The Eldest Princess' Substitute Husband (Transmigration) - Chapter 17

“She cared enough to help, but why didn’t she want the Princess to know?”

*******

Before Wei Luoyi got married, the Changxin Palace was her home. Even after she moved to the Consort’s Residence, palace servants still cleaned it every day. Inside and out, not a single speck of dust was to be found. It was exactly as it had been when Wei Luoyi left.

With a few days to go before the Emperor’s birthday, Song Jinsheng would also be staying in the Changxin Palace.

The palace was vast and magnificent, grander and more luxurious than the Consort’s Residence. It even had a bamboo grove nearby, a view that was far superior to what she had at home.

Song Jinsheng was, of course, overjoyed to be there, but there was one problem.

The Changxin Palace only had Wei Luoyi’s bedroom and an adjoining room for her personal maids, so they would be close by and available if she ever needed them.

This meant Song Jinsheng had nowhere to hide. She would have to go back to sharing a bed with Wei Luoyi.

This thought bothered her so much that she was still mulling it over during dinner.

The table was filled with a variety of delicious dishes, all perfectly prepared in terms of color, aroma, and taste. The food was so much better than what the cooks at the Consort’s Residence made, but Song Jinsheng only took a few bites of each.

She ate while observing Wei Luoyi, who looked listless, her eyes dull. She picked at her food calmly, as if her soul had been drained from her body. It seemed she was genuinely tired.

Song Jinsheng had thought it was just an excuse to turn down the Empress’s dinner invitation.

Holding her bowl without eating, Song Jinsheng hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak up. “Your Highness, I need to discuss something with you.”

“What is it?” Wei Luoyi finally looked up at her, her voice faint and weak.

“I… I was thinking… maybe I could take some bedding and sleep on the floor for the next few nights…” Song Jinsheng trailed off when she saw Wei Luoyi’s silent stare. She then quickly added in a low voice, “I don’t have a problem with it. It’s just that I’m a restless sleeper… and I’m afraid I’ll disturb you…”

At her words, Wei Luoyi was instantly reminded of the last time they had shared a bed and how she had woken up to find Song Jinsheng clinging to her.

Hmph. At least she has some self-awareness. I still haven’t settled the score with her for that.

“Mm, whatever you wish,” Wei Luoyi said, her voice light as a feather, before looking away.

A heavy weight lifted from Song Jinsheng’s chest. She felt much more at ease and continued to chat. “Then I’ll ask someone to bring another set of bedding later.”

Wei Luoyi replied with a simple, “Mm.”

Song Jinsheng continued, “Oh, also, maybe we should get a brazier? It’s been a little chilly these past few days. It feels even colder inside the room than outside. I was underdressed this morning, and the wind made me shiver.”

Wei Luoyi gave a curt, “Mm, get one.”

Song Jinsheng’s voice fell flat. “…Okay.”

The cold, clipped answers made Song Jinsheng feel awkward, and she stopped talking, burying her head in her food. The room fell silent again.

It wasn’t surprising that Wei Luoyi had agreed. But her indifferent attitude made it seem like she didn’t want to talk to her at all.

Even though, in Wei Luoyi’s eyes, her consort was probably just a convenient necessity, someone she needed simply for the role—not the original person, and certainly not the Song Jinsheng of today.

But things were fine just a few hours ago… How could anyone stand this hot-and-cold treatment?

A knot formed in Song Jinsheng’s heart, and she couldn’t untangle it. She just let the nameless emotions coil around her, making even the sweet and sour pork she was chewing taste bland.

“I’m full.”

Song Jinsheng looked up at her. She had only eaten a few bites and hadn’t touched any of the meat. No wonder she was so thin.

To be fair, Wei Luoyi’s appetite wasn’t usually this bad, but she was feeling unwell today. She couldn’t stomach another bite.

She frowned, her face pale, and pushed herself up from the table. Suddenly, she felt dizzy. She lifted her hand to her forehead, closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, everything went black. She lost all strength and began to fall.

