After Transmigrating as the White Lotus Crown Princess - Chapter 3

Sleeping soundly in a warm pavilion during winter is a joyful thing. The incense burner was filled with calming incense; the warmth was inviting and the fragrance greeted the nose. Ning Huan was quite sensitive to scents and rather picky in this regard. This particular calming incense wasn’t exactly to his taste, yet it wasn’t unpleasant either.

He lay on his side on the bed, his outer garments removed, wearing a hibiscus-colored short quilted jacket underneath.

Since birth, Ning Huan had never worn clothes of such a color. He had always been a man. Others knew he was beautiful, but they also knew he was the young master of the General’s Mansion—a peerlessly beautiful young master.

General Ning spent most of the year in the Southern Borders, holding great power to protect the country, and was the most influential official in court. The Ning family’s lifestyle was neither good nor bad—at their level, their extravagance was second only to the imperial palace. With many children, every one of Ning Huan’s older brothers was a formidable figure in their own right. From childhood to adulthood, Ning Huan had never suffered any hardships.

He was spoiled rotten, and his temperament wasn’t particularly good. He grew up playing with several princes, none of whom dared to treat him with slight.

In his sleep, he dreamed of a time when he was eight years old. A monk came to the house for alms. Seeing Ning Huan standing before the old Madam, the monk uttered a few baffling words. At one point, he said Ning Huan would likely leave his hometown, that his family wouldn’t be able to keep him, and they couldn’t be together for long.

Seeing the old Madam’s face darken instantly, the monk then said Ning Huan’s destiny was extremely noble and that he would be an Empress in the future.

That was the first time Ning Huan had been mistaken for a girl. He looked at the crazy monk with pride and disdain, his voice childish yet cold: “I am a man, look closely.”

“Miss, Miss…”

Dieqing’s soft voice reached his ears. Ning Huan didn’t react at first, touching the pillow: “Why is it a porcelain pillow?”

Ning Huan disliked hard pillows. When he slept at home, his pillows were soft and plush, made from the best silk from the South and stuffed with various flower petals. Falling asleep in such fragrance would make his dreams elegant and gentle.

Unlike now, where he was actually dreaming of a crazy monk.

As his indifferent eyes opened, his pupils were also of a pale color—pale but beautiful. His eyelashes were very long, and his eyebrows soared toward his temples, not at all like the “willow leaf” or “moth” brows commonly seen on women.

Only then did he remember that he was now being called “Miss.”

The words of that crazy monk—aside from his phoenix destiny and becoming an Empress which hadn’t come true—nearly everything else had.

Ning Huan’s hand rested on the sky-blue porcelain pillow. His fingers were slender and snow-white, like the rest of his skin; resting against the porcelain, they shared its translucent quality.

His thick, dark hair spilled out. Ning Huan suddenly remembered that women’s hairstyles were difficult to comb; sleeping on this hard pillow made it less likely to mess up the hair, making it easier to dress up the next morning.

He let out a lazy yawn. Dieqing saw that her mistress had just woken up, a faint thin red flush on her snow-like skin. The cold expression paired with that touch of red was indescribably moving, making her eyes glaze over a bit.

The “eighteenth transformation of a woman”—the Miss was indeed becoming more and more beautiful.

“Ah, the Crown Prince has arrived.” Dieqing was very excited. Just now, she had caught a secret glimpse of the Crown Prince. How should she put it? He was of noble and jade-like appearance; he truly looked extraordinary, a perfect match for her mistress’s beauty.

Ning Huan closed his eyes again: “You woke me up just for this?”

Dieqing: “???”

Was it not for this? Didn’t the Miss instruct her to inquire about the happenings in the mansion before she slept?

Ning Huan pulled his—hibiscus-colored jacket—tighter. He found the color embarrassing himself, but the wardrobe was mostly filled with such colors and styles. In his heart, he naturally wished these people would immediately change all his clothes to plain green or white.

