The Prologue: The Poisoned Golden Cup
In her first life, Empress Xiao Ling was a formidable ruler who brought peace to the Great Yan Empire. However, her kindness was her downfall. She was betrayed by her favorite consort, Concubine Hua, and her own brother. On her deathbed, after drinking poisoned wine, she vowed: "If there is a next life, I will not let a single blade of grass grow in the path of my enemies."
The Rebirth: A Three-Year-Old's Awakening
Xiao Ling wakes up in the body of her three-year-old self—the pampered Princess Ling'er. This time, she possesses a supernatural gift: the ability to hear the "inner voice" of anyone she touches or looks at directly.
The Conflict: The Snake in the Garden
While the Imperial Court celebrates the "Blessing of the Toddler Princess," Ling'er encounters the young Lady Hua, the woman who would eventually murder her. To the Emperor, Lady Hua appears as a gentle, porcelain-skinned beauty.
Lady Hua's Outward Words: "Your Highness is so adorable! May I offer you this longevity peach?"
Lady Hua's Mind-Reading (What Ling'er Hears): "Dumb brat. Enjoy this fruit; it's coated in slow-acting powder. Once you're out of the way, your father will focus only on my future sons."
The Climax: The "Toddler" Trap
Ling'er doesn't cry. Instead, she uses her toddler status to "clumsily" spill the tea onto Lady Hua's sleeve, then "innocently" insists on swapping the longevity peach with the one Lady Hua was keeping for herself.
Using her knowledge of palace secret passages from her past life, Ling'er leads her father, the Emperor, to a hidden alcove where Lady Hua is meeting with a shadowy conspirator.
The Sentence: Jailed in the Cold Palace
In a grand confrontation in the Imperial Hall, Ling'er "accidentally" reveals the hidden poison hidden in Lady Hua's hairpin. When Lady Hua tries to lie, Ling'er mimics the exact words she heard in the woman's mind earlier, shocking the court with "divine prophecy."
The Emperor, horrified by the treachery against his favorite child, strips Lady Hua of her titles and sentences her to life in the Cold Palace—the very prison where Xiao Ling died in her first life.