001 Rebirth and Rejecting the Marriage
“By His Majesty’s oral decree: Lady Su is a calamitous beauty who brought ruin upon the realm, harmed the innocent, and committed unpardonable crimes. She is hereby bestowed a cup of imperial wine…”
In a desolate side courtyard, Su Niao curled up in excruciating agony after being forced to drink the poisoned wine. Her body convulsed continuously as her consciousness gradually slipped away.
In truth, she had already guessed it would end like this. That supreme monarch—pure as a deep abyss, untainted as flawless jade, so noble, lofty, and dignified—had suffered such torment and humiliation at her hands when he lost his memory and wandered among commoners… It would be a wonder if he didn’t kill her.
Yet, whenever she recalled Xie Chenyan bound before her with ropes in such an ignominious posture—suffering through the torment of the aphrodisiac and her hands, denied all release, glaring at her with bloodshot, terrifying eyes—Su Niao felt a strange sense of vindication amidst her pain!
So what if he killed her? That kind of humiliation and manipulation was something that cold, aloof supreme monarch could never wash away for the rest of his days… She, too, had settled a score!
Still, it hurt so terribly!
In her daze, Su Niao seemed to hear a flurry of disordered voices echoing deep within her consciousness.
“Whoa, the cannon fodder is offline!”
“What a waste of that gorgeous face.”
“Does this even make sense? How can someone so pretty be cannon fodder? Are you telling me the female lead’s plain, passerby face lets her beat Su Niao in every single way just because she’s the female lead… That’s so fake, isn’t it?”
“Was this written by some average girl as a self-insert fantasy? The ‘I might be ugly, but I’m gentle, so everyone loves me’ kind of trope?”
“Su Niao really had the worst luck. Top-tier looks, top-tier background, but totally brainless…”
“That’s just how a 2D character cannon fodder is. Who needs logic as long as it gives the female lead a sense of triumph… Hasn’t this kind of writing gone out of style yet?”
“The higher her cannon fodder value, the stronger the female lead halo. Conversely, the stronger the female lead halo, the more of a cannon fodder she becomes… The premise is quite novel, but the author’s writing is pretty mediocre.”
Amidst that clamorous, chaotic chatter, she thought she heard the courtyard gate being kicked open. Then, it felt as though someone had lifted her into their arms.
She could no longer see anything. She could only vaguely hear someone calling her name, sounding crazed and possessed… She murmured, yet could only squeeze out a single word: “Hurts.”
That person seemed to pull her tightly against his chest. Her final trace of awareness was the faint, fleeting scent of green jade ambergris…
Su Niao snapped her eyes open. Her breath was rapid and ragged, her head buzzing violently.
“Niaoniao, what is wrong with you? Why aren’t you speaking?”
A gentle, amused female voice held a hint of bewilderment and subtle warning.
Su Niao looked up blankly. When her eyes took in the two splendidly dressed noblewomen beside her and on the raised dais across from her, the lavishly spacious palace hall, and the frantic pounding of her own heart, a violent shock roared through her mind.
Hadn’t she been poisoned to death? Why was she here?
Hadn’t her mother already disowned her? How could she look at her with such gentle, pleasant affection…
“Look at this child. Why has she suddenly been struck dumb?”
The speaker was Su Niao’s mother, Lady Dingguo, Liu Ruyu.
She shook her head with helpless amusement. “Ah, a daughter grown is a daughter lost.”
Those familiar words caused Su Niao to snap her head up. The moment she caught sight of Xie Qinglan opposite her, dressed in a cloud-patterned brocade robe, she instantly realized what was happening.
She had been put to death with a cup of poisoned wine, yet the moment she opened her eyes, she was right back to the day the imperial marriage was arranged between her and the Fifth Prince, Xie Qinglan.
Su Niao stared blankly at Xie Qinglan, who was a few years younger than she remembered, still carrying an unabated, sharp youthful arrogance. Xie Qinglan gave a cold huff and turned his face away, clearly sulking at her.
She remembered now. Yes, on this day of the betrothal decree, she had engaged in a fierce quarrel with him because Xie Qinglan had given a luminous night pearl—one that was meant for her—to her sister, Su Xuan.
