The Eldest Princess' Substitute Husband (Transmigration) - Chapter 12

“Prepare my meal, then give me a massage…”

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Song Jinsheng had no idea what people outside were thinking. She focused on massaging Wei Luoyi, working from her shoulders to the back of her neck. She was careful not to use too much force, afraid of hurting the delicate princess.

Neither of them spoke. The only sound in the room was the soft rustle of Song Jinsheng’s clothes as she moved her hands.

While her hands didn’t stop, Song Jinsheng’s eyes darted toward Wei Luoyi’s face. She swallowed, then tentatively brought up her real purpose. “Your Highness, I feel like I don’t have much to do here in the manor, aside from the occasional trip to the Hanlin Academy. So… I’d like to open a shop.”

Hearing this, Wei Luoyi, who had been looking down, finally raised her eyes and glanced over her shoulder. “If you want to open one, just open it. You don’t need to ask for my permission.”

“Of course I do. Your Highness is my wife; I should tell you everything.”

“It’s just… well, never mind. I won’t mention it.”

Song Jinsheng feigned a long sigh of worry, but her expression didn’t change as her eyes remained fixed on Wei Luoyi’s dark hair.

She waited for a while, but Wei Luoyi still didn’t respond. Just when she was about to lose her patience, Wei Luoyi finally spoke. “If you have something to say, just say it.”

Song Jinsheng’s tone became somber. “I’m… afraid you might misunderstand if I say it. I’d rather not.”

Wei Luoyi said, “I’m telling you to say it.”

Yes, she’s hooked.

Song Jinsheng suppressed her inner glee and said in a low voice, “It’s just… the shop I want to open is unlike any other in the capital. If it opens, business will surely boom. But… it won’t be easy to start. I… I’m a bit short on money…”

Wei Luoyi’s brows furrowed instantly. She turned to look at her in disbelief. “Short on money?”

The pampered, well-off prince consort was saying she was short on money? It was ridiculous.

“How much money?”

“Two hundred taels of silver,” Song Jinsheng said nervously, her voice growing quieter.

She had done the math: she would contribute 300 taels and borrow 200 taels from the princess. That would leave her with 100 taels as a safety net, so she wouldn’t be completely broke.

“Two hundred taels of silver?” Wei Luoyi was truly shocked this time. She turned her beautiful eyes to Song Jinsheng and asked, puzzled, “Prince Consort, while I don’t often go out and don’t understand the common people, I’m not a fool. Tell me, what kind of shop has never been seen in the capital and requires 200 taels of silver?”

One must know that, at Nan Chi’s prices, a two-story inn only cost 50 taels of silver, and a regular shop could be bought for 20 to 30 taels.

When Song Jinsheng said it, even she felt a bit guilty. But since she had come this far, she had to continue the story.

She rubbed her nose and cleared her throat, then sat down in front of Wei Luoyi and began to explain with a serious look. “Your Highness, listen to me. The shop I want to open sells milk tea. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what milk tea is. I’ll make you a cup to try when the time comes. I guarantee it’ll be delicious.”

Milk tea?

Wei Luoyi’s brows furrowed tightly, her expression solemn. No one had ever left her so perplexed.

She knew what milk was and what tea was, but what was “milk tea”? Could it be something from the West? She had never heard of it.

While Wei Luoyi was still pondering, Song Jinsheng continued to describe it animatedly. “As for why it costs 200 taels, that’s a big secret. Although milk tea tastes great, it’s very difficult to make. The rarer something is, the more valuable it is. So the 200 taels aren’t just for opening the shop; they are also for…”

Wei Luoyi grew tired of listening. She sighed inwardly and looked at the enthusiastically chattering Song Jinsheng, cutting her off with a cold voice. “That’s enough.”

“I can give you 200 taels of silver…”

Before Wei Luoyi could finish, she saw Song Jinsheng’s eyes light up. She couldn’t help but smile slightly herself and then changed the subject. “But what benefit can you give me in return?”

Song Jinsheng’s smile froze, and her mouth twitched. She looked at Wei Luoyi’s expression and tentatively asked, “Hmm… a share of the profits? I’ll give you half of the money the shop earns. Or no, how about a 40/60 split?”

Wei Luoyi turned and chuckled softly without answering. She picked up her chopsticks and put a piece of fish in her mouth. The fish was tender and springy. With a gentle bite, the faint aroma of ginger and scallions melted in her mouth.

She had to admit, Song Jinsheng’s cooking was much better than she had expected. She thought back to the “fried potato strips” she made the other day… The look of that dish made her afraid to even try it, but the food today was surprisingly palatable.

Seeing that she had been ignored again, Song Jinsheng’s smile had to slowly disappear.

Right, she’s a princess, the Emperor’s daughter. She’s not short on money. Why would she want a small share of my profits?

Song Jinsheng felt helpless. She watched Wei Luoyi, who, though silent, continued to eat the fish. She lowered her eyes in thought, then leaned closer, peering at Wei Luoyi’s face. She asked softly, “Your Highness, how about… you tell me? Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you if I can. If I can’t, I’ll try my best. How does that sound?”

Hearing this, Wei Luoyi finally looked at her, raising an eyebrow and smiling kindly. “Do you mean that, Prince Consort?”

“I do.”

“Then…” Wei Luoyi paused. Seeing Song Jinsheng’s eyes blinking in what seemed like nervousness, she smiled triumphantly. “From now on, the Prince Consort will serve me.”

“Just like today, when I need it, you’ll prepare my meals and give me a massage… Whatever I tell you to do, you’ll do it. You’ll be at my beck and call. Can you do that?”

