Chapter 1
My dog died, will you take its place?
"A perfectly good dog was beaten to death like that."
"So what if he's dead? The princess has that third prince completely under her thumb, what's the point of arguing with him?"
"The Third Prince is virtuous and kind, did he really do this?"
"It was this dog that offended the Third Prince first. Like master, like dog. This daughter has no manners at all. Even if she is raised in the palace, she will not develop any noble qualities in virtue, speech, appearance, or skill!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down, or the princess will be beheaded!"
The whispers of the palace maids gradually faded away. Xie Yutang frowned slightly, her eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Before her eyes was a sky full of snow, and the pain of being stabbed through the heart by a sharp blade still seemed to have not yet subsided. She raised her hand and parted her clothes, revealing the smooth, white skin rising and falling on her chest, and her heart was beating strongly in her chest.
Xie Yutang knew that he had been reborn.
In the eleventh year of the Taihe reign, Xie's father fought desperately to defend the city at Daoma Pass. All 107 members of the Xie family died as martyrs, leaving only a five-year-old orphan girl. She was adopted by the late emperor and given the title of Princess Ning'an.
Xie Yutang knew that the Xie family was wiped out not only because of the Northern Rong barbarians, but also because a traitor who colluded with foreign enemies had revealed her father's whereabouts. In her previous life, she placed her hopes of finding the traitor and avenging her father on the man she loved most—the Third Prince, Lin Tan.
Xie Yutang devoted herself wholeheartedly to helping him ascend the throne, but unexpectedly, the new emperor, who held great power and whom she trusted, made all sorts of excuses and perfunctory attempts to thoroughly investigate the old case from back then, making her path of revenge extremely difficult.
After Lin Tan made Guo Shouzhen's eldest daughter his concubine, he became increasingly wary of her power. Finally, the two quarreled again over the appointment and removal of officials in the Ministry of Rites, and Lin Tan stabbed her in the chest.
Ah, a mere sixth-rank official took the Empress's life.
"Miss, it's freezing cold. Even if you're healthy, you can't treat yourself like this."
Huai Jin unfolded a fur-lined jacket and wrapped it around Xie Yutang. Seeing that the front of the jacket was open and the embroidered undergarment underneath could be vaguely seen, she was even more shocked. Just as she was about to say something, she looked up and saw Xie Yutang's face, and froze on the spot: "...Miss, why are you crying?"
Sitting under the eaves in the wind and snow, Xie Yutang looked up and closed her eyes. Hot tears streamed down her face, but the corners of her mouth inexplicably curved upwards. She gradually laughed out loud, and tears fell in torrents, making small craters in the snow.
Huai Jin was startled. She exchanged a glance with Wo Yu, but before she could react, Xie Yutang pulled her into his arms.
In her past life, Huaijin and Woyu, two maids she regarded as her own sisters, died protecting her.
She couldn't get what she wanted, couldn't keep what she wanted, and couldn't kill what she wanted. What she treasured was discarded like trash by others, and her sincere heart was crushed into dust.
She resented, she hated, she was unwilling to accept it.
Perhaps even the heavens felt that her death was unjust, and gave her another chance.
Wu Zhui died in the 24th year of the Taihe era, three years after she came of age.
It's not too late.
In this life, she will rely on herself to uncover the truth, avenge her family, and rise to the pinnacle of power.
"It's a pity that Wuzhui left. We all know you're feeling bad."
"But if Wu Zhui were still alive, he would never want to see the princess so heartbroken."
Huaijin hugged her and gently stroked her back, assuming that their young lady was saddened by Wuzhui's matter.
Wu Zhui is a purebred Tibetan Mastiff. The other day, she had an argument with Lin Tan and was pushed, causing her to hit a stone step and cut her palm. Protecting her master, Wu Zhui immediately rushed over and tore a piece of flesh from Lin Tan's calf.
At Shenshi (3-5 PM) today, Woyu ran in crying, saying that Wuzhui had been beaten to death by the palace servants under Lin Tan.
Suddenly finding her arms empty, Huai Jin looked up in astonishment and saw Xie Yutang wiping away her tears, striding to Wu Zhui's newly erected grave, drawing a whip from her waist, and with a snap, snowflakes flew everywhere, and the newly laid cover was shattered into pieces.
Huai Jin and the surrounding palace servants were all stunned.
Xie Yutang knelt down, used his fingers to brush away the remaining snow, and lifted the golden nanmu coffin containing Wuzhui out of the ground.
Several quick-witted palace maids vaguely guessed what the princess was about to do, and their legs trembled with fear.
"Huaijin, Woyu." Xie Yutang brushed away the snow and mud on the coffin. "Find two strong eunuchs to carry this coffin to Happy Valley for me."
*
In the center of Happy Valley, a lone figure knelt.
