Marrying the Sweet Story’s Melodramatic Villainess [Transmigration] - Chapter 18

It had rained all through the night. Now that it was August, the air carried a noticeable chill. Due to the sudden drop in temperature, Cui Yi failed to ward off a cold. Suppressing the itch in her throat, she took the bowl of Chinese medicine from Gu Jing and drank it without changing her expression. She then popped a candied fruit into her mouth to suppress the bitterness. Her face wore the sickly, frail pallor of illness. As the pitter-patter of rain echoed from the eaves, Cui Yi rose and walked toward the door.

Standing under the eaves, she looked up to see the sky shrouded in a layer of thin clouds. Fine silk-like threads of rain drifted down like a light veil, making everything appear as if encased in a misty haze. The bluestone slabs in the courtyard were covered in a thin layer of apricot leaves. After watching the rain for a while, Cui Yi returned inside and reclined on the soft couch, her hair loosely pinned. Inside the room, incense burned; the wisps of agarwood drifted through the air, and a wave of drowsiness overcame her. Gu Jing stood to the side, her breathing lightened so as not to disturb her.

Just then, Dongzhi lifted the curtain and entered. Seeing Cui Yi napping, she instinctively swallowed her words. Gu Jing led Dongzhi outside, and only then did she speak: “What is it? Why are you in such a panic?”

“The Prince of Jin’s Mansion sent an invitation for our Mistress.” Dongzhi held the gold-stamped invitation, looking to Gu Jing for direction.

Cui Yi’s only connection to the Prince of Jin’s Mansion was the Royal Daughter, Yan Yuanyi, whom she had met previously. Since the other party was of noble status, Gu Jing bit her lip and woke Cui Yi. “My Lady, the Royal Daughter of the Prince of Jin’s Mansion has sent an invitation.”

Cui Yi rubbed her temples. Once fully awake, she took the invitation and looked it over. It turned out to be an invitation to play Go at the mansion tomorrow. She wasn’t surprised; Yan Yuanyi had mentioned it last time, and Cui Yi hadn’t taken it as mere polite talk.

Gu Jing asked worriedly, “My Lady, what about your health?”

“It’s fine.” Cui Yi wouldn’t joke with her own body; taking the medicine was mostly to put Madam Du’s mind at ease. However, after this interruption, her drowsiness had vanished. She decided to look over some zither scores. The original host was an excellent zither player, and since Cui Yi had nothing else to do, she took it up as a new hobby.

Seeing that Cui Yi didn’t mind, Gu Jing kept her thoughts to herself.

After a long while, Dongzhi’s cheerful voice rang out: “The rain has stopped!”

Cui Yi instinctively looked out the window.

The rain had indeed stopped.

A maid rushed over: “My Lady, Commandery Princess Yongjia has arrived.”

Cui Yi’s hand paused as she set down the zither score. Her brows furrowed slightly, wondering why the “villainess” had come.

Pei Mingjiao happened to be passing by the Cui Residence and, thinking about the plot against Gu Yue, decided to drop in and give Cui Yi a warning.

Normally, Cui Yi would have gone to the outer courtyard to meet her, but Madam Du took pity on her daughter’s health. Pei Mingjiao didn’t care for such formalities either. Madam Du sent word to Cui Yi first, and then a maid led Pei Mingjiao to Cui Yi’s small courtyard.

Cui Yi’s courtyard was like the person herself, carrying a scent of cold fragrance.

As soon as Pei Mingjiao sat down, a cup of hot tea was placed before her. Noting Cui Yi’s pale complexion—with even less color in her face than usual—she frowned: “Did you catch a cold?”

“I’ll have an imperial physician come look at you.”

Cui Yi declined: “It’s a recurring ailment. It will be fine after a few days of rest.”

Seeing no signs of forced politeness on Cui Yi’s face, Pei Mingjiao relaxed. She was always direct but knew when to be discreet; she dismissed the maids in the room before telling Cui Yi about Gu Yue’s situation. “Since you are close to me, I’m afraid someone might plot against you as well. But don’t worry—I will protect you.”

Pei Mingjiao’s beautiful little face was set in a serious, solemn expression. Cui Yi’s eyelashes flickered. For some reason, she found herself unable to meet the girl’s gaze. She looked away, her throat feeling slightly dry. “Thank you for the warning, Princess.”

Pei Mingjiao reminded her: “Be wary of anyone who tries to get close to you.”

Cui Yi: “I will.”

Seeing her looking so trusting, Pei Mingjiao felt very satisfied. She thought to herself that since the other girl’s health was so poor, wouldn’t it be too pitiful if she didn’t have her protection? The words almost tumbled out: “Yi-niang, from now on, you should stay with me during the day. I’d like to see who dares approach you then.”

