Chapter 1

Lu Songli died in a car accident, just a day after she had eliminated all her competitors and was invited by the founder of her firm to become a partner. It was supposed to be a moment of triumph for her.

As her consciousness faded, she had only one thought: Didn’t they say that the good die young while the wicked live on forever? Wasn’t she bad enough? Wasn’t her title of “Great Demon King”?

When Lu Songli regained consciousness, the first sensations she felt were cold and suffocation. The lack of oxygen left her dizzy, and a dull pain throbbed in her chest. Gradually, she realized that she was underwater, sinking deeper and deeper. Instinctively, she fought to survive. She knew how to swim, but the body she was in had a leg cramp, leaving her with only her arms flailing desperately toward the surface.

On the distant shore, there was a cacophony of voices.

“Hurry, hurry! Our Second Miss has fallen into the water! Someone, please help!”

Several maidservants were shouting as they tried to wade into the water, but they couldn’t swim, so they retreated, crying in desperation.

“Someone, please save our Second Miss!” they pleaded, knowing she had a heart condition.

Fortunately, their cries drew the attention of many people.

“It’s the Zhao family’s eldest daughter and the Lu family’s second daughter who have fallen into the water!”

Someone extended a long bamboo pole towards them, but the two were too far from the shore to reach it. “Is there any maidservant who can swim? Get in and save them!”

“The one on the left should be the eldest daughter of the Zhao family. She was wearing a pure white cloak tonight!”

“Then the one on the right must be the second daughter of the Lu family?”

The lighting at night was poor, even though many lanterns were lit around the lake. The flickering flames, swayed by the night breeze, made it difficult to see clearly. The onlookers could only distinguish between the two women by their clothing. The white cloak was faintly visible in the water, making it somewhat noticeable.

“Make way, Young Master Xie and Young Master Qin have arrived.”

These two were the fiances of the Lu family’s second daughter and the Zhao family’s eldest daughter, respectively. They had likely rushed over after hearing the news, and the crowd quickly made way for them.

Rescuing someone from drowning is as urgent as putting out a fire. As soon as they reached the lakeside, without a word, both young men dove into the water with a splash, swimming towards the two struggling women.

The steward of Prince Gong’s Mansion, who had hurried over, breathed a sigh of relief. The mansion had no maidservants who could swim at the moment, although there were male servants who could. However, ordering them to jump in to save the ladies was a risky decision. Having the fiances of the two young ladies dive in to rescue them was the best possible outcome.

“How did your Second Miss end up falling into the water?”

“We don’t know, either! Just before the epiphyllum was about to bloom, our Second Miss and Miss Zhao were enjoying the moon and chatting at the pavilion in the middle of the lake. We were attending from a distance when suddenly, both of them fell into the water.”

Lu Songli’s leg cramped, making it impossible for her to save herself. When she sensed someone coming to rescue her, she clung desperately to her savior like a lifeline. She cherished her life too much to care whether this was a dream or reality—she just needed to get out of danger first.

When Qin Sheng looked down and saw her face, his expression changed dramatically. He exclaimed in shock, “Why is it you?”

Sensing that her lifeline was trying to pull away, Lu Songli clung to him even more desperately.

“Let go!”

No, I won’t! Lu Songli thought stubbornly.

“Lu Songli, loosen your grip. I’m Qin Sheng, not Xie Zhan! Did you hear me?” Qin Sheng’s brows furrowed as he noticed the people gathered at the lake’s edge. He only wanted her to loosen her grip a bit and not cling so tightly—he had no intention of not saving her.

Upon hearing his words, Lu Songli hesitated, and sparks seemed to flash through her mind as memories flooded back. Her grip on Qin Sheng loosened slightly.

Resigned, Qin Sheng began swimming toward the shore, dragging her along.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yutan, seeing Young Master Xie approaching, clung to him like a lifeline, holding on tightly. As they neared the shore, she appeared to lose consciousness, as if she couldn’t hold on any longer.

With no other choice, Xie Zhan let her cling to him as he swam toward the shore.

“Something doesn’t seem right,” someone in the crowd remarked.

“Wait, did Young Master Xie save Miss Zhao?”

“Then Qin Sheng saved our Second Miss?” a maidservant’s voice trembled with fear.

“Wait, why is the Lu family’s Second Miss wearing the Zhao family’s Eldest Miss’s cloak?”

They didn’t know that earlier, while Zhao Yutan and Lu Songli were admiring the moon in the pavilion, Zhao Yutan had noticed the wind picking up over the lake. Despite Lu Songli’s refusal, Zhao Yutan had insisted on draping her cloak over Lu Songli’s shoulders.

“We made a mistake, a big mistake.”

“Oh no, we saved the wrong person.”

What a mess—there had been hugging and holding while rescuing, and now what?

The lakeside fell into a dead silence.

Lu Songli was dragged ashore by Qin Sheng. Before he could do anything, she quickly shook off his hand.

As soon as she was on land, the maidservants hurriedly wrapped her in a dry cloak.

“Second Miss, are you alright?”

