“Miss, you’ve frightened your dear servant here. You should have just put on a show, why did you do it for real… Thankfully you’re still fine. If not, the duke and prince would have died of heartbreak.”

Lu Liangwei was laying in bed and could not help but lift her hands to touch the strangulation marks on her neck when she heard the cries from her maidservant.

Disbelief flashed through her gaze in that instant.

She realized that she had transmigrated into the world of a novel she had been reading a few days ago and took the form of the female supporting role that had the same name as her.

The story was about an apparently weak girl who emerged victorious in a battle between sisters. The female lead was Lu Yunshuang. She was the daughter born from the secondary wife but was a kind yet tenacious young lady who had assisted the male lead Long Chi up the throne as she became his queen.

On the contrary, her younger half-sister Lu Liangwei may be the duke’s legitimate daughter, but her character was indescribable. Like Lu Yunshuang, she was infatuated with Long Chi and did everything she could to win the heart of this man. Even after Long Chi and Lu Yunshuang got married, Lu Liangwei was not about to give up and was willing to lower her status and settle with becoming his concubine. When she was faced with objections from her family, she hanged herself on the day Lu Yunshuang was due to visit her maternal home after getting married…

Lu Liangwei’s mouth twitched. The heavens were playing a huge joke on her. She had merely scolded the female supporting role for her stupidity and now someone had transmigrated her as that character.

She was from the 21st century Cathay, a family with generations involved in Chinese traditional medicine practices. She was the Lu family’s heir and had been involved in traditional medicine ever since she was a young child. Not only was she great with her medical skills, but she was also gifted with great potential in the art of apothecary. She knew how to mix and match herbs, and knew how to create poisons. Lu Liangwei was a rare genius of the likes the Lu family have not seen in centuries.

A few days ago, she had just completed an experiment and decided to give herself a break. When she switched on her phone, she was greeted with an ad for a novel and inexplicably clicked on it.

Perhaps she was bored out of her wits or the author had a knack for writing, for she read the whole novel.

The price she had to pay? She transmigrated as the female supporting role.

‘That book was cursed. If I had known, I wouldn’t have read it.’

While she soaked in her remorse, a cynical voice was heard from outside her room door.

“Father is discussing with the Crown Prince for you to be married to him as his concubine. Are you satisfied now?”

When Lu Liangwei heard that tone of mockery, she could not help but turn her head in the direction of the voice. Unbeknown to her, a man with handsome features and a well-built frame was at her door. However, there was a coldness in his eyes that looked far from friendly.

“Greetings to you, Prince.” The maidservant Zhu Yu immediately bowed at the young man.

Lu Tingchen’s gaze was filled with undisguised annoyance. Lu Liangwei! Attempting suicide for a man? Bravo! What an embarrassment!”

Lu Tingchen promptly marched off after reprimanding Lu Liangwei.

Lu Liangwei frowned. ‘Did Lu Tingchen assume I was staging a suicide to coax our father to agree to let me marry the male lead as his concubine?”

Once again, she touched the strangle marks on her neck. It was a deep marking to prove that the real Lu Liangwei was dead.

If she was merely staging it, would she have risked her life?

When she saw the maidservant Zhu Yu intentionally avoiding her gaze, she understood that Lu Tingchen was not the only person who thought so. So the whole Duke Mansion was under the impression that she was faking it as well?

Lu Liangwei felt rather speechless with her current predicament.

She had to admit that the original Lu Liangwei was indeed stupid and useless.

How could she have killed herself because of some jerk!

She had a sudden thought and asked Zhu Yu, “Today is the day that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess return to visit the maternal home, isn’t it?”

“Indeed, miss. The duke is discussing your marriage with the Crown Prince right now…”

Before Zhu Yu could finish, the maid saw her young mistress jumping out of bed and rushing out the door.

When Lu Liangwei appeared in the front hall, everyone present in the hall looked surprised.

In no time, the surprise turned into disdain and displeasure.

Lu Liangwei had gone to extreme means to get married to the Crown Prince.

