After Transmigrating, I Was Kidnapped By A Scheming Beauty Into The Bridal Chamber - Chapter 5

A flower bud he’d nurtured for three years, a girl he was just about to pluck, had been snatched away by a pretty boy—no, a bastard—who appeared out of nowhere. Wú Dàoyuǎn returned to the main hall on the west side, his feathers ruffled and his mood foul. He started smashing a few vases and then turned his fury on Madam Wu, who was standing outside the door.

“How did they get together right under your nose? You couldn’t even keep an eye on one little maid, what good are you to me?” he raged at Madam Wu.

“Master, the young lady used some kind of trick. The moment I knew there was a man in the residence, I rushed to her boudoir, but she wouldn’t open the door. She even had that maid Chūntáo keep me busy. She was determined to do that shameless thing with that man.” Madam Wu cried as she complained.

Hearing that Jiang Chényú was so dead set on being with that bastard, Wú Dàoyuǎn’s head throbbed even more. If it weren’t for his protection, that little temptress would have been devoured by wolves and tigers long ago. Now that she had wings, she wanted to fly off on her own? It wasn’t going to be that easy.

He cast a sinister glare in the direction of the eastern rooms, scheming how to get rid of that outsider. This sudden turn of events had exposed his long-held facade of a gentleman. Now that the girl had thrown an embroidered ball and made her marriage public knowledge, and since that man seemed to have some skill, it would be difficult to get rid of him discreetly. He would have to think this through and plan for the long term.

*******

Meanwhile, as dawn broke, Jiang Chényú woke up. Her hand touched a soft fabric, and beneath it, a lean waist. She instantly recoiled, moving back to her side of the bed. She touched her own burning cheek. It was over, she couldn’t face him. She had rolled into his arms in the middle of the night and had been hugging him quite tightly.

Ahhhhhhh! she wailed silently in her heart. She knew that Shěn Hétáng had married her because he had lost his memory and had nowhere to go, and also because he knew she was in a difficult situation and wanted to help. This marriage between them could be subject to many changes in the future. For example, had he been married before, or did he have a fiancée?

But when she thought of how he, with his gentle and elegant demeanor, had kicked a guard away, she found it hard not to be moved. She peeked at his face through the gaps between her fingers, taking in the beautiful cold, white skin comparable to fine jade, the graceful lips colored like vermilion. The first thing people noticed were his sharp, noble phoenix eyes, but the second glance would be stolen by his red lips.

Jiang Chényú watched and watched, and unconsciously reached for his hand, clasping both of their hands together. His hands were a bit hard, and she could feel the prominent knuckles. Unlike her own hands, which were soft as if boneless, his were very reassuring to hold.

Could she be a bad person to keep him by her side…?

*******

After a day of constant surprises, sleeping was truly the best form of rest. When she opened her eyes, yesterday’s chaos was over, but she had no idea what kind of drama awaited her today.

For the past two days, she had been sleeping in a specific outer robe with her clothes on, and the next day, Jiang Chényú would always have new clothes ready for her. A girl of only sixteen was able to manage everything so well, both inside and out. It truly impressed her.

Based on her two days of observation, the clothing here was similar to the Ming Dynasty, mostly consisting of round-collared robes, cross-collared jackets, horse-faced skirts, long stand-collared gowns, and brocade cloaks. Young ladies from decent families wore elegant, flowing clothes with wide, swaying sleeves and hems that made them seem to float as they walked.

Some of these elaborate and beautiful outfits looked dignified and grand, while others looked vibrant and playful. It filled the unworldly Shěn Hétáng with silent awe. But from this, she could also tell that the country’s governance and development were probably quite good.

The place wasn’t called the Great Ming but the Great Qián Dynasty, with the reign title Xuāndé. She could confirm that she had been transmigrated into an alternate history. Fortunately, besides the dog she loved like family, there was no one else for her to worry about back home.

Sigh, she thought, I’ll just live this day well and think about other things later. Although the clothes in the Great Qián Dynasty seemed to waste a lot of fabric, they were very friendly to her. The men’s inner clothes had high collars. Her figure was a bit slender for a man, but her height was well within the acceptable range.

At this time, there were very few men over 1.8 meters tall. With her height of over 1.7 meters and long legs, wearing a high-collared robe gave her a certain dashing aura. Luckily, she had a cold face that made people hesitant to approach her, which was probably why Jiang Chényú had chosen her.

Shěn Hétáng changed into a sky-blue regular robe embroidered with cloud patterns. She touched the high collar of her inner garment, feeling a sense of security.

The original body’s development was average, a B at most. She was just thinking of wrapping her chest like in the TV shows when she realized the original body was already wearing a modified vest. It not only made her chest look flatter but also had a slight shaping effect. She didn’t need to overthink it.

After she had finished washing up, Jiang Chényú brought her breakfast.

“Husband, you’re awake. Let’s eat. You’ve had a rough two days. I had them simmer some chicken soup for breakfast. I skimmed the oil off so it’s still light.” Seeing that there was no movement from the west side, she had personally brought Shěn Hétáng breakfast.

