The Eldest Princess' Substitute Husband (Transmigration) - Chapter 31

“An orphan of the previous dynasty… dressed as a man to marry a princess…”

******

Seeing the strange look in her eyes, Su Ran was also taken aback and asked in disbelief, “…What? Are you for real?”

Hearing this, Song Jinsheng realized her mistake. She quickly lowered her eyes, pretending that nothing had happened, and continued to turn the teacup in her hand. “No, of course not…”

“Why not?”

Su Ran retorted quickly, which made Song Jinsheng’s hand pause. She looked at her in surprise as Su Ran said with conviction, “Although I didn’t see her full face last time, judging by the top half, she’s definitely not ugly, right?”

Su Ran spoke, glancing at Song Jinsheng’s face. Seeing that she was silent, her tone became more certain. “If I were you, I would be interested in women, and I’d be with a great beauty every day, playing the role of a couple. It’s totally normal for acting to become real, isn’t it?”

“Otherwise, why do they say actors fall in love on set, right?”

Su Ran finished speaking, thinking Song Jinsheng would agree with her. But to her surprise, the other person was squinting at her, her eyes filled with confusion and deep thought.

“What’s with that face?”

“Nothing. I just didn’t expect you to…” Song Jinsheng raised her eyebrows and finally took a sip of the now-cold tea.

Everything was left unsaid.

Su Ran only needed one look to understand her meaning. She said openly, “Is that so strange? That’s what I thought when I first saw you…”

“You, too.” Su Ran said, one word at a time.

Song Jinsheng couldn’t stand her cheeky smile. She cleared her throat and awkwardly turned her gaze elsewhere.

Since she had said so much, Su Ran was even more confident that her guess was right. She said directly, “Just tell me the truth. Do you love her a lot, or is it more… of a budding affection?”

Song Jinsheng didn’t expect her to be so direct, but at this point, there was no need to hide it anymore. After all, in this unfamiliar place, Su Ran was the only person she could confide in.

She sighed inwardly and said with a frown and a sense of melancholy, “Maybe… the latter.”

She hadn’t realized it before, but ever since the thought crossed her mind, seeing her made her heart race and made her want to run away. But when she didn’t see her, she would think about her and secretly recall their time together…

Song Jinsheng was not someone who was experiencing love for the first time. She had felt this kind of flutter before, but precisely because she had experienced it and knew what kind of emotion it was, she felt even more panicked.

But this feeling was beyond her control. The more she tried to run away from it, the more she thought about her. Perhaps even she didn’t know when these feelings began…

Seeing the melancholy in Song Jinsheng’s eyes, Su Ran no longer felt like teasing her. She sighed for her and said with a serious expression, “I hate to say this, but I think if you can stop these feelings, you should. After all…”

Su Ran looked into Song Jinsheng’s eyes and said with a sigh, “You’re living with the crime of deceiving the emperor… And even if she accepts that you’re a woman, we… we don’t belong here… unless you’re willing to give up your chance to leave for her.”

That’s impossible.

Only those four words came to Song Jinsheng’s mind.

She was only starting to have feelings for Wei Luoyi. Even if she fell in love with her one day, she might not be able to stay here.

Everyone is selfish.

Unless forced, no one wants to stay in a completely strange world.

Although she remained silent, Su Ran understood her thoughts from her expression. She suggested, “If you ask me, you shouldn’t care so much about her. If you get emotionally invested in everything she does, how can you ever stop thinking about her?”

“I don’t think about her all the time… I’ve been avoiding her. I’m trying my best not to see her, but it seems like I can avoid her for a while, but not forever, right?” Song Jinsheng finally couldn’t help but speak.

She didn’t want to hide all the time, and she didn’t want to fall for Wei Luoyi. But emotions were not something she could control.

Su Ran said directly, “Then find a way to get a divorce from her.”

“Cut your losses. Make her hate you. If she hates you enough, I don’t believe she’ll still want to keep you as a consort.”

Song Jinsheng fell silent again and turned to think.

She had thought about this before, but…

Wei Luoyi seemed emotionless. There were still many things about her in the palace that were unclear. She seemed to have many mysteries. How could she provoke her into hating her?

Wei Luoyi didn’t want her; she just needed a consort who was easy to control.

Seeing Song Jinsheng’s frozen gaze, Su Ran felt helpless. She could only shake the tea in her cup and sigh. “I remember you said the real consort was an orphan of the previous dynasty? That identity is an even bigger crime than you dressing up as a man.”

