[Crossover fandoms + System + unhinged heroine + imperial harem + Empresses in the Palace + Zhu Yu + no saintly heroine + no lovesick heroine]
After modern criminal psychology expert Jiang Yunxiao is assassinated, she opens her eyes and finds herself in Empresses in the Palace as An Lingrong, a lowborn woman whose tragic life ends with her taking her own life by eating bitter almonds.
From the start, her father is useless, her stepmother wants her dead, her half-sister steals her dowry, and the palace selection is just around the corner.
While other transmigrators scramble to cozy up to powerful people and save their own skins, on her very first day she slaps her stepmother.
[Ding! The Yunxiao-brand Invincible System has been activated!]
[Host detected in the world of Empresses in the Palace. Main quest issued: Rewrite An Lingrong’s fate and turn her tragic ending around!]
System: “Host, I recommend keeping a low profile and proceeding gradually, ”
Jiang Yunxiao smiles as she snaps her stepmother’s hairpin in two. “I think dealing with the people who bully me first is more in keeping with my approach to wellness.”
System: “...”
After entering the palace
The Empress offers her an olive branch with a gracious smile, hoping to use her as a pawn.
She accepts to her face, then turns around and completely dismantles the Empress’s secret plans, three years in the making.
Consort Hua slaps her to put her in her place.
The next day, Consort Hua’s bedchamber mysteriously becomes “haunted,” and she suffers nightmares for three nights running.
(It’s not a ghost. It’s a classic criminal psychology technique: environmental suggestion combined with scent conditioning.)
Zhen Huan takes her hand. “Lingrong, you’ve changed so much lately. What happened?”
Jiang Yunxiao lowers her eyes and smiles, her voice gentle. “Don’t worry, Sister Huan. I’ve simply realized one thing: instead of kneeling and begging for pity, it’s better to stand tall and make others kneel.”
