Chapter 1 You don't want to be outshone by Miss Zhou either...
"Then what?"
Shen Lingyue, wrapped in a brocade quilt, slumped unsteadily on the bed, a soft, floral-patterned pillow under her back. She held a black lacquer box inlaid with mother-of-pearl and eight-treasure pastries in her lap, crunching away at melon seeds. She blinked her almond-shaped eyes, urging her maid, Qingchan, to speak quickly:
"Weren't the second young master of the Duke of Ling's mansion and the granddaughter of Minister Zheng childhood sweethearts and betrothed since birth? Why would he suddenly want to marry a commoner woman who appeared out of nowhere?"
Qingchan cleared her throat and began to vividly recount the gossip she had gathered from the outside world.
"Miss, do you still remember the great chaos in the northern deserts last winter, when the young master and second young master of the Duke's mansion led troops into battle together?"
Shen Lingyue nodded repeatedly: "I remember, I remember."
Yeah, right. She hadn't transmigrated back then.
"The army was attacked in Yunling. The battle was extremely fierce. Not only did the young master die in battle, but the second young master was also seriously injured. He only managed to break through the encirclement and survive thanks to the desperate protection of his personal guards."
"When the news reached the capital, the old lady and the duke of the Duke's mansion fainted several times from crying. They felt sorry that the young master was so young and had no heir before he was married. So they came up with the idea of having the second young master inherit the family line."
Shen Lingyue blinked. “Jiantuo?” Qingchan thought she didn’t understand, so she explained, “It means that the second young master marries two wives, without distinguishing between the eldest and youngest, only the first wife and the second wife. The children born to the first wife will be registered under the name of the young master who died in battle, to continue the family line.”
Shen Lingyue clicked her tongue, her face full of disdain.
He came up with all these fancy titles just to marry another wife; he got off easy.
"That's not right," she realized. "What about Minister Zheng's granddaughter?"
"The second young master said that the commoner woman saved his life and lost her reputation because she took care of him closely, so he has to take responsibility. But Miss Zheng and he are childhood sweethearts, and their bond cannot be severed."
"It is said that Miss Zheng comes from a prestigious family with a tradition of scholarship and etiquette. She must be able to understand his predicament. Moreover, she is of noble status. If she gives birth to a child and registers it under the name of the young master, it can be considered that the second young master is doing his best for his elder brother."
Shen Lingyue: ...
She couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark: "Because Miss Zheng is of 'noble status,' she deserves to marry a dead man? And he 'reluctantly' marries a commoner woman, and the two of them live happily ever after with children?"
Qingchan corrected, "Miss Zheng is only the young master's wife in name only; in reality, she will still have children with the second young master..."
Isn't that even more disgusting?
Shen Lingyue suddenly felt that the melon seeds in her hand no longer smelled good, and her brows furrowed.
Anyone with eyes can see this is a huge trap. It's nothing more than the second young master having a new love interest but unwilling to break his promise and break off the engagement, so he's using his brother who died in battle as a pretext.
Poor young master, do you still not know that your good younger brother helped you marry your sister-in-law?
Shuangxu silently handed over a cup of tea and said softly, "If Minister Zheng were still alive, the Duke's Mansion would never dare to humiliate Miss Zheng like this."
Shen Lingyue immediately turned her gaze to the usually quiet and taciturn maid, "Tell me more?"
Shuangxu pursed her lips, and said apologetically, "I overheard it when I went to the main courtyard to collect my monthly allowance. It seems that Madam is troubled about sending congratulatory gifts—Minister Zheng was Master's tutor in the year he took the imperial examination, so we should stand up for the Zheng family. But the Zheng family was convicted because of their involvement in the treason case..."
Shen Lingyue understood. Her cheap father had always been a fence-sitter. He didn't even dare to interfere in her marriage, let alone stand up for the family of the teacher who had been convicted. He was too busy running away to do anything about it.
She sighed heavily.
Come on, she's got a lot of problems herself, and she still has the leisure to gossip about other people's business?
