TFSRITA Chapter 4

Of course, as the female lead, she naturally has the protagonist’s aura, which draws enemies her way. Especially under the shadow of the most charming man in the court, Song Yu, she incites jealousy among many girls, leading them to try and trip her up.

However, Yan Jing is no pushover. She dismantles their schemes one by one, using their tricks against them and turning them into attacks on Yan Qing.

For example, when someone tried to drug her with the drink, she conveniently passed the cup to Yan Qing under the pretense of offering it to her. Since they were considered sisters, it wasn’t unusual for them to toast each other at a banquet. As a result, the original Yan Qing fell into the trap, while Yan Jing maintained an innocent face, and the person who administered the drug was severely punished.

After several instances like this, the original Yan Qing’s reputation was ruined. She watched as the man she loved slowly became attracted to her illegitimate sister. Naturally, Yan Qing grew jealous. Forced into becoming the emperor’s concubine, yet harboring feelings for another man, her circumstances left her bitter. Now that the man she loved was being stolen by the person plotting against her, how could she stand idly by?

Thus, she began to strike back at Yan Jing.

As the emperor’s concubine, it was easy for her to make things difficult for her illegitimate sister. However, Yan Qing was inexperienced in schemes, and her low-level tactics only pushed Song Yu further toward her sister.

At this point, Yan Jing orchestrated a scandalous affair, leaving Yan Qing with no remaining leverage.

Already cruel by nature, the emperor had Yan Qing drowned in a pig cage.

Yes, it was a real drowning—she was killed by being submerged alive.

This act not only made Song Yu lose all loyalty to the emperor but, with Yan Jing’s persuasion, he began using the Song family’s military power to rebel.

Things went smoothly from there. With the support of the officials and military power in hand, the emperor, who controlled only the imperial guards, was no match. He disappeared from the palace—some say he fled, while others claim he died in a fire in the Qianqing Palace. In any case, he was never seen again.

Afterward, Yan Jing was made empress by the new emperor, marrying him in exchange for the kingdom. She became the only woman in the harem, a story passed down as a great romance.

Then, after inheriting all the original Yan Qing’s memories, her voice rang cold in Yan Qing’s mind: “I refuse to be her stepping stone! I won’t let Song Yu fall in love with her!”

Such a wicked woman—how could she deserve to marry Song Yu? She’s not worthy!

Meanwhile, the system’s task for Yan Qing was: “Since this is your first mission, the goal is simple—die at the hands of the emperor and deeply wound Song Yu, leading him to rebel.”

Upon hearing her dual tasks, Yan Qing thought: “…This shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

—————

At least for now, lying on her bed while applying medicine, Yan Qing already felt a bit embarrassed.

Historically, Emperor Chen was known as a tyrant—moody, quick to kill, and unforgiving of anyone who disobeyed his orders. Yet he was also a fortunate tyrant. During his reign, many talented individuals rose and stabilized the crumbling empire, allowing him to continue enjoying the luxuries of power.

Yan Qing’s understanding of him came from a single sentence in a book: Emperor Chen reigned for only three years before he was forced to surrender. During that time, he indulged in extreme extravagance, caring little for governance—just short of hosting lavish wine pools and surrounding himself with beautiful women.

Most notably, though, despite his many concubines—sent to him by eager ministers—he never appointed a formal empress. This reluctance, even while indulging in all other excesses, stemmed from a deep psychological wound, inflicted by his father, the previous emperor. Emperor Chen had repeatedly been punished for defying his father’s wishes regarding marriage, yet he never relented.

This is why he elevated the original Yan Qing to the status of a formal wife, which inevitably made her a target in the harem. Everyone there wished to eliminate her. Yan Qing, too, initially thought it would be best to provoke Emperor Chen into killing her quickly to complete her mission. That’s why she had dared to offend him the moment she met him.

Had Emperor Chen truly become enraged, he could have killed her on the spot, sparing her father’s household. Not only was Yan Qing’s father one of the most powerful ministers in the empire, but he had also risen from humble origins to the pinnacle of power in the aristocratic capital of Chang’an. As the second most influential man in the court, only Emperor Chen himself could topple him—unless, of course, a rebellion occurred.

In the novel, the father only helps Song Yu rebel after being won over by the transmigrated heroine, Yan Jing, and after the original Yan Qing is killed brutally by Emperor Chen. Had last night’s plan succeeded, Yan Qing would have completed her system’s task and prevented Yan Jing from ever returning to the Yan family. After all, with such a significant event unfolding, Yan Qing’s father would be too busy to care about bonding with an illegitimate daughter.