Marrying the Sweet Story’s Melodramatic Villainess [Transmigration] - Chapter 48

During the family banquet, the Emperor of Qi not only summoned Pei Mingjiao and Cui Yi for a private audience but also met two juniors from the Zheng family. One of them was Zheng Liuniang, a very charming girl who, like Pei Mingjiao, possessed a bright and vivid beauty. After finishing her conversation with the Emperor, her gaze instinctively fell upon Pei Mingjiao. Earlier, she had only observed from afar, but now that she was close, Zheng Liuniang noticed many clever details in Mingjiao’s grooming.

Seeing that her aunt and the Emperor were occupied, she leaned in to inquire.

Pei Mingjiao, the “beauty blogger,” seeing Zheng Liuniang so eager to learn, launched into a detailed explanation with flying spirits. Zheng Liuniang listened and took notes diligently. Seeing her so earnest, Pei Mingjiao’s impression of her improved even further, and she issued an invitation: “I’ve been designing clothes lately. If you’re interested, you can come and learn with me.”

Zheng Liuniang accepted with great joy.

Cui Yi, who witnessed the entire interaction, said nothing. She was naturally happy to see her wife make a new friend.

From her seat of honor, Noble Consort Zheng was equally pleased to see Zheng Liuniang and Pei Mingjiao getting along. Although she currently enjoyed the Emperor’s favor and dominated the inner palace, she remained like rootless duckweed.

No infant’s cry was heard in the palace, and the Emperor was nearly forty. While people often wished the Emperor “ten thousand years” of life, the previous monarch had passed away at only fifty-four. No one could say for sure what the future held. Noble Consort Zheng had to plan for the worst. She was prominent now, but what kind of life was the once-glamorous Consort Lin—who had been the envy of all women—leading now in this square palace? Without a single child to her name, she had been forced to retract her claws and shrink into a cold, lonely palace, rarely even stepping out of the gates.

What is the point of that? Noble Consort Zheng thought.

How was she any different from Consort Lin? The Emperor seemed to dote on her, yet he would not depose the Empress for her sake to place her in the position of Mother of the Nation. Furthermore, how could a future successor ever respect a concubine who lacked a proper status?

Therefore, she had to make arrangements early.

It was common knowledge that the Pei family held the Emperor’s heart, but the Zheng family currently enjoyed overwhelming imperial grace and favor, standing their ground. Everyone secretly speculated and made their own calculations.

That evening, the Princess of Yue spoke to the Prince of Yue about the olive branch extended by Noble Consort Zheng. The Prince of Yue was a man of steady habits; in the past, he would have likely refused directly. However, the returned Yan Zhen was a man of strong opinions, so he simply summoned Yan Zhen to the study to let him decide for himself.

Yan Zhen pondered for a long time, analyzing the pros and cons in his mind before finally agreeing.

The Zheng family’s current situation could be described as “raging fire and blossoming flowers.” Under normal circumstances, any imperial clansman who entered a marriage alliance with them would inevitably draw suspicion and wariness from all sides. However, his situation was different. He had been “recognized” and brought back, and his bloodline was still a matter of doubt. With such a peculiar background, the Emperor would not harbor any suspicion; on the contrary, to maintain balance, he would be happy to see it happen.

The Prince of Yue stared at Yan Zhen, who shared his likeness, and knew his son’s ambition. But this path was too difficult—one could say it was a dead end. The words of persuasion stuck in his throat, and he finally let out a long sigh. “Forget it. In the end, this is a world for you young people. I am old.”

Yan Zhen’s eyes flickered.

With both sides willing, the marriage was settled—though only privately for now, despite the rumors beginning to spread.

But no one had ever asked for Zheng Liuniang’s consent.

Consequently, Pei Mingjiao saw a very depressed Zheng Liuniang and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

Zheng Liuniang was only sixteen, and the innocence in her features was even more pronounced than that of the married Pei Mingjiao. Among the noble circles of Chang’an, few married before the age of eighteen, and Zheng Liuniang hadn’t even thought about marrying so early.

Zheng Liuniang bit her lip. This should have been a private matter, but seeing Pei Mingjiao’s concerned look, she spoke up.

Hearing this, Pei Mingjiao knit her brows. “Before it’s finalized, you must go and make things clear to your family immediately.”

Noble Consort Zheng was favored; obtaining an imperial decree for marriage would not be difficult. Once the Emperor acted as the matchmaker, even if they became a resentful couple, they would have to stay together for a lifetime.

