I Transmigrated Into a Female-Oriented Novel Where the Female Lead Hates Me and the Villainess Torments Me - Chapter 10:

Chapter 10: Set Up and Useless

Princess’s Residence.

…

Lin Moran sat gloomily in her chair, holding a cup of tea.

Xiao Luocheng sat nearby and said softly, “It seems Her Highness isn’t satisfied with tonight’s performance.”

Lin Moran glanced at him and replied coldly, “Su Jinyan secretly kept something that belongs to me. I sent someone to give him a lesson tonight, but I didn’t expect Ye Qingyan’s meddlesome guard to ruin my plan.”

Xiao Luocheng said awkwardly, “That’s not the real reason you’re upset.”

“Oh? Then tell me, what is?”

Lin Moran stared coldly at him.

Xiao Luocheng said, “I’ve heard some rumors about the stolen Sky Crossbow blueprint from the Ministry of War. Feng Chu, the Right Assistant Minister, is your man. But the blueprint was found on him. If they investigate carefully, it will definitely lead back to you.”

“That’s all you see?”

Lin Moran frowned.

Xiao Luocheng shook his head, “You knew the blueprint exchange would happen at the Lichun Opera House, so you arranged an assassination there to target Su Jinyan. But Feng Chu showing up wasn’t part of your plan. The fact that the blueprint appeared on him was even more unexpected.”

“He’s clearly your man, but he acted outside your control, dragging you into the situation. On top of that, you killed the pale-faced scholar, which makes it seem like you were silencing him. That only makes you look more suspicious—you’ve been framed.”

Lin Moran looked at him in surprise. “You’re sharper than I thought. To be honest, I had nothing to do with that blueprint. I don’t even know why Feng Chu was there. Clearly, someone set me up tonight.”

That was what infuriated her the most—someone dared to scheme against her, as if they didn’t fear death.

Xiao Luocheng said quietly, “You were indeed set up. But the target wasn’t only you—Ye Prince’s Residence was also part of it.”

“Ye Prince’s Residence?” Lin Moran’s expression didn’t change at all.

Xiao Luocheng continued, “From what I’ve learned, today Feng Chu invited Left Assistant Minister Ye An to the Lichun Opera House for drinks and a show. That blueprint was supposed to be found on Ye An, but instead, it ended up on Feng Chu. Clearly, Feng Chu wasn’t entirely loyal to you—he was working for someone else without your knowledge. Unfortunately, he slipped up, and the blame ended up falling on you.”

“That makes sense. Go on.”

Lin Moran nodded slightly.

Xiao Luocheng continued, “That’s just the surface of the scheme. There’s another layer underneath.”

“Let’s hear it,” Lin Moran said as her eyes narrowed slightly.

Xiao Luocheng said, “If your people had succeeded in killing Su Jinyan, and the plot against Ye Prince’s Residence had gone through, then Su Jinyan’s death and the whole setup would have been pinned on you.”

“If your people failed to kill Su Jinyan and Ye Prince’s Residence wasn’t implicated, Feng Chu would still be exposed, and people would link the matter back to you. No matter the outcome, you’d still take the fall.”

In short, Lin Moran had indeed sent people to assassinate Su Jinyan, and Feng Chu was one of her men. When those two things were combined, how could people not suspect her?

After listening, Lin Moran’s expression didn’t change. She asked, “Then what do you think the person behind all this really wants? Just to frame me?”

Xiao Luocheng smiled faintly, “The court is a complicated battlefield. Playing both sides and reaping the benefits is common practice. Some people simply want you, Su Jinyan, and Ye Prince’s Residence to destroy each other.”

“Your analysis isn’t wrong. Then let me ask you another question.”

Lin Moran placed her cup on the table. There were four teacups on the table in total.

She explained, “Here are three cups. One represents the current Emperor, one the current Prime Minister, and one the neutral faction. Who do you think is scheming against me?”

“What does Her Highness think?” Xiao Luocheng asked in return.

Lin Moran said, “The current Emperor is my royal brother. We’ve never gotten along, but Su Jinyan is his trusted aide. Prime Minister Wei Chengxian holds great power and has a close relationship with the Duke of Northern Defense. I’ve cooperated with him on several matters. As for the neutral faction, there are many people—I won’t go into detail. Of the three, who do you think is most likely?”

The truth was, the court of the Great Qian Empire had countless factions, far more than just those three.

Xiao Luocheng smiled, “You don’t get along with your brother, so of course I’ll pick him.”

Lin Moran gave him a speechless look. “I practically gave you the answer—must you play dumb?”

“Then it must be the third group. Lots of people there, mixed backgrounds. There’s always someone who doesn’t like you.”

Xiao Luocheng picked up a teacup and poured himself a drink.

“Hehe!”

Lin Moran had no words.

After a brief pause, she asked, “So what should I do with Feng Chu?”

Xiao Luocheng said, “You paused for a second just now. That means Feng Chu is already dead, and it wasn’t your doing.”

“Xiao Luocheng, you’re getting a little too clever. You’re right—Feng Chu is already dead. The one behind this couldn’t let me interrogate him too much.”

Lin Moran stared at Xiao Luocheng.

…

Xiao Luocheng smiled.

Lin Moran took a sip of her tea and asked casually, “Now let’s talk about you and Ye Qingyan.”

Xiao Luocheng looked a little strange as he replied, “She kicked me out of the Ye Prince’s Residence. Then you snatched me into the Princess’s Residence.”

“Why did she kick you out and even try to kill you?” Lin Moran asked.

No wonder she had found it so easy to take Xiao Luocheng. Turns out he had already been cast aside.

No wonder he had been so calm when she struck him. He had probably already lost all hope after being abandoned by Ye Qingyan and was ready to die.

Xiao Luocheng said nonchalantly, “Prince Ye wanted her to marry me, but she had someone she liked. So she kicked me out and wanted to eliminate me. That way, she could live happily with the man she loved.”

“That’s not right! You and she were childhood sweethearts. Everyone in the Ye Prince’s Residence knew you two had feelings for each other.”

Lin Moran shook her head, convinced he was lying.

“Nothing wrong with it. Being childhood friends just creates the illusion of a perfect couple over time. But when people are that familiar with each other, how can they really fall in love? True love is about love at first sight, and deeper affection the second time you meet.”

Xiao Luocheng shrugged.

“Uh…”

Lin Moran thought about it for a moment and felt like it kind of made sense.

But something still felt off. She was sure there were secrets he wasn’t telling.

“So, I snatched a good-for-nothing waste?”

Lin Moran frowned.

She had taken Xiao Luocheng just to spite Ye Qingyan. But now Ye Qingyan didn’t even love him and had tried to kill him. Her entire plan had fallen apart.

“In a way… yes,” Xiao Luocheng nodded slightly.

“Then why should I keep you around?” Lin Moran’s gaze grew icy.