She had just hanged herself not too long ago, and now she could not even wait any longer and had to come to see the results for herself at the Front Hall.

How desperate!

Even Lu Hetian, who had often doted on her, felt the most embarrassed.

His heart was suddenly filled with anger when he noticed the disdain and annoyance that the Crown Prince did not bother to hide.

As the daughter of Lu Hetian, Lu Liangwei may not be as noble as a royal princess, but she was given a life of luxury, and she was the apple of his eye. If only she had searched for a proper husband, there would be plenty of suitors waiting to win her hand.

Unfortunately, this silly daughter of his only had eyes for the Crown Prince and was persistent in marrying him even if she had to settle on being part of his harem.

Despite his previous objections, his daughter’s suicide attempt filled him with deep fear. He feared that his foolish daughter would make a second attempt and lose her life for good this time.

He had to throw away his pride for the sake of his daughter and personally request a favor from the Crown Prince.

“Weiwei, why are you here instead of resting in your room?” Madam Zheng did her best to suppress her disdain and went to help Lu Liangwei up.

Lu Liangwei glanced at her and was aware that this woman was Lu Yunshuang’s mother, Aunt Zheng.

“Thank you, Aunt Zheng, for your care. But I’m in fine health.”

Madam Zheng was shocked as she stared at Lu Liangwei.

‘Since when did this little b*tch became so polite? Usually, she would have pushed me away.

‘I only came to help her up because Lu Hetian is present and I wanted to show him my kindness.’

“What a child. Why are you being so courteous with me? Well, it’s good that you’re fine.” Madam Zheng was so flabbergasted that her smile became unnatural.

Lu Liangwei spoke nothing more to her and turned to look at Lu Hetian.

“Father, what are you discussing with the Crown Prince?”

Before Lu Hetian could speak, Lu Yunshuang, who was sitting at one side, suddenly stood up and grasped Lu Liangwei’s hand, gently saying, “Lil Sis, father understands your feelings for the Crown Prince and is discussing with His Highness about taking you into the Eastern Palace harem.

Lu Liangwei took a good look at Lu Yunshuang.

As the main character of the novel, Lu Yunshuang was indeed an outstanding beauty with great poise, striking a pure figure for all to see.

‘Father is requesting for the Crown Prince to take me as his concubine yet Lu Yunshuang is not bothered by it?’

She scoffed inwardly and looked at Lu Hetian. With a calm voice, she asked, “Is that true, Father?”

Lu Hetian sighed to himself and nodded. “Hmm, I have that intention…”

Lu Liangwei interrupted him mid-sentence. “Father, I disagree. Please consider that your daughter was simply foolish for her past actions and forget about them from today onward.”

Lu Hetian thought that he had misheard her and stood up abruptly. “What are you saying?”

Lu Liangwei smiled. “I said, I don’t want to marry the Crown Prince as a concubine.”

Lu Hetian slumped back into his chair and said wearily, “The Crown Prince has taken your older sister as his Crown Princess. If you want to marry the Crown Prince, you’d have to be his concubine…”

When Lu Liangwei heard that, she knew that he had misunderstood her meaning and reiterated, ‘Father, you’ve misunderstood me. Even if the Crown Prince had not married, I wouldn’t want to marry him either.”

“Why?” Lu Hetian blurted.

Lu Hetian could see how much his daughter loved the Crown Prince. If it were not for that, she would not have done so many embarrassing things in the past.

“Father, one could lead a horse to the water but none could force it to drink.” Lu Liangwei said plainly.

Everyone in the hall looked at her with equal astonishment.

Which idiot was it who would not give up on marrying the Crown Prince despite knowing full well that he harbored no feelings for her?

Who was it who had even gone to the extent of hanging herself today only to force them to concede into agreeing to her marriage to the Crown Prince as a concubine? And now she was preaching that one could lead a horse to the water but none could force it to drink?

Everyone felt that this was a joke.

Lu Yunshuang’s lips curved in a mocking smile but she quickly suppressed it and patted Lu Liangwei’s hand. She solemnly asked, “Lil Sis, are you sure?”

