The Male Lead’s Backyard is on Fire [Transmigration] - Chapter 2

At midnight, the room was brightly lit.

Yu Chi Li leaned against the bed to rest and inadvertently drifted into a dream. In the dream, her limbs were bound, and she was tied in a corner like a dog. The ground was sticky with a fluid she could not identify, perhaps blood flowing from her own body or perhaps something else. The sensation of pain was vivid, accompanied by a boundless hatred that filled the cramped, narrow room.

A figure appeared before her. It was Liu Luoyi, dressed in white, cold and noble like a celestial being. In contrast, Yu Chi Li was merely an ugly, dying waste.

“Yu Chi Li, I hate you. You deserve everything that has happened to you today,” Liu Luoyi said while weeping.

A sharp object pierced Yu Chi Li’s heart. Intense agony surged through her, and with a sharp cry, she bolted upright.

“Princess, what is wrong?” Xin Ran rushed in, hurriedly wiping the cold sweat from Yu Chi Li’s forehead.

“It is nothing,” Yu Chi Li replied. She clutched her chest and panted, astonished by how real the dream had felt.

Once her heart rate settled, she began to survey her surroundings. The wooden tables and chairs were carved with unknown patterns, and the flickering candlelight sat atop a slender, translucent holder crafted from fine suet jade. This room, compared to Liu Luoyi’s chamber which held nothing but a broken bed, was as different as clouds and mud.

If she remembered correctly, tomorrow was the sixtieth birthday of the Lu family’s matriarch. At the banquet, Lu Yunkui would force Liu Luoyi to dance for the guests. After the banquet concluded, the male and female leads would officially fall in love for the first time.

The dream from moments ago was hair-raising. She needed to leave this place as soon as possible. As a Princess, writing a letter of divorce should not be difficult.

However, the moment that thought surfaced, a sudden, piercing pain struck her heart. Yu Chi Li clenched her fists and doubled over in agony while clutching her chest. The pain felt as though it would claim her life instantly.

Seeing this, Xin Ran rushed forward to support her. “Princess, what is happening? I will call for a physician!”

“Wait,” Yu Chi Li reached out to grab her, chanting internally, “Damn it! I will not divorce him! I will not do it! Is that enough?”

Miraculously, the heartache vanished. Yu Chi Li breathed a long sigh of relief, wiped away her sweat, and angrily kicked the leg of the bed. An invisible force was preventing her from making certain choices. Yu Chi Li frowned, wondering if it was the original trajectory of this world, the body’s lingering obsession with Lu Yunkui, or something else entirely.

The story between Liu Luoyi and Lu Yunkui would affect many future events, including Yu Chi Li’s own death. Bound by the constraints of this body, she could not fully break away from the plot yet. For now, she had to find a way to prevent the events of the original novel from unfolding. Once she was temporarily safe, she would make further plans. In other words, she had to stop the female lead from falling in love with the male lead.

Yu Chi Li was a big-hearted soul; she was the type who could set up camp and grill meat right next to a bear’s den. Now that she had a goal, nothing was going to stop her from sleeping. She collapsed back onto the bed and slept soundly until dawn.

The next morning, Yu Chi Li was dragged from under her blankets by Xin Ran. She yawned, watching dizzily as Xin Ran scurried around the room.

“Princess, this is the first time you are facing so many members of the Lu family. You must be dignified and proper. Do not give them any leverage to use against you, or you will suffer their temper again. They have never treated you as a Princess or a lady; they only see you as a soft target they can bleed dry.”

Yu Chi Li’s gaze turned cold for a moment, and she nodded. The original owner of this body was from the Northern Territory. She had grown up on horseback, living a free and spirited life. It was a pity that despite such a noble background, she had abandoned her homeland and her freedom to wither away in this pathetic estate for the sake of that man. She was truly foolish.

Once she was washed and dressed, Yu Chi Li looked at herself with satisfaction. She wore a crimson dress that was bold and flamboyant, but without any gaudy frills. Even the sleeves were cinched, looking clean and sharp. She loved this sense of bravado.

