The Sinful Woman's Golden Branch: The Jade-Faced Yama is Actually Me (Part 1)...

"Host, are you awake?"

A soft, timid voice rang in her ears, but Ye Xiqing didn't even blink, answering without hesitation, "Not awake."

Her body was so weak that as soon as she regained consciousness, a series of subtle and pervasive discomforts surged up all at once.

In the previous world, she had just experienced the top-tier physique of a diva; in this world, she experienced a configuration even worse than her original body.

Of course, judging the whole situation based on the body's condition at a certain moment may be somewhat arbitrary.

But Ye Xiqing knew she wasn't wrong about this body, because judging from the severe discomfort in her abdomen, she should be experiencing menstrual cramps. This body was actually having menstrual cramps...

What constitutes a healthy body is debatable, but a body suffering from menstrual cramps is undoubtedly in poor health.

Ye Xiqing curled up on the hard, unknown surface, trying to alleviate the pain with the smallest movements, while her ears received information from the outside world.

"Is this bitch really dizzy or just pretending?"

"After kneeling for so long, it's understandable that the young lady's body can't take it."

"Hmph, I think she's deliberately putting on a seductive act to soften the master's heart. I'll drag her up!"

"Alright, alright, you say she has a seductive look. What if she really bewitches the master? Then we'll both be finished..."

The first maidservant to speak couldn't believe it: "How could this be? Her father is..."

Another person spat: "That's hard to say. When that little slut fainted today, I noticed something was off about the adults' expressions..."

The head maid was shocked: "She really is a shameless vixen! She's supposed to be a young lady from a respectable family, yet she..."

"Forget it! Forget it! Our lives are the most important thing!"

The two old women chattered for a while before finally leaving, giving Ye Xiqing a chance to get up and check her physical condition immediately.

Her slender wrist, like a withered twig, clearly revealed the lines of her bones.

The jagged knuckles were marked with shocking wounds. Ye Xiqing immediately thought of the finger-pinching torture often seen in period dramas. If there were no accidents, these were the marks left behind.

Ye Xiqing tried to move, but the pain had subsided, or rather, she was numb from the pain.

My fingers felt swollen and clogged with blood clots, and I couldn't even feel my fingers.

Aside from menstrual cramps, it's rare to experience pain that lasts continuously in the body; otherwise, the person would be in excruciating pain.

The body will not allow this to happen and will automatically regulate its pain perception. No matter how great the trauma, it will pass after the pain subsides.

Unfortunately, Ye Xiqing was suffering from two kinds of pain at the same time: the excruciating pain of the punishment and the constant torment of menstrual cramps. Her knees also seemed to have some problems, but she had no energy to pay attention to them.

He resigned himself to lying back on the hard bed, surrendering to the pain.

But his face held a chilling smile: "I will make sure the male protagonist of this world dies a terrible death."

system:……

Just as they were enjoying Ye Xiqing's disheveled state, before they could even have a chance to laugh, Ye Xiqing uttered his harsh words.

The deterrent effect of the first three worlds caused the system to reflexively tense up.

But thinking about what would happen next, the system slowly relaxed and revealed a smug smile.

"Host, don't make a decision yet. You don't know the plot of this world yet."

Ye Xiqing almost burst out laughing.

That's hilarious! She's already lying here, why would she need to worry about the plot?

She didn't destroy the world because she was too kind.

The male lead doesn't need to do anything; just by standing by and watching her suffer, he's already paved the way to his own death!

system:……

It seems like if the plot doesn't get released soon, Ye Xiqing is really going to turn into an assassin and kill the male lead...

But this world is different. In this world, no matter how much the male protagonist abuses the female protagonist, he always has a legitimate reason.

...

As the system transmitted the plot, Ye Xiqing learned that it was a novel called "The Sinful Woman's Golden Branch".

Judging from the title, it must contain both "the sinful woman" and "the golden branch".

The female protagonist, Guan Xianzhi, is also known as "Golden Branch, the Sinner" in this story.

She was originally a frail and refined daughter of an official, a precious and innocent girl raised in seclusion.

I thought my life would be so smooth, that I would acquire a beautiful face, find a perfect husband, live in harmony with my spouse, have many children and grandchildren, and grow old together in love.

Unexpectedly, she suffered a sudden misfortune, and the delicate young lady fell into ruin, becoming food for wolves.

Her father, having lost power in the struggle, handed her over to his enemy, the youngest Left Censor, Pei Yu, known as the "Jade-Faced Yama".

Everyone knows that Pei Yu and the Guan family are sworn enemies!

Thirteen years ago, the Left Censor was still Guan Fu.

The Left Censor was responsible for supervising all officials in the court and handling criminal cases; he was the emperor's most trusted henchman.

It is inevitable that close ministers of the emperor will become arrogant and domineering. When Guan Fu was favored, he was arrogant, domineering, tyrannical, greedy and cruel. He fabricated charges to frame loyal officials and caused bloodshed among all the ministers.

Countless loyal ministers and generals were framed and their families were destroyed by him, and the Pei family was one of them.

Pei Yu, the seven-year-old thirteenth son of the Pei family, witnessed his entire family being executed. His eyes were bloodshot with rage, and he secretly vowed to make the traitor Guan pay the price and follow in the footsteps of the Pei family!

