After Transmigrating as the White Lotus Crown Princess - Chapter 7

The Empress had been in a poor state of mind lately. She was so thin that her bones were visible, and her phoenix robes almost seemed to hang off her frame. Her eyes were exceptionally large, her pupils somewhat unfocused. Despite this, her features remained strikingly beautiful; even in her emaciated state, she possessed snow-white skin and thick, dark hair, exuding an air of dignified elegance and a beauty that was hard to look at directly.

The Empress and Mu Jinyu bore a strong resemblance to each other.

Upon seeing the Empress, Ning Huan’s eyes narrowed. Her expression reminded him of an elder he had once known—his young aunt, who had never married after her fiancé died in battle and spent her days in a daze, relying on opium to pass the time.

The Emperor sat opposite the Empress, who seemed to be in a trance, lost in her own thoughts. Ning Huan, Mu Jinyu, and Prince Rui performed their greetings.

The Emperor was tall and robust, with authoritative dragon-like eyes and phoenix-like features. He appeared very dignified, and his voice was loud and resonant: “Crown Prince, Prince Rui, Crown Princess, you may all rise.”

When Ning Huan looked up, the Emperor was also startled: What a beauty!

He knew of Ning Huan’s reputation for beauty, but with three thousand beauties in his imperial harem, what kind had he not seen? He had previously viewed Ning Huan’s portrait and thought she was beautiful but not particularly moving. Now, seeing this face like the moon and snow, his heart skipped a beat—Would the Crown Prince fall head over heels for her?

If the Crown Prince were to indulge in Ning Huan’s beauty and ruin his health through overindulgence, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for the Emperor. After all these years, the Emperor had long begun to regret: the Crown Prince looked less and less like his own flesh and blood. If he were the previous Emperor’s seed, wouldn’t his own usurpation have been for nothing?

Prince Rui grinned from the side and said: “I can’t help but feel that Imperial Sister-in-law has suffered some grievances from Imperial Brother. On the way here, Imperial Brother didn’t have a pleasant look on his face at all.”

By saying this, Prince Rui was naturally reminding the Emperor not to forget how the Crown Prince had fought tooth and nail to reject this marriage. In everyone’s eyes, the Crown Prince held his position not because of talent, but because he had an Empress for a mother who was deeply favored.

The Empress finally regained her senses. For years, the Crown Prince had been her sole reason for living. Now that she was aging and losing her beauty, and with younger women entering the palace, the Emperor’s affection for her was dwindling.

Ning Huan narrowed his eyes slightly. His eyelashes were very long, and this subtle movement gave him an alluring look. Then, the corners of his lips curved upward: “His Highness has always been cold; it is simply his nature. This… this concubine has not suffered any grievances.”

When he said the word “concubine” (qie), Ning Huan inwardly ground his teeth. His voice was intentionally lowered, its clear, tinkling sound quite moving. Beside him, Prince Rui was dazed: How gentle, how understanding. It’s a tragedy she married the Crown Prince.

After serving tea to the Emperor and Empress, the Empress gifted Ning Huan a box of Eastern Pearls and dismissed them.

Prince Rui followed Mu Jinyu and Ning Huan out longingly. He said to Mu Jinyu: “Imperial Brother, can I come over to your estate for a cup of tea?”

Mu Jinyu knew exactly what Prince Rui was after. From the moment they met, Prince Rui’s eyes had been glued to Ning Huan. Although Mu Jinyu didn’t like Ning Huan, she was still his Crown Princess in name. Having his person stared at so brazenly—given Mu Jinyu’s temperament, he wanted nothing more than to mince Prince Rui into meat paste.

“No,” Mu Jinyu said coldly. “I don’t have the time.”

Ning Huan couldn’t help but “tsk” in his heart. Prince Rui really was a fool. Since he wanted to come, why ask “can I” and give the power of refusal to Mu Jinyu? He should have just said “I’d like to taste the tea at the Prince’s estate” and followed along.

As they stepped into the carriage, Ning Huan’s foot slipped. He still wasn’t used to wearing women’s soft shoes, so walking was often inconvenient. Mu Jinyu watched coldly. He could have reached out to steady Ning Huan, but he remained indifferent.