Compared to the historic mansions she had seen in the past, Lu Yunkui’s estate was the size of a postage stamp. It took Yu Chi Li only a few steps to reach the banquet hall. A group of maidservants had already filled the room with dining tables, leaving only a space in the center for songstresses to perform their melodic tunes.

Suddenly, an elderly woman’s voice rang out, “As the Mistress of the house, you are not being diligent in your service, and yet you arrive so late! Where is your sense of propriety?”

Yu Chi Li turned her head and saw an old woman dressed in a dark green silk shirt with a wooden hairpin inlaid with a green gemstone tucked into her hair. She was elderly but vigorous, radiating an overbearing aura.

“Greetings, Grandmother,” Yu Chi Li said. She lowered her head, though her brow furrowed slightly.

According to the book, this woman had caused the original owner no small amount of suffering. She had even forced the original Yu Chi Li to drink many harmful medicinal soups in an attempt to coerce her into conceiving a child. This had led to the original owner’s health failing in the later stages of the story, leaving her lingering on the brink of death while enduring Lu Yunkui’s inhumane tortures. She had truly been ruined by the male lead’s entire family.

The old woman looked Yu Chi Li up and down and said contemptuously, “Since you have married into our Lu family, you are Kui’er’s wife. Stop putting on airs with your Princess status. Just now, many juniors came to my room to kneel and offer their birthday wishes. Why was your figure nowhere to be seen?”

Hearing this, Yu Chi Li sneered inwardly. She was a Princess, after all; lowering her status did not mean she had to degrade herself to this extent. She decided to ignore the woman and turned to walk away.

The old woman grew frantic. Disregarding the guests, she pointed her cane at Yu Chi Li. “I said long ago that we should never have allowed a barbarian from the Northern Territory through our doors! She has no manners and needs to be taught a lesson. Men, make her kneel before me!”

At her command, a group of maidservants swarmed forward, surrounding Yu Chi Li. The surrounding guests gathered in a circle, pointing and gossiping as they watched the spectacle. Laughs broke out occasionally, with people muttering things like, “The Northern Princess is nothing special; she still has to be disciplined by her husband’s family.”

Yu Chi Li’s frown deepened. She had always loathed noisy scenes like this, especially this posturing old woman. Did she really think Yu Chi Li was still that love-struck original owner, a dignified Princess who would let anyone push her around?

Someone even grabbed her arm, attempting to force her to her knees. Unable to endure it any longer, Yu Chi Li suddenly raised her hand. Xin Ran appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and in the blink of an eye, several maidservants were kicked away, rolling into a heap and wailing for their parents.

The old woman, stunned that Yu Chi Li dared to fight back, froze in place. Her blood pressure spiked, and she nearly fainted. “You! You dare!”

The old Yu Chi Li, out of her deep love for Lu Yunkui, had never resisted even when mistreated. Yu Chi Li patted her wrinkled sleeves and lowered her voice. “Out of consideration for the fact that this Princess is hungry, I will forgive you this once. If you dare to overstep your bounds again, be careful, or I shall turn your birthday into your funeral.”

With that, Yu Chi Li walked grandly into the hall with her hands behind her back, leaving the old woman behind while she was still croaking out protests. Fortunately, her display seemed to have a deterrent effect; no one dared to speak to her after that. Yu Chi Li enjoyed the peace, leisurely sipping tea and listening to the music.

A new group of performers took the stage, and the seats were now full. Lu Yunkui, wearing an elegant and gentle smile, sat at the table next to Yu Chi Li. Standing behind Lu Yunkui was a woman whose dark, clear eyes were fixed on Yu Chi Li. When their gazes met, the woman rolled her eyes haughtily.

Yu Chi Li scratched her head. She could not remember who that was.

Just then, Yu Chi Li’s sharp eyes caught a slender figure dressed in white hiding in a corner. An air of sorrow surrounded her, making her seem entirely out of place. She truly lived up to her role as the female lead, like a lost white goose on a cloudy day. Even without makeup, she was striking. Yu Chi Li could not find the words at first, but after a moment, she thought to herself, “She is beautiful.”

However, the memory of that dream caused her heart to skip a beat. At that moment, the singers stopped, and someone produced a pipa and a zither. As the delicate, winding music began, Yu Chi Li immediately shook off her laziness and sat up straight.