Lu Liangwei turned to look at her. “Big Sis, did you not catch my meaning?”

Lu Yunshuang was taken aback. The young lady in front of her may look quite pale, but her eyes sparkled with a dazzling glow. Especially at the moment when she turned around, her gaze was sharp like never before.

Lu Yunshuang felt unexplainably uncomfortable when having that sharp gaze laid onto her.

In the past, despite Lu Liangwei being a beauty on her own, she seemed to lack a certain zest in her soul—like an empty porcelain doll. She could capture the attention of others at first glance but eventually her plainness drove off any interest.

The current Lu Liangwei gave a completely different aura.

She still looked the same, but she felt much more energetic as if she had gone through some earth-shifting changes.

Lu Liangwei was always an exquisite beauty. Now with the new vigor in her soul, she had become a much more mesmerizing woman.

Lu Yunshuang frowned and suppressed the discomfort brewing in her heart as her mouth spoke elegantly, “Although you’d only be a concubine which would not befit your status, it would still be a wonderful thing if both of us sisters could serve the Crown Prince as our husband together.”

‘Sisters serving this jerk of a Crown Prince together?’

Lu Liangwei suppressed the nausea that was threatening to burst out and waved her hand. “Big Sister, how generous of you that you would accept other women sharing your Crown Prince. You’re a model example for womenfolk out there with your gracious attitude. I’m very much in awe!”

Lu Yunshuang’s beautiful face twitched slightly.

She could detect the sarcasm in Lu Liangwei’s words.

Of course, she did not want to share the Crown Prince with anyone else. She had only said that to trigger Lu Liangwei.

Lu Liangwei seemed to have become a different person. She did not burst out in anger like she usually did by spewing profanities and angry words at Lu Yunshuang.

That pissed Lu Yunshuang off.

Lu Liangwei looked at Lu Hetian once again and made a wanfu (TN: Women often greeted people with folded hands moving about at the lower right side, called ‘wanfu’, literally ‘10000 wishes of happiness and good luck’). “Father, I still feel rather uncomfortable. I wish to be excused so I may return and rest if there are no other issues.”

Lu Hetian had gotten his thoughts sorted out and noticed that Lu Liangwei did look rather pale and immediately nodded his approval. “Okay, quickly return to your chambers and get more rest. Daddy will come to see you later.”

“Okay.” Lu Liangwei felt a wave of warmth in her heart.

Regardless of how many mistakes she had made in the past, or how much embarrassment she had caused the Duke Mansion to endure, Lu Hetian still loved his daughter very much.

With everything said and done, she turned to leave. Her eyes never gazed at Long Chi, not even once.

It was as if she did not know that person at all.

Long Chi looked at her back view as she left and frowned.

‘What is Lu Liangwei up to now?

‘Was she playing hard to get?’

A sense of disgust flashed through his eyes.

After Lu Liangwei exited the front hall, she went toward the back courtyards.

She had only walked a few steps when she bumped into Lu Tingchen.

He was resting under a tree, dressed in a green changfu (TN: A Chinese robe that is worn during the ancient Chinese era by all classes from the emperor down) without his armor, looking less intimidating and stern. His exquisite facial features looked more gentle and smooth as he stood there like an outstanding young man.

Lu Liangwei paused her steps and suddenly realized that her big brother was quite a sight for sore eyes.

Her eyes filled with admiration.

Lu Tingchen frowned. “Silly girl, what are you looking at?”

Lu Liangwei blinked and teased, “Since my big brother is so handsome, can’t I have a look?”

Lu Tingchen’s handsome face flushed a red hue as he gently said reproachfully, “Don’t you know your manners? How can a young maiden look at a man so freely?”

“Well, you’re not just any man, you’re my big brother,” Lu Liangwei said matter-of-factly.

Lu Tingchen was speechless.

He suppressed the discomfort and put on a fierce facade. “What you did today was due to your desire of being Long Chi’s concubine, isn’t it? Since Father has agreed, why did you change your mind? Or perhaps you have other tricks up your sleeves?”