The Transmigrated Cannon Fodder Alpha: She's So Sweet Now! - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Heavens, This is Life-Threatening!

Qian Rui shook her head; unable to figure it out, she stopped overthinking. Seeing that her Highness was still waiting for her reply, she hurried to speak.

Qian Rui: “I have heard that King Yong lost his wife years ago and has been away on military campaigns for most of the year. The Commandery Princess (Chi Luoyao) took over the management of the inner household early on, handling all the prince’s manor’s affairs with great care and order.”

“Hmm, lost her mother young, father away, managing the house alone—it seems she is a very organized person,” Jiang Ningzhi muttered. Qian Rui nodded and continued.

Qian Rui: “Indeed, Your Highness. That’s not all. Not only does she handle the household well, but her scholarship is also top-tier. His Majesty once remarked that if the Princess were a Qianyuan (Alpha), she would be fit to be a Prime Minister. It is a pity she is a Kunze (Omega).”

“Hmph.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ningzhi let out a faint, cold sneer and spoke up: “What is there to be ‘pity’ about? What does being a Kunze matter? If one has talent and virtue, a Kunze can certainly be a Prime Minister.”

She paused, then added, “So what if your Highness is a Qianyuan? I am a sickly person of no use. It is the Princess who truly suffers a pity by marrying me.”

Qian Rui: “How can Your Highness say that about yourself? You are troubled by illness, but… but Your Highness is kind-hearted… Your Highness…”

Jiang Ningzhi watched as Qian Rui grew flustered, unable to think of more praise, and couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing her Highness’s rare smile, Qian Rui dithered for a moment.

Although the Princess was weak, her stature was no less than a typical female Qianyuan. Because she had been confined indoors for a long time to recuperate, her skin was pale, her nose bridge high, and her thin lips somewhat bloodless. However, her eyes were large and spirited, framed by slanted sword-like brows.

Her features were so delicate they almost resembled a Kunze, yet the lean but straight line of her back revealed the hidden resilience of a Qianyuan. Her Highness is actually quite beautiful, Qian Rui thought.

As she stared, Qian Rui’s cheeks flushed red. Despite being a close attendant, the Princess was usually cold and taciturn; Qian Rui had never dared to look directly at Jiang Ningzhi like this before.

Her Highness is a bit different today, she thought, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly how.

“Cough, cough…”

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past, and Jiang Ningzhi couldn’t help but cough twice. Qian Rui snapped back to reality and hurriedly supported her back to the room, terrified that the breeze might blow the fragile Princess into a new bout of illness.

Prince Yong’s Manor, Xi Garden, Study

Wisps of sandalwood incense drifted through the air. Chi Luoyao was bent over her desk writing, her long hair pinned up simply with a single jade hairpin, looking noble yet quiet.

She slowly lifted her head. Her porcelain skin was as smooth as fine jade, her features exquisite, her nose bridge elegant, and her lips naturally red against white teeth. A single beauty mark beneath her eye added a touch of innate charm without the need for makeup.

Her snowy neck was long like a swan’s, her black hair hung behind her like a waterfall, and her waist was as slender as a willow. Whether still or in motion, she possessed a swaying grace. Yet, her expression was cold and distant, preventing her alluring looks from appearing frivolous.

Chi Luoyao knit her brows and asked in a clear, measured voice, “Did she truly say that?”

Her voice was like spring water trickling over stones—refreshing and melodic. Her maid, Shuang’er, who was grinding ink by the desk, replied with a face full of smiles.

Shuang’er: “Yes! I heard it clearly! The Seventh Highness truly said those words.” She put down the ink stick and gestured excitedly. “I was hiding behind the rockery, and the Seventh Highness told her maid: ‘If one has talent and virtue, a Kunze can certainly be a Prime Minister!'”

Shuang’er clutched her chest in excitement. “I was thinking at the time, how can there be such a Qianyuan in this world? She is much better than those pedantic scholars who preach benevolence but look down on the talents of Kunze!”

Chi Luoyao’s lips curled into a slight smile, feeling a spark of curiosity toward the “husband” she had yet to meet. She had recently “awakened,” realizing she was a character in a storybook.

