When the Substitute Draws Her Blade: Prince Begs Me Not to Divorce Him
Shen Wushuang, a young woman from Northeast China in the 21st century, wakes up transported to the Great Chu Dynasty, inhabiting the body of a local pork‑butcher girl sharing her exact name. She finds herself draped in royal wedding robes, hanging from a beam in the prince’s new bridal chamber. The original girl learned she was nothing but a stand‑in for the prince’s unrequited beloved. Prince Xie Huaijin wedded her only to fill the void in his heart, driving the original owner to theatrics of weeping and threatening suicide. When Shen Wushuang takes over the body, instead of crying or throwing tantrums, she swings on the hanging silk ribbon, yanks off her phoenix crown and hurls it to the ground. “I want no part of being a substitute. Just pay my final fee.” Right after the chaotic wedding night, Shen Wushuang sets up a pork‑butchering stall in the courtyard the next day, sharpening her knives for hogs and sheep. The frail Prince Xie Huaijin rushes over to stop her, only to get splattered with pig’s blood and faint on the spot. Thus begins their chaotic, bickering daily life. Xie Huaijin banishes her to the remote Northern Palace Cold Compound, forbidding her from stepping outside, hoping to get her out of his sight. Shen Wushuang relishes the peace. She raises three big black hogs, sets up grills and opens for business. Her booming trade turns the desolate cold palace into the liveliest spot in the entire manor. Zhao Qian, Xie Huaijin’s bitter political rival at court, hears the prince married a butcher’s daughter. As an insult and to stir trouble within the manor, he sends twelve gorgeous concubines over as a gift. Shen Wushuang grabs her blade and accepts them all: “What a kind soul sending me free labor.” The twelve ladies, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, end up chopping pig fodder, sweeping yards and feeding hogs. These caged songbirds become the “Twelve Golden Hairpins” of Great Chu’s number‑one pork shop. Xie Huaijin’s cousin Lin Yueru arrives at first to pick a fight, vowing to divorce this vulgar village girl on her cousin’s behalf. Shen Wushuang takes her down with a hip‑throw, then offers her grilled spareribs. Lin Yueru is instantly won over and becomes an unofficial staff member.
