Marrying the Sweet Story’s Melodramatic Villainess [Transmigration] - Chapter 17

“Gu Yue, you lost.”

These words struck like a heavy blow, causing the already dazed Gu Yue’s breath to hitch. It felt as if an invisible hand had tightened around her heart, making it difficult to breathe.

“Yue-niang, are you alright?” Seeing Gu Yue’s face turn pale and her spirit seem to wander, Pei Mingjiao asked with concern, “I’ll call the manor’s physician to take a look.”

“No need.” Returning to her senses, Gu Yue quickly stopped her, a practiced smile returning to her face. “I simply didn’t expect to lose.”

Hearing this, Pei Mingjiao raised an eyebrow and said triumphantly, “Have you lost to me any less than usual?”

Gu Yue reached out to stick a paper strip on her own face and said to Pei Mingjiao, “Then the Princess must help me out.”

After speaking, she looked across at Cui Yi. The other woman’s expression was indifferent; the paper strip on her forehead masked her natural coldness, leaving her with an air of composed warmth. Gu Yue offered a soft smile. “Lady Cui is truly meticulous; I am not your match.”

Cui Yi looked up at her, knowing that Gu Yue had grown suspicious, but she didn’t mind. “You flatter me.”

After these few rounds, Pei Mingjiao had realized that Cui Yi was quite formidable and didn’t need them to go easy at all. A surge of competitive spirit rose in her heart as she vowed to cover Cui Yi’s face with paper strips. Unfortunately, things did not go as she wished; instead, more strips ended up on her and Gu Yue’s faces.

Pei Mingjiao: “…”

Seeing Pei Mingjiao’s dejected expression and drooping brows—her usually bright face lacking its usual soaring spirit—Cui Yi’s hand paused while dealing. With a flick of her fingers, she swapped for a different card. Within her line of sight, Pei Mingjiao’s features instantly became vivid again. The girl excitedly slammed her cards onto the table, the paper strips on her face fluttering with the motion. “I won!”

Cui Yi gathered her remaining cards, lowering her eyelashes as she played along. “I lost.”

Pei Mingjiao became even more excited, personally sticking a paper strip on Cui Yi’s face, even mischievously placing it near the corner of Cui Yi’s eye.

“…” Cui Yi didn’t care where it was placed, but she thought to herself that as a guest, it would be rude not to give the host some face.

After tagging Cui Yi, Pei Mingjiao ended the card game. She was secretly startled; having finally managed to win a round, she had to stop immediately. If she kept losing, she would lose too much face.

Neither Cui Yi nor Gu Yue had any objections. Once the game ended, maidservants brought in water for them to wash their faces. After the three of them had freshened up, it was time for afternoon tea. The refreshments were extremely exquisite. Cui Yi took a bite of a peach-pink petal pastry; it was soft and fragrant. She followed it with a sip of clear tea, her expression relaxing.

Pei Mingjiao leaned lazily against a soft chair while Gu Yue quietly sipped her tea. The atmosphere was tranquil without being awkward.

Pei Mingjiao narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze unconsciously drifting to Cui Yi. Dressed in a plain robe with her hair in a high bun, her earrings swayed slightly as she lowered her head to drink tea—she looked like an elegant, ethereal portrait of a noble lady.

Truly a fine beauty.

Pei Mingjiao thought happily. She herself was beautiful, and it stood to reason that beautiful people only played with those who were equally good-looking. As the saying goes, “birds of a feather flock together.”

When Cui Yi looked up, she saw Pei Mingjiao looking pleased about something unknown. She was thoroughly enjoying the current silence, so she lowered her eyes and acted as though she had seen nothing.

Pei Mingjiao, however, leaned closer. “Yi-niang, how about I apply your makeup for you?”

Yi-niang?

Wasn’t this form of address a bit too intimate? Pei Mingjiao, however, looked completely natural. She felt that since she had accepted Cui Yi, she shouldn’t be distant; being intimate was only proper.

Cui Yi’s fingers tightened around her teacup. Ultimately, she said nothing, tacitly accepting the nickname. However, applying makeup was out of the question. She glanced out the window and declined politely: “It’s getting late. I should head back.”

It was indeed late. Pei Mingjiao felt a slight sense of loss and insisted on making an appointment for their next meeting.

Cui Yi: “…” I don’t particularly want an appointment.

Cui Yi and Gu Yue left the Princess Mansion together. Until she boarded her carriage, Gu Yue didn’t try to probe further, speaking only of trivial matters. Watching Cui Yi enter her carriage, Gu Yue’s gaze fell on the carriage waiting nearby. After the runaway horse incident, both the coachman and the horses had been replaced. Her thoughts shifted in a split second, and Gu Yue boarded her own carriage.

