Fuzhi gently turned the twelve-panel lady screen inlaid with mother-of-pearl on the sandalwood frame, revealing behind it an eight-foot-square moon gate canopy bed.
Inside the light red silk gauze curtains that hung down.
Qiao Shuyi had just woken up, leaning against the headboard.
One hand gathered the dark hair that fell over her chest.
Though she wore no makeup, she possessed a beauty that could topple cities and kingdoms.
When Fuzhi lifted the curtain and entered, she caught a glimpse of her young mistress lowering her head and gaze in that moment.
A slender section of her neck was exposed, so pale and delicate it dazzled the eyes.
Fuzhi sighed inwardly:
Her young mistress was truly a Beauty, with bone structure pure and exquisite, features that could captivate a city—there wasn’t a single flaw to be found anywhere.
What a pity—
This celestial being possessed a temperament entirely unlike her beautiful appearance.
The gentler her surface, the colder her heart.
The more amorous her eyes, the more ruthless her methods.
Fuzhi collected her thoughts and said softly:
“Young mistress, shall I help you freshen up?”
Qiao Shuyi’s gaze swept over faintly: “Where is Zhi Gui?”
Fuzhi hurriedly lowered her head and replied:
“Young mistress, you punished Zhigui Gongzi yesterday. He is now carrying buckets of water from the small kitchen to the bathing chamber one by one. We servants all remember, and no one has gone to help him this morning—only he has been carrying them back and forth. However, he rose early, so the water in the bathing pool should be full by now.”
The implication being that if the young mistress wanted to find fault with him, there was little cause for it now.
Qiao Shuyi gave a soft “Mm”: “Have him come and attend to me.”
Before long, Zhi Gui arrived.
He kept his eyes downcast, his expression submissive, yet unable to conceal that face of his—
Eyebrows sharp as if cut by a knife, eyes cold as winter stars. Though his posture was one of humble deference, an air of noble dignity emanated from his very bones.
Qiao Shuyi looked at him, a faint, elusive smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
Hah.
The Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler of the land, yet at this moment he was Qiao Shuyi’s male favorite.
How amusing.
Qiao Shuyi had transmigrated in the womb.
She had originally thought it was just an ordinary transmigration, having been reborn into a good family.
Until yesterday, when she met Zhi Gui.
In an instant, memories of past lives and the plot of the book flooded in.
Only then did she realize she had transmigrated into a book.
The male lead, Zong Zhengheng, was the Emperor of Great Zhang, styled Zhi Gui.
And she, Qiao Shuyi, was the legitimate daughter of the Prince of Jin, Qiao Nanyu, and also an early-death cannon fodder.
Her mother, Liu Jinyu, was the only daughter of the wealthiest family in Jinzhou.
Her father, Qiao Nanyu, guarded Jinzhou, commanding heavy troops and wielding immense power.
From childhood, Qiao Shuyi lived a life of extravagance and indulgence, spending money like water, a young lady raised in silks and satins—every inch of her exuded “delicate nobility.”
Before, she had also thought that transmigrating into such a young lady was truly a perfect vacation, that heaven had been kind to her.
But now, recalling the plot of the book, she felt a chill run through her entire body.
Why did Qiao Nanyu marry Liu Jinyu and dote on this daughter of his?
For money.
He had troops, and maintaining troops required money.
Why maintain troops? Because he intended to rebel.
His influence in Jinzhou was immense, and a tall tree attracts the wind—he had long become a thorn in Zong Zhengheng’s side.
The Emperor traveled incognito, personally arriving in Jinzhou for no other reason than to find evidence of his rebellion.
Perfect.
Qiao Shuyi did not want to marry. Indulged by her parents, she sought to forcibly seize common men and bring them into the mansion.
After ruining her reputation, who would dare marry her?
She was also a looks-obsessed person, searching all over Jinzhou for handsome men. As a result, when she saw Zhi Gui, she was truly captivated and directly seized him to bring into the mansion.
Zong Zhengheng went along with it, infiltrating the Prince of Jin’s mansion.
He used her solely to find evidence of Qiao Nanyu’s rebellion.
But to protect himself, Qiao Nanyu shifted all the blame onto Liu Jinyu.
He deceived the woman who truly loved him, making her confess that raising the private army was entirely the Liu family’s doing, and how the Liu family’s money was spent had nothing to do with him.
Liu Jinyu trusted him, loved him, and to protect the Qiao family, she confessed.
