Chapter 1

The bustling restaurant was packed to capacity always for the most renowned establishment in the capital. Crowds poured in without pause, filling every seat in the house. The private rooms on the upper floor, reserved exclusively for the city's alte, offered a quieter place, but the restaurant's formed dishes from the Eight Great Cuisines kept people coming back for more.

In front of a private room marked with the character "Bamboo" a young maid in a green satin dress lifted the beaded curtain and hurried inside, holding a skewer of candied hawthorns, "Miss, Aunt Wang didn't set up her stall today, so I had to get these from the shop in East Alley

Inside, the private room was calm as the faint scent of tea drifting through the air. A round purplewood table was laden with the restaurant's signature dishes, knows throughout the city. By the window sat a woman in a delicate pale lotus-pink dress with a floral pattern on smoke-like gauze. She leaned on her hand, gazing thoughtfully out the window. Her bright, clear eyes held a hint of melancholy, her elegant brows slightly furrowed on a refined and gentle face

"I heard that those two petty women, Wu Yu and Zhou Xitong, are in the room next door. Should have Xiao Lu eavesdrop on what they're saying?" a girl in a blue dress seated at the table axted tentatively

With a sidelong glance, Liu Yin accepted the candied hawthorn skewer from Xiyun and took The fartness scrunched up her delicate, fair face.

"Aunt Wang's are still better" she said, handing the skewer back to Xiyun.

"Those two ungrateful wrenches! Last time, they even sided with Shen Yoo to argue against you. One

of these days, they need to be taught a lesson the blue-dressed girl muttered indignantly

Liu Yin shot her a lock, then returned her gaze to the window, her expression looked melancholy once more, Ah, so every sidetick to a villainess always comes with terrible ideas.

The truth was, Liu Yin had simply gone in for on appendectomy, but after waking up, she found herself in some unknown dynasty. But when she realized she was now a high-born young lady, she couldn't help but feel a bit pleased. A life of food, drink, and being waited on without the need to work what a corefree existence.

Soil, her new status was dauntingly loty. So lotty, in fact, it made her feal vaguely unsettled

Her father held a prestigious position as the Minister of Personnel, wielding considerable influence-enough that even the Emperor had to treat him with caution. Her brother was a powerful general commanding troops of the border, while her aunt was the Empress, and her cousin, none other than the Crown Prince himself. It was a life bathed in glory, the kind that usually belongs to a background character in novels who rarely survives more than a few chapters

The Crown Prince was born of the late Empress, who had died in childbirth, from then on, he was raised under her aunt's care. The Crown Prince seemed unstoppable, achieving impressive feats of fourteen, he handied a major flood in Jiangnan, of fifteen, he quelled a plague in the northwest, and by eighteen, he reclaimed vast territories from foreign enemies. His position as the crown prince was solidified, yet anyone with halt a mind would see her family's powerful influence as a threat and wouldn't hesitate to remove them,

Unfortunately, the original Liu Yin was infatuated with the Crown Prince to an extreme degree, refusing to tolerate him being near any other woman. Spoiled from a young age, she developed an attitude that demanded the world to bend to her whims. With beauty os her only redeeming quality she was the epitome of a side character destined for a bad ending-barely even qualified to be a third-rate antagonist.

Despite her aund's matchmaking attempts, the Crown Prince was distant, ignoring her overtures and keeping Liu Yin at arm's length. Undelerred, she staged frequent "chance" encounters with him, hoping to win his attention.

Today was one such attempt. Her sidekick had discovered the Crown Prince would be visiting, so Liu Yin rushed here, unwilling to miss any opportunity. She had only recently inhabited this body and hadn't yet seen the Crown Prince in person, but she knew she had to follow the original character's path. Suddenly deciding not to the him would rase suspicion-and her parents and ourt would never allow it

To them, the position of Crown Princess could only belong to a Liu

"Sitting here is making my back ache, I'll take a stroll Liu Yin sighed, standing up with an air of melancholy, in the modern world, she'd never chased after anyone, but here in ancient times, she was expected to pursue a man relentlessly.

At this, Lin Xuan looked worried. "But the Crown Prince will be here soon"

Putting on her velled hat, Liu Yin replied solemnly, "Til just be wandering nearby. Who knows? I might run into the Crown Prince first

To the original Liu Yin, the Crown Prince was everything-her deepest obsession.

Hearing this, Lin Xuan nodded in agreement watching as Liu Yin left the private room

A chance encounter," she said-Liu Yin had no intention of waiting longer than a few hours. Whether he showed up or not was out of her hands, and she had done her port.

After wandering the bustling streets for a while, Liu Yin enjoyed the perks of wealth, fully embraced the spirit of "buy, buy buy She only stopped when Xiyun could no longer carry everything Returning to the restourant, she bit into a sugar figurine she had picked up along the way, relishing the thrill of spending without restraint.

She wondered if the Crown Prince had arrived yet. As she made her way upstairs, she saw Lin Xυση arguing with two other women in the corridor. The moment Lin Xuan noticed her return, she stormed over, looking absolutely exasperated and ready to lodge a complaint.

"Liu Yin, thank goodness you're back! These two have gone too far. I overheard them bodmouthing you, sol stepped in to defend you, but they actually dared to get physicall

Lin Auan was practically shaking with anger. As the original Liu Yin's most loyal aldekick, she was occustomed to wielding power alongside har and couldn't stand being slighted. However, the two women across from her clearly had a different perspective.