As soon as she returned to the Gu Residence, Gu Yue went to find Madam Li. Gu Yue was clever, but she was young after all, and there were many suspicious points she couldn’t figure out.

Seeing her daughter’s solemn expression as she dismissed the servants, Madam Li listened as Gu Yue whispered, “Mother, don’t you think the runaway horse incident last time was too much of a coincidence?”

Madam Li knew her daughter’s character—she never spoke without reason. She was startled and began to think carefully along those lines. What could the Gu family have that someone would plot for? Her husband was merely a fifth-rank Hanlin Compiler, a leisurely position. Without demeaning herself, why would a son of a Middle Commandant of the Shence Army be needed to ensnare a minor fifth-rank official? The only person worth plotting against was the one Gu Yue was close to: Commandery Princess Yongjia.

But why use such a circuitous method?

Madam Li was puzzled.

Suddenly, a flash of insight hit Madam Li. Perhaps the target wasn’t the Commandery Princess herself, but the woman behind her: Grand Princess Huayin, Yan Linlang.

Madam Li shared her suspicion. After hearing it, Gu Yue felt the truth wasn’t quite that simple; they were still missing a key link.

“Mother, these are all just guesses.”

Madam Li murmured, “Yes, you’re right.”

Even though it was just a guess, Madam Li didn’t dare let Gu Yue contact the Third Young Master Wang again. However, she worried about what might happen if they “startled the snake in the grass.”

Gu Yue had already made up her mind: “Mother, I intend to tell the Grand Princess about this.”

Madam Li was stunned, but then realized this was the best solution. With their limited power, there was truly nothing they could do. However, since the person in the shadows wanted to use them as pawns, they would dare to flip the chessboard entirely.

Cui Yi felt that since she had revealed the matter to Gu Yue, she no longer needed to pay attention to it. She didn’t expect, however, that the fallout would be so swift. The very next day, news arrived that Wang Cha, the Middle Commandant of the Shence Army, had been dismissed from his post.

When Cui Yi heard this news from Cui Yan, her eyelashes flickered. Cui Yan took a sip of wine and said cryptically, “Although he was dismissed for corruption, still…”

The unspoken words were understood by both Madam Du and Cui Yi: corruption was not the primary reason.

Cui Yi didn’t want to dwell on the underlying causes; she only knew that this particular chess piece, Wang Cha, was now useless. Whatever other methods remained, Pei Mingjiao’s side would now be on guard.

Grand Princess Mansion.

When Yan Linlang heard that Wang Cha had been dismissed, a sneer touched the corners of her eyes. She didn’t know if what Gu Yue said was true or false, but as long as there was suspicion, she didn’t need evidence.

Pei Heng said with some worry, “If it’s true, who knows what other methods they have.”

Yan Linlang glanced at him. “If they only dare to use such underhanded tricks, what is there to fear?”

Pei Heng thought about it and agreed. He put his arm around his wife. “It’s just that Jiao-niang is so simple-minded…”

“It’s enough that the people around her are sharp,” Yan Linlang said, narrowing her eyes as if she didn’t particularly care.

Pei Mingjiao was someone who couldn’t keep a secret, but Gu Yue told her anyway. However, she omitted Cui Yi. Since Cui Yi was willing to give her a hint, she wouldn’t drag her into the mess. Pei Mingjiao listened until her head spun, eventually only understanding that someone was plotting against her family, though it wasn’t clear exactly who. Pei Mingjiao was furious: “What audacity!”

Gu Yue sighed. “Fortunately, it was discovered early.”

At the end of the day, only Gu Yue had been at risk of being harmed. Pei Mingjiao said seriously, “Yue-niang, you’ve suffered a grievance this time.”

Gu Yue didn’t decline the sentiment, saying with a smile, “Then the Princess must find me a husband who meets my heart’s desire.”

“Don’t worry, when the time comes, I’ll have my Uncle grant you a marriage decree.”

Gu Yue’s smile deepened.

Pei Mingjiao frowned. “Do you think those people might also target Yi-niang?”

After all, Cui Yi was also close to her.

“…” Gu Yue consoled her, “Princess, the mastermind won’t strike again in the short term.”

Pei Mingjiao patted Gu Yue’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I will protect you both.”

Gu Yue was very moved, but ultimately, Cui Yi had truly captured Pei Mingjiao’s concern, which made her feel a little sour inside.