"You can't even lead a horse properly? Didn't you learn at the border?"
"What would Prince Muqing teach a mere bastard like that?"
The word "bastard" seemed to touch a nerve, and the people around him gradually began to laugh in a lewd manner.
"I think this little bastard is just like his mother, a woman who sells herself based on her looks. Why don't you serve me well tonight, and I'll protect you from now on."
The explicit words drew laughter from the crowd. Everyone knew that Su Lu was the least favored son of King Muqing, Su Chengyu. His mother was a Hu dancer who died a few years after giving birth to him.
Because of his half-Hu blood, Su Lu was often bullied in the mansion, but as long as no one died, Su Chengyu didn't bother to care.
The only value of this "little bastard" was probably being kicked into the capital as a hostage.
The young masters of the aristocratic families in the capital were playing tricks, and Su Lu's face was just too outstanding. If it weren't for the words "Mu Qing Prince's Mansion" barely protecting him, these people would probably have done more than just talk.
"Alright, don't go too far."
Having watched the spectacle to his heart's content, Lin Tan slowly walked over and gently reached out his hand to Su Lu, who was kneeling on the ground: "They're just joking, young master, don't take it to heart."
Su Lu did not rely on the strength of that hand and stood up on his own.
"Pah, you shameless bastard."
"Only the Third Prince is kind-hearted enough to keep such a thing by his side as a companion while studying."
Lin Tan was quite pleased with the flattery, but shook her head in disapproval. Just as she was about to say something more, her gaze swept over a figure, and her expression changed.
Xie Yutang, dressed in red, came in with a menacing air, followed by two eunuchs carrying something behind him, and a line of palace servants who were trying to comfort him.
That bright, dazzling figure in the white snow inexplicably gave Lin Tan an ominous premonition from the bottom of his heart, and a shivering numbness slowly crept up his spine to the top of his head.
As the person drew closer, Lin Tan realized the cause of this ominous sign.
The two eunuchs were carrying a coffin that was almost as tall as a person.
With a loud bang, everyone was startled.
The heavy coffin made of Phoebe zhennan wood was placed on the ground with a steady force, but the coffin was indeed too heavy, making a loud thud and kicking up a flurry of snow foam.
Lin Tan, seemingly oblivious, replaced her gaze with a warm, gentle smile: "Tangtang, what's wrong with you..."
"Smack—"
A crisp slap stunned everyone.
Lin Tan remained with her head turned to the side, somewhat unable to react.
Xie Yutang shook his hand; if it weren't frozen stiff, the slap would have been even more forceful!
"Tangtang, you—"
"Don't call me Tangtang, it sounds disgusting."
Xie Yutang looked at the coffin on the ground. The coffin was not covered, and the materials used were extremely expensive. Everyone couldn't help but crane their necks to look. After seeing it clearly, they were all shocked and their faces turned pale. Some even turned their heads away and vomited.
Inside the coffin was the corpse of a Tibetan Mastiff. Its eyes were rolled back and its tongue was sticking out. Its brown fur was covered in bloodstains, and its skull was covered in a mixture of yellow and white brain matter. It had been smashed open.
Xie Yutang gently curved her lips into a smile.
She bent down and stroked the dog's fur, her pale fingertips stained with dirty blood. She had a beautiful and radiant face, and her smile was like the blazing sun in March, but at this moment, she sent chills down everyone's spine.
"Wu Zhui said that it was too lonely to be a dog alone, and it needed to find an animal to keep it company."
Everyone was so shocked by these outrageous words that they were speechless.
Xiao Fuzi mustered her courage and said, "Princess, we understand your grief over the loss of your beloved dog, but what is the meaning of bringing the corpse of an animal to our racecourse?"
"And what do you mean?" Xie Yutang repeated softly, each word extremely gentle and slow. She suddenly raised her eyes, her gaze like a sharp sword, pinning Xiao Fuzi to the spot. Her voice was like a demon's low groan: "I'm here to find it a companion, aren't I?"
Xiao Fuzi trembled violently, her body went limp and she knelt on the ground. A foul, fishy smell emanated from beneath her, and she had wet herself in fear.
Lin Tan frowned and stood a little further away.
Xie Yutang let out a soft "Ah," looking at Xiao Fuzi with some surprise: "I can understand your fear when you killed Wu Zhui, but what do you mean by a eunuch openly urinating in front of a group of noble young masters at the racecourse?"
"Princess, spare my life!"
"Spare me?" Xie Yutang pressed on, "When you killed Wu Zhui, why didn't you think of sparing me?"
Little Fuzi was so frightened that she almost lost her mind. She scrambled to grab Lin Tan's robes, crying out, "Third Prince! Third Prince, save me!"
