Marrying the Sweet Story’s Melodramatic Villainess [Transmigration] - Chapter 25

“At the very least…”

At the very least what? Pei Mingjiao pursed her lips. The surface of the pool reflected her current face—moist, flushed, confused, and panicked.

Caizhu couldn’t see Pei Mingjiao’s expression, and her hands didn’t stop moving, but after waiting a long time for a follow-up to no avail, she asked in confusion: “…Princess?”

Pei Mingjiao blinked, suddenly starting to throw a tantrum for some unknown reason: “On what basis should she get married? I haven’t even married anyone yet…”

Caizhu’s eyes lit up. “Does the Princess wish to wed?”

“…I do not.” Pei Mingjiao puffed out her cheeks; she didn’t want to start a family so soon.

Caizhu was very disappointed. “The noble ladies of suitable age in Chang’an are getting married one after another. If the Princess joins them, the next generation will be around the same age and can play together.”

Perhaps because Caizhu described it so vividly, Pei Mingjiao had a nightmare that night. She dreamed of Cui Yi with a large belly, saying coldly that their child was about to be born and telling her to get ready. She had no idea what to prepare, which woke her up in a panic.

In the outer room, Caizhu heard the commotion and quickly lit a lamp. Seeing Pei Mingjiao drenched in sweat, she said worriedly, “Did the Princess have a nightmare? I’ll call the physician.”

A shock to the spirit was a serious matter, and Caizhu didn’t dare delay, but Pei Mingjiao stopped her. She clutched her chest, her face solemn, murmuring: “Cui Yi is pregnant with my child…”

Caizhu didn’t hear clearly, but she saw Pei Mingjiao suddenly get out of bed, looking as if she had reached a grand epiphany. Cui Yi had ruined her purity; she should have taken responsibility for her from the start. Now she wanted to toss her aside and marry some pretty boy she barely knew? No such luck.

Thinking that after they married, Cui Yi would have to act according to her whims, Pei Mingjiao suddenly felt incredibly spirited. With her chin held high, she instructed Caizhu: “Wake me up early tomorrow.”

Caizhu couldn’t figure out what this was about, but she obeyed anyway: “Yes.”

As a result, Pei Mingjiao was excited for most of the night before falling asleep. The next day, not only did she have dark circles under her eyes, but a pimple had also popped up on her forehead.

Pei Mingjiao was nearly died of embarrassment at her own “ugliness.” Caizhu applied makeup to cover the dark circles, and after applying ointment to the pimple, she tied a forehead band on her. Pei Mingjiao stared into the bronze mirror, looking left and right. After confirming she wasn’t ugly, she marched out of the door with her head held high.

“My Lady, the Princess is here again.”

Cui Yi leaned against the beauty couch. Through the open wooden window, dark clouds were gathering outside. It looked like a rainstorm was imminent—clearly not good weather, nor a good time for a visit. Cui Yi rose, Gu Jing lifted the pearl curtain, and Cui Yi sat in the outer room to receive her guest.

Cui Yi didn’t wait long before Pei Mingjiao arrived in a hurry. Today she wore a brilliant, magnificent robe with a blue gemstone band tied around her forehead, looking bright and dazzling.

As soon as she arrived, she took charge. Before Cui Yi could speak, she directly ordered everyone to leave. Cui Yi didn’t say anything, merely nodding slightly. The maids and servants departed quietly, leaving only the two of them in the large inner room.

The cold fragrance lingered. Cui Yi sat there quietly, her dark eyes clearly reflecting Pei Mingjiao’s current appearance. Pei Mingjiao, who had a belly full of words, suddenly found herself unable to speak. After gulping down a cup of tea, she stammered: “Cui Yi, you have to take responsibility for me.”

“…” Cui Yi, who had expected the villainess to say something else, pondered for a moment. “Where did this come from?”

Once the ice was broken, the rest came easily. Pei Mingjiao didn’t flinch, staring straight at Cui Yi. “You kissed me, did you not?”

Cui Yi: “…Yes.”

“You also touched me, did you not?”

Cui Yi’s eyelashes flickered imperceptibly: “…Yes.”

Pei Mingjiao straightened her back, acting perfectly justified: “Then shouldn’t you take responsibility for me?”

