The Villainous Consort (GL) - Chapter 3

Location: The Outskirts of the Imperial Capital

“Miss, Nanny Li has returned, and the Master is here as well,” whispered the courtyard guard as he approached Qi Yu the moment she stepped through the gate.

Qi Yu felt a flicker of panic, but she quickly composed herself and nodded. “I understand.”

The study was already bathed in lamplight, with two additional guards stationed outside. Before entering, Nanny Li pulled her aside, trying her best to offer some “enlightenment.”

“Miss, please try to look on the bright side. Aside from being a bit plain and having a slight disability with her leg, the Eldest Princess is wonderful in every other way. Please, do not lose your temper with the Master again.”

Qi Yu stumbled slightly. Nanny Li’s “suffocating” brand of affection was hard to stomach. Pushing the door open, she saw a middle-aged man in his forties sitting behind the desk. He exuded an aura of stifling severity.

“So, you finally decided to return!” Qi Father spoke in a low, heavy voice—it was unclear if he was naturally dour or simply suppressed by years of frustration.

Qi Yu remained still. Abiding by the principle that “the more one speaks, the more mistakes one makes,” she stood in silence.

Seeing her lack of response, Qi Father’s anger flared. His long goatskin beard, which he had grown with great care, trembled slightly. “Have you come to your senses? Whether the State Preceptor’s Manor can reclaim its former glory depends entirely on the choice you make.”

Qi Yu looked up and replied indifferently, “Even if I have come to my senses, what does it matter? Would the Eldest Princess even look twice at me?”

To Qi Yu, the people of the State Preceptor’s Manor seemed to be “carrying a one-sided burden”—acting as if the Eldest Princess would choose her the moment she agreed. She wondered if they were truly foolish or merely pretending to be.

“At least you have some self-awareness,” Qi Father said, suppressing his rage. He looked at his daughter with visible disappointment. “There are ten days left. Stay here and practice your martial arts. As for the civil examination, you need not worry; I will handle it.”

He sighed, unable to find any trace of his own talent in her. “They say a tiger father does not sire a dog of a son, yet you… Forget it. I am returning to the city. Come back in a few days to prepare for the selection.”

Qi Yu thought about saying “I respectfully see you off, Father” like they did on TV, but her lips only twitched. She feared that if the original owner of this body didn’t have that habit, she would break character and be treated like a possessed demon.

From what she could gather, the original Qi Yu was temperamental and lacked respect for her elders, rarely using honorifics. Since no one seemed shocked by her current behavior, she felt safer.

But what did he mean by ‘not worrying’ about the civil exam? she wondered. Is there some kind of exemption?

Three days before the selection of the Imperial Consort, Qi Yu finally understood.

“These are the questions for the civil exam, set by the Emperor himself. Memorize them well.” Qi Father tossed a sheet filled with answers onto the table, his eyes gleaming with a hint of smugness despite his usual sternness.

Qi Yu looked at the paper in disbelief. “Father, where did you get this? Is it reliable? This is the Imperial Selection—if anything goes wrong, it’s a capital offense for deceiving the Emperor!”

She was stunned. Could one really buy the questions for the Emperor’s son-in-law selection? If they were caught, heads would surely roll.

“Do you not trust my handiwork?” Qi Father glared at her, though his gaze was a bit shifty. “Besides, this matter regarding the Eldest Princess… it is a good thing.”

In truth, the Eldest Princess was a “good thing” that every other calculating official was trying to dodge. Those old foxes had sent the answers to the State Preceptor’s Manor early, offering hollow encouragements like, “You must try your best to be selected; we have high hopes for your child!”

They wanted Qi Yu to be picked so their own children wouldn’t have to be. However, this suited Qi Father’s goals perfectly. The State Preceptor’s Manor was losing its status in the capital; their influence in court was nearly gone. The only path forward was to become Imperial kin. He lamented that he shared no blood relation with his two mothers (the previous Preceptors) and had inherited none of their prophetic abilities.