Song Jinsheng’s eyes had been on her the whole time. As soon as she noticed something was wrong, she was by Wei Luoyi’s side, helping her back into her seat. “Your Highness? What’s wrong? Your Highness?”

Wei Luoyi’s stomach twisted with a painful cramp. The only thing she could do was lean against Song Jinsheng’s chest, biting her lip and trying to hide the pain. She shook her head. “Help me to… the bed.”

“What? I didn’t hear you clearly.” Song Jinsheng panicked. This was the first time she had seen Wei Luoyi so fragile, as if she were about to faint at any moment.

Her heart pounded with fright. She watched as Wei Luoyi’s fingers tightened on her clothes. For a moment, she didn’t know what to do. Then, she snapped back to attention, knelt down, and with a grunt, lifted Wei Luoyi into her arms.

She quickly walked to the bed, carefully set Wei Luoyi down, and tucked the blankets around her. She leaned in close and whispered, “I’ll go get Chunyue and Dongyang. I’ll get the imperial physician. Please wait here for a moment. I’ll be right…”

“No…” Wei Luoyi managed to stop her with a pained whisper. Her expression was full of agony.

“I… I’m fine. I just have to wait it out… You don’t…”

She was in so much pain that she couldn’t finish her sentence. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead, her lips were pale, and a tearing pain deep in her abdomen was tormenting her.

“How can you just wait it out?” Song Jinsheng looked worried. She frowned as she watched Wei Luoyi clutch her stomach with both hands. For a moment, she was stunned, then she leaned in closer and asked tentatively, “Your Highness, are you… on your period?”

Wei Luoyi didn’t answer. She only bit down harder on her lip in agony and curled her body up.

Seeing this, Song Jinsheng’s brows furrowed. She didn’t hesitate and immediately rushed out to find Chunyue and Dongyang.

Chunyue and Dongyang had just finished giving instructions to the servants to heat the bathwater for them. As they walked back to the bedroom, they saw Song Jinsheng rushing towards them, her face filled with urgency.

“Stop, stop right there. I need to ask you something. Has the Princess ever had stomach pains during her period before?”

Usually, Song Jinsheng was gentle and friendly, always with a smile on her face. Her sudden seriousness took the two maids by surprise.

A period was a woman’s private matter, and a man shouldn’t normally be involved. But seeing how anxious Song Jinsheng was, Dongyang relented and told her the truth. “Consort, the Princess has always been prone to chills. The cramps are unbearable whenever she has her period. The doctor gave her some prescriptions before, but she doesn’t like bitter medicine. She says she’ll be fine in a few days if she just drinks some hot water.”

“She can’t just tough it out! Why didn’t you try to convince her?”

Song Jinsheng was in disbelief. She knew firsthand what period pain was like. In her first year of high school, she had to run laps while on her period. She pushed through the entire run, but the moment she stopped, her lower abdomen felt like it was being torn apart. Several people had to help her to the nurse’s office. The pain was so bad that she couldn’t have managed without painkillers.

Dongyang’s face was etched with worry. Chunyue stepped in to explain, “Consort, it’s not that we didn’t try to convince her. But Her Highness simply wouldn’t listen. All we can do is let her drink something hot.”

Song Jinsheng’s face was grim. She turned away and thought for a moment before giving them instructions. “Here’s what we’ll do. The Princess likes sweet things. Chunyue, go and have someone brew a bowl of brown sugar water immediately. Hurry.”

“Dongyang, you come inside with me to watch over her.”

“Yes.” Both Chunyue and Dongyang answered at once and split up without a moment’s delay.

******

Inside the room, when Song Jinsheng and Dongyang arrived, Wei Luoyi was already covered in sweat from the pain. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and her hands were desperately clutching the blankets. Occasional pained whimpers escaped her lips.

Seeing this, Dongyang quickly placed the basin of hot water on the floor. She soaked a towel, wrung it out, and knelt beside the bed to wipe the sweat from Wei Luoyi’s forehead, her face filled with concern.