Ning Huan fell unexpectedly into Mu Jinyu’s arms. Mu Jinyu caught him by the waist—it was extremely slender, as if a sharp snap could break it. A cold fragrance filled his senses as Ning Huan’s sleeve brushed across Mu Jinyu’s face.

He let out a soft “ah,” looking innocently into Mu Jinyu’s eyes, which were like cold jade: “My apologies, Your Highness. Please let me up.”

Mu Jinyu whispered in his ear in a deep voice: “As the Crown Princess, you are so undignified that you fall even on flat ground.”

“Is Your Highness not letting go?” Ning Huan let out a light laugh. His laughter was also very pleasant. His jade-like face was enchanting, and his pointed chin tilted up slightly as his pale eyes looked at Mu Jinyu, speaking softly: “Then I shall just sit in Your Highness’s lap.”

He knew Mu Jinyu loathed him. Sure enough, as soon as Ning Huan said this, the pressure on his waist vanished, and he was helped upright. Mu Jinyu looked away, his voice icy: “Sit properly.”

Just as he finished speaking, Mu Jinyu suddenly covered his lips and coughed a few times, spitting out more blood.

Previously, when Ning Huan was bored, he had read most of the books in the Kirin Pavilion. He had a photographic memory and remembered many ancient texts clearly. Because he had been frail since childhood and imperial physicians were always around, he had learned a bit of medicine from them. While his medical skills weren’t top-tier, they were sufficient.

He knew Mu Jinyu was suffering from internal injuries. After being hurt by a martial artist using a vicious technique, his internal organs were damaged and had not healed. Because his external wounds hadn’t healed properly either—festering repeatedly—and because he refused to see doctors, his condition worsened.

Ning Huan possessed some martial arts skill and internal energy, but this was his secret and could not be told to Mu Jinyu.

Mu Jinyu coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood, and his mood grew even worse. He stared coldly at Ning Huan: “Are you hoping I’ll die of illness sooner?”

He knew she must be. However, if Ning Huan said “yes,” he would definitely say “keep dreaming.”

Ning Huan pulled another handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to Mu Jinyu: “If Your Highness is gone, I would have to be—” He ground his teeth before smiling and finishing the sentence: “I would have to be a widow?”

Mu Jinyu took the handkerchief. In one corner, a twin lotus was embroidered with fine stitches; he thought Ning Huan must have embroidered it personally. He wiped the blood from his lips. A speck of bright blood stained the snow-white silk. Mu Jinyu’s handsome, deep-featured face was as cold as frost, and his whole being seemed to radiate a chill.

After returning, Ning Huan took stock of the dowry brought from the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion. There were about five thousand taels of silver, a hundred taels of silverware, a hundred bolts of silk, several shops in the capital, and some manors. Relatively speaking, it was quite a lot; since she was marrying into the Crown Prince’s mansion, anything less would have been looked down upon.

However, to maintain his original lifestyle, this was nowhere near enough for Ning Huan’s expenses over the next few years at the Prince’s estate. He wasn’t sure if it would last until he and Mu Jinyu divorced.

Ning Huan thought to himself: If I want to return to my previous extravagant life, I’d probably need the Dingyuan Marquis to become a powerful official who dominates the court. But even dominating the court wasn’t enough; his own Ning family had hundreds of years of accumulated heritage to afford so many estates and lands.

Just as he sat down for a cup of tea, Dieqing said to him: “Miss, the other concubines of the Prince’s estate will be coming to pay their respects to you in a moment.” Others addressed Ning Huan as the Crown Princess, but Dieqing was used to calling him “Miss” and continued to do so.

Ning Huan nodded. He vaguely remembered that a few of them received some favor from Mu Jinyu.

Once they entered, they all performed a graceful bow to Ning Huan. The living room was filled with a cloying scent of rouge and powder. Ning Huan looked down lazily, his finger tapping the tabletop: “Everyone, introduce yourselves to me. Start with you.”

The concubines looked up, intentionally or not. They had heard that the Crown Prince had slept in the Crown Princess’s quarters last night. While it wasn’t unusual for a new couple to consummate their marriage, none of them had received the Prince’s favor since being sent to the estate, so they were curious to see what kind of person this Crown Princess was.

