Reborn Daughter: The Young Lady Wants to Make a Trouble

Li Chenyang had just finished a day of court politics and returned home exhausted. He collapsed on a chair in the entrance room and let out a long, dull sigh.

"They're so irritable," he said through gritted teeth.

What's the point of having so many ministers if all the work is pushed to the young ones? His lips were drooping and his face was deeply frowned. The road to becoming prime minister is not an easy one.

Li Chenyang lazily looked at the heavy scroll he brought back from the palace. He was very interested in the Bai family and their assets. What would they lose, and what would he gain?

"let's see…"

He opened the scroll and his eyes swept over the clean handwriting. Not a single number was miscalculated. Not surprisingly, the Bai family had a good income every month. Most of it came from the trade port in Hecheng. Without it, they could only rely on Viscount Baisheng's inheritance, but even so, it gradually decreased because of their extravagant spending.

Li Chenyang shook his head in disappointment. The Bai family’s eggs are all in one basket. Without the trade port, they’ll be screwed. Their business is steadily declining due to the damage to their reputation.

“What should I do…” His voice became quieter and quieter, until he heard strong footsteps on the wooden floor of the corridor, and he stood up straight.

The door was pushed open, and Li Xueyue rolled in with a bright smile. "Chenyang, you're back!"

Li Chenyang's tired expression changed slightly, and a smile appeared on his face. "How was your day since returning from the throne room?"

Li Xueyue found that she didn't know that she didn't go home immediately after leaving the audience. "Well, I didn't get back here until more than an hour later."

"Is it really now?" Li Chenyang sat higher and changed to a more comfortable position. "What happened?"

"I met Lord Li Daojun by chance, and then-"

"Did you see my uncle today?" Li Chenyang suddenly sobered up. "What did he say?"

"He asked me some personal questions, which were so weird. I didn't think he was serious." Li Xueyue said truthfully, sitting in the chair opposite him.

Li Chenyang beckoned for the maid to serve tea and snacks. "Tell me what his problem is."

"Do you want to report to the Duke?" Li Xueyue asked.

"Do you want me to do it?" Li Chenyang blinked. Are these issues urgent matters? If she wants him to do it, he will do it. If not, he will shut up for the time being.

"No, I don't want to be a burden to you."

"Silly girl." Li Chenyang laughed. "When have you ever been a burden?"

"Uh, uh, I've been a little too spoiled and arrogant lately." Li Xueyue looked at the ground, then looked at him, her face full of hesitation. "Since I started to get to know more people, I don't know... I feel like I'm no longer the same person I used to be."

Li Chenyang smiled softly. He agreed with her. She had indeed changed from a timid little girl to a confident young lady. She used to speak only when she was being talked to, avoid eye contact with people, and whenever she needed to greet someone, she would bow as low as her upper body would allow. Despite this, she was still the kind-hearted, family-oriented girl he loved.

“Sometimes, a change is for the best.” Li Chenyang smiled. “I’d be surprised if all this pampering didn’t spoil you.”

"But I've become more demanding and difficult to manage. Of course, I don't mean to have a pity party, but--"

"Li Xueyue, there's nothing wrong with a woman having a voice. Be ruthless, be firm, and be everything that you are. I prefer you to let us see your true self, rather than suppressing your true self behind pretend obedience and silence. It's been instilled into you."

Li Xueyue was speechless. She expected to be scolded, not encouraged.

Li Chenyang's expression became more gentle. "Two years have passed, and I know you are still the kind girl who was willing to teach me and Wenmin archery. Sometimes, that part of you is not obvious because it is covered by many other qualities in you. "It has developed. "

He cleared his throat and gave her an understanding smile. "Now, can we discuss what my uncle is asking of you?"

Li Xueyue twisted her fingers and nodded. As soon as she finished speaking, the maid came in with tea and snacks. She urged him to eat first and then her portion of food.

“He asked me about my identity, and he said, and I quote, ‘Who the hell are you?’ Of course, I dodged the question.”

Li Chenyang nodded and chewed the almond biscuit silently.

"Then he asked about my legitimacy as the daughter of the Duke." Li Xueyue knew that this was a very sensitive topic - her identity. "I told him nothing."

Li Chenyang narrowed his eyes. What exactly was his uncle planning? Li Taojun finally got the dukedom he had always wanted, but how? With whose help?