Cui Yi’s fingers curled. She raised her eyes to meet Pei Mingjiao’s. “It was a move of necessity. Why must the Princess be so aggressive? If you act like this, who would dare to save anyone in the future?”

Pei Mingjiao bit her teeth. She understood—Cui Yi was saying she was repaying kindness with enmity. She was both angry and flustered, her face turning red, but she stuck to her point: “But my purity is gone. Shouldn’t you be responsible?”

Cui Yi took a sip of tea: “We are both women; it is no matter.”

Pei Mingjiao rose and sat down right next to Cui Yi, her scent tightly enveloping the other. Without blushing at all, she pouted and went to kiss Cui Yi.

Her movement was too fast. Before Cui Yi could react, her cheek dipped slightly as a light, soft sensation pressed against it. Startled, Cui Yi stood up, her heart skipping a beat. A layer of pink spread across her face. Looking away, she said coldly: “Absurd.”

Pei Mingjiao, who felt a tiny bit of impulse and shyness, saw this and raised her eyebrows triumphantly, throwing the same words back at her: “We are both women; it is no matter.”

“You…” Seeing Pei Mingjiao’s smug look, a surge of irritation rose in Cui Yi. She closed her eyes and said coldly, “I cannot host you properly. Please return, Princess.”

Seeing that Cui Yi was angry, Pei Mingjiao leaned in hesitantly. “Is it not possible?”

The rainstorm arrived suddenly. Pea-sized raindrops hit the roof in a dense rhythm, making a crackling sound.

The air was heavy. After a long while, Cui Yi said: “Marriage is a major life event, decided by parents and matchmakers. How can it be treated as a joke?”

“If you agree, I’ll go back and have my mother come over to propose marriage.” Pei Mingjiao didn’t think this was a problem.

Cui Yi sat back down. Pei Mingjiao followed closely, sitting right against her. Cui Yi gave her a look. “How can two women marry?”

“Why can’t they?” Pei Mingjiao said excitedly. This was all thanks to the precedent set by the Yan family. Since the Yan family took the throne, they had never been picky about gender; as long as someone was good-looking, it was fine. During the reign of the Empresses, there were several female imperial consorts. Currently, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice is married to a woman. It’s just that same-sex marriage requires a payment to the imperial court—after all, population is a primary national resource, and if everyone did this, how would the nation develop and expand its territory?

Pei Mingjiao felt apprehensive: “I will pay the silver.”

Cui Yi recalled this policy in her mind. Her cold gaze landed on Pei Mingjiao. The blue gemstone on the other’s forehead was pure and bright, and the eyes looking at her were the same—like a noble cat with excellent fur. Her throat moved: “My parents are harmoniously married, and they hope for me to find mutual love in the future. I feel the same. Between the Princess and me, it was merely an accident.”

Pei Mingjiao blinked guiltily. Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed Cui Yi’s hand, promising: “I will be good to you.”

The sensation on her hand was warm and soft. Looking at those somewhat ignorant eyes, Cui Yi lowered her gaze. After a long, ghostly sigh, she seemed to compromise: “Fine. I will marry you.”

Having received the confirmation, Pei Mingjiao gripped Cui Yi’s hand tightly. But seeing her expression was so flat, she felt a sting of indescribable pain in her heart. She promised again, gloomily: “I will be good to you.”

Cui Yi answered her: “Mhm.”

“What?” Yan Linlang, who was reclining on her couch, sat up straight.

Pei Mingjiao repeated it: “Mother, I want to marry Cui Yi.”

Yan Linlang scrutinized her impulsive eldest daughter. Only after a long silence did she ask, “Have you thought it through?”

Pei Mingjiao nodded with certainty: “Yes.”

Yan Linlang leaned back again and didn’t speak for a long time. Seeing this, Pei Mingjiao became anxious and knelt directly on the floor. “I hope Mother will grant this.”

The pleasant scent of agarwood drifted through the room. Yan Linlang delayed her answer, and Pei Mingjiao remained kneeling. Half an hour passed, and Pei Mingjiao’s legs were trembling with pain, yet she forced herself not to make a sound. Yan Linlang raised her eyes to look at her. “Get up.”

