Villainess Becomes Main Wife: I’m Faking It, Don’t Love Me Too Much

Jiang Chuji, a modern actress known for her refusal to submit to adversity, transmigrates into the body of a tragic female character in an ancient novel. The original Jiang Chuji was the legitimate daughter of Chancellor Jiang Bingrong, but her mother was framed for adultery and imprisoned, while she herself was sent to a temple at age five due to a fabricated belief that her fate brought misfortune. Upon returning to the Chancellor's Manor at fifteen, she was immediately framed for stealing a jade bracelet and confined to a dilapidated courtyard. In the original story, she was poisoned with a Western Region Gu Worm by Concubine Zhou, the mother of her rival half-sister Jiang Luowei, causing her to become obese and eventually die in humiliation at the palace.

Arriving just days before her confinement, Jiang Chuji discovers the Gu Worm in her food. Rather than succumbing to the poison, she uses her knowledge of traditional medicine and rigorous self-discipline to neutralize its effects. Over three months of isolation, she transforms her physique and appearance, shedding the original host's sallow complexion and timid demeanor. When the Gu Worm's influence wanes, her skin becomes flawless and her figure slender, revealing a breathtaking beauty that surpasses even Jiang Luowei's.

On the night of the Old Madam's birthday banquet, Jiang Chuji defies her confinement and climbs over the courtyard wall. She intends to retrieve a mythical medicinal grass from the manor's lake to cure the Old Madam's chronic cough, a gesture designed to win favor. During her escape, she accidentally witnesses a masked man, later identified as Mo Chixiao, the Duke of Shu and commander of the Imperial Guard, conducting a secret investigation within the Chancellor's study. Instead of exposing her, he shares a tacit understanding of silence with her. Jiang Chuji then jumps into the icy lake, feigning an accident to attract the attention of her elder brother, Jiang Yanchuan, who rescues her.

The rescue dramatically alters the family dynamics. Jiang Chuji's stunning appearance and apparent filial piety shock the Chancellor and Old Madam, shifting their perception of her from a disgrace to a valuable daughter. Concubine Zhou and Jiang Luowei, however, are terrified, realizing their plot to ruin her has failed. Jiang Yanchuan, initially resentful of his sister due to the theft accusation, begins to suspect she was framed after witnessing her vulnerability and sincerity during her recovery. He vows to investigate the incident, marking the first time a family member sides with her.

Jiang Chuji then executes a counter-strategy against Concubine Zhou. She manipulates her loyal maid Fuling into feeding false information to Concubine Zhou's interrogators, claiming the Gu Worm enhanced her beauty rather than causing obesity. Lured by the prospect of a miraculous beauty product, Concubine Zhou and Jiang Luowei purchase the worm back from the dealer, Hu San, for a thousand taels of silver, using funds stolen from Jiang Chuji's mother's dowry. Jiang Chuji subsequently ambushes and kills Hu San to retrieve the money and eliminate the witness, ensuring she remains the only one who knows the truth about the worm's true nature.

Her criminal act is witnessed by Mo Chixiao, who confronts her in the dark street. Recognizing his identity and the dangerous power he wields, Jiang Chuji does not flee but instead engages him in a calculated dialogue. She asserts that he finds her interesting and that she possesses information useful to his secret search for his missing mother, the former Princess Huining. This bold gamble establishes a precarious alliance between the disgraced noble daughter and the feared imperial duke, setting the stage for her rise from a confined outcast to a key player in the capital's political landscape.