Qiao Nanyu divorced her.
She thought he would remember their time as husband and wife and at least protect their daughter.
But what Qiao Nanyu wanted was to kill Qiao Shuyi to demonstrate his loyalty to the emperor and show he had no involvement in the rebellion.
Yet he never expected that Liu Jinyu did not die but was imprisoned by Zong Zhengheng.
When she learned of her daughter’s tragic death, she revealed all the evidence of Qiao Nanyu’s rebellion.
Thus, Zong Zhengheng finally had a legitimate reason to eliminate the thorn in his side.
In the book, these details about Zong Zhengheng were only briefly mentioned.
Because this was not a male-oriented novel but a female-oriented palace intrigue story.
A year after Zong Zhengheng ascended the throne, the lingering threat of the Qiao family weighed on his mind, causing him to delay selecting concubines, leaving the harem empty.
Once the Qiao family was destroyed, the Empress Dowager and court officials would no longer tolerate his procrastination.
Selecting concubines became inevitable.
The female lead, Su Yunyan, was the illegitimate daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites.
According to regulations, illegitimate daughters should not be selected during the emperor’s first concubine selection.
But she was a girl Zong Zhengheng had known since his humble beginnings, and he had his own ways to bring her in.
However, after she entered the palace, due to Su Yunyan’s low status, he had no choice but to neglect her, instead favoring Cui Yinshuang, the legitimate daughter of the Minister of the Department of State Affairs, making her the most favored in the harem.
It wasn’t until two years later, when he had completely consolidated his power over the court, that he exclusively favored Su Yunyan.
And what about Qiao Shuyi?
She was merely an early-dead cannon fodder in the book, not even worthy of having readers remember her name.
Qiao Shuyi leaned against the headboard, her gaze lazily resting on Zhi Gui, who stood a few steps away from the bed.
That person kept his eyes downcast, appearing submissive and obedient.
But beneath those lowered eyelashes lay coldness and disdain.
The book described this scene—
Qiao Shuyi was extravagant, licentious, and domineering, forcibly keeping him by her side.
Zong Zhengheng despised her overwhelming materialism and her tyrannical nature, but during his month in the Qiao residence, he endured it.
Every time they shared a bed, he drugged her, leaving her dazed and unconscious.
Thinking about this, she suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
The current her was the time-traveling Qiao Shuyi.
But upon careful reflection, was she really any different from the extravagant and licentious Qiao Shuyi in the book?
Equally arrogant and domineering.
Equally forceful in taking men.
No, perhaps even worse.
Even in modern times, she was no virtuous person.
Coming to ancient times, she became even more unrestrained.
However.
Upon learning she was cannon fodder, she had once considered whether she should use this month to curry favor with the male lead.
After all, it was just a matter of lowering herself, pretending to be gentle and obedient—perhaps it could buy her a way out.
But then she reconsidered: What kind of person was Zong Zhengheng?
Before his incognito visit, he had likely already thoroughly investigated every detail of the Qiao family.
What kind of person Qiao Shuyi was, he had already formed a judgment.
No matter how well she acted, he would only become more guarded and wary.
If currying favor wouldn’t work, what about rebellion?
This thought only flickered in Qiao Shuyi’s mind before being extinguished.
What did she have to rebel with?
Leading troops into battle?
She couldn’t even hold a sword steady, let alone command thousands of soldiers.
In these sixteen years, she had only learned how to spend money, throw tantrums, and torment people.
As for anything else, she knew nothing.
Even if she started learning now, how could she, in such a short time, make battle-hardened soldiers obey the orders of a sheltered young lady?
Moreover, Qiao Nanyu’s affection was fake.
He only wanted to spoil her, to dull her wits, so he could extract money from the Liu family—how could he possibly let her offer advice or strategies?
Qiao Shuyi lowered her gaze, looking at her slender, pale fingers, the tips stained with vermilion polish, red as blood.
The destruction of the Qiao family was already a foregone conclusion.
Even if Zong Zhengheng didn’t obtain evidence of Qiao Nanyu’s rebellion through her, his hidden guards would uncover clues through other means within a month.
This was a dead end.
But Qiao Shuyi had grown accustomed to a life of extravagant luxury, like a local tyrant—becoming a prisoner was something she truly couldn’t bear.
Hah, if that was the case, then she might as well risk it all.
In this one month, let her leave an unforgettable memory for the Emperor of Great Zhang.