The Villainous Consort (GL) - Chapter 36

Han Shui stood to the side, her eyes constantly drifting toward Chu Chanyi. The spies from the Princess’s Manor who had been left in Pingman Province had returned two days ago—the same day as Miss Chu—and naturally, they brought back news regarding the Second Princess of Xidao.

“Did Miss Chu only return to the capital two days ago?” the Eldest Princess asked casually.

Chu Chanyi’s heart skipped a beat. Not daring to answer recklessly, she paused before saying, “I suffered from a bit of travel fatigue and a lack of adjustment to the climate, so I delayed a few days at Honglv Prefecture.” She cursed that woman Ai Ye in her mind—who knew what she was up to, insisting that Chanyi wait so they could hitch a ride back to the capital with the Prime Minister’s carriage.

“If I recall correctly, Miss Chu is the same age as the Prince Consort. It should be time for your marriage to be arranged.” The Eldest Princess continued. The scouts who had stayed behind to monitor the Xidao Princess had returned with the Prime Minister’s convoy not by coincidence, but because that Second Princess was hidden inside Chu Chanyi’s carriage.

The sudden shift in topic left Chu Chanyi stunned for a moment. “My uncle and father have mentioned it, but finding someone worthy of a lifelong commitment is no easy task.” Inexplicably, the face of Ai Ye flashed through her mind.

But what did the Eldest Princess mean by this? Had Ai Ye been exposed? And what did that have to do with her marriage?

Qi Yu had the same question. As the wine and food filled the table, she watched the two chat and felt like a background character again. Chu Chanyi was her little partner, after all.

The Eldest Princess gestured for Han Shui to pour the wine, then raised her cup toward Chu Chanyi. “I wonder if the ‘worthy person’ Miss Chu seeks is a man or a woman?” Or perhaps that Second Princess? Based on the scouts’ reports, the relationship between those two was far from ordinary.

The question was quite intimate. Qi Yu silently took two sips of wine, looking at the clearly defensive Chu Chanyi with sympathy. She knew all too well what it felt like to be interrogated.

However, the Eldest Princess wasn’t one to lack boundaries. Did Chu Chanyi possess information she wanted?

Chu Chanyi had just returned from Honglv Prefecture; her father, Chu Yan, had been away from the court for years, and her uncle, Chu Yuan, though the Prime Minister, had been claiming illness and skipping court for days. What news could be worth the Princess’s investigation?

Qi Yu racked her brain and finally remembered one person Chu Chanyi was connected to: the Second Princess of Xidao. She glanced at her friend in surprise. Did this sister come back with Ai Ye again? That didn’t make sense; shouldn’t the Second Prince, the Male Lead, be the one spending the most time with the female lead?

And last time—the rescue, the escorting… why did it feel like her friend was stealing the Male Lead’s scenes?

Unaware that she was stealing anyone’s spotlight, Chu Chanyi thought seriously under the Princess’s gaze. “That person should ideally be someone I mutually like, and we should be compatible. To be able to walk together for a lifetime is enough; whether they are a man or a woman is not important.”

Hearing this, the Eldest Princess inexplicably glanced at her own Prince Consort. Qi Yu was currently focused on gnawing a chicken wing, her eyes seemingly containing nothing but food.

The Princess’s grip on her chopsticks tightened. A sense of frustration rose in her heart. She looked at Qi Yu. “What does the Prince Consort think?”

Qi Yu, currently in a struggle with the chicken wing, hurriedly swallowed. Wasn’t this woman supposed to be pumping Chu Chanyi for info? Why did she turn on me?

Qi Yu grumbled internally but didn’t dare talk back. Fortunately, she had been paying attention to the conversation. She was about to speak when she met the Princess’s eyes. Her heart suddenly faltered, and she blurted out, “I already have the Princess. In the future, regardless of whether the Princess is a man or a woman, I will not change my mind.”

The words sounded both fawning and awkward. The Princess felt even more stifled. Regardless of whether I am a man or a woman? Did she think she was a shapeshifter?

If she truly had that ability, the first thing she’d do is turn Qi Yu into a little eunuch to save herself the annoyance.

Qi Yu, thinking she had put on a sincere performance, didn’t notice the Princess’s dissatisfaction. She went back to her chicken wing, sighing inwardly. Acting is exhausting; I have to pretend to be in love with this woman everywhere.

Ah, this cursed ancient world. A single rank higher can crush a person, and the Eldest Princess was more than just one rank higher than her. One must bow when under another’s roof.

Because of Qi Yu’s words, the Princess felt out of sorts and stopped talking. Chu Chanyi was worried about Ai Ye’s situation. Thus, the two of them silently drank their sorrows away while only Qi Yu had a good appetite.

Han Shui shook her head repeatedly. This Prince Consort had no situational awareness—her words were sweet, yet she didn’t even offer her mistress a single piece of food.

As a devoted first-class maid, Han Shui felt for her mistress and moved over to serve her food.

The Princess finally put down her wine cup. As she calmed down, she wondered about her own strange state of mind. Her emotions had been fluctuating wildly lately. Perhaps it was the change of seasons? She decided she ought to have the Imperial Physician take a look.

After dinner, the Eldest Princess—who usually avoided ministers—took a rare detour to the Prime Minister’s Manor. However, she only dropped Chu Chanyi off and immediately turned back.

