Marrying the Sweet Story’s Melodramatic Villainess [Transmigration] - Chapter 15

Commandery Princess Mansion.

Xue Yunyi, the Chief Administrator, was currently reporting administrative affairs to Pei Mingjiao. Pei Mingjiao’s fief was located in the prosperous Yangzhou; she held a thousand-household land grant, and all administrative matters of the mansion were handled by the Chief Administrator. Aside from urgent issues, these were summarized only at the end of each month.

Xue Yunyi was over forty years old, an age where she was already a grandmother. The affairs of the Princess Mansion were relaxed, and the Commandery Princess was not one to make life difficult for others. For Xue Yunyi, this was a perfect place to spend her later years.

Pei Mingjiao listened with forced patience until the end before giving a perfunctory reply: “I understand.”

Xue Yunyi was used to this. Having finished her report, she tactfully took her leave. She happened to run into Gu Yue, who was coming in. The latter greeted her with proper decorum. Xue Yunyi nodded in response; although this girl was favored by the Princess, she never used it as an excuse for arrogance. Xue Yunyi recognized the girl’s ambition but did not feel any aversion to it—after all, who doesn’t want to live a better life?

“Princess, did you enjoy yourself at yesterday’s Wine Appreciation Banquet?” Gu Yue was supposed to have gone along yesterday, but her grandmother had been feeling unwell, so she had to stay behind to look after her.

Pei Mingjiao gave a brief account of the grand event. When Gu Yue heard that Madam Lu had composed a masterpiece, she felt a wave of regret for not hearing it in person. She greatly admired Madam Lu, whose original name was Lu Rongshu. In her youth, she was famous throughout Chang’an for her talent and beauty. She should have entered government service, but for some reason, she chose to marry and ceased to involve herself in political affairs—it was truly a great pity.

Pei Mingjiao signaled a maid to hand the transcribed poem to Gu Yue. Gu Yue read it with great eagerness, feeling refreshed by the verses. After savoring it once more, she offered a thousand thanks to Pei Mingjiao.

Who doesn’t like flattery? Pei Mingjiao was delighted by the praise. She took a sip of tea, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. Seeing this, Gu Yue asked with concern, “Is the Princess facing some difficulty?”

Recalling how she had acted like a “drunk maniac” toward Cui Yi yesterday, Pei Mingjiao felt quite embarrassed. Since this incident damaged her dignity, she naturally wouldn’t tell Gu Yue. She kept it bottled up inside, which inevitably caused her to vent her frustration on Zhao Xuan and Murong Xihua. She picked through the events and said, “Murong Xihua has always been at odds with me. Everyone knows her feelings for Zhao Xuan, yet yesterday Zhao Xuan approached me. I have no idea what he was plotting.”

In short, she wanted Gu Yue to find a way to deal with them.

Murong Xihua was simple-minded, but Zhao Xuan was a difficult opponent. Gu Yue’s mind turned quickly as she came up with a plan: “Since Murong Xihua is enamored with Zhao Xuan, why not fulfill her wish?”

Pei Mingjiao was displeased: “Wouldn’t that be doing Murong Xihua a favor?”

“But Zhao Xuan has no interest in Murong Xihua,” Gu Yue added meaningfully.

Wouldn’t that make them a resentful couple?

Although Pei Mingjiao disliked Murong Xihua, she did not wish to make her miserable. She rejected the idea immediately: “No, that’s not right. Not appropriate at all.”

Gu Yue knew she wouldn’t agree and gave a bitter smile. “Forgive my incompetence; I truly cannot think of another way.”

Pei Mingjiao did not blame her, saying spitefully, “Then the next time I see them, don’t blame me for not giving them any face.”

Gu Yue was already accustomed to Pei Mingjiao’s “crushing strength” approach to problem-solving. As long as things didn’t get too ugly, no major trouble would arise.

Having made up her mind, Pei Mingjiao stopped thinking about the two people who ruined her mood. She then shared the news about the Cui family opening a wine shop: “Let’s go support Cui Yi tomorrow.”

Gu Yue’s brow furrowed slightly as she immediately thought of Gu Ning. That girl truly had good luck, managing to cling to the Prince of Yue, Yan Zhen. With the backing of the imperial clan, her business was booming. Suppressing the bitterness in her heart, she smiled and agreed, “With the current reputation of the Cui family’s wine, I can only imagine how lively it will be.”

She added, “I’m a bit envious, though I truly have no talent for business.”

