From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

Xiao Shunzi's words were like a thunderclap in Yan Ruyu's ears.

died?

Who died?

She turned around abruptly, grabbed Xiao Shunzi with such force that she almost crushed his bones.

"Explain yourself! What exactly happened?!"

Xiao Shunzi's face turned deathly pale, and he stammered, "Reporting...Reporting to Your Highness, this morning...we discovered...several officials...suddenly dead...in...the manor..."

Sudden death?

Yan Ruyu's heart tightened, and a chill ran from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

Isn't this too coincidental?

She had just exposed the crimes of those old ministers when someone suddenly died.

No matter how you look at it, it reeks of a conspiracy.

"Who are they?" Yan Ruyu's voice was as cold as ice, and her eyes were as sharp as knives.

Xiao Shunzi tremblingly recited several names, all of whom were important ministers in the court, and none of them had anything to do with the corruption case she had exposed yesterday.

An ominous premonition enveloped Yan Ruyu; she felt as if she had been drawn into an even larger vortex.

Inside the palace, the atmosphere suddenly changed; the undercurrents had turned into a raging storm.

Everyone was on edge, fearing they would be next.

The officials walked with their heads down, their steps hurried, and they dared not make eye contact with anyone, as if the air itself was filled with the scent of death.

Yan Ruyu returned to her room and immediately contacted the system: "System, can you find out the cause of these people's deaths?"

"Ding! The host has triggered a hidden mission: Uncover the truth. Mission reward: One advanced skill exchange voucher."

The mechanical sound of the system, however, was surprisingly reassuring at that moment.

Yan Ruyu took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

Meanwhile, in a secluded underground chamber, several dark figures sat around a table, their sinister faces illuminated by the dim candlelight.

"Is everything arranged?" the leading figure in black asked in a hoarse voice.

"Reporting to my lord, everything is in order. Those people have all..." Another shadowy figure made a throat-slitting gesture.

“Very good.” The leader of the shadowy figures laughed sinisterly. “When the court is thrown into chaos, it will be our turn…”

The scene shifts, and a video appears on Yan Ruyu's system interface: it's the scene of several dark figures plotting in the secret room just now.

"So it was them!" Yan Ruyu clenched her fists tightly, her eyes burning with rage.

Meanwhile, palace officials were gathered together, discussing the matter animatedly, and a sense of panic was spreading.

They turned their gaze to Yan Ruyu.

Yan Ruyu looked up at the sky, where dark clouds covered the sky and lightning flashed and thunder roared.

She knew that a bigger storm was coming.

"Xiao Shunzi, prepare the horse!" The images provided by the system gave Yan Ruyu a crucial clue—in the secret room, a unique golden python pattern was visible on the cuff of a person's sleeve.

This pattern is only worn by General Zhao's personal guards in the entire capital!

Upon arriving at the General's Mansion, Yan Ruyu went straight in, flashed her token, and headed directly for the personal guard camp.

A tense atmosphere filled the air; the guards all looked flustered and avoided eye contact.

Yan Ruyu's lips curled into a cold smile, like a cunning fox.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she said, her voice clear yet carrying an undeniable authority, glancing around the room, "whoever has a gold python pattern embroidered on their cuff, step forward!"

After a brief silence, several guards, their faces pale, pushed and shoved each other. Finally, a burly man stepped forward, trembling.

"Very good." - Yan Ruyu

The secret hideout is located in an abandoned temple on the outskirts of the city, a place that is both eerie and terrifying.

Yan Ruyu was not afraid and led her men into the room.

After a thorough search, they finally found crucial evidence of their collusion in a hidden compartment—a secret letter detailing their plans and evidence of their collusion with foreign enemies.

Holding the secret letter, Yan Ruyu felt a great weight lifted from her heart, and a victorious smile appeared on her lips.

At this moment, she could almost hear the wails of the remaining treacherous officials and foreign enemies; their expressions must have been worse than if they had swallowed flies!

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, and a familiar figure appeared in front of Yan Ruyu.

It's the male lead, Xu!

He was dressed in plain clothes, his expression resolute, his gaze fixed intently on Yan Ruyu.

"Ruyu!" He dismounted and strode to her. "I'm here to help you!"

Yan Ruyu felt a warmth in her heart, a mixture of surprise and emotion.

She looked at him, her eyes slightly moist, but smiled and said, "Why are you here? Aren't you afraid of your family..."

The male protagonist pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, whispering in her ear, "For you, I can give up everything."

The scene of the two embracing, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, looked especially heartwarming.

"Ahem," Xiao Shunzi coughed untimely, "Your Highness, shouldn't we return to the palace?"

Yan Ruyu left Xu's embrace, took a deep breath, and looked resolutely toward the direction of the palace.

"go!"

At that moment, the system's voice rang in her mind: "Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the hidden quest and obtaining one advanced skill exchange voucher. Would you like to exchange it immediately?"

Yan Ruyu smiled and said, "Keep it for now; it might come in handy later."

She mounted her horse and rode alongside the male protagonist, galloping towards the palace...

“Wait,” Yan Ruyu suddenly pulled on the reins and turned to look at Xu, the male lead, “Don’t you think…”

In the Golden Palace, the Emperor was furious and slammed the secret letter presented by Yan Ruyu at the feet of Prime Minister Wei.

"You audacious traitor! How dare you collude with foreign enemies and plot a rebellion!" His majestic voice resounded throughout the hall, each word like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of everyone present.

Prime Minister Wei's face turned ashen, his whole body trembled, and he was no longer able to offer any further explanation.

Consort Li collapsed to the ground, her beautiful face pale, all her former allure gone.

The guards dragged away the remaining forces of the treacherous officials, who cried out and begged for mercy, but no one paid them any attention.

The once arrogant and powerful are now like stray dogs, utterly pathetic.

Yan Ruyu stood in the center of the hall, receiving the admiring gazes of everyone.

She held her head high, her expression calm, as if everything was under her control.

The emperor was overjoyed and immediately conferred upon Yan Ruyu the title of "Protector of the Nation Princess," granting her the special power to freely enter and leave the palace and participate in court affairs. As a result, the Yan family rose in status and gained unparalleled glory.

The other concubines and ministers were green with envy, but they could only dare to be angry and dare not speak out.

The turmoil in the palace has finally subsided, but a new adventure is about to begin.

Yan Ruyu and Xu, the male protagonist, stood on the beach, gazing at the surging sea in the distance. Their eyes held both anticipation for the unknown and a hint of worry.

The sea breeze blew against their clothes, and the waves crashed against the rocks, making a loud noise.

At the dock, the ships were ready and set sail.

"Are you ready?" The male protagonist, Xu, grasped Yan Ruyu's hand, his gaze resolute.

"Of course." Yan Ruyu grasped his hand in return, a confident smile playing on her lips.

They boarded the ship, and with a horn call, the vessel slowly sailed away from the harbor and headed towards the vast sea.

However, shortly after the ship entered the open sea, Yan Ruyu suddenly felt the ship shake violently...

"What happened?" she exclaimed.