Thirteen years of perseverance and painstaking effort have finally transformed him from an orphan of a wiped-out family into the renowned "Jade-Faced Yama" of Kyoto.

Guan's father's beauty faded and his favor waned; he had long lost the emperor's trust, while Pei Yu became the new emperor's bodyguard.

Now, Lord Guan, whose hands are covered in blood and whose body is filled with wronged souls, cannot sleep peacefully even in his dreams, fearing that one day Pei Yu will drag him out and tear him to pieces, just as he did to the Pei family.

Filled with anxiety, he actually came up with a crooked idea.

He gave his own daughter, whom he had raised for sixteen years, a girl of unparalleled beauty and captivating charm, to Pei Yu, the young master, begging him to spare his life out of respect for his "father-in-law."

But Guan's father killed Pei Yu's biological father. Even if it were his own father possessing him now, let alone his father-in-law, there wouldn't be time to retract the knife.

It wasn't a difficult matter to handle originally, but a tragic love story unfolded amidst this long-standing feud: Pei Yu fell in love with the daughter of his enemy, who had been sent to him.

Filled with hatred, he yanked the soft, fragrant woman hidden in the sedan chair to the ground.

The noblewoman, who had been trampled into dust, looked up in alarm. It was this one glance that caused Pei Yu to crumble completely.

He hadn't forgotten the gushing blood on the execution ground, but the woman's pleading, frightened demeanor before him shook him to his core.

He hated all his family members, yet his heart was torn by the fearful gaze of his enemy's daughter.

Because of this, he didn't kill Guan Xianzhi, but instead threw her into his backyard.

However, given Guan Xianzhi's circumstances upon entering the Pei household, how could she possibly be treated favorably?

She could be considered neither a concubine nor a servant, but rather a "gift" sent by her father for Pei Yu to vent his anger on.

Not only Pei Yu, but anyone in the manor could humiliate her for their own amusement if they were unhappy, and no one would stand up for her anyway.

Guan Xianzhi no longer knew what else she could do besides cry.

Only when no one is around can she stretch out her broken fingers and trace a short poem on the dilapidated wall—

"I remember how I pitied the caged bird... Now I am even worse off... I am forever frustrated... Why not just end my life..."

Literature is something that, as you write, can easily make you want to die.

If we cannot control our own lives, what does it matter if we die? Even if we are reborn as birds on branches in the next life, it is still more free than being a human, isn't it?

Guan Xianzhi was determined to die, but she didn't even have a decent way to hang herself. So she found a sharp stone and used its blunt edge to grind her wrists off.

Doing it yourself, or grinding it raw, will definitely hurt.

But when humans stand at the top of the food chain and there are no external factors that can threaten them, they begin to think about how to kill others and how to kill themselves.

Fortunately, Guan Xianzhi is the female lead. Her suicide attempt failed, but it awakened the male lead's deep-seated love.

After realizing he might lose the female lead, the male lead finally went mad, launching a fierce and ruthless attack on her, threatening her with her family and forbidding her from dying!

For this reason, he even allowed Guan's father to live temporarily!

But the female protagonist's heart was already empty; living on would only be torture.

Finally, due to the machinations of the villainous female supporting character, the emperor ordered the execution of the entire Guan family, and Guan Xianzhi lost the only thing she could call her obsession.

She was tortured to the point of barely clinging to life, and didn't even have the strength to beg.

Whether you love her or hate her, wouldn't it be better to let her go?

Overwhelmed with grief, the male protagonist finally chose to let the female protagonist leave.

Then, many years later, the female protagonist, having recovered from her psychological trauma, reunites with the male protagonist.

After tormenting each other before, the two of them have matured a lot.

Having cast aside those crazy and dark things, the two people can suddenly fall in love.

After explaining the plot, the system revealed a smug smile.

The male lead in this story can be described as a perfect victim, burdened with the blood feud of his family's massacre. Who would dare say that his hatred for the female lead is unwarranted?

In the previous world, the male protagonist had some moral flaws, so when Ye Xiqing crushed them, not only did the people in the small world cheer, but the audience outside the world also cheered.

But in this world, the male protagonist is the perfect victim, so what can Ye Xiqing do?

Even if she doesn't care about the male lead, can she not care about the audience outside the world?

Ye Xiqing's behavior in the previous world inspired the system; it really felt good to stand on moral high ground and judge others.

I wonder how Ye Xiqing, who is used to manipulating people and enjoys looking down on the male lead, will react after she finds out everything.

Ye Xiqing quietly absorbed the plot, breathing steadily without showing any emotion.

"He will die a more gruesome death than any other male protagonist before him."

The system was smugly waiting to see Ye Xiqing make a fool of herself when it heard these words and was taken aback: "What?"

Ye Xiqing looked up at it.

Even though they have the exact same face and the same eyes, Ye Xiqing looks at people in a completely different way than Guan Xianzhi.

Guan Xianzhi's eyes are very soft and perfect for shedding tears.

The sense of devouring in Ye Xiqing's eyes seemed to be bound to her soul.

She calmly faced the system—

"First, if the male protagonist has the right to take revenge on me for his hatred, then I have the right to take revenge on him for my hatred. This is retaliation."

"Secondly, the fact that you set up this kind of background where I could be abused by the male lead in order to give me a legitimate reason is something that makes me angrier than the fact that the male lead abuses me in the first place."

"So he'll die a more gruesome death than everyone else; it's displaced anger!"