Liu Luoyi stepped forward. Her body was like a willow branch, graceful, soft, yet resilient. Her white sleeves fluttered like clouds in the wind. To the melancholy tune of “Autumn Moon over the Han Palace,” she danced with a profound sense of desolation. Do not ask how Yu Chi Li knew the song was “Autumn Moon over the Han Palace”; it was written in the novel.

The noisy crowd fell silent, their eyes glued to her. Lu Yunkui toyed with his wine cup, his expression unreadable. Yu Chi Li noticed a pot-bellied, wrinkled man sitting opposite her. He was staring lewdly at Liu Luoyi, his saliva nearly mixing with the oil on his face and dripping into his cup.

As the dance ended, the hall erupted in applause. Liu Luoyi was slightly out of breath, her hair clinging to her face with sweat. Her clothes were thin, and now that they were damp, they clung to her skin, adding a layer of temptation to her cold isolation.

Yu Chi Li frowned and turned to look at Lu Yunkui. He was watching Liu Luoyi with appreciation and an unfathomable smile. To let his own woman dance like this, especially since Liu Luoyi was once a daughter of a prestigious, scholarly family, was like a phoenix fallen to the mortal realm to be toyed with. It was deeply insulting.

Yu Chi Li’s heart suddenly softened, especially when she saw the look in Liu Luoyi’s eyes.

“Good! Good! Not only has my nephew become a great official and brought honor to his family, but his household is full of fine things! Come, Uncle toasts you!” The old man opposite them could not stop smiling, his eyes never leaving Liu Luoyi.

Lu Yunkui politely raised his wine cup while acting humble. “Uncle, you flatter me. This was once the daughter of Chancellor Liu. Now that the Chancellor has been imprisoned for treason, she has been reduced to slave status. If Uncle likes her, I shall give her to you.”

Upon hearing this, the man’s gaze became even more explicit, and he grinned so wide his back molars were visible. “A woman of the Liu family? A rare find indeed! Good, good!”

Liu Luoyi clenched her sleeves so tightly her knuckles turned white. She kept her head bowed, and Yu Chi Li could not see her expression.

“You, go to my Uncle and serve him well. If you do not…” Lu Yunkui smiled and left the threat hanging.

Liu Luoyi’s body trembled. Yu Chi Li could feel her shaking, looking as if she might collapse. After a moment, she obediently walked toward the man. The man reached out a flabby arm and pulled Liu Luoyi toward him. In front of everyone, his hand moved as if to reach into her collar.

Liu Luoyi’s heart was like dead ashes; she knew exactly what was about to happen. The old man’s hand was wandering over her shoulder, and his foul stench made her feel faint. She had seen too many scenes like this on the day her family’s home was raided. That was a hell the likes of which she had never seen before, and she would never forget it. She closed her eyes, and a single tear fell.

“Hmph, a natural-born seductress,” the woman behind Lu Yunkui muttered.

Yu Chi Li could finally no longer restrain herself. She suddenly raised her voice and said, “Husband, that woman looks clean and meticulous. Xin Ran is clumsy and cannot even pour water properly. Why do we not let Xin Ran serve Uncle instead? You should let me have her for my own use. What do you say?”

Xin Ran, suddenly sold out by her own Princess, was confused.

Lu Yunkui had not expected her to play such an unconventional card. He frowned and was momentarily at a loss for words. The room suddenly became deathly silent as everyone stared at them. A murderous glint appeared in Lu Yunkui’s eyes. He had long wanted to get rid of Yu Chi Li.

Unfortunately, he was just one step away from a promotion and still needed her help. Therefore, at least in public, he had to play the part of the devoted husband. Thus, Lu Yunkui curled his lips into a loving smile. “Whatever Li’er says, goes.”

Yu Chi Li bolted upright and flashed like the wind to Liu Luoyi’s side. She grabbed Liu Luoyi’s arm and yanked her forcefully out of the old man’s embrace. Startled, Liu Luoyi opened her eyes and met Yu Chi Li’s gaze through her tears. She froze, though her body continued to tremble.

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