[Transmigrate into a book + mind reading + tyrant wins himself over + sweet, indulgent romance + chase-your-wife-to-the-crematorium]
Shen Qingli, an overworked office drone, opens her eyes to find she’s become the cannon-fodder stand-in for the White Moonlight Empress of the tyrant Xiao Jue, with a gruesome death in the Cold Palace already written into her fate. Shen Qingli: Thanks, but no thanks. I just want to lie flat, watch the drama, and stay alive.
Under the tyrant’s sinister gaze, she appears gentle and proper, while her inner commentary goes wild:
[Ugh, that death stare. How did the original put up with it?]
[How many people did the tyrant behead today? Oh, look, another villainous extra. Here’s your express ticket to the afterlife!]
Shen Qingli thinks her snark is perfectly hidden, unaware that Xiao Jue, seated on the Dragon Throne, hears every word!
At first, Xiao Jue is furious: This woman dares to speak ill of me? She’s asking for death!
Then Xiao Jue realizes:
The corrupt official she mocks is exposed for embezzlement the very next day.
The “loyal minister” she scorns is secretly conspiring with the enemy.
Even more outrageous, as he hears her endlessly call him “moody” and “destined to die alone,” Xiao Jue somehow gets hooked… and starts imagining things:
“She calls me cruel. Is she worried about all the blood on my hands?”
“She praised my figure… So she’s had her eye on me for a long time!”
And so the ministers watch in alarm as:
The tyrant’s hand stops mid-swing, and he starts listening to advice, especially when the Empress is present.
The Empress, who had languished in the Cold Palace for years, suddenly starts “running into” His Majesty every day.
The Consort’s carefully planned plots are casually thwarted by the Emperor, who gives the Empress a meaningful look and asks, “What do you think, my dear?”
Meanwhile, Shen Qingli, meek on the outside but with her inner commentary in full meltdown, is utterly baffled. Why is the tyrant looking at me like that?! Help, this isn’t how the story goes! I just want to quietly watch the drama, not become his target of conquest!
