After entering the abusive novel, I became the empress - chapter 1

In the quiet room, a dim candle flickered, its glow casting wavering shadows. White gauze curtains swayed gently by the bedside.

A frail young woman curled up on the wooden bed slowly opened her dazed eyes.
“I… didn’t die?”

【Greetings, Host Qin Yuqing. Congratulations on successfully binding with the Empress System.】

A cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang in Qin Yuqing’s mind. She frowned slightly and asked back, “Who are you? Why are you in my head?”

“What do you mean by Empress System?”

【This is the novel world The Empress. Due to mass complaints from readers about its collapsing plot and the heroine’s ruined image, the host is now required to rewrite the original storyline. To return to the real world, you must complete the system’s missions with the ultimate goal of ascending to the throne.】

Before Qin Yuqing could refuse, a surge of information crashed into her mind — the entirety of the novel’s plot, vast and chaotic.

The searing pain nearly made her faint. She forced herself to breathe evenly, slowly sorting through the memories.

Unexpectedly, she realized she had once heard the beginning of this very story.

Back when she attended an award ceremony as the young and promising director of her company, she had listened to the audiobook on the way. She vaguely remembered it was a “powerful heroine” novel — coincidentally, with a heroine named the same as her.

But after combing through the details, Qin Yuqing frowned in confusion.

The plot, at first about a strong heroine, had devolved mid-way into a mess — twisted into an endless abuse story. The female lead degenerated into a puppet clinging to men, stripped of all independence.

“Basically forced labor,” Qin Yuqing muttered, propping herself up on one arm. The rickety bed creaked beneath her. Before she could even take in her surroundings, the door was suddenly kicked open. A coarse voice overlapped with the system’s announcement.

“By order, this servant is here to search. We beg the Sixth Princess’s pardon.”

【Main Quest 1 released: Survive.】
【Special Note: Modifying the plot and ascending the throne are mandatory tasks. There is no strict time limit.】

Qin Yuqing turned her head toward the voice. An old maid entered, wearing a hairpin with green kingfisher feathers. Behind her stood a girl in pink robes and jeweled hair ornaments, her face twisted with disgust as she looked inside.

“The second female lead, Qin Qinqin.” Qin Yuqing instantly matched her attire with the character from the novel. According to the plot, this was the scene where the heroine was framed — a straw doll carved with Qin Qinqin’s birth date and characters would be “discovered” in her room.

This dynasty believed deeply in gods and omens. A National Diviner’s Tower stood above even the royal family, filled with Taoist priests whose words outweighed the emperor’s.

“Wait.” Qin Yuqing leaned lazily against the wall. Though born a princess, her bed was nothing more than a wooden board propped against it. “Who taught you lot such manners?”

The palace maids rummaging through the room paused briefly, but at the old maid’s disdainful glance, they lowered their heads and continued searching.

“Did I give you permission to search?” Qin Yuqing’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly to everyone present. She turned her gaze on Qin Qinqin standing smugly at the doorway and smiled faintly.

“Fourth Sister, I know these servants are from your palace, and it doesn’t matter if they disrespect me. But if they dare treat me like this, who’s to say they won’t treat you the same one day?”

“You’re insinuating things—but you do have a point.” Qin Qinqin stepped inside, scanning the shabby room with contempt.

“We’re both royal bl00d. If they dare disrespect me, it’s the same as disrespecting you.”

The maids froze, and even the old maid hurriedly dropped to her knees, bowing low. “We were wrong, please punish us, Princess!”

They weren’t fools — some words only needed to be said once to make their meaning clear.

“Little Sister, I don’t like your tone,” Qin Qinqin said coolly. After glancing at the kneeling servants, she added, “Very well, then. I’ll dock Madam Chen’s wages for two months. Will that satisfy you, Sixth Sister?”

Though phrased as a question, her tone left no room for refusal.

Qin Yuqing only smiled. She already knew from the novel what was about to happen. The straw doll was hidden in the rafters, dangling directly above Qin Qinqin’s head. Its grotesque painted smile seemed to stare at Qin Yuqing. Strips of paper were pasted to its body, though she couldn’t see the writing clearly.

“Still, I heard there’s something unclean in the Sixth Princess’s chambers,” Qin Qinqin sneered, her eyes flashing with disgust.

“You know well that such things are most taboo in our dynasty. Even if you hate me, Sister, you shouldn’t stoop to such vicious tricks.”

In the original story, the heroine was saved only because the male lead intervened — leaving her indebted to him, setting the stage for endless abuse later.

But Qin Yuqing was no longer that heroine. She’d rely on herself, not a man.

“Sister, accusations need evidence, don’t they?” Qin Yuqing slipped a prayer bead bracelet from beneath her pillow into her sleeve. Forcing her frail body upright, she braced against the wall and stood.

She wore only a thin white robe. A draft swept through the window, making her figure look even thinner.

At that moment, a eunuch’s shrill announcement came from outside: the Empress was entering.

Right on cue, the straw doll’s rope snapped. It dropped to the floor in front of the Empress, its scarlet smile staring eerily at everyone. A sudden gust of wind blew it straight toward Qin Qinqin.

