Transmigrated as the Doomed Scumbag Alpha of the Eldest Princess - Chapter 53

“Your Highness, how can you be so heartless? After all these years, have you truly forgotten everything?”

Feng Yao’s voice was full of hurt, but it only made Mowan Ci laugh softly.

Feng Yao had always liked asking questions she already knew the answers to. She had done the same ten years ago in Changjian.

Back then, the two of them had indeed been close for a while.

Mowan Ci had been raised from childhood as the heir to the throne by the late emperor. Feng Yao, as the descendant of a founding general, grew up protected by influence and rose above many noble heirs to become Mowan Ci’s study companion. In other words, had Mowan Ci been a Qianyuan and Feng Yao a Kunze, Feng Yao would likely have entered her inner court. They spent almost every day together.

At the time, neither of them had differentiated yet. Their personalities were still simple and innocent.

Feng Yao had been Mowan Ci’s first friend. She never had a second.

It was Feng Yao who gave her the feeling of friendship, and it was also Feng Yao who took that ability away.

Feng Yao was a year older and differentiated six months earlier. That half year was also the time when Qianyuan matured the fastest. While Mowan Ci continued her education in court etiquette, Feng Yao began pulling away.

As a general’s heir, Feng Yao had been familiar with martial training from a young age, but after becoming Mowan Ci’s study companion, she could only return to the training grounds during holidays.

Once she became a Qianyuan, there were many things she could do that Mowan Ci could not.

Mowan Ci had once hoped they could one day ride freely together. She held onto that hope until the day she differentiated.

When she became a Kunze, she was no longer seen as a threat and also lost Feng Yao as a friend.

Feng Yao eventually became a guard in the capital. They stayed in touch occasionally.

She would still take Mowan Ci to the stables. At first, Mowan Ci had been excited, but that changed when she saw how awkward Feng Yao became around her younger siblings who had also become Qianyuan. Once, unable to decline an invitation from the Fifth Prince, Feng Yao left her alone on an unfamiliar horse.

It may have been a small thing, but it made Mowan Ci realize that Feng Yao’s priority had always been her official career.

That wasn’t a crime. Mowan Ci had simply been foolish, mistaking shallow feelings for deep ones.

Power and influence became Feng Yao’s real pursuit. She set her sights on catching the emperor’s eye.

By the time she became a captain, the emperor had even joked about marrying the two of them. Feng Yao didn’t reject the idea and even spoke fondly of their childhood bond.

Although she held the title of imperial princess, Mowan Ci knew her marriage was never up to her. The emperor cared for her but never truly understood what she wanted.

He thought, since they had grown up together, Feng Yao would be better than some stranger, and that arranging the marriage now would spare her a future alliance with a foreign nation.

But it had only been a verbal promise. Before it could be announced, the emperor fell seriously ill.

In the years that followed, Mowan Ci focused on supporting and raising Mu Zesheng, and had little contact with Feng Yao. Even after arriving at the northern border, no one ever brought up the engagement.

Mowan Ci never asked about it because she didn’t care. She didn’t care that Feng Yao had become Mu Zesheng’s person.

So her disappointment with Feng Yao had not come in a single moment. It had built up over years. Now Feng Yao pretended nothing had happened, just like that day when she casually asked if Mowan Ci was alright after being thrown from a horse.

She had never ridden a horse before. How could she have been alright after a fall like that?

She had never dared ride again. How could she have been alright?

“The army has already moved far ahead. If you don’t catch up, General Feng, people might start calling you a deserter,” Mowan Ci said lightly. She had no intention of continuing the conversation. She turned and left with Zhi Miao.

But just as she stepped into the gate of the city wall, she heard the sound of hoofbeats behind her.

She assumed Feng Yao had shamelessly followed her and didn’t turn around.

Only when a tall horse swept past her did she look up and realize it was Jiang Si.

She stopped walking and looked up at Jiang Si, who sat atop her horse.

“Is something wrong, Marquis?” she asked softly.

