Su Mengyao had transmigrated into a book.
As the dignified disciple of the Pill Saint, her downfall wasn't a complex alchemical failure, but a simple mistake born of exhaustion. She had pulled an all-nighter chasing a novel, fumbled the ingredients while testing a new medicine, and promptly poisoned herself to death.
In the Nether Realm, Nether King stroked his beard, a curious glint in his eyes as he looked upon her soul.
“Tsk, tsk. In all my years, I’ve seen people poison others, but never themselves. And certainly not for the sake of a novel. Since you cherish that world so dearly, I shall grant your wish.”
Grant her wish?
What wish?
Su Mengyao was utterly baffled. Before she could form a question, Nether King waved his hand. Her consciousness was snatched into a swirling vortex, and her world plunged into darkness.
When she opened her eyes again, she had been reborn into the novel "Virtuous Empress," becoming the cannon fodder younger sister of the story’s vicious female villain—a character destined for a miserable death not long after her birth.
“Congratulations, madam! You’ve given the Duke another beautiful daughter!”
Inside the Duke An's Mansion, the midwife held the newborn Su Mengyao and beamed at the Duchess, who leaned weakly against the headboard, mustering a faint smile.
“Bring her to me. Let me see her.”
At her mother's words, Su Mengyao was placed into a warm, fragrant embrace. She looked up into a face that was pale and haggard from childbirth.
The woman’s hair was a damp, disheveled mess, and beads of sweat still glistened on her forehead. Yet even in such a state, her stunning beauty was impossible to hide. Su Mengyao’s eyes widened in silent astonishment.
She’d been drifting in this world for half a day, already aware that her new mother was a great beauty, but seeing her from this impossible, neck-straining angle, she was struck anew by her sheer loveliness.
[Wow. So this is my mother. She’s absolutely gorgeous, truly worthy of being called one of the two great beauties of the Tianlan Empire.]
“???”
Lady Su froze. Had the birth left her so weak she was now hallucinating?
Where did that tiny, milky voice come from?
[It’s such a pity, though. A mother this beautiful is about to be killed by her cousin, Qiao Manrou.]
[As part of a cannon fodder family, fated to be related to the main villainess, no one in the Su Family gets a happy ending. And mother is the first to die.]
Qiao Manrou?
That was indeed her cousin’s name.
But what did the baby mean, killed by her cousin?
And what was all this about a cannon fodder family and a vicious female villain?
Lady Su’s head swam. She lowered her gaze to the infant in her arms, stunned.
The baby’s eyes were barely open, just tiny slits, yet she seemed to be staring intently at her, a focus utterly unlike that of a newborn.
So… were those voices her baby’s innermost thoughts?
Could she actually hear what her daughter was thinking?
[The whole tragedy starts because mother kindly takes in her orphaned cousin, Qiao Manrou, and her mother. She invites them to live in the mansion, but all Qiao Manrou wants is to steal father and become the new Duchess.]
[That’s right, it happens today—the very day I’m born. That vile woman steals the undergarment that grandmother embroidered for mother’s coming-of-age ceremony. The one with mother’s name on it.]
[She’ll get Shen Zixuan drunk, shove the undergarment into his arms, and then spread rumors that mother is having an affair with him. She’ll even claim I’m not father’s child.]
[Soon enough, that undergarment will find its way to Lady Shen, who will storm over to the Duke An’s Mansion in a rage, throwing it at our door and screaming insults at mother for days on end.]
[Mother’s reputation will be shattered. To preserve what’s left of father’s dignity and the honor of the Grand Marshal's Residence, she will end her own life in despair.]
[What do I do? How can I possibly warn mother to be wary of her cousin?]
[Ugh, if only I could speak!]
It was mother’s suicide that had dealt father such a heavy blow, causing him to neglect her older sister’s upbringing. That neglect was what allowed her sister to descend into darkness, step by step, ultimately bringing ruin upon the entire Su Family.
If her mother’s fate could be changed, maybe the future could be different. Maybe she wouldn’t have to remain cannon fodder, destined to be executed by a thousand arrows alongside Seventh Uncle, barely old enough to have been weaned.