Lu Songli shook her head. She wasn’t seriously hurt, just cold, but at the moment, that was the least of her concerns.

Glancing around at the attire of those nearby, and mulling over the names Xie Zhan, Zhao Yutan, and Qin Sheng, Lu Songli felt a sense of familiarity. Then, something clicked in her mind, and she froze. She realized that she had most likely, possibly, transmigrated into a novel. Moreover, she had taken over the body of the original character who shared her name, but in a completely different time and space.

The reason for Lu Songli’s suspicion primarily stemmed from an incident during the New Year when her younger cousin came to visit and spent a week grumbling non-stop. During that time, her cousin frequently vented about a novel she was obsessed with, titled The Pampered Concubine of the Powerful Minister. Lu Songli, who had an excellent memory, overheard bits and pieces of her cousin’s complaints, and now, with a little thought, those details came back to her.

The novel’s male lead was Xie Zhan, and the female lead was Zhao Yutan. The original wife Lu Songli was merely the ill-fated first wife.

In the story, Lu Songli and her best friend Zhao Yutan got married on the same day. Zhao Yutan married Qin Sheng, the youngest legitimate son of the Qin family, a military household known for its loyalty and bravery. Meanwhile, Lu Songli married Xie Zhan, the eldest legitimate son of the prestigious and scholarly Xie family.

After marriage, their fates diverged dramatically.

Not long after Zhao Yutan’s marriage, her husband’s family was convicted and exiled. On the road to exile, many members of the Qin family died, and Zhao Yutan suffered greatly along the way. On the other hand, Lu Songli’s husband’s family, the Xie family, remained unaffected by the turbulent times and continued to stand strong.

Eventually, the Qin family rebelled and seized the throne while in exile, with Qin Sheng’s elder brother, Qin Heng, ascending to the position of emperor. Zhao Yutan returned to the capital as a widow, her status elevated by her family’s newfound power, although her husband, Qin Sheng, had died.

After Zhao Yutan returned to Chang’an, she came into contact with Xie Zhan, who was now in his thirties and exuded a refined and scholarly demeanor. The two developed feelings for each other, engaging in a subtle and secretive affair. Eventually, their relationship was discovered by Lu Songli, who caught them in the act. The shock was too much for her, and she passed away as a result.

The Xie family, meanwhile, gained great merit by opening the gates of Chang’an to the new regime, ensuring that they remained unscathed by the change in dynasties. By that time, the original Lu Songli had been bedridden for three years. She was genuinely happy about her friend’s return and began spending time with Zhao Yutan. As they spent more time together, the still-beautiful Zhao Yutan and the elegant Xie Zhan grew closer, and their feelings deepened.

The novel dedicated many pages to describing the subtle exchanges and growing intimacy between the two, which Lu Songli’s cousin both enjoyed and despised, calling them a pair of scoundrels. As their relationship became more frequent, Lu Songli gradually noticed signs of their affair. Eventually, with careful observation, she caught the male and female leads in bed together. The shock was too much for her, and she succumbed to her illness, dying with no cure in sight. Since Lu Songli was unable to bear children, she left no heirs, and her existence was quickly erased by the Xie family.

A year later, Zhao Yutan married Xie Zhan, now the Grand Chancellor, as his second wife and bore him twins—a boy and a girl. During this time, the new emperor, Qin Heng, who had suffered greatly from years of exile and warfare, succumbed to his failing health and passed away. He left the throne to his son, who was also in poor health. It was said that after her marriage, Zhao Yutan, who had once been Qin Sheng’s sister-in-law, continued to show great care for the emperor’s nephew, often visiting him in the palace.

The emperor’s nephew was grateful to Zhao Yutan and, with his own poor health, gradually entrusted state affairs to Xie Zhan out of affection for her. As a result, Xie Zhan became a powerful minister in the new dynasty, holding immense influence.

In the end, the male and female leads, Xie Zhan and Zhao Yutan, lived a long and happy life together, surrounded by their children and grandchildren.

The reason Lu Songli’s younger cousin was so upset by this novel was primarily because of the tragic fate of the supporting character, who shared the same name as her cousin. She found the original Lu Songli’s character too weak and passive, which frustrated her to no end. Her cousin often ranted that this version of Lu Songli was nothing like her real-life counterpart, who was far from being a doormat.

Her cousin had once remarked, “If the Lu Songli in the book were really my cousin, with her ruthless and decisive nature, she would never have let them get away with such bullying. She would have dealt with them long ago!”

After saying this, her cousin had received two playful knocks on the head from Lu Songli, who wondered if she was being complimented or insulted.

Afterward, her cousin had retreated to the side, picking up her phone to vent her frustrations in the novel’s comment section, all the while saying that if Lu Songli ever found herself transmigrated into such a situation, she should make sure to teach that scummy couple a lesson. She even promised to write a fanfiction about it if that ever happened.

At the time, Lu Songli hadn’t taken her cousin’s words seriously. But now, it seemed her cousin’s offhand remark had come true. And as for the current situation—what exactly was going on?