“Mu Zian! It’s true that I’ve received a lot of help from you, but that doesn’t mean I accept your feelings!”
“Although there is a marriage contract between us, I am the first female marquis of the Great Li Empire, a role model for all women under heaven. You, however, are merely a commoner without rank. How could you possibly be worthy of me?”
“Still, I, Lu Yunxue, am not someone who forgets gratitude. After I marry Brother Pei, you can continue living in the Marquis’ residence. Your status as my husband won’t change.”
“But I won’t share a bed with you. When Brother Pei and I have children in the future, I will ensure your needs are taken care of in your old age. You can rest easy.”
In front of the Heroine Marquis’ Residence, a noisy crowd gathered.
Mu Zian stood there, slightly dazed, looking ahead.
Seated atop a dark red steed was Lu Yunxue, clad in soft armor, a longsword at her waist, a short bow slung over her back.
Her waterfall-like hair draped casually to her waist. The eyes that once curved like crescent moons when she smiled now looked down coldly, devoid of emotion.
Before he could react, countless memories surged into his mind like a tidal wave.
Noticing Mu Zian’s unfocused eyes, Lu Yunxue frowned and raised her voice again,
“Do you even realize how great the gap is between us now?”
“These past three years, I led armies north against the Xiongnu, south against the Baiyue, expanding the territory by thousands of li!”
“The Emperor personally dispatched an eight-hundred-li urgent decree to grant me the title of Heroine Marquis and gifted me an estate in the prime land of the capital.”
“This sword in my hand is soaked with the blood of countless enemies, built upon achievements no one could rival.”
“And you? Incapable of both civil and martial arts, unable to lift a chicken with your bare hands, without a shred of learning or talent. You can neither write to stabilize the Empire nor mount a horse to settle the world.”
“Without the title of the Patriarch’s heir, you would be no different from a stray dog begging on the roadside!”
“You are utterly unworthy of me!”
“I, Lu Yunxue, will live my own life and pursue my own happiness!”
As the searing pain faded, the memories of the two souls gradually merged, and Mu Zian finally regained his senses.
Looking at the crowd gathered around to watch the spectacle, Mu Zian felt a bit helpless.
Good news! He had transmigrated, and into the body of the heir to the Great Li Empire’s State-Stabilizing Duke’s residence—a top-tier noble!
Bad news! His wife-to-be seemed to have found a new lover, and judging from the situation, the green grass atop his head could now sustain galloping horses.
Lu Yunxue, seated on horseback, wore an expression of arrogance, as if her chin wasn’t high enough and she wished she had eyes on it to look down on him.
As a veteran keyboard warrior from his previous life, Mu Zian instantly slipped into character.
The onlookers murmured amongst themselves; such drama among noble houses was a rare sight.
“The Heroine Marquis truly lives up to her name as the model for all women! If only I had her courage to pursue my own happiness.”
“Mu Zian has really brought disgrace to the State-Stabilizing Duke’s residence!”
Everyone showed varied expressions, but without exception, all looked down on Mu Zian with disdain.
After all, in a feudal Empire, men were supposed to be superior. To be publicly humiliated by his fiancée—such a thing was almost unheard of in the annals of history.
No wonder everyone despised him.
The original owner of this body, Mu Zian, was the ultimate king of simps! The Li Zongheng of the Great Li Empire!
It must be known that three years ago, Lu Yunxue was just a widow of a soldier, taken in by the State-Stabilizing Duke’s residence.
Yet the former Mu Zian fell for her at first sight and pledged eternal devotion.
Ever since, whatever Lu Yunxue wanted, Mu Zian would strive to provide.
Lu Yunxue said she liked peach blossoms, so Mu Zian spent three million taels to plant peach trees all over the capital.
Lu Yunxue said she wanted to study literature, so Mu Zian used the connections of the State-Stabilizing Duke’s residence to invite Fang Yongbo, one of the Eight Great Families, to personally teach her.
Later, when Lu Yunxue said she wanted to inherit her late father’s will, Mu Zian not only invited Li Jiuxuan, the top swordsman in the Great Li Empire, but also broke precedent to allow her, a woman, to join the military.
When the then Duke Mu Zhanying fell in battle while suppressing an enemy state, and his mother died from grief, everyone thought Mu Zian would restrain his obsession with Lu Yunxue.
Unexpectedly, it completely unchained his simp tendencies.
