The Villainous Consort (GL) - Chapter 2

Baiyue? A scarred, crippled Eldest Princess choosing a consort? Wait… why did I only just notice this!

Qi Yu’s hand shook, the soup spoon trembling. This was the exact plot of an old book she had read before her “accident”—The Unofficial History of the Baiyue Dynasty.

She had originally thought she’d traveled to a real historical period, but the truth was more absurd: she was inside a web novel about a dynasty that never existed in the real world.

“What do you mean, ‘no way’? Fang Hai is just a blowhard who relies on his father, the Minister. He has no real skill,” Chu Chanyi said, drinking unbothered. “He’s threatened to kick me out of the capital a dozen times, yet here I am.”

Chu Chanyi didn’t care about Fang Hai. This capital belonged to the Zhou family, not the Fangs. Besides, the Eldest Princess had lost her right to the throne. The next Emperor was guaranteed to be the Second Prince, as he was the only male heir left.

“Speak of the devil… isn’t that the Second Prince?” Chu Chanyi kicked Qi Yu under the table and gestured toward the stairs. It looked like the prince was heading to a private room on the third floor.

Qi Yu was still dazed, struggling to accept her new reality.

“That’s him,” Chu Chanyi whispered. “I’ve seen him twice at my uncle’s estate. They say he’s humble and wise, but I have no idea why he’s blind enough to associate with people like Fang Hai. Li Chuanlian is a gentleman at least, but his taste in friends is poor.”

“The Second Prince?” Qi Yu turned to look. In the novel, this was the male lead, Zhou Shili—the “lovestruck” hero who eventually inherits the throne only to surrender the entire country to a neighboring Empress because he fell for her.

“Do you have a huge grievance against Fang Hai?” Qi Yu asked, trying to recall the book’s details. Chu Chanyi? She didn’t remember that name. Was she an insignificant side character? If so, as her best friend, was “Qi Yu” also just a minor role?

It seemed the original owner of this body didn’t have much of a “script.” In fact, if Qi Yu hadn’t transmigrated, the original Qi Yu likely would have died the day she fell off that wall. A nameless cannon fodder. How tragic.

Chu Chanyi stared at her. “Did you lose your memory? That brat Fang Hai is a two-faced snake. You’re usually more furious than I am when you see him! Did staying in that suburban villa turn you into a dimwit?”

Qi Yu stiffened. Am I breaking character? Was the original Qi Yu a loud, impulsive person? “Well… staying alone for a while made me realize things,” she improvised, propping her chin on her hand. “A true master keeps their emotions hidden. We were too reckless before.”

“I like it! Growth!” Chu Chanyi puffed out her chest, trying to look serious, but burst into laughter three seconds later. “Pffft—I can’t do it. You be the master, I’ll just be the master’s best friend.”

The Doomed Dynasty

Qi Yu smiled, but her mind was racing. According to the book, this was the year 80 of the Baiyue Dynasty.

Baiyue was a short-lived era. In just 80 years, it had already seen five emperors. The current Emperor was the fifth; the Second Prince, Zhou Shili, would be the sixth—and the last. The “Unofficial History” stated that the fall of Baiyue was the fault of the Imperial Consort (the Eldest Princess’s husband).

The story claimed the Eldest Princess spent her life sabotaging the Second Prince while the Consort secretly colluded with the enemy. Together, the couple destroyed the dynasty. The Second Prince, protected by “protagonist aura,” survived to become the Royal Consort of the enemy Empress.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?” Chu Chanyi asked, putting down her chopsticks.

“Who do you think the Eldest Princess will choose as her consort?” Qi Yu asked casually. “What if the person has character flaws? You can’t judge a person’s heart through a few exams.”

As a cannon-fodder character, should she warn the Princess to keep her eyes open? Or just stay out of it?

“Who knows?” Chu Chanyi shrugged. “But the candidates are all from noble families. Surely there are no real villains among them, or their families would be ruined.”

Qi Yu nodded absently. No villains? Just a traitor who sells out the country. No big deal. The book focused on the first four emperors; once the Second Prince took over, the country vanished. It listed the “crimes” of the Princess and her husband but never mentioned the villainous consort’s name.

The View from the Private Room

As Qi Yu and Chu Chanyi rose to leave, a pair of eyes watched them from a private room just a few meters away.

“Princess,” a maid-servant whispered, pointing at their backs. “The one in dark green is Chu Chanyi. Her father was demoted, but she’s the niece of the Right Prime Minister, so she’s still connected to the court.

The one in deep blue is Qi Yu, the daughter of the National Master. Among the candidates, the National Master’s house is the most eager to win this marriage to regain their fading status. However, Qi Yu herself seems very unwilling. Word is, she once shouted in the street that she would never marry an ‘ugly woman’.”

A woman wearing a silken veil watched the two figures depart with interest. “I heard the National Master is a timid man, a ‘ghost’ in the Bureau of Astronomy. Is his daughter really that bold?”

The maid, Han Shui, stuffed a pastry into her mouth. “That’s why he locked her up outside the city—to stop her from offending the Emperor. Clearly, it was just for show.”

The two women were the Eldest Princess and her confidante, Han Shui.

“What is this Qi Yu like? What are her capabilities?” the Princess asked.

Han Shui nearly choked and took a quick sip of water. “Princess, you aren’t interested in her, are you? Qi Yu is terrible. She has zero talent in anything. Her only merit is that her face is… well, she’s somewhat fair and handsome, but she is absolutely unfit to be a Consort!”

“Why unfit?” The Princess tapped the table, a trace of loneliness flickering in her eyes.

“How could someone like that be a proper match for you? We should look at others.”

The Princess went quiet for a moment. “Don’t you think she is actually… perfect?”

She wanted someone who was useless, both in appearance and reality. Only then would her younger brother, the Prince, stop viewing her as a threat. If the consort had no talent, she wouldn’t be ruining someone’s career. If the consort had a bad reputation, there was no need to worry about hidden schemes. Most importantly, the National Master’s family was desperate for the royal connection.

Han Shui was stunned. This is ‘perfect’? Even if the Princess wanted to avoid the Prince’s suspicion, shouldn’t she at least pick someone she liked looking at?

“Princess… do you find her pleasing to the eye?” Han Shui asked in disbelief.

The Princess shook her head and looked out the window. “It is a marriage of convenience. Choosing a woman instead of a man will also put my brother’s mind at ease.”

“Princess…”

“Go on, speak your mind,” the Princess said.

Han Shui sniffed. “I just feel it’s too unfair to you. Why doesn’t the Second Prince understand your heart? He treats the Princess’s Manor like a nest of thieves.”

“Let’s go home,” the Princess whispered. Because of that supreme dragon throne, the boy who used to follow her around calling her “Big Sister” was gone forever.