0p0 Chapter 1: A Visit to Annul the Engagement!
Chapter 1: A Visit to Annul the Engagement!
"Jiang Yueli, you are the Princess Protector of the Nation, yet you have colluded with the Southern Frontier in an attempt to rebel! Today, you will be made to atone for your sins with your death!"
"Jiang Yueli, you were arrogant and domineering, and you have no respect for others. Now you have fallen into a state of being abandoned by everyone. You deserve it."
“Elder sister, Shuqing is the most ethereal woman in the world, yet you oppose her at every turn. So please, your own brother, put righteousness before family.”
Countless voices of condemnation echoed in Jiang Yueli's ears.
She only felt pain all over her body!
She remembers that her limbs were cut off and turned into lamp oil, and the skin on her back was peeled off and made into lanterns.
But at that time, she was still alive!
The relentless pain surged like waves, but Jiang Yueli endured it for three days and three nights.
On the morning of her final day, she closed her eyes with a mournful cry and ended her life!
On her deathbed, Jiang Yueli silently thought—
He was arrogant and domineering all his life, and became a scoundrel that everyone wanted to kill.
Was she really wrong?
If she did nothing wrong, then those who hurt and tormented her will suffer a terrible death and go to hell with her!
If she's wrong...
No, she couldn't be wrong!
Even if she made a mistake, it was that she didn't assess her opponent's strength and acted rashly.
If there is an afterlife, if there is an afterlife—
My thoughts drifted far away, as if floating in mid-air.
In a daze, Jiang Yueli heard a somewhat familiar voice.
“Your Highness, I am of humble origin and I am afraid I am not worthy of your kindness. I beg Your Highness to inform His Majesty and cancel this engagement.”
That sounded familiar; she seemed to have heard it before.
Jiang Yueli shook her head, and her vision gradually cleared. Only then did she see a man in purple standing at the lower end of the courtyard.
With a handsome face and upright posture, he stood there like a pine tree.
The man stood with his hands at his sides, accompanied by a petite woman with a bewildered look in her eyes.
Isn't this Chu Tian Ce, the third-ranked scholar?
Jiang Yueli's expression changed, and then she reached out and touched her face.
Her face was now perfectly smooth, without any of those ugly scars!
His limbs were intact and had not been cut off.
Then he looked around at his surroundings and at his own magnificent robes and gilded phoenix crown.
Jiang Yueli's heart skipped a beat!
Did she really get a second chance at life?
Isn't this scene just like the sensational incident in the capital in the 23rd year of the reign of Emperor Taizu when the third-ranked scholar went to the bride's home to break off the engagement?
The person whose engagement was broken off was none other than the incomparably noble eldest princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty!
It was during this break-up that she offended Hu Youniang, the love of the third-ranked scholar's life.
Hu Youniang looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, a time when she was just beginning to experience romantic feelings and was still innocent and naive.
But Jiang Yueli, who has been given a second chance at life, knows that she is not simple!
She is one of the female protagonists in this world, protected by overwhelming fortune.
Jiang Yueli was still immersed in the emotions of her rebirth and had not yet recovered when she heard the mocking voice of her own younger brother, the Third Prince Jiang Yuelin.
"Your Highness, you are truly incompetent and pathetic in your role as the eldest princess."
"That third-ranked scholar dared to come to your door to break off the engagement; he clearly doesn't respect you at all!"
Hearing that utterly repulsive tone, Jiang Yueli finally snapped out of her daze.
She gave the Third Prince a cold look.
The hatred in his eyes was hard to extinguish!
This very younger brother was the one who dealt her the fatal blow when she was at her wit's end in her previous life.
They joined forces with outsiders to deal with her, the imperial sister.
good very good!
She used to think that the Third Prince was just being immature, but he still respected her as his elder sister.
Looking back now, she was truly blinded by greed!
An outsider dared to bully her, the eldest princess, and now she's going to come and break off the engagement.
The third prince, who was her own younger brother, didn't seem to realize that they were both at risk, and instead just mocked her.
"Sister, if you ask me, since they dared to come to our door, you only have two choices."
"Either we petition the Emperor to execute the third-ranked scholar and his lover, or..."
As the Third Prince Jiang Yuelin spoke, his smile deepened.
"Or you could tell Father Emperor and cancel the engagement, so that the young couple can be together, and that you can preserve your reputation for being understanding and magnanimous."
Jiang Yueli remained silent, pondering a solution.
She didn't choose either of the two choices the Third Prince mentioned in her previous life.
As the eldest princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, she was of incomparably noble status. How could she allow a mere third-ranking scholar to ride roughshod over her?
They even went to the door to break off the engagement?
Throughout history, have there ever been princesses whose engagements were broken off by officials visiting their homes?
This insult was something she could never tolerate, let alone in her past life when she was so arrogant and domineering.
Even if she were to live her life again and want to be more cautious, she would never swallow her pride and give up.
What should we do?
Jiang Yueli's eyes glanced at the swords of the guards in the palace.
Is it possible that, just like in my previous life, I will impulsively draw the guard's sword after being provoked by Chu Tiance's words?
Should I just slash at him?
No, absolutely not!
Jiang Yueli caught a glimpse of Hu Youniang's rapidly heaving chest out of the corner of her eye.
She was clearly both nervous and excited!
How could I be so stupid? I didn't even realize it in my previous life.
No wonder that when she drew her sword to slash at Chu Tianze, Hu Youniang, who looked extremely weak, was able to quickly fly forward and block Chu Tianze.
It turns out she had been prepared all along!
She wanted to provoke herself into making a move so that she could become Chu Tianze's savior and make him devoted to her from then on.
Jiang Yueli sneered inwardly: "As expected of the heroine with boundless luck, her mind is so deep."