Cui Yi was stunned for a moment, feeling a bit of a headache coming on. “Princess, that isn’t necessary.”

Pei Mingjiao thought the idea was brilliant. Hearing Cui Yi’s disagreement, she pouted: “Why not?”

Cui Yi looked up at her, her gaze steady and deep. “Princess, are you sure you want me following you all day long?”

Pei Mingjiao wanted to say yes, but under Cui Yi’s gaze, her brain cooled down. She stammered, unable to find the right words.

Seeing this, Cui Yi let out a sigh and offered some “comfort”: “I know the Princess is worried about me. If anyone with ill intentions approaches me, I will be sure to inform the Princess immediately.”

Pei Mingjiao felt much better after hearing that and stopped making a fuss. Cui Yi breathed a sigh of relief and quietly sipped her hot tea. Taking in the cold fragrance of the room, Pei Mingjiao rested her chin in her hands. “Yi-niang, if it doesn’t rain tomorrow, let’s go for an outing in the suburbs.”

Cui Yi: “…Princess, I already have an appointment tomorrow.”

Pei Mingjiao pressed: “With whom?”

Cui Yi mentioned the appointment to play Go at the Prince of Jin’s Mansion.

“Yan Yuanyi is quite an interesting person.” Although Pei Mingjiao didn’t usually hang out with Yan Yuanyi, she had a good impression of her.

Cui Yi hummed in response.

Pei Mingjiao leaned in close, her bright eyes fixed on Cui Yi. “You have to win, okay?”

This distance, which could be described as intimate, made Cui Yi very uncomfortable. She pursed her lips and gave her word.

“I’ve lost.” Yan Yuanyi was very graceful in defeat. Her finger pointed to a white stone on the board. “I lost right here.”

Cui Yi hadn’t won easily either. She gave a soft smile. “This was a risky move; I simply gambled correctly.”

Yan Yuanyi smiled back. “Winning against me next time won’t be so easy.”

The two shared a smile. Fulu, the puppy, was running in circles nearby, chasing its own tail; it especially loved this game. Yan Yuanyi scooped up Fulu. “The autumn imperial examinations are coming up; I wonder who will take the top spot.”

Cui Yi didn’t respond, and Yan Yuanyi didn’t mind. She petted Fulu twice before setting him down and calling for maids to bring tea and snacks. As they sat across from each other, Yan Yuanyi said with a smile, “I have some Go scores from Master Yan, the State Physician. Take them back with you later, and we can play again next time.”

Cui Yi didn’t stand on ceremony and nodded in agreement.

They shared tea and chatted for a while longer before Cui Yi rose to take her leave. Yan Yuanyi personally escorted her to the mansion gates.

Inside the carriage.

Dongzhi: “The Royal Daughter has such a wonderful personality.”

Cui Yi’s expression was neutral as she agreed: “Yes, she does.”

The carriage drove toward the East Market. Cui Yi decided to stop by the wine shop since it was on the way. Wu Liuniang was speaking with a worker and looked eager when she saw Cui Yi. “My Lady, what brings you here?”

Cui Yi surveyed the shop and followed Wu Liuniang into the back room. Wu Liuniang reported the situation honestly. After finishing, she couldn’t tell what Cui Yi was thinking, so she added: “My Lady, could we sell the wine by the cup or in smaller quantities?”

The price of a whole jar made many people hesitate. If they sold it in bulk or by the cup, there could be a significant increase in revenue.

However, Cui Yi declined. The brand was aimed at the high-end market; the target audience wasn’t the average person.

Wu Liuniang felt it was a pity but didn’t push the matter further.

While Cui Yi was checking her shop, the “female lead” was doing the same. Gu Ning had a monthly income of ten thousand taels, and her manor in the suburbs was simultaneously producing glass. The technology was still crude, however, and remained in the refinement stage.

Even though her career was progressing steadily, Gu Ning couldn’t bring herself to be happy. She discovered that the plot she knew had changed. Wang Cha, the Middle Commandant of the Shence Army, was supposed to be exposed much later in the story, at which point her stepsister would have already married into the Wang family.

Is this a butterfly effect caused by my transmigration?

Right now, the “male lead” hadn’t even begun to think about competing for the throne. The plot was already in disarray—did she still have the advantage of foresight?

Gu Ning pursed her lips. She decided to test Gu Yue to see if she knew anything.

Gu Yue: “…”

After seeing Gu Ning off with a smile, Gu Yue’s expression darkened. What kind of role was her elder sister playing in all of this?

Did she know? After all, we are sisters.