He let out a long sigh. “If your two grandmothers were still alive, the Manor would not have fallen to this state. I have no talent, and you have no gift. The once-mighty ‘First State Preceptor of Baiyue’ has become nothing more than a figurehead in the Imperial Observatory.”

Qi Yu nodded inwardly. The history books mentioned that the first State Preceptor of Baiyue, Qi Xiaosong, possessed great prophetic powers and assisted two Empresses for decades. Her father was merely riding the coattails of his predecessors.

“I will do my best. As for whether I am chosen, I leave it to fate,” Qi Yu said, tucking the paper away. She realized she needed to practice her calligraphy. With only three days left to memorize answers and fix her handwriting, “crash-coursing” felt impossible.

Qi Father was stunned, glancing at his daughter. She was usually prickly; why was she so submissive today? Perhaps the reflection in the countryside actually worked?

“Mmm. I believe in you. Get some rest.” He stroked his beard and waved her away.

Back in her room, Qi Yu had one urgent task: she needed to write down the plot of the novel before she forgot the details. She used Arabic numerals and simplified Chinese characters, mixing in English words. To anyone in this era, it would look like an indecipherable code.

The next morning, Qi Yu was awoken by a rooster’s crow. She hadn’t expected city folk to keep chickens as alarm clocks, too.

“Miss, Miss…”

Nanny Li was knocking even earlier than usual.

“Nanny Li, no martial arts today. Father wants me to review for the civil exam,” Qi Yu said, opening the door.

Nanny Li beamed. “I know. The ink and brushes are ready. Please head to the study.”

Qi Yu was speechless. The routine was the same, only instead of watching her practice punches, Nanny Li was now standing at the study door watching her practice calligraphy.

Looking at the test answers, Qi Yu didn’t rush to memorize them. Instead, she practiced her brushwork. Looking at her crooked characters and comparing them to the original owner’s old notes, she realized they were both equally terrible. If the graders ignore the art and focus on the answers, I might pass, she thought.

Her plan was simply to “participate.” She knew she couldn’t win the martial trial later, but she wanted to see who the “Villainous Consort” from the book was so she could warn the Eldest Princess.

The Day of the Examination

At the venue, Qi Yu couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the Eldest Princess.

“Qi Yu! Over here!” Chu Chanyi waved from a distance.

“How is your preparation?” Qi Yu asked, wondering if Chu also had a “cheat sheet.”

Chu Chanyi looked at her as if she’d seen a ghost. “Preparation? Has your brain gone soft? Why would we prepare? The less prepared, the better! Do you actually want to be chosen? Marriage is a lifelong commitment, be careful!”

Qi Yu was silenced. At least she knew Chu didn’t have the answers. She decided to answer just enough to pass the first round out of respect for her father’s efforts.

The venue was filled with nearly a hundred young men and women—it seemed the officials had done their due diligence in sending their eligible children.

Once seated, Qi Yu didn’t copy the answers verbatim. She answered about half the questions, aiming for a “just barely passing” grade, and put down her pen.

She scanned the room. While others were writing feverishly, she noticed the Emperor had arrived to personally oversee the exam. He clearly doted on his daughter.

She spotted Li Chuanlian and Fang Hai. According to Chu Chanyi, Li was a gentleman and likely wasn’t the villain. Fang Hai, however, was handsome and talented but had a poor reputation—classic villain traits. The book mentioned the consort had ties to the remnants of the previous dynasty; she made a mental note to investigate the Fang family later.

As Qi Yu looked around, the Emperor frowned. He looked at the diligent candidates and then at the distracted Qi Yu.

He beckoned his head eunuch. “Lin, look at that woman. She hasn’t finished her paper, yet she’s looking around shiftily. Whose child is that?”

Eunuch Lin, who knew every candidate’s profile, checked his list. “Your Majesty, that is the ‘Pearl’ of the State Preceptor’s Manor. It is said… she is quite untalented.”

Sensing the Emperor’s distaste, Lin added a bit of oil to the fire.

The Emperor snorted. “A ‘Pearl’? I think she is merely a fish eye masquerading as a pearl.”