Chapter One: Shouting in Your Ear, Your Wife Has Betrayed You

“Your wife cheated on you!”
These were the first words Shen Fuyu uttered upon meeting the sickly, handsome young emperor.
At that moment, Emperor Qin Zhiyi of Da Xun lay on his sickbed, barely conscious thanks to the imperial physicians’ needles.
“Pfft!”
A mouthful of blood spurted from Qin Zhiyi’s lips. He stared in disbelief, “Say that again…”
“You want me to repeat myself just because you asked? That would make me lose face, wouldn’t it?” Shen Fuyu arched her brow. “So much for being the emperor—just a little illness and you can’t even understand human speech?”
“Be—”
Qin Zhiyi couldn’t catch his breath, coughed up blood, and fainted once more.
“Guards! Seize the Virtuous Consort!”
What was supposed to be a joyous day to bring luck to the emperor was utterly ruined by Shen Fuyu’s sharp tongue. The Empress Dowager, enraged, ordered the guards to take Shen Fuyu away.
“What a Virtuous Consort! Such disrespect, worsening the emperor’s illness. Take her away, suppress her, and wait for the emperor to awaken before passing judgment!”
“I merely spoke the truth. If even that’s intolerable, how can you be emperor? If you don’t have the skills, don’t take on tasks above your ability, understood?” Shen Fuyu remained calm, showing no sign of repentance. “And you, Empress Dowager, all you do is put on a show. Instead of caring for the emperor, you spend your time lecturing a weak woman like me. Are you fit to be a mother?”
The Empress Dowager had never encountered such a rude, relentless woman. Her face darkened, her hand trembled as she pointed at Shen Fuyu. “Very well! You are utterly lawless! Guards, the Virtuous Consort has spoken outrageously and defied authority—cast her into the Cold Palace and sentence her to death!”
“I have freedom of speech! If you kill me, you’re just weak—covering up the truth by silencing me!”
The Empress Dowager almost lost her breath in anger, her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed, only saved by a maid’s steady support.
“Grand Master! Is this the woman you claimed would bring auspicious fortune to Da Xun?”
“Your Majesty, forgive me. The emperor is gravely ill; it is not wise to take a life. Forcing this may shorten his lifespan,” the Grand Master knelt. “Let me divine further and bring you a proper answer.”
While chaos reigned in the Golden Throne Hall, Shen Fuyu, clad in a rose-red bridal gown, was thrown into the Cold Palace. Awaiting her, most likely, were the trio of dagger, poisoned wine, and silk for suicide.
Shen Fuyu sat serenely, her exquisitely made-up face betraying no emotion at the prospect of imminent death. She simply sat on the chair, even yawning from drowsiness.
How many identities had she taken on so far?

Shen Fuyu rubbed her eyes and, holding her breath, entered a place like a peach blossom paradise—the space that had appeared since the day she transmigrated.
This space was her golden finger; anything she desired appeared within.
The only drawback was that it needed upgrading—only by leveling up could she obtain more.
And the way to upgrade was by being a contrarian.
Whenever she argued fiercely with others and harvested their rage, her space would grow.
Another special skill: whenever she died an unnatural death, the space forcibly retained her soul, compelling her to seek a new body. At first, Shen Fuyu thought she had gained immortality, but after a long while, she realized that living too long was truly tiresome. For someone as laid-back as her, there were no grand ambitions needing immortality. Now, all she wanted was to die for real.
Breaking the space’s hold required two conditions:
First, to live a normal life and die of old age; second, to max out the space’s level.
Ha.
Thus, Shen Fuyu had lost count of how many bodies she’d changed. Because she was always arguing, each body met a tragic end.
She couldn’t help it—her contrarian ways made everyone around her want to strangle her.
This time seemed no different. Shen Fuyu smiled; death was no longer frightening. She’d drunk countless poisons, and as an experienced poison tester, she knew all their effects—she could even recall which were sweeter or more bitter. Her only comfort was that she had provoked the emperor and empress dowager—the two apex figures of Da Xun. The rage she gained this time was immense!
Her space leveled up again!
Just a few more rounds of rage like this, and her endless cycle of death might finally end!
Too bad she was about to die.
“My son, you must be all right. If anything happens to you, what will your mother do…”
In the Golden Throne Hall, the Empress Dowager wept beside the dragon bed, her words full of sorrow, as if Qin Zhiyi were about to die.
“Mother… cough, cough…”
But Qin Zhiyi, who seemed on the verge of death, suddenly grew more flushed. During his faint, the imperial physicians had been busy, baffled and helpless, when Qin Zhiyi unexpectedly awakened on his own!
“My son…” The Empress Dowager, barely daring to believe it, gently touched him, then turned joyful. “Imperial Physician!”

The chief physician stepped forward to take his pulse, and soon reached two conclusions.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations, Your Highness. The emperor has recovered, though he remains weak and needs rest.”
“Furthermore, I believe the emperor was not afflicted by a strange illness, but poisoned. The poison was extremely cunning, mimicking disease in his pulse. The emperor’s rage and successive bouts of blood loss forced the poison out!”
A flash of surprise crossed the Empress Dowager’s eyes, replaced by joy. “Heaven bless us! My son’s fortune has turned for the better!”
“In that case, the Virtuous Consort actually cured me,” Qin Zhiyi murmured. “Where is she?”
“She spoke disrespectfully and I had her sent to the Cold Palace for execution.” The Empress Dowager’s face grew chilly. “Even if she saved you, it was mere accident. Her insolence is a grave offense.”
“Mother, I understand your concerns, but the court may not. The officials will only know she happened to save me, so I cannot take her life; in fact, I must treat her well.”
Seeing Qin Zhiyi’s resolve, the Empress Dowager ceased objecting. “Since you say so, bring her out.”
Thus, just as the poisoned wine touched her lips, Shen Fuyu was acquitted and released.
Ah… she didn’t die after all.
Something felt wrong. Shen Fuyu questioned the palace staff escorting her and learned the reason.
The emperor had been saved by her provocation.
She could only exclaim, “Well, I never!”
After all her years of transmigration, she’d enraged nearly a hundred people to death—but this was the first time she’d brought someone back to life!
Remarkable!
This meant her future survival depended on the Da Xun emperor’s harem.
Wonderful!