Chapter 646: Female Sovereign’s Consort Selection 2

Her name in this world was still Tang Wan.

She was the eldest imperial daughter of the Tang Empire—its rightful heir, raised and recognized as the future empress.

Yet despite her status, the original owner of this body had been anything but outstanding. She was mediocre in ability, petty in temperament, and notoriously jealous. Narrow-minded and insecure, she had spent most of her life overshadowed by one person—

Tang Can.

Known across the empire as the God of War, Tang Can was everything the original owner was not: decisive, brilliant, and deeply admired by both the court and the people. Placed side by side, the contrast between them only made the original owner seem duller and more inadequate.

And yet, despite all this, the current empress still favored the original owner above all others.

The reason was simple.

Tang Wan was her biological daughter.

As for Tang Can… she was born from another woman, the result of a past relationship the empress had cherished deeply in her youth. No matter how exceptional Tang Can was, her bloodline alone ensured she could never inherit the throne.

Unfortunately, the original owner had never known this truth.

Blinded by insecurity, she had always believed that Tang Can was her greatest threat—the one most likely to take her position. And so, out of jealousy and spite, she constantly tried to suppress her, competing with her at every turn.

Today’s consort selection was no exception.

According to the original plot, the original owner had deliberately chosen Lin Zihao—the man Tang Can loved most.

It was never about affection.

It was about taking something precious away from her rival.

But competing with the heroine for a man… how could that ever end well?

After the marriage, the original owner never even managed to touch Lin Zihao. Not long after entering the palace, he was poisoned to death under mysterious circumstances.

By then, the empress had already passed away.

With her overwhelming reputation and public support, Tang Can seized the opportunity and ascended the throne without resistance. The harem, the court, the empire—everything fell into her hands.

She became the ultimate winner of life.

As for the so-called villain of this arc…

Tang Wan’s gaze shifted subtly toward the end of the line.

Among the slender, delicate, and exquisitely beautiful young men stood one figure who seemed entirely out of place.

Lan Xintong.

In this matriarchal world, beauty standards were completely reversed. Women favored men who were soft, fragile, and refined—those with gentle features and a delicate aura.

The more slender and “pitiful” a man appeared, the more attractive he was considered.

By contrast, men with tall, well-built physiques—those who would be praised in a patriarchal society—were deemed unattractive here.

Lan Xintong was precisely that kind of man.

Tall, broad-shouldered, and carrying a natural air of strength, he was widely regarded as one of the most “ugly” men among the noble circles of the capital.

Few women were willing to marry someone like him.

And yet, his background was exceptional. His biological mother had been a general of the Tang Empire, which granted him the qualification to participate in this consort selection.

In the original storyline, the original owner had been so repulsed by him that she hadn’t even spared him a second glance.

Naturally, she had never chosen him.

What no one knew, however, was that Lan Xintong was far from ordinary.

He possessed a mind as sharp as a demon’s and had inherited his mother’s formidable martial skills. After his mother discovered the secret of the imperial bloodline and was silenced, Lan Xintong sought revenge.

He gathered loyal forces from the Lan household and opposed Tang Can at every turn.

In the end, he was surrounded outside the city with an army of fifty thousand troops… and died with arrows piercing his heart.

A tragic and violent end.

At this moment, however, Lan Xintong stood quietly at the very back of the line, his expression calm and indifferent—as if he were merely here to go through the motions.

Tang Wan couldn’t help but curl her lips faintly.

Then, without hesitation, she stepped forward.

Her movements were unhurried, her posture composed as she began to walk past the line of candidates. One by one, her gaze swept across their faces—taking in their beauty, their nervousness, their anticipation.

The atmosphere in the hall gradually grew tense.

After a while, she stopped.

She stood directly in front of Lin Zihao.

The moment her figure halted before him, Lin Zihao’s expression visibly tightened. His breathing grew uneven, his entire body subtly tensing under her gaze.

Not far away, Tang Can’s hands clenched into fists, her expression controlled but strained. Though she said nothing, the tension in her posture betrayed her emotions.

She clearly believed that Tang Wan would choose Lin Zihao.

After all, since childhood, this imperial sister of hers had never missed a chance to oppose her—snatching away whatever she valued, again and again.

To everyone present, Tang Wan’s choice seemed obvious.

She had publicly shown favor toward Lin Zihao more than once. Coupled with his reputation as the number one beauty of the capital, there was hardly a woman who wouldn’t be tempted to take him as a consort.

Everything pointed to him.

And yet—

Under countless expectant gazes, Tang Wan suddenly moved.

Without a word, she stepped past Lin Zihao.

Then, in full view of the stunned crowd, she walked all the way to the very end of the line.

She stopped in front of Lan Xintong.

Raising her hand, she pointed at him and said calmly, “Mother Emperor, I choose him.”

The hall exploded into an uproar.