However, this Ning Mansion was not as wealthy as his own back home. Although his status was that of the legitimate daughter, he didn’t have that much silver to command.

Ning Huan’s focus drifted; he couldn’t help but let his mind wander. Once he reached the Crown Prince’s mansion, that “Mu the Skinflint” would probably also not let him spend money lavishly.

Transmigrating to this wretched place, his status had dropped, and his treatment had dropped. Ning Huan was not happy.

“My head is dizzy,” Ning Huan said. “Have the kitchen cook a bowl of bird’s nest for me. They have bird’s nest, right?”

He didn’t even dare hope for blood bird’s nest.

“Oh, oh, yes,” Dieqing said. “Probably.”

Although she didn’t understand why a dizzy head required bird’s nest, nor had she ever heard of bird’s nest curing dizziness, her mistress had commanded it, so she hurried to the kitchen to have it made.

Ning Huan was to marry the Crown Prince. Although it was rumored the Prince’s health was poor and he didn’t stand out as much as the other princes, a Crown Prince was still the heir. Even if the kitchen lacked bird’s nest, they would have to find a way to produce a bowl.

Dieqing waited in the kitchen.

Tian He had also emerged from the water. He was shivering from the cold. Hearing that the Crown Prince was in the mansion, he naturally didn’t dare to see him—because everyone said the Crown Prince was not to be provoked.

He found a set of clothes and dried himself at the Second Young Master’s quarters. Once his body warmed up, his head began to feel feverish as well. Tian He only told the outside world that he had accidentally fallen in, telling the Second Young Master of the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion the same.

Leaving the Second Young Master’s residence, Tian He saw the Second Miss, Ning Yue. Ning Yue was still that gentle and soft woman of his memory, which made Tian He’s heart warm. There were goddesses in the sky he couldn’t reach, and then there were gentle beauties within his grasp.

Unfortunately, this scene of Tian He talking to Ning Yue was once again seen by Mu Jinyu.

Because the eunuch A-xi grew up with Mu Jinyu, he usually spoke without filter. Looking at Tian He, A-xi said enviously: “This Master Tian is truly happy. The Third Miss doesn’t want him and even caused him to fall into the water, yet he turns around and has another Miss caring for him.”

Mu Jinyu let out a cold snort.

A-xi knew his master’s temperament was quite distorted. His Highness was the most unfortunate person under heaven; letting him see the happiness of others would only incite his murderous intent.

The Crown Prince had a “madness” about him; everyone close to him knew it. The secret guards he had raised himself to do his bidding knew even better how dark and bloody the Crown Prince was—as cold and gloomy as a venomous snake, biting whoever he saw.

A-xi didn’t like Tian He either. He made a gesture—simple and common, yet A-xi made it look comically ridiculous.

He said in a well-behaved tone: “Your Highness, he is so happy. Should we—”

At this point, A-xi made a throat-slitting motion with his hand.

Ning Huan watched that thin, weak eunuch with pockmarks on his face making gestures, finding it quite cute. It turned out the clothes eunuchs wore in this place were exactly the same as in the place he came from.

Ning Huan used to play with princes most often. In his memory, those princes loved to carry a little eunuch like this by their side—clever, lively, and pleasing. A-xi reminded him of the past.

Having transmigrated for just one short day, Ning Huan was already reminiscing about the “sweetness” of the past while facing the “bitterness” of the present.

Only then did Ning Huan notice the youth beside the little eunuch. The youth was slender with eyes tempered by coldness, naturally carrying a hint of gloom. His countenance was peerlessly handsome, yet too sharp—like an unsheathed sword, glinting with cold light.

Presumably, this was the protagonist who would “kill in all directions,” Mu Jinyu.

Mu Jinyu was naturally sensitive to the gazes of others; he also turned his head to look back.

Ning Huan tilted his head slightly and gave a hooked-lip smile.

