Chapter 1

The most dissolute Rakshasa of the Youzhao dynasty married the crazy eldest son of the Gu family.

For a time, everyone in the capital city sighed, lamenting that this madman would not live for many days under the hand of Princess Han.

Red silk hung on Baohua Street, full of wedding festivities.

A girl as beautiful as jade reclined on the couch, her sleeping face peaceful, still wearing her wedding dress.

Long eyelashes fluttered lightly, and the person on the couch slowly awoke.

When she clearly saw what was before her, Yu Yunji’s mind buzzed, and she immediately sat up straight.

The jade table in front of her was smooth and large. To highlight the extravagance of the most favored imperial daughter in the book, it was even inlaid with pearls and gems. Now, sunlight poured through the window lattice onto the table. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed a table could be described as dazzling.

This overwhelming opulence was clearly the plot she had read in the novel late last night.

“Since you’re awake, quickly untie me.” A cold voice came from the end of the bed.

Yu Yunji was slightly startled and turned to look behind her.

This glance made her freeze.

Even though she realized she had transmigrated into a book and knew that Gu Qi was an extremely handsome villain in this story, when she actually saw his face, she couldn’t help but be stunned.

How to describe this face? It had an inherent allure, yet it was charming without being seductive. As long as he put on a cold expression, this face could instantly become sharp, extremely aggressive.

The person at the corner of the bed had ink-black hair scattered over his shoulders, a thin layer of red at the corners of his eyes, and cold smile curling at his lips as he glared at her. It was a chaotic, broken beauty, if not for the red silk binding his wrists and tying them to the bed frame, minus a bit of sensuality.

Before her was the biggest villain in the book, Gu Qi.

Yu Yunji certainly remembered his various deeds in the original book. He had long admired Prince Gong, but the Gu family was going to marry their most beloved adopted son to Prince Gong’s household. Thus, the Gu family did not hesitate to offend her, just to let their more promising adopted son make a better marriage.

When a dissolute person who kills without blinking meets a madman with no scruples, in the end, Gu Qi gained the upper hand, running the original body through with a sword, intending to drag down the entire royal family. In the end, it was still her female protagonist elder sister who took his life, earning widespread praise from the common people.

At that time, she had sighed for Gu Qi, but when truly facing him, Yu Yunji was still somewhat afraid.

With her mind in turmoil, Yu Yunji tried hard to organize the lines she had read last night.

Although she could recognize all the Chinese characters she recalled in her mind, when strung together and infused with emotion, it became so difficult.

Yu Yunji looked at him with a serious face, trying hard not to stutter: “The prince consort has committed a taboo. You should call me wife-master or Yu Mi.” It was fortunate she remembered that Yu Mi was the original cannon fodder’s childhood name, which only intimate people could use to address her.

Hearing her speak like this, Gu Qi instead lowered his head and laughed mockingly.

“Committed a taboo? Then how does the princess want to punish me? Kill me and make me into exchange notes to reward my Gu family’s lord? Or burn me to bone powder and mix it into alcohol for them to drink? Or perhaps a human oil lamp?” Those red lips opened and closed, but the words that came out made one’s blood run cold.

Cruel, truly cruel.

The things Gu Qi had just listed were not imaginary; the original body had done all of them before.

The man who had been made into exchange notes by the original body’s orders and forced his parents to eat, was because he wasn’t pleasing enough in bed, so she disgustedly ordered for this person to be remade.

So-called remaking meant truly being put in a pot and then entering the parents’ stomachs.

The original body’s methods were vicious, and such things were not uncommon. Gu Qi hated the Gu family extremely, so he might even be glad to see such things done.

The urgent matter at hand was to quickly appease Gu Qi’s emotions, otherwise no one could predict what this person would do next. Yu Yunji valued her life very much; she didn’t want to experience a true psychopath at all.

Looking at the beautiful face before her that had been steeped in poison, Yu Yunji couldn’t help but feel chilled.

She looked at Gu Qi and after a long while said: “Your makeup has been smudged a bit.” The makeup of men in the Youzhao dynasty was somewhat unique. Historical records mostly describe putting makeup at the corners of the lips, but the makeup of Youzhao men was under the eyes and on the forehead.

