All these years after transmigrating, Han Shengyu had always assumed she was playing out an inspirational storyline as the concubine-born daughter of a low-ranking official.
Never in her wildest dreams could she have anticipated that she had actually transmigrated into a book—and a brainless, melodramatic prime-time soap opera of a book at that, featuring sisters vying for one husband, brothers competing for one beauty, household battles, imperial court struggles, global warfare, and a bloody mess where familial affection and romantic love ultimately proved cold and ruthless.
If that had been all, it might have been fine, but the original host in the book had been handed a villainous script meant as a sacrificial lamb to the heavens.
She had continuously contributed bricks and tiles to the earth-shattering, tear-jerking love story of the male and female leads—including, but not limited to, sacrificing her world-toppling beauty, top-tier intelligence, personal dignity, and precious life.
Right up until her death, the male lead had merely uttered a single sentence: “Nothing more than a fool.”
Who would have thought that after years of transmigration, she herself was that fool!
The original host was merely a cannon-fodder character who exited early in the book. After transmigrating, she had grown up in Yongding City while the male and female leads were in Jincheng, with not the slightest overlap. Han Jintang was merely a third-rate cannon-fodder female character in the book with very little screen time, and she herself had only skimmed through the book back then…
No wonder the closer she got to Jincheng, the worse her headache became—it turned out she was about to enter the male and female leads’ map, and the universe was issuing a warning to her.
Han Shengyu almost choked on her breath, her expression shifting repeatedly.
Beautiful and kind-hearted as she was, how could she possibly be an intellectually challenged villain!
“Shengyu, what is wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?” Han Huiyu turned her head, and seeing Han Shengyu’s face turning pale, she immediately spoke up to ask.
Forcefully suppressing the churning rage in her heart, Han Shengyu raised her eyes to look at Han Huiyu. “It’s nothing, just a bit of a headache.”
“Why would you suddenly have a headache out of nowhere?” Hearing the voice, Han Qingning immediately asked, “Let us return, and we’ll ask a physician to examine you. You must have been worn out from the journey—you need to change that unyielding nature of yours. If you’re feeling unwell, rest at home; we won’t go out anymore.”
Han Shengyu’s mind was in a complete jumble. This time, she did not refuse, rising to leave with her two elder sisters. As they passed by the adjacent table, a tall folding screen stood erect, hung with a pearl curtain before it. She turned her head to glance over, seeing only shifting figures inside, unable to tell which one was Bai Fanhang.
Sensing something, Bai Fanhang immediately stood up, pulled aside the curtain, and stepped out, only to catch the retreating backs of the three sisters.
He felt somewhat mystified, unsure why he had felt compelled to chase after them. It was merely a chance encounter with a girl he found interesting, after all.
“Fanhang, what are you looking at? Come inside quickly.”
“Coming right now.”
Bai Fanhang responded casually, yet his eyes involuntarily settled once more on the girl walking between the three sisters. She did not look very old, her hair styled in double buns, utterly cute and endearing, yet…
He touched his chest—how strange. Why was his heart pounding so fiercely?
Bai Fanhang raised his eyes to take another look, then abruptly lifted the curtain and walked back inside.
Right at that moment, Han Shengyu suddenly turned around, only to see a blurry figure disappear behind the pearl curtain.
Strange—it almost felt as though someone was calling her name.
The three sisters returned to the residence. Han Shengyu did not allow them to send for a physician, insisting that a nap would cure it.
Unable to dissuade her, Han Huiyu and Han Qingning had no choice but to escort her back to her room, refusing to leave until they saw her fall asleep.
Pretending to sleep was truly exhausting; Han Shengyu felt as though her entire body had gone stiff.
Sisterly affection did not always need to be quite so heavy.
The bed curtains dropped, creating a enclosed, private space that offered an immense sense of psychological security.
She sat up, leaning against a soft pillow, and meticulously mulled over the plot of the book, finally understanding why Han Jintang was meeting secretly with the Second Prince and why it couldn’t be seen by anyone.
