The Eldest Princess' Substitute Husband (Transmigration) - Chapter 19

“She let the hollow feeling in her heart spread slowly.”

*******

Early the next morning, when the sky was still a dim gray, Song Jinsheng was woken up by Wei Luoyi to go and greet the Emperor.

Inside, she was a million times unwilling.

After being tormented by Wei Luoyi last night and sleeping uncomfortably on the floor, she tossed and turned for a long time before she could finally fall asleep. She had barely closed her eyes before she had to get up again.

But seeing Wei Luoyi’s cold expression, she could only bite her tongue. She got up, washed, and dressed, her eyes half-closed and with dark circles under them.

Thankfully, it was a long way from the Changxin Palace to the Emperor’s residence, the Qianqing Palace, and they had to take a palanquin. Song Jinsheng was so tired that she immediately fell asleep the moment she sat down, no longer caring what the two people next to her would think.

She slept soundly, and before she knew it, she was snoring, which made the perfectly composed Wei Luoyi glance at her from the side.

“…Dongyang.” Wei Luoyi looked away.

Dongyang had been dozing with her head down. When she heard Wei Luoyi call her, she immediately woke up. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“Have someone bring another blanket tonight.”

“Yes…” Dongyang nodded, but she paused, then looked up at Wei Luoyi. “Your Highness, would you like me to have some hot soup prepared for you later to warm you up?”

Wei Luoyi glanced at her and said plainly, “I’m not cold. The consort is.”

He’s this tired? It must be because he slept on the floor last night. He’s not used to it and didn’t sleep well.

I never once refused to share a bed, but he’s the one who’s bothered by it.

“Oh…” Dongyang replied softly.

She had thought the consort just looked frail, but it seemed his body was even weaker than the Princess’s. He needed two extra braziers last night and still felt cold…

While Dongyang was thinking to herself, she looked up and saw Wei Luoyi staring at her, which made her feel a little guilty. “Your Highness…”

Wei Luoyi’s gaze eventually landed on her hand. She stared for a moment, and memories of the previous night flashed through her mind.

The memories were too blurry, though.

“Did your hand… hurt last night?”

“Huh?” Dongyang was stunned, not understanding why Wei Luoyi would ask that.

Seeing her confused expression, Wei Luoyi couldn’t help but frown. “Weren’t you the one who was with me last night?”

“Uh… yes… it was me.”

Dongyang thought for a moment. She assumed Wei Luoyi was talking about massaging her stomach. Although she didn’t understand why her “hand would hurt,” she still thanked her. “I’m fine. It was only for a short while. Why would it hurt? Your Highness, you should take better care of your body. If you keep having stomach pains, you’ll be uncomfortable, and it hurts Chunyue and me to see you like that…”

“Mm.”

As Wei Luoyi listened to Dongyang’s words, she felt that something didn’t quite line up. But her lower abdomen was still throbbing, and she didn’t have the energy to dig deeper. She simply leaned back and closed her eyes to rest.

*******

Inside the Qianqing Palace, the moment Song Jinsheng stepped into the hall and saw the Emperor and Empress sitting on their thrones, most of her sleepiness vanished. She quickly knelt with Wei Luoyi to pay her respects.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. There’s no need to be so formal. Please, get up.”

The Emperor’s deep, weathered voice came from above. Song Jinsheng finally dared to look up and helped Wei Luoyi to her feet.

The Emperor looked at Wei Luoyi with a loving expression and smiled. “Yi’er, it’s rare for you to return to the palace. I told you there’s no need to pay respects, so why do you insist?”

Wei Luoyi’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Father, you said yourself that it’s rare for me to return. Your birthday is in two days. How could I skip these formalities?”

“Good, good, good. I knew it. Yier still holds me in her heart…”

The Emperor beamed and naturally took the Empress’s hand. “Yier, you don’t know how much your mother has been worrying about you. Now that you’re back, you must spend some time with her.”

The Empress’s smile froze. She looked at the Emperor for a moment and then smiled without saying a word.

Wei Luoyi looked up, her gaze sliding down to their clasped hands. She paused, and the smile on her lips returned. “Of course. Your child misses both you and the Empress Mother very much…”

Song Jinsheng stood on the side like she was being punished.

From the moment she entered the hall, she didn’t dare to look directly at the Emperor. She just listened to their conversation, occasionally turning to look at Wei Luoyi, feigning the look of a loving couple.

