Chapter 1

Yan Yiming transmigrated into a game called “‘Power and Majesty’.”
The name ‘Power and Majesty’ sounded domineering, but in reality, it was a newly released large-scale historical romance game, commonly known as an otome game.
What is an otome game? The official explanation goes like this: a BG romance simulation game with a female protagonist and male characters as romanceable targets (number of romanceable males ≥ 2).
The explanation was refined and elegant, but the glaring “≥2” in parentheses instantly cloaked the game in a rather impure word.
NP.
So, to put it bluntly, this was a game designed to fulfill a woman’s fantasies about men in every aspect.
Players could step into the role of the female protagonist and engage in virtual romances with numerous exceptional handsome men. One wasn’t enough? Take two. Two weren’t enough? There was always a third. With a variety of handsome men at their disposal, players could date multiple gorgeous guys simultaneously and switch preferences whenever they pleased.
In this game, the female protagonist is an undisputed heartthrob, with all the male leads falling unconditionally and unwaveringly in love with her. Yes, unconditionally, no matter how foolish or difficult she acts, in the eyes of the male leads, she remains an irresistibly adorable sweetheart. They will inevitably abandon countless stunning beauties just to be with her.
Upon its release, the game quickly became the most popular on the market, thanks to its handsome character designs and captivating voice acting.
After immersing herself in the game for a month, Yan Yiming woke up one day to find herself transmigrated into it. However, she hadn’t become the beloved, life-winning female protagonist but rather the pitiful cannon-fodder side character destined to be ruthlessly cast aside by the male leads, a stepping stone on the female protagonist’s path to success.
Yan Yiming silently repeated the words “stepping stone” a few times before letting out a mocking laugh. Who would end up as the stepping stone was still anyone’s guess.
At that moment, Yan Yiming leaned gracefully against the railing of the lakeside pavilion. A gentle breeze brushed past, lifting a few strands of hair beside her ears, adding an extra touch of charm to her exquisitely beautiful face. She idly twirled a pearl the size of a longan fruit, its color clear and luminous, while half-listening to her maid, Lu Mei, chattering excitedly.
A few days earlier, her young mistress had invited the Crown Prince to admire the peach blossoms at Fuyu Mountain. The Crown Prince hadn’t refused at the time, but today, due to important matters with Lord Jian, he couldn’t make it. As an apology, he had specifically sent this southern pearl over.
“Young mistress, they say this is a southern pearl tribute from the South Sea. Its size and luster are far superior to ordinary pearls. For the Crown Prince to send this specifically, he must truly care about you!” Lu Mei held the box that had contained the pearl, her round face beaming with innocent delight.
Yan Yiming scoffed inwardly. She saw no trace of genuine care, let alone deep affection.
The Crown Prince, Nan Gongxuan, was one of the four male leads in Reign of Power. As one of the male leads, the only person who could capture his heart was the female protagonist, Jian Yu’er, certainly not her.
Among the four male leads in Reign of Power, each had a distinct personality. Without mentioning the others, this Crown Prince, Nan Gongxuan, was the most domineering and imposing. Born to the Empress, he was a favored son of heaven. Such a man would never force himself to do anything against his will, nor would he send a worthless pearl to placate a woman he didn’t care for out of guilt, especially not one who was utterly devoted to him.
Therefore, this pearl, ostensibly sent by the Crown Prince, couldn’t possibly be Nan Gongxuan’s idea. In fact, he probably hadn’t even wanted it sent at all. After all, in Yan Yiming’s memories, her character was completely infatuated with Nan Gongxuan, yet he couldn’t even be bothered to exchange a few words with her.
But the pearl had still arrived. That could only mean someone had made the decision on the Crown Prince’s behalf, or had persuaded him to do so.
Yan Yiming could guess at once who this person was.
It was none other than Young Master Jian Yuyan, who had “arranged to meet” the Crown Prince today to discuss important matters.
Jian Yuyan, another one of the four male leads in ‘Power and Majesty’, the eldest son of the Chancellor Jian, Nan Gongxuan's closest childhood friend, and the “biological brother” of the female lead, Jian Yu'er.
Why put “biological brother” in quotation marks? The reason was simple: since Jian Yuyan was one of the male leads, he must have some indescribable relationship with the female lead. Given the usual stance of the State Administration of Radio and Television, themes like incest between siblings would never be allowed. Therefore, this “biological brother” identity was definitely fake. Either Jian Yu'er or Jian Yuyan must have another identity, and it was certainly anything but ordinary.