She casually dismissed the two maids, then pulled the quilt over her head and began to fidget on the bed.
Ugh, so annoying!
She just indulged herself a little after the final exams and played games all night. How did she suddenly die and transmigrate into a book?
College students are indeed crispy QAQ
She transmigrated into a book, fine, but she didn't become the female lead, nor did she have a system or cheat code. In fact, because she had read too many novels and they were too varied, she didn't even know which plot line she should take now...
All she knew was that she had transmigrated to a fictional dynasty called Daye, a parallel world where history seemed to have taken a turn after the Tang and Song dynasties, somewhat like the Ming dynasty, but the current royal family was surnamed Xiao.
The body she transmigrated into belonged to the youngest daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites. She had two older brothers and two older sisters. Her eldest sister was already married, her two older brothers were still studying, and her second sister was only three months older than her and was not yet betrothed.
And she, the youngest in the family, actually bypassed her older siblings and was betrothed by the Emperor to Pei Jinghuai, the second young master of the Marquis of Changning. The wedding was to take place on June 18, three months from now.
A marriage decreed by imperial decree!
She's only a 240-month-old baby, how can she marry a complete stranger she's never met?
In the first two days after Shen Lingyue transmigrated, whenever she thought of the imperial edict of marriage enshrined in the main hall of the front courtyard, she wished she could send herself away with a white silk ribbon.
—I suppose the original owner of this body couldn't accept this arranged marriage, which is why she died of anger?
But Shen Lingyue is fragile and cowardly. She has already died once. Who knows if she will really die if she dies again?
Since we're here, let's make the best of it.
Anyway, her parents in the modern world had long since passed away, leaving her an orphan with no one to rely on...
No, there will still be people who remember her. Her only, best, best friend, Yan Yi, will be heartbroken if she receives news of her sudden death.
Shen Lingyue slowly pulled down the blanket, imagining Yan Yi holding her portrait and weeping, and she couldn't help but feel her own eyes redden.
Waaaaah, we promised to live to eighty together, travel together, and dance in the square together!
The more she thought about it, the sadder she became, and grief welled up inside her, but she dared not cry out loud. She could only bite the blanket and shed tears silently.
This is not a society governed by the rule of law; only imperial power is above all else.
That's not called an arranged marriage; it's called "both thunder and rain are the emperor's grace."
Shen Lingyue cried herself to sleep, and when she woke up again in a daze, it was already evening.
The evening glow filled the sky, and the orange-red light shone through the window paper onto the bluestone bricks. The vases and ornaments on the display cabinet cast scattered silhouettes, and the shadows of the trees outside the window swayed, creating a scene of tranquility and peace.
She sat on the edge of the bed, wrapped in her blanket, feeling a little dazed, as if she had returned to a Wednesday afternoon when she had no classes, when everyone else in the dormitory was still asleep, and spring was the perfect time for sleeping...
The next second, her gaze met the bronze mirror on the dressing table by the window. The dim, blurry mirror reflected an ancient girl with her hair in a bun, pulling her back to reality from her fantasy.
Every day, she hoped that it was all just a dream, and that when she woke up she would still be that carefree, laid-back college student, whose biggest worry was whether she should eat grilled cold noodles, stir-fried rice noodles, goose leg noodles, gluten noodles, stinky tofu, and vegetable pancakes at Ximen today...
A rumbling sound broke her reverie about the food street near the school gate. Shen Lingyue rubbed her stomach; she was hungry.
The sound of frost falling on the ground came just in time outside the door.
"Is Miss awake? The kitchen has brought your meal."
"Come in."
Shen Lingyue responded lazily, and soon the maids filed in. Some helped her get up and dress, some helped her wash her face and hands, and some helped set out the food. Each performed their duties without any disorder.
She went from feeling awkward all over at the beginning to now being able to act like a grown-up baby without batting an eye.
There were four dishes and a soup on the table, all in small, delicate dishes, the portions were generous, and the food was so bland that there was not a trace of meat.
