The Eldest Princess' Substitute Husband (Transmigration) - Chapter 23

“Tell me, how should I punish you?”

******

Alcohol is a dangerous thing. Especially for Song Jinsheng, a person who gets dizzy after just three cups of wine. She was lucky Wei Luoyi got to her when she did tonight; otherwise, she would’ve been passed out on the spot in the hall.

After getting out of the sedan chair, Song Jinsheng was dazed, being half-carried, half-dragged into the room.

She was utterly exhausted. The moment her body touched the bed, she collapsed. It was as if she couldn’t hear anyone calling her name as she fell into a deep, oblivious slumber once more…

*******

That night, she had a dream.

It was more than a dream; the setting felt much more real.

In the dream, she was a spectator with a bird’s-eye view. The first scene showed her as a child… No, rather than herself, it was the original owner of the body, a girl who shared her name and appearance.

This “Song Jinsheng,” still a young child, was nestled in the arms of an elegant, beautiful woman in expensive clothing.

At this time, “Song Jinsheng” wasn’t dressed in men’s clothes. Her hair was styled in a little girl’s bun, and she wore a pink dress. Her fair, porcelain-like face, with her clean and handsome features like the woman’s, was clearly that of a future beauty.

The woman was looking at “Song Jinsheng” with a gentle gaze, one hand lightly patting her back as her red lips hummed a lullaby.

“Sweet child… sweet child… when you wake up, mother will take you to the Moon Bridge… sweet child…”

“Sweet child…”

It was a beautiful and peaceful scene, but a maid who suddenly rushed through the door shattered the tranquility.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!…”

The maid looked panicked. She stumbled and knelt before the woman, only to be met with a furious glare and a scolding. “Impudent!”

“Why are you so reckless? If you wake the princess, what is your punishment?”

The maid glanced at “Song Jinsheng” in the woman’s arms, realized her mistake, and immediately prostrated herself on the ground. Her voice was slightly more stable now. “Please punish me, Your Highness… but… but I just heard from a guard that the city gates have been breached. The citizens are fleeing everywhere, and it’s chaos outside…”

“I’m afraid… within the hour, those barbarians will break into the palace!”

Upon hearing this, the woman’s face instantly paled. Her usually composed expression showed a hint of anxiety and fear. “Such a major event… why did no one report it? Where is the Emperor?”

“That… the Emperor… I don’t know where the Emperor has gone… But just now, when I passed by the Palace of Eternal Peace, I saw the Empress’s maids all in a panic, talking about… about… hurrying up and packing, or they’d lose their lives… I was afraid something was wrong, so I rushed here to find you, Your Highness…”

“Your Highness, shouldn’t we hurry and pack, too?”

“Heh…” After hearing what the maid said, the woman just let out a cold laugh. Her expression remained calm, but her eyes were unknowingly filled with tears. She looked at the maid, who was now weeping on the ground, and asked in return, “Pack? What is there to pack?”

“The Emperor has likely already fled the palace… and the last troop of imperial guards has probably gone with him. The only people left in the palace are poor, ridiculous souls like us.”

“Flee? Where would we flee? And how could we possibly escape?” The woman looked at the open doorway, which revealed a lonely, empty stone path. The moment her lips curled into a faint smile, a tear slid down her cheek.

After a long silence, the woman took a deep breath. Her eyes suddenly turned cold, and she looked at the kneeling, sobbing maid with a solemn expression. “I heard those barbarians are ruthless. Anyone with a portrait of a royal family member will not be spared… I can’t escape, but… you still can.”

“Your Highness…” The maid shook her head violently, already crying uncontrollably.

“Biyu, you have been with me since you were a child. I trust you.” The woman’s eyes were red, and she let the tears fall freely. There was no vulnerability or sorrow on her face; instead, it was filled with unwavering resolve. “Go get a set of men’s clothes for the little princess to change into, then take her and leave the palace immediately. Return to the Song estate, have my elder brother protect you both, and go as far away as possible…”

With that, she carefully handed the still-sleeping “Song Jinsheng” into the maid’s hands. In that instant, she finally frowned, and the sadness in her eyes became even more apparent.

Her long, slender fingers gently stroked “Song Jinsheng’s” face. A sad, gentle smile bloomed on her face as she whispered softly, “Asheng, I’m leaving her in your hands…”

******

Song Jinsheng woke up while it was still dark.

The moment she opened her eyes, she felt her head spinning. The dizziness was so unbearable that she had to frown. She forced herself to sit up and shook her head hard, trying to clear her mind.

She sat on the bed with her eyes closed for a long time before she sighed inwardly and massaged her temples. Scenes from the dream began to flash in her mind.

I’m done. I’m never drinking that much again… The wine in this palace feels like it’s laced with a sleeping potion…

Not only did it make her sick, but it also made her dream all night.

The crucial part was that the events in the dream felt too real, as if she had experienced them herself… Even now, thinking about it, a strange, suffocating pain welled up in her heart, coming in waves and making her feel deeply uncomfortable.

System: Notification: The reward has been issued. Side quest progress increased by 5%.

Song Jinsheng was startled by the sudden, cold voice and opened her eyes. Her mind was instantly filled with questions.

Song Jinsheng: ?? What reward? What side quest?

System: Host, the dream you had is the reward. To be precise, it’s not a dream but a reward issued in the form of a dream.

Song Jinsheng: Are you kidding me? This is what you call a reward?

System: Yes. The scenes you saw in your dream are the memories of the original owner. The side quest is to use the original owner’s memories to find the real reason for her death.

