Suddenly, a sharp eagle’s cry rang out. Su Niyue instantly broke into a wide smile. “Xiaobao, I missed you so much!”
A white jade-clawed eagle falcon landed on a bare tree branch, opened its beak slightly—Su Niyue knew this meant it was full. Inside the space, she had prepared live wild rabbits and chickens for Xiaobao. Whenever it got hungry, it would catch them itself from the enclosure.
“Come on, let’s go check out those warehouses!” With a thought, she entered the warehouse directly. Xiaobao followed right after. The warehouse, tens of thousands of cubic meters in size, was filled with shelves packed to the brim. A thin layer of dust covered the boxes—this one was stocked entirely with daily-use cosmetics.
There were all kinds of brands and price ranges. In the adjacent passage stood a green-plated new-energy delivery truck. The next warehouse was filled with food, then another with bedding supplies, and finally a comprehensive warehouse—every single one packed full. There were also two forklifts, an electric bicycle, and a small electric cargo vehicle. Su Niyue couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear—fortunately, there had been no one inside the warehouse at the time.
Just as she was admiring her wealth, the corner of her eye caught something—on the other side of the space appeared a line of red text: “Level 2 Space Upgrade in Progress”. Below it, a progress bar showed 82%, the number steadily increasing. Before transmigrating, this area had always been a blank white expanse.
“This space was an accidental gain during one of my missions. I’ve used it for years, and now this part is finally upgrading. Looks like there’s a reason I transmigrated here!” Su Niyue stomped her feet in excitement.
She quietly watched as the progress bar advanced. The white mist gradually thinned until it completely dispersed. The text changed to “Upgrade Complete.”
A vast stretch of land appeared before her. At the edge of the land was a well—not deep, and right at the mouth of it, clear water bubbled up.
“This isn’t a well—it’s a spring!”
In her excitement, Su Niyue flashed into the space physically. Previously, she had only entered with her consciousness, worried someone might suddenly enter her room. Now she didn’t care anymore. With a thought, a paper cup appeared in her hand. She scooped a cup of water and took a sip.
“Wow!”
Cool and sweet. Another sip—and her whole body felt refreshed. Her strength gradually returned, and even her abilities felt more vigorous.
“It really is a spirit spring! Ah! Now there’s land and water. Just need some seeds—famine? So what!”
Xiaobao flew over and drank a few sips from her cup. Afterward, it flapped its wings contentedly. Su Niyue curled her finger and scratched the feathers on Xiaobao’s neck, deep in thought.
“I wonder what my cheap husband—uh… in ancient times, I guess they call him ‘xianggong’—looks like. If he’s the War King, does that mean he has abs? Hey, behave yourself…”
Su Niyue suddenly paused.
“That’s right! Tomorrow we’re getting exiled. Is that damn emperor trying to make me a widow? No way! Since I’m here, this story is getting rewritten! Since I’ve got another chance at life—Su Niyue, now that I’ve taken over your body, we’ll live well in this lifetime!”
She glanced at the sky outside—it was still early. Her consciousness sank back into the space. Using the spirit spring water, she cooked a bowl of beef noodles. With a thought, she exited the space, and the bowl appeared in her hands. She inhaled deeply.
“Mmm, smells amazing! Definitely different from before.”
She ate slowly and neatly, drank all the soup, and even let out a satisfied burp.
Honestly, the War King’s residence was far too quiet. Not a single person had come to check on their new princess consort. But that was fine—Su Niyue didn’t care. The less attention she received, the better.
Just as she was thinking this, she heard footsteps approaching outside. She quickly sat properly and lowered her veil again.
“Princess Consort, Madam has come to see you!” The maid pushed the door open, and several people entered.
“Niyue…”
Collecting herself, Su Niyue lifted her red veil on her own and looked at the woman before her. She carried herself with grace, her features refined and elegant. This woman was Nangong Yunteng’s mother, Ruan Mingyu. In the original story, she was reasonable and kind-hearted.
“My child, Teng’er has gone to the palace to see His Majesty. Though you didn’t complete the wedding ceremony, you are still the properly wedded daughter-in-law of the Nangong family, with all rites fulfilled and your name entered into the family registry. The grievance you suffered today—our family will make it up to you. Once these few days pass, we’ll choose an auspicious date to complete your ceremony, alright?” Ruan Mingyu looked at Su Niyue’s thin face, knowing full well she hadn’t lived well in the Prime Minister’s residence.
What she didn’t know was that Su Niyue had just drunk spirit spring water, and her complexion had already improved.
“It’s fine. We can’t defy an imperial decree. I understand. Mother need not mind it.”
Ruan Mingyu sat beside her, took her hand, and gently patted it. “A woman’s most important day is her wedding. But since we receive the emperor’s favor, we must share his burdens. If His Majesty summoned Teng’er now, there must be something urgent.” The unspoken meaning was clear—if there was blame, it lay with the emperor.
“I understand.”
“When Teng’er returns, I’ll have him apologize to you!” Regardless of whether this daughter-in-law was a spy planted by the emperor, without evidence, she had to treat her with courtesy—this was the rule of the War King’s residence.
Su Niyue shook her head, pondering for a moment. She hadn’t come into this world just to play along. Since her fate was now tied to the Nangong family, they should know what was about to happen so they could prepare.
“Mother, I have something to tell you.” She glanced at the maids beside Ruan Mingyu.
Ruan Mingyu’s heart tightened slightly. “All of you, go wait in the courtyard.”
“Yes!”
“My child, you may speak now.”
“He won’t return today. If nothing unexpected happens… he’ll only come back tomorrow…” Su Niyue paused.
“What do you mean he won’t return?”
“Today, someone presented the emperor with evidence accusing Nangong Yunteng of colluding with the enemy. He won’t return today. Tomorrow… he’ll be sent back. After that, the War King’s residence will be confiscated, and all of you will be exiled.”
“And how do you know this?” Ruan Mingyu frowned.
Seeing her expression, Su Niyue understood—the Nangong family must already be aware of the dangers of being too meritorious.
“Before I married, I went to bid farewell to my father. I accidentally overheard it outside his study.”
“Is this true?”
“It is.”
“My child… the imperial decree has already been issued. Divorce is impossible. You’ll have to suffer exile with us.” Ruan Mingyu’s eyes reddened. At that moment, she realized this girl was also an abandoned pawn.
“Mother, to be honest, I would rather go into exile with you than return to that cannibalistic Prime Minister’s residence.” Thinking of the original host’s suffering, Su Niyue felt a pang of sorrow.
“Good child. Since you’ve married into the Nangong family, you are our eldest daughter-in-law. We will do our best to protect you.”
“Mm.” Su Niyue thought to herself—you can barely protect yourselves. But she was satisfied with Ruan Mingyu’s attitude. At least they were willing. As for whether they could succeed—only she, who held the script, truly knew.
“Mother, now isn’t the time for this. We need to prepare for exile.”
“You’re right. I’ll go make arrangements immediately.” Seeing that Su Niyue had her own judgment, Ruan Mingyu didn’t say more and left.
“Alright.”
After seeing her off, Su Niyue silently praised herself for her quick thinking.