Shen Lingyue sat down, looking at the lush green expanse in front of her, her face filled with despair.
What's the use of being the daughter of a high-ranking official? She hasn't eaten meat for days!
Her crayfish, crispy fried chicken, pork tenderloin pancakes, cod burgers, meat sauce pizza, smoked fish, roast duck...
Qingchan handed over the chopsticks and advised, "Madam said that you have only recently recovered from your illness, so your diet should be light and healthy. Moreover, the wedding is approaching, and if you gain weight, you will have to change your wedding dress size, and you won't be able to be a beautiful bride."
Seeing that Shen Lingyue remained unmoved, she thought for a moment and then took another drastic measure.
"His Majesty has decreed a marriage, ordering the two sons of the Marquis of Changning to marry on the same day—you don't want to be outshone by the eldest daughter of the Zhou family, do you?"
A glint flashed in Shen Lingyue's eyes. She snatched the chopsticks and took a big bite of the cold lettuce salad.
"...I'll eat it!"
That's right, the original owner of this body was so angry that she died not only because of the arranged marriage, but also because her mortal enemy since childhood, the eldest daughter of General Xuanwei, was also arranged to marry.
And coincidentally, the two women were to marry the two brothers from the Changning Marquis's mansion.
The original owner had fought with her for more than ten years, but after getting married, she had to call her sister-in-law. Moreover, she was likely to inherit the title of Marquis in the future, while she could only be separated from the family with her husband. How could anyone bear such a disparity?
Shen Lingyue chewed on the shredded lettuce with resentment, making a crunching sound, as if she were chewing on the bones of the Miss Zhou she had never met.
If it weren't for the two of you fighting and making the original owner of this body so angry, she would still be happily playing games in her dorm right now. Why would she have to suffer like this?
Qingchan and Shuangxu exchanged a glance and chuckled to themselves.
Sure enough, no matter when, the name "Miss Zhou" always works.
Shen Chunhen, the warrior, Ling Yue, ate all the food, leaving not a single grain of rice.
I must say, after being hungry for so long, even this thick rice porridge has a natural grain aroma.
Shen Lingyue had just slept all afternoon and was about to go out for a walk when the old woman at the gate came to report that the second young lady had arrived.
"Second sister?" Shen Lingyue raised an eyebrow. "Please invite her in."
The second young lady, Shen Songyi, and the second young master, Shen Mingda, were both born to the concubine, Liu Shi. They had always kept to themselves and the main family.
In addition, the original owner of this body was spoiled since childhood and relied on her status as the legitimate daughter, so she often gave her half-brother and sister a hard time.
Why would Shen Songyi rush to see her out of the blue?
Shen Lingyue was puzzled and had no choice but to temporarily put aside her plans to go out and take Qingchan to the front hall to meet the guests.
"Is your sister feeling any better?"
As soon as she entered, the girl in blue who was sitting in the lower seat got up and walked towards her, warmly taking her hand, her elegant and beautiful face full of concern.
"Ever since my younger sister fell ill, Mother said you needed to rest and couldn't see anyone, which worried me terribly. I looked forward to visiting you every day. It's all my fault. If I hadn't said some things I shouldn't have, my younger sister wouldn't have gotten so angry..."
Shen Songyi's face was full of heartache and guilt, her eyes were slightly red, and tears were welling up in her eyes. She looked so weak, helpless and pitiful.
Shen Lingyue's hand was being held by her, her face expressionless, but her mental radar was blaring.
It's here! The classic palace intrigue storyline is here!
Little white-flower half-sister, please begin your performance!
A note from the author:
----------------------
There's no time like the present, let's get started!
Here's a preview of my upcoming novel: "I Have a Special Way of Solving Crimes [1990s]"
Police academy student Zhou Mo bravely intervened to help someone in trouble, but was unfortunately attacked by a criminal and transmigrated into a cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name in a period crime novel.
The original owner was a rich girl who had a crush on her neighbor since childhood. She followed him all the way to the police academy and finally mustered up the courage to confess after graduation, only to be ruthlessly rejected.
