The Heartless Omega: I Only Want My Daughter - Chapter 1

In the eleventh year of the Taichu era of the Great Wei Dynasty, the long-standing border wars were finally settled, and a collective sigh of relief swept across the imperial court.

With the political landscape now stable, the Empress issued an edict to reinstate the Imperial Examinations, granting scholars throughout the land the opportunity to serve the throne. However, the powerful aristocratic clans, unable to restrain their ambition to expand their influence, began bribing officials and pulling strings in the shadows.

To secure true talent and safeguard her sovereign power, the Empress responded with ruthless precision. She imposed layers of restrictions on the examinations specifically targeting the nobility and began systematically dismantling their power. Within a single year, tens of thousands were executed, a purge that left the empire trembling in fear.

The Five Great Clans and Seven Eminent Families, along with the Eight Houses of Guanlong, eventually submitted. They voiced their willingness to follow the Empress’s will, clearing the path for scholars of humble birth to enter civil service. Not just in the provinces, but the royals and elites within the capital also fell in line; after all, defiance meant dismissal at best, and the execution of three generations at worst.

In the spring of the twelfth year of Taichu, the Duke and Duchess of Qing settled their affairs at the border. Following imperial orders, they led their troops back to the capital in a triumphant return.

The Wen family of the Qing Mansion had held hereditary rank since the founding of Great Wei, serving with unwavering loyalty and earning countless military merits. Now, having successfully pacified the borders, the Empress herself rode out of the city to welcome them, a display of immense imperial favor.

After the city gate reception, the civil and military officials entered the court. There, the Duke of Qing publicly returned his Tiger Tally (the symbol of military command).

The Empress offered to reward him, but the Duke declined any riches. Instead, he made a single request: a marriage.

He sought a union for his beloved daughter, Wen Ying, and Pei Zhiyun, the daughter of a merchant family in the capital. They were of similar age, and a fortune teller had declared their birth signs a “match made in heaven.”

The Duchess of Qing looked as if she wanted to interject, but the Duke silenced her with a sharp glare.

Seated upon the dragon throne, the Empress closed a scroll, looking curious. “A merchant family in the capital? According to the laws of Great Wei, merchants are typically Betas (Zhongyong). Ying’er is an Alpha (Tianqian). How can an Alpha and a Beta be a proper match?”

The Duke of Qing replied, “Your Majesty may not be aware, but while the Pei family are indeed Betas, their eldest daughter is a rare, Top-tier Omega (Kunze). This fact was once widely known in the capital. She is a perfect match for Ying’er. Moreover, due to my neglect while away at war, Ying’er has become increasingly rowdy and difficult to manage. I have heard that the eldest Miss Pei is gentle, well-versed in the classics, and virtuous. I wish for Ying’er to marry into the Pei family as a matrilocal spouse, so that someone may finally keep her in check.”

“I see.”

The Empress’s expression lightened. She descended from her throne and walked slowly toward the Duke, her hand resting behind her back.

The Duke bowed even lower, his head nearly touching the floor. “Your Majesty.”

The Empress softened her voice. “Duke, Duchess, if everyone shared your considerations, I would have far fewer worries.”

The Duke nodded again. “Then, Your Majesty, the marriage?”

“Granted.”

The Empress patted his shoulder lightly. “Not only do I grant it, but I shall personally send a grand gift for Ying’er’s wedding.”

The Duke let out a long, hidden sigh of relief. “My deepest thanks to Your Majesty.”

Three days later, the imperial edict was issued: Wen Ying, the heir of the Qing Mansion, and Pei Zhiyun of the Pei family were to be wed on the fifth of the following month.

It was only after Wen Ying was reborn that she realized the truth: her father had married her off as a matrilocal spouse to the Pei family solely to strip her of her status as the legitimate daughter, making room for his son to inherit the title.

Even the Zhuangyuan (top scholar) title she had earned in the exams had been stolen by the Wen family and handed to her younger brother.

In her past life, Wen Ying had showered her wife, Lady Pei, with affection. Yet, after giving birth to a daughter, Pei Zhiyun had without any explanation written a letter of divorce and kicked Wen Ying out. Her goal had been to “keep the child and ditch the wife” to seize control of the Pei family’s power.

Fine. Since everyone had their own goals, Wen Ying had hers too.

Reborn and lying on the bed in a room decorated in wedding crimson, Wen Ying opened her eyes. She rolled out of bed, swapped her bridal robes for a red traveling outfit, took a swift horse from the stables, and raced to the palace to demand an audience with the Empress.

The Empress couldn’t fathom why a bride, who should have been in her wedding chambers was standing there. Out of curiosity, she ordered the guards to let her in.

Upon entering, Wen Ying prostrated herself, offering words of gratitude for the imperial wedding gifts. As the Empress waved her off dismissively, Wen Ying suddenly drew a tiny, exquisitely sharp blade from her sleeve. She lunged forward, blade aimed at the Empress’s throat.

“Your Majesty!” A maidservant nearby threw herself in front of the Empress.

