"Miss! Miss, wake up!"
A voice echoed urgently in her ears.
Meng Wenyao stirred, her mind hazy. Someone kept calling her—anxious, pleading. Was the TV left on while she slept? She blinked open a slit of her eyes, adjusting slowly to the light, only to see a tear-streaked face hovering over her.
"Miss, thank the heavens you're awake!"
What…? Who was this woman?
This had to be a dream.
Relieved, Meng Wenyao closed her eyes again.
[Ding! System 0071 reporting for duty!]
A mechanical voice chimed crisply in her mind.
Meng Wenyao froze. What kind of strange dream was this?
[Host, you are not dreaming. You died in your sleep two minutes ago due to sudden cardiac arrest. However, a 'Childbearing Task' has become available. If you complete it successfully, you will be revived.]
Wait, what?!
Meng Wenyao's mind finally started turning. She… died? But she had just pulled three all-nighters to finish a major project and had only just laid down for a nap!
"What if I refuse this… childbearing task?" she asked, frowning. She had never even dated—why would she give birth to anyone's child?
[If you refuse, your soul will proceed to reincarnation.]
Unbelievable.
She had worked herself to the bone like a mule, finally saved some money, and now she was just supposed to die? She hadn't even had a chance to enjoy her life yet. At the very least, she should've been allowed to spend her money!
"…Tell me more about this task."
[Gladly! Host, all you need to do is bear a child for the target individual. In return, you'll receive rewards, including extended life. It's very simple! Our system shop also provides various tools to help you succeed with ease.]
That… sounded oddly manageable.
She didn't have any better options. Meng Wenyao really didn't want to die.
"Okay, show me the task details—and how you'll help me complete it."
[Of course! You'll be transported into the target's world, and your consciousness will merge with a local person's body. You'll also receive their memories. Your mission is to bear the target's child.]
[You've been granted 1,000 starter points to purchase helpful items in the system shop.]
In the next instant, a translucent screen appeared before her, displaying an interface not unlike an online store. Her account already held 1,000 points.
The items were exactly what one might expect for such a task:
Childbearing Pill – 50 points
Baby Girl Pill – 50 points
Multiple Births Pill – 100 points
Twins Pill – 100 points
Fake Pregnancy Pill – 50 points
Body Beautification Pill – 50 points
Skin Beautification Pill – 50 points
Postpartum Recovery Pill – 50 points
Immunity to All Poisons Pill – 50 points
Everlasting Safety Pill – 50 points
…
The shop offered every kind of pill related to fertility, recovery, beauty, and survival. Meng Wenyao spent her points carefully, stocking up on anything that might help her get through this mission smoothly.
[With all these powerful tools in your inventory, are you feeling more confident now?]
Meng Wenyao smirked faintly. "You could say that."
"Now tell me—what's this world like?"
[In this world, the Emperor is thirty years old and still has no heir. Your target is the Emperor himself.]
[You will inhabit the body of Meng Wenyao, the legitimate daughter of the Great General's household. I will now transmit her full memories to you.]
A sharp pain struck her mind as a flood of memories surged in—vivid, detailed, agonizing.
In her past life, Meng Wenyao had been doted on by her powerful father and older brothers. But after her mother's death, her conniving stepmother schemed to marry her off as a concubine to the Empress's nephew, Wei Quan. She died tragically from the abuse.
When her father and brothers—stationed at the border—learned of her mysterious death, they rushed back to seek justice. But returning without imperial summons was considered treason. The Empress and her faction accused them of rebellion. Before they could even avenge her, they were imprisoned and executed.
Though it hadn't happened to this Meng Wenyao directly, just absorbing those memories made her blood boil. This time, she would make her enemies pay in blood.
Thankfully, she had returned before the tragedy began.
This time, she wouldn't end up a concubine to Wei Quan. With the system's help, her old nanny, Granny Hua, had arrived just in time to rescue her. This time, she would protect herself—and her family—with her own hands.
Meng Wenyao opened her eyes fully. "Granny, where are we going?"
Granny Hua, her loyal nanny since birth, wept with relief and stroked her hair.
"To Fahua Temple, Miss. Don't worry. Even if I must die, I'll protect you."
The carriage rocked violently as it sped through the mountain path. Meng Wenyao sat up in Granny Hua's arms, her memories still muddled.
"Why did we leave home?"
Granny Hua's expression turned fierce, her eyes burning with hatred.
"It was that vile Fourth Lady Liu. She drugged you while I was out. Thank heavens I returned in time—or she would've sent you straight into a den of wolves."
Lady Liu—Meng Wenyao's stepmother—was also her maternal aunt's illegitimate sister. After Meng Wenyao's mother passed away, her father married this younger sister from the Liu family, supposedly to care for the grieving child.
In the early years, Lady Liu had been polite. But something had changed over time. Even the servants noticed the eerie look in her eyes when she stared at Meng Wenyao.
Recalling her previous life, Meng Wenyao realized it was around this time that Lady Liu tried to have her drugged and smuggled into Wei Quan's estate as a concubine. He already had a wife, and as a concubine, her reputation and dignity would've been utterly destroyed. No wonder she had begged for death back then.
This time, none of that would happen.
With the system on her side, and Granny Hua's intervention, she had already escaped the trap.
Now it was time to make her enemies pay.
"Granny, why are we going to Fahua Temple?"
"The abbot there is an old friend of your father. Before he left for the border, the general said that if trouble arose, we could seek shelter there."
No!
Meng Wenyao's eyes widened.
She absolutely couldn't let her father return. In her past life, their unpermitted return had sealed their fate.
This time, she would solve everything before he came back. With her secret weapon—the ability to bear a royal heir—she would destroy the Empress, Lady Liu, and everyone else who had wronged her.
The only question now was: how to meet the Emperor?
Rumor had it that although he once favored Consort Wei, he'd had no children for years. The Empress Dowager had urged him to be more… generous with his affections. He had opened the palace to more consorts, even held two large beauty selections, and yet not a single pregnancy followed.
Eventually, the Emperor withdrew from the harem entirely. He stopped visiting anyone. In her previous life, he died without an heir, and the throne passed to his nephew, Prince An.
As the gates of Fahua Temple came into view, a cunning glint flickered in Meng Wenyao's eyes.
She just thought of a way to meet the Emperor—and tie her fate to his.
Let me know if you'd like this chapter to continue or if you want me to summarize or polish future chapters as well!