What kind of terrible dialogue is this?
Lu Meng raised her hands to clutch her head, feeling as if her brain was throbbing.
If she ignored the plot last month, it would simply "overwhelm" her. But this time, even if the supporting male character didn’t overwhelm her, Lu Meng had no choice but to intervene.
He was a named character in this novel—Xiang Yunhe, a eunuch who had known the female lead since her humble beginnings, back when she was an unloved concubine bullied by the cruel matrons of the inner household.
During a palace banquet, the female lead accidentally witnessed him being beaten to death. True to her nature, she intervened to uphold justice!
Lu Meng had no idea where the female lead found so many "swords to draw"—perhaps she was already covered in the blades others had stabbed into her.
Regardless, she stepped in and stopped the execution. On the brink of death, Xiang Yunhe clung to her like a lifeline, refusing to let go.
A eunuch, covered in blood, embracing the female lead—naturally, the situation escalated. In the end, the female lead leveraged her status as Prince Jian'an’s concubine to save the young eunuch, though it earned her another black mark in the prince’s eyes—he accused her of seducing even a castrated servant.
The plot was as melodramatic as it could get.
And so, this eunuch climbed from the lowest rungs of society to the top, overcoming countless hardships to become a powerful palace official.
For the sake of that one act of kindness, he repaid her with unwavering loyalty until his death. After the male lead ascended the throne and the female lead entered the palace, Xiang Yunhe became her indispensable ally in the treacherous harem politics. Without him, she would have been torn apart by the other concubines.
In the end, Xiang Yunhe, battered and broken from years of devotion, died without ever confessing his love for her.
Before his death, he paved the way for her escape from the male lead, sacrificing his life for the freedom she had always longed for.
But here’s the twist.
Under the combined influence of the classic melodramatic tropes—"I love you, but you have no heart" and "I’ve grown accustomed to his body"—the female lead ultimately chose not to flee.
Lu Meng remembered this part vividly. She couldn’t help but think that Xiang Yunhe was perfect in every way—except for the obvious.
He was a ruthless, cunning figure, gentle only toward the female lead, yet too ashamed of his own "impurity" to ever touch her.
In short, he embodied the archetype of the devoted eunuch, hitting all the right notes for readers with a particular taste.
Lu Meng quickly reviewed the plot in her mind before her system chimed in: "The dialogue capture window is four hours."
Lu Meng: "...You promised ten days!"
System: "This is a matter of life and death. If you hesitate any longer, the supporting male character will really breathe his last."
Despite its grave words, the system’s tone was as leisurely as an old man taking a stroll. Lu Meng almost suspected the mechanical voice was fake—that behind the system’s facade lurked another old pervert.
This man had to be saved. Even if his future assistance wasn’t needed, Lu Meng knew he would die if left alone. In the original plot, even after being rescued by the female lead, he had been bedridden for three months, enduring humiliation and abuse from those around him.
It was those three months of suffering that forged him into the hardened man he became.
Lu Meng’s hesitation stretched beyond mere shock. Though she was far away, hidden by the flower bushes, her sharp eyes caught the sight of the young eunuch’s blood soaking through his blue robes, turning an eerie shade of purple in the sunlight.
Setting aside the plot, Lu Meng had never witnessed a live beating before. Her throat tightened, and despite the warm sunlight, cold sweat beaded on her skin in an instant.
Life was cheap in these ancient times.
Lu Meng understood this fact more clearly now than during her encounter with Yue Hui’s storyline.
Xin Ya also noticed the eunuch being beaten.
The men surrounding him wielded clubs, their shrill voices hissing curses: "You worthless scum, daring to steal from Consort Jia? Die and pray your next life opens your eyes better!"
Xin Ya tugged at Lu Meng’s sleeve and whispered, "Ahead is Consort Jia’s palace. This is an execution ordered by her. Lady Meng, we should leave quickly."
While Lu Meng was recalling the plot and listening to Xin Ya, the eunuch had already stopped moving. Meanwhile, Ao Bingxia, the noble daughter from the Ministry of Revenue whom Lu Meng had left behind, finally caught up.
Rubbing her reddened eyes from where her hairpin had struck her during the chase, Ao Bingxia glanced indifferently at the execution—such sights were nothing new to her.
Her cold gaze shifted to Lu Meng. "Why has the concubine stopped running?"
She sneered. "Petty little—"
Before she could finish, Lu Meng—who had been avoiding her—suddenly stepped forward, startling Ao Bingxia into stumbling back. But pride quickly made her straighten again.
Then, the concubine leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Prince Jian'an is well-endowed, and his skills in bed are exhilarating. He even cries when it’s too intense. But you? You’ll never be his woman."
Lu Meng pulled back just enough to shoot Ao Bingxia a taunting look.
Ao Bingxia’s face flushed crimson, as if she’d been slapped. She had never heard such vulgar—such shameless words!
Fury surged in her chest, and the mocking glint in Lu Meng’s eyes only fanned the flames.
Her already limited intellect short-circuited entirely.
As Lu Meng stepped back, Ao Bingxia lunged, grabbing for her hair ornaments.
Lu Meng feigned panic, crying out, "What are you doing?!"
Then, "fleeing in terror," she let Ao Bingxia chase her straight toward the dying Xiang Yunhe.
The distance wasn’t far. After a few steps, Lu Meng "tripped" and fell near the flowerbed, close to the eunuch.
The executioners had chosen this secluded spot, hidden by thick foliage, assuming no one would stumble upon them.
After all, today’s palace banquet had guests entering through the Huize Gate, and the maids had been instructed to lead them directly to the Fenglin Courtyard. Who would bother informing Consort Jia?