“Although you might be able to go back on the Mid-Autumn Festival, who knows what will happen if you keep delaying this? What if your identity is discovered…”

Su Ran looked at her, not finishing the last half of the sentence, but Song Jinsheng understood.

How could I not have thought of this? But now that Su Ran has brought it up, I do feel a little uneasy.

An orphan of the previous dynasty… dressed as a man to marry a princess. In the end, it will lead to a charge of treason… I can’t wait any longer.

If I wait any longer, things might get even more complicated…

Song Jinsheng thought to herself. She turned her head and looked at the bustling crowd outside the window, her expression solemn, her eyes filled with a complicated mix of emotions.

******

Song Jinsheng was out for most of the day. She intentionally had dinner with Su Ran at a restaurant before slowly walking back to the estate.

The moment she entered the gates, she saw Guzi already waiting inside. When he saw her, he rushed over with a lantern. “Master, you’re finally back.”

Song Jinsheng heard the urgency in his voice and couldn’t help but ask, “Mmm, I just got back after having dinner outside… What’s wrong?”

Guzi walked beside her, saying as they went, “Her Highness sent someone to ask for you earlier, for you to have dinner with her in her room. I told them you were out on business and hadn’t returned yet.”

Song Jinsheng’s hands were behind her back. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard Wei Luoyi had sent for her.

“Oh… and then? Did Her Highness say anything else?”

“She told me to wait here and have you come to her as soon as you returned. She has something to talk to you about.”

“Something to talk to me about?” Song Jinsheng muttered to herself in confusion.

Wei Luoyi actually took the initiative to find me?

I just talked to Su Ran during the day about not avoiding her anymore, but I didn’t expect to have to face her so soon…

Besides being at a loss, there was a hint of elation that she didn’t want to admit. Several emotions were jumbled together, making her feel flustered…

She sighed softly, stopped her steps, and turned onto the other path in the corridor, saying to Guzi, “Let’s go. To Her Highness.”

*******

Song Jinsheng had overestimated her ability to cope.

She thought that after a few days of calming down, she would be able to act naturally. But ever since she approached Wei Luoyi’s room, her heart had started to beat faster. It wasn’t just because she understood her feelings; a part of her was still bewildered, and she didn’t know what kind of attitude she should have when she faced Wei Luoyi.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stop overthinking. Only then did she look up and slowly close the door behind her, walking into the room one step at a time.

The room was filled with the familiar scent of sandalwood. Sandalwood had a calming effect. In the past, every time Song Jinsheng came here, she felt at ease. But this time, the closer she got to the inner room, the more her heart raced.

When she reached the inner room, she saw Wei Luoyi languidly lying on a soft chair, holding an object and playing with it. Her expression was calm. When she saw Song Jinsheng walk in, she only glanced at her and then looked away.

“The Consort is here.” Her voice was very soft.

Song Jinsheng walked to her and saw that Wei Luoyi was holding the clay figurine she had bought for her when they were out on the streets.

Song Jinsheng stared at the ugly figurine for a moment. Then she looked up at the person on the soft chair and said in a low voice, “I’m late… I heard Your Highness wanted to see me?”

“Mmm, I do.” Wei Luoyi put the figurine on the table beside her. When her eyes met Song Jinsheng’s, the latter lowered her gaze again.

Wei Luoyi noticed her avoidance. She slightly frowned, then relaxed her brows. She sat up a little and poured herself a cup of tea. She said slowly, “I’m tired. Your massaging skills are good. Come and give me a massage.”

At her words, Song Jinsheng was stunned.

She went out of her way to have Guzi wait for me, and she asked me to come here just for this?

“…Yes.” Song Jinsheng didn’t voice her doubts. She just walked in silence to stand behind Wei Luoyi.

She suddenly remembered that this was a condition she had agreed to when she borrowed money from Wei Luoyi… It had been so long, and she couldn’t believe she still remembered.

She really is treating me like a servant…

Thinking of this, Song Jinsheng felt a sense of self-mockery. What kind of person am I in Wei Luoyi’s eyes?

Song Jinsheng looked at Wei Luoyi’s slender back. Her gaze moved up and saw a small mole on the back of her exposed neck. She quickly looked away and sighed inwardly. She raised her hands and gently placed them on Wei Luoyi’s shoulders.

But just as her hands landed, Wei Luoyi grabbed her left hand.

Song Jinsheng’s heart suddenly jumped. After a moment of a daze, she saw Wei Luoyi holding her hand and slowly moving it to the inner part of her neck.

“Here.”

“…Oh.”

