[Is this the big villain, Yan Changye, who will sleep with his own father’s Ninth Concubine in the future?]
Inside the Marshal’s Mansion, just as Yan Changye stepped into the main hall, a crisp and clear voice rang in his ears.
Yan Changye’s footsteps paused.
Yan Changye’s father was the Grand Military Governor of the five southeastern provinces, known to all as Marshal Yan. Having started out as a bandit, he had snatched many concubines to keep at home.
Yan Changye was the eldest son born to the Marshal’s Wife. He spent most of his years wandering outside and rarely came home.
Yet, in his limited memory, Marshal Yan currently only had eight official concubines.
During the time he was away from home, where had the old man snatched another one from?
Yan Changye’s gaze swept over the surroundings and landed on the figure in the center of the main hall, his sword-like brows furrowing.
There was only this one unfamiliar face in the main hall; he recognized all the others.
But… wasn’t this the bride the old bandit had snatched for him?
Although he hadn’t returned to perform the wedding ceremony, he had seen her photo when signing the marriage certificate.
[He’s so handsome, yet he plays such a wild game. Stepmother romance—I love to see it.]
[Playing out a stepmother romance behind his original wife’s back? I love seeing that even more.]
Liu Xiyin was kneeling on the ground. Though she seemed tiny surrounded by everyone in the center, her eyes were sparkling bright.
She was Yan Changye’s original wife.
Liu Xiyin had just married into the Marshal’s Mansion during the day. Unfortunately, the Young Marshal, Yan Changye, rarely came home and did not show up for the wedding. She had held a rooster to bow to Heaven and Earth before entering the bridal chamber. Now, she was the Young Madam of the Marshal’s Mansion in both name and reality.
In the evening, the Third Young Master, Yan Changyue, rolled down the stairs and broke his leg. Song Shiyun, the niece of the Second Concubine, accused Liu Xiyin of pushing him.
The Marshal’s Wife tried to protect Liu Xiyin, but unfortunately, she was out of favor. With a little coquetry from the Second Concubine, the Marshal’s heart leaned entirely toward her, and he chose to believe Song Shiyun.
The Marshal was a bandit who stubbornly stuck to his simplistic principles; he demanded that Liu Xiyin have one of her legs broken to compensate Yan Changyue.
Then, Yan Changye returned.
He wore a deep blue military uniform and black gloves, standing at an imposing height of nearly 1.89 meters. A pocket watch with a silver chain hung from a button on his jacket, swaying with his movement. His military boots clicked heavily against the wooden floor, creating an atmosphere of chilling dread.
In the freezing depth of winter, it made everyone’s scalp tingle for no apparent reason.
Everyone looked at him.
Liu Xiyin was no exception.
However, at this critical juncture, she wasn’t nervous at all; her heart was filled only with the excitement of gossiping.
Liu Xiyin was a transmigrator.
This world was a novel she had read during her leisure time at a scientific research institute.
The setting was an alternate Republican Era.
In the book, there was a major villain named Yan Changye, who would have an affair with his father’s Ninth Concubine in the future.
Liu Xiyin had been reading it with great relish. Just as she was about to read the part where he finally succeeded in his affair, she got too excited, and having stayed up too late, she accidentally died a sudden death. When she woke up again, she had reincarnated as the real young miss of the Liu family, whom they had lost in the countryside.
In his early years, the old patriarch of the Liu family had saved Marshal Yan before he became a marshal, and the two families had arranged a marriage.
Later, Old Mr. Liu passed away, and Marshal Yan became the Grand Marshal of the five southeastern provinces, ruling as a powerful warlord of the region.
Marshal Yan still remembered the marriage alliance arranged with the Liu family. He sent people to propose marriage, only to find that the Liu family had lost their real daughter and brought back a fake one, raising her for sixteen years.
The Marshal was instantly enraged. Pointing his gun at the entire Liu family, he roared, “This old man has no education and only knows simple principles. Anyone who dares to hoodwink me with a fake product, I will blow your brains out!”
With guns held to their heads, the Liu family found Liu Xiyin in less than half a month and begged her to marry into the Marshal’s Mansion.
Although Liu Xiyin carried her memories when she reincarnated, the times were chaotic and war-torn. She had been spun around until she was dizzy and had no idea what was happening. By the time she regained consciousness, she was in a dilapidated farmhouse.
She thought she was just the daughter of a Republican Era peasant family.
In her past life, she was an orphan raised by the director of the research institute. In this life, she had parents and cherished them deeply.