The smile completely froze on Gu Qi’s face.

Having the topic changed so abruptly, his expression became extremely unpleasant: “…You!” Gu Qi’s attitude was truly not good. That the original body, such a vicious and violent person, could endure until Gu Qi ran her through with a sword without dealing a fatal blow, was only because of this excessively beautiful face.

Thinking of this, Yu Yunji’s gaze lingered a few moments longer.

A thin layer of gauze draped diagonally over his shoulders, and now it was March. The man was dressed thinly; if this spring gauze slipped off, his tattered clothes from yesterday’s struggle would probably not cover anything.

Yu Yunji leaned in closer and picked up Gu Qi’s sash. Her nimble fingers tied a butterfly knot before withdrawing her hand.

A faint scent of winter daphne also came with it, as if her fingertips had been contaminated.

“Don’t touch me!” Gu Qi’s face turned from green to white, and he immediately tried to break free from his restraints.

It had to be admitted that Gu Qi’s face, combined with his reckless madness just now, was truly extremely captivating.

Yu Yunji raised her eyes to look at his face, her heart pounding.

She carefully chose her words; dealing with the madman before her, one misstep could be life-threatening.

“If you don’t wish to marry me, find an opportunity to separate later. Don’t seek death. Don’t commit taboos outside; we still need to put on a show, do you understand?”

Gu Qi sneered coldly.

“If I hadn’t sought death, my purity would already be gone. Separate? Are you willing to separate?”

Yu Yunji covered her mouth with her finger and coughed once.

How could she forget this point? The original body was a famous dissolute imperial daughter of Youzhao, getting whatever she wanted since childhood. How could she be willing to let go of a beauty she hadn’t obtained?

Moreover, she was going to force herself on him last night; the red silk bindings made perfect sense. But somehow, perhaps because the plot had deviated, Gu Qi seemed fine at the moment.

In the original book, Gu Qi wanted mutual destruction. He was tied to the bed and forcibly taken, which further strengthened Gu Qi’s determination to kill her.

“Since you’re unwilling, there’s no point in forcing you,” Yu Yunji met his phoenix eyes and said softly, “These two points, nothing more.”

“Yu Yunji, why are you pretending to be a good person?” Gu Qi laughed so hard he bent over, tears seeping from the corners of his eyes. “We’re both rotten to the core, equally bad. Do you really think I can’t see through your tricks?”

Yu Yunji looked at him in confusion: “You’re unwilling?”

She didn’t show any anger, which was somewhat unusual.

Gu Qi narrowed his eyes slightly: “Untie me.”

Yu Yunji ignored his probing gaze. If she didn’t want to achieve the ending where the male lead turns evil and runs her through with a sword, she needed to implement a free-range policy.

Her fingertips touched his white, slightly cool wrists. His skin was too delicate; the red silk was tied tightly, and red marks gradually appeared on his wrists. She struggled to untie it while listening to his mockery.

“You tied it so skillfully, as if you’ve done it many times. How come you can’t untie it?”

“Indeed, the princess always only ties and never unties.”

“Yes, you’re the first person I’ve untied,” Yu Yunji pulled the red silk open and continued, “The female protagonist… Elder Imperial Sister is about to discuss marriage. You’d better behave well and separate early, otherwise you’ll become a male concubine.”

In Youzhao, it was common to have three husbands and six male concubines. A male concubine of good status was equivalent to a concubine; without favor, there was no status to speak of.

How could a madman like Gu Qi tolerate serving one wife with others? He would probably kill the primary wife first.

Gu Qi indeed quieted down. He flexed his wrists marked with red, and after a long while murmured: “Princess Gong would never… I, a man of the Gu family, will surely capture her heart…”

Yu Yunji looked at him with a complex expression: “Yes, yes, so let’s get along peacefully. After all, you’re still my future brother-in-law.”

Without the imprisonment plot, Gu Qi wouldn’t turn evil, and he wouldn’t be devoted to Princess Gong.

This meant that she could live.

