The Eldest Princess is Always Feigning Poverty and Weakness - Chapter 6

Wen Ningzhou struck exactly where it tickled Chen Changqing’s vanity. “Brother Chen, you spent your wedding night reading by lamplight in the study and set off for your studies the very next day. If my father were to hear of such dedication, I am certain he would look upon you with newfound respect.”

As expected, Chen Changqing’s eyes lit up. “Would my father-in-law… truly forgive me?”

Deep down, he clearly knew that eloping with a man’s precious daughter was enough to incite a murderous rage. The fact that he could even ask such a question showed he was already convincing himself that the Prime Minister would eventually come around.

With Wen Ningzhou’s words, Chen Changqing felt a surge of confidence. He had long suspected this would be the case; even if the noble lady had severed her ties with her father, it could only be a temporary rift.

Everyone in the capital knew the Prime Minister doted on his youngest daughter above all others. She was his jewel, pampered and precious. If she had asked for the stars in the sky, the Prime Minister would likely have ordered a ladder to be built so he could pluck them down for her.

The Prime Minister’s wife was the daughter of a prominent military family. The two had known each other since childhood, both hailing from noble houses, and were a perfect match. Their marriage was one of deep, enduring affection; the Prime Minister kept no concubines, remaining devoted only to his wife.

Together, they had two sons and a daughter. The eldest son had been taken as a disciple by the former National Preceptor and had lived away from home since childhood; he was now the mysterious and recondite National Preceptor himself, dwelling within the National Preceptor’s Tower.

The second son was roughly the same age as Chen Changqing talented, brave, and currently honing his skills within the military.

Only the daughter had been raised tenderly at her parents’ side, showered with love by her father, mother, and brothers alike.

Chen Changqing weighed his options. Since she had put it that way, she must be confident about a reconciliation.

Furthermore, he felt the Prime Minister should actually be grateful to him.

The previous daughter had been nothing more than a hollow beauty—dim-witted, silent, and dull. Since marrying him, she had suddenly gained a spiritual spark. Her beauty had become more vivid, and her entire being had come to life.

It was through her marriage to him that she had found this new vitality. In his mind, he was her benefactor.

“My father admires young talent above all else,” Wen Ningzhou said.

She offered no solid guarantees. She left the answer vague and ambiguous, allowing Chen Changqing’s own boundless imagination to fill in the blanks.

Chen Changqing considered this for a moment. “I shall set off in three days’ time.”

“We have only just wed. How could I leave my wife all alone to guard an empty room?” A gentle smile played across his face.

When it came to acting, Wen Ningzhou refused to be outdone. She returned the smile, maintaining an air of gentle, refined propriety. “Brother Chen, you are looking at this the wrong way.”

“You are going away to study diligently so that you may serve the court and benefit the people in the future. As your wife, how could I possibly hold you back?”

“Your ambitions lie across the four seas, and I share in that glory. It is only right that I support you with all my heart.” Wen Ningzhou’s little mouth chattered away, spinning lies like a pro.

Chen Changqing sighed with admiration. Truly, she was a noble lady, a daughter of a great house—so sensible and wise. “Wife…”

Wife, my foot.

Wen Ningzhou couldn’t exactly cover his mouth, so she simply let her ears filter out his greasy endearments.

“Can you really bear to let me go?” Chen Changqing asked sentimentally. “How can I be at peace leaving you alone in this rustic countryside?”

Wen Ningzhou stood up, fully committing to her performance.

“A man of stature should dedicate himself first to his country and then to his lady,” she said, making up high-sounding nonsense that was neither ancient nor modern in style.

But she delivered it with such earnestness and conviction that it carried real weight. To fool someone else, you first have to fool yourself.

“Brother Chen, you are a man of exceptional talent. You belong among the Sages. Since ancient times, beautiful women have distracted men’s hearts, but I believe you are different.” The “rainbow farts” of flattery were coming out of her mouth with divine skill.

Chen Changqing stood up excitedly, reaching out to grab her hand, but she skillfully dodged him with a graceful pivot.

“My wife is right,” he said, his emotions finally being swept up in her rhetoric.

“To have a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?” The admiration in his eyes was real, and he spoke those words with genuine feeling.

Unfortunately, he had run into a heavyweight champion of the acting world. It was just a matter of who was more convincing.

“I do not ask to fully understand you; I am a woman of meager learning and fear I am not worthy to be your confidante,” Wen Ningzhou said. “You need not worry while you are away. I shall handle everything at home.”

“To have your concern is enough for me,” she added. “Once you leave, I shall stay here and wait for you.”

Chen Changqing gazed at her, feeling that such a woman—so reasonable and clear-headed—was a rare find in this world.

The only reason she was so “reasonable” was because she didn’t like him at all. If a girl truly cares for someone, how could she be so calm and detached?

Yet, Chen Changqing found this “non-clingy” noble lady to be perfect.

His resolve wavered; he was just one push away from giving in. But the thought of leaving such a beauty untouched was a heavy burden. Three days became one day.

Wen Ningzhou’s poise and character were unlike anything he had seen in other women. He truly wanted to spend just two more days with her.

Clearly, the flattery had made him lose himself in his own ego.

But every extra night he stayed was an extra night of danger. For the sake of her own life, Wen Ningzhou could not let him stay.

Her survival instinct made her mind razor-sharp.