Lin Tan flicked his robe to avoid Xiao Fuzi's touch, then rubbed the soles of his boots in the snow. He almost blurted out "Get lost," but he held back, maintaining a gentle expression, though his tone betrayed a hint of impatience: "Tangtang, aren't you going too far?"
Xie Yutang sneered: "It's not excessive for you to kill my dog, but it's excessive for me to come and demand an explanation?"
Lin Tan choked, "I knew nothing about this matter, and besides, I've already apologized to you—"
Xie Yutang pressed her fingertips against his lips.
Lin Tan was startled. A fishy, foul smell came from the tip of her tongue and under her nose. She was immediately alarmed and no longer cared about her manners. She suddenly pushed her hand away and frantically wiped her lips with her sleeve.
She actually smeared the beast's blood on his lips!
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry. I forgot I had Wu Zhui's blood on my hands when I covered your mouth. Ignorance is no excuse, and besides, I've already apologized to you. Look—"
"Xie, Yu, Tang," Lin Tan finally snapped, "What exactly do you want?"
Xie Yutang's smile faded, and he looked at him expressionlessly: "A life for a life."
"That's just a beast."
“Wu Zhui was my father’s birthday gift to me, and also the last thing he left me. It was my companion day and night, and was loyal to me without reservation. In my heart, this dog was much more important than you. Now it was beaten to death for protecting its owner. In terms of morality, reason, and justice, how is it inferior to others? Do you think the murderer should pay with his life?”
With each additional word Xie Yutang uttered, Lin Tan's face grew increasingly grim, especially with the line "It's far more important than you," which openly declared him inferior to an animal!
Lin Tan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and softened her tone: "I will order the erection of a monument for this dog to pray for its soul, but a beast is still a beast. What is the value of a human life? As a princess of the current dynasty, you should always remember to be benevolent, righteous, and wise, and treat others with kindness."
Xie Yutang almost burst out laughing.
How can you talk to a man who stabbed his wife with a knife about benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and how to treat others with kindness?
Xie Yutang drew his short knife and, amidst the gasps of the crowd, placed the blade against Lin Tan's neck.
A large group of people knelt down all around, shouting, "Princess, please calm down!" "Princess, please don't act rashly!"
Xie Yutang laughed and said, "I am not the Third Prince. I do not have a mind full of benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom, and I am never kind to others. If anyone offends me, I will definitely pay back double for every little thing I do."
Lin Tan didn't dare to move an inch.
That shivering feeling seized him again.
Xie Yutang seems different. In the past, he could easily fool people with a few nice words, but now he seems like a completely different person.
Moreover, he knew that Xie Yutang was not bluffing; she really intended to kill him!
Lin Tan's feeling was correct.
In his previous life, Xie Yutang knelt before Wu Zhui's grave and cried for more than half a month, but dared not say a harsh word to Lin Tan, and even vomited himself into a cold.
Now that the knife was at his throat, Xie Yutang felt extremely satisfied.
She leaned close to Lin Tan's ear and whispered:
"When I cherish you, you are something; when I no longer cherish you, you are nothing."
Lin Tan's pupils suddenly contracted.
"Princess--"
Xiao Fuzi crawled on the ground toward her, pointing her finger into the crowd, "It's him, he's the murderer who killed Wu Zhui!"
Xie Yutang was surprised when he saw the slender figure standing quietly.
"It's him, Su Lu, the illegitimate son of Prince Muqing." Xiao Fuzi said decisively, "Princess, Wu Zhui acted swiftly. How could a eunuch like me have such strength? Only someone who has practiced martial arts since childhood could kill him with a single blow!"
Anyway, that little bastard is neither loved by his father nor his mother, and anyone can kick him while he's down. He never argues back, so it's the perfect person to push this matter onto him.
Xie Yutang certainly knew Su Lu.
The young Prince Muqing, who fought his way in and out of the frontier battlefield seven times without ever being defeated.
The young Prince Muqing, with his deep pools, towering peaks, and clear, bright moonlight.
How did he end up here?
The man quietly walked out of the crowd and knelt down a foot away from Xie Yutang.
With his back straight and his face calm, he said, "I swear on my life that I was never involved in this matter."
Xie Yutang knew, of course, that he had never been involved.
She found out everything about Wu Zhui in her past life: who killed him, what he used to kill him, and where the murder weapon was.
This little Fuzi is the mastermind.
Xie Yutang lowered his eyes to look at the lonely figure kneeling on the snow. His clothes suggested that he was Lin Tan's study companion.
How could that brat Lin Tan have Su Lu as his study companion?
Xie Yutang recalled her past life with shame, saying that she had devoted herself entirely to Lin Tan and had never even glanced at anyone else.