In that instant, they saw a person dressed in a blue-lotus-colored gown reclining against soft pillows. Ink-like hair spilled down, a face of exquisite jade, a pointed chin tilted arrogantly, and pale eyes filled with frost. One hand held a teacup, the color of the hand almost identical to the snow-white porcelain.

They had expected the Crown Princess to be a charming, delicate beauty, but seeing her today, they realized she was a jade-white stunner cold as ice. They wondered if she was the same when alone with the cold Crown Prince; perhaps only the Prince could conquer such a cold beauty.

Everyone thought silently, and though their hearts differed, they all settled down quite a bit after seeing the Crown Princess.

One woman stepped forward, bowed, and said: “This concubine is named Liu Peilan. Greetings to the Crown Princess.” Ning Huan hadn’t heard the name and figured she wouldn’t make much of a splash in the future.

One after another, several women told Ning Huan their names. Then, a voice reached his ears: “This concubine is named Xie Li-er, and this is my younger brother, Xie Cang-er.”

Brother? Ning Huan remembered Mu Jinyu didn’t like men. That was one reason he dared to become the Crown Princess. Hearing the crisp voice, he looked up. Xie Li-er had a well-behaved, moving face and a good figure. Beside her, Xie Cang-er had fair skin and looked as pretty as a girl.

He suddenly remembered these were the cousins Prince Yue had sent. They were sent to gather information, but later Xie Li-er became utterly devoted to Mu Jinyu, even getting rid of her own brother for his sake and telling him many of Prince Yue’s secrets. After Mu Jinyu became Emperor, Xie Li-er was a favored consort.

Meeting Ning Huan’s gaze, Xie Li-er didn’t hide at all but looked back at him brazenly. Ning Huan nodded; she wasn’t lacking in courage.

Xie Li-er said with a smile: “The Crown Princess is truly beautiful. In front of you, we aren’t even fit to carry your shoes.”

If it were the original owner, she would have been delighted by such praise and developed a good impression of her. Unfortunately, Ning Huan was naturally cold-hearted. Hearing Xie Li-er’s words, he only curled his lips coldly: “Next.”

Xie Li-er’s smile froze. Everyone likes sweet talk; she thought saying a few pleasant things would leave a good impression, but the other’s expression remained cold, her gaze lingering on her for only a split second before moving elsewhere. She had even thought about using the Crown Princess to get close to the Prince.

Once everyone had finished their introductions, Ning Huan had memorized all their names and faces, keeping track of who would eventually become a member of Mu Jinyu’s imperial harem.

There were many concubines in the Prince’s mansion, and according to the rules, they were to pay respects to the Crown Princess daily, with the Princess handling all trivial household matters. However, Ning Huan had no intention of engaging in power struggles with this group. He disdained it and was too lazy to handle disputes—he certainly wouldn’t know how to “fight” in a household anyway.

His beautiful, indifferent eyes swept over the group, and Ning Huan spoke coldly: “Since you are concubines, you are no different from the maids of this estate. If you commit a wrong and it reaches me—”

His flat tone reached their ears, making everyone shiver. Then, the teacup in Ning Huan’s hand hit the floor with a “bang.” Everyone’s hearts jumped as they saw the white porcelain shatter into pieces. Their hearts tightened; any thoughts of offense were instantly reined in.

The Crown Princess might be beautiful, but she was clearly no easy target. Those who liked to cause trouble shrunk their shoulders.

Ning Huan was right; a concubine’s status was only slightly higher than a servant’s. But no matter how much higher, in the eyes of the mistress of the house, they were still subordinates. Without the Prince’s favor, if they dared to cause trouble, the mistress could have them killed and no one would dare object.

Ning Huan reclined lazily against the pillows, looking as cold and beautiful as a national treasure, yet truly looking like someone who could harden his heart to kill.

Everyone withdrew in small groups, whispering to each other.

“The Crown Princess truly lives up to her name; she is indeed the number one beauty in the capital.” “She is beautiful, but she looks like she has the heart of a scorpion.”