Transmigrated as the Doomed Scumbag Alpha of the Eldest Princess - Chapter 78

Jiang Si hadn’t had seafood in a long time. She had a craving for it, but more than that, she wanted to share it with Mowan Ci. Still, since Mowan Ci hadn’t eaten all day and was in her rut, plain porridge would be better.

Otherwise, she would have made a full seafood feast just for her.

Once the seafood porridge was ready, Jiang Si carried it up to the third floor.

Mowan Ci looked like she had just woken up. When she turned to look at Jiang Si, her eyes were soft and shimmering with warmth.

They had only been apart for a short while, yet Jiang Si couldn’t help but feel that something had changed. Maybe it was just her imagination, but Mowan Ci’s gaze seemed gentler than before. Her heart warmed, and she quickly walked over to place the bowl in front of her.

“Try it. I had someone catch it just now, and I made it for you.”

She said it with a bright smile, her eyes filled with a tenderness that had never shown before.

It caught Mowan Ci off guard.

But Jiang Si didn’t try to explain. She simply picked up a spoon and brought it to Mowan Ci’s lips.

There were many things she should have realized earlier. So much of what had happened was beyond her control, but some things were up to her. Maybe she had never given Mowan Ci a real sense of security.

And maybe, deep down, she also wanted to feel safe with Mowan Ci. But neither of them was the kind of person who made others feel secure.

Maybe it was because of what had happened, or what might happen.

So starting from today, she wanted to change that.

For herself, and for Mowan Ci.

“Drink while it’s still hot.”

There was plenty of porridge. Jiang Si served a bowl for Mowan Ci and started shelling the crab.

But Mowan Ci didn’t touch the food right away. She looked at her and asked, “Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I will. You go first,” Jiang Si replied without looking up.

It had been a long time since she last shelled a crab, and she was clearly out of practice. Fortunately, Mowan Ci ate slowly. By the time she had finished half a bowl, Jiang Si handed her a crab leg.

“Try this. It’s a big river crab.”

“A river crab?”

“Yes,” Jiang Si nodded and picked up another leg. As she worked, she continued speaking. “I don’t know if you’ve had it before, but I still wanted…”

Before she could finish, Mowan Ci’s eyes began to water. She looked down at the crab leg and interrupted her softly.

“Why are you suddenly being so kind to me?”

Jiang Si hadn’t realized her actions were that obvious. But Mowan Ci had noticed.

She slowly set the crab down and, looking a little embarrassed, replied, “If two people want to be together, someone has to make the effort.”

“I’ve never been good at that. I guess because no one has ever really made the effort for me before.”

“But this time, I want to try.”

Mowan Ci paused at her words. Jiang Si had already shelled several more pieces and pushed them all over to her. Then she added quietly, “You’ve done the same for me, haven’t you? Making juice, cooking milk tea, all those little things…”

Her voice grew softer as she spoke. She couldn’t even remember all the little things Mowan Ci had done, but she knew it wasn’t just those two.

After she finished speaking, Mowan Ci didn’t say much. She simply passed over her empty bowl and said gently, “Another bowl, please.”

“Alright,” Jiang Si said with a smile, refilled the bowl, and handed it back.

Mowan Ci took the bowl and set it aside. Then she turned her gaze toward Jiang Si, watching her hands as she continued to shell the crab.

“What is it?” Jiang Si asked, not understanding the look.

Mowan Ci shook her head, picked up another bowl, and filled it with porridge for Jiang Si.

“You probably haven’t eaten either. Don’t just focus on me.”

Jiang Si hadn’t expected a clear response after saying she wanted to try. But Mowan Ci’s quiet actions made her feel like she had been understood.

She smiled and accepted the bowl. They sat together and ate their meal.

Later in the evening, after resting for a while, Jiang Si brought Mowan Ci up to the deck.

They were now much closer to the Eastern Sea. In the distance, small islands could be seen scattered across the waters. They were dark and barely visible, lit only by the ship’s lamps.

“Those must be the small tribal islands surrounding the Eastern Sea,” Jiang Si said. “Mowan Ci, have you ever thought about living in a place like this?”

Under the quiet night sky, Jiang Si let herself imagine a different life. If one day this region could be developed to match the mainland, it could actually be quite a peaceful place to live.