That pair of psychopathic betrothed lovers—the man fancied the male lead Crown Prince Li Chengjian’s fiancée, while the woman fancied the female lead Yin Shuyi’s fiancé. The two of them had put their heads together and staged a drama where someone fell into the water during a grand imperial palace banquet. The man wanted to frame the male lead, while the woman wanted to frame the female lead; both harbored their own sinister motives without sharing a heart, and the male and female leads saw right through their conspiracy, striking back in response.
The Second Prince earned the infamous reputation of attempting to murder his own fiancée, while Han Jintang was branded with a stamp before even entering the family’s doors—disliked and hated by her betrothed to the point that he couldn’t wait to destroy her.
Summoning the sisters to Jincheng had been Han Jintang’s idea. Concubine Qiao was as beautiful as a flower, and Han Yingyuan was elegant and handsome; inheriting the finest traits of both parents, Han Shengyu had been a beauty in the making since childhood.
She wanted to use Han Shengyu’s beauty to steal the Crown Prince’s heart, driving him to shift his affections, after which getting rid of Han Shengyu would be far simpler.
As for Han Huiyu and Han Qingning, they were merely smokescreens to cover her true intentions and prevent the Second and Third Branches of the Han family from developing suspicions.
In the book, Han Jintang’s objective had indeed been achieved.
For women in ancient times, by twelve years of age, prominent families had already begun making preparations to seek out future husbands for their children, and many girls were wed at fourteen or fifteen.
The original host in the book had been raised by Concubine Qiao’s side all along. Concubine Qiao doted heavily on her daughter, but she was a concubine after all. Following her, what Han Shengyu witnessed most were scenes of wives and concubines battling each other, and what she learned were the petty tactics used by inner-courtyard women to vie for favor. She had determined early on to marry into a good family, allowing Concubine Qiao to hold her head high and no longer suffer suppression under Madam Gu.
The original host was indeed very clever and adept at leveraging her advantages, but her horizon was far too narrow, confined entirely within the four corners of the inner courtyard sky.
At first, the Crown Prince had indeed been dazzled by her beauty. Regrettably, the male and female leads were destined to end up together. She was young, her head turned by so-called love, and ultimately she became a pawn in the Crown Prince’s hands, used against her will to deal with the Second Prince.
When the original host died, she had only just reached her hair-pinning ceremony at fifteen.
Han Shengyu: …
The primary culprit responsible for the original host’s tragedy.
Han Shengyu was so furious she couldn’t sleep. She parted the bed curtains and got up. Hearing the movement, Jixiang hurried inside. “Miss, why are you up so soon? Could it be that you didn’t fall asleep?”
With a far-from-pleasant expression on her face, Han Shengyu looked at Jixiang and asked directly, “Is Han Jing back yet?”
“He’s back. Knowing that Miss was sleeping, he didn’t come in to disturb you.”
“Go invite him over.”
Seeing the dark expression on her young lady’s face, Jixiang didn’t dare say another word, hurrying out on her heels.
Han Shengyu poured a cup of warm tea and downed it in one gulp, only then easing the burning fire in her heart slightly.
By the time Han Jing arrived, the look on Han Shengyu’s face had calmed down. Upon seeing him, she asked directly, “Is Han Jintang still at Yunbi Villa?”
That estate was the Second Prince’s imperial villa, named Yunbi Villa due to its location at the foot of Mount Yunbi.
“She is.”
“Good, then.” Han Shengyu stood up, looking up at Han Jing. “Tonight, you and I are going to pull off a big move.”
“What big move?” Han Jing developed a rather bad premonition. “Third Miss, do not act on impulse. Think thrice before doing anything—this is Jincheng, after all.”
“I don’t care if it’s Jincheng or Silver City! Anyone who dares plot against us sisters—I’m going to let Han Jintang learn why the flowers are so red.”
Ignoring Han Jing, Han Shengyu called both Jixiang and Ruyi inside, instructing them with a grim face, “Han Jing and I are going out tonight to handle an important matter. If Eldest Sister or Second Sister ask about me, you just say I’m still asleep.”
Jixiang and Ruyi exchanged a glance, their faces filled with worry. “Miss, is there anything that cannot be done during the daytime?”
“No.”
A dark and windy night was fit for murder—how could she possibly wait until daytime?