Wen Qitian hurried all the way to Changqing Palace, only to find herself the center of attention the moment she stepped inside.
Question: What does it feel like to walk into a room and be stared at by hundreds of eyes?
Wen Qitian thought that without some serious social confidence, anyone would struggle.
Fortunately, she was no ordinary person.
For the eldest daughter of the Wen family, no situation was unfamiliar. No need to panic, no need to fear—it wasn’t a big deal.
Wen Qitian tilted her head, causing the hairpin on her head to sway gently and emit a pleasant sound. She looked slightly puzzled. “What’s going on with all of you?”
Everyone present wore expressions of shock, as if her appearance here was utterly unbelievable.
Soon, they realized they had been deceived by Wen Jiyue.
A small group who usually got along well with Wen Qitian stepped forward, glaring angrily at Wen Jiyue. “A concubine-born daughter is just a concubine-born daughter—spouting nonsense and cursing the legitimate eldest sister without a second thought. You have no manners at all. If this were our household, you’d have been made an example of long ago.”
Wen Qitian hadn’t gone missing. Princess Caiwei couldn’t hide her disappointment, staring coldly at Wen Qitian as if she wished to bore a hole through her with her gaze.
But with so many people present, she couldn’t directly confront Wen Qitian. Instead, she vented her anger on Wen Jiyue, the concubine-born daughter.
“Fine, I’ll remember you,” Princess Caiwei said coldly. “Tricking us into thinking Wen Qitian was missing—do you take us for fools? Tomorrow, I’ll go to the Yongwenhou Residence and have a word about this.”
Setting aside the hidden conflicts among the younger generation, Prince Jia’s residence and the Yongwenhou Residence still maintained frequent interactions. Moreover, Princess Caiwei was known for her sweet words in front of elders. The mistress of the household was seriously ill, which didn’t matter much, but if this reached her father’s ears…
Wen Jiyue clenched her fingertips tightly.
She turned her gaze toward the palace entrance.
Why?
Why was Wen Qitian still alive?
She distinctly remembered the Emperor gifting the Yongwenhou Residence a large number of human skins. Assuming one of them belonged to Wen Qitian, she had dared to sneak into the palace and make those claims.
As her thoughts raced, Wen Jiyue had already reacted. Ignoring everyone else, she called out to Wen Qitian with feigned surprise. “Sister? How are you in the palace? Where have you been lately? Why haven’t you returned home?”
Wen Qitian looked bewildered. “Who are you?”
Wen Jiyue’s face stiffened, and she could faintly hear the snickers of those around her.
She was an illegitimate daughter who lived in the shadows. Her father had brought her into the residence as a maid, and she had suffered plenty of bullying from this legitimate elder sister in the past. Now, Wen Qitian was pretending not to know her—wasn’t this an indirect humiliation?
But what could she do? Her father had ordered her to be recognized as part of the family, and Wen Qitian had no say in the matter.
No matter how Wen Qitian had survived until now, Wen Jiyue knew she couldn’t change the facts.
Wen Jiyue forced a smile. “Sister, I know you don’t want to acknowledge me, but the Yongwenhou Residence is still your home. How can you be so willful? As the legitimate daughter, you should…”
“Wait!” Wen Qitian said with a strange expression. “I get it now. Are you trying to teach me how to behave?”
“…”
“I’m not even married yet, and you’re already thinking about becoming my husband’s concubine?”
Wen Jiyue was horrified. “Sister, what are you talking about?”
Everyone present was momentarily stunned, staring at Wen Qitian as if she had become a different person.
Seeing their confusion, Wen Qitian said innocently, “Calling each other ‘sisters’—isn’t that how a concubine addresses the main wife after marriage?”
Everyone: “…”
Wen Jiyue’s smile nearly cracked. She said awkwardly, “Sister, what are you talking about? I know you don’t like me. Usually, hitting or scolding me is fine, but after all, I am the Marquis’s… illegitimate daughter.”
The words “illegitimate daughter” stuck in her throat, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
The System also couldn’t hold back any longer: [Host, this is the female protagonist from “The Illegitimate Daughter Jiyue.” The current plot has progressed to the point where the female protagonist enters the palace, is bullied by the antagonist cannon fodder, and then tearfully seeks comfort from the male lead, making him pity her and help her deal with the cannon fodder. How do you not even recognize the female protagonist?]