Xie Qinglan had been even angrier than her, saying, “With Su Xuan’s drab and plain appearance, could you truly suspect I harbor any improper thoughts toward her? It is only because she is your sister, and she was the only noble lady at the banquet who did not receive a reward. I merely did not wish to see her pitiable state bring shame upon you.”
He had found Su Xuan pitiable, so he gave her the night pearl. Later on, he found Su Xuan increasingly pitiable and delicate… while Su Niao became the domineering, venomous shrew in his eyes.
Su Niao snapped out of her stupor, her entire body going numb.
Had she been blind or utterly insane in her past life? To actually cast everything aside and insist on marrying such an unlucky blight, even as a side consort!
It was utterly absurd!
On the upper dais, Xie Qinglan’s birth mother, Consort Rong, also shook her head with a chuckle. “Look at these two young ones, still making eyes at each other right there.”
Liu Ruyu also raised her sleeve to stifle a soft laugh.
Su Niao felt scorched inside and out by the phrase “making eyes.” Seeing the turn of events, she spoke up at once: “May it please Your Ladyship to forgive me… This humble daughter cannot marry the Fifth Prince.”
With that single sentence, the lighthearted atmosphere in the hall instantly froze.
Xie Qinglan had merely been sulking. Hearing Su Niao say this, he assumed she was still throwing a fit over him giving the night pearl to Su Xuan. He flared up in fury on the spot. “Are you actually using our marriage to throw a tantrum?”
Su Niao had always been willful and pampered, frequently acting up until Xie Qinglan had a pounding headache. But today was no ordinary occasion. His face darkened completely. “You had best think this through. Utter such words before my imperial mother, and there will be no room for regret!”
He knew how desperately Su Niao wanted to marry him, so he was convinced she wouldn’t dare make a scene over their betrothal.
Yet, Su Niao looked at him with utmost sincerity. “I will never regret it.”
With that, she turned toward Consort Rong on the dais and raised her voice: “It is not that this humble daughter does not know what is good for her, but rather that there are hidden truths behind this matter. The reason the Fifth Prince treated me with special regard in the beginning was because I once saved him at Taiye Pool… But the truth is, the person who saved him was not me, but my elder sister, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Dingguo’s household, Su Xuan.”
Su Niao pleaded guilty, saying, “When this humble daughter first became acquainted with the Fifth Prince, I did not know His Highness mistook me for his savior simply because of a pendant I was wearing. That pendant was a gift from my sister… When I later learned the truth, I explained everything to her.
“My sister said that perhaps this was fate between the Fifth Prince and me, and that she was willing to fulfill our happiness. Only then did this humble daughter choose to conceal it.”
Su Niao looked up at Consort Rong. “However, just now, when Your Ladyship mentioned the marriage between the Fifth Prince and me, this humble daughter was overjoyed yet deeply unsettled. After weighing it over and over, I cannot bear to conceal the truth any longer. Thus, I report the facts, hoping Your Ladyship will see clearly.”
A dead silence instantly fell over the opulent palace hall.
Xie Qinglan froze in place, unable to process what he had just heard.
Frowning, he asked Su Niao, “So… the person who saved me back then was Su Xuan?”
That plain-looking, utterly fragile woman who looked timid and barely dared to meet his eyes every time they crossed paths?
Su Niao nodded. “Precisely.”
Xie Qinglan grew somewhat incensed. “Then why do you only speak up now? What were you doing earlier?”
Seeing his self-righteous attitude that blamed everyone else, Su Niao felt nothing but disgust and instantly snapped back, “When Your Highness took the initiative to approach me back then, you never stated from the start that it was to repay a life-saving debt! By the time I found out, the entire capital already knew we were keeping each other’s company… Your Highness’s life-saving grace matters, but is a maiden’s reputation worth nothing at all?”
Xie Qinglan was furious. “You still dare to make excuses?”
Su Niao challenged him, “Just tell me whether what I said is the truth or not!”
Xie Qinglan: “…”
Su Niao looked away, ignoring him, and continued addressing Consort Rong: “Choosing to tell Your Ladyship the truth today is proof of this humble daughter’s sincerity. Your Ladyship, as you can see, His Highness perhaps values that life-saving grace above all else. In that case, it is better not to mention the marriage at all.”
She didn’t want to get tangled up with this unlucky nuisance for another second.
With the two of them bickering, Consort Rong began to develop a headache.