She didn’t break Gu Qi’s illusion, nor did she tell him that Prince Gong’s husband was indeed from the Gu family, but it wasn’t him; it was his most despised adopted brother.

Originally, the Female Emperor favored the original body and wanted her to marry early, so she ignored the ancestral rules and arranged it before the female protagonist, deciding on the Gu family’s most beloved adopted son.

The original body was infamous; such a reputation that could cure children’s night crying, what gentleman would be willing to marry? Gu Qi was essentially marrying in place of his adopted brother. His carefully laid plans completely collapsed here; how could he not hate?

Gu Qi rubbed the red marks on his wrists, watching her frown slightly as she held the red silk, seemingly lost in thought.

“What do you really want?” He stared intently into Yu Yunji’s eyes, as if trying to discover something.

Yu Yunji was called back to her senses: “Hmm, I want to live well.”

Seeing Gu Qi’s expression becoming increasingly strange, she changed her words: “I want to search the world for handsome men, travel and enjoy scenery. I can’t be bound by marriage.”

“Heh, indeed,” Gu Qi patted the sash she had touched, as if she were something extremely dirty. “Princess Han has no great ambitions, just these little aspirations.”

Yu Yunji gently reminded: “Separation.”

“…I know.” Everything seemed to make sense now. Gu Qi got off the bed with a cold face.

As he brushed past her, a faint scent of winter daphne, like a small hook, tugged at one’s heart. Yu Yunji dared not harbor even the slightest amorous thoughts towards him, lest she not even know how she died.

While others transmigrated to gold, silver, jewels, beautiful scenery, and good people, she transmigrated to madness, intrigue, and undercurrents. Yu Yunji was about to break.

Before she could think too much, someone called her from outside the garden.

“Your Highness, today you should return to the palace to meet Her Majesty.”

Gu Qi tidied the spring clothes he had just put on and glanced at her: “Are you going to enter the palace wearing your wedding dress?”

Yu Yunji felt somewhat uneasy: “I’ll change now.”

After all, she was going to meet the original body’s birth mother, the Emperor. She loved this youngest daughter so much; Yu Yunji only hoped this trip would be flawless.

The plot she had read last night might be enough for her to get through today.

Yu Yunji looked at Gu Qi before her. The thin dark red robe was embroidered with gold thread and bird feathers, changing colors brilliantly in the sunlight – this was sent by Princess Gong, but it was originally meant for Gu Shanlai and fell into his hands by mistake.

It wasn’t particularly proper, but it was especially alluring.

In the original plot, it was because of Gu Qi’s inherently bad temperament, along with this flamboyant attire that displeased the Emperor Mother, that she ordered him to kneel for three hours until he fainted in the great hall, intensifying his hatred for the royal family.

Therefore, Yu Yunji asked him: “Does the prince consort want to change clothes?”

Gu Qi frowned in displeasure and sneered: “What’s wrong? Have I displeased Your Highness again? Marrying into your royal family, can’t I even wear a bird-gold robe?”

“…If you don’t want to change, then forget it. Why are you always like a hedgehog?” Yu Yunji handed him the brocade box.

She had figured it out; as long as she opened her mouth, Gu Qi would have thousands of words waiting for her.

If he didn’t want to change, then so be it. After all, he was her prince consort. Could the Emperor really punish him?

She knew the plot in advance; if she gave some hints, Gu Qi might not end up as miserable as in the book.

“Does the prince consort need to step out?” Yu Yunji spoke timely.

Surprisingly, there was no screen nearby, and now she needed to change clothes, which was quite inconvenient.

The constraints on women in this female-dominated world seemed not as strict. Even if she was thin-skinned, time was pressing now and she couldn’t care about other things. She was just worried about Gu Qi…

Gu Qi frowned slightly: “Why should I avoid?”

Not wanting to waste any more time, afraid that if she arrived late the plot might change, Yu Yunji turned her back, undoing the complex buttons and waistband. The wedding dress slid from her shoulders to her waist.

The wedding dress fell to her waist and hips, immediately exposing her white back and shoulder blades to him.

Gu Qi completely froze in place.