Reborn as the Ambitious Concubine of a Prestigious Family

Lin Yanran, the youngest chemistry professor in Huaguo, transmigrates into a household-intrigue novel called The Second Wife's Rules, where she becomes the villainous concubine Lin, who shares her name. In the book, Concubine Lin is a nobleman's legitimate daughter who falls head over heels for the male lead, the Marquis of Zhenbei. His gravely ill first wife schemes to ruin her reputation, leaving her as the marquis's concubine. Unwilling to accept life as a concubine, Concubine Lin constantly competes with the female lead, the second wife of humble birth. She schemes endlessly, determined to reclaim her rightful place as the principal wife. In the end, she's sent away to a temple, where she dies a miserable death. When Lin Xiaoran arrives, the original owner has just been slapped by the Marquis of Zhenbei for snatching a phoenix hairpin that belonged to the principal wife. The marquis glares at her with disgust. "Once a concubine, forever beneath notice. I warn you: from now on, know your place and stop coveting what isn't yours! Ambitious women are detestable." With that, he throws down a book of household rules and orders her to copy it five hundred times before slamming the door behind him. After reading through all the rules about legitimate and illegitimate birth, wives and concubines, and the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, Lin Xiaoran tosses the book into the fire. She's stubborn to the core. She'd rather break than bend. The rules of this world have always been made by the powerful, and end up trampled by the powerful. #How is reclaiming what's rightfully yours being ambitious?# #Conquering the land and claiming the throne: that's what true ambition looks like.# * As the female lead of the book who transmigrated into it, Wang Shuniang initially believes that the difference between a principal wife and a concubine is as vast as heaven and earth. To live in peace, she mustn't fight, compete, or step out of line. Watching Concubine Lin, who has clearly also transmigrated, invent glass to make money, create cement to earn rewards, and even assemble a fleet to trade overseas, Wang Shuniang assumes it's all a farce. She watches coldly, waiting for Lin to bring about her own downfall. But Concubine Lin doesn't ruin herself. Instead, she founds a kingdom in Lingnan and becomes its ruler, forcing the imperial court to split the realm along the river and rule alongside her. Meanwhile, Wang Shuniang keeps to her place and manages her husband's household for years. At last, she wins his heart and thinks they'll be together forever, just the two of them. But not even two years later, she discovers that her husband is sleeping with a young and beautiful maid. Wang Shuniang finally sees the truth. No amount of affection or love can make you as free as your own strength can. She kicks the scumbag to the curb and resolutely heads for the southern kingdom. "I transmigrated too. Big sis, take me under your wing!" Theme: No amount of love and affection can make you as free as your own strength can.