Chapter 082

Chapter 82: The Plot Completely Falls Apart

“Su Qian Xue, you plagiarizing thief, shameless scoundrel!”

“Exactly—no integrity, no shame. It’s one thing to plagiarize in private, but now she dares to plagiarize during the winter banquet, right in front of His Majesty the Emperor. She must be insane!”

“Hold on—has no one realized that Su Qian Xue has committed the crime of deceiving the sovereign? Young Master Xie reminded her earlier, but she still went ahead knowingly. Is she fearless, or just so full of herself that she believes Grand Commandant Su’s power can shield her? She’s acting like His Majesty doesn’t matter at all!”

“Your Majesty, Su Qian Xue has committed treason through deception—this crime cannot be forgiven. We are all witnesses. Please, pass judgment on her.”

Several noblewomen who had long been envious of Su Qian Xue’s limelight finally seized this opportunity. Now that Xie Xuan Yong had exposed her shameful conduct, they wasted no time, piling on accusations without even needing his further involvement. They cried foul about her betrayal of the emperor, and yet—she didn’t hear a word.

Su Qian Xue had gone completely still when she laid eyes on the wooden paintings—on the names Zhu Yuan Zhang and Huang Chao. As if her soul had been ripped from her body, she stood frozen, too shocked to care about shame or appearances.

“How could this be?”

“No… impossible. This is absolutely impossible…”

There was no way this was a coincidence. Those two wooden paintings had clearly been prepared in advance, specifically targeting her. But the question was: how had Xie Xuan Yong known she would choose those two poems today?

And more disturbingly—how did he know the identity of the original authors?

If he had been reborn, then he shouldn’t have known who the original poets were. And if he was transmigrated, from the same world as her, then he should have known today’s plotline already.

Which meant… there was only one explanation: he transmigrated first, then was reborn.

[But could such a ridiculous, far-fetched thing actually happen?]

A chill spread down Su Qian Xue’s back, and her scalp tingled. For the first time, she felt as if her every move was being watched by some unseen force.

She couldn’t help but think of the last time, during Duke Ning’s full-moon banquet—how that idiot Princess Hua Yang had slipped from her trap and even schemed against her in secret. Could that too have been the work of those invisible eyes?

Down below, Mo Yuan Lin and Mo Yuan Hao narrowed their eyes.

Anyone with sense could see that Xie Xuan Yong had set this up against Su Qian Xue, and it had been in motion since before the banquet began.

The paintings were clearly meant to expose her. Yet her plagiarism was real.

The only mystery left was: how had Xie Xuan Yong predicted Su Qian Xue’s exact actions today?

What was the secret behind this?

“Imperial Elder Brother, why are you still standing there? Su Qian Xue dared to deceive the sovereign—this crime warrants execution! If you don’t punish her today, how will you maintain your authority? Won’t everyone assume you’re afraid of Grand Commandant Su? What officials would still respect you in court?”

Unable to bear Mo Yuan Lin’s silence any longer, Mo Zhao Zhao suddenly jumped to her feet, openly using provocation in front of the entire court to pressure her imperial brother into acting.

She had long loathed Su Qian Xue, and during Duke Ning’s banquet, they’d become mortal enemies.

Now that this fool had finally made such a grave mistake in front of so many, how could Mo Zhao Zhao let her escape?

This was a rare opportunity—it had to be seized.

Today, this fool had to die.

“Stand down. I will handle this matter.”

Mo Yuan Lin frowned, a flash of helplessness crossing his eyes. [Why is Royal Sister always so impulsive?]

When had he said he wouldn’t deal with Su Qian Xue?

Saying such things in public—was she trying to humiliate him?

“Imperial Elder Brother!”

Still unsatisfied, Mo Zhao Zhao stomped her foot in protest.

“Step down.”

His voice darkened, and it was clear he was growing angry. Seeing this, Yun Wan Yao quickly grabbed Mo Zhao Zhao’s sleeve and yanked her down into her seat.

Mo Zhao Zhao pouted and turned away, still fuming. Yun Wan Yao kept blinking at her meaningfully.

[You silly princess, can’t you tell His Majesty is about to get angry? Why would you provoke him like this?]

[He’s the emperor. He cares about face. You can’t just say things that humiliate him in front of everyone.]

