"Why is it you? I clearly married your older sister by the first wife, Gu Ruoxi!"
The man’s voice, cold and laced with fury, rang in her ears. Before Yun Feiwan could react, her throat tightened, and the red bridal veil was ripped from her head with a violent jerk.
Before her lay a room adorned with red gauze curtains and flickering candles. A handsome face appeared in the soft light, looking positively savage.
"Cough, cough..."
As the crushing sensation of suffocation took hold, Yun Feiwan’s fair skin flushed a deep red. Tears welled up in her beautiful eyes, giving her a look of pitiful fragility.
"You had better tell the truth! Otherwise..."
The man sat in a wheelchair, his words dripping with malice. He grabbed her neck and threw her heavily onto the wedding bed, leaving five distinct red finger marks on her delicate skin.
Freed from his grip, Yun Feiwan gasped for air, her mind reeling. Wasn't she just at the Nobel Prize ceremony in Medicine? How did she end up in this godforsaken place?
Was this a dream? A film set?
As she pondered, a cascade of unfamiliar memories flooded her mind:
"You, a concubine's daughter—are you even worthy of being my wife? You are so jealous; I am demoting you from wife to concubine!"
"It is your honor to donate blood for Ruoxi! Someone, bring the knife!"
"It was just one child; a lowly, unwanted brat is better off dead anyway!"
"Little sister, does the pain of having your heart cut out feel good? A dirty ant like you deserves to be crushed under my feet!"
"Drag her out and let the beggars have their fill of her! Hahaha..."
"No... No..."
*No!*
Yun Feiwan snapped out of the memories, her eyes brimming with tears—these were the raw emotions of the original body. She had transmigrated into the very novel she had finished reading just last night!
Her start was a living hell!
She, Yun Feiwan, was the concubine-born daughter of the Minister's Estate. Cowardly and easily bullied, she shared her mother’s maiden name and served as the titular heroine—a character who never bothered to defend herself. After suffering through misunderstandings, abuse, kidnapping, and the extraction of her heart and lungs, she died in despair. Only then did the male lead finally wake up to his feelings, living the rest of his life in regret while sitting atop an empty, lonely empire.
After absorbing the memories, Yun Feiwan felt the world go black. She nearly fainted.
Damn the heavens! If you’re going to make me transmigrate, why couldn't it be *before* she took her sister’s place in the marriage?
According to the plot, she should be teary-eyed right now, biting her lip in silence and refusing to explain herself. Then, the male lead, Xuantian Ze, would leave in a fit of rage on their wedding night, demoting her to a concubine and making her the laughingstock of the city.
This was the beginning of the tragedy.
No, she wanted to live! She had to preserve her status as the Third Prince’s consort to avoid the horrific plot that followed.
Looking at the enraged man, Yun Feiwan pinched her thigh hard, her eyes reddening as she prepared to explain. However, transmigrating came with a cost: her character setting was crumbling, and the body was forcing her to maintain the persona of a "helpless, mute little flower"!
"Third Prince, I did not intend for this to happen. If that is how you see it, I have no words to defend myself."
As expected, a vein throbbed on Xuantian Ze’s forehead:
"You poisonous woman! It was your schemes all along! A vicious creature like you is not fit to be my wife. Guards, demote this wretch to—"
*Oh no!*
If she were demoted to a concubine, her life would be a living hell!
*Darn it, speak up! Explain!*
Just as Yun Feiwan was turning red with anxiety, a crisp "ding" sounded in her mind, followed by a youthful, electric-tinged voice:
"Congratulations, host. You have bound the Truth System."
While her tear-filled, pitiful expression remained unchanged, the words that tumbled out of her mouth were entirely different:
"Your sweetheart thinks you’re a cripple, so she hid away on the eve of our wedding to escape! I am Yun Feiwan, the concubine-born daughter of the Minister's Estate, and I was forced to take my sister’s place to marry you!"
Her mouth hung open, her heart thumping wildly. She had... actually succeeded in explaining! And what was that about a system?
"BOOM!"
Before Yun Feiwan could react, the crippled Xuantian Ze was so angry he nearly stood up from his wheelchair. He slammed his hand against the armrest, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets:
"What did you say? You dare slander Ruoxi! She is pure and kind, and she and I are deeply in love. How could she possibly run away?"
His eyes bloodshot, he stared at her, enunciating every word:
"It was you! You coveted the title of the Prince’s consort and were blinded by vanity, wanting to climb into my bed as a lowly concubine’s daughter! Ruoxi must have been driven away by you, you poisonous snake! You are disgusting."
*Damn it!*
Yun Feiwan clenched her hand at her side. Even when she explained, these people refused to believe her. After chanting "He is the male lead! He is a Prince!" three times in her mind, she forced a smile.
"Your Highness, I..."
She intended to say, *Your Highness, it wasn't me; I did not do this of my own free will.*
But the moment she opened her mouth:
"I am blinded by vanity? Me? Me? Your Highness, are you saying that I, an unfavored concubine’s daughter who is looked down upon by servants and doesn't even have the right to share my father’s surname, could threaten a primary daughter of far higher status and steal her husband?"
"Listen to yourself! Does that even make sense?"
Xuantian Ze was rendered speechless. After stuttering for a moment, he whipped his sleeve and grabbed her chin with a firm hand:
"Woman, are you playing hard to get? Trying to use this kind of eccentric method to grab my attention? I’m telling you, there is only room for Ruoxi in my heart! No matter how hard you try, it’s useless!"
*Huh?*
Yun Feiwan wore the expression of a person watching someone act ridiculous on their phone. *He is so narcissistic and greasy!* she thought.
She parted her lips; her mind was one thing, but she still had to put on a show. However...
"Wow! Your Highness is so overbearing, so devoted, so devilishly charming, so confident, and so... crippled. I... do not like you, hee hee!"
*Mouth: Hee hee! Face: Stone-faced!*
Yun Feiwan hurriedly covered her mouth, wanting to cry. Could she not express herself more tactfully? She had explained the situation, but she had managed to offend him all over again!
"Fine, fine, fine! Yun Feiwan, you are truly something! Since you dislike me so much, I insist on keeping you by my side!"
Xuantian Ze was breathing heavily with fury, but her mouth, refusing to cooperate, added:
"Your Highness, aren't you thinking to yourself: 'I clearly love Ruoxi, but I can’t help being attracted to this woman and wanting to keep her here'?"
She was done pretending! Her mouth had a mind of its own!
At that moment, the system chimed in again with its sweet, demonic voice:
"Ding! Detected that the host has successfully told a truth. Reward: 40 points. You may now force the other party to tell a truth."
"If the host does not answer within three seconds, it will be used automatically."
And so...
"Woman, you have indeed caught my attention. I admit, your little games are somewhat interesting."
The moment he finished, Xuantian Ze went blank for a second. Having spoken his true heart, he instantly turned ashamed and enraged:
"I care about you? Ha! Guards!"
Five or six black-clad figures emerged from the shadows, kneeling before him:
"Master, what are your orders?"
Xuantian Ze gave a sinister smile:
"Send the Consort to the Yihong Brothel and make sure she is well taken care of! I want to see if she still acts so proud then!"
He threw the words out through gritted teeth and pushed his wheelchair away, forgetting all about his intention to demote her from wife to concubine.
Hearing this, a storm raged in Yun Feiwan’s heart:
*What! The Yihong Brothel!*
*Isn't that a brothel?*
*How did the plot move up the timeline?!*