"It was you whe eavesdropping outside of them reforted. "When Sister Wu noticed, you insulted us first. We were just defending ourselves, and then you shoved Sister Wu. Muer only bumped into you by accident while trying to protect her. How can you twist the truth like this?"

The one speaking was Zhou Xitang, the daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites. If anyone could be called Liu Yin's biggest rival, it was Shen Yao, the daughter of the Grand Tutor. Unlike the original Liu Yin who was completely uneducated, Shen Yao was known as the most accomplished woman in the capital, excelling in everything from music and chess to poetry and painting. Just because the Crown Prince had once spoken to Shen Yao, Liu Yin had seen her as an enemy, viewing her with bitter resentment. Zhou Xitong and Wu Yu were Shen Yoo's close friends, so Liu Yin constantly clashed with them but rarely gained any advantage.

They had often mocked Liu Yin indirectly but she'd never noticed. While people outwardly feared her, they likely held her in contempt behind her back. Liu Yin couldn't help but feel sorry for the original owner, after all, no matter how powerful one's family, lacking wisdom or depth left them vulnerable.

"You... you're lying! That girl clearly pushed me on purpose!" Lin Xuan's face flushed red with anger, her intelligence scarcely better than the original Liu Yin.

Seeing this, the two women stepped back with looks of feigned fear. Wu Yu whose face was full of innocent grievance, explained softly. "It was a mere accident. Besides, Sister Lin was the one eavesdropping at the door. Is that the behavior of a true lady?"

Her words caught Lin Xuan off guard, especially as people from the main hall below started glancing up curiously.

"Besides. Tong'er's remark about 'birds of the same feather wasn't aimed at Sister Lin or Sister Liu. So, for Sister Lin to accuse us without knowing the full story is truly unfair." Wu Yu said, looking as if she might cry.

Lin Xuan's anger flared up again, and she turned to Liu Yin, desperate. "Liu Yin, you mustn't let these vile giris deceive you! I heard them clearly, calling you stupid and brainless, saying the Crown Prince would rather marry a pig than you. I heard every word!"

At this, Liu Yin calmly removed her veiled hat. She didn't need Lin Xuan's confirmation to know these two had always looked down on the original Liu Yin, thinking she was a simpleton compared to Shen Yao, But she wasn't the original Liu Yin anymore, and she was going to teach these two a hard truth: that in the face of absolute power, all their sweet, simpering pretense was worthless.

"Sister Lin, please don't falsely accuse us. Even if we were given hundreds of lives, we wouldn't dare speak ill of Sister Liu like that. They bowed their heads with feigned anxiety, pretending to be meek and intimidated.

Liu Yin bit down on her sugar figurine as she stepped forward, inching closer to them. Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes and seized Wu Yu's chin between her fingers. "Such a pretty face," she mused. "I wonder how it would look with a few cuts?"

As their gazes met, Wu Yu's face instantly paled, her whole body trembling. Liu Yin's notorious arrogance and daring were well-known, and if she said she'd scar Wu Yu's face, she just might actually do it.

"You.. you can't treat Sister Wu like this..." Zhou Xitong stammered, stepping in front of Wu Yu with a pale face, playing the part of the protective friend.

At this, Liu Yin arched her brow, mimicking the original's haughty tone. "And just because you say so, I shouldn't? You two had the nerve to gossip behind my back? You're braver than I thought. Maybe a little lesson will help you remember your place."

"Exactly! Teach them a lesson they won't forget! Lin Xuan laughed smugly from the side.

To their shock, Liu Yin looked completely serious. Both girls instinctively backed away, visibly shaken.

"Of course," Liu Yin continued, biting into her sugar figurine with a casual air, "if you're willing to bring me tea, apologize, and tell me exactly where you went wrong, I might be gracious enough to let this slide."

The two exchanged wary glances, clearly doubting that Liu Yin would actually dare to harm them. After all, as daughters of high-ranking officials, they assumed her throats were empty.

Straightening their backs, they declared. "We absolutely won't admit to something we didn't dol"

Liu Yin had no real intention of disfiguring them, but seeing them trying to gamble on her courage ignited her desire to give them a good scare.

With a sharp clap, she called out crisply, "Hold them for me!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiyun, clearly accustomed to these situations, sprang into action. With her martial arts background, she grabbed Wu Yu's arm and forcefully pinned her against the wall. Downstairs, patrons in the main hall stood up, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the commotion on the upper floor.

Lin Xuan, ever the loyal sidekick, quickly handed over a hairpin, embodying her role to perfection.

"Sister Wu!" Zhou Xitong's eyes reddened with worry.

Taking the hairpin, Liu Yin stepped forward with a pleasant smile, savoring the flash of fear in Wu Yu's eyes. The satisfaction was undeniable-why waste energy scheming when bullying could be so much fun?

But just as she approached Wu Yu, the atmosphere suddenly shifted to a tense silence. Faces around her paled, and Zhou Xitong abruptly dropped into a low bow, trembling as she spoke. Lin Xuan quickly followed suit, both of them saying in unison, "This humble subject greets His Highness, the Crown Prince."

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