Only now did Yun Wan Yao finally understand what her big brother and Yun Wan Ye had meant by their ‘arrangement.’

It was Xie Xuan Yong.

Honestly, she never saw that coming.

But now that Su Qian Xue had been exposed and Jiang Zi Tang’s title as the first talented lady was preserved, Yun Wan Yao could finally breathe easy.

“Seize Su Qian Xue.”

Mo Yuan Lin’s gaze flickered darkly toward the girl beside him. Then he turned his eyes toward the main platform, and a cold edge crept into his voice.

Two guards immediately moved forward and headed straight for Su Qian Xue.

The nobles seated near her quickly scattered, afraid of being caught up in the mess.

[Oho, His Majesty finally made a move.]

[I still can’t believe the central phoenix is going to be wiped out just like this.]

[But I also can’t believe she’ll escape either.]

[What will happen next? I’m dying to find out.]

Yun Wan Ning watched the scene with great enthusiasm. For now, she no longer felt hungry or sleepy—truly, drama was the best nourishment for the human soul.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Su Qian Xue finally snapped back to her senses. She glared furiously at the two guards, not a trace of fear in her eyes.

Without saying a word, they grabbed her easily and flung her unceremoniously to the ground before Mo Yuan Lin.

Dizzied from the impact, Su Qian Xue’s mind buzzed as she tried to regain her balance.

Moments later, she lifted her head, eyes burning with fury as she stared at the emperor.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Gasps echoed across the hall.

Everyone stared at her in disbelief, stunned beyond words.

In all their lives, none of them had seen someone speak to His Majesty in such a tone. This sack-brained fool really didn’t know what it meant to die.

Did she not realize that even her father would have to kneel respectfully before the emperor?

Smack—

A sharp slap rang out across her face.

Everyone turned to see Princess Hua Yang standing tall, looking down on the girl with eyes full of rage and disgust.

“Who do you think you’re speaking to? What are you, to speak to my imperial elder brother like that?”

The sudden blow left Su Qian Xue dazed. She clutched her cheek, frozen for a moment, before shrieking in fury and lunging straight at Mo Zhao Zhao.

“You wretched woman! How dare you hit me—I’ll kill you!”

Mo Zhao Zhao hadn’t expected her to fight back. She stood frozen in shock.

Pfft…

Suddenly, the sharp sound of a blade piercing flesh broke through the tense air.

One of the guards, seeing that she meant to harm the princess, did not hesitate. He drew his blade and struck from behind, cold steel slicing through the air.

The swallow-winged saber flashed with icy light as it stabbed clean through her chest. Scarlet blood stained the edge of the blade.

Everyone froze. Their eyes widened in shock.

Su Qian Xue felt a sudden wave of searing pain sweep through her body. Her vision began to blur. As her head drooped slightly, she caught a glimpse of the blood-covered blade tip jutting from her chest.

[Am I… dying?]

The next moment, her knees buckled. She collapsed to the ground in silence. Darkness swallowed her mind.

[Ah??? No way, right? There’s no way!]

[The female lead—she just died like that? That was way too sloppy!]

[Something’s not right… what about her protagonist halo? How could she die so easily?]

[Can a heroine really die this fast? Just like that?]

[Unbelievable!!!]

Yun Wan Ning’s brows furrowed deeply. She found the scene before her eyes far too rushed, far too unreal.

[She’s the female lead, isn’t she? Shouldn’t her halo activate? How could she fall without even one final miracle?] It all felt absurd.

The entire hall was silent. Everyone stared at the girl lying in a pool of blood, emotions swirling in their hearts.

The noble ladies who had once scoffed at Su Qian Xue—calling her a shameless thief who dared to steal the spotlight and deceive the emperor—now felt a strange sense of guilt rising within them.

Had they been too cruel?

One by one, they began to reflect.

The young lords, on the other hand, were filled with regret. Su Qian Xue might have been a useless fool, but her beauty had been breathtaking. For her to die like this… what a waste.

[Beep beep. Plot collapse detected. System initiating forced binding…]

[Beep. Countdown: 3… 2… 1…]

[Beep. Binding complete.]

[What the heck? A system?]

Just then, the little milk bun cradled in Yun Wan Ye’s arms shivered all over. Her wide eyes were full of disbelief.

