He removed the red hairpin from his head and took off the bracelet from his wrist, feeling a bit refreshed. Then, he looked back at the system's information.
The protagonist wasn't taken away by Kang Run in good health; he was poisoned, but he kept it a secret from everyone. The poison was quite peculiar; it didn't affect his body but gradually ruined his appearance. The protagonist, fearing that Kang Run and the others would worry about him, wore a bamboo hat all day to conceal his face and never revealed his true appearance. Kang Run and the others thought he was in a bad mood and didn't want to see anyone because of being bullied by Shen Tingwei, so they didn't inquire much and patiently stayed with him.
After finding a secluded place to settle down, the toxicity in the protagonist's body became even more severe, gradually changing not only his appearance but also his personality. Kang Run and the others finally realized that something was wrong. After communicating with each other, they gathered together for a deep conversation with the protagonist. It was only then that he revealed the truth, took off the hat and veil he had been wearing, and expressed that he wouldn't force them to stay, and those who couldn't accept it could choose to leave. The male protagonists were shocked but all expressed their determination not to leave him. Their love for him was unwavering.
Kang Run found a detoxification pill that could cure a hundred poisons for the protagonist. After taking it, his appearance couldn't return to what it used to be, but at least he was no longer in mortal danger. They lived happily and peacefully with the male protagonists being even more considerate and caring.
Life seemed to stabilize, but only seemingly so. The protagonist's loved ones couldn't possibly not hate Shen Tingwei for what he had done to him. After comforting the protagonist, they took turns secretly returning to the capital city to prepare and find an opportunity to deal with Shen Tingwei.
As a result, Shen Tingwei, who had lost his wife, began to experience a series of unfortunate events, from flowerpots falling from the sky to stepping on nails while riding a horse. When he went out for a drink, he was even involved in a conflict in the martial world. In the end, he became increasingly frustrated and decided to leave for the border once again.
Half a year later, with the border situation becoming critical, Shen Tingwei fell into an enemy trap set up by Kang Run and others and lost his life. The male protagonists, having achieved their goal, returned to the protagonist's side to live a truly secluded life.
After Shen Tingwei's death, the balance of power at the border shifted drastically, and the enemy nation quickly broke through the defenses and marched towards the capital.
When the protagonist had his first child, the country lost most of its territories. By the time of the second child's birth, the country was completely annexed. When the third child was born, the nation had become a mere garden for another foreign country. When the fourth child was born, the people of the country began the road to recovery under the leadership of the royal orphan.
The four male protagonists, who had considered their lives fulfilled, finally turned their attention to the changes outside. Upon learning that the country had been annexed and most of their family members had passed away, they were initially shocked and saddened. However, they ultimately joined the effort to restore the nation.
Twenty years later, the people of the country finally regained the land that had been taken by the enemy nation for over two decades. Unfortunately, the royal orphan who had led them to this great achievement passed away shortly after ascending the throne, leaving no heirs. The ministers, seeing an opportunity, looked to Zhan Xue Mi, the only one with a blood relation to the royal family, to take the throne. Although Zhan Xue Mi was reluctant, he was persuaded by the protagonist.
After Zhan Xue Mi ascended the throne, he bestowed the title of "Empress" upon the protagonist and refused to expand the harem, instead granting the protagonist's four children the title of princes. The ministers had some complaints about this, but they dared not voice their dissatisfaction due to the influence and power of the four male protagonists, keeping their discontent hidden.
Decades passed, and the male protagonists passed away one by one. The long-lived protagonist, after choosing one of his sons to succeed the throne, began to rule as a regent. Several years later, the country gradually declined from prosperity to decline, eventually falling into another crisis of being annexed.
On the day before the enemy nation attacked the imperial city, the protagonist peacefully passed away. The emperor, who had been suppressed by him for many years, hastily buried him and fled with his loyal followers, planning to embark on a journey to restore the nation once more. However, this time, the enemy nation had different intentions and did not employ the same pacification policies as before. After capturing the capital of the country, they initiated a brutal ethnic cleansing policy.
The country turned into a hell on earth, and the emperor and his loyal followers were furious. They abandoned their plans to hide and bide their time, instead gathering their private troops and the remaining courageous citizens of the country to infiltrate the enemy nation. They started resisting the ethnic cleansing, beginning from small villages and gradually working their way back.
In this way, the hatred between the two nations grew, leading to a relentless conflict. Both nations fell into chaos, and other countries took advantage of the situation, triggering a world war. Decades passed, and the world was finally brought to an end through post-war cleansing policies enacted by various countries.
The text on the screen stopped scrolling, and Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but pinch his thigh. The plot of this world is... I really don't know how to describe it...
Suddenly, there were some noises outside the attic. He got up, opened the door, and saw a middle-aged man of relatively small stature climbing up a ladder with a food box in his hand.
Yes, a ladder. The attic he was in was suspended in the air, separated from the ground floor by about three to four meters. There were no stairs; there was only a movable ladder for going up and down.
As he realized this, he couldn't help but shudder. So, this suspended attic was actually a kind of aerial cell?
