In the twelfth lunar month, the city and its outskirts were blanketed in white snow.

The creaking door, old and decayed, was pushed open. An elderly woman entered, coughing, and picked up a baby whose face was red from the cold. As she fed the child some soup, she gritted her teeth and muttered, “If you must hate, hate your birth mother.”

“Hey, old woman! Is it done?” A burly man wiped his face and scoffed, “Wasting medicine on a bait who’s about to die? What a waste!”

With that, he snatched the baby from the elderly woman and strode out.

Soon, the baby was abandoned by the roadside in a small wooden basin.

Dozens of masked men swiftly retreated, disappearing into the forest behind them.

[Ding—Host found. Would you like to bind the system?]

The baby in the wooden basin turned over, almost sitting up. [Bind! Bind! Bind!]

[Ding—System successfully bound. Task: Prick the Emperor’s finger to restore host’s health.]

The baby’s smile froze, and her soft body slumped back into the basin.

She weakly conversed with the system. [System, I’m the daughter of a rebel. Worse, I’ve been thrown out as bait to distract the Emperor’s entourage. Do you think I have any chance of pricking the Emperor’s finger?]

[Hmm… probably not. What… what should we do? Oh no, Host, you’re about to die!]

[Fine. What can a months-old baby do? Let’s lie flat and prepare for the next life. Maybe I can drink a bowl of Meng Po’s soup early.]

[Waaaah… I don’t have enough energy! If you die, I’ll die too!]

[Then work harder. Upgrade yourself, write more code, and aim to be the best of all systems!]

After saying that, Yuan Ruan ignored the frantic system spinning in her mind.

She sneezed as she lay in the wooden basin.

Yuan Ruan used to be a lonely office worker, drowning in work at a major corporation. She finally earned a six-figure year-end bonus but, distractedly checking her bank balance while crossing the street, was hit by a truck.

When she opened her eyes again, she realized she had reincarnated into a baby, memories intact.

The good news was that she was still alive.

The bad news? She wasn’t reborn as a prince or princess—or even an ordinary citizen. She was a rebel’s daughter, now a decoy for an ambush against the Emperor.

And to make matters worse, she had been bound to an utterly useless Prank System. With task conditions like these—pricking the Emperor’s finger, riding a courtier like a horse, or whipping a prince—who in their right mind would agree to that?!

She resigned herself to fate.

Yuan Ruan looked up at the sky and sneezed again.

Just then, the system, which had gone silent for a while, suddenly reappeared.

[Zzz… crackle… Host… update… I tried updating. I’m back!]

[Oh? Any new features?]

[Uh, it still says you need to prick the Emperor’s finger. Wait a minute—Host, I found a new feature! It turns out we’ve reincarnated into a massive world combining plots from over ten melodramatic novels. As long as we get close to someone, I can deduce their plotlines and secrets. You’ll know everything! Amazing, right?]

[And? Anything else?]

[Nope, that’s it.]

Yuan Ruan was speechless.

This was just a gossip feature! What use was that to a baby?

Forget it. She decided to treat this like watching a war movie before her inevitable demise. Maybe she could aim for a better reincarnation next time.

At that moment, the sound of galloping horses echoed. Yuan Ruan lifted her eyelids just enough to see clouds of dust rising and rows of silver-armored cavalry cutting through the mist on their black steeds.

[Host, look! One of the classic tragic-yet-handsome characters is here—General Wu Yi! Want to hear his secrets?]

[… Sure.]

If the general was here, the Emperor’s entourage couldn’t be far behind.

This also meant her role as disposable bait was about to end. Finding some amusement before her demise didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Completely resigned, Yuan Ruan found herself observing her surroundings more closely.

Her gaze landed on General Wu Yi.

[Wow. That double-door build, the black-and-gold armor—it’s like a knight straight out of a post-apocalyptic fantasy. No wonder ancient princesses always eloped with generals!]

Suddenly, General Wu Yi pulled hard on his reins. His horse reared up, its front hooves high in the air. In one swift motion, he drew an arrow from his back. Horse and rider became one, like a taut bowstring ready to shoot the moon.

[Tsk, such core strength. Who could resist this?]

Wu Yi circled on his horse and suddenly turned to scan his surroundings, his sharp eyes fierce.

Yuan Ruan, oblivious, lazily chatted with the system. [Spill the secrets.]

[Alright, here’s the scoop: though this general looks incredible, he’s about to face a huge disaster.]

[What? Elaborate!]

[This year, to intimidate Chen Kingdom and Xiongnu, the Emperor brought 20,000 troops on a western tour. General Wu Yi is in charge of their protection. But guess what? A deputy promoted by Wu Yi himself is actually a spy! That spy has already stolen the general’s tiger tally.]

On horseback, Wu Yi froze.

What? A Spy? The tiger tally has been stolen?

Who was speaking?

Wu Yi scanned the area again. His 50 silent bodyguards, upon meeting his gaze, looked equally baffled.

He put away his bow, momentarily suspecting exhaustion was causing hallucinations.

But the soft, childlike voice and mechanical dialogue persisted.

[A Spy? System, this spy is playing a dangerous game!]

[Absolutely. The spy is Captain Chen, and not only did he steal the tiger tally, but he plans to use it to command the 20,000 soldiers under false pretenses.]

Wu Yi: ???

What? Captain Chen is a spy? And plans to impersonate him?

What kind of system was this, daring to spout such absurd claims?!

Wu Yi, frowning deeply, ordered his guards to search the area. He instructed them to pay special attention to finding any shamans or mystics, particularly one named “System.”

The sudden mobilization of the Xia Kingdom’s soldiers shocked the rebels hiding nearby.

They all turned to their leader.

The leader gritted his teeth. “The Chen Kingdom’s signal hasn’t appeared yet! Let’s retreat for now!”

“What about the baby? Blue eyes are rare to find.”

“Forget it! If Wu Yi delivers the child to the Emperor, it’ll still serve our purpose. Besides, we can try other methods later.” With a wave, the rebel leader led his group away.

After a short search, the soldiers found no mystics or shamans in the forest.

Instead, a guard in the left flank approached, carrying a wooden basin and whispering, “General, no mystics, but there’s a baby in this basin.”

Wu Yi glanced down and saw a pale-skinned infant in the basin.

The baby’s large, blinking eyes were brimming with innocence. Her small head poked out of the basin, and she yawned softly.

Wu Yi hesitated, but then he heard the soft voice again.

[Closer up, he’s even more handsome. Wait, what? He’s going to be executed with his entire family?]

Wu Yi’s pupils contracted.

The voice—it came from this baby?!

How could a baby speak? And what did she mean about his family’s execution?

Was it due to the missing tiger tally? But without his direct orders, the Wu family army wouldn’t act rashly. Why would he be punished to such an extent?

Wu Yi’s sharp gaze bore into Yuan Ruan, waiting for her to reveal more.

But Yuan Ruan only pouted.

[So hungry! If I must die again, I’d like to die full. Do you think if I act cute, he’ll get me some milk?]

[Wu Yi is ruthless and cold-blooded, a hardened killer. He absolutely won’t.]

Wu Yi: …

He stared at the baby’s round, expectant eyes, her small tongue occasionally licking her lips, and her tiny hands resting on her belly.

Taking a deep breath, Wu Yi instructed his guards, “Find a wet nurse.”