“Your Highness, please bear with it a little longer. Chunyue has already sent someone to brew the sugar water.”

Even though she was wrapped in thick blankets, Wei Luoyi was shivering from the cold. The tearing pain spreading from her abdomen to her limbs had left her exhausted. She bit her pale lip and gave Dongyang a slight nod.

Dongyang used the warm towel to clean her face and neck. She then folded the towel and carefully lifted a corner of the blanket, which Wei Luoyi was clutching, to place the towel on her abdomen.

After a moment, Wei Luoyi’s furrowed brows relaxed, and her expression softened.

She half-opened her eyes. Her gaze moved from Dongyang’s worried face to Song Jinsheng, who was standing behind her. Seeing the concern on Song Jinsheng’s face, she was stunned for a moment before she forced herself to speak. “Consort, Dongyang is here. You can…”

She was interrupted before she could finish by Song Jinsheng’s sudden closeness.

When Song Jinsheng came over, Dongyang tactfully got up, allowing her to lean in and whisper to Wei Luoyi.

“What did you say? I didn’t hear you.”

Wei Luoyi’s lips tightened. She didn’t say another word, only staring at the side of the other person’s face. She tried to calm her heart, which had been set into a flurry by Song Jinsheng’s sudden proximity.

When Wei Luoyi didn’t respond, Song Jinsheng thought she was too weak to speak. She leaned in even closer, no longer concerned about their distance, and said softly, “What did you want to say, Your Highness? Could you please repeat that?”

Wei Luoyi still kept her lips sealed. She turned her face away and discreetly glanced at Dongyang. Seeing that the maid had already turned her back to them, her expression became visibly awkward.

Her hands once again clutched the blanket, but this time, it wasn’t because of the pain.

“You’re… too close…”

Song Jinsheng froze, then came to her senses and sat up straight. Seeing that Wei Luoyi had turned her head away and closed her eyes, seemingly avoiding her, the dull ache in her heart became more obvious.

“Dongyang can take care of me. The consort doesn’t have to worry.”

“…Okay.”

Song Jinsheng took a deep breath. A wave of awkwardness washed over her, leaving her feeling helpless, but she still tried to sound relaxed. “Is Your Highness feeling a little better now?”

Wei Luoyi’s brow furrowed slightly. She opened her eyes but didn’t look at her, her gaze darting around. “A little better…”

“That’s good. I’ll go take my bath now…” Song Jinsheng no longer looked at her. She quickly got up and pulled Dongyang out of the room.

Dongyang looked confused, repeatedly glancing back at the room. “Consort, what are you…”

Song Jinsheng sighed softly and looked at the tightly closed door. She then instructed Dongyang, “The Princess can’t keep doing this. She needs to take medicine to regulate her body, or the pain will only get worse in the future.”

“Have someone brew the medicine tomorrow morning. When you do, mix in some candied fruit or brown sugar water. That way, it won’t be so bitter… or you can divide one bowl of medicine into several portions so she can drink a little at a time.”

Dongyang’s eyes looked at Song Jinsheng differently. After all, the previous consort had never once asked her about the Princess’s well-being.

She nodded seriously. “Yes, Consort, don’t worry. I’ll try your method tomorrow. You shouldn’t be so worried.”

“Mm.”

“Oh, right.” Song Jinsheng had already turned to leave but suddenly looked back. “If the Princess asks, just say that the imperial physician brewed the medicine for her to drink.”

“But…” Dongyang blinked, looking puzzled. “Does the Consort mean…”

“Just… don’t tell the Princess what I just told you. And don’t mention that I’m the one who told you to brew the medicine.”

Dongyang’s brow furrowed in confusion for a moment, then she bowed her head. “Yes, I understand.”

“Mm, thank you for your trouble.”

“Walk slowly, Consort…”

Dongyang watched Song Jinsheng walk away. Her tall, slender figure drifted away, and she stood there, lost in thought.

She had said she understood, but she didn’t.

Why would the consort care so much about the Princess, but not want the Princess to know?

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