Although Wei Luoyi responded to every word and appeared obedient and polite, Song Jinsheng couldn’t see any real affection in her cool and distant demeanor. It felt stiff and forced.

If she had to describe it, it felt like she was just dealing with a boss at work.

This isn’t right.

Even if she wasn’t born to the Empress, she was still born to the Emperor, wasn’t she?

What’s the story here?

Song Jinsheng’s curiosity was piqued. She was still pondering it on the way out of the palace, walking with her head bowed.

“Consort.”

“Hmm?” Song Jinsheng was startled. She stopped and looked back at the person next to her.

Wei Luoyi stared at her, her eyes as calm as still water. “What are you thinking about?”

Song Jinsheng was shocked. She feigned a confused smile. “Huh? I wasn’t thinking about anything.”

Wei Luoyi stated with certainty, “You’re distracted.”

“Am I? Maybe it’s because I didn’t sleep well last night.” Song Jinsheng forced a smile. The moment she mentioned last night, she couldn’t help but think about the red marks Wei Luoyi had left on her hand.

She thought she could still see a few faint marks when she washed her face this morning.

“Oh, by the way, did Your Highness sleep well yesterday? Are you feeling better today?”

The sudden question surprised Wei Luoyi for a moment. She only answered, “I’m better. Thank you for your concern.”

After she spoke, she saw a look on Song Jinsheng’s face as if she wanted to say more. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Song Jinsheng looked at her still-calm expression and suddenly felt tongue-tied. She swallowed the words she had prepared and only murmured, “Nothing… I was just asking.”

Wei Luoyi looked at her, confused for a moment, then turned back. “Let’s go. The palanquin is waiting.”

“Mm…”

Song Jinsheng let Wei Luoyi take her hand. She could feel the princess’s soft body close to hers… She inexplicably recalled how Wei Luoyi had shed tears and gripped her tightly with half-open eyes last night. She couldn’t help but glance at her now—

They’re like two completely different people.

Song Jinsheng pursed her lips and took a deep breath, allowing the hollow feeling in her heart to spread slowly. She slowly looked away and continued walking with Wei Luoyi in silence.

******

At night, inside the Changxin Palace, Song Jinsheng, who had been tired all day, wanted to rest early. She went to bathe right after dinner.

This place wasn’t like the Consort’s Residence. She and Wei Luoyi had separate bathing quarters. In the Changxin Palace, there was a special pool just for Wei Luoyi. The bath was far more luxurious than the one at the Consort’s Residence.

The experience was like being in a hot spring, and she had it all to herself.

Thanks to Wei Luoyi, she could now enjoy this for a few days.

Song Jinsheng was currently leaning against the edge of the bath. The hot steam made her face red. With one hand, she pushed her long hair behind her ear, and with the other, she scrolled through short videos on her phone. She would occasionally smile at the content of the videos, looking as happy as could be.

Yes, ever since she got access to online shopping, she had bought electronic devices. However, she couldn’t charge them, so they were essentially one-time-use items. She had to conserve the battery and only took them out when she was alone.

Perhaps it was the comfortable environment, or perhaps the movie commentary in the videos was too much of a lullaby. In a short while, a heavy wave of drowsiness washed over Song Jinsheng.

*******

“In the end, Xiao Shuai unexpectedly discovers that Xiao Mei’s real identity is…”

The video’s sound cut off abruptly.

The phone had automatically turned off, and the hand holding it went limp.

Song Jinsheng’s eyes were tightly shut and her breathing was steady. She had fallen asleep without even realizing it.

She slept soundly in the bath, completely unaware that someone had been waiting for her for a long time.

*******

Wei Luoyi sat on the bed, calmly flipping through a book. However, her movements were much faster than usual, a clear sign that her mind was elsewhere.

When she heard Chunyue knock on the door, she immediately looked up and called her in.

“Well? Has the consort come out yet?”

Chunyue shook her head. “The person waiting outside said they haven’t seen the consort come out…”

Wei Luoyi’s frown deepened. “Did you have someone go and check on him?”

Chunyue said helplessly, “We did. We even checked several times, but the consort wouldn’t answer… We didn’t dare to go in without permission…”

At her words, Wei Luoyi’s eyes darkened.

What is he doing now? It’s been half an hour.

“How about… I’ll have someone go and call for him again? Maybe the consort just didn’t hear us…”

Wei Luoyi looked at Chunyue, pondering for a moment. She then put the book down and got up. “There’s no need. I’ll go and see for myself.”

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