The middle-aged man climbed up and gave him a disdainful glance, placing the food box by his feet. He said coldly, "Young Madam, I advise you to be more sensible and stop seeking death. Young Master won't come to see you. You, a concubine-born son who came here as a substitute, actually dare to dream of becoming the legitimate lady of the Shen family. Hmph, what a daydream!" With that, he rolled his eyes and retreated down the ladder, then moved the ladder away, humming a tune as he left.
Ye Zhizhou's current mood could only be described as thunderstruck.
"Tongtian... What is this body of mine called?" he asked.
"Zhou Qing," the system responded.
"What did that person just say? 'Concubine-born son'? 'Young lady of the Shen family'? Isn't that Zhan Qing's background?"
The screen flashed, seemingly checking for information, and then new text appeared. "The system has provided all the information. Please trust the system."
Such a familiar explanation... He wiped his face and was about to ask more when he accidentally stepped on the hem of his robe. In an attempt to steady himself, he made a sudden movement, causing the food box at his feet to fall off the table.
Crash, clatter, bang!
The food box and the bowls and dishes inside it crashed to the floor, and the jarring sound of shattering echoed through the spacious first and second floors, making hearts race. The middle-aged man hastily pushed the door open, and upon seeing the messy food on the floor, he screamed. He glared at Ye Zhizhou, who was looking down, and scolded, "Zhou Qing! You've gone too far! What kind of skill is it to smash things? I'll report this to Madam and have her kick you out. Let's see how you'll cause trouble then!"
The middle-aged man quickly tidied up a bit and left in a rage. Ye Zhizhou tore off the long hem of his robe and sat directly on the floor. After a moment of silence, he asked softly, "Tongtian, why did that man call me Zhou Qing?"
[The system has provided all the information.]
"..."
The scent of food still lingered in the air as he sniffed. Then, he took out a bag of small bread from his spatial storage to satisfy his hunger and began carefully examining the information.
He first checked a timeline and saw that the plot had already developed to roughly half a year after Zhou Qing had been sent as a substitute. He frowned and rubbed his chin. No matter how he looked at it, his current situation didn't seem like the Zhou Qing who had been sent to the countryside to hide. Instead, it was more like Zhou Qing, who had been confined to a remote courtyard by the Shen family. But there was no way the system could be wrong about something as basic as his identity... What was going on? Wasn't he supposed to be a substitute? How did the situation turn into him marrying himself off under his brother's name, like Zhou Qing using his brother's identity?
...Could it be another case of mistaken identity by the system?
[The plot information is correct. Please trust the system.]
He glanced at the screen and furrowed his brow even tighter. Since the system's information was correct, then... a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, a memory from the world of Si Han's plot. His heart skipped a beat, and he pressed his forehead.
No way, is this another case of switching identities?
He quickly flipped back through the plot information, examining it more closely. Upon closer inspection, he did discover a clue. When Zhou Qing and Zhou Qing were four years old, they had both contracted smallpox. Concerned about the risk of infection, Old Madam Zhou had disregarded her daughter-in-law's objections and sent both children to a rural estate for two years. They were only brought back to the capital after fully recovering. During this period, they were taken care of by Tao Dong, who had also had smallpox as a child.
Two years later, the two returned to the capital. The once quiet and well-behaved Zhou Qing had become willful and arrogant, while the lively and active Zhou Qing had become more reserved and even a bit absent-minded, having trouble recognizing people.
Having trouble recognizing people... He felt a sinking feeling in his heart. Two years was enough to change many things, but how could they have swapped children, especially when it came to their appearances?
He closed the information and stood up, walking back to the attic and standing in front of the dressing mirror. His face, which had looked delicate and beautiful in a small mirror, appeared ordinary and plain in the half-height dressing mirror. According to the system's description, Zhou Qing was the number one beauty in the capital... He took out a small mirror and checked his reflection, only to see that same delicate and beautiful face.
Two mirrors, two different appearances.
He put down the small mirror and touched his face, which felt perfectly fine. He asked, "Tongtian, is the problem with you, or is it the face of this body?"
The small mirror shook as if it was quite displeased with his question. The screen flashed, and a few large words appeared, [After system upgrade, the mirror has a built-in demon-revealing effect that can see through all illusions.]
So, the plain appearance on his face was actually an illusion? But he couldn't detect anything wrong at all!
"Scan this body for me."
The screen disappeared and turned into a light beam that scanned him and paused briefly on his face. Then, the screen popped up with the message, [Healthy body, excellent reproductive capabilities, presence of residual toxins on the face, suitable medicine: Beauty Pill.]
Just as he suspected...
"Can you scan and tell me how long the toxins have been on the face?"
The light beam scanned him again and then the screen displayed, [Over ten years, heavy residual toxins, risk of disfigurement.]
He sat down at the table, lost in thought.
Now it's almost certain that Zhou Qing and Zhou Qing's identities were swapped during the smallpox incident with Tao Dong... No wonder in the plot, Tao Dong was so cold-hearted towards her own son. So, if the two of them exchanged identities when they were children, then the later substitution event was when the fake Zhou Qing knocked out the real Zhou Qing and married her fiancé under Zhou Qing's identity, which originally belonged to Zhou Qing?