To let Lu Yunxue fulfill her dream of making military achievements, Mu Zian even gave up the title of Patriarch of the State-Stabilizing Duke’s residence!
He elevated Lu Yunxue from a mere assistant general to a commander-in-chief and handed her the elite Vanguard Battalion.
With their fierce bravery, Lu Yunxue won battle after battle.
Meanwhile, Mu Zian was not idle. He personally carried his father’s coffin into the palace to plead for Lu Yunxue’s title of Heroine Marquis.
He even sold all the assets of the State-Stabilizing Duke’s residence to buy her an estate in the capital. To protect her pride, he claimed it was a gift from the Emperor.
Furthermore, he supervised the construction of her residence day and night, sparing no expense on precious wood and stone.
He cared for Lu Yunxue’s mother and younger cousin with the utmost dedication, granting their every request.
All this effort was for the day Lu Yunxue would return victorious, so they could finally be together.
However! At this moment! All of Mu Zian’s years of devotion had only earned him such a pitiful ending.
Mu Zian took a deep breath and asked coldly,
“Have you forgotten all those vows we made?”
“Who wasn’t impulsive in youth? After three years on the battlefield, witnessing countless deaths, I am no longer that naive girl in the tower,” Lu Yunxue said.
“You must understand that people grow. Brother Pei is someone who can grow with me.”
A faint blush appeared on Lu Yunxue’s face, as if savoring a memory.
“On the battlefield of corpses and blood, we fought side by side. Beneath the starry skies of the Xiongnu grasslands, we shared our deepest thoughts!”
“That is the ideal husband I seek! As for you, you are just a pitiful man living in his own world.”
Mu Zian was stunned. Was this the strength of a top-tier heartbreaker? If the Great Li Empire used your face as a city wall, no barbarian could ever breach it!
He not only had to raise another man’s wife but also help raise his children?
She must be out of her mind.
At this moment, Mu Zian finally abandoned the last shred of fantasy he had for Lu Yunxue.
Suddenly, a cold mechanical voice sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Host’s resentment detected. Strongest Choice System activated!]
[The system grants rewards based on different choices!]
[Ding! Choices have been generated!]
[Choice 1: Endure Lu Yunxue’s aggressive humiliation and continue to sacrifice for her silently. Reward: An Heirloom Green Hat.]
[Choice 2: Retaliate against Lu Yunxue’s aggression and sever ties completely. Reward: Power of the Fierce Tiger, strength of 5,000 kilograms in one punch.]
[Please make your choice!]
Indeed! Women only slow my blade!
A simp stays a simp, ending up with nothing!
Since I have inherited this body, I will walk this life anew!
From today onwards, I, Mu Zian, will live for myself!
At this thought, Mu Zian suddenly burst into laughter. Then he looked at Lu Yunxue and said coldly,
“No matter how grand your words, they cannot hide your shamelessness!”
“Three years apart, and you’ve abandoned all sense of propriety, justice, integrity, and honor!”
“With a marriage contract still binding, you seduced another man—this is disloyalty.”
“Despite your achievements, you are rude to your benefactor—this is injustice.”
“Publicly insulting the descendant of a nobel—this is inhumanity.”
“My parents treated you like their own daughter, yet you never once visited their graves—this is unfilial.”
Mu Zian’s voice thundered like a great bell, shaking everyone present.
Lu Yunxue, still on horseback, was momentarily stunned.
But Mu Zian did not stop and continued loudly, “Such a person, unfilial, unjust, disloyal, inhumane, is unworthy to be the daughter-in-law of the Mu family!”
With that, Mu Zian pulled out the marriage contract he always kept close, tore it into pieces, and tossed them into the air like scattering flowers.
“Remember this day well! I, Mu Zian, hereby divorce this shameless woman! From now on, you have nothing to do with the State-Stabilizing Duke’s residence!”
The crowd immediately burst into cheers.
Lu Yunxue’s face turned cold as she locked her killing intent onto Mu Zian.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for making a choice! Reward has been issued. Would you like to use it now?]
Standing amidst the fluttering scraps of paper, Mu Zian clasped his hands behind his back like a banished immortal and said without hesitation, “Use it immediately!”
***
Hi everyone! Thanks for checking out this translation. This is my first time translating an ancient CN into English, and I’m also a new translator on this site. I’ll do my best to bring you clear and enjoyable chapters. Thanks so much for your support and patience as I learn and grow! 🌸