This was a classic "everyone-loves-her" novel. The female lead, Jiang Ruoyu, was the legitimate daughter of the Earl of Suining's household. Due to her fate as a Heavenly Calamity Lone Star, she was sent to live in a remote Taoist temple as a child, where she coincidentally learned formidable Gu arts.
After returning to the capital, she fought her stepmother, seized control of the household, and engaged in all sorts of scum-punishing and face-slapping.
She was also stunningly beautiful. There was the wild and arrogant young general; the gentle and refined son of a marquis; the dark and obsessive Chief Judge of the Dali Temple; the cold and aloof number-one martial artist of the jianghu; and even the unattainable Crown Prince, as distant as the moon in the sky. All these exceptional men were smitten with her.
What left the deepest impression was the novel's synopsis—it was dripping with steamy promises, full of ambiguous tension and male rivalry in a Shura Field that made readers' faces flush and hearts burn.
She had assumed it was one of those fast-paced multi-male-lead stories, but the author was clearly selling dog meat under a sheep's head!
Every handsome and capable male character in the book had some ambiguous relationship with the female lead. The infuriating part was that it was all just ambiguity—why not actually have something happen with them?!
Even more infuriating, the female lead had all these quality men to choose from, yet in the end, she went and became the Crown Prince's secondary consort.
It was under a highly-commented male-rivalry Shura Field scene that she, with itchy fingers, had followed the trend and commented:
—"Girl, you're eating this well. Let me in to act for two episodes."
And then she actually transmigrated!
Unfortunately, she wasn't the female lead. She had become the wife of the fourth male lead—a character who didn't even have a name. In the book, she was always referred to as "Ruan, Consort of the Heir Apparent of the Duke of Jin's Mansion."
In the book, the original owner's ways of courting death included, but were not limited to: gossiping about the female lead behind her back, which drew the attention of the divine physician male supporting character to the female lead; stealing the female lead's spotlight only to accidentally gift her a great opportunity; and drugging the female lead, which accelerated the romance between the male and female leads…
She kept bouncing around until near the grand finale, when she was caught committing adultery with her brother-in-law, betrayed by her lover, and thrown into a fire to be burned alive.
After reviewing the plot, Ruan Nanxi felt her new identity wasn't too bad.
The original owner had caused that much trouble, and after marrying Xiao Ye, she still managed to survive for several hundred chapters before being written off.
And the timeline she had transmigrated into was perfect—the original owner hadn't started courting death yet. She didn't like Xiao Ye anyway. As long as he gave her enough money, Xiao Ye could stay away from home all he wanted. If he asked even one extra question, it would make her, the nominal wife, seem unreasonable.
She had no career ambitions either. She just wanted to eat and drink every day and live as a happy salted fish.
As long as she didn't actively provoke or antagonize the female lead, she should be fine just lying low.
Having thought all this through, Ruan Nanxi hummed a tune as she spread banknotes all over the big bed, rolled around happily in the pile of money several times, and let out a series of maniacal laughter.
That laughter reached the ears of the maids and matrons keeping watch outside, and combined with the howling north wind beyond the courtyard, it instantly transformed into the desperate wailing of a lovelorn woman.
Thus, the news that "the Consort of the Heir Apparent was crying from heartbreak over being left alone in an empty room" spread through the Duke's Mansion like the wind—and naturally reached the study where Xiao Ye was.
Xiao Ye lay on the narrow, hard bed, restless and tormented for half the night because of that sentence.
Ruan Nanxi, on the other hand, was nestled in soft silk quilts, hogging the entire three-meter-wide bed, sleeping more comfortably than words could describe.
…
She slept until dawn, when she was roused by her maids. She needed to go to the main courtyard to serve tea to her in-laws.
A matron with a long face walked in.
She gave Ruan Nanxi a perfunctory bend of the knee. "This servant is the head matron of Madam's courtyard. I've been sent by Madam to collect the virginity cloth."
When she received a cloth whiter than her own face, her expression immediately darkened.
"It's already broad daylight. Third Young Madam had better hurry over to the main courtyard to pay respects and serve tea. Don't delay the auspicious hour."
Without giving Ruan Nanxi a chance to respond, she turned and left with a stern face.
Ruan Nanxi frowned in confusion. Her in-laws couldn't possibly not know that Xiao Ye hadn't stayed in her room last night. This display now was clearly meant to put the new bride in her place.
