Transmigrated as the Villainous Emperor's Disaster-Bringing Concubine - Chapter 1

The company building stood right next to a street lined with bars.

At ten o’clock in the evening, the area was at its liveliest. Bai Fuxue’s team had gathered there for a celebratory dinner following her promotion.

Amidst the flickering lights, a tall woman stood holding a beer bottle that was already half-empty.

Bai Fuxue stumbled out of the booth, her eyes clouded with drunken confusion.

Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes, now unfocused from the alcohol, and her high heels wobbled unsteadily on the glass floor.

A colleague behind her quickly reached out to steady her, but Bai Fuxue brushed the hand away.

Bai Fuxue had been with the company for four years, starting as an intern during her university days.

She had joined because of the company’s young, fox-like heiress, who had offered her a word of encouragement after a university lecture.

Leaning against the wall, Bai Fuxue’s little black dress was soaked with alcohol, clinging uncomfortably to her skin.

Her mind was a muddled mess as she staggered toward the restroom. Her high heels faltered, and she stumbled, crashing into someone at the corner.

The bar’s flashing lights cast a kaleidoscope of colors across their faces. Bai Fuxue’s peach-blossom eyes were brimming with involuntary tears, and the alcohol made the back of her head throb with alternating waves of pain and heat.

“You!” Bai Fuxue grabbed the person’s collar, squinting as she looked up, her expression filled with grievance.

The woman standing opposite her remained perfectly still. Her crisp, tailored suit lent her an air of aloofness, and her phoenix-like eyes were as dark and unfathomable as a deep pool.

And incredibly beautiful.

Xiao Shizhi frowned and said, “Let go.”

Bai Fuxue pressed her lips together, the alcohol from her dress dripping onto her black stockings, creating a strange sight.

She clung to Xiao Shizhi’s arm and said, “Why are you treating me like this?”

She looked every bit like a heartbroken, pitiful soul.

The people behind Xiao Shizhi exchanged knowing glances:

Had the young heiress gotten herself into another romantic entanglement?

Xiao Shizhi: …?

The drunken Bai Fuxue clung to her, biting her neck, and said:

“Xiao Shizhi, you promoted me just to transfer me away from the headquarters, didn’t you?”

“You’re so cruel.”

Xiao Shizhi usually avoided places like this, but she had come tonight after hearing that Bai Fuxue was holding a farewell gathering here.

Before she could even step inside, she saw the girl stumbling around, completely drunk.

Xiao Shizhi winced at the bite and pushed her away slightly.

“The company is expanding. You’re capable of leading a team independently now. Staying at headquarters would only,” waste your talent.

Bai Fuxue stared at her intently, her steps unsteady as she pressed Xiao Shizhi against the sink and the mirror.

Xiao Shizhi found herself pinned in the narrow space.

Their heartbeats thumped loudly.

Causing both their necks and earlobes to flush with warmth.

Bai Fuxue’s voice was hoarse and soft as she said, “Do you even know that I joined this company because of you?”

Back in university, Xiao Shizhi had promised to personally mentor and guide her, words that sounded more heartfelt than a confession.

But after joining the company, there was no sign of Xiao Shizhi anywhere.

It wasn’t until last week, when the young heiress returned to the company, that they finally crossed paths. And just like that, an email was sent, transferring Bai Fuxue to a remote location to lead a new project.

Bai Fuxue had been lured in with sweet promises, only to be cast aside just as carelessly.

Xiao Shizhi turned to the people behind her and said, “I’ll take her to a hotel.”

Her assistant quickly interjected, “Let me take her. What if something happens?”

Before she could finish, Xiao Shizhi half-carried Bai Fuxue. The little troublemaker, who had been so unruly just moments before, instantly became as docile as a kitten in Xiao Shizhi’s arms.

Bai Fuxue’s peach blossom eyes shimmered with watery light, staring straight at Xiao Shizhi, making it impossible to tell whether she was drunk or not.

The atmosphere in the guest room was ambiguous, the scent of alcohol mingling with cedar, and the zipper of the black dress had come undone.

It was truly seductive.

Under Bai Fuxue’s gaze, Xiao Shizhi gently kissed the corner of her lips.

“I didn’t abandon you. I’ve been watching you all along.”

The young woman clung to her shoulders like a kitten, unable to muster any strength, her high heels brushing against Xiao Shizhi’s calf.

Just as Xiao Shizhi wondered why Bai Fuxue wasn’t speaking, she glanced over.

Beneath her, Bai Fuxue’s breathing was shallow, she had long since fallen asleep from drunkenness, her fingers tightly clutching a corner of Xiao Shizhi’s clothes.

Dark circles shadowed her eyes, a testament to how many overtime hours she had been working.

When Bai Fuxue opened her eyes again, the hangover headache in the back of her head was gone, and even the little black dress she had been wearing had disappeared.

Her surroundings were no longer the familiar bar but a dusty wooden house.

The floor beneath her felt unsteady, and she was standing on a wobbly stool.