In that moment, a cold electronic voice echoed in her mind.

And strangely, she was certain—it wasn’t speaking to her.

She didn’t know why she could hear it. Maybe only she could. Maybe everyone could. It was impossible to tell.

Sensing the little milk bun’s shock rising rapidly, Yun Wan Ye guessed that something was about to happen again. He quieted his mind and listened closely to her inner voice.

[What are you? Where am I?]

[Answering host: you are dead. Your soul has entered the system’s spatial realm.]

[What? I’m dead?!]

Inside the gray, dim space of the system realm, Su Qian Xue’s mind flashed back to the moment of her death. Rage burned within her—but it quickly faded into a cold calm.

She was dead. Trapped in this strange, colorless place. What good would fury do?

[What are you? Why am I here? And why can I hear your voice but not see you?]

[Host sure has a lot of questions.]

But Su Qian Xue was never ashamed to ask.

[Also… what is a ‘host’?]

[That’s not important. What you do need to know is this: you were supposed to be the female lead of this world. But a new female lead suddenly appeared and stole your fate. Because of that, the plot has collapsed—and you died too early.]

[I was sent by this world’s Heavenly Dao to help you reclaim your destiny and restore the plot.]

Yun Wan Ning’s eyes widened even more.

[What the—? A new female lead? She stole Su Qian Xue’s fate?]

[Wait a minute, could that new female lead actually be my elder sister?!]

[Did she become the heroine again? What is this nonsense?!]

[I knew it! Su Qian Xue shouldn’t have died that easily. The plot was way off, and now a system’s been summoned!]

[Now that she’s bonded with a system and has the Heavenly Dao backing her… she’s definitely coming back to life. She’s going to be even more dangerous than before!]

[Elder sister’s in danger. Yun family’s in danger. Baby me is in danger too…!]

Hearing the little bun’s internal wail, Yun Wan Ye narrowed his eyes slightly. He lowered his head to study her more closely.

[A collapsed plot… a summoned system… is Su Qian Xue really coming back to life? Could something so ridiculous truly happen? What even is a system? And this ‘Heavenly Dao’…]

[Also, the new female lead—she said someone had invaded and taken Su Qian Xue’s fate. But why does it feel like that person might not be Yun Wan Yao at all… but her?]

[You’re going to help me reclaim my fate and fix the plot? Are you kidding me? I’m dead. How am I supposed to fix anything?]

[And wait—what did you just say? I’m the female lead of this world? And someone stole that title from me?]

[But I thought Yun Wan Yao was the heroine? How could it be me?]

[You really thought you were a real person? Just like Yun Wan Yao, you’re a paper figure—a fictional character. The only difference is, you were meant to be the true heroine, while she exists only in your consciousness.]

Thanks to the system’s explanation, Su Qian Xue finally understood.

She wasn’t some ancient-styled livestreamer who’d crossed into another world.

She had always been a paper doll—born from a writer’s pen.

Because the author had given her a special setting and backstory, she was granted a god-like view of the world. That’s why she’d believed she’d transmigrated into a novel and was now a powerful daoist master.

But in truth, she had always been the original heroine of this story.

She only thought Yun Wan Yao was a fictional character because she’d been given extra knowledge—knowledge of the 21st century, and the story’s full outline.

But now, a new female lead had entered this world. Someone who was now gripping her plot tightly and rewriting it step by step. She had been forced to fall, one move at a time.

No wonder Xie Xuan Yong had been able to anticipate her every action. No wonder she’d walked right into his trap. No wonder the full-moon banquet at Duke Ning’s manor had spiraled out of control.

It was all because the plot had been hijacked—by someone playing the role of the new heroine.

And that person… was her enemy.

The truth left Su Qian Xue stunned. She could hardly accept it.

[Now then, I will activate the time reversal ability. The world will rewind by one hour. This will revive you and give you a second chance at the banquet.]

[This time, just pick two different poems.]

[As long as the new female lead can’t predict your moves, you’ll seize the spotlight and win the title of First Talented Lady.]

[Once the plot starts to return to its original track, I’ll create a chance for you to meet the male lead again.]

[Oh no oh no—this stupid system is really about to reverse time by half an hour…!]