Beside him, Xiao Xi was already dumbfounded: “The Third Miss is so tall… so beautiful. No, wait, she is smiling at you.”

Clearly, the smile wasn’t intended for Xiao Xi, but his heart still went thump-thump: “Does she like you?”

Mu Jinyu was different from Xiao Xi; he instinctively assumed the other was provoking him. The last time he and Ning Huan had an unpleasant encounter, after she schemed against him, she had also given him a smile.

But—having not seen her for a short time, he didn’t know what medicine Ning Huan had taken to transform so completely into a different person. Cold as the moon, yet peerlessly beautiful; at a glance, there was an androgynous beauty.

Like Ning Huan, yet not like Ning Huan.

In the corridor, Ning Huan lazily held his small hand warmer. Out of nowhere came a kitten, only two or three months old, with snow-white fur and pale red eyes. He loved cats most; tucking the hand warmer into his sleeve, Ning Huan reached out to pinch the kitten’s scruff and held it in his arms.

Xiao Xi’s gaze was still on Ning Huan: “She is actually kissing a cat!” His tone was naturally full of wonder and regret.

Mu Jinyu snorted coldly: “Pretentious. Let’s go.”

The kitten found Ning Huan’s embrace warm and, after a few “meows,” refused to move.

Dieqing also brought the bird’s nest. Seeing a cat’s head poking out from Ning Huan’s arms, she was startled: “Oh, this was raised by the Second Miss. The mother cat abandoned it after birth; the others all froze to death, but this one was lucky enough to be found by the Second Miss.”

Ning Huan gave a soft “mhm.”

Dieqing held the food box: “Miss, the bird’s nest is ready. It’s cold outside; please go inside to consume it.”

Ning Huan followed her.

Dieqing assumed Ning Huan had come out to see the Crown Prince. She was also curious about the situation and couldn’t help but say: “Did the Miss see the Crown Prince just now? The Crown Prince is indeed born handsome. Today I also saw the one who is to marry the Second Miss; Master Tian looks okay on his own, but in front of the Crown Prince, he appears vulgar.”

Regarding her own mistress’s fiancé, Dieqing naturally tried every way to praise him.

“I saw him,” Ning Huan didn’t know how to describe it, but the look in the other’s eyes made him displeased. The man truly loathed him. Ning Huan was spoiled rotten and never liked those who had no favorable feelings toward him. “Commonplace.”

Xiao Xi, who had accidentally run into Ning Huan again: “…”

Xiao Xi was in a daze. He looked up at Mu Jinyu. Mu Jinyu’s face was covered in dark clouds. Xiao Xi was certain that if this weren’t a marriage bestowed by the Emperor—where any move would lead to the Emperor’s suspicion—Mu Jinyu would definitely kill this beautiful Third Miss tonight.

The two parties naturally met. Ning Huan remained composed, as if the person who just spoke ill behind someone’s back wasn’t him.

“This subject’s daughter greets the Crown Prince.” Ning Huan performed a greeting with cold indifference.

There was no one else around, and Mu Jinyu didn’t want to maintain a facade with him. He hadn’t wanted to marry Ning Huan from the start and already loathed her to the extreme. Now, he loathed her even more because she was talking behind his back.

Mu Jinyu let out a cold snort: “Just you wait. Once you fall into my hands…”

This woman was so arrogant; one day, he would make Ning Huan wish she were dead.

Ning Huan raised his eyes. The other was filled with an aura of ice and frost. He gave a slight smile: “We are not yet married; Your Highness shouldn’t be so enthusiastic. If others see, they will surely say we don’t know the rules and are having an illicit affair.”

Xiao Xi: “…”

Did the Third Miss’s voice also become more pleasant? It used to be slightly “delicate and dripping,” but now it wasn’t, yet it had a different kind of charm.

Naturally, in everyone’s eyes, the Third Miss became more beautiful because of the “eighteenth transformation,” and her voice wasn’t delicate because she used to pinch her throat to speak and now she wasn’t.