor had rewarded Li Yuanke and thought that her grandfather had taught him well, which was why she was so enthusiastic towards her.

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness!" Shen Shixi said, her tone distant yet polite.

Consort Xiao then summoned Yang Tingyue and Li Yuanyin, ordering them to apologize to Shen Shixi. "Don't think I don't know. You two were extremely rude as soon as you entered Xianfu Palace. You didn't even say who you were before interrogating people and demanding to know why they were there. Is this how I've taught you manners? Come here and apologize to Xixi!"

Yang Tingyue even acted coquettishly and shamelessly, mainly because she was jealous of Shen Shixi. She had always wanted to be her cousin's follower, but her cousin didn't want her. Instead, he chose Shen Shixi, who was from who-knows-where.

My aunt is still so good to her.

She didn't want to apologize to Shen Shixi.

Shen Shixi didn't care about Yang Tingyue and the others' apology. She could just listen to Consort Xiao's words and not take them seriously; otherwise, she would be a fool.

"Your Highness, I dare not! Miss Yang is not only the daughter of the Duke's mansion, but also the daughter of Princess Yunyang, and Your Highness's niece. How could I possibly deserve her apology!"

"You're smart to know what's good for you!" Yang Tingyue said.

Consort Xiao was furious. "If you don't listen to me, you don't need to come to the palace anymore."

Yang Tingyue was so frightened that she burst into tears. The nanny quickly comforted her, telling her to listen to the Empress and apologize to Shen Shixi.

Shen Shixi knew that Consort Xiao was also intelligent and knew how to weigh the pros and cons. Thus, she also learned that although Princess Yunyang, the wife of the Duke of Ying, was Consort Xiao's sister, the Duke of Ying's mansion could not be relied upon at all.

Yang Tingyue still apologized to Shen Shixi. Consort Xiao asked Li Yuanyin to apologize as well, but Shen Shixi declined. Consort Xiao invited her to stay for dinner, but Li Yuanke said that he had already ordered a table of food from the Imperial Kitchen and it would be impolite not to eat, so he took her back to Xianfu Palace.

On the way, Shen Shixi couldn't walk anymore, so Li Yuanke carried her back.

Li Yuanke did indeed order a feast, and Shen Shixi ate heartily and was very happy.

In the Shen family, Shen Shixi's meals were the best, comparable to those of the old master and the old lady, but compared to her life in her previous life, it was like heaven and hell.

She finally had a good meal today.

The next day, Li Yuanke took her to Jinming Pond. They left Xianfu Palace and took a carriage. It was a long way, and Shen Shixi walked a few steps but didn't want to walk anymore because it was too far.

Li Gui thought to himself, "This is truly an ancestor! How can His Highness carry him? Let him do it!"

Li Yuanke disagreed and squatted down in front of Shen Shixi, with Shen Shixi's chubby body resting on the boy's slightly thin and frail back.

Li Yuanke was still young, and Shen Shixi was a chubby little boy. The road from Xianfu Palace was very long, and he had never felt it was so long before, but he persevered.

"Eighth brother, whose are you carrying on your back?"

Three people of varying ages came from the opposite side of the road. Shen Shixi knew who they were at a glance: Crown Prince Li Yuanqian and his two younger brothers, Li Yuantai and Li Yuanzhi.

Li Yuanqian's son is almost as old as Li Yuanke, Li Yuantai has long had children, and Li Yuanzhi is not yet married, but he is also getting on in years.

Shen Shixi slid off Li Yuanke's back, tilted her little head and looked at the three legitimate princes. While she was sizing them up, they were also sizing her up, thinking that this little girl was like a lucky doll.

Just as Li Yuanke was about to bow, Shen Shixi preemptively stepped forward and bowed to Li Yuantai, saying, "This humble woman greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

The surroundings were deathly silent.

Li Yuanqian glanced at his clothes. Today was a grand festival, and he was wearing the Crown Prince's everyday clothes. He hadn't made a mistake. Oh well, the child was still young, so it was normal for him to mistake someone for someone else.

Li Yuantai was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, "I've heard you're very intelligent and quick-witted. What, you can mistake someone for someone else?"

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince! Greetings, my two elder brothers!" Li Yuanke quickly bowed and hurried over to pull Shen Shixi away. "Xi'er, you've mistaken me for someone else. This is the Crown Prince."

Shen Shixi was not embarrassed by mistaking someone else. Instead, she looked at Li Yuantai and then at Li Yuanqian, saying, "This humble woman is guilty. It is because this prince looks like the Empress that this humble woman is guilty."

Li Yuantai said, "Really? Miss Shen, then who do you mistake His Highness the Crown Prince for?"

Shen Shixi pursed her lips and shook her head. "I admitted my mistake, but I can't say it!"

At this moment, she had become a three-year-old girl again, with an adorable and innocent appearance. After bowing to the Crown Prince, she hid behind Li Yuanke, cautiously watching people like a kitten spying.

Li Yuanqian was quite displeased. After Shen Shixi left, he said to Li Yuantai with a half-smile, "Second brother seems to be quite pleased with this scene?"

This implies that Li Yuantai wanted to become the crown prince.

But the crown prince did not feel that he had wronged Li Yuantai. He became more and more arrogant and always provoked him.

Li Yuantai was stunned for a moment, then a nameless anger flared up inside him. It wasn't that he had mistaken someone for someone else; the young girl had only mistaken him for someone else because he looked most like his father, the Emperor. "What does the Crown Prince mean by this? What does it have to do with your humble servant?"

Li Yuanqian scoffed. He was annoyed that Li Yuantai had been mistaken for someone else and that he had been dragged into this to make fun of him, showing no respect for hierarchy whatsoever.