So, the person who later collected concubines was actually Zhou Qing... Wait, not exactly Zhou Qing. After she was divorced and jumped into the river to commit suicide, the real Zhou Qing's soul had already ascended to heaven. The person using her body came from the modern era and never revealed her real name...
In a sense... isn't the protagonist of this world actually him?! So, his task in this world is to prevent himself from collecting concubines? Then, wouldn't this task be super simple...
[The protagonist is Zhou Qing, and the four male leads are also with Zhou Qing. Please remain calm, Host.]
Ye Zhizhou's mind was in a complete mess due to the plot, and he instinctively asked, "Why? If I'm the one getting married, then the one who later gets divorced, rejected by the Zhou family, and meets the four male leads should be... No, it's not right! It should be the soul from the modern era! So, I'll die and then be replaced by a time-traveler?!"
The screen froze for a moment before spitting out a few words, [Soul and body compatibility 100%, no possession risk.]
"Then what about the four male leads? Without that modern soul, why would they be interested in Zhou Qing? No, it's not Zhou Qing, it's Zhou Qing now... In the end, will they be interested in me?"
The screen disappeared, refusing to communicate further with its bewildered host.
Ye Zhizhou pounded his head to clear his thoughts and tried to focus on understanding the plot.
Since it was Zhou Qing who ended up with the four male protagonists, and the person who got to know the four male protagonists and gained their favor was the modern soul that inhabited Zhou Qing's body... could it be that the identities of Zhou Qing and Zhou Qing were exchanged once again later?
He quickly turned to the plot information regarding the part where Kang Run rescued the protagonist from the Shen Mansion, and his tangled thoughts gradually found a thread.
It was right here, from this point onward, that the protagonist had been concealing his identity by wearing a bamboo hat. It was only after he consumed the detoxification pill provided by Kang Run and removed the hat and veil that his appearance and personality underwent a transformation due to the toxin's influence... This had to be a complete change of identity! The poisoning was merely an excuse!
But where had the real Zhou Qing disappeared to?
Suddenly, the original owner's cause of death flashed through his mind. He released the small mirror, feeling a shiver run down his spine.
In the original plot, Kang Run threw the "Zhou Qing" character into a brothel to seek revenge for his sweetheart. He even took his sweetheart to witness an explicit performance... Could it be that the fake Zhou Qing had encountered the real Zhou Qing there and subsequently hatched a plan to switch their identities once more? Afterward, the fake Zhou Qing orchestrated the retrieval of his own identity, while the real Zhou Qing ended up in the brothel...
Ye Zhizhou couldn't help but feel that his thoughts were becoming muddled once again.
In this world, the protagonist first seized Zhou Qing's legitimate son status and his coveted marriage when they were children. Later, he took away the four male protagonists and lived a content life with them. Eventually, she ascended to the throne as queen, ruled from behind the scenes, and met her demise... Meanwhile, the real Zhou Qing had his identity stripped away, was married off to her own fiancé, and then divorced and abandoned by her family. After a suicide attempt by jumping into the river, his body was possessed by another soul. Subsequently, that soul used his body to get acquainted with the four male protagonists... In essence, throughout the entire storyline, regardless of whether Zhou Qing was leading a good or bad life, he was simply being used to pave the way for Zhou Qing.
Zhou Qing deserves to be the protagonist; all the good things are his, and all the bad consequences fall upon Zhou Qing. From the beginning to the end, he only endured a few days of suffering in the plot where Kang Run helped his sweetheart seek revenge on the Zou family! Since then, he has been pampered by the four male protagonists!
What a perplexing plot! How was the second identity swap between the two completed? Shen Tingwei is portrayed as so powerful in the plot, so how could he be betrayed after capturing him?
The plot was so convoluted that he couldn't make sense of it in his head. The various real Zhou Qing and fake Zhou Qing, real Zhou Qing and fake Zhou Qing scenarios were driving him to the brink of frustration. Scratching his hair irritably, he repeatedly scoured through the system information, hoping to bring some order to the storyline.
"Zhou Qing, Zhou Qing, come out!"
The middle-aged man's voice interrupted his thoughts. When he opened the door and stepped outside, he saw the man moving the escalator over and then said proudly, "The old lady wants to see you, so pack up and come down. Keep your composure. Perhaps a divorce letter is awaiting you this time."
He was already agitated by the plot, and his face darkened upon hearing this. He donned a robe with the hem torn off and descended the ladder with his disheveled hair after removing the hairpin. He didn't even spare a glance for the middle-aged man and coldly retorted, "Lead the way."
"You're shameless, indeed! Go and change your clothes!" The middle-aged man exploded and pointed at his face with his finger. "And your hair! Do you have no shame? Are you really planning to meet people like this?"
"I'm about to be divorced. What more do I have to lose?" Ye Zhizhou pushed the man's hand away, took off his hairpin, and tied his hair into a ponytail before walking ahead. "If you won't lead the way, I'll find my own path."
"You... you..." The middle-aged man was left speechless by the encounter. After simmering in anger for a while, he bitterly remarked, "You're simply uncouth! You deserve to be divorced!"