Sell Me to the Brothel, Why Are You Crying After Cutting Ties?

Li Jinu, formerly known as the Jade Faced Rakshasa and ranked second among the Empire's Shadow Guards, is reborn on the night her reputation is destined to be destroyed. In her previous life, she was raised by the cruel Butcher Li and his wife Nian Cuilan in a rural village. On the eve of her recognition as the true daughter of the Zhennan Marquis Estate, her adoptive father attempted to violate her, and her adoptive mother orchestrated the event to ensure her ruin. After entering the Marquis Estate, she was framed by Ye Jintang, the woman who had stolen her identity, and subjected to relentless humiliation, eventually leading to her death by poisoned wine at the hands of her beloved. Reborn with her memories and martial skills intact, Li Jinu resolves to rewrite her fate and exact revenge on those who wronged her.

The story begins with Li Jinu facing Butcher Li in the wood room. Instead of succumbing to his assault as she did in her past life, she uses her assassin skills to kill him with a wooden hairpin. She then lures and kills the village bully, framing the scene to implicate her adoptive mother, Nian Cuilan. When Nian Cuilan arrives with villagers to catch Li Jinu in a compromising position, Li Jinu turns the tables, revealing evidence of Nian Cuilan's adultery with Butcher Li. The village mob, enraged by the betrayal and murder, sentences Nian Cuilan to be burned at the stake. Li Jinu watches coldly as her second target dies, vowing to destroy Ye Jintang and the rest of her enemies next.

As the Marquis Estate's representatives arrive to take Li Jinu to the capital, Mother Rong, Ye Jintang's loyal servant, attempts to intimidate and harm her. Li Jinu retaliates, slapping Mother Rong and driving a needle into her shoulder. Mother Rong, humiliated and vengeful, lures Li Jinu to a lake with the intent to drown her. In the water, Li Jinu kills Mother Rong and her son, who had come to assist in the murder, making it appear as though they attempted to kill her in self-defense. She also kills Cuiliu, Ye Jintang's chief maid, during a staged bandit attack, using the chaos to eliminate her pursuers while maintaining the facade of a victim.

Ye Langting, the Grand Imperial Grandson who had saved Li Jinu in her previous life, intervenes during the bandit attack. Recognizing her potential and intrigued by her actions, he allows her to report the murders to the local authorities. Li Jinu strategically exposes the Marquis Estate's servants for attempted murder, forcing her biological father, Marquis Ye Siyuan, to confront the scandal. Ye Siyuan, concerned with his family's reputation and political standing, arrives at the county office. Li Jinu manipulates him by mentioning a nun from Phoenix Cry Mountain, a connection to the Empress Dowager, which secures her position and forces the Marquis to protect her rather than discard her.

Back in the capital, Li Jinu learns that Ye Jintang is preparing a death note to frame herself as a victim of her birth mother's wickedness, aiming to maintain her status as the Marquis's beloved daughter. Li Jinu infiltrates the estate to intercept this plan. Meanwhile, Ye Jintang and her brother Ye Zeyu plot to dismiss Li Jinu as a mere country cousin to preserve the family's face. The narrative sets the stage for a fierce internal struggle within the Marquis Estate, as Li Jinu, armed with her past-life knowledge and combat prowess, moves to dismantle Ye Jintang's schemes and reclaim her rightful place as the legitimate heiress.