Wen Qitian: I know, aren’t I also cannon fodder? Since we’re both cannon fodder, step aside and let me handle the female protagonist!!
[…]
Wen Qitian rubbed her hands together, completely immersed in the joy of being “cannon fodder.”
Of course, the main reason was her dissatisfaction with the plot.
The original host died in the first chapter as cannon fodder. Before her death, she had a group of cannon fodder girlfriends. Although these young ladies were sometimes overly delicate and occasionally spoke ill of the female protagonist, their actions didn’t warrant death.
Later, because they gossiped at this banquet and made the female protagonist feel wronged, they were quietly dealt with by the male lead.
Some were even thrown into the Qinglou. The male lead’s exact words were: “Since they look down on Jiyue for being an illegitimate daughter, I want to see what gives them the right to look down on her after they’ve been with everyone.”
To be honest, Wen Qitian found this part of the plot… indescribably repulsive.
The cannon fodder female antagonists were at fault, but they didn’t necessarily deserve such punishment.
So, she wanted to see what would happen if she stole this role—how the protective male lead would react.
Thus, Wen Qitian stared at the female protagonist, who was about to shed tears, and beat her to it by crying first.
“Wah wah wah, how could you accuse me? Someone as weak, pitiful, and helpless as me, a miserable woman abandoned by her own father and kicked out of the house, who has never even met you—how could I have had the chance to hit you? Wah! Wah! Wah!”
She deliberately raised her voice for the last few cries.
Wen Jiyue: “…”
Everyone: “…”
The cannon fodder girlfriends were instantly furious.
Yang Jiali’s grandfather and Wen Qitian’s uncle were both stationed at the northern border, and the girls were usually very close.
Yang Jiali, standing up for Wen Qitian, gathered a few girlfriends around her and angrily confronted Wen Jiyue.
“Does your Marquis’s household have any humanity? So Qitian was driven out by you, and now you come here pretending to be innocent.”
“Anyone would think Qitian bullied you, an illegitimate daughter. When Qitian was in the Marquis’s household, she had never even met you, an illegitimate daughter.”
“How dare you occupy someone else’s place?”
The accusations came one after another, something Wen Jiyue had never expected.
Her tears were halfway out—she had only been pretending to cry—but someone had beaten her to it.
Wen Jiyue was utterly baffled. Her legitimate sister was usually arrogant and willful, her behavior completely at odds with her innocent face. How had she learned to cry now?
Just as Wen Jiyue was at a loss, a loud shout came from outside the hall.
“Her Highness the Princess has arrived!”
At these words, all conflict vanished into thin air. Wen Jiyue felt relieved, grateful that the princess had arrived at this moment.
However, she soon realized she had relaxed too soon.
The princess was dressed splendidly, her demeanor noble, exuding an overbearing aura from head to toe.
She walked without glancing sideways, until suddenly, in the crowd, she spotted a little cutie.
The princess’s eyes lit up, and she stepped forward.
After everyone had paid their respects, all attention turned to this side, including Wen Jiyue. This was her first time interacting with noble young ladies, and her first encounter with a high-ranking princess. In the past, she wouldn’t have dared to speak, but now it seemed the princess was walking toward them.
She understood intuitively that this was an opportunity and couldn’t help but lower her head, taking small, hurried steps forward, intending to speak with the princess.
Unexpectedly, the princess didn’t even glance at her, stopping instead in front of Wen Qitian. “Tiantian, what’s wrong? Why are your eyes so red? Who bullied you?”
Although Wen Qitian was only pretending to cry, with few actual tears shed, her eyes were indeed red. Nan Fengyao’s first thought was that someone had bullied Wen Qitian, and her proud phoenix-like eyes swept over the surroundings.
Though she might seem timid around Nan Leli, in the eyes of others, she remained a figure not to be offended.
Even Princess Caiwei dared not act recklessly in her presence. At this moment, Yang Lijia boldly spoke up, “Who else could it be? She’s been bullied by a mere concubine-born daughter.”
Yang Lijia’s words carried an implication, and Nan Fengyao followed her gaze, her eyes gradually turning cold. “If I recall correctly, I did not send an invitation to Yongwenhou Residence.”
Wen Qitian was in the palace, and Lady Wen disliked attending such occasions, so Nan Fengyao hadn’t bothered them much. So where did this concubine-born daughter’s invitation come from?