Jiang Si pulled on the reins, glanced at the road ahead, then looked at Mowan Ci and asked, “Did you remember how to make the spicy boiled pork?”

Mowan Ci was caught off guard for a moment. She followed Jiang Si’s gaze and saw Feng Yao still watching them from a distance. She suppressed a smile and replied, “Yes. Once I return, I’ll teach Zhi Miao how to make it.”

“Good. Then I’ll be going now,” Jiang Si said.

She didn’t wait for a reply. She urged her horse forward, but after only a few steps, she stopped again.

With her back to Mowan Ci, she spoke in a steady voice.

“I once told you that when everything was over, you could choose to leave or stay with Feng Yao. That promise still stands, but I’ll change one thing. When it’s over, you can choose to stay or leave for whoever you truly like.”

“Alright,” Mowan Ci replied without looking back. She stepped inside the city wall with a soft answer.

Her pace was slow until Jiang Si’s horse had ridden far enough away. Only then did she let herself walk at a normal speed.

Zhi Miao had witnessed everything—from the conversation with Feng Yao to the moment with Jiang Si.

She wasn’t surprised by Feng Yao. Having served Mowan Ci for years in Changjian, she knew very well what Feng Yao had done. But Jiang Si…

“Your Highness, what were you and the marquis talking about just now? I couldn’t understand a word,” Zhi Miao asked.

“When were you ever planning to leave with General Feng?”

“And since when do you have someone you like?”

Zhi Miao had always been the chatty one when it was just her and Wei Nian around. Mowan Ci didn’t bother to answer, but Wei Nian rubbed her ear and said, “Haven’t you seen who Her Highness spends the most time with? Can’t you figure it out?”

“Huh?” Zhi Miao looked at her in confusion and leaned in to whisper, “But Her Highness spends the most time with the marquis, doesn’t she? And I thought she disliked her the most.”

“And besides her, she only spends time with Lan the physician and General Su. Don’t tell me she actually…”

Zhi Miao gasped and furrowed her brows, then tugged on Wei Nian’s sleeve and whispered again, “A Nian, what do we do?”

“What if Her Highness actually likes Lan the physician? What about you?”

“What nonsense are you saying?” Wei Nian blushed instantly. She was clearly flustered.

“Her Highness has never—never acted like she liked Lan the physician. You really are slow sometimes.”

She raised her hand and tapped Zhi Miao on the head.

“No wonder you still haven’t noticed that General Su likes you.”

Mowan Ci finally couldn’t take it anymore.

“Enough. You two stop bickering. Even in a carriage, you should behave yourselves.”

Then she sighed and gave a helpless smile.

The two people closest to her—one liked someone close to Jiang Si, and the other was liked by someone close to Jiang Si.

Perhaps they all spent too much time together. That might explain how feelings had started to form.

Winter in the northern borderlands was long. It wasn’t until the third month that fresh green buds began to sprout. Mowan Ci sat alone in the lakeside pavilion, playing a game of chess against herself.

Zhi Miao came running over in a pale yellow ruqun, carrying two letters in her hands.

“Your Highness, one is from Wei City. The other is from Changjian, sent by His Majesty!”

Mowan Ci put down a chess piece and glanced between the two letters. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Open the one from Changjian first.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The letter was written personally by Mu Zesheng.

He began with warm words, expressing how much he missed her since their separation in the capital, and asked when she might return to visit. Then came the main content: a royal commendation for Jiang Si. For her defense of the northern border and support of the southern front, she was granted the title of King of Jiajing, with the honor of hereditary succession.

After reading it, Mowan Ci let out a short laugh and said to the two beside her, “Within three days, the imperial decree will surely arrive here in the north.”

“An imperial decree?” Zhi Miao looked confused, unsure of what Mu Zesheng was thinking.

Jiang Si had already rebelled. Even if it hadn’t been publicly declared, her behavior made it obvious. The emperor’s actions were simply beyond comprehension.