Yan Yiming had only officially transmigrated into the game this morning. After learning more about her current identity, she realized it was no less impressive than that of Jian Yu'er, the daughter of the Chancellor Jian.
The Chenxia Dynasty had been established for just over fifty years. Back when the founding emperor pacified the realm, Yan Yiming's grandfather, the current Duke of Ding, was the emperor's most capable right-hand man, breaking through enemy lines and even saving the emperor’s life in the chaos of battle. For this reason, the founding emperor held the Yan family in exceptionally high regard.
As for Yan Yiming’s current identity, the legitimate granddaughter of the Duke of Ding, she had fallen in love with Nan Gongxuan at first sight as a child and vowed to marry no one else.
The most beautiful woman in the capital openly declaring she would marry no one but Nan Gongxuan, though he never explicitly acknowledged it, he never denied it either. Having such a high-status and stunning admirer didn’t displease Nan Gongxuan; in fact, the Yan family’s influence was a significant asset to him.
It wasn’t until he met Jian Yu'er that he turned his back on Yan Yiming.
Yan Yiming vaguely remembered this part of the plot. Back when she played the game as the female lead, she had no idea how tragic the fate of this beautiful cannon fodder character was. She hadn’t known that Nan Gongxuan had already made promises to Lady Yan, but now she understood the full story.
No wonder this young lady later became consumed by jealousy. In a fit of rage, she tried to slap Jian Yu'er, only to be harshly struck by Nan Gongxuan instead. Heartbroken, she spiraled into madness and embarked on the path of the villainess.
After piecing everything together, Yan Yiming realized that the excuse she’d been given today couldn’t have come from Nan Gongxuan, it was Jian Yuyan’s doing. After all, as one of the male leads, if Yan Yiming found out that Jian Yu'er was also present today, given her obsession with Nan Gongxuan, it would only fuel her resentment toward Jian Yu'er.
Poor Lady Yan, who had lost sleep for days in anticipation of today’s meeting, had no idea that the man she loved didn’t care for her in the slightest, his heart belonged entirely to Jian Yu'er. As for Jian Yuyan, he had orchestrated all this to protect Jian Yu'er.
Yan Yiming toyed with the priceless pearl that Lu Mei had mentioned, then, amid the gasps of Lu Mei and the other maids, sent it arcing through the air in a perfect parabola, where it landed in the lake.
Lu Mei cried out in alarm, leaning over the pavilion’s railing in panic. “Miss, you…this was sent by the Crown Prince himself!”
Yan Yiming lightly clapped her hands as if brushing off dust. “So what if it was sent by the Crown Prince? Are we lacking a few pearls in our household?” As she spoke, she glanced sideways and noticed a few maidservants in the distance with their mouths agape. She cast an amused look at Lu Mei, whose face was full of distress, and said, “If you like pearls, I’ll give you one of mine later.”
Lu Mei was momentarily stunned.
It was no secret how infatuated her young mistress was with the Crown Prince. Once, when the Crown Prince accidentally broke a thumb ring, the young mistress had carefully treasured the shattered pieces. Yet now, she had mercilessly thrown the South Sea pearls personally sent by the Crown Prince into the lake.
Moreover, Yan Yiming showed no trace of reluctance or any expression at all, as though what she had tossed in was not a precious jewel but an ordinary pebble.
Yan Yiming clearly remembered that in the game, Nan Gongxuan had gifted Jian Yu’er a whole jar of South Sea pearls, each with a faint golden shimmer, the unique color of the most precious Tahitian pearls, not something as common as these.
Seeing Lu Mei still dumbfounded, Yan Yiming chuckled and said, “If you really like these...” She drew out her words, pinched the young girl’s round cheek, and added, “then have someone fish them out for you to play with later.”
“Young Mistress!” Lu Mei exclaimed, unable to process what was happening and even wondering if her young mistress had gone mad. The others behind her were equally shocked. Fishing them out? How could such a large lake be searched? And how could a mere maidservant like her use such fine pearls, especially ones sent by the Crown Prince!
For a moment, no one could understand Yan Yiming’s actions, but as Yan Yiming stood up, Lu Mei obediently followed her toward the lake. “Young Mistress, where are we going now?”
“To Fuyu Mountain,” Yan Yiming replied with a faint smile.
To catch someone in the act.