My earliest memory of this young Prince Muqing dates back to the day he was appointed to a critical mission and defeated 80,000 elite Hu troops in the northern desert, returning in triumph—Xie Yutang stood beside Lin Tan, congratulating him as the princess consort.
Xie Yutang was used to seeing General Su Lu in armor riding a warhorse, and he was also used to seeing the young Prince Mu Qing in casual clothes with his hair as black as jade and as white as ink, but—
She had never seen Su Lu kneeling quietly in the snow, his handsome face low and solemn, swearing an oath with his life.
Xiao Fuzi was both shocked and furious. This boy was usually very tough, always accepting beatings and punishments without ever explaining or talking back. How could he suddenly become such a spineless coward in front of the princess? He slid down so smoothly, and still wanted the princess to uphold justice for him?
Xiao Fuzi gritted his teeth. No matter what, he had to make sure that Qiang An was guilty today, or his life would be in danger.
"You shameless little bastard, how dare you try to argue in front of the princess?!"
Xiao Fuzi raised her hand and struck, this palm strike was unrestrained, carrying the anger she had suffered from Xie Yutang and Lin Tan, but it was forced to stop just millimeters away from Su Lu's cheek.
The back of a short knife, pressed against his palm, blocked his slap as firmly and unyielding as a rock.
The cold glint of the sharp blade reflected in the pure white snow.
Xie Yutang's short knife, which had been resting against Lin Tan's neck, was moved to another location.
Since she has made up her mind to avenge her family and seize the throne, she absolutely must keep this god of death general firmly in her grasp.
With a casual wave of her hand, Xiao Fuzi fell backward and crashed back into the snow. She used her toes to lift the chin of the kneeling man, forcing him to look up, and curled her lips into a wicked smile.
"My dog died, will you take its place?"
[Author's Note]
My darlings, let's start this next book!
Looking to pre-order [sunglasses]
Guaranteed to be super sweet and incredibly exciting!
—
Despite being debuffed, she's still incredibly popular.
Winther was a player of "The Rich Heiress Simulator," and she had allocated all her attribute points to "Beauty," intending to live a carefree and leisurely life. However, when she woke up, she found herself transported to another world, and the men around her were all incredibly treacherous—
1. An actor whose potential partners are being poached from all sides, ready to stab him in the back at any moment.
2. The e-sports god who treats you like an ATM
3. The stepfather who is trying to seize your family property.
With a luck stat of 0, Winther consistently manages to precisely avoid buffs like [artistic talent/academic genius aura/unbelievably wealthy...], drawing only a few debuffs instead.
[Skin hunger: You can't live without handsome men, you'd rather cry while doing laundry on a handsome man's eight-pack abs than laugh on a soft velvet bed]
Winsor tore up the rival company's contract in the actor's hand and pinned him in front of the desk: "Tell me how to get a kickback, oh no, thank you, you're really important to the company."
[The Darkly Crawling Paranoiac: Your fanatical, gloomy, and inhumanly possessive desire for your idol has made you the number one influencer]
Winsor cornered the e-sports heartthrob who was packing up his peripherals against the wall: "I bought the club for you, so why did you shake hands with the female host? Why did you smile at her? Do you need to be locked up so you can realize your place?"
[Thinking you're an Alpha: You, who consider yourself an Alpha, look down on all pitiful, weak, and helpless Omegas.]
Facing his powerful stepfather, Winther boldly touched the back of his neck: "As an Omega, why don't you suppress your pheromones? Do you really want me to mark you?"
Not only that, the side quests are all incredibly bizarre—
[Best Actor Side Story: You are a heartless capitalist. Your only cash cow was exploited to the point of contract termination, becoming the final straw that broke the company's back]
[Esports God Side Story: After flirting with someone until they're completely infatuated, he tells them he's just a heartless tool for ranking up, and gets cyberbullied by his fans and honest bystanders until he deletes his account]
[Side story of the younger father: He uses every trick in the book to bring this aloof beauty down to earth, but their immoral relationship is exposed by paparazzi, and the company's stock price plummets.]
System friendly reminder: The more sensational, the more money you make!
Having completely let loose, Winsor unlocked a series of achievements: [Others commit immoral acts, she willingly debases herself; she commits immoral acts, a love that captivates the world], [The woman who unites the trolls in the esports world], [There's no one in this world you care about anymore]
As the account balance keeps increasing from zero, the favorability rating of the person you're trying to win over also drops drastically.
Before dropping to 0, Winther, with the "running away with a baby" debuff, sent breakup letters to three men saying "Honey, I'm pregnant with your child," then signed the last property transfer document, made a beautiful escape, and planned to settle in Europe.
Having ordered seven or eight male models, she was ready to embark on her glamorous life as a female CEO, only to find that three men had all kissed her.
She then realized that it wasn't a favorability rating, but a "confession countdown".
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