Mowan Ci hadn’t really thought about it. Jiang Si’s question caught her off guard.

Jiang Si smiled and continued, “It’s just a dream for now. Life here is still very hard. The descendants of exiles from the former dynasty still struggle to survive. But among the pirates we caught today, there was one who made me think of a new possibility.”

“Who?”

“She’s a descendant of Chancellor Ren.”

Jiang Si knew Mowan Ci would recognize the name. She had once shown Jiang Si a book on governance that had been passed down for a hundred years, written by that very chancellor.

Mowan Ci had always admired Chancellor Ren. The Mu family had even had ties to him. That treasured book had originally been a gift from him, passed down through the generations and kept hidden in a secret place.

So when Jiang Si mentioned him, Mowan Ci understood. She let out a quiet sigh.

“A descendant of Chancellor Ren?”

“Yes. Do you want to meet her tomorrow?”

“I do,” Mowan Ci nodded.

Jiang Si smiled with satisfaction.

She hadn’t kept Ren Jiu alive just for her own sake. It was for Mowan Ci as well.

She knew that with Mowan Ci, Ren Jiu could be more useful, more valued.

Her own role was limited.

“Let’s go back and rest. We should reach land by the evening of the day after tomorrow.”

What would happen once they landed, Jiang Si wasn’t sure yet. But she knew it wouldn’t be easy. And Mowan Ci knew it too.

This journey wasn’t meant for leisure or romance.

There was still serious work ahead.

In the two days that followed, their relationship remained calm and natural. Lan Shao, who had thought they were in the middle of a fight, proudly assumed she had played a key role in helping them reconcile. She looked smug every time she saw Jiang Si.

Jiang Si found her bouncing around so much that it gave her a headache.

She asked, “What are you doing?”

“Didn’t you and the princess patch things up?”

“Sort of,” Jiang Si replied as she set aside the carrier pigeon message from Su Xun.

Lan Shao leaned in even closer.

“Then when are you holding the wedding? I carried over several boxes of gifts. They better not go to waste.”

The past few days had been chaotic, and Jiang Si had almost forgotten about it. If Lan Shao hadn’t brought it up, she probably wouldn’t have remembered until the crates were unloaded from the ship.

She immediately felt a bit panicked.

She didn’t want Mowan Ci to see any of this.

The way they interacted had never been ordinary. If she had to explain it, the words once spoken by the former Princess Consort of Beijing had been completely overblown.

“Take all of that and put it in your room. Don’t let anyone mention it again. Just pretend it never happened.”

“Why?” Lan Shao asked.

“Aren’t you and Her Highness doing just fine now?”

Lan Shao looked genuinely puzzled. She had no idea why Jiang Si was acting like this.

“If others find out, I’ll have to explain everything. Don’t you already know why?”

Lan Shao vaguely remembered Jiang Si’s drunken words, though not very clearly. Jiang Si, however, had remembered everything she had said that night, even if she had no control at the time.

Lan Shao probably knew something, but refused to say it directly.

That was fine. Everyone had their secrets. Jiang Si herself had many things buried in her heart. It would be unfair to demand complete honesty from someone else.

Still, there was no need to pretend not to understand.

“I need to take things slowly with Her Highness. Rushing this would only make things worse.”

“Take it slow for what? Are you planning to wait until you unify the country and make Her Highness the Empress?” Lan Shao asked, dead serious.

Her question left Jiang Si speechless.

She hadn’t thought that far ahead. The most she had considered was what might come after their mission to the Eastern Sea. But Lan Shao’s question did strike something in her.

Did she just want Mowan Ci to be Empress?

Not really.

She had never carefully thought about it before. But everything that had happened between them lately was too real to brush aside. What she truly wanted was to treat Mowan Ci with equality and honesty.

Titles like princess, prince, marquis, or lord didn’t matter at all.

It just needed to be Jiang Si and Mowan Ci. Nothing more.

The more she thought about it, the more Lan Shao’s question began to sting. It had hit too close to the truth. She narrowed her eyes slightly and replied with mock seriousness.

“Lan Shao, you’re not exactly young anymore. Maybe it’s time you settled down.”

Jiang Si didn’t bring up the topic again and smoothly changed the subject, which immediately made Lan Shao blush.

She had never seriously considered taking a wife.