“Zhi Miao, you’ve observed His Majesty long enough to understand his nature.”

“He has no real ambition, yet his pride is sky high. His father-in-law is the current Prime Minister, head of the civil court.”

“His heart is not as simple as it seems. Only my foolish younger brother would still see the Mu royal family as something sacred. He has already offended all of Father’s loyal officials.”

That, of course, included herself.

Sometimes Mowan Ci wondered if it had been her fault. Perhaps she had been too strict with Mu Zesheng all those years and had driven him to think this way, allowing schemers to take advantage.

But the more she thought about it, the more she felt Mu Zesheng was simply this kind of person. Even if she had done nothing, things might have ended up the same.

“Hand me the other letter.”

“Yes.” Zhi Miao passed her the second one, the letter from Jiang Si.

At first glance, it appeared completely blank.

But once opened, the writing appeared, strange and difficult to read. Mowan Ci frowned, tilting it left and right. The handwriting was familiar, but she couldn’t fully understand it. She could only grasp a few words.

The war was over. Heading to Nanliang.

Zhi Miao and Wei Nian stood quietly behind Mowan Ci, but suddenly they both felt a chill in the air.

It wasn’t unusually cold for the third month in the north, but this felt different.

Zhi Miao, who was usually the bolder one, leaned forward to look at Mowan Ci’s face.

She was icy as stone.

No wonder it felt so cold.

Zhi Miao shivered and took a step back.

She wanted to whisper something to Wei Nian, but noticed she was staring straight ahead, expressionless, as if nothing had happened.

Even though she had clearly flinched with her just now.

Zhi Miao pouted silently and turned her head away.

When Mowan Ci turned around, she saw both of them standing one on each side, neither daring to look at her.

She ignored Zhi Miao and instead focused on Wei Nian. The corners of her lips curved slightly.

“Wei Nian, I’m not feeling well. Come take a look,” she said calmly.

Wei Nian didn’t dare delay. She knelt down and checked Mowan Ci’s pulse.

Normally, Wei Nian examined her every few days. The effects of the previous two poisons had already faded, but now…

“Your Highness is approaching your heat period. That’s likely the cause of your discomfort. The suppressant cream Lan the physician prepared is still—”

“Do you think Lan Shao’s special formula is really effective?” Mowan Ci asked with a slight smile, catching Wei Nian off guard.

Even Zhi Miao was stunned for a moment.

But when she looked at Mowan Ci again, she seemed to understand a little more.

Wei Nian, on the other hand, was too honest and straightforward. She didn’t always catch on to Mowan Ci’s tone or meaning.

Zhi Miao winked at her, but Wei Nian still looked completely confused.

Zhi Miao stomped her foot in frustration and finally couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Lan the physician’s special suppressant cream may be effective, but it’s already been three months. The weather is warming up, and I’m afraid it’s losing its strength.”

“It won’t…” Wei Nian replied immediately, but then saw Zhi Miao staring at her like she was hopeless.

Wei Nian frowned, still puzzled. Mowan Ci, however, chuckled lightly, then sighed with feigned concern.

“I do have some worries too. General Lan’s journey might keep him away for quite a while.”

“Zhi Miao, do you have any better ideas?”

“Maybe… go to the marquis?” Zhi Miao offered uncertainly. She honestly couldn’t make sense of the tangled relationship between Mowan Ci and Jiang Si.

She had a feeling Mowan Ci had someone in mind, but wasn’t sure who it was.

So, she paused, then added, “Or… go to Lan the physician?”

Mowan Ci closed her eyes, clearly amused. She smiled and went along with Zhi Miao’s suggestion.

“Yes, I’ll go to Lan the physician and ask for a new prescription.”

“And if the imperial decree arrives while you’re gone?” Zhi Miao asked cautiously. She had guessed Mowan Ci’s true intention but still felt some concern about the emperor’s reaction.

“The decree is for the Marquis of Jiajing. What does it have to do with me?”

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