Chapter 1: Becoming a Cannon Fodder

The scorching sun at noon cast several mottled shadows under the sycamore tree in the courtyard, the cicadas’ chirping became louder and louder. Several maids hiding in the shade were gathered under the tree, laughing in low voices, and from time to time they looked at the door and made envious sounds.

“I thought the Fourth Young Lady would never return, but I didn’t expect that she would come back this time.” The little maid’s eyes lit up.

“Yes, and she’s even more beautiful than the Third Young Lady,” another chimed in.

“Keep your voice down! Be careful, or the Third Young Lady will skin you alive!”

At that, fear flashed across everyone’s faces, and they immediately fell silent.

A maid in green passed by carrying a tray of food. With a sideways glance, the girls under the tree hurriedly scrambled back to their tasks.

As the door to the room swung open, sunlight poured inside. Behind the drawn pink bed curtains, the green-clad maid tiptoed over to place the food on the table before walking to the bed and whispering softly, “Miss, are you awake?”

A gentle breeze stirred the bed curtains, but there was no sound from within. Just as the maid was about to call out again, a faint “mm” could barely be heard.

“Miss, the master has requested your presence immediately,” the maid said softly.

The person in the bed, still wide-eyed and dazed, stared at the intricately carved bed. Her pale face was full of disbelief, but the memories in her mind floated clearly before her eyes.

As an atheist, Xia Tong had never imagined she would actually transmigrate into another world—and it seemed she had landed in a novel she had read before, The Empress of the Noble Family, a classic Mary Sue tale about a strong female protagonist!

Of course, she wasn’t lucky enough to become the heroine. Instead, she was nothing more than a minor cannon fodder character who only existed to fuel the villain’s rise to power.

The Empress of the Noble Family had been a massive hit when it was published, dominating the charts and captivating countless readers. Despite its predictable tropes, it was the heroine’s straightforward and decisive personality that carried the entire novel. She never acted melodramatic. Once she realized she had feelings for the male lead, she immediately confessed, and her intelligence consistently outshined the other female characters. There were no misunderstandings or obstacles—she and the male lead worked together to defeat their enemies and grow stronger, providing readers with endless satisfaction.

However, there was one character with a high IQ: the main villain. The old emperor was weak and incompetent, so the ruthless and cunning regent took control of the court. Although young, the regent’s methods were terrifyingly brutal. No one who crossed him survived to see the next day. Even the male lead, as the Crown Prince, had to pretend to cooperate with him. Under the regent’s control, the entire court was stifled and suffocated by his power.

Although the villain was highly intelligent, his role only served to deepen the bond between the hero and heroine. In the end, with the wisdom of the hero and heroine (the halo of the protagonist), he defeats the villain and successfully ascends the throne to become the emperor. The two of them create a beautiful country together.

But the villain hadn’t been evil from the start—he had reasons for becoming the way he was. And as it happened, Xia Tong was now the girl who had contributed to his downfall. The Fourth Young Lady of the Xiahou Family, who broke off the engagement with the villain because she despised the villain for being poor and unsuccessful when he was young.

It was a tragic story. The villain’s father had been an upright official and a close friend of her own father. At the time, the two families had arranged a childhood betrothal between their children. But the villain’s father was too righteous for his own good and was eventually framed by corrupt officials, leading to the confiscation of his family’s property. Seeing that the villain’s family had fallen into ruin, her father promptly severed all ties by canceling the engagement. It was no wonder the villain’s personality turned out so vengeful.

At this point, few people knew the villain’s true identity. Only her father had met him during his youth. But her father had been stationed in Suzhou as a magistrate for years and hadn’t returned to the capital until yesterday, when he was shocked to learn that the boy from back then had become the all-powerful regent. Xia Tong could only imagine what her father’s face looked like in court that morning.

If someone were to ask Xia Tong what she was thinking right now, only two words came to mind: run away!

“Miss, it seems the master has something urgent to discuss with you,” the maid outside said respectfully.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Xia Tong reluctantly sat up, brushing aside the bed curtains. “Help me get dressed,” she called out to Qing’er.

At this point, the villain practically ruled the court with an iron fist. If he said a crow was white, no one would dare claim it was black. High-ranking officials were executed at his whim—what could a minor character like her do? If she didn’t flee soon, there wouldn’t even be a corpse left to bury.

“These were sent by the Old Madam, and the First Madam also mentioned that if you need anything else, you should let them know,” Qing’er said cheerfully, placing a purple jade hairpin in Xia Tong’s hair.