Initially, realizing her life followed a predetermined script wasn’t too hard to accept—as a Kunze woman, she was expected to depend on a Qianyuan regardless. But the script’s contents were beyond absurd. Her father was the only prince of a different surname in the Great Jin Dynasty; she had been taught military strategy and martial arts since childhood. She was not a typical sheltered lady.

Yet, the story claimed she would be forcibly defiled. Putting aside her own martial prowess, would her shadow guards allow such a thing? Simply because the offender was a Prince? Because he was a Qianyuan? Because he was the so-called “Protagonist”?

Even more unbelievable was that “she” in the story would be moved by Jiang Ningjin’s “sincere love” after such humiliation. What kind of love was that? The position of Crown Princess? The “bold feat” of snatching her away despite her being his sister’s wife? Or the “achievement” of hounding his own sister to death?

Chi Luoyao could not accept that this was her fate. Since she had awakened late, she only hoped to make preparations now—to save herself and avoid that path. And now, she thought, perhaps she could also save this Seventh Princess—her future spouse.

“I had not heard much of her before, but her personality… is somewhat cute,” Chi Luoyao smiled, imagining the other’s disdainful posture. She sounded like a vivid little sun, unlike the rumors of the cold, sickly Seventh Princess.

Shuang’er: “Uh… cute?” Shuang’er’s mouth twitched. Was “cute” a word used to describe a Qianyuan? The Princess had been acting strange lately, too.

“Yes.” Chi Luoyao didn’t care what Shuang’er was thinking. She had more important matters to worry about. “Are the arrangements I ordered settled?”

Shuang’er: “Replying to the Princess, Miss Huo has arranged everything. Miss Huo said you should just focus on the wedding with peace of mind.”

“Good. If Jinwen is handling it, I am at ease.” Chi Luoyao put down her brush, folded the letter she had just written, and handed it to Shuang’er. “Deliver this personally to Xia Yan. Tell her to act in secret; do not make a sound.”

Shuang’er nodded and left. Chi Luoyao walked to the window, staring at the green bamboo. Huo Jinwen and Yue Xiayan were her closest friends—all three were Kunze and had been inseparable for years.

Huo Jinwen came from a family of Imperial Merchants, wealthy and noble. Yue Xiayan was the sister of the commander of the Military Office; although born to a concubine, she was sharp and close to the trio. Chi Luoyao tapped her fingers on the windowsill, wondering if she could truly bypass the script.

“We shall see if it is ‘Heaven’s Will’ that cannot be defied, or if I can truly act against fate…” she murmured, reaching out to catch the wind between her fingers.

Seventh Princess’s Manor

Back in her bedroom, Jiang Ningzhi was helplessly having her pulse taken by an Imperial Physician. She was becoming painfully aware of her “sickly person” persona.

“I’m fine, really. My throat was just a bit itchy,” Jiang Ningzhi told Qian Rui. This fuss made her feel like a piece of fragile porcelain.

Qian Rui: “Don’t be impatient, Your Highness. Let Physician Yang check. Tomorrow is the wedding; it’s better to be safe.”

Physician Yang stroked his chin, his wrinkled face unreadable. “Your Highness is fine. Perhaps it is the joy of the upcoming wedding; your pulse is much stronger than it was two days ago.”

He sat at the table to write prescriptions. “I am writing two prescriptions. The first is for your daily maintenance, to be taken after meals.” He handed the papers to Qian Rui.

Qian Rui: “And this one? How should this be taken?”

Physician Yang: “This second one is to be taken before Your Highness ‘consumes the marriage’ (performs the act). It may offer some… assistance. However, Your Highness is physically weak; even with medicine, you must not overexert yourself.”

He picked up his medical box and left, ignoring the bright red face of Qian Rui and the shell-shocked Jiang Ningzhi.

Qian Rui: “I… I shall take my leave as well. Your Highness… please rest well.” Qian Rui fled as if being chased by a tiger.

Jiang Ningzhi was left in a daze.

“Consume the marriage…?” “Me and… the Female Lead… in bed?”

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