There was no pride she wouldn’t swallow, and no role she wouldn’t play. Even if she had to throw her dignity to the wind, she was going to talk him out of that door.

“Sigh…” she let out a long, melancholic breath.

She sighed but said nothing more, effectively hooking his attention and curiosity. Only then did she speak. “To tell the truth, the reason my father was so furious about our marriage wasn’t because of your status.”

“He admires ambitious young men and would certainly look upon you with favor,” she said with feigned difficulty. “It was my mother’s view that… because you did not marry me with proper rites, it was a slight to me and to the Prime Minister’s residence.”

“I never intended any slight to the residence!” Chen Changqing interjected quickly.

“My lack of preparation for the proposal was a careless oversight,” he said, lowering his eyes in a show of contrition. “My parents passed away one after the other; I had no one to teach me the proper wedding etiquette.”

His expression shifted again, putting on a look of deep, unshakable love. “The moment I saw you, my heart was captured. I wished only to marry you. It was my own haste that displeased my father-in-law.”

Wen Ningzhou replied, “If you set off today, when my father sends his men here, they will see for themselves how much you cherish and respect me—that you have not laid a finger on me.”

“It will also show my father that you are a scholar who cares for the world, not a man distracted by feminine charms,” she continued. “My mother will also realize that in marrying you, I have shown a keen eye for a hidden gem.”

“And not that… I was simply impatient.” It was exhausting work for Wen Ningzhou; she was running out of steam and just wanted to speak normally.

She moved him with emotion, reasoned with logic, and enticed him with gain.

After another round of persuasion and a literal basketful of sweet words, she finally convinced Chen Changqing to leave today.

While Chen Changqing packed his things in the study—where his mess from the night before still sat—Wen Ningzhou stayed away. She found something else to do, heading to the kitchen to scrub the pots and pans.

Before leaving, Chen Changqing dropped several hints, wanting Wen Ningzhou to join him in the bedroom for a “proper farewell.”

Wen Ningzhou was ecstatic inside but didn’t dare show it. She felt like forming a one-woman parade to cheer his departure, but she pretended to be “blind” to his advances.

“Wife,” he called out significantly.

Wen Ningzhou smiled. “I wish you a safe journey, Brother Chen.”

“Wife, your husband is about to travel far. Who knows when we shall meet again?” Chen Changqing said with lingering attachment. “Will you not miss me?”

“The thought of leaving you makes my heart ache with longing.”

As long as she turned a deaf ear quickly enough, his greasy words couldn’t catch her. Her ears remained pure and untainted.

After much prodding, she finally saw the back of Chen Changqing. Wen Ningzhou felt as though the sun had finally come out.

Even though he had swindled a pair of her earrings before leaving, she didn’t mind nearly as much as she thought she would.

Chen Changqing was excessively shrewd, even with his own wife. He had initially thought the noble lady would bring at least some private savings or jewelry when she eloped.

But the original girl hadn’t brought a single copper coin—only her wedding dress and a change of clothes—when she ran off with him.

Seeing she had nothing of value, Chen Changqing turned his eyes toward the jewelry she had been wearing when she arrived.

He had wanted both her hairpin and her earrings. Even the everyday jewelry of a Prime Minister’s daughter would fetch a good price at a pawnshop.

Wen Ningzhou had barely managed to save the hairpin, arguing that a woman in a strange place with no money at all and a kitchen empty of even rice or flour—would be in dire straits.

Crying poverty didn’t help much, but giving him another “high hat” of flattery finally worked.

Even so, he still made off with the earrings. If she hadn’t given them up, he would have pestered her endlessly, and she didn’t want to waste any more time. She was afraid that if she delayed him, he might change his mind and stay, which would be a total loss.

She would consider the earrings her rent for staying in his house.

It wasn’t that Chen Changqing had no money for his journey. Though his house looked dilapidated, he actually had some silver saved up—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to buy food at the market.

He was just stingy with his own money and always looked for ways to take from others.

The sky in the liberated area is bright, and the people of the liberated area are happy. Wen Ningzhou hummed a tune. Since confirming her transmigration, the heart that had been stuck in her throat finally settled a little.

Then, remembering that the house was devoid of rice, flour, and oil, she headed to the cellar in the back to see what vegetables were left.

The cellar was a large pit dug into the ground with a layer of earth over the top. She found it easily enough, but she was a bit afraid to go down.

It was pitch black inside, and she was terrified of snakes or insects.

Wavering at the entrance, she couldn’t help but sigh for her old life. Back then, she had a phone with a torch; she could have just shone a light inside.

Now, she had her second biggest regret since transmigrating: not blowing out the candle before she went to sleep last night.

Given the state of the house, there was a high probability she wouldn’t find another candle. Sleeping with a candle burning was truly an act of luxury.

After a long internal struggle, she still didn’t dare go down. The fear of darkness and the unknown was etched into her genes a lesson learned by humanity through the ages of evolution.

She went back to the bedroom, scraped all the remaining wax from the candlestick into a small, chipped bowl, and lit it. Once the wax had melted into a liquid, she found a bit of fine hemp rope, cut a short length, and placed it into the bowl.

Her “recycled” DIY candle was finished. The flame was tiny and weak, flickering as if it might go out at any moment, but even a little light brought her a great deal of comfort.

Holding the bowl carefully, she stepped inside, hoping to find at least a little food.

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