“Thank you for the hospitality, I’m not a picky eater.” She said gently, but she felt a bit embarrassed. She still hadn’t gotten used to the schedule here and was waking up later than her. She had to change that tomorrow.

“Husband, why are you so formal? My mother used to call me Yāoyāo, you can call me that too. No one else is allowed.” The girl’s lively eyes seemed to be smiling, as if she were sharing a unique secret with her.

“Okay, then I’ll call you Yāoyāo from now on. It’s a beautiful name.” She subconsciously thought of the word for “graceful”, because it truly suited her.

“Then to return the favor, how about I call you Ā’Táng?” Like a climbing ivy, she was testing the waters, step by step.

“Of course, you can. Calling me ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ is something I’m still not used to.” Using their names made her much more comfortable.

Shěn Hétáng discovered that she could eat a lot, more than twice as much as Jiang Chényú. Where did all that food go in her slender body? But even though she was thin, she was not a weakling. Shěn Hétáng herself hadn’t realized that at times, just by standing there, she looked as sharp as an arrow on a bow.

She looked at the small-framed, well-proportioned figure opposite her, a body that seemed just right, not too thin and not too plump. How had she grown like that? Just with that small bowl of food?

“The young master has a truly blessed look when he eats. Even the young lady drank an extra bowl of soup today!” Chūntáo looked at the two of them and thought they were a more and more perfect match. She became quite talkative.

Was she saying she ate too much? Huh? Was it really a lot? Sigh, being dependent on someone makes one sensitive! She subtly glanced at Jiang Chényú, and seeing no reaction, she stopped worrying. Eating was the most important thing in the world. If it weren’t for this stomach, she might not have gotten into this mess.

On the outside, Shěn Hétáng looked like a gentleman, but inside she was chattering away.

After the meal, Jiang Chényú gave her a piece of paper with her new identity. She was from Lín’an County, Suí Prefecture. Both of her parents had passed away, leaving her with one hundred mǔ (area) of land. After selling it for travel money, she came to Qīngyuán County to seek refuge with relatives. However, the address was wrong, and she couldn’t find them. Instead, she married Miss Jiang at “Jin Xiang Yu” and became a live-in husband in the Jiang residence.

Although it was a bit impolite to write that her parents had passed away, it saved a lot of trouble. Besides, Shěn Hétáng’s parents had indeed passed away many years ago, so she didn’t feel offended.

“Here’s five hundred taels of silver for you. We’ll probably be questioned by a panel of three judges in a day or two, so you should be prepared.” Jiang Chényú took out five one-hundred-tael silver notes from her purse and handed them to Shěn Hétáng.

“With so much silver, aren’t you afraid I’ll run away with it?” she asked, looking up.

“A woman who runs away privately is considered to have committed fornication and will be punished with fifty lashes. In serious cases, they will be stripped of their status and sent into servitude. The same applies to a live-in husband,” the young lady’s voice was slow and melodious as she explained this to Shěn Hétáng.

Shěn Hétáng’s fingers trembled as she held the silver notes. She said ingratiatingly, “Wife, why don’t you hold onto this silver for me?”

“If I keep it, how will they believe it’s your money? You should hold onto it. I trust you!”

Shěn Hétáng looked at the massive wealth in her hands, and the joy she had felt earlier turned a bit heavy. This money wasn’t easy to earn. It was blood money, earned by risking her life. But looking at the lovely person in front of her, she knew that even without the money, she probably would have stepped in to help.

Jiang Chényú’s guess was correct. On the other side of the house, Wú Dàoyuǎn was indeed plotting how to put all the family’s assets into his own pocket. Before old Master Jiang passed away, he had left a dozen of the family’s shops to his daughter, which was, in reality, to Wú Dàoyuǎn.

But he had also left Jiang Chényú two rather low-key but solid grain and tea shops. These two shops were lukewarm compared to the fabric stores and restaurants, and they were run by old-timers who were difficult to budge. They only recognized the Jiang family bloodline and didn’t fall for his tricks at all.

At that time, Jiang Chényú’s mother was weak and obedient to him, and he hadn’t cared for the two shops left for the little girl. He thought he could slowly change the property deeds to his name, and since Jiang Chényú was still under his thumb, getting the remaining two shops was only a matter of time.

The only thing he was dissatisfied with was that the old master hadn’t left much cash. Over the years, he had only managed to collect a little over twenty thousand taels in silver notes. He had once been suspicious, but his wife wouldn’t lie, and his stepdaughter seemed so innocent, so he never found any more silver.

For the past few years, he had been acting as if he were running a business, but his abilities were limited. He could only manage to keep the shops the old master left him afloat. The yearly profits were just enough for smoothing relationships, bribing Jiang family relatives, and his own entertainment while traveling for business. By the end of the year, there wasn’t much left.

No matter how carefree he was outside, he was a good son-in-law when he returned to Qīngyuán County, because two or three distant relatives of the Jiang family were eagerly waiting for him to make a mistake so they could take his place.

Now, the sparrow he held in his palm had flown away. If he couldn’t have a good life, no one else would either. The little girl had grown wings, so she shouldn’t blame him for no longer protecting her from the wind and rain!

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