From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

Outside the Golden Palace, Yan Ruyu's steps were slightly hurried, her embroidered shoes making a soft tapping sound on the white marble steps, but to her the sound was as deafening as a drumbeat.

She unconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her palms slightly sweaty.

The palace's red walls and yellow tiles were particularly dazzling in the sunlight, adding to its majesty and sense of oppression.

She took a deep breath and tried to keep herself calm.

Behind her, the male protagonist's warm palm gently covered the back of her hand, silently transmitting strength.

His gaze was firm, as if to say: Don't be afraid, I'm here.

Upon entering the Golden Palace, a sandalwood fragrance wafts towards you, mixed with the unique aroma of ambergris, making it even more solemn and dignified.

The emperor sat high on the dragon throne, his face solemn, making it impossible for anyone to fathom his thoughts.

The Empress, dressed in a bright yellow phoenix robe, stood dignified beside the Emperor, her face showing a worried expression, as if she were the one who had been wronged.

Seeing Yan Ruyu enter, a barely perceptible cold smile appeared on her lips.

"Your subject, Yan Ruyu, greets Your Majesty." Yan Ruyu bowed respectfully, trying her best to suppress her inner unease.

Before the emperor could speak, the empress spoke first: "Your Majesty, I have something to report. This Miss Yan has no respect for your authority, she has been disrespectful to you, and she has spoken rudely to you. I cannot stand by and watch!" The empress was in tears, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Yan Ruyu suddenly looked up, her anger burning in her chest.

The Empress's ability to distort the truth is truly masterful!

She was about to retort when she saw the emperor frown, his gaze sweeping back and forth between her and the empress, and he said in a deep voice, "Empress, what do you mean by that?"

"Your Majesty, I heard it with my own ears..." The Empress embellished the story, twisting the facts and pinning all the blame on Yan Ruyu.

"You're talking nonsense!" Yan Ruyu could no longer hold back and rebuked.

"How dare you!" the Empress shouted sternly. "How dare you be so insolent before the Emperor!"

"Your subject..." Yan Ruyu wanted to explain, but the male protagonist Xu gently tugged at her sleeve.

He shook his head slightly, signaling her to calm down.

Yan Ruyu took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and looked directly at the Empress, saying each word clearly, "Your Majesty, do you have any evidence to prove that I have committed insubordination?"

The Empress sneered, "Evidence? I am the evidence!"

"Is that so?" Yan Ruyu's lips curled into a cold smile as she slowly pulled a bright yellow imperial edict from her sleeve. "Then, what is this imperial edict?"

The moment Yan Ruyu produced the imperial edict, the air in the entire Golden Palace seemed to freeze.

The bright yellow silk shimmered in the sunlight, like a golden ray that pierced through the Queen's carefully woven lie.

"This...this is..." The Empress's face turned deathly pale instantly, her lips trembled, but she could not utter a complete sentence.

She never expected that Yan Ruyu would receive such an imperial edict!

Yan Ruyu slowly unfurled the imperial edict, her clear voice ringing out in the silent hall: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: There is a daughter of the Yan family, intelligent and virtuous, who is hereby betrothed to the young master of the Xu family. So be it!"

The contents of the imperial edict struck everyone like a thunderclap.

The empress and the others were deathly pale, as if all the blood had been drained from them.

They never expected that Yan Ruyu was well-prepared and had figured out their conspiracy perfectly!

"This imperial edict was written by His Majesty himself, and it bears the imperial seal as proof. Your Majesty, do you have anything else to say?" Yan Ruyu's gaze was icy as she stared directly at the Empress, her tone laced with sarcasm.

The Empress opened her mouth, but could not say anything.

She originally thought she could easily trample Yan Ruyu under her feet, but she never expected that she would end up shooting herself in the foot.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent!" Consort Li immediately knelt down and cried when she saw that things were not going well. "I only believed the Empress's words and knew nothing about it!"

"Shut up!" the emperor roared, his face contorted with rage. "How dare you all deceive me like this! Guards, throw the Empress and Consort Li into the Cold Palace!"

"Your Majesty, spare our lives!" the Empress and Consort Li cried out, but no one paid them any attention.

Just then, the male protagonist Xu stepped forward. He looked at Yan Ruyu with deep affection and said firmly, "Your Majesty, I believe in Ruyu's character. She would never do anything to disobey her superiors. All of this is a conspiracy by the Empress and Consort Li!"

Yan Ruyu felt a warmth in her heart and looked at Xu, the male lead, with emotion.

Even at this moment, he still chose to believe in himself, which made her feel incredibly safe and happy.

The emperor looked at the two men, nodded, and said, "I also trust Ruyu's character. I will thoroughly investigate this matter and give Ruyu justice!"

Yan Ruyu bowed gratefully: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Just then, a minister stepped forward and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, I have something to report..."

This minister was an official aligned with the Empress. He spoke tremblingly, intending to plead for the Empress, but under Yan Ruyu's sharp gaze, he instantly stammered, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I believe that Your Majesty may have been momentarily confused..."

"A moment of confusion?" Yan Ruyu sneered, interrupting him. "A moment of confusion allows you to frame a loyal official? A moment of confusion allows you to distort the truth? My lord, the price you paid for this 'moment of confusion' is far too high!"

She pressed on relentlessly, and with each word she spoke, the minister's face paled further, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he trembled as if being sieved.

Yan Ruyu then threw out several more questions, each one hitting the nail on the head, leaving him completely unable to respond. He could only stammer and couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"Your Majesty, I have evidence to prove that Her Majesty the Empress colluded with Consort Li, Eunuch Zhang, and others to frame loyal officials and plot a rebellion!" Yan Ruyu said firmly as she presented a stack of evidence.

These pieces of evidence were secretly collected by her and the male protagonist Xu, and each one was enough to put the Empress and others to death.

The other ministers gasped in shock at the sight. They looked at the Empress, never expecting her to be so audacious as to dare to rebel!

The emperor, his face ashen with rage, stared at the evidence in his hand: "Guards! Seize the Empress, Consort Li, Eunuch Zhang, and the rest of them!"

At a command, the guards rushed forward and dragged the Empress and others away.

The cries of the Empress and Consort Li, along with Eunuch Zhang's pleas for mercy, mingled together and echoed throughout the hall, but no one paid any attention.

Yan Ruyu looked at their disheveled appearance without a trace of pity.

These people, driven by their own selfish desires, did not hesitate to frame loyal and virtuous officials, and now they have brought this fate upon themselves.

She slowly raised her head, her gaze firm and her expression solemn, like a triumphant female general receiving the admiration of the crowd.

In the harem, those concubines who had once mocked and humiliated Yan Ruyu were now silent with fear, all looking at her with trepidation.

Just then, a palace maid rushed over and whispered a few words in Yan Ruyu's ear.

Yan Ruyu's expression changed slightly.

“Mysterious island… shipwreck…” she murmured to herself, a strange premonition rising in her heart.

"It seems a new adventure is about to begin." A slight smile played on her lips, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Let's go." Yan Ruyu took Xu Nanzhu's hand, turned around and left, leaving only a mysterious silhouette.