Who would have thought she would also catch up with the trend of the “real and fake heiress” trope.
By the time she discovered her true identity, she was already being closely watched by both the Liu family and the Marshal’s Mansion. If she didn’t return to marry the big villain, she, her parents, and the Liu family would all be lined up and shot.
She had no choice but to return and fulfill the marriage contract, while also pursuing her own goals along the way.
And then, she encountered this situation.
Marshal Yan was crude, lustful, and straightforward. He only forced the Liu family to find Liu Xiyin to fulfill his promise from back then; he didn’t actually care about protecting her.
Nor did Liu Xiyin need his protection. As a future scientific genius, though she couldn’t take down a local warlord king, dealing with this kind of minor scene was a piece of cake.
If Yan Changye hadn’t returned to interrupt, she would have already turned the tables.
The black military boots stopped in front of Liu Xiyin. Pretending to be shy, she lowered her head obediently.
Yan Changye took off his glove, bent down, lifted her chin, and scrutinized her closely.
[What are you doing? What are you doing? I know you don’t like me, but don’t even think about taking this chance to kill me just to make room for your Ninth Concubine. I am very capable!]
It really was her.
Marshal Yan disliked Western novelties, so today’s wedding was still the traditional ceremony of bowing to Heaven and Earth. Liu Xiyin wore a heavy set of phoenix coronet and robe.
At this moment, she had not yet changed out of the red bridal robe; only her crown had been removed.
Her cascading black hair fell around her shoulders, with fine strands of hair clinging to her cheeks. This contrasted sharply with her snow-white skin, making her look like a fragile red plum blooming in heavy snow.
As if she would scatter with a single gust of wind.
If only Yan Changye hadn’t heard her highly rebellious thoughts.
But Liu Xiyin’s expression was sweet and obedient, and her mouth didn’t move at all. Yan Changye could see this clearly.
No one else seemed to have heard those words either.
Could it be… the little bride’s inner thoughts?
And only he could hear them?
Having gone to the battlefield at the age of twelve and grown up in piles of corpses, Yan Changye had seen all kinds of bizarre things. Nowadays, all sorts of foreign and chaotic things were pouring into the country, and the populace was constantly adapting to new things.
Yan Changye quickly accepted the fact that he could hear someone’s inner thoughts, showing absolutely no sign of it on his face.
His calloused fingers, hardened from handling guns, slid down from Liu Xiyin’s chin. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her up.
[Ouch, that hurts.]
Liu Xiyin cried out.
Yan Changye released his grip and shielded her behind him.
“Father, what do you want to do to my bride?”
His voice was cold and deep, carrying a blood-soaked aura of killing intent.
No matter what kind of drama his little bride wanted to watch, she was his since she had completed the wedding ceremony. He would resolve the immediate matter first, then study her secrets carefully later.
Marshal Yan said coldly, “She refuses to submit to discipline. She pushed the Third Young Master downstairs and broke his leg. She should pay back a leg for a leg.”
Not fearing his old man in the slightest, Yan Changye stretched his hand forward.
“Proof.”
[So handsome, so handsome! He actually stood up for me, a bride who had to bow to a rooster at the wedding! But he must keep the future Ninth Concubine in mind.]
Marshal Yan pointed at Song Shiyun. “Shiyun saw it with her own eyes.”
Song Shiyun was the daughter of the Second Concubine’s elder sister. Because her sister had passed away early, the Second Concubine had brought Song Shiyun to the Marshal’s Mansion to be raised. The mansion did not lack resources to feed another mouth, and the Second Concubine was highly favored.
Thus, Song Shiyun grew up in the Yan household. She had just turned eighteen this year, possessing a face as beautiful as a flower. Dressed in a qipao with her hair permed in curls, her eyes had not wavered from Yan Changye since his return.
[Dear cousin, I don’t blame you for liking the Young Marshal. But it’s really not right for you to throw dirty water on me while staring so intensely at my husband. Tone it down, tone it down—he belongs only to the Ninth Concubine.]
Yan Changye: “…”
His little bride looked so sweet and quiet, but her inner thoughts were incredibly noisy.
Song Shiyun: “It was… it was Sister-in-law who pushed Third Cousin.”
[“The Empress pushed Consort Xi!” The classic line has finally appeared! I’m moving up in the world, look at me playing the Empress now.]
Yan Changye: “…”
What on earth was that?
His little bride wanted to be an empress? Too late, the emperor had already been overthrown.