But she clearly remembered that in the original novel, the original owner Ruan and her mother-in-law, Madam Xiao, had a very good relationship!
Ruan Nanxi ran her hands through her hair in frustration. Ugh! Was this going to be a domestic power struggle? But she couldn't even manage the most basic skill of domestic warfare—"not letting joy or anger show on one's face"—so how was she supposed to fight?
Forget it. She'd go over and see what was happening first.
When Xiao Ye arrived, the two walked in silence to the main flower hall.
The atmosphere in the hall was lively at the moment. Xiao Ye's parents sat at the head, with Xiao Ye's two cousins and their families seated below.
A handsome young man sitting beside Madam Xiao had just said something that made the women laugh.
But the moment they saw the couple approach, the laughter abruptly stopped, and the Duke and Duchess of Jin at the head immediately darkened their expressions.
Seeing this, Ruan Nanxi's heart plummeted to the bottom.
[What the hell, no way! Am I really this unwelcome in my in-laws' house? They're already making faces before I've even reached them! Ugh! Then I'm definitely going to be tormented to death later!]
Hearing Ruan Nanxi's inner voice again, Xiao Ye couldn't help but feel astonished. Knowing she had misunderstood, he was about to explain.
Just then, the handsome young man walked over and warmly took Xiao Ye's arm,
"Oh, Third Brother, why are you all so late? Father and Mother were up bright and early!
It's cold outside, come in quickly. Nanny Wang, bring tea!"
Xiao Ye frowned and shook off his touch, his face instantly turning cold. Ignoring him, he tugged at Ruan Nanxi's sleeve and made to walk inside.
Xiao Tianci, carried by the force of the shove, swayed as if about to fall. He raised his head with a hurt and aggrieved expression, looking utterly fragile and pitiful.
"Third Brother, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I didn't follow your instructions to persuade Father and Mother to help you annul the marriage. It's only right that you're angry with me."
"But this is a marriage bestowed by the Emperor. If we annul it on our own, that would be defying the imperial decree. It wouldn't matter much if I were implicated, but Father and Mother raised me all these years—I truly can't bear to see them incur the Emperor's wrath!"
Xiao Ye glared at him, so furious he raised his fist. "What act are you putting on now? When did I ever ask you to—"
"Enough."
The Duchess of Jin, seated at the head of the hall, slammed her hand on the table.
"On such a joyous day, what are you two squabbling about?"
She then fixed a furious glare on Xiao Ye.
"You're a married man now—how can you still be so immature? Tianci is your younger brother, not some Beidi enemy. Can you stop talking about fighting and killing at every turn?"
Before Xiao Ye could explain, Xiao Tianci's eyes reddened as he spoke up first:
"Mother, don't say any more. After all, I'm not truly a member of the Xiao family. Third Brother suffered for over a decade at the northern border, while I—a wild child with no blood relation—enjoyed Father and Mother's care and companionship all these years. It's only natural that Third Brother harbors resentment."
He sniffled, rose to his feet with difficulty, and cast a sorrowful, broken gaze at the Duke and Duchess of Jin.
"Perhaps I should just leave! That way Third Brother might feel better, and Father and Mother won't have to be caught in the middle between us anymore."
Ruan Nanxi blinked rapidly as she watched.
What on earth was happening? These classic lines, one after another—this was a true daughter… no, wait, a true son versus false son drama!
So the one who needed to engage in domestic power struggles wasn't her—it was Xiao Ye.
She swept her gaze around the room. Father and Mother Xiao wore furious expressions, yet their looks at Xiao Tianci were filled with guilt and pity.
Xiao Ye's two older cousins were also glaring at him with reproachful eyes, clearly siding with Xiao Tianci.
As for the two cousins' wives—one sat watching the show with an air of indifference, while the other parted her lips as if to speak, but then thought better of it and fell silent, mindful of her husband's stance.
Turning to Xiao Ye beside her, she saw his fists clenched so tightly they were white, his thin lips pressed into a straight line. His sharp, defined jaw was taut, and those beautiful starry eyes blazed with fury—yet deep within them swirled a hint of grievance.
Ruan Nanxi couldn't help but marvel inwardly. That look—he really had the whole "stubborn little white flower" vibe going on!