Chapter 425
**Chapter 423: [Extra] Li Qingxun (1)**
“Princess, wuwu…”
Li Qingxun was jolted awake by a mournful call. Irritated, she pressed her fingers to her temples and instinctively replied, “What’s all the noise? Is the experimental analysis done? Have the neutrino materials been extracted? Experiment 1098 must be handled with care; a single misstep could lead to a collapse of spacetime!”
The commotion around her abruptly ceased.
Slowly, Li Qingxun opened her eyes to find herself staring at the dilapidated beams of an ancient room. As her consciousness returned, she felt every inch of her body ache, the pain so intense it nearly brought her to tears.
Struggling to sit up, she realized she was in a dim, dreary chamber. The room was small, decorated like a set from a historical drama. A thin, gray blanket covered her, and her hands bore fading bruises.
By her bedside knelt a weeping young girl in ancient garb, no older than fifteen or sixteen, looking pitifully frail.
With tears in her eyes, the girl gazed up at her, her round, frightened eyes filled with a mix of terror and joy. “Princess… you’re not dead?”
Li Qingxun was utterly bewildered.
A sharp pain suddenly pierced her head as a flood of bitter memories surged into her mind.
[In her memories, the original owner of this body was the sixth princess of the Qing Kingdom, also named Li Qingxun. Years ago, the Emperor of Qing was a notorious philanderer, resulting in a multitude of children in the palace. One of the palace maids, driven by ambition, climbed into the Emperor’s bed while he was drunk. After a night of passion, she became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter prematurely due to severe complications. The maid died from blood loss, and the Emperor, disdainful of her lowly origins, cast aside the newborn girl, leaving her to be raised by an old wet nurse in the palace.
Li Qingxun was that maid’s daughter. With her mother gone and her father indifferent, she lived alone in the desolate Qiu Liang Palace, attended only by a maid named Yuan’er. Over the years, as the Empress and the favored concubine fought for power, they neglected the uncherished little princess, allowing Li Qingxun to grow up in relative safety. However, last year, at a palace banquet, she caught a glimpse of Zhang He’an, the Minister of Rites, and fell hopelessly in love. Her heart, long dormant, began to flutter.
Summoning her courage, she gifted him handmade handkerchiefs, boots, and writing supplies. But Zhang He’an, cold as the moon, remained unmoved. This caught the attention of the seventh princess, Li Qingling, the Empress’s daughter, who was stunningly beautiful and favored by both the Emperor and Empress. Upon learning that Li Qingxun dared to present gifts to Zhang He’an, she stormed into Qiu Liang Palace with a whip and mercilessly beat Li Qingxun, nearly suffocating her in the process.]
Now, the modern Li Qingxun found herself trapped in this battered body.
As she processed the memories flooding her mind, she stood frozen in disbelief.
Throwing off the covers, she stumbled out of the palace door. Outside, the sun shone brightly, illuminating a courtyard overrun with wildflowers and grass, the palace walls crumbling, and the roof tiles hanging precariously.
Li Qingxun stared in shock. “Qiu Liang Palace… Qing Kingdom…”
Refusing to accept this reality, she pinched her thigh hard.
The pain shot through her.
Covering her face, she stomped her foot in frustration. “I knew it! I shouldn’t have risked using that incomplete physics formula! The neutrino collision experiment has definitely gone awry!”
She paced anxiously in the courtyard, still struggling to accept the bizarre reality of time travel. It wasn’t until her stomach growled loudly that her delayed hunger kicked in, stirring her appetite.
Yuan’er, hiding behind a pillar, watched as Li Qingxun muttered to herself, banged her head against the wall, and squatted on the grass scribbling symbols, thinking the princess had lost her mind.
Finally, upon hearing the growl of Li Qingxun’s stomach, Yuan’er cautiously peeked out. “Princess, wait a moment! I’ll bring you something to eat.”
With that, Yuan’er dashed out of Qiu Liang Palace.
About half an hour later, she returned with a small food box. Li Qingxun eagerly opened it, only to find a bowl of cold rice porridge and two steamed buns.
The smile faded from her face.
With her injuries, eating this cold porridge and buns would surely lead to malnutrition.
She took a bite of the bun, which was both cold and hard, nearly breaking her teeth. Disgusted, she thought to herself that she had never eaten such a tough bun in her life.
Starving, Li Qingxun had no choice but to soak the bun in cold water, making do to fill her belly.
After finishing her meager meal, she lay weakly on the rickety bed, contemplating how to return home. Confusion washed over her; her parents were physics researchers, and she had grown up in a research institute, never wanting for anything. With her exceptional talent in physics, she had joined the lab at a young age.
She had lived for twenty-five years, spending nearly every day in the lab.
Her research prowess had earned her a high status at the institute, where she was used to directing other researchers and managing various experimental processes—yet she had never experienced life in a cold palace.
How could she get home?
“No, I need to draft a life plan,” Li Qingxun decided, shaking off her swirling thoughts.
She began to formulate a plan in her mind.
First, her immediate task was to eat well and recover from her illness.
Second, she needed to leave Qiu Liang Palace and gather enough information about this world.
Third, she had to find out if any core instruments had come with her, to activate them and discover a way back home.
Fourth, return home.
After mentally outlining her plan, she realized that the most pressing tasks were to eat and recover.
But as an uncherished sixth princess living in the most remote and desolate cold palace, her meals were often rationed by the imperial kitchen. The Empress didn’t care for her, and the favored concubine, Concubine Xie, looked down on her, while the Emperor had no desire to acknowledge her…
She had no support.
Li Qingxun pressed her temples, trying to recall her memories. “The Qing Kingdom was only established thirty years ago, and the current Emperor is the second, ruling poorly. To the south, the Yelang Kingdom frequently encroaches, while to the north, the Yue Kingdom lurks with ill intent, leaving Qing caught in the middle.”
After a moment of thought, she suddenly asked Yuan’er, “Isn’t today the day the envoy from Yue Kingdom is visiting?”
Yuan’er nodded. “Yes, the front hall is quite lively. But Princess, you’re still unwell; we shouldn’t go join the commotion. If the seventh princess sees you, she might cause trouble again.”
Li Qingxun pondered for a moment; this could be an opportunity to break the deadlock.
However, having spent years in experiments, she had little experience in palace intrigue. Fortunately, Li Qingxun had a clever mind adept at analysis and summarization.
She recalled a few scheming male colleagues from the research institute.
To win her favor, these academic “green tea” men would scheme against each other, plotting betrayals. Analyzing their behavioral logic, Li Qingxun quickly devised a strategy.
Suppressing her pain, she called to Yuan’er, “When the envoy visits, we should stroll through the imperial garden or visit a museum. Take me to those places.”
Yuan’er looked utterly confused.
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