“Ah! A ghost!” The chamber erupted in screams — except from Qin Yuqing and the Empress.

Qin Yuqing knelt swiftly, eyes lowered. Though some details had changed, the key event — the doll falling before the Empress — had not.

The Empress’s face darkened, about to speak. But Qin Yuqing cut in first.
“What’s all this noise? Take that filthy thing away before you shorten your lives.”

Then she kowtowed, her words steady and sincere. “Mother, you have taught me always to admit my faults. I confess I’ve envied Fourth Sister. But this was not my doing.”

A eunuch brought two chairs into the courtyard. The Empress sat, waved her hand, and two Taoist priests in robes stepped forward. After chanting, they picked up the doll and presented it for inspection.

Qin Qinqin, tears brimming, clung to the Empress’s side. “Mother, you see? The doll was found right by her side!”

Qin Yuqing said nothing, rapidly recalling the novel’s description of this event. Strangely, the text had never revealed who planted the doll — instead wasting paragraphs praising the male lead’s brilliance in “rescuing” the heroine.

Useless filler.

Which meant she couldn’t rely on the original story to find the real culprit.

“Sixth Princess Qin Yuqing, what do you have to say?” The Empress gave her a cold, assessing look.

What could she say?

Qin Yuqing sneered inwardly. This too reeked of the male lead’s handiwork — a man who pursued Qin Qinqin while stringing along the heroine, stirring discord between them.

“Mother, I admit I’ve been jealous of my sister’s talents, but I would never stoop to such filthy means. Someone is framing me. If that doll was placed here, then it could only have been by my own maidservant.”

She wasn’t bluffing — it bought her time, and she genuinely wanted to see who the culprit was.

Sure enough, one maid fell to her knees, trembling. “Your Majesty, the Sixth Princess forced me! She gave me the birth date and characters herself!”

Qin Yuqing glanced at the sturdy maid. With her own frail frame, how could she possibly “force” anyone? The excuse was laughable.

“Mother, though the matter is grave, this is still my servant. Please allow me to interrogate her personally.”

The Empress nodded, curiosity flickering in her eyes. As the victor of the last palace struggle, she could see through petty tricks — but evidence was evidence.

Qin Yuqing stood, clutching her chest, steadying herself on the wall. Her voice was weak yet carried authority.
“Who are you? Why have I never seen you before?”

“The servant is Chun Tao, Your Highness’s personal maid.”

“You lie!” A clear young voice cut in. A girl darted inside, kneeling. “Your Majesty, Fourth Princess, Sixth Princess — I am the true Chun Tao, the Sixth Princess’s maid! She is an impostor who arrived not long ago with the same name.”

She kowtowed deeply. “Punish me, Your Majesty. The Princess was unwell, and I was in the kitchens preparing her medicine, leaving her side unattended.”

Qin Yuqing blinked, momentarily stunned. But she soon recalled this girl from the novel — loyal to the end, only to die brutally for aiding the heroine later.

The Empress suddenly called out the heroine’s childhood nickname. “Ah Ruan, is this true?”

Qin Yuqing nearly missed her cue but quickly nodded. “It is true, Mother.”

With the Empress’s permission, the real Chun Tao helped steady Qin Yuqing.

Qin Yuqing turned her sharp gaze on the impostor. “Tell me, when did I ever acknowledge you as my maid? Why were you not by my side? Look at that table — even the tea has gathered dust. How were you ‘serving’ me?”

The fake Chun Tao panicked, showing scald scars on her hand. “Your Majesty, the Sixth Princess abused me! She poured boiling tea on me. This doll—she ordered me to make it, and she told me the birth characters herself!”

Qin Yuqing’s lips curved in a cold smile. “Even if I were truly that vicious, why would I entrust you with such a dangerous secret? What if you turned against me and accused me, as you are doing now? Isn’t that exactly what’s happening?”

The impostor faltered, then gritted her teeth. “It was six nights ago! The Princess summoned me secretly and gave me the characters then. I dared not question her orders.”

“You’re lying! That night the Princess clearly—” The real Chun Tao tried to defend her, but Qin Yuqing gently tapped her hand, signaling her to stay calm.

“The records will show, Mother. I was at the Temple of Good Faith, praying for three days straight.” Her eyes reddened as she pulled out the prayer beads that had slipped from her sleeve, clutching them with feigned grief.

“It was the death anniversary of Concubine Chen. You kindly allowed me to pray for her. I have always been a devout Buddhist, Mother — how could I defile myself with such vile sorcery?”

“An impostor who doesn’t even know this much dares call herself my maid? Who sent you here?”

The fake Chun Tao trembled violently. Realizing her cover was blown, she broke down and confessed.

Qin Yuqing exhaled in relief—only for Madam Chen to step forward with a sly smile. “Your Majesty, forgive me, but I have a doubt. Birth dates and characters are not so easily obtained. Even the mistresses of the palace must file official petitions to see them.”

Qin Yuqing’s heart skipped a beat. A seasoned fox, indeed.

But then her lips curled upward.

Perfect. Just what she wanted.