Pain.
That was the first thing Iris felt when she woke up.
The second was screaming.
"It was her! Su Mo pushed Cui'er into the water! A life for a life!"
Su Mo?
Iris forced her eyes open through the pounding in her skull. Confusion flickered briefly.
Who was Su Mo?Were they talking about her?
Before she could make sense of anything, a cold mechanical voice echoed inside her head.
[System Activated. Binding Complete.][Welcome to the Great Yan Dynasty.]
[Current Identity: Eldest Daughter of the Su Household — Su Mo.]
[Primary Objective: Assist the Seventh Prince, Prince Chen, in ascending to the position of Crown Prince.]
[Time Limit: None.]
[Failure Condition: Permanent entrapment in this world. Return impossible.]
Iris frowned, pressing her fingers to her temples.
So she'd crossed worlds.And landed in the body of someone unlucky enough to be named Su Mo.
Prince Chen? Crown Prince?
She didn't even know if she'd survive the next hour.
"Guards!" her stepmother snapped. "Drag this murderer out and beat her to death!"
Seeing Iris silent, the woman's eyes flashed with murderous intent. Silence was fear. Fear was weakness. Weakness needed to be erased.
"Wait."
Iris pushed herself up despite the pain shooting through her knees.
If she was Su Mo now, then she needed to stay alive.
Her instincts—honed from years as a forensic examiner—clicked into place. Panic drained away. Her presence shifted.
"You said she drowned?" Iris asked coolly.
"Everyone saw it!" her stepmother cried, pressing a handkerchief to her nose, playing the part of the grieving matron. "Poor Cui'er died so tragically!"
The body lay on the riverbank, already cold.
As the water receded, silt clung to the girl's skirt and wrists like stains that would never wash away. The crowd edged back, murmuring words like drowned, ill-fated, bad luck.
Iris crouched and studied the corpse's face.
Then her hands.
Too clean.
If the girl had struggled in the water, they wouldn't look like this.
An answer formed in Iris's mind—but she didn't speak yet.
In this world, a wrong sentence could get you killed.
She took a slow breath.
"If I'm wrong," she said quietly, "this will be my grave."
Her gaze flicked to the handkerchief in her stepmother's hand.
Too soft.
She needed something hard.
Iris scanned the area. The servants held only rough clubs—useless.
Then she saw him.
At the very edge of the crowd stood a young nobleman in moon-white robes. Even here, amid mud and chaos, he looked untouched. Clean.
Most importantly, he was holding a delicate folding fan.
That would do.
Before anyone could react, Iris strode straight toward him. She snatched the fan from his hand without hesitation.
"Borrowing this."
The noble froze.
He stared at his empty hand. Then at the filthy woman in front of him.
That fan was a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, worth a fortune.And he had a severe aversion to filth.
No one had ever dared touch his things in public.
Behind him, his guards' hands flew to their sword hilts—then stopped at a single glance from their master.
He wanted to see what she thought she was doing.
The next second shattered his composure.
Iris knelt beside the corpse and, without a shred of hesitation, shoved the priceless fan straight into the dead girl's mouth—using the handle to pry her clenched teeth apart.
"You—" he finally managed, shock and disgust bleeding through his voice.
"Shut up," Iris snapped without looking back. "Watch."
The crowd erupted.
Had Su Mo gone mad? She was shouting at a man who practically radiated wealth and power.
"The oral cavity is clean," Iris said calmly, pressing down the tongue with the fan handle so everyone could see."No sand. No weeds. If she drowned, water would've rushed into her throat."
She lifted the corpse's hand.
"Look at her fingernails. Clean. If she drowned, she would've clawed at something. There'd be dirt. Fibers."
She stood.
"She was already dead when she was thrown into the water."
Turning, Iris casually tossed the fan—now smeared with saliva and mud—back to its owner.
"Thanks. Flashy, but usable."
He caught it on instinct.
Then saw the stains.
His face darkened instantly.
"Usable?" His voice dropped, low and dangerous. "Do you have any idea how much this fan is worth?"
Iris didn't spare him a glance.
She turned on her stepmother, eyes sharp.
"This is murder. Someone killed her and staged the scene to frame me."
She raised her voice.
"This is a homicide. Family rules don't apply. A life was taken. The authorities must be notified immediately."
Her stepmother's face drained of color.
"Nonsense!" she snapped. "Family shame must not be made public!"
"Family shame?"
Iris laughed softly and pointed at the white-robed nobleman.
"Mother, there's an outsider present."
She met the noble's gaze, a glint of calculation in her eyes.
"This gentleman clearly holds status. He witnessed the crime. If we handle this privately…""…wouldn't that make him an accomplice?"
She smiled faintly.
"Sir, I imagine you wouldn't enjoy being dragged into a murder case you can't wash off."
The noble stared at the filthy fan in his hand—and laughed in disbelief.
Sharp-tongued. Ruthless.She'd ruined his fan—and now intended to use him as leverage.
But when he glanced at the stepmother's panic, understanding settled in.
The Su household reeked of secrets.
He snapped the fan shut, disgust evident—but his voice remained calm.
"Indeed," he said evenly. "With a life lost, failing to report it would put me in an… inconvenient position."
The stepmother collapsed into her chair.
Iris finally exhaled.
She'd survived.
As for who the fan's owner really was—
That could wait.
For now, anyone useful was worth keeping alive.