System: Each time you complete a limited-time quest, increase the main quest’s progress, or obtain a key item, you will trigger a related reward in the form of a dream that allows you to enter the original owner’s memories.

System: Once the side quest is completed, you may make one wish.

Song Jinsheng: Really? If I complete it, can I wish to go back home?

System: …The side quest is not related to the main quest. Other than that, you may make any wish.

System: A reminder: Although the princess’s favorability rating is not a factor in completing the quest, if it decreases, your quest progress will increase, and you will receive rewards. If the favorability rating exceeds 30, the quest progress will revert, and you will receive corresponding punishment.

System: Current favorability rating for Wei Luoyi is 30.

Song Jinsheng: ? How did it suddenly become 30? Wasn’t it around 20 before tonight?

Song Jinsheng: Also, these rewards and punishments are completely unfair. Why are there no real, tangible rewards?

While Song Jinsheng was inwardly grumbling about the system, a movement next to her caught her attention.

She turned her head and felt a chill run down her spine, her mind going blank. After the initial shock, she immediately threw back the covers and felt her own flat chest again.

Phew… it seems like nothing happened… But wasn’t I supposed to be sleeping on the floor mat? When did I end up sleeping with Wei Luoyi?

Song Jinsheng frowned, staring at Wei Luoyi’s sleeping face. She tried to recall, but her memory was completely blank from the moment she was helped into the sedan chair. She couldn’t remember anything after they got back to the room.

See? Drinking really does mess things up. Thankfully, nothing happened.

Song Jinsheng raised an eyebrow, sighed inwardly, and then unconsciously looked at Wei Luoyi.

Wei Luoyi, sleeping with her eyes closed, looked much more gentle than usual.

She had delicate, willow-shaped eyebrows, long lashes like a fan, a small, straight nose, and thin, pink lips.

In terms of beauty, she couldn’t compare to Su Ran, especially with the baby fat still on her cheeks, making her look youthful but not overly delicate.

Song Jinsheng found it hard to describe her beauty. If she had to, it was a very classic, ancient kind of beauty, with features that were truly like a painting. It was the kind of ethereal beauty that authors of historical novels would use to describe a gentle female protagonist, as serene as a clear lake.

And yet, when she looked at people with those same eyes, there was a natural coldness. She rarely smiled, and even when she did, there was no warmth, only a chill that made people feel even more distant, as if she were a block of ice that was impossible to approach.

Realizing she had been staring at Wei Luoyi, Song Jinsheng blinked, startled, and quickly averted her gaze.

Song Jinsheng looked at the shaft of light coming through the window, falling on the desk. She wasn’t sure if it was getting brighter outside, but she certainly wasn’t sleepy anymore.

She wanted to go outside, but she was on the inner side of the bed, which meant she had to climb over Wei Luoyi to get off.

Song Jinsheng stared at the sleeping person, sighed softly, and then carefully, stealthily, got up.

She was about to tuck her half of the blanket around Wei Luoyi, but she forgot that Wei Luoyi was a light sleeper. The moment she sat up, Wei Luoyi slowly opened her eyes.

Their eyes met. Song Jinsheng froze, her hand, holding the blanket, hovering on both sides of Wei Luoyi’s body.

This position… was incredibly awkward.

Coming back to her senses, she saw that Wei Luoyi’s eyes were still half-open, staring blankly at her. It was unclear if she was fully awake.

The proximity made Song Jinsheng’s breathing unsteady. She blinked, swallowed, and asked softly, tentatively, “Your Highness… are you awake?”

Wei Luoyi didn’t move, just kept staring straight at her.

Song Jinsheng felt uneasy under her gaze. Awkwardly, she lowered her head and immediately tried to stand up, but Wei Luoyi suddenly grabbed the front of her robe and pulled her down—

“Nnngh…” Song Jinsheng’s eyes widened in surprise. She immediately used both hands to brace herself, afraid they were about to reenact a scene from an idol drama.

Their lips were only inches apart, but Wei Luoyi neither dodged nor retreated. Her gaze shifted slightly from Song Jinsheng’s panicked face to the hands she was using to support herself. Her voice was as soft as a sigh. “What were you trying to do just now?”

“I… I, I was just trying to tuck the blanket in for Your Highness…” Song Jinsheng turned her head, not daring to look at the person below her. Her furrowed brows, shifting gaze, and flushed ear tips all betrayed her current embarrassment.

Wei Luoyi watched her for a moment before slowly letting go.

Song Jinsheng immediately straightened up. Just as she let out a sigh of relief, she heard Wei Luoyi’s calm voice. “Consort, did you sleep well last night?”

“I… I slept okay.” Song Jinsheng fidgeted with the front of her robe, glanced at the person beside her, and then quickly looked away. “I drank too much yesterday… I don’t know how I… ended up sleeping here…”

“You don’t know?” Wei Luoyi dragged out her words, her gaze as cool as water. “Does the Consort truly not remember?”

At that, Song Jinsheng’s hands stopped. She frowned and tried to remember carefully, but she genuinely couldn’t recall anything. She could only look at Wei Luoyi, a hint of hesitation in her voice. “I don’t remember… What happened? Did I… do something last night?”

“Yes,” Wei Luoyi said, getting up and tucking her black hair behind her ear. A smile played in her eyes as she looked at Song Jinsheng, her voice low and steady. “Last night… you were hugging and clinging to me, and you refused to let go no matter what…”

Wei Luoyi paused, then suddenly tilted her head and smiled at Song Jinsheng. It was a soft, breathtakingly beautiful smile.

“Consort, you broke the agreement and acted so presumptuously, so many times… Tell me, how should I punish you?”

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