Su Niao subtly prompted her, “Your Ladyship, this humble daughter has spoken the truth, which counts as honesty. I beg you not to blame me, seeing that I recognize my mistake and am willing to make amends.”
Consort Rong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I haven’t even spoken yet, and you’ve already found an excuse to absolve yourself?”
Su Niao immediately replied, “Your Ladyship’s mind is as clear as a mirror. Naturally, you know this matter cannot be blamed on this humble daughter alone.”
In truth, she knew that even if she didn’t say it now, her “timid, gentle, and kind” dear sister would soon step forward publicly to reveal the truth, pinning her—the cannon fodder—firmly onto the pillar of shame!
That was exactly how it had happened in her past life. Su Xuan had told her with a sweet smile that she was willing to step aside, advising her not to tell Xie Qinglan the truth. Yet the very moment the oral decree for the marriage was about to fall, Su Xuan stood up, weeping, and declared that she was the Fifth Prince’s true savior, turning Su Niao into a target for everyone’s scorn.
Almost immediately afterward, an old wet nurse beside her mother unexpectedly exposed the truth: Su Niao, the second young miss of the Duke’s household, was not her mother’s biological daughter at all.
Overnight, she went from the doted-upon second young miss of a Duke’s residence and the Fifth Prince’s betrothed to an imposter occupying the nest, an opportunistic schemer who stole the eldest daughter’s credit. Publicly rebuked, her status was demoted to that of a mere side consort.
Meanwhile, Su Xuan, the fragile, virtuous, and legitimate eldest young miss of the Duke’s household, became the Fifth Prince’s primary consort.
In her past life, Su Niao had been blinded by folly, actually accepting the role of Xie Qinglan’s side consort, becoming the laughingstock of the city.
Afterward, step by step, she was framed and backed into a corner by that sister who had once seemed weak and fragile. Her reputation grew worse by the day until she was finally branded a vicious woman who had poisoned the child in her sister’s womb. She was confined to a remote side courtyard and subjected to harsh mistreatment.
Her adoptive parents severed ties with this “wicked” foster daughter for the sake of their flesh and blood.
From then on, she fell into an endless, mortal struggle with Su Xuan. One wrong step led to another… until she was driven to the dead end of drinking poisoned wine.
Recalling her past life where she acted as though possessed, and thinking of the chaotic voices when her consciousness faded, Su Niao subtly clenched her fists.
All of that had happened simply because she was fated to be a cannon fodder supporting female lead?
The unluckier she was, the luckier Su Xuan became? The more she acted like cannon fodder, the brighter Su Xuan’s female lead halo shone?
Nonsense!
It was painfully clear that Su Xuan was simply her jinx!
Glancing across at Xie Qinglan again, Su Niao nodded inwardly: Yes, an unlucky pair of nuisances!
Consort Rong let out a sigh and turned to her son. “Old Fifth, what do you say?”
She reminded him, “If you favor Niaoniao for who she is, then who saved you back then has nothing to do with the marriage. But if the one you wish to marry is your savior, you now know that person is someone else.”
Xie Qinglan fell silent.
When he first learned that Su Niao had saved him, he had indeed been overjoyed.
Su Niao was famously breathtaking. Though spoiled and prone to throwing fits, she could laugh and play alongside him, and they had genuinely been in love.
Yet over the past half year, he had found Su Niao increasingly overbearing. Without realizing it, he had gradually begun to notice her plain-looking elder sister, Su Xuan.
In the past, he wouldn’t have spared a second glance for a woman with such ordinary looks.
However, whenever he spent time with Su Niao, Su Xuan would often accompany her younger sister. Xie Qinglan had begun to pay attention to her at some point, gradually discovering that compared to her self-centered sister who was always surrounded like a moon by stars, Su Xuan was exceptionally gentle and docile.
Overshadowed by her sister’s brilliance, she always hid in the quietest corner of the crowd, ignored by everyone. It truly stirred a sense of pity.
Giving Su Xuan the night pearl meant for Su Niao this time was also because he saw she was the only one without a reward. Looking at her shrinking behind the crowd as if forgotten by all, looking so pitiable, his heart had softened.
He never imagined that timid, cowardly woman was actually his savior.
Now, hearing his mother ask whether he truly wanted to marry Su Niao for herself or out of gratitude for the savior in his heart, Xie Qinglan instinctively looked toward Su Niao, who was kneeling on the floor.