Since Madam Li managed the household, Gu Yue was well aware of the family’s finances. The shops managed by the family brought in a monthly profit of no more than three hundred taels. This looked like a lot, but it had to support a large household. Her monthly allowance was only ten taels, so she had to be stingy with every purchase. When she left the house today, she had seen the blue gemstone hairpin on Gu Ning’s head, which must have cost a hundred taels. It wasn’t that she didn’t have fine jewelry, but it made her feel uneasy inside.

Pei Mingjiao had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth and could have whatever she wanted. She didn’t quite understand Gu Yue’s mindset; she only figured Gu Yue was short on cash. With a wave of her hand, she gifted her several thousand taels of silver. Gu Yue was overjoyed and, after a thought, suggested, “Princess, why don’t we start a business of our own?”

Pei Mingjiao wasn’t very interested, so Gu Yue had to drop the subject.

After chatting for a while, Gu Yue rose to say goodbye. Just as she left the Princess Mansion, her carriage encountered a startled horse. Gu Yue clung tightly to the walls of the carriage. Through the swaying curtains, she could see the panicked crowd outside. The coachman in front had already been thrown off. The maid, following her instructions, was also clinging to the carriage. Fortunately, they hadn’t been spotted by the Jinwu Guard street patrols yet. Pale-faced, Gu Yue prepared to save herself; she had trained with horses before and couldn’t just sit there waiting for death.

Just as she was about to act, the carriage seemed to stabilize.

The door was opened, and a man approached, silhouetted against the light. He had a refined appearance and asked softly, “Second Lady Gu, are you alright?”

News of the runaway horse reached even Cui Yi’s ears, thanks to the “little gossip expert” Dongzhi: “The hero who saved the beauty is Wang Cheng, the son of the Middle Commandant of the Shence Army. He isn’t married yet.”

Cui Yi sorted through the orders placed by the various families yesterday and handed them to Gu Jing for safekeeping, to be given to the wine shop manager, Wu Liuniang, tomorrow. Hearing the news from Dongzhi, a flicker passed through Cui Yi’s eyes. This was no accident; it was merely one link in the mastermind’s chain.

Her fingertips rubbed the edge of her teacup as the image of Pei Mingjiao’s bright, sunny face appeared in her mind. Cui Yi lowered her gaze and drained her tea in one gulp.

The Cui family originally had no connection to the plot. If she wanted to live a peaceful life, it was best not to get involved.

“My Lady, the Commandery Princess of Yongjia has sent someone with gifts.”

Having rewarded Gu Yue, Pei Mingjiao felt she shouldn’t be biased, so she sent equivalent items over—Cloud Brocade and jewelry, all of which were practical for daily use.

Dongzhi picked up a dangling hairpin and held it against Cui Yi’s head. “It really suits you, My Lady.”

Gu Jing felt that the Shimmering Cloud Brocade was perfect for the current season and began thinking about what styles to make.

Cui Yi’s gaze swept over the gifts. “Go to my private treasury and pick out some items to send back to the Princess in return.”

Gu Jing obeyed.

When Cui Yi took another sip of tea, her calm heart suddenly felt restless. She let out a soft, ghostly sigh.

Fine. I will help just this once.

Gu Yue, still shaken, returned to the mansion. Madam Li quickly ordered the kitchen to brew a bowl of soul-calming soup. Once Gu Yue had recovered somewhat, she told Madam Li what had happened. Madam Li insisted that Gu Yue strip so she could check for bruises. To ease her mother’s mind, Gu Yue complied. Aside from a few broken fingernails, she had no injuries, and Madam Li finally felt relieved.

Gu Yue reminded Madam Li not to forget to send a thank-you gift to Wang Cheng.

Madam Li naturally agreed: “Of course, of course.”

Noticing the bashfulness Gu Yue showed when mentioning her savior, Madam Li began to have some thoughts of her own. However, she said nothing, merely sending people privately to investigate Wang Cheng’s character.

Gu Ning, who was at home checking accounts, heard the news and sneered. She didn’t believe for a second this was a “good match.” However, she had no intention of warning them; she would simply wait for the wicked to reap what they sowed.

A maid came over: “Eldest Lady, the Commandery Princess of Yongjia has come to see the Second Lady. Should we go over?”

Gu Ning had no desire to deal with them with fake pleasantries; she couldn’t even bring herself to put on a show: “I’m not going.”

She simply sent over some tonics to maintain appearances.