Song Jinsheng answered in a low voice and moved her hand closer, but she didn’t place it fully on Wei Luoyi’s shoulder. She only used her fingertips to gently knead her.

The room fell silent. Wei Luoyi closed her eyes and didn’t speak. Although Song Jinsheng looked calm on the outside, her heart was already in turmoil.

Did Wei Luoyi really just call her here to massage her and boss her around? That’s not like her at all…

Just as Song Jinsheng was speculating, Wei Luoyi’s voice drifted softly. “I heard the Consort was busy today?”

“Oh… yes. I said a while ago that I was going to open a shop, didn’t I? Guzi has already handled everything. I went to check on it today.” Song Jinsheng had anticipated her question. She had originally wanted to say that she had met up with an old friend, but she suddenly changed her mind and erased Su Ran’s existence from the story.

At her words, a smile appeared on Wei Luoyi’s calm, emotionless face, but it was a half-smile that looked strange. “Is that so? The Consort is truly dedicated to this matter, working until late.”

Wei Luoyi drew out the last half of her sentence. As Song Jinsheng listened, the hand kneading Wei Luoyi’s shoulder couldn’t help but slow down. But she curled her lips and pretended not to understand the deeper meaning in her words. “Of course. After all, I borrowed money from Your Highness. How can I not be dedicated? I’m hoping to earn enough to pay you back as soon as possible.”

“Pay me back?” Wei Luoyi slightly tilted her head, frowning in surprise.

“Consider this a gift from me. You don’t have to pay me back.”

“How can I do that? I know Your Highness isn’t lacking in money, but it’s still yours, not mine. I must pay you back.”

Song Jinsheng said this calmly, with a faint smile. Although a few hundred taels wasn’t a lot of money to the royal family, and since she and Wei Luoyi were married, there was no need for this. But her words clearly defined the boundaries between them.

But perhaps… there was already a chasm between them.

Wei Luoyi’s frown deepened. She said in a low voice, “I said you don’t have to.”

Song Jinsheng: “I must.”

Wei Luoyi: “You don’t.”

Song Jinsheng: “I must.”

Wei Luoyi fell silent, but her brows were still furrowed. After a long silence, she suddenly turned her head to look at the person behind her. “Are you doing this on purpose to annoy me?”

Ever since they returned from the palace, this person had been avoiding her as if she were a ghost. And now, she was talking back to her, clearly drawing a line between them. What else could this be but an attempt to annoy her?

Seeing that Wei Luoyi was actually angry because of her words, Song Jinsheng was no longer afraid. She took her hands off her shoulder and stared into her eyes. A strange joy bubbled up in her heart, but she quickly lowered her gaze, avoiding the stare.

“I wouldn’t dare. Your Highness is overthinking.”

Wei Luoyi pursed her lips, staring at her without a word. Her eyes held a mix of anger and complicated emotions.

And Song Jinsheng, under her gaze, also unconsciously frowned, not daring to look up at her.

A moment later, no one spoke.

Song Jinsheng couldn’t take it anymore. She lowered her head and pleaded, “Your Highness, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving… I’ve been busy all day, and I’m very tired.”

“You…” Wei Luoyi glared at her, parting her lips as if to say something. But in the end, she said nothing. She just turned her head and faced away from her. After taking a deep breath, her face returned to its usual calm. 

“You may leave.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Song Jinsheng even clasped her hands and bowed in a formal manner before leaving with a flick of her sleeve.

Wei Luoyi had been looking elsewhere, but when Song Jinsheng turned around, she turned her head and watched her with a frown until her figure disappeared from the room.

In truth, Song Jinsheng had always been this distant and formal, but Wei Luoyi had never cared before. She didn’t know why she suddenly found it so unpleasant today.

She was lost in thought for a moment. Then, she used the armrest of the soft chair to slowly get up. She walked to the bed and took a letter from under the wooden pillow.

She opened the letter and read it from beginning to end, not missing a single word.

This was the third time she had read this letter today.

Only when her eyes landed on the last word did she look up, her eyes holding a terrifying coldness.

She walked to the candle stand, placed a corner of the letter on the flame, and watched with cold eyes as the hot tongue of fire slowly licked the paper, turning it into ashes. She let go, and the ashes fell into the brazier on the floor.

She then took out a silk handkerchief and carefully wiped her hands. After glancing at the brazier, she walked to the bed.

In the brazier, most of the letter had already been burned. Only a small portion remained, and two lines of words could still be faintly read. They said:

The Consort met with a woman. The woman was beautiful, and the two of them had a great time chatting at the teahouse. They left together at sunset…

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