Su Niao’s heart seized up. Terrified that this unlucky nuisance might still want to marry her, she shot him a venomous glare, provoking him with practiced ease.
Sure enough, Xie Qinglan was instantly incensed!
He didn’t even need to think to know that if he gave in to Su Niao today, she would certainly adopt an arrogant posture in the future, boasting that he had begged to marry her. It was infuriating and stifling!
In contrast, in front of Su Xuan, he had always felt completely at ease, basking in the gaze of her adoring eyes. She was gentle and understanding.
Xie Qinglan raised his voice and declared, “This son always believed Su Niao was the one who saved me back then, which is why I tolerated and grew close to her in every way.”
The underlying meaning was clear: his kindness to Su Niao and his intent to marry her were solely because she was his savior.
If the savior was someone else, the person he wished to marry would naturally be someone else as well.
With a single sentence, he completely erased nearly two years of mutual affection between him and Su Niao.
Having said that, Xie Qinglan cast a sidelong glance at Su Niao, scoffing silently.
He waited for her to throw a tantrum, argue with him, or even jump up and threaten to break things off… That proud little peacock would never be able to swallow this humiliation. He wanted to see her wallow in regret.
Yet, to his utter surprise, Su Niao did not show the slightest hint of grievance or anger. Instead, she looked as though a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Then, she said with false courtesy, “It seems this humble daughter lacks the destiny to be with Your Highness. I hereby wish Your Highness may fulfill your heart’s desire and have a blissful marriage.”
Xie Qinglan: “…”
From above, Consort Rong spoke with a sigh of resignation, “If that is the case, let us treat today as nothing more than catching up in the palace. We shall leave other matters aside for now. What do you think, Ruyu?”
Consort Rong and Liu Ruyu were childhood friends. Knowing that the disruption of the marriage today was, in the end, her own daughter’s fault, Liu Ruyu agreed without hesitation.
She glared at her younger daughter. “I’ll settle the score with you once we get home.”
Su Niao lowered her eyes… She knew in her heart that after today, such vibrant, affectionate scenes would never appear on Liu Ruyu’s face again.
Seeing the marriage on the verge of being dropped entirely, Xie Qinglan’s expression tautened, and he instinctively opened his mouth to speak. But turning to see Su Niao’s completely placid expression, the urge instantly vanished.
Why should he always be the one to back down?!
He had already explained that the night pearl had been given away on a whim, yet she refused to believe him and insisted on pushing things to this point… Rather than dealing with this constantly after marriage, it would be far better to choose the gentle, docile Su Xuan.
A day would come when Su Niao would regret this!
Just then, a eunuch announced the arrival of Emperor Jiaheng. Duke Dingguo, Su Xun, was waiting outside.
“Hearing that his wife had not yet returned, Minister Su came all this way to escort his wife and daughter home. Beloved Consort, why are you still holding them back to chat endlessly?”
Emperor Jiaheng walked in with a hearty chuckle. Though somewhat pale, his spirits were fairly good. Consort Rong led the others forward to pay their respects.
According to the original plan, Consort Rong would take advantage of the presence of the mother and daughter of the Su family to mention that Su Niao and her son were childhood sweethearts. Emperor Jiaheng, grasping his beloved consort’s intent, would then seal the marriage decree… But now that circumstances had changed, Consort Rong naturally would not bring it up, and Liu Ruyu appropriately took her leave.
Everything was proceeding smoothly, without a single ripple… until a tearful female voice suddenly rang out from outside the palace doors.
“May it please Your Majesty, Your Ladyship, this humble daughter, Su Xuan, has a matter to report.”
In an instant, everyone in the hall wore a different expression.
Su Niao slowly lowered her gaze, the corners of her lips tugging upward…
This time, she had revealed the truth first, and had already told Emperor Jiaheng and Consort Rong that it was Su Xuan who claimed she wished to step aside for her sister’s happiness.
Having claimed she wished to step aside, Su Xuan was now stepping forward to expose the matter anyway. Furthermore, since no imperial marriage decree had been issued yet, even if she exposed it, it wouldn’t cause any harm… Once her wonderful elder sister, who had plotted so meticulously for this dramatic reveal, found out about all of this, what kind of expression would she make?