Wen Xiaotu was a twenty-five-year-old web novel author and programmer living in a bustling metropolis. Struggling with the high cost of urban life and burdened by the medical debts from her grandmother's recent death, she led a solitary life with no desire for marriage or children. Her existence changed abruptly when she was accidentally stabbed on a public street by a man targeting a woman he suspected of infidelity. As she lay dying, her consciousness transferred into the body of a young woman named Wen Rucha, who had just attempted suicide by drowning in the Taihan Pond of the imperial palace.
Wen Xiaotu awoke in the Xuan Dynasty, assuming the identity of a Cairen, a low-ranking imperial consort. She discovered that the original owner, Wen Rucha, came from a noble family but had been cruelly disfigured. A gift of rouge from her cousin, Fang Jieyu, had been laced with a poisonous plant, leaving Wen Rucha’s face scarred and ruined. Devastated by the loss of her beauty and abandoned by the Empress Dowager, the original host had taken her own life. Wen Xiaotu inherited not only this tragic body but also the lingering resentment and desire for revenge.
The palace environment was fraught with danger. Fang Jieyu, who posed as a loving cousin, was suspected by Wen Xiaotu of orchestrating the disfigurement to eliminate a rival. Meanwhile, Lin Xianfei, the highest-ranking consort, sought to manipulate Wen Xiaotu for her own political gain, hoping to use her womb to secure power. Wen Xiaotu, utilizing her modern knowledge and the unique Mustard Seed Space she had brought with her, began to navigate these treacherous waters. She maintained a facade of weakness while secretly investigating the truth behind the rouge incident.
The political landscape was further complicated by the return of Emperor Ming Zhao from a successful military campaign. The Emperor possessed a rare ability to read minds, which he found burdensome due to the constant noise of others' thoughts. However, he noticed that Wen Xiaotu’s mind was silent, unable to hear her inner thoughts. This anomaly piqued his interest and suspicion. Upon his return, the Emperor moved swiftly to address the harem disputes, stripping Consort He Lan of her rank and exiling her for her malicious actions, while casting doubt on Fang Jieyu’s innocence despite her noble connections.
As the Emperor prepared to deal with the remaining new consorts selected by the Empress Dowager without his consent, Wen Xiaotu found herself at the center of a power struggle. She had to balance the need to avenge the original host with the necessity of surviving in a court where alliances were fragile and betrayal was common. With the Emperor’s attention now fixed on her, and the true mastermind behind her disfigurement still at large, Wen Xiaotu faced an uncertain future in the imperial palace.