The Duke and Duchess of Qingguo were a perfect example. They had received a marriage decree from the late Emperor, but their life after marriage had been a chaotic mess. The Duke found the Duchess dull and took a swarm of beautiful concubines. Once the late Emperor passed away, the Duke didn’t even bother to pretend anymore, even going so far as to gossip about their private bedroom affairs. The Duchess was driven to illness by sheer anger and remains bedridden to this day. Her maiden family had come to make scenes and even started fights, yet they still could not divorce.

“It’s no use.” Zheng Liuniang was very clear-headed; a family decision was not something she could resist.

Pei Mingjiao looked at Zheng Liuniang, utterly baffled. “You haven’t even tried to speak; how do you know it’s no use?”

Zheng Liuniang could not analyze all the pros and cons for her, so she could only lower her gaze and bite her lip, acting like a turtle in its shell.

Pei Mingjiao felt frustrated on her behalf. “If you aren’t willing and don’t fight for it, even if you fail, you can just think of another way. Surely you don’t actually want to marry him?”

Zheng Liuniang’s eyelashes trembled. Suddenly, she felt a sense of enlightenment. In her eyes, Pei Mingjiao seemed to be glowing. She suddenly said loudly, “Princess, you are truly beautiful and kind-hearted!”

With just that one sentence, Pei Mingjiao felt light-headed with pride all day, not forgetting to boast in front of Cui Yi. Hearing the story, Cui Yi sighed, “You really have grown up.”

Pei Mingjiao puffed out her cheeks and suddenly pounced on Cui Yi, biting her on the collarbone through her clothes. A trace of flirtatious charm appeared between her brows. “If I hadn’t grown up, could I do this to you?”

The collarbone felt a slight tingle—it didn’t hurt. Cui Yi, lying flat on the bed, reached out with her fingertip to pinch Pei Mingjiao’s collarbone in the same spot. She gave a warm smile. “Be good. I have a guest to see in a moment.”

Pei Mingjiao got up unhappily.

Watching Cui Yi straighten her slightly disheveled clothes, a sudden spark of inspiration hit her. “Yi-niang, if you hadn’t married me, what kind of person would you have chosen?”

The movement of her hands paused. Cui Yi said nonchalantly, “I wouldn’t have.”

Pei Mingjiao didn’t understand. “What?”

Cui Yi looked up and met Pei Mingjiao’s eyes, saying word by word, “There would have been no one else. I had never considered marriage back then.”

Pei Mingjiao’s eyes lit up, and she asked bashfully, “Then why did you think of marrying me back then?”

Cui Yi gave a soft laugh. “Because someone claimed I had ruined her virtue.”

With that, she walked out of the inner chamber.

Pei Mingjiao, who had never expected that answer, stared huffily at Cui Yi’s back and shouted, “Hmph! It’s clearly because you like me!”

Cui Yi, her back to Pei Mingjiao, did not voice any rebuttal.

Pei Mingjiao couldn’t help but laugh out loud with triumph.

Cui Yi’s pace quickened instantly.

The guest Cui Yi was to see was Meng Yishu. Officials had a fifteen-day New Year holiday. Meng Yishu hadn’t returned to her hometown but had sent some New Year goods back. She didn’t have many relatives in Chang’an—only a distant one she rarely visited. During the New Year, she had paid her respects once as a junior. Now that she was free, she wanted to invite a friend for a chat.

Knowing Cui Yi’s health was poor, she took the initiative to visit her.

Cui Yi had already moved into the Princess’s Manor, where there weren’t as many rules. Since Meng Yishu came on a whim, Cui Yi hosted her casually, leading her on a stroll before settling in the tea room to catch up.

Though there was no wine, Meng Yishu didn’t mind. Her family was one of “scholarly farmers,” and their background wasn’t particularly wealthy; she couldn’t tell good tea from bad. After taking two large gulps, she said with a full smile, “Yi-niang, you have much more ‘human flavor’ than before. It seems even you cannot escape the common lot; the ‘gentle village’ of love is truly intoxicating.”

Cui Yi wasn’t bothered by Meng Yishu’s teasing in the slightest. She said quite frankly, “I was always a common person.”

Meng Yishu laughed heartily. “Indeed, we are all common people!”

After laughing, Meng Yishu smelled the Zen incense filling the room and spoke suddenly, “The County Princess of Nanping returns to the capital the day after tomorrow. I wonder what kind of glory she will bring.”

Cui Yi replied, “I do not know.”