Like Qi Yu, Chu Chanyi usually preferred walking unless the distance was great. Since she had been drinking, it was only natural for the Princess’s carriage to drop her off.

On the way back to the Princess’s Manor, Qi Yu watched the Eldest Princess, who was sitting with her eyes closed. Her brows were knit tightly. Qi Yu wondered what was causing her such worry; at the dinner table, she looked like she was drinking to forget her troubles.

Due to the alcohol and the weight on her mind, the Princess leaned against the carriage window in deep thought. In the rhythmic swaying of the carriage, sleepiness washed over her. Her body began to tilt backward.

She felt her back sink into a soft, warm embrace. In her drunken daze, a slight smile touched her lips, and her furrowed brows relaxed as she fell into a peaceful sleep against that warmth.

Qi Yu, who had caught her in a moment of soft-heartedness: “…”

It was the hand’s fault; it acted on its own. I didn’t do anything.

However, seeing the Princess fast asleep, Qi Yu felt relieved. At least it wasn’t like last time. If they had to carry the Princess in like a trussed pig again, where would her dignity be?

The carriage slowed and came to a stop, but the Princess showed no sign of waking. She even shifted her shoulder, finding a more comfortable position.

Outside, Han Shui waited for a long time but saw no one alighting. she requested entry, but her mistress didn’t respond. Instead, the Prince Consort answered.

“Go find a few strong nannies. Your Princess has no strength to walk; someone needs to carry her.”

Qi Yu looked at the woman sleeping soundly in her arms. A gentleman’s revenge is never too late even after ten years—but I’m no gentleman. I’ll take my revenge now while I have the chance.

She was feeling quite smug, but there was no movement outside for a long time.

Qi Yu held the Princess with one hand and lifted the curtain with the other. Han Shui was still standing there, not moving to call anyone.

“Han Shui? Why haven’t you gone?” Qi Yu asked, confused.

Han Shui rolled her eyes. Did the Prince Consort take her for a fool? If the Mistress was actually carried into the courtyard, how would she maintain her majesty as the Eldest Princess? She saw right through the Prince Consort’s petty scheme.

As the most qualified first-class maid of the Manor, she always had to consider her mistress’s best interests. What? The Prince Consort is also half-a-master? Sorry, the Prince Consort ranks behind the Princess.

Seeing Qi Yu still urging her, Han Shui made a snap decision. She told the driver to step down, jumped onto the driver’s seat herself, and drove the carriage straight into the manor, all the way to the rear courtyard.

In the Princess’s Manor, Han Shui was second only to the Princess. Now that there was a Prince Consort, she was third, but she was still above everyone else. The guards wouldn’t dare block the carriage; as long as the Princess didn’t object, Han Shui could ride a horse through the halls and no one would stop her.

Inside the carriage, Qi Yu was dumbstruck. Why is this different from what I imagined? In the end, it was the original host’s fault for not having a loyal maid. That brainwashed fool Han Feng was useless. She had lost fair and square.

Han Shui parked the carriage and hopped down, bowing respectfully. “Shall the Prince Consort carry the Princess back to the room, or shall I?”

Only the three of them were in the rear courtyard. It didn’t matter who carried her; no one else would see.

Qi Yu gritted her teeth. Her revenge would have to wait. Looking at the comfortably sleeping Princess, she tried to lift her up—and failed!!!

Qi Yu carefully set her back down and jumped off the carriage. “You go up, I’ll catch her here.” Her meaning was clear: she wanted to be the one to carry the Princess into the room to reclaim some pride.

Han Shui had no objection. She climbed into the carriage and saw her mistress open her eyes blearily. She was about to call out when she saw the Princess slowly close them again, as if it had been a hallucination.

Han Shui blinked, looked at the seemingly sleeping Princess, and picked her up without hesitation, passing her to Qi Yu. She then watched as Qi Yu carried her, wobbling with every step, into the room.

No one noticed the Princess’s eyelashes tremble slightly before returning to stillness.

Over at the Prime Minister’s Manor, hearing that the Princess’s carriage had brought Chu Chanyi back, her father, Chu Yan, thought of something and went to visit his senior fellow disciple, Prime Minister Chu Yuan.

Prime Minister Chu knew his junior would come. They were four disciples in total: the eldest had moral issues and left early; the third stayed in Yulin County to look after their master; and the most talented, the fourth, should have been the most successful.

Years ago, Chu Yan was remarkably gifted and the youngest scholar to place third in the imperial exams. He married the eldest daughter of Yun Feng, the Minister of Revenue. Yun Feng’s second daughter was the Imperial Concubine—who later became Empress Yun Song.

Back then, Chu Yan was already the Vice Minister of Revenue in his twenties, with a boundless future. Who could have known he would later be ruined? To avoid implicating so many officials in the Six Ministries, he had played the fool and accepted bribes alongside them, thus ending his career.

Prime Minister Chu knew Chu Yan was fundamentally a man of high character; otherwise, he wouldn’t be the great scholar he was today. But a stain was a stain, and he had spent his life paying for a moment of youthful cowardice.

“I knew you were still thinking about court matters. Sit,” Prime Minister Chu said, looking at the aged Chu Yan. He could only sigh at the turns of fate. In the end, out of the three remaining disciples, it was he—the one with mediocre talent—who became Prime Minister.

“Chanyi has always been close to the Prince Consort. Today, the Princess’s carriage sent her back. I feel uneasy.