Inside a magnificent and opulent palace.
“Princess, please taste this grape. It is exceptionally sweet.” A soft male voice sounded as slender, fair fingers offered a peeled, translucent grape to Mu Yao’s lips.
Mu Yao parted her red lips and took the grape into her mouth. With a gentle bite of her pearly teeth, the crisp flesh and sweet juice burst across her palate, spreading to every corner of her mouth.
Promptly, another hand reached out from the side holding a handkerchief to catch the seed she spat out.
In the midst of enjoying her fruit, Mu Yao received the plot transmission from System Eleven in her mind.
She was a Fox Spirit who had cultivated for a thousand years. She had traveled to these Mini-worlds solely to awaken this System’s master.
The person she transmigrated into this time was also named Mu Yao, the Grand Princess of Tianqi, whose marriage had been betrothed to Li Hongche, the heir of Prince Duan.
The original host had loved Li Hongche since childhood, but he did not care for her in the slightest. His heart belonged entirely to Zhao Miaomiao, the concubine-born daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue.
Perhaps out of spite, or perhaps to save face, the original host began gathering handsome young men from all over, which only made Li Hongche despise her even more.
Under Zhao Miaomiao’s instigations and frame-ups, the relationship between the original host and Li Hongche deteriorated further.
Later on, Li Hongche sowed discord between the host and her younger brother—the current emperor, Mu Chen—causing her to be demoted and banished to her fiefdom. Li Hongche’s men had long laid in ambush along the way.
Those men captured her alive and tortured her to death.
[Because we borrowed the host’s body to carry out our mission here, we must help fulfill her wish. Otherwise, we will be expelled by her body.]
Eleven looked at Mu Yao with a hint of caution in his eyes, seemingly afraid she might be displeased. [Her wish is to seek revenge.]
A faint trace of interest flashed across Mu Yao’s eyes. [Understood.]
Just as Mu Yao was conversing with Eleven, a man’s voice echoed from the courtyard.
“Heh, Her Royal Highness truly enjoys good fortune.”
Yet the voice carried poorly concealed mockery and contempt.
Stepping inside, the man saw Mu Yao reclining on the couch dressed in vibrant crimson, the sheer red gauze draping over her shapely figure.
Her ink-black hair cascaded casually down her back. A few strands trailed along her slender neck across her chest, slipping into the folds of her robe and resting closely against her jade-white skin.
Rising and falling with her gentle breaths, the sight stirred boundless imagination.
On her exquisite and alluring face, a faint smile lingered in her upturned peach-blossom eyes. The crimson-tinted corners of her eyes curled upward, shimmering with an alluring, liquid radiance.
Surrounding her was a group of varied young men—some gentle, some cool, some charming—leaning close beside her couch.
From afar, it resembled a living, breathing portrait of decadent beauty.
Seeing this scene, the disgust and annoyance in the man’s eyes deepened.
Mu Yao lifted her gaze to look at him. He was a man clad in green robes, with cold, stern features. His brows were furrowed in distaste, and his tall figure carried an air of authority.
The man before her was the original host’s husband, Li Hongche, the heir of Prince Duan.
The corners of Mu Yao’s red lips curled into a slight smile. “Since the Heir is not enjoying the company of your Miss Zhao, why come to my quarters looking for trouble? Could it be that things are not harmonious in the bedchamber, and you have come to seek my guidance?”
“You!” Li Hongche was choked by Mu Yao’s brazen words, momentarily rendered speechless.
His brows knitted tightly, and the contempt in his eyes intensified. “Miaomiao and I are people of propriety. Not everyone disregards decorum and shame as you do, Princess.”
“Heh.” Mu Yao chuckled, her lips curling into a sneer. “People of propriety? My dear Prince Consort, when you and Miss Zhao spent the night alone together in that mountain cave, did you truly do nothing at all?”
“With a beauty in your arms… could it be that you are inadequate?” Mu Yao’s gaze flicked down toward a certain part of Li Hongche’s body, the mockery in her eyes completely undisguised.
“Mu Yao!” Li Hongche was thoroughly enraged by her few words. Composing his emotions, he stated, “I did not come here to bicker with you.”
“Miaomiao has been poisoned. Did you do it?” Li Hongche demanded coldly, his voice laden with suppressed fury.
Before Mu Yao could answer, another woman entered the courtyard. Weakly leaning against the wall, she softly called out, “Hongche.”
Hearing her voice, Li Hongche immediately turned his head and rushed to support her, his movements as gentle as if handling fragile porcelain.
His tone grew immensely tender as well. “Why did you come out? Didn’t the physician tell you to rest properly?”
His demeanor was a world apart from the cold fury he had directed at Mu Yao moments ago.
This was Zhao Miaomiao, the concubine-born daughter of the Minister of Revenue, and the apple of her husband’s eye.
Supporting Zhao Miaomiao, Li Hongche slowly walked inside. Zhao Miaomiao raised her pale face toward Mu Yao. “Princess, Hongche was only overly concerned for me, which caused him to lose his manners. I hope Your Royal Highness will be generous and not blame him.”
“Heh~” Mu Yao let out a scoff, rose to her feet, and slowly paced over to the two of them.
“Miss Zhao has not even married into this household yet, and you are already defending this Princess’s Prince Consort so fervently? Aren’t you being a bit too impatient?”
In the original plot, Zhao Miaomiao was only supposed to marry into the heir’s manor as a concubine five days later.
“Mu Yao, do not push people too far! Miaomiao was poisoned right after eating the items you sent over. What else do you have to say for yourself?!” Li Hongche held the frail Zhao Miaomiao close in his arms, his gaze toward Mu Yao ablaze with anger and disgust.
“Hongche, do not say that. I believe the Princess would not harm me; there must be some misunderstanding,” Zhao Miaomiao tugged on Li Hongche’s sleeve, speaking weakly.
Li Hongche looked down at Zhao Miaomiao in his arms, his eyes filled with immense tenderness. “Miaomiao, you are simply too kind. There is no need to speak up for her, she…”
“This Princess indeed does not need her to speak on my behalf,” Mu Yao cut Li Hongche off. “The Heir keeps claiming that I poisoned her. Do you have any evidence?”
“Miaomiao only ate the food you sent over earlier. If not you, then who else?” Li Hongche retorted with righteous indignation.
Hearing this, Mu Yao laughed out of sheer exasperation, her expression turning icy. “So in other words, you have no evidence whatsoever?”
“Without any evidence, you dare come here to interrogate this Princess? Li Hongche, where did you find the audacity to behave so brazenly in my manor?”
Meeting Mu Yao’s chilling gaze and oppressive aura, Li Hongche felt a sudden pang of guilt.
Without giving him a chance to speak, Mu Yao continued, “I am the Grand Princess of Tianqi, the elder sister of His Majesty, and the most noble woman in the entire nation.”
Mu Yao raised her chin slightly, striking a proud arc in the air. Her entire aura transformed into one of regal dominance, making it hard for anyone to look her in the eye.
“If I truly wished to eliminate someone, I could easily dispatch skilled guards from the imperial palace to strike in secret. Wouldn’t that be far better? Why would I be foolish enough to poison food sent under my own name?”
“Furthermore, she is merely a concubine-born daughter of the Minister of Revenue. Poisoning her myself would only dirty my hands.”
Mu Yao shot a sideways glance at Zhao Miaomiao, her eyes brimming with disdain and contempt.