(Transmigrates into a book, scheming heroine, power struggles, comedy, palace intrigue, romance comes much later)
The Xiao family is an ancient aristocratic clan with immense power. And the reason for its downfall? Lord Xiao cuckolded the late emperor right in front of the current emperor!
The whole family should have been executed, but the newly enthroned, slightly unhinged emperor humiliates the Xiao family by making them slaves. He keeps them in the palace to empty chamber pots and clean up after people, setting them up as a warning to all!
The original Xiao Xiao, a cannon-fodder character, was Xiao Ningyu, the arrogant legitimate daughter of the Xiao family. Sent to the hardest, most exhausting work in the Bureau of Palace Service, she was drowned by a group of young ladies and palace maids she had bullied in the past.
In her next life, she'll learn how to be a servant, latch onto another transmigrator, the beloved heroine, master palace intrigue, and rise to the top!
“Did the Great Western Kingdom send you here on a mission?”
Mi Xiu's eyes lit up. “They hope I'll conceive an imperial heir, help the emperor govern, and make sure our child becomes the crown prince.”
“But I don't know if I'll live long enough to see that happen.”
Xiao Xiao looked at her innocent, radiant face.
“Don't you want to compete for the emperor's favor?”
“But if I don't, how am I supposed to survive?”
“Then don't compete for his favor. Compete for power.”
Gu Xiaoyin gazed at the fire in her eyes. “I've killed you three times and saved you three times. Doesn't that make us even?”
“You men solve problems in such simple, brutal ways, yet expect us women to be merciful and forgive everyone who has ever hurt us. But, Gu Xiaoyin, you may be stronger than me now, but I'll grow stronger.”
Gu Xiaoyin said gently, “You said I clipped your wings and treated you like a bird in a cage. Then let me help you grow your own wings. How about it?”
It's exciting, some interactive dialogues, quite fun.