Within a few days, the neighbor's brother was seen with the female forensic doctor who had been transferred from the province.
The original owner was greatly shocked and appeared dazed at the crime scene. While collecting evidence, she accidentally put herself in the rope that had been used to hang herself.
Zhou Mo, who just transmigrated: ? ? ?
Oh no, is there anyone who can save me?!
[Ding! Congratulations, host, on binding with the "Amazing Justice" system!]
*
After being bound to the system, Zhou Mo discovered that as long as she could recreate the posture of the victim when she was murdered, she could obtain crucial clues.
Whether this system is just or not is another matter, but it's truly "amazing".
[Ding! The host has successfully simulated the deceased's death posture and obtained 1 fragment of scene memory.]
[Ding! Host has successfully entered the suitcase where the body was dumped, obtaining 1 clue about the murder weapon]
[Ding! The host has successfully stuffed himself into the large iron pot where the deceased's dismembered body parts were cooked, but the number of body parts is incorrect. Please try again! (*^▽^*)]
Zhou Mo: !!!
Does she really need to finely chop herself into minced meat to solve a dismemberment case?
*
Everyone in Huacheng's police force knows that Zhou Mo, the new policewoman at the Beigou branch, is a "little fortune teller."
Legend has it that if you let her communicate with the deceased alone at the crime scene, you can obtain clues that the living cannot find.
At first, no one believed it: Isn't this just feudal superstition? Could it be that she's involved?
Later, Zhou Mo solved a series of cases, including the steel plant corpse melting case, the Meidianzi red-skirted killer serial case, and the Baomitaizi black bear coming down the mountain to eat people case...
When others are at a loss, Zhou Mo always has keen insight, hitting the nail on the head and finding the biggest flaw in the murderer.
She rose through the ranks from the branch office to the municipal office, won awards at the provincial level, and gave reports at the provincial department... She was truly the "Pride of Huacheng" and "Iron-Handed Peony" featured on television and in newspapers.
She was even privately revered by people in the underworld as the "Female Yama of Nanliang River," and the crime rate plummeted.
—We can't afford to mess with her! The female Yama seems to really be able to communicate with ghosts and gods. She has the ability to see ghosts and is here to take our lives!
*
Ying Shuyan, director of Huacheng Forensic Center, is a brilliant PhD who returned from studying abroad. He is highly skilled and professional, but he has a cold and aloof personality. He spends 24 hours a day in the autopsy room and is unwilling to say a word to his colleagues.
Until that day, when he lifted the white sheet covering the corpse, he met a pair of bright, almond-shaped eyes.
Zhou Mo gave a dry laugh: "Would you believe me if I said I was immersing myself in the victim's mental journey to solve the case?"
Ying Shuyan: ...I don't understand, but I respect it.
Later, he watched as this young policewoman became increasingly "eccentric," going up mountains and down rivers, crawling through holes and even into pots to solve cases, exhausting herself until she was covered in dirt and grime, yet she would break into a big smile and wave vigorously: "Found it!"
He even went so far as to tie himself up tightly, hold a scalpel in his hand, and stab her in the heart.
"Director Ying, your hand is steady and your knife is precise, can you lend me a hand?"
Reading Guide:
1. The setting is Northeast China in the 1990s. There is no specific city as the prototype. All settings are based on the author's childhood memories and casual conversations with elders and relatives. There may be some discrepancies. It mainly serves the plot and can be read as a fictional story.
2. No negative comments about the original male and female leads, just normal colleague interactions.
3. The romance between Zhou Mo and Ying Shuyan is minor, playing a central role in the main plot.
4. The protagonist has a very strong "golden finger" (a term referring to a powerful, unrealistic advantage), and their professional knowledge in criminal investigation comes from research, watching documentaries, and other channels. Please feel free to point out any inconsistencies. Any plot points or attempts to obscure real-world situations will be explained in the comments section.
The initial inspiration came from August 2024, and the copy was published on May 29, 2025. A screenshot has been saved and archived.
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