Even if you can see clearly, it won't solve the problem at this moment.
If Chu Tiance's arrogance is not suppressed, the news will spread throughout the capital tomorrow.
She didn't just lose face for herself, she lost face for the entire Zhou royal family!
As the Princess Protector of the Nation, Jiang Yueli could not tolerate this happening.
Upon seeing the charming and adorable Hu Youniang, Jiang Yueli felt a surge of two emotions.
Hatred and fear!
Jiang Yueli remembered clearly the consequences of offending Hu Youniang.
The fear that came from the depths of her soul made her tremble uncontrollably.
However, the process of her own tragic death made Jiang Yueli hate Hu Youniang and Chu Tiance to the core!
Instinct compelled her to raise her right hand, wanting to order someone to slap the two despicable people hard.
But the moment the order was given, his thoughts calmed down.
Jiang Yueli still remembers what she thought before she died.
Is her rebirth a warning from heaven?
The matter of being given a second chance at life is no small matter and cannot be explained to others.
The Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty feared nothing more than the matter of being cursed and suppressed. Rebirth was akin to being resurrected in another's body. If the Emperor were to find out, he would surely eliminate her first.
Jiang Yueli was still pondering how to resolve the crisis without leaving a trace.
Unexpectedly, someone else had already acted before her.
Zhou Wei, dressed in a pink outfit, darted out from the crowd.
With a powerful swing of his long legs, he leaped in one stride and landed in front of Chu Tianze and Hu Youniang.
"How dare you! You come to our door to annul the engagement with the imperial family! Who gave you the audacity to do this? Kneel down now!"
Zhou Wei focused her energy in her dantian, displaying a magnificent aura.
The Third Prince and Chu Tiance were completely bewildered by this suddenly appearing palace maid.
Even Jiang Yueli looked completely bewildered.
When did my household have such a bold little palace maid?
Unlike the astonished reactions of those present, Zhou Wei was extremely excited.
She had been waiting for this day for a very long time!
Zhou Wei was initially furious when she was transported into this ancient romance novel featuring multiple female protagonists with different destinies.
Stories like the transmigrated farming woman with a spatial ability, the legitimate daughter of a divine physician who marries in place of the crown prince, the indifferent and pure-hearted woman, and the genius child with a cunning mother are all common in this world.
The original book has so many female protagonists with incredible luck, it would be one thing if she wasn't given any of them.
At least give it to someone of higher status!
She was transformed into a lowly palace maid in the book, serving Princess Jiang Yueli, and even then, she was only a third-class maid, the lowest rank in the princess's residence.
After wearing these clothes for several days, Zhou Wei was neither well-fed nor warmly dressed.
I dream about pork knuckles every night!
Fortunately, upon transmigrating, Zhou Wei was bound to a system called "Malou Promotion Tool".
The system told her that as long as she did a good job with just one malou, she could get a promotion, a raise, and reach the pinnacle of her life.
When Zhou Wei first saw the system name, she was quite dissatisfied.
"Why is it like this? I feel like I'm covered in hair!"
[How about changing it to a promotion system for oxen and horses?]
The system is quite user-friendly, but it's worse than a cow or a horse!
[Host, don't underestimate Malou. Do you know what Malou's complete state is?]
"The complete form of Malouk is none other than the Great Sage!"
[So, you don't want to be the Great Sage, right? The host's ambition is to continuously upgrade themselves until they reach the perfect state like the Great Sage.]
"Easier said than done. There's only one Great Sage in the world! How exactly does one get promoted?"
[Host, what is the Great Sage's rank/attainment level?]
"The Victorious Fighting Buddha?"
[So, as a Malou, the host only needs to fight against heaven and earth to get promoted and receive a raise! Fight against heaven, earth, and even the air; as long as the host keeps fighting, they will definitely become stronger.]
Zhou Wei was speechless, feeling that this system was unreliable.
But since she was already there, she might as well make the best of it. She had no one to rely on, so she could only follow the system's arrangements for now.
The system reminded her that the eldest princess's younger brother, the third prince Jiang Yueli, would be visiting today, and that others would also be causing trouble.
This is her chance to change her destiny, and she must seize it!
Zhou Wei really didn't know how she, a third-class palace maid, could change her fate.
But following the system prompts, he still sneaked off to the scene.
Looking at the delicacies on the table, Zhou Wei's mouth watered, and her stomach clenched with hunger.
Several times, she wanted to rush up and take a couple of bites of the pork knuckle first!
I don't care if I get beaten to death, I'll eat myself to death.
However, the system patiently stopped her, telling her to wait a little longer.
Until Chu Tianze brought Hu Youniang to their door, demanding to annul the engagement.
The system suddenly came back to life, playing a stirring background music and giving her a notification:
Now's the time to charge!
It's so inspiring.
But Zhou Wei had no idea what was burning!
Why should I, a third-class palace maid, rush up there?
Never mind, just charge!
Alright, let's take a gamble and turn a bicycle into a high-speed train.
Zhou Wei steeled her resolve and jumped in front of Chu Tianze, forcing him to kneel!
After Zhou Wei's angry shout, the entire room fell silent.
Chu Tianze, the third-ranked scholar, was the first to react, and his eyes were full of disdain as he looked at Zhou Wei.
"Who are you? What gives you the right to order me to kneel?"
"Do you know that I not only have academic titles, but also official rank, so I don't even need to kneel when I meet the Emperor?"
"How dare you, a mere palace maid, utter such arrogant words and demand that I kneel down? You are truly audacious!"
"Your Highness, is this the rule of your princess residence?"
(Two female leads, no romantic pairing, they grow together, the princess has no cheat codes. If you can't accept her gradual growth and awakening, or can't give her any time, you can leave directly. Mutual respect, bow 180 degrees and touch your fingertips to the shoe.)