Su Mengyao tried desperately to speak, to make any sound, but nothing came out.
So tiring…
To be reborn into a book with all my memories, to want so badly to change my fate, but to be unable to speak—is there anything more frustrating in this world?
Su Mengyao wanted to cry, but she had no tears.
What she didn’t know was that Lady Su, having heard every word, was trembling. Biting her lip, she clutched her daughter tighter, a flicker of deep pain in her eyes.
Shen Zixuan had been her childhood sweetheart. They were even betrothed once…
And her cousin, Qiao Manrou… after her husband died, her cruel mother-in-law had driven her out for only bearing a daughter. Her own sister-in-law wouldn’t tolerate her at home. She had nowhere to go. Feeling pity for her, Lady Su had kindly taken them in, raising both mother and daughter in the mansion.
And this was her reward? Her cousin had been coveting her husband all along, even plotting to destroy her?
“Xiao Lian, the young miss is hungry. Take her to the wet nurse.”
After a long moment, Lady Su composed herself, her expression calm as she summoned her maid.
As the maid carried her away, Lady Su could still hear Su Mengyao’s internal meltdown.
[Aaaah, I don’t want to drink milk from a stranger! It’s so embarrassing!]
[Wait, no! That evil woman is about to make her move! Mother, how am I supposed to save you? This is infuriating! I have my memories, so why can’t I talk?]
A small, wry smile touched Lady Su’s lips, her heart melting completely.
My child, she thought, I already know someone means to harm me. Don’t you worry. I will handle this. In this life, I will live a long, long time and watch you grow up healthy and happy.
The next instant, her expression hardened.
“Someone, bring Nanny Li to me at once.”
She didn’t know how her daughter knew their fates, but the matter was far too important to ignore.
She had to get ahead of this, to nip any potential disaster in the bud.
A short while later, after Lady Su had meticulously arranged everything, a maid hurried in to report that the new young miss was refusing to drink milk, nearly driving the wet nurse to distraction.
Remembering her daughter’s thoughts, Lady Su sighed.
“Bring her to me. I’ll try.”
Su Mengyao was once again placed in her mother’s arms.
Lady Su expressed some milk into a bowl and had the maid feed the infant with a small spoon, cooing softly.
“Good girl. You’re still so little, you can only drink milk. It’s what all babies do.”
Overwhelmed by hunger and mollified by the use of a spoon, Su Mengyao felt her cheeks grow warm. She decided to grant a small concession.
[Mother is coaxing me herself. Fine, fine. For mother’s sake, I’ll have a few sips.]
My daughter is giving me face.
A joyful smile blossomed on Lady Su’s face. She gazed at the tiny baby in her arms, her eyes so full of tenderness it seemed water might spill from them.
[So sleepy… I want to sleep.]
Newborns slept a lot. After just a few mouthfuls, an overwhelming drowsiness washed over Su Mengyao. No matter how hard she fought it, she couldn’t keep her eyes open.
When Lady Su glanced down, her daughter was already fast asleep, blowing tiny milk bubbles with each breath.
Lady Su chuckled softly, dabbing the milk from the corner of the baby’s mouth with a handkerchief.
“Cousin! I heard the wonderful news from the servants, so I rushed over to see you.”
That afternoon, a graceful figure glided into the room. She sat by the bed and took Lady Su’s hand, her voice dripping with warmth and concern.
Lying in bed with a weary expression, Lady Su watched the woman with detached indifference.
She wore a pink dress, her eyebrows carefully drawn, her eyes artfully lined. She was dressed like a courtesan. For someone living under another’s roof, she was far more flamboyant than the Duchess herself.
“Thank you for your concern, cousin. I’m exhausted from the birth and need to sleep. You should go back and rest as well.”
After only a few words, Lady Su yawned and appeared to drift off.
“Cousin? Cousin, wake up for a moment.”
Qiao Manrou gave her a few forceful shoves, but there was no response.
Seeing how soundly she slept, Qiao Manrou’s lips curved into a smug smile. She tiptoed over to the wardrobe, opened it, and quickly located the undergarment embroidered with Lady Su’s name.