On the bustling streets of the capital city, the crowds were surging, alive with excitement!
A grand procession of a wedding party made its way through the streets, heading toward the residence of the Marquis of Jining, attracting curious onlookers who stopped to stare and murmur amongst themselves…
"Good heavens! What a grand display! Whose daughter is getting married?"
"Didn't you hear? It's the Marquis of Jining's marriage! I heard he's marrying the eldest daughter of the Dou family!"
"What? The Dou family? But Lord Dou, the Fifth Master, is just a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue. How could he possibly match the Marquis' family?"
"I heard the Marquis of Jining's household has been struggling financially these years, nearly running out of funds! But the eldest daughter of the Dou family has been running a business since childhood and is quite wealthy!"
"Yes, yes! It's even the Marquis himself personally going to propose marriage, demanding an immediate wedding! Almost as if he's afraid the Dou family's eldest daughter might run away!"
"Sigh! It seems like it's all for money! What a pity! Look at how handsome the Marquis is, and yet he's such a materialistic man!"
"I fear the Dou family's eldest daughter won't have a good life after marrying into the Marquis' household!"
The crowd continued chattering, as they often enjoyed discussing gossip about noble families and officials during their leisure time. The truth of the stories was often mixed, but they spread widely.
At the forefront of the procession, the Marquis of Jining, Wei Tingyu, sat on a tall steed, listening to these conversations. A faint, enigmatic smile curled at the corner of his lips, but he paid little attention. Instead, he found himself lost in thought and memories.
Wei Tingyu had originally been an ordinary recent graduate from Earth, who enjoyed watching movies and dramas.
One day, after staying up late to watch "Nine Layers of Purple," he unknowingly fell asleep. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself transmigrated into another world!
What was even more surprising was that he had transmigrated into the body of the ex-husband of the female lead, Dou Zhao, in the drama "Nine Layers of Purple." His name was also Wei Tingyu, the Marquis of Jining!
This made things convenient since he didn't even need to change his name!
Then, the system he bound, the "Great Female Lead Transformation System," provided him with three crucial pieces of information.
First, Wei Tingyu's transmigration was not a mere soul transfer but a complete replacement of the body and genes. In other words, his body had completely replaced the body of the original, scoundrel-like Marquis of Jining, Wei Tingyu!
Second, this world was not just the world of "Nine Layers of Purple," but a conglomeration of multiple ancient drama worlds. The important characters from these dramas would eventually appear around him.
Third, his goal was simple: to transform all the so-called "great female leads" from these various dramas into his own women! Doing so would allow him to upgrade the system, open higher-level system stores, and obtain better system packages!
After learning this vital information, Wei Tingyu wasted no time and immediately set his sights on the nearest "great female lead," Dou Zhao!
He abandoned his previously lazy, passive personality and went straight to the Dou family to propose marriage, insisting on marrying Dou Zhao and demanding an immediate wedding!
To ensure the plan went smoothly, he even asked his brother-in-law, Duke Jing, to act as a matchmaker.
Dou Zhao's father, Dou Shiying, was always weak-willed, and the household matters were controlled by his fifth brother, Dou Shishu.
Dou Shishu was a complete bureaucrat, always thinking of ways to progress quickly. Upon seeing that the Duke and his wife were acting as matchmakers to form an alliance with the Marquis of Jining, he eagerly agreed.
Thus, without delay, Dou Zhao's fierce resistance proved useless, and she was reluctantly pushed into the wedding sedan.
At this point in time, it was about a year earlier than when Dou Zhao, in the drama, returned to the capital after being raised on her grandmother's farm.
She had not yet amassed enough leverage, and though she had gathered significant wealth, it was not enough to defy her family's wishes.
Of course, she had no entanglements with characters like Song Mo or Ji Yong at this point either!
…
Inside the wedding sedan, Dou Zhao furrowed her brows, as too many things didn't make sense to her.
As a "reborn" character, she was unique among the female leads in the various dramas. She had the potential to change her fate!
So, in this life, she had moved to a farm outside the city with her grandmother at a young age.
During this time, she actively learned business skills and, by the time of her marriageable age, had accumulated a substantial fortune, becoming a well-known small rich woman.
However, just as she was planning to further increase her wealth to ensure she would never have to marry that scoundrel Wei Tingyu, a shocking piece of news arrived.
The Marquis of Jining, Wei Tingyu, had proactively gone to the Dou family to propose marriage, insisting that only he would marry her, even with the Duke Jing and his wife as matchmakers!
As expected, her greedy fifth uncle and her weak father immediately agreed to the marriage, with the scheming of her stepmother, Wang Yingxue, playing a significant role.
After all, everyone in the capital knew the Marquis of Jining's poor condition, and Wei Tingyu's own incompetence was widely acknowledged.
Wang Yingxue's meddling was simply to make Dou Zhao's later years difficult.
Under the pressure from all sides, even with her grandmother's protection, Dou Zhao could not withstand it. Reluctantly, she agreed to marry into the Marquis' household to avoid further worrying her grandmother.
But this did not mean she had given up. Dou Zhao had already fully planned out her next steps.
First, she would never love her ex-husband! She hadn't loved him in her past life, and there was no chance she would in this life!
So after marrying him, she would focus on two things:
First, protect her dowry—she wouldn't allow a single cent to go to the Marquis of Jining to fill their financial gaps.
Second, protect herself—every night, her martial arts-trained maids, Su Xin and Su Lan, would take turns guarding her, ensuring she wouldn't fall into Wei Tingyu's hands.
She would endure for two or three years. Once Wei Tingyu realized he wasn't benefiting, she would offer him a sum of money to divorce her, and everything would be settled!
After reviewing her plan in her mind to ensure there were no flaws, Dou Zhao finally relaxed, letting out a heavy sigh.
She also prayed to all the gods and Buddha, hoping everything would go smoothly!
…
"The auspicious time has arrived! Begin the wedding rites!"
…
"The couple bows to each other!"
…
"Send the bride to the bridal chamber!"
…
The long and tedious Chinese noble wedding finally came to an end. Wei Tingyu, feeling exhausted as if his waist might break, wasted no time. Amid the cheers, he picked up his bride and strode toward the bridal chamber.
At that moment, the system's voice rang in his mind again!
[Ding! Congratulations, Master! You have married your first great female lead, Dou Zhao!]
[This system has leveled up to level one! The level one store is now open, and a level one system gift pack has been given to the Master!]