A quick glance revealed that she was now wearing a plain white high-waisted ruqun dress!

The stool was unstable, and Bai Fuxue instinctively grabbed the fabric in front of her.

Ah!

The stool immediately toppled, and her neck nearly caught on the white silk hanging above only her hands kept her from hanging

Bai Fuxue’s pupils contracted sharply as the white silk tightened around her neck.

The intense suffocation turned her face purple, her vision flickering between white and black.

She strained her arms, lifting her body slightly, and the next moment, she tumbled to the ground.

The pain made her gasp, feeling as if every bone in her body had shattered.

Bai Fuxue had transmigrated into a book.

During her overtime shifts, she had slacked off, pretending to work hard while actually reading novels.

The novel was titled The Tyrant Emperor’s Little Concubine.

An unadulterated tragedy, the protagonist was originally the favored consort of the late emperor. After his death, she was seized by the new emperor who coveted her.

Though taken, the new emperor’s power was unstable. For the sake of political stability, he couldn’t bring the protagonist into the harem and instead confined her to the cold palace, leaving her to be bullied.

Later, when she entered the harem, the new emperor had even more beauties around him. The protagonist, unprotected, suffered every imaginable misery.

Kneeling as punishment, having dirty water thrown on her, drinking drugged wine, being attacked by cats, falling into ponds.

The protagonist had a full-blown Stockholm syndrome when the new emperor beckoned, she would eagerly go to him.

This pure, innocent flower never spoke of her suffering. After enduring torment all the way, she finally achieved a happy ending.

Bai Fuxue had stayed up late reading it out of sheer rage, using it as an excuse to claim overtime pay while telling everyone she was dedicated to the company, earning the title of best employee.

She had expected a dramatic redemption arc, but there was none.

She deserved to be tormented to death by the harem women.

The novel’s protagonist shared the same name as Bai Fuxue, and the new emperor’s name was the same as her newly appointed superior.

If not for this connection, Bai Fuxue wouldn’t have cured her low blood pressure by reading this novel.

Bai Fuxue recalled Xiao Shizhi, who had taken her back to the hotel after she got drunk.

She muttered a curse under her breath.

Damn bastard.

The petite beauty in white, standing in the cold palace, rose to her feet. The bronze mirror reflected her fair skin, red lips, and captivating charm. Though she was already twenty-two considered an old maid in the harem, it did nothing to diminish her delicate allure and youthful radiance.

No wonder both the late emperor and the new emperor were utterly captivated by this fragile appearance.

The white silk hanging from the beam left cruel red marks on Bai Fuxue’s neck, making the beauty appear even more broken and shattered.

She tore off the white silk and threw it aside, then walked into the courtyard.

The yard was overgrown with weeds, and in the distance, the yellow-tiled roofs and red walls of the palace were visible, with willow branches swaying gently.

All the opulence and extravagance had nothing to do with the cold palace.

In the yard stood a small well, and beside it was a young maid.

The girl’s face was deathly pale, her feet trembling unsteadily on the green bricks.

“I belong to you in life, and I will follow you in death, my lady. Since you have followed the late emperor, I cannot live on alone!”

With a resolute heart, the young maid leaped into the well.

Bai Fuxue caught sight of the girl just in time she was at the most beautiful age of sixteen, having served her original mistress for many years.

Without a second thought, she rushed over and grabbed Songluo’s wrist.

Bai Fuxue herself had little strength, as fragile as a willow branch in the spring breeze.

Her fingers clung desperately to the edge of the well, and she barely managed to pull the maid back up.

Bai Fuxue’s fair and delicate palms were now a bloody mess, and the red and blue marks on her neck looked even more terrifying.

Who wouldn’t be heartbroken to see her in such an abused state?

Songluo, still shaken, immediately knelt and bowed. “Your humble servant greets you, my lady. My lady, you!”

If her lady lived, she would live; if her lady died, she had no desire to go on.

Songluo gazed pleadingly at her mistress.

Bai Fuxue said, “I no longer wish to die.”

The idea of dying for the sake of ancient chastity felt utterly absurd to Bai Fuxue, who had been raised with modern values of equality.

Wasn’t the cold palace a good place? No one disturbed her here, no overtime work, no need to face superiors. Every day, she woke up to a lush green courtyard.

She had never experienced the extravagant life of a palace consort and only wished for a few peaceful days without the burden of work.

A glimmer of light shone in Songluo’s eyes. “My lady has finally come to her senses! The Bai family has always been loyal, but now the new emperor’s faction has falsely accused them of treason and rebellion. Their lives hang by a thread!”

Songluo couldn’t help but feel heartbroken, the Bai family had raised and nurtured her, like a second set of parents.

“My lady, my lady, you must think carefully.”

Bai Fuxue hummed softly. At this moment, she could hardly protect herself. The Bai family held a prominent position in the court and was not easily shaken.

Even now, suppressed as they were, they remained a formidable force.