Wei Luoyi watched Song Jinsheng with a look of amusement, but her gaze didn’t resemble that of someone looking at her husband. It was more like she was observing a kitten or a puppy.

The old Song Jinsheng would never have said such things. Now that she had finally become a bit more interesting, Wei Luoyi naturally had to seize the opportunity.

“Of course. I know how to cook many dishes. If Your Highness wants to eat, I’ll be there whenever you call.” Song Jinsheng agreed without hesitation, then naturally took Wei Luoyi’s hand and began to massage her arm, her face looking obedient and pleasant.

It was a simple task to serve her to get 200 taels of silver. As long as she didn’t have to serve her during her bath, it was fine.

With Wei Luoyi’s promise, Song Jinsheng no longer felt hungry. She became even more focused on massaging her, even using all the massage techniques she had learned from watching short videos.

She worked her way down Wei Luoyi’s arm, gently massaging her slender fingers.

At first, she didn’t have any ulterior motives, but as she looked at Wei Luoyi’s hand for a long time, Song Jinsheng couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

She is a pampered princess, indeed. Look at her onion-white fingers and soft palms. This is what you call a slender, delicate hand.

Then she looked at her own. Though long, her hands were thin and bony, with a thin layer of calluses on her fingertips. Compared to the princess’s, they were truly rough.

“Your Highness, your hands are so beautiful.” Song Jinsheng couldn’t help but voice her admiration.

“But your hands are so cold… Your Highness, are you prone to cold? If you are…”

Before Song Jinsheng could finish, Wei Luoyi suddenly pulled her hand away, making her freeze in surprise. She looked up to see—

Wei Luoyi’s expression was as calm as ever, but her eyes were looking elsewhere, as if she were in a daze. It wasn’t until she felt Song Jinsheng’s gaze that she looked back at her.

She avoided the topic and asked, “Has the Prince Consort ever served anyone else like this?”

The sudden question left Song Jinsheng stunned. She immediately shook her head. “No. Why do you ask, Your Highness?”

In Nan Chi, I’ve only ever massaged Wei Luoyi like this. So it’s not a lie, is it?

Wei Luoyi continued to stare at her silently, her eyes deep, as if she were observing or pondering something. After a long pause, she turned her head and said softly, “That’s enough. The Prince Consort must be hungry. Go eat.”

She’s changing the subject again… She always does this. It’s so hard to guess what this princess is thinking.

Song Jinsheng thought to herself, but she was indeed hungry. However, this time, she didn’t eat as voraciously as before. After all, Wei Luoyi was still next to her. As a fellow woman, since the princess was eating gracefully and properly, she was too embarrassed to be too rude.

The two ate in silence. Just as Song Jinsheng was enjoying her meal, she heard a series of splattering sounds from outside, which made her look at the window in confusion.

Seeing her expression, Wei Luoyi said warmly, “It must be raining. It’s early spring, and the spring rains are persistent. It might rain a lot in the next few days.”

“Oh…” Song Jinsheng quietly turned her head back. As she put a piece of food in her mouth, she muttered softly, “I wonder how long this rain will last…”

Judging by the sound, the rain was getting heavier. The path from here to her room was long. If the rain got too heavy, it would be difficult to walk. She wondered how long she would have to stay here.

Being in the same room with Wei Luoyi wasn’t a terrible experience, but… she felt inexplicably uneasy, doing everything cautiously, afraid of offending the princess.

“It probably won’t stop anytime soon. It’s difficult to travel on a rainy night. If the Prince Consort can’t go back, you can stay here for the night.”

“Huh?”

Stay here? Song Jinsheng was 10,000% against it.

She quickly shook her head, mumbling awkwardly, “No, I’ll leave when the rain stops…”

Wei Luoyi gave a half-smile and teased, “What if it doesn’t stop? The heavens don’t always grant your wishes.”

Song Jinsheng fell silent. “…Then… then… I’ll take the small path and walk, avoiding the rain…”

“What small path? And how will the Prince Consort avoid the rain?” Wei Luoyi was clearly enjoying Song Jinsheng’s shocked and speechless expression. Without waiting for her to respond, Wei Luoyi pressed on, “What? Is the Prince Consort so afraid of staying with me?”

“How could that be? Your Highness is overthinking it…” Song Jinsheng gave a few dry laughs, but her embarrassment was still visible on her face.

Wei Luoyi saw it all and chuckled to herself, lowering her head.

She could see through Song Jinsheng’s clumsy pretense in an instant.

However, compared to her former inscrutable self, she preferred the naive and gentle Song Jinsheng of today.

After finishing their meal, Wei Luoyi was too lazy to bother with the silent person beside her. She got up to call the two people outside to come in, but after a long wait, no one came.

She frowned in confusion and was about to open the door to look when Dongyang and Chunyue rushed in, their heads bowed, as if they were afraid to look at her.

Seeing their strange expressions, Wei Luoyi was even more puzzled. “Why did it take you so long to answer?”

Dongyang and Chunyue exchanged a quick glance. It was Dongyang who finally raised her head. After subtly scanning the room, she realized they had been overthinking. While silently complaining about Chunyue, she said softly, “Your Highness, the rain outside is too loud, so we couldn’t hear clearly.”

“Your Highness, are you going to bathe?”

“Yes. Is the hot water ready?”

“Yes, we’ve prepared it.”

“Good.” Wei Luoyi was about to follow them but then suddenly stopped, turning to look at Song Jinsheng, who was staring at her in a daze.

Song Jinsheng hadn’t expected her to turn around and look at her. She was startled and quickly averted her gaze, pretending to pick up a dish with her chopsticks.

Her heart had jumped when she heard Wei Luoyi was going to bathe.

She’s not going to… actually make me serve her during her bath, is she?

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