Because Wen Ying’s grip was unsteady, the blade only sliced through the maid’s back. Guards swarmed the room instantly, pinning Wen Ying to the floor.

Even as she was pressed into the dirt, Wen Ying continued to shout curses. Enraged, the Empress slammed her hand on the table. “Drag her away! As for the Wen family execute three generations!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” That night, Wen Ying was thrown into the death cells.

Ten days later, Wen Ying and three generations of the Wen family were led to the execution grounds. However, because the Empress acknowledged the Wen family’s past military service, she pardoned the Duchess and the clan’s women and children. Everyone else was to be eliminated. It seemed the Empress had been looking for an excuse to wipe out the Duke of Qing all along, and she took the chance to “comfort” the surviving Duchess afterward.

As for the Pei family, because the wedding ceremony had never been completed, they were not implicated.

Wen Ying watched as the Duke, her younger brother, and all those who had once bullied her were decapitated one by one. She felt a twisted sense of joy. Her only regret was her daughter from her previous life, who was still an infant; she wouldn’t get to see her grow up.

“Wen Ying, execution by beheading!”

The executioner’s token was tossed to the ground. The headsman took a swig of strong liquor, sprayed it across his blade, and stepped forward. He pulled the “death warrant” plaque from Wen Ying’s back and raised his heavy sword. With a sickening thud, blood sprayed, and her head hit the ground.

That day, the autumn leaves scattered in a bleak, lonely wind.

“No, are you people insane?”

“That well Miss Pei, this was purely a system bug, and we are unable to fix it.”

“Why?” The woman’s voice sounded hauntingly familiar.

“Because of a system error, Miss Wen was reborn within the original book and initiated a revenge sequence. The Wen family was executed, and she was beheaded. She can no longer return to the book world. Furthermore, a series of cascading error codes accidentally dragged Miss Wen into your world. To prevent further glitches, Miss Wen’s system has been completely shut down. She can’t go back.”

The woman sighed deeply, silenced by the absurdity of the situation.

To placate her, the System hurried to add: “Miss Pei, to make up for our mistake, we’ve provided Miss Wen with a suitable identity here. It won’t cause any social suspicion. We’ve also accelerated her ability to learn modern rules and skills. She only needs to hear or see something once to master it. You don’t have to worry about her failing to integrate into modern society.”

The woman let out a hollow, speechless laugh. In just a few minutes, she felt like she had exhausted every brain cell she possessed.

Beep, beep, beep,beep!

The EKG monitor nearby suddenly began to wail.

The woman crossed her arms, looking down at the person lying in the hospital bed. Her brow furrowed as her mind raced.

The System observed her expression and whispered cautiously, “Well, Miss Pei, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now. I’m leaving Miss Wen in your hands.”

Pei Zhiyun said nothing. Her silence was terrifying.

Creak!

The ward door was thrown open. Two doctors in white coats rushed in and leaned over the bed to check the patient. A nurse held Pei Zhiyun back, saying urgently, “Miss Pei, please wait outside for a moment.”

Pei Zhiyun lowered her arms and walked out without looking back.

This was a VIP ward in the dead of night. The hallway was eerily silent.

Once outside, Pei Zhiyun ran a hand through her waist-length hair. She sat down on a blue plastic bench, leaning her head back against the wall with her eyes squeezed shut. Her mind was a mess.

Four years ago, while filming a historical drama, Pei Zhiyun had died when a wire stunt went wrong.

When she woke up, she found herself bound to a “Rebirth System” and had transmigrated into an ancient ABO novel.

In the book, the original character was a Top-tier Omega, but because she was born into a family of Betas, her parents suspected she wasn’t their biological child when she presented as an Omega at age ten. To prove her innocence, her mother drowned herself in a river. Her other mother, unable to bear the grief, committed suicide with a blade on the spot.

Having lost both parents, the original character was locked in a woodshed by the Pei relatives and fed only one meal a day. Later, she was forced to work as a servant for the family. During that time, she studied in secret and took the top spot in the provincial examinations.

She should have had a brilliant future, but the Pei family tried to marry her off to a thirty-year-old cripple from the east side of town, a man who was unkempt and slovenly. When she threatened to kill herself rather than marry, the Pei family told her they would simply sell her corpse for a “ghost marriage.”

In a fit of rage, she ran to her parents’ grave, drank poison, and set herself on fire, leaving nothing behind.

Pei Zhiyun’s mission from the System had been: Return to the moment before the suicide, cancel the marriage, seize control of the Pei family, and change her fate.

To get her life back, Pei Zhiyun agreed.

According to the book’s setting, an Omega of age had to be married off, or they would be imprisoned. To stay in the Pei family and seize power, Pei Zhiyun chose to find a matrilocal spouse someone who would move into her house.

At the time, the Empress was looking to weaken the clans. The Qing Mansion was famous but lived in constant fear of the Empress’s wrath. When Pei Zhiyun heard the Wen family had an unfavored Alpha daughter who liked to party but had no other vices, she proposed the marriage.

The Qing Mansion had agreed instantly.

That person was Wen Ying.

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