The Villainous Consort (GL) - Chapter 22

The two were about to enter the room, one after the other, when hurried footsteps came from behind.

“Princess, Princess, this is terrible! The Consort has stacked bricks against the wall and ran away! Con…sort!”

Hanshui, holding a lantern, rushed over and shouted. Seeing the two people in the courtyard, she froze in place. Wasn’t the Consort supposed to have run away? Why was she with the Princess?

Qi Yu turned her head stiffly. It’s over, completely over. The Eldest Princess’s disguise had been blown. She had been forced into knowing this secret, and now that she couldn’t pretend to be an idiot anymore, she felt like heaven was ending her!

Upon hearing this, the Eldest Princess smiled. Seeing that Qi Yu didn’t look particularly surprised, she said to Hanshui, “Go and give the order; there is no need to look for her. The Consort has been here waiting for me all along.”

“But… the Consort stacked three layers of bricks…” Hanshui muttered to herself. Am I confused from being too busy? What is going on? Didn’t the Consort try to escape the wedding? Then what on earth are those bricks stacked by the wall?

Qi Yu, seeing that Hanshui still wanted to speak, quickly interrupted, “That’s right, I, the Consort, have been here waiting for the Princess. Hanshui, you may withdraw for now.”

Don’t say any more. Please, spare me some dignity! Why mention the stacked bricks? It’s too embarrassing.

Hanshui left in a daze.

Only then did the Eldest Princess let her expression turn cold. “I have already been honest; does the Consort have nothing to say?”

Honest? What kind of honesty is that? You were clearly forced to drop your disguise, and you were acting all serious just a moment ago. Now you’re calling yourself honest?

Qi Yu licked her dry lips. She was so thirsty; it felt like she hadn’t had a drop of water all day. She really wanted to continue playing dumb. “What is the Princess talking about? I don’t understand.” Can’t we just continue the act? Wouldn’t it be better if neither of us exposed the other?

The Eldest Princess smiled. “The Consort doesn’t seem the least bit surprised by my status. I presume you recognized me at first glance when we were in front of the gate.”

Perhaps she had been recognized even earlier than that; if so, those strange feelings she had experienced finally made sense.

Qi Yu shook her head. “No, no, no, I am very surprised. Has the Princess’s face and legs already been cured? Congratulations, congratulations!”

She had known for a long time, of course, but could she admit it? She wouldn’t admit it even if it killed her.

The Eldest Princess scrutinized the person in front of her, her gaze growing cold. “Does the Consort think I am as easy to fool as Censor Ma?” Sometimes, playing the clown was useful, but it depended on who you were dealing with. Unfortunately, she was someone who absolutely did not fall for that.

Seeing the Eldest Princess’s cold expression, Qi Yu’s heart tightened. Knowing she couldn’t muddle her way through, she lowered her head. “It seems I knew before, but don’t worry, I will absolutely never tell anyone else.”

“Seems? I wonder, when exactly did the Consort find out? And how did you know?” Only Hanshui in the entire Princess’s mansion knew that her appearance had recovered and that her broken legs were a pretense.

Usually, only when the two of them were alone would she take off her veil, and the inner courtyard was strictly off-limits to everyone. It was only when Hanshui pushed her to this spot that she would stand up and walk. Therefore, it was impossible for anyone to know.

The Eldest Princess stared sharply into Qi Yu’s eyes, her beautiful brows slightly furrowed.

Her cold, clear voice reached Qi Yu’s ears, yet it carried an unquestionable power. Qi Yu smiled, suppressing her guilty conscience. “Perhaps my grandmother, who is in the netherworld, had foresight and granted me some ability to see the future, which is why I knew the moment I saw the Princess that the wounds on your face had healed.”

The Eldest Princess looked at her coldly. “If I remember correctly, your father was adopted, and you have no blood relation to the former State Preceptor.”

The courtyard was deathly silent; only the lantern held by the Eldest Princess emitted a yellow halo of light.

Qi Yu felt increasingly nervous. What do I do? I can’t very well say that I saw it in a book, can I? This woman was too difficult to handle. Her scalp went numb under the woman’s gaze. How was she supposed to keep making this up?

The courtyard, which only held the two of them, felt very spacious, yet under the Eldest Princess’s gaze, Qi Yu found it difficult to breathe. The space felt too small, and she had the sensation of being bound hand and foot. “This, it’s a matter of intergenerational inheritance. I know you don’t understand, but it’s very complicated. I’ll explain it to you later.”

Having said that, Qi Yu guiltily looked at the dark ground. Good heavens, even I think this reason is preposterous. She didn’t dare to meet the Eldest Princess’s eyes anymore.

The Eldest Princess looked skeptical. Intergenerational inheritance? She truly had never heard of such a thing. When exactly had she been discovered?

They hadn’t met many times, nor had they ever been alone, and she had never taken off her veil. If it had been outside the Princess’s mansion, it could only have been at the small courtyard in the suburbs of the capital, which belonged to the State Preceptor’s mansion. She had stayed there for two nights.

Naturally, she had to remove her veil to bathe and change, and she had to take off her clothes as well.

The Eldest Princess held the lantern in one hand, and with the other, she pulled out a dagger from who knows where. “When we were at the small courtyard in the suburbs of the capital, did you peek at me bathing?”

“Who peeked at you bathing? Hurry up and put the knife down!” Qi Yu was almost scared to tears. She couldn’t help but lean back, her eyes fixed on the dagger pressed against her neck.

This is too terrifying. Where did this knife come from? Can you be any more brutal?

Seeing that the Eldest Princess had no intention of retracting the dagger, she continued, “Princess, please be calm. Today is our wedding day; it is not a good day to see blood.”

