Chapter 1 (1/2)

“Leftover woman” is a derogatory term for a unmarried woman, who usually has higher education and is over 27. Ironically, due to the gender imbalance caused by the one-child policy and selective-s.e.x abortions, there are probably more “leftover” men than women.

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A beautiful young woman's face was reflected in the cool surface of the copper mirror. She had shapely eyebrows and snow white skin; glossy brown eyes with cat-eye pupils; long, eloquent lashes that fluttered like b.u.t.terfly wings.

Xia Yuqing would normally be all over such eye candy, but she'd lost all appet.i.te since discovering that this stranger's peerless face was attached to her own body.

Trans, transmigration?! Xia Yuqing's new eyebrow twitched at the beautiful but expressionless reflection. Looks like her natural poker face made the journey with her!

Xia Yuqing was a 21st century shut-in and a fujos.h.i.+, and a dutiful student in her youth. In her spare time, she liked browsing forums, watching sometimes immoral flicks, as well as reading p.o.r.n when she felt like it. But she never committed an atrocity that would warrant being smote by lightning!

Gazing at her unfamiliar reflection, Xia Yuqing recalled the moments before she lost consciousness. She had been cradling her beloved laptop as a certain Internet G.o.d uploaded some very realistic yaoi. Because of the excessive stimulation, she couldn't contain the nosebleed that erupted and donated everything to the LCD screen.

This is where everything tumblered into the abyss. She unintentionally dug her own grave by knocking off a cup of water while rummaging for tissues. It splashed onto the charger and following a crackling noise and a scorched scent, lightning suddenly struck from outside her window…and then everything faded to black. Afterwards, she had woken up in this G.o.dforsaken place.

Aaaaaah! Xia Yuqing cussed up a storm inside. d.a.m.nable transmigration! Return my comfy stay-at-home rotten lifestyle! Return my high-tech computer! Return my matchless R18 erotica!

Her handmaidens collectively s.h.i.+vered as Xia Yuqing idled over the mirror for ages, her expressionless face darkening and the surrounding air progressively stagnating.

A girl dressed in yellow was jostled forward. ”Princess…” she mumbled, rousing their mistress who'd been behaving strangely since waking up this morning.

She quailed under Xia Yuqing's cold gaze.

”What is it?” Xia Yuqing snapped, still p.i.s.sed.

The poor girl was almost scared to tears. Wasn't she supposed to be a feeble-minded and naïve princess? But after waking up she'd done a 180; was it because of the incident this morning?

”Pr-Princess, today is your wedding day… The emperor traditionally spends the night here. Aren't any arrangements required?”

Xia Yuqing started. Only now did she look down and notice that she was wearing a red wedding gown; this finally rang a bell in her head. Her host body's ident.i.ty was that of an unfavored, mentally r.e.t.a.r.ded princess who'd been drafted as a subst.i.tute bride by her elder sister in a marriage to another country.

Wait! ”Wedding?” ”Spend the night?” Xia Yuqing's eyeb.a.l.l.s rolled back, as if fried by lightning once again.

An old leftover woman like Xia Yuqing might have had countless youthful fantasies in the past, but in the end, she was still a pure fujos.h.i.+ who'd never even held a boy's hand! Now she was suddenly someone's wife.

Was she going to suffer consummation on the very first day after transmigration?!

…

..

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The flickering candlelight in the splendid palace illuminated the intricate scenery carved on the columns. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Xia Yuqing stood in the middle of the palace foyer. Facing the fluttering red divider, she recalled the palace eunuch's instructions.

”Milady, this is Sweet Spring Palace, the imperial concubines' bathhouse. Please enter first and await the emperor.”

”Enter first and await the emperor?” Do you expect me to bathe and then beg to be pushed down? No freaking way!

Xia Yuqing buried her face and wept silently. She was a respectable, modern woman who'd rather die than stand this humiliation! She’d planned to go down fighting, but this resolve was merely a paper tiger before authority. The result of resistance was to be delivered like pizza.

Forget it, nothing will come of worrying so much. Perhaps by the time I'm done was.h.i.+ng, this emperor fellow will have divorced me!

Xia Yuqing comforted herself. She took a deep breath and walked towards the red curtains.

”Hm?” Xia Yuqing's hand stopped about a foot away from the curtain. Was there a noise just now? Could it be that there be other concubines inside?