“You must be joking, Your Highness. I already have Lan Yue. That’s enough for me.”

“How can that be enough? Weren’t you the one who said Qianyuan, once they reach a certain age, go through changes just like Kunze? Unless you’re not capable at all.”

Jiang Si said it with a grin. Lan Shao quickly caught on that she was being teased.

Still, she kept her cool. She sat across from Jiang Si and played along with a pout.

“You’re right. I’m useless. I’m not even a real Qianyuan.”

Jiang Si replied with amusement. “Then what should we do about that? Maybe I should find you another Qianyuan. Would that help?”

The conversation became more and more ridiculous. Lan Shao wasn’t as shameless as Jiang Si, so she waved her hand, trying to end it. But just then, a loud clatter came from outside the door.

Lan Shao immediately stood up and walked to the entrance.

“Lan… Doctor Lan,” said Wei Nian. She had come under Mowan Ci’s orders to invite Jiang Si for tea, but as she approached the door, she had heard more than she was supposed to.

She looked uncomfortable and uneasy.

Then she turned to Lan Shao, eyes filled with sympathy.

Lan Shao’s face darkened. What had started as a lighthearted joke between her and Jiang Si had been overheard by someone who clearly misunderstood.

The two women stared at each other, neither knowing what to say, until Jiang Si walked up and saw Wei Nian.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Her Highness asked you to come for tea.”

“Alright. I’ll be there right away.”

Besides tea, Jiang Si figured Mowan Ci probably wanted to meet Ren Jiu as well. She was likely just being reminded.

“Lan Shao, tell Wu Tai to bring Ren Jiu over.”

After giving the order, Jiang Si noticed that Lan Shao hadn’t responded. She was staring straight ahead, completely dazed.

She followed her line of sight.

It was Wei Nian. She was walking away slowly, glancing back with worry in her eyes.

Jiang Si suddenly felt something was off. Maybe Wei Nian had taken their teasing too seriously.

Anyone observant could see that Wei Nian had feelings for Lan Shao. Everyone except Lan Shao herself.

So now, seeing Wei Nian’s reaction, Lan Shao probably felt like she had been embarrassed.

Sure enough, as soon as Wei Nian was out of sight, Lan Shao turned back with a dark look and said, clearly annoyed, “You made me look like a joke.”

“But Wei Nian isn’t a Kunze. That’s not even…”

“That doesn’t matter. It still wasn’t right.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Si didn’t have time to comfort her. She needed to see Mowan Ci.

As she walked toward the third floor, her thoughts drifted to the people around her.

Wei Nian liked Lan Shao. Lan Shao didn’t realize it.

Su Xun liked Zhi Miao. Zhi Miao didn’t know.

Jiang Si couldn’t help but chuckle softly to herself. But by the time she reached the bedroom, she had already straightened her expression. She saw Wei Nian walking out with a slightly red face and said nothing.

Mowan Ci came to the door to welcome her in. She paused for a moment to glance at Wei Nian before stepping aside.

Once they were both inside, Jiang Si didn’t ask what had happened.

It was Mowan Ci who spoke first.

“What do you think of Wei Nian?”

“Be calm, and speak less.”

“Then tell me, is she good enough for Lan Shao?”

Earlier, when Wei Nian came in with red eyes, she had quietly told Mowan Ci that she had feelings for Lan Shao. Mowan Ci had not asked any further questions. Wei Nian’s emotional state was unusual, and though Mowan Ci didn’t give permission or approval, she also didn’t reject the idea.

Whether her own attendant was truly suitable for the marquis at Jiang Si’s side, however, was still something to be considered.

Jiang Si thought about it for a while, but Mowan Ci said nothing more.

After a long silence, Jiang Si finally spoke. “That girl Wei Nian is quite bold. She just came out and said it.”

There was a hint of admiration in her tone, but her expression carried a trace of sadness.

She looked straight at Mowan Ci and said quietly, “There’s no such thing as being good enough or not good enough. If we’re talking about that, then I’m not good enough for the princess either.”

“But having feelings for someone, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

The meaning behind her words struck Mowan Ci deeply. She closed her eyes for a moment. She hadn’t expected Jiang Si to turn the conversation into something so personal, using someone else’s story to express her own feelings in a different way.

Jiang Si had made her intentions perfectly clear.

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