How could she, a pitiful woman driven to suicide, compare?

Tears streamed freely from Songluo’s eyes as she painfully took a handkerchief to wipe the sand from her lady’s wrist.

As she wiped, she slapped her own face, only stopping when Bai Fuxue intervened.

“You’ve done nothing wrong. Saving you was the right thing to do. With such a lovely appearance, you shouldn’t be treated so poorly.”

The new emperor slowly opened her eyes. Before her lay a mountain of memorials, and beside her stood a chief eunuch, bowing deeply.

“Your Majesty, the Noble Consort invites you to admire the flowers in the imperial garden. The sun is beginning to set, and the lotus blossoms are at their most enchanting.”

Li Dequan spoke sweetly, carefully gauging the emperor’s intentions.

Xiao Shizhi set down her brush, her narrow phoenix eyes calmly gazing toward the northeast corner of the palace.

Li Dequan asked, “Shall Your Majesty set out now?”

Attended by palace maids, Xiao Shizhi changed into casual attire edged with gold thread. Her long hair was secured with a golden dragon hairpin, and her tall figure made the dark green robes appear even more upright and noble, like bamboo. Unadorned, her lips were naturally crimson, breathtakingly beautiful, yet no one dared to gaze upon her.

She was the female emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Upon ascending the throne, her momentum was unstoppable, and no one dared to test her authority. Yet, the insignificant Bai family remained a persistent thorn in her side.

Li Dequan whispered beside her, “The Bai family, relying on their military lineage, grows increasingly disrespectful toward Your Majesty.”

Seated in her palanquin, Xiao Shizhi narrowed her eyes at the eunuch spouting nonsense.

As the palanquin turned west in the imperial garden, heading toward the Taiye Pond, Xiao Shizhi cast a cold glance at the eunuch. “You’ve taken the wrong path.”

Li Dequan immediately knelt, cautiously replying, “The Noble Consort awaits you ahead.”

Under the scorching summer sun, the eunuch’s back was drenched in cold sweat.

Had he not accepted the Noble Consort’s silver, who would dare act so boldly before the emperor?

The Noble Consort, after all, was the emperor’s most favored consort.

Xiao Shizhi remarked, “The Bai family, loyal for generations, has been falsely accused of treason and faces constant censure at court.”

The young empress sighed softly. “Let us visit the daughter of the Bai family in the Cold Palace.”

Li Dequan’s heart skipped a beat. The capital was surely on the brink of upheaval.

The palanquin lifted off, carried steadily by the bearers. The golden dragon hairpin in Xiao Shizhi’s hair, adorned with a pearl, trembled only slightly.

The summer sun blazed, its golden rays illuminating her face, outshining even the setting sun.

Noble Consort Rong, having waited in vain for the emperor, learned from her attendants that His Majesty had gone to the Cold Palace.

Enraged, she tore the lotus flower she held for appearances and hurled it into the Taiye Pond.

Absurd! Why would His Majesty visit that wretched seductress!

First, she ensnared the late emperor, and now she dares to tempt His Majesty? Utterly shameless!

Xiao Shizhi gazed at the dilapidated courtyard drawing nearer and murmured to herself, “With Bai Fuxue’s pliable nature, living in such a place, she might as well hang herself with a white silk ribbon.”

“That little rabbit would be devoured without a trace in this harem.”

Li Dequan echoed the empress’s sentiment, “Noble Consort Bai is gentle, humble, and rare in her purity. No wonder the late emperor held her in such high regard.”

In essence, she couldn’t survive without the emperor.

Xiao Shizhi remained noncommittal. She had no fondness for such women, no matter how beautiful, they were mere parasites clinging to others.

Before they could enter the courtyard, a loud crash nearly startled the imperial entourage.

A clear, melodious voice rang out, “What does it matter to me if your Noble Consort has no one to accompany her?”

A maid retorted viciously, “You seduced His Majesty, and you have the audacity to say that?!”

The beauty shot back, “Your Noble Consort’s duty is to serve the emperor. If she can’t even manage that, what use is she?”

The maid serving Noble Consort Rong was left speechless, her face flushed crimson.

Bai Fuxue sneered, “Instead of taking responsibility for her failures, she shifts blame. Is that all your Noble Consort is capable of?”

Ignoring Songluo’s attempts to dissuade her, Bai Fuxue declared, “If she jumps into the lotus pond just because His Majesty didn’t accompany her to admire the flowers, then His Majesty will come, won’t he?”

“Love your work and excel at it. If she can’t even manage that, I worry she’ll end up in the Cold Palace one day!”

Li Dequan, listening outside, trembled with fear, his face pale as a ghost.

Such audacity! How could Bai Fuxue be so reckless? Did she not fear repercussions for the Bai family?

In contrast, Emperor Xiao Shizhi nodded slightly.

She found it all quite reasonable.

Xiao Shizhi tilted his head to look at the crowd kneeling on the ground and asked in confusion, “Is what she said wrong?”

The crowd: ???