On the first day I transmigrated into the role of the Queen, I heard the danmu explode.
[Here we go, classic palace intrigue start!][That emerald will shatter in three minutes—place your bets!][The Queen’s thinking right now: I married the Regent King, not some disposable pawn.][Look at her eyes—corruption level 99%, just needs one final trigger—]
I knew what they were waiting for.
Last night, on our wedding night, Pei Zheng had me pinned to the dragon bed, his fingers tracing my lips: “Lajia, you belong to me now.”
But before dawn broke, he cast me into this game himself.
A prime minister’s daughter demands the throne? He nodded in agreement.
The entire court besieged the palace, demanding our divorce? He remained silent.
Only this morning did he send me this ancestral emerald with a careless whisper: “It will keep you safe.”
Keep me safe?
I clenched the gem in my palm, standing in the center of the grand hall. Officials bowed low. Music ceased.
“Your Majesty,” the minister stepped forward, his python-embroidered robe dragging across the floor, smiling coldly, “if you know what's good for you, resign willingly. We’ll grant you the title of Noble Concubine and let you retire in peace. A dignified end.”
Laughter filled the hall.
Pei Zheng stood silently on the high dais, head lowered, saying nothing.
The danmu scrolled wildly: [The heroine is doomed! The male lead is useless!][This plot is too painful—I don’t wanna watch…][Wait! She moved! She’s raising the emerald!]
“You’re right,” I suddenly smiled, voice clear as wind chimes.
Everyone froze.
Before a thousand eyes, I raised high the jewel symbolizing “love and favor”—then hurled it down onto the jade steps!
*Crash!* It shattered like tears.
“From this day forth, I am no longer a pawn in anyone’s game.” I stepped over the fragments, descending the platform one step at a time, my hem stained with blood. “You wish to depose me? Fine. But don’t blame me when I tear this empire apart.”
The danmu exploded: [HOLY SHIT!!!][Now THIS is a true female lead!!!][She already has the secret passage key! Next chapter—she storms the palace back!][Pure爽文 energy—let’s go!]
No one saw the half-tarnished, blood-stained tiger tally hidden in my sleeve—the one I’d found beneath Pei Zheng’s pillow last night.
Or heard his whispered words: “If one day you no longer trust me, go to the underground chamber. See my mother’s bones.”
But I knew the real trap was never beneath the earth.
It lay within human hearts.
I turned and entered the secret passage, flames reflecting in my eyes, revealing a glacial light.
This game?
This time, I’ll make every last one of you—kneel and beg for mercy.