In the blurry reflection of the bronze mirror, the girl’s skin was as white as snow, her delicate oval face clouded with worry. Her brows furrowed slightly, though it wasn’t clear what was on her mind.

The original owner had been living with her father in Suzhou, and only occasionally returned to Beijing to visit her grandmother during the Chinese New Year. However, the large manor was rife with intrigue. Though everyone appeared harmonious on the surface, in reality, her grandmother deeply disliked her mother. This was because her mother had not been able to bear a son, and as a result, her grandmother treated the original owner indifferently—neither well nor badly. After all, the original owner was beautiful, and her looks could be used to arrange a good marriage for the Xiahou family.

After getting dressed, Xia Tong, feeling somewhat out of it, followed Qing’er to her mother’s courtyard. To her surprise, there was no one serving inside, and Qing’er tactfully withdrew. As Xia Tong approached the room, she heard a man’s voice, low and muffled, from within.

“I told you that child would have a bright future, but it’s all father’s fault for forcing us to cut ties with the Gu family!”

The man’s voice was filled with frustration, while a woman beside him gently consoled, “Father’s dead now. There’s no use in dwelling on this. Did the regent give you a hard time when you went to court today?”

At this, the man’s voice grew more bitter. “Of course not! With so many people in the court, why would he even notice me? The fear is that by the time he does, it’ll be too late!”

Hearing this, cold sweat ran down Xia Tong’s back. She thought perhaps it would be best to take the original host’s parents and flee together.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Who’s there?”

A commanding male voice came from inside. Xia Tong immediately pushed the door open with a smile, “Father, did you need me for something?”

Inside the room sat a middle-aged man in a gray, elegant robe. He had a square face, exuding natural authority even without speaking, though his expression was currently heavy with worry. His gaze softened slightly when he saw his daughter.

A beautiful woman sitting nearby came forward, took Xia Tong’s hand, and after casting a cautious glance outside, sighed and pulled her to sit down. “Tong’er, do you remember the young master of the Gu family, the one we broke off the engagement with?”

Although Xia Tong already knew everything, she pretended to think for a moment before nodding slightly.

“Ah, you wouldn’t believe it if I told you. In truth, even your father and I didn’t believe it at first. But this is something your father saw with his own eyes. That young master from the Gu family is now the regent, who holds absolute power in court.” Madam Liu’s voice trembled slightly, revealing a trace of fear in her eyes.

The mere mention of the regent’s name was enough to terrify even the most innocent child. Countless people had perished at his hands. Calling him a traitor would be putting it mildly—everyone feared him.

Upon hearing this, Xia Tong widened her eyes in a convincing display of shock and disbelief. “This… this can’t be…”

“I know you’re scared, but the truth is, we wronged the Gu family. Now, all we can do is try to make amends.” Madam Liu’s voice wavered with uncertainty, revealing she didn’t even believe her own words.

Xia Tong had no idea why the villain hadn’t come to settle accounts with their family yet. Perhaps he had simply forgotten about them. In the novel, the original owner’s family met their downfall during her grandmother’s birthday banquet when it was discovered that the Crown Prince’s wine had been poisoned. The entire household was implicated, though in reality, it was the Third Prince’s doing. Their family had merely been the scapegoat.

“So… Father, are we going to run away?” she asked, blinking with a hint of fear on her pale face.

If they didn’t run now, when would they?

“Ridiculous!” Xia Zhian suddenly stood up, frowning as he looked out the window, his voice grave. “The land under heaven belongs to the emperor. I believe the regent is not someone who doesn’t understand right from wrong. If you come with me to apologize, I’m sure he’ll be magnanimous and won’t pursue this further.”

Xia Tong: “…”

Father, do you believe what you’re saying?

We’re talking about a ruthless villain who doesn’t bat an eye when killing! If we go to apologize now, we’ll be walking straight into the tiger’s den! It’s suicide!

Taking a deep breath, Xia Tong hesitated, trying to persuade him. “Father…”

“Say no more!” Xia Zhian waved his hand decisively. “Your grandmother and uncles don’t know about this yet, and we can’t drag them down with us. You and I will leave quietly through the back door—make sure no one sees us.”

“Your father is right. If we can’t avoid this disaster, at least… at least we shouldn’t implicate your uncles.” Madam Liu, her eyes red, clutched Xia Tong’s hand tightly.

Seeing her parents, who were determined to walk into their deaths, Xia Tong nearly broke down in tears. All she wanted was to live a peaceful life—is that too much to ask?

Whether they died now or later, they were doomed either way. Xia Tong reluctantly nodded, gritting her teeth. “I… I’ll go with Father.”