Everyone was stunned. “Where did her invitation come from?”
Under the suspicious gazes of the crowd, Wen Jiyue felt as if needles were pricking her back. Naturally, the invitation had been given to her by that man. When she received it, she hadn’t thought the princess would notice her.
Currently, Wen Jiyue didn’t want to expose her secret meeting with a man. Her slender, willow-like figure swayed slightly, and she actually cast a pleading glance toward Wen Qitian.
Her beautiful eyes brimmed with tears, yet she restrained herself with a stubborn pride. When she looked silently at someone, if it were a man, he would undoubtedly feel that this woman was both gentle and strong, unique in her own way.
But Wen Qitian thought, Does this person have some kind of illness? If someone asks you a question, just answer it. Why are you staring at others?
Seeing that Wen Qitian had no intention of helping her, Wen Jiyue bit her lip and said with an air of aloofness, “Is Your Highness humiliating me? Although I am a concubine-born daughter, I still have my dignity. If you do not wish for me to be here, I shall leave.”
Nan Fengyao: “…”
The other young ladies: “…”
Wen Qitian: “…” Is this the legendary tactic of playing hard to get?
I’ve learned, I’ve learned. When I return, I’ll try this with His Majesty, the dear emperor.
Meanwhile, the man who had just finished the morning court session and was about to review memorials sneezed violently. He rubbed his nose inexplicably, his hawk-like eyes filled with faint confusion.
Since ascending the throne, he had never neglected his martial arts training. Apart from accidentally straining his back last time, he rarely fell ill or summoned the imperial physician. What was wrong today?
As he pondered, a figure flashed through his mind. He paused, then cursed irritably, “That wretched girl!”
Last night, she had actually added bitter melon juice to the pastries. It infuriated him!
Wasn’t it just because he had snatched a few bites of her food?
Grumbling, the man headed to Junlin Palace, planning to teach her a lesson tonight.
Unbeknownst to him, Wen Qitian, who was constantly on his mind, was having a great time. If someone wanted to leave, the princess naturally didn’t stop them. She unceremoniously drove the person away and then led the young ladies in eating, drinking, and having fun. Occasionally, they discussed music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, or whispered about which young men from which families were handsome.
Wen Qitian had been bored in the palace for a month, so being able to interact with these people was actually quite nice. Yang Jiali led her small team, circling around Wen Qitian and asking where she had been these past few days. Wen Qitian put on a serious face and said, “The dragon’s den and tiger’s lair!”
Yang Jiali burst out laughing. “After one trip, you’ve even learned to joke?”
In the past, Wen Qitian had never cracked a joke, but this was actually quite good—at least it made their interactions more relaxed.
While things were harmonious on this side, on the other, Wen Jiyue was covered in dust and driven out of the imperial palace. No one could have imagined that a princess of the nation would be so unreasonable as to publicly expel someone.
But what worried her most was still Wen Qitian. Swallowing her grievances, Wen Jiyue returned to the Yong’an Marquis Estate and went straight to find her mother.
Sunlight filtered through the carved wooden window into the room, casting dappled shadows on the peonies. The entire pot of flowers exuded an air of elegance and luxury…
By the window, a beautiful woman held a pair of scissors, trimming the branches and leaves. Hearing hurried footsteps, she didn’t turn her head but spoke softly, “How many times have I told you? You are now a young lady of a noble family. Your temperament must not be impatient, and you must walk slowly and steadily. If outsiders see you like this, they will surely mock you. How will you ever find a good husband in the future?”
“Mother,” Wen Jiyue said dejectedly, “Wen Qitian isn’t dead. The skins sent from the palace don’t include hers.”
Snip!
The entire peony blossom was cut off. The woman turned around, her eyes—identical to Wen Jiyue’s—shimmering with hidden emotions.
“What did you say?”
[Author’s Note]
Tiantian: “Watch me use a whimpering monster to defeat the tea monster!”
Original Male Lead: “Let me see who’s bullying my Jiyue.”
Tyrant Draws His Sword: “What nonsense are you spouting? What do you think you’re doing to my treasure?”
Original Male Lead: “Your Majesty, never mind then…”
The original male lead is both incompetent and “devoted” to his wife—a self-absorbed character who, for the sake of his own interests, is willing to let his wife suffer.