With those words, the head nanny, feeling pained for her, helped Pei Mingjiao up. Once Pei Mingjiao was seated, her dark eyes fixed on Yan Linlang. Yan Linlang asked her calmly: “Jiao-niang, marriage is not a joke. Have you truly thought it through?”

If the person was Cui Yi, then there was no problem. Pei Mingjiao said firmly: “Yes.”

Yan Linlang took a cup of tea to moisten her throat: “I will ask your Uncle to grant the marriage decree.”

Pei Mingjiao’s eyes lit up. “Mother, you are the best.”

Yan Linlang smiled gently. “Go apply some ointment.”

Since the matter was settled, Pei Mingjiao happily went back to apply ointment to her knees. Nanny Zhang, seeing this, whispered: “Princess, are you just going to indulge the Commandery Princess like this?”

Yan Linlang said slowly: “It’s rare to see Jiao-niang so persistent. It doesn’t matter if we go along with her wishes.”

“But…” To Nanny Zhang, the harmony of Yin and Yang was the proper path. When one grew old, wouldn’t there be no one to inherit the family line? Nanny Zhang had watched Pei Mingjiao grow up and hoped she would have a house full of children in her old age. “The Princess is simple-minded after all; she has mistaken a life-saving grace for romantic feelings. It will be too late to regret it later.”

Yan Linlang was always close to Nanny Zhang, who had served her since childhood. Hearing this, she said meaningfully: “Jiao-niang is silly, but she is also shrewd.”

“Furthermore, it doesn’t matter if she regrets it. She can just divorce.”

Pei Mingjiao’s grandfather was the late Emperor Hui, her maternal uncle was the current Emperor, her mother was a Grand Princess, and her father came from the Pei family of Hedong. She had her own title and fief. With such a massive backing, who would dare bully her?

Nanny Zhang thought about it and agreed. She glanced at the elegant and noble Grand Princess and gritted her teeth: “Then we must choose some concubines for the Princess who are good at bearing children.”

After all these years, Nanny Zhang still looked down on the playboy Consort Pei. When the Grand Princess married him, Nanny Zhang had thought about picking some male consorts for her, but the Grand Princess refused and had stayed faithful to only the Consort for all these years. Nanny Zhang had accepted that, but now the Commandery Princess was different. She was going to marry a woman; how would she continue the bloodline? They had to pick some concubines so the Grand Princess could hold a grandchild sooner.

“…” Yan Linlang said with a laugh: “They aren’t even married yet, and you’re already trying to add obstacles for people.”

Nanny Zhang grumbled: “This is different.”

Yan Linlang knew what she was worried about. “When Er-lang gets married in the future, we can just have him adopt a child out to Jiao-niang.”

Pei Mingxuan, who had no idea his mother was plotting for his future children, had already become good friends with Cui Ting. With examinations approaching, Pei Mingxuan was tutoring Cui Ting. There was no choice; the masters at the Imperial Academy hit palms far too hard.

At this time, neither of them knew they would be relatives in the future.

While Pei Mingjiao had come clean with Yan Linlang, Cui Yi also sought out Madam Du.

Madam Du warmly invited her daughter to eat some snacks. After Cui Yi finished the snacks and took a sip of hot tea, she went straight to the point: “Mother, I want to marry Commandery Princess Yongjia.”

The smile on Madam Du’s face vanished. After a long silence, she said: “You know that San-lang is the husband I chose for you.”

Cui Yi: “I know.”

Madam Du looked at Cui Yi, whose health was gradually improving, and said with maternal love: “San-lang has a gentle temperament, and he promised me he would never take a concubine in his life. You are cousins; you couldn’t be a better match.”

Cui Yi said seriously: “Mother, I never intended to start a family before.”

“Then why…” are you willing now?

Madam Du swallowed the rest of her words. She remembered the red, swollen lips and the hickeys on Cui Yi’s neck at the Great Princess Mansion. She had never asked a single word in private, treating it as an accident. She never expected that the day would eventually come.

Cui Yi lowered her gaze, her brow looking frail and pale. “Mother, my health is poor, and bearing children would be difficult. If I were forced to conceive, I fear for my life.”

“I am unwilling.”

After a long time, Madam Du let out a sigh. “The Princess has a pampered and arrogant temperament. What if you suffer grievances?”

Hearing this, a light smile appeared on Cui Yi’s face. “I won’t suffer grievances.”