Li Chenyang almost laughed out loud. How could he forget the most crucial detail? The imperial lapdog was none other than Li Taojun Gong. Of course, the emperor's pets would receive titles and rewards for doing dirty things. There is no doubt that Li Taojun Gong's greatest achievement was to cultivate Wen Jinkai.

"Then..." Li Xueyue lost her voice, unable to say her biological mother's name. "He, he was asking about the Bai family."

Li Chenyang narrowed his eyes.

"My biological mother, Mu Yihua, he asked me if I knew her." Li Xueyue sighed, leaned back in her chair, and suddenly lost her appetite for snacks.

Li Chenyang's brows knitted in fear. "Why would he ask you such a suspicious question? Only the Li family knows about your situation, no one else does."

"I suspect Bai Tianai saw through the charade. She knew I was Bai, not Li. Of course, I was stupid enough to continue using my name, but I didn't expect them to find out."

Li Chenyang's eyes fell on the closed scroll on the chair and he picked it up. "Maybe Bai Tianai told him something, or maybe my uncle knows more than he said. No one would ask such a messy question out of thin air. We have to keep a close eye on him."

"I just look a bit like Mu Yihua, but not enough for people to think that we are mother and daughter. Bai Tianai once laughed at me. If I didn't look like the man who bullied my mother, maybe the Viscount would despise me less."

Li Chenyang hummed, stood up and handed her the scroll. The scroll was filled with confidential information about the Bai family's income, which might be useful in the future.

He stopped short when he realized what she had said, his hand frozen in midair. "What did you just say?"

Li Xueyue's eyes widened. Wait, didn't Li Chenyang know about this? "I, I mean--"

"I know." Li Chenyang shook his head. "I know your background, but tell me again, who did you say you looked like?"

"I kind of look like my biological mother?"

"No, it's the part after that."

Li Xueyue didn't know why he looked so pale. "Are you saying that I have a lot in common with my biological father...? Whoever he is?"

Li Chenyang's fingers loosened and the scroll slipped from his hands. He opened his eyes wide in disbelief and put two and two together. Could it be that... the person who raped Lady Bai Mu Yihua was from the Li family?

Who else could it be besides Li Chenyang Wang and Li Taojun? Could it be the former? Li Chenyang almost cursed himself, thinking that his father was so despicable that he could compromise with others, especially when his wife was Wang Qixing.

His father loved his mother more than he loved power. That alone ruled him out, leaving no one else but Li Taojun. The man who was determined to send Li Xueyue to the enemy. The man who almost ruined her life. The man who forced her to use one of the most powerful cards she had: the wish.

"Could it be...?" Hearing this news, Li Chenyang felt his blood boiling. Whether it was true or not, he had to get to the bottom of it.

He bent down to Li Xueyue's sitting height and grabbed her shoulders. He looked into her eyes and asked slowly, "Have you seen your biological father?"

Li Xueyue shook her head. "No never."

"Did your mother ever tell you about him?"

"No. Why do you ask?" Li Xueyue was a little skeptical about where this conversation was going. They had all done it.

Li Chenyang didn't want to say it deliberately, he just had a suspicion for now.

“Xueyue, don’t you find it strange that you and your parents have no direct relatives, but you are so similar to the Li family?”

Li Xueyue nodded slowly. "Well, I thought it was a theory mentioned in a book we read. People who spend a lot of time together will eventually become similar."

"Yes, but the thing is, you've always been like us. From the first day we met you, when Father found you in the forest, he mistook you for Li Minghua. Of course, we saw it the moment you regained consciousness. There's only a little resemblance between the two of you, do you understand me?"

Li Xueyue nodded again. "A little bit."

"The year you were born, the only one who could have children was your father, Li Daojun. Tell me, what do you think about this?"

"One of them endangered Viscountess Mu Yihua."

"Yes, one of them is your father. Who do you think he is?"

Li Xueyue intertwined her fingers and held them tightly together. She didn't want to say it. She didn't want to admit this unspeakable fact. For a moment, she thought it might be King Li Chenyang, but that was impossible. He was such a respectable husband that he couldn't betray the Duchess like this.

She took a shaky breath, her eyes trembling. "My father is Lord Li Tao, right...?"

Li Chenyang saw her uneasy look and felt a sharp pain in his chest. They all didn’t speak. They didn’t have to do this. They all knew the truth, but it was not pleasant.