The Vicious Female Supporting Character Just Wants to Cuddle with the Heroine - Chapter 19

“I didn’t do it on purpose, I… I didn’t know! It was Shen Qingzhi, it must be her who offended the Third Prince! It’s definitely her! If she hadn’t refused to marry the Third Prince, how could he have gotten angry?!”

Hearing this, Shen Qingzhi finally understood the whole story. Crown Prince Fu Yi was truly petty. Just because she didn’t agree to the marriage, he went after her father to try and force her to comply? How ridiculous.

If this were in the past, Shen Qingzhi might have hesitated, but now that her heart belonged to someone else, she naturally couldn’t give in. It was just an expedition; she wasn’t afraid.

Shen Jue had been on a roll with his cursing and hadn’t noticed Shen Qingzhi. Now, as he stopped, he saw her standing there and immediately turned his anger on her. “What are you standing around for? Waiting for me to invite you in?!”

Shen Qingzhi was already used to Shen Jue’s attitude and was no longer hurt by it. “Father.”

“You still remember you have a father! Is it so hard to just get married?! What’s wrong with the Third Prince? Your marriage was settled a long time ago, so why are you dragging this out?! Look at how old you are. It won’t be that you don’t want to get married; it’ll be that no one wants you anymore!”

“He just wants Father to go on an expedition, right? I can go in your place.”

“You…” Shen Jue was about to continue his tirade but suddenly processed what Shen Qingzhi had just said. “What did you say? You’ll go in my place?”

“That’s right. I can go on the expedition for you. I know I’m a woman, but my martial arts skills were all personally taught to me by Grandfather. If anyone in our family can go on this expedition for Father, it has to be me.”

Shen Qingzhi felt from the bottom of her heart that this was an opportunity—the best chance for her to gain power. The process might be difficult, but she was determined to forge a new path for herself.

Shen Jue fell silent. A woman joining the army was unheard of, but when forced to choose between going to the battlefield himself and trying to arrange for Shen Qingzhi to go in his place, he would definitely choose to send Shen Qingzhi. If she succeeded, then as her father, he would surely enjoy honor and prestige. If she failed, he could just play the victim. Either way, he wouldn’t suffer any losses.

Seeing the expression on Shen Jue’s face, Shen Qingzhi knew he had already agreed. She continued, “If I take your place in the army, my marriage to the Third Prince will surely be nullified. Fortunately, our family has another daughter. Huizhi is also of marrying age. If she were to marry the Third Prince in my place, it would both save the Third Prince’s dignity and allow you to reconcile with him, wouldn’t it?”

“What you’re saying makes some sense, but you are a woman after all. Taking your father’s place in the army… I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

Shen Qingzhi knew Shen Jue was looking for a plausible reason. “Father only needs to pretend to be sick. At that time, as long as you assure His Majesty that my martial arts and military strategy skills are all true inheritances from Grandfather, he won’t make things too difficult for you.”

“Very well. Then go prepare yourself.”

“Understood.”

It didn’t take much effort for Shen Qingzhi to get everything arranged. Zhang Ruyu, who had been listening nearby, was so angry her teeth ached, but she didn’t dare speak.

Marrying the Third Prince was like jumping into a fiery pit. With the princes constantly vying for power, who knew how much danger she would face by marrying one? Most importantly, the Third Prince would never have just one wife. Any woman who could marry a prince would have connections and cunning. If their Huizhi married him, she might not even survive.

Thinking of this, Zhang Ruyu’s eyes reddened. She had plotted for so long, only to end up harming her own daughter. How could she not be filled with hatred? Shen Jue was a completely selfish man. He understood everything, which was why she couldn’t object earlier. To object would have been to suggest she wanted Shen Jue to go to the battlefield and die. He wouldn’t have listened to her and would have used corporal punishment on her instead. She could only endure it. As long as the outcome wasn’t final, there was still a way to turn the situation around.

Returning to her room, Shen Qingzhi decided to tell Ning Xin about this first. Once she left, she couldn’t protect Ning Xin anymore, so she needed to leave her with more people.

Ning Xin hadn’t expected Shen Qingzhi to come back so soon after leaving for just a day, but she was genuinely happy to see her. “Sister Shen, why did you come back so quickly?”

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Come inside and talk.”

After saying this, Ning Xin pulled Shen Qingzhi into her room.

Shen Qingzhi looked at Ning Xin with a serious expression for a long time before finally saying, “I’m going to take my father’s place on the expedition.”

“What?”

Ning Xin looked at Shen Qingzhi, puzzled. The timing was off. According to the original novel, Shen Qingzhi wasn’t supposed to go on the expedition for at least a few more months. Why was it happening now? Was it a butterfly effect from her appearance? Would this early departure affect Shen Qingzhi’s life? “I’m going to take my father’s place on the expedition. Don’t worry about things here. Before I leave, I’ll make all the arrangements for you and leave a few people to protect you. You also have to take care of yourself while you’re here, okay? Wait for me to come back.”

Ning Xin had already been suspecting Shen Qingzhi’s feelings for her. Now, with these words, her suspicions grew stronger. “Don’t worry, Sister Shen, I’ll take good care of myself. You too. If you truly go on an expedition, the battlefield is full of danger. You must protect yourself.”

“With those words from you, I will definitely protect myself.”

After saying this, Shen Qingzhi looked straight at Ning Xin. She knew the battlefield was a place of a thousand dangers and a near-certain death, so she didn’t want to waste a single moment she had to look at Ning Xin.

Ning Xin was an idiot, but she could now confirm Shen Qingzhi’s meaning. Her mind was a little blank. She really didn’t know how to respond. Who could understand? She had accidentally bent the main female character. What was she supposed to do? After spending so much time together, she naturally had feelings for Shen Qingzhi, but they were different kinds of feelings! Normally, she should have immediately kept her distance from Shen Qingzhi. But Shen Qingzhi was about to go on an expedition. At a time like this, she couldn’t let Shen Qingzhi be distracted. She couldn’t let Shen Qingzhi leave with a sad or disappointed heart.

Seeing Ning Xin’s dazed expression, Shen Qingzhi simply reached out and pinched her cheek. “Alright, let’s eat. I’m hungry.”

Ning Xin finally snapped back to reality and shot up from her stool. “I’ll go prepare the meal.”

The room for Shen Qingzhi had already been prepared, but in this situation, Ning Xin didn’t dare mention it. If she upset Shen Qingzhi now, it would be too heartless. Besides, they had already slept in the same bed so many times. One more wouldn’t matter. Shen Qingzhi was so proper; she didn’t need to worry that Shen Qingzhi would do anything to her.

Shen Qingzhi watched Ning Xin run out, then went out for a walk herself. She happened to run into one of the servants from the estate.

“Miss Shen, our young lady has prepared a new room for you. Would you like to go see it?”

“A new room?”

Shen Qingzhi’s brows furrowed instinctively.

The servant seemed completely oblivious and continued, “Yes, a new room. It’s right next to our young lady’s room, and she prepared everything inside herself.”

“I understand. Go back to your work.”

“Yes.”

After the servant left, Shen Qingzhi walked to the room next to Ning Xin’s. The door wasn’t locked, so she simply pushed it open and went inside.

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