[Political intrigue + feel-good power fantasy + face-slapping + transmigrate into a book + decisive ruthlessness + smart characters + both leads are each other's first]
The day Zhou Nian'an transmigrated into the body of the Grand Princess, the System told her she would hold power over the court and could pick from three thousand male consorts. Zhou Nian'an burst out laughing.
It was all fake. She couldn't approve memorials or mobilize troops, and the three thousand male consorts were still marked as not yet available.
All she got was a body everyone despised and a stingy System.
And a book the System only told her about later: she was the story's biggest villain, destined to kill the young emperor, imprison the Empress Dowager, slaughter innocents, and finally be killed by the male lead and fed to dogs.
The man who would kill her was sitting right across from her, reviewing memorials.
Shen Yanzhi, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, had no idea she could curse him as a scoundrel in her thoughts.
She charged into danger, searched secret passageways, captured Prince Rui, and faced down the wily old foxes at court.
Behind the scenes, he interrogated prisoners for her, passed her information, and built up her connections. The young emperor's position was secured, and every hidden threat was rooted out.
She thought victory was in her grasp.
Then the System popped up a message: “The real heroine of the original story is about to appear.”
“Appear in front of whom?”
“Shen Yanzhi.”
She nearly choked. “System, are you trying to get me killed faster?”
That day, he finally spoke. “Your Highness, I've been able to hear your thoughts from the very beginning.”
The teacup in Zhou Nian'an's hand froze in midair. “Since when?”
“Since the day you squatted in the courtyard cursing me.”
He'd heard every insult she'd hurled at him over the years.
She shouted at the air, “System, I want to switch books!”
A line appeared in the air: “Insufficient funds. Please adapt on your own.”
It's well written, very different from other system articles, and it gives you more room for communication and manipulation.