Besides, such executions were common in the palace. Even if someone heard the commotion, they wouldn’t interfere.
Yet here was a "noble guest," lost in panic, crashing through the bushes and collapsing near the scene.
And right behind her, another noblewoman—face red with rage—tumbled to the ground as well.
"Say that again!" Ao Bingxia snarled, scrambling up to claw at Lu Meng. By status, she shouldn’t dare lay hands on a concubine, but this was an early-era tragic romance—even the dogs only bit the female lead.
Of course a cannon-foil character would attack her.
Lu Meng certainly wouldn’t let her lay a hand on her. Luring her over was deliberate—to make her own "meddling" appear justified and to solidify the record of Ao Bingxia’s aggression toward her in the account books.
Besides, the more people she could drag into this mess, the better. As the saying goes, "The law does not punish the masses." Given her usual luck, anyone connected to her was bound to be someone important. If these influential figures got involved, what would be a life-threatening ordeal for a tragic romance heroine would be reduced to a trivial matter.
So Lu Meng scrambled up and began her performance.
First, she let out an inhuman shriek at the sight of the interrupted execution by beating.
"Ah—!"
The sound rivaled an opera singer’s vocal warm-up. Since transmigrating into this world, Lu Meng had been stifled by the expectations of being a "proper lady." Now, she unleashed all that pent-up energy with the same vigor she’d once used to startle haunted house staff in her past life—flailing her limbs and screaming at the top of her lungs: "Ah—!"
In the chaos, she even managed to smack Ao Bingxia away and land a kick for good measure.
Ao Bingxia, who had never been laid a finger on in her life, cried out in pain from the blows.
The two of them wailed in unison, creating a cacophony more horrifying than the silent suffering of the man being beaten to death.
After screaming for a while, Lu Meng pretended to be on the verge of collapse, staggering up from the flowerbed just as maids from both households rushed over in a flurry.
Supported by Xiuyun, Xiuli, and Xin Ya, Lu Meng "trembled" as if electrocuted.
Her system couldn’t take it anymore and interjected, "Your acting… is a bit over the top."
But Lu Meng felt it wasn’t enough.
She couldn’t outright interfere and halt the execution, only to be clung to by the male supporting character like a lifeline—that would be impossible to explain.
If things played out that way, she’d inevitably meet the same fate as the original heroine.
So she had to escalate the situation, ensuring the execution couldn’t proceed naturally. Once the higher-ups investigated, they’d uncover that Xiang Yunhe had been falsely accused all along.
Her knowledge of this part of the plot gave Lu Meng the confidence to go all out.
Slumping weakly into Xiuyun and Xiuli’s arms, she trembled, drenched in cold sweat, and weakly pointed at the eunuchs who had already dropped their clubs and knelt in terror.
Gasping faintly, she uttered, "M-murder…!"
Lu Meng wasn’t entirely acting. The metallic tang of blood carried by the wind hit her nose, and the next moment, she retched violently. Shoving her maids aside, she hunched over the flowerbed, dry-heaving.
The visceral reaction brought tears to her eyes without effort. As her maids patted her back, Lu Meng continued retching uncontrollably.
This path wasn’t far from where the palace ladies would pass today. She needed to make sure this scandal spread far and wide.
The first few gags were genuine, but afterward, she took advantage of covering her mouth to deliberately gag herself.
As everyone knew, forced vomiting was pure torture!
If she could, Lu Meng wouldn’t lift a finger to deal with this nonsense.
But alas, she was the heroine of a tragic romance.
To secure her future, she had to flip the script—turn herself over, season the situation with a bit of extra "salt," and make it stick.
After a few prods, she actually vomited.
Her painstakingly brewed red bean porridge from last night—meant for beauty and detox—was now wasted!
But the porridge became the MVP of the scene. The moment Lu Meng vomited, Xiuli shrieked, "Madam Meng! Madam Meng is vomiting blood!"
Tears streamed down Lu Meng’s face from the physical discomfort, but inwardly, she applauded Xiuli’s flair for dramatics.
Right on cue, a group of palace ladies passing by heard the commotion and hurried over.
The eunuchs overseeing the execution paled—they were as good as dead now.
Amid the chaos, Lu Meng stole a glance at the man lying in a pool of blood.
True to his role as a male supporting character rivaling the third male lead, even half-dead and drenched in blood, his striking handsomeness was undeniable.
He had been on the brink of death, but the sudden halt to the beating slowly brought his fading senses back amidst the noise.
Curled protectively over his most vulnerable spots, he laboriously lifted his head, his blurred vision clearing as he locked eyes with a beautiful woman leaning against the flowerbed.
Tear-stained and adorned with jewels, she stood bathed in sunlight like a goddess descended from the heavens.
And she was looking at him—at his wretched, bloodied form crumpled in the filth.
Before being hauled away, Lu Meng caught the man’s gaze and quickly winked, flashing him a fleeting smirk.
Not a flirtatious gesture—just a necessary signal so he’d know exactly who had saved him.
She’d gone to all this trouble; she wasn’t about to let it go to waste.
Lu Meng was practically carried away by her maids, her feet barely touching the ground. Mission accomplished, but the act had to be seen through.
The women and maids, alarmed by Xiuli’s cry of "Madam Meng is vomiting blood," erupted into panicked chatter, fluttering about like a flock of hungry chicks.
Exhausted from the theatrics, Lu Meng allowed herself to be tended to—rinsing her mouth with water someone had fetched, hearing someone announce, "The imperial physician is on the way."
Then, with a theatrical roll of her eyes, she fainted—content with a job well done.