If you kill me, you’ll be a widow, you know that, right? Why are you acting so murderous? You’re a girl, and you’re carrying a dagger? Do you think you’re Li Xunhuan with his throwing knives?

Qi Yu couldn’t help but retreat, her eyes filled with horror. This little life of mine can’t possibly end here, can it? What happened to the two big villains joining hands to court disaster? What happened to living until the very end before being torn apart by five horses?

I’ve only lived for a few chapters!

The Eldest Princess pressed closer, the dagger in her hand pressed tightly against Qi Yu’s neck. She said in a low voice, “Who told the Consort not to tell the truth? Come to think of it, if news spread tomorrow that I was widowed on my wedding night, I’m afraid no one would dare step foot in my mansion to be the Consort anymore. That would certainly save me some worry.”

Qi Yu’s breath hitched. How eerie. The book didn’t mention any ghost story plots!

She swallowed hard. “Princess, what are you saying? If that happens, others will say you have a cursed fate. Let’s talk this through properly. Whatever questions you have, feel free to ask, and I will definitely confess everything, absolutely everything.” Those who adapt to circumstances are wise; preserving my life is what matters most.

The Eldest Princess raised her eyebrows slightly and nimbly put away the knife. “I am tired. The night is still long; let us go into the room and chat slowly.”

She was truly exhausted from the day. Rather than standing in the courtyard in a stalemate, it was better to lie down in the room.

Seeing the dagger put away, Qi Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but then she became vigilant again. What does she mean by ‘the night is still long’? And what does she mean by ‘go into the room and chat slowly’?

She was a very conservative person; she couldn’t just mess around without an emotional foundation. This villainous Princess wouldn’t try to force me, would she? If she really is going to force things, it should be me on top!

After entering the room, she saw the Eldest Princess light the lamp on the table, undress, and lie on her side on the bed in just her undergarments.

Qi Yu’s heart tightened. Is it this stimulating? Is she being this direct?

She touched the sash of her outer robe, but before she could take any further action, she froze in place.

“Kneel down and speak properly,” the Eldest Princess said in a gentle tone.

“Kneel? Kneel where?” Qi Yu was full of shock.

The Eldest Princess sneered. “On the floor, of course.” Where else would she kneel?

Qi Yu smiled. “Princess, you are joking again. A man has gold under his knees; even if I am a woman, I cannot just kneel to people at will.” She was a person with bottom lines; kneeling to the Emperor was unavoidable. But kneeling to the Princess was just too ridiculous! This was her wife! The status of wives should be equal; there was no reason to bully others like this.

The Eldest Princess didn’t respond, but suddenly she laughed softly. “If the Consort kneels and gives me a reasonable explanation, you can sleep on the bed tonight. If not, you can sleep on the floor.”

Qi Yu was delighted upon hearing this. She looked at the Eldest Princess with expectation. “Is that true? A gentleman’s word is his bond; Princess, do not go back on your word.”

The smile on the Eldest Princess’s face faded slightly. She said calmly, “My words are, naturally, absolute.” What does this person want now? I just feel like something isn’t quite right.

“Good, I appreciate people who keep their word. I will sleep on the floor tonight.” Qi Yu sat on the floor. Sleep on the bed? With the number two villain? Are you kidding? Of course, sleeping on the floor is better! I don’t have to explain immediately, and I can escape the clutches of the Eldest Princess. It couldn’t be better.

The Eldest Princess was stunned. She hadn’t expected Qi Yu to act like this. This person’s way of behaving was truly a bit naive to the point of being strange.

Whatever, she won’t be able to escape anyway. Thinking this, she lay down, covered herself with the quilt, and said in a relaxed tone, “Then I will trouble the Consort to extinguish the lamp. We shall leave matters for tomorrow.”

Qi Yu was taken aback. Did I really muddle through this so easily?

She looked at the person who had already adjusted her posture and seemed ready to fall asleep at any moment. “Princess, am I just to sleep like this?” No quilt? Just sleep as is?

The Eldest Princess closed her eyes serenely, her tone lazy. “Otherwise, the Consort can come up to the bed and explain it to me.” I have to enter the palace tomorrow morning to serve tea to the Emperor; if I don’t sleep now, there really won’t be time to rest.

Qi Yu remained silent. A quarter of an hour later, she fell into deep thought as she watched the person who had clearly fallen asleep.

Did the Eldest Princess really go to sleep so trustingly? Isn’t she worried that I’ll run away again? Is this villain’s vigilance really that low?

After standing quietly for a while longer, she touched her chest, where her heart was beating abnormally fast due to nervousness. She quietly shifted her feet and then, with extreme caution, slowly opened the door. The person on the bed showed no signs of waking up.

Qi Yu felt relieved once she stepped outside the room and walked quickly toward the main gate. This is actually still inside the Princess’s mansion. I must have climbed the wrong wall. I won’t go backward this time; I’ll try walking to the right.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, she saw it was brightly lit, with Hanshui and a team of maids guarding the entrance. “Consort, where are you going?”

Qi Yu’s mouth twitched, and she smiled. “It’s so late, are you not sleeping?” Does this girl have a grudge against me? Why does she feel so annoying? I can run into her everywhere.

Hanshui said with a well-behaved look, “If the master isn’t sleeping, how could the servant dare to sleep first? Only after the Consort has rested can we take turns going to rest.”

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Qi Yu straightened her posture and said with a natural expression, “You have done well. The Princess and I are also going to rest, but there aren’t enough quilts in the room. She asked me to come out and get two more. Well, you know, on a wedding night, it’s unavoidable that the quilts get dirty, so we need to have a couple extra on hand.”

I am so quick-witted. I must never let anyone know that I am sleeping on the floor. Otherwise, where would a dignified Consort’s face be put?