Chapter 26: Picking a Quarrel-Do inferno eu voltei, inimigos tremem, após um casamento elevado, conquisto o posto de fênix.(Sua Alteza Bolinha de Carne)

Mourners arrived in an endless stream to pay their respects to the late Madam Lin. Lin Pianran had been forcibly dressed in mourning clothes and, alongside the other descendants of the Lin family, was made to kneel on either side of the mourning hall, weeping and keeping vigil. Though Lin Pianran resisted with every fiber of her being, she was left with no choice.

Refusing to shed a single tear for her hated enemy, she covered her face with a handkerchief and rubbed her eyes until they were red. She feigned a state of inconsolable grief, sobbing quietly, while her mind raced with her own private schemes. She had an urgent matter to attend to and was constantly searching for a way to slip away. When she thought of Princess Huaian, her eyes ignited with a strange, piercing light.

In her previous life, two years from now, Lin Pianran had accidentally stumbled into a vast, empty cave. Inside lay nothing but a nameless, mummified corpse, shackled firmly to the stone wall, restricted to a tiny patch of ground. Filled with compassion, she had done everything in her power to carefully collect the remains and bury them in a quiet, secluded spot. Yet, she had never discovered who he was, when he had been imprisoned there, or why he had met such a tragic end. These questions had haunted her for years. Now that she had been reborn, she hoped for a chance to uncover the truth. Solving this mystery from her past had become an unshakable obsession deep within her heart.

The problem, however, was how to escape and make a trip to that cave. She hoped that the arrogant and overbearing princess would not disappoint her and would provide the opportunity herself. She was looking forward to it.

After kneeling for less than an hour, Lin Pianran’s legs were stiff and numb, nearly losing all sensation. More importantly, she had no desire to keep vigil for her enemy. She used the excuse of washing her hands to slip out of the mourning hall.

No sooner had she stepped outside than she ran headlong into Princess Huaian. Lin Pianran deliberately stepped aside to yield the path, but the princess would not let it go. Looking at her as if she were a sworn enemy, her eyes glinting with cold malice, the princess walked straight up to her and lowered her voice. "I hear you’ve been acting quite brazen these past two days. Not only have you been bullying your sisters, but you’ve had the audacity to say that you don't hold a princess like me in your eyes. You truly are daring and blind to your superiors! I suppose you thought the viper last night would torture you to death? You were lucky to escape with your life! But if you keep courting death, I would be more than happy to help you along."

Lin Pianran was not in the least intimidated. A moment’s thought told her exactly what had happened: Lin Chuyan must have been whispering poison in the princess's ear again, which explained the intense hostility. This was both a warning and an interrogation.

Lin Pianran bowed respectfully. "This subject greets Your Highness. I have never uttered such foolish words about disregarding you! I have always held the imperial authority in awe and have always been respectful and polite toward you, Princess. I hope you will open your eyes, distinguish right from wrong, and not listen to the slanders of petty people."

"You..." Princess Huaian was about to find an excuse to punish her when a loud, ceremonious announcement interrupted: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, His Highness Prince Duan, His Highness Prince Chang, and His Highness Prince Gong have arrived!"

The crowd knelt in unison. "Greetings to the Crown Prince and the Princes!" Lin Pianran knelt among them, bowing her head.

"All... all rise," the Crown Prince’s clear, gentle voice resonated. He had barely finished speaking when he was seized by a fit of violent, heart-wrenching coughing, his face flushing deep red.

His personal guard, Jingfeng, hurried forward. "Your Highness, your health is poor; you cannot overexert yourself or be exposed to the wind. Allow this servant to take you to rest! Your heart has been shown, and Madam Lin will not blame you!"

"Is that... would that be... appropriate?"

Lin Aodong stepped forward quickly, bowing to attend to them himself. "Let this old subject take His Highness to rest."

Huo Yuchen nodded slightly. Before leaving, he cast a meaningful glance in Lin Pianran’s direction—a look that seemed to see through everything. Lin Pianran happened to be looking up, and their eyes met. She quickly averted her gaze, bowing her head again to play the part of a timid quail. A playful, fleeting smirk appeared on Huo Yuchen’s lips before it vanished.

Only after Lin Aodong had led the royal party away did Lin Pianran look in the direction they had gone, lost in thought. She was worried about Huo Yuchen’s condition. In her previous life, as the poison in his body deepened, his energy had waned, eventually dragging him into a quagmire of disaster and leading him to his tragic end. In her space, she possessed the "Hundred-Poison Pill," capable of neutralizing most toxins. She did not know exactly what poison the Crown Prince suffered from, nor if the pill would be effective, but it was worth a try.

Seeing Lin Pianran staring at the Crown Prince’s retreating back, Princess Huaian sneered, "That is the Crown Prince—the moon in the sky, a dragon among men, utterly beyond your reach. For a base, illegitimate creature like you to harbor delusions about him... you’re a toad wishing to eat swan meat. You have no idea of your own worth..."

Lin Pianran withdrew her gaze and looked at the princess, her eyes cold as ice. "I merely glanced at the Crown Prince; how does that make me a toad? Are eyes not meant for looking at people? Or are they only meant for venting one's spleen? Does the Princess never look at men? Does that mean you are also harboring delusions about them?"

"You... you are impudent! Do not spout such nonsense... I... when have I ever harbored delusions about men?"

"What? Is it only permitted for the princess to set fires, but not for the commoners to light lamps? Isn't that a bit too tyrannical and unreasonable?"

Princess Minghua stepped forward then, tugging at Princess Huaian’s sleeve and softening her voice. "Sister, let us go offer incense to Grandmother."

This gesture was a godsend, giving the princess a graceful way to back down. But before leaving, she glared, warning, "Lin Pianran, we shall see how long your sharp tongue lasts! You will pay a heavy price for your behavior sooner or later!"

Lin Pianran knew that between yesterday and today, she had thoroughly offended this arrogant princess. Her retaliation would likely come soon. However, she was not one to sit back and be a target. She preferred to hold the initiative in her own hands, striking first to crush her enemies. She enjoyed digging traps and waiting for her enemies to jump into them willingly, only to die with regrets. She liked to dictate her own life, but she also liked to arrange the lives of others—and even more so, she enjoyed deciding exactly how her enemies would meet their ends. That, to her, was truly fulfilling.