Transmigrated as the Princess's Scummy Wife - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Xuan Zhaoci Knew All Along

The red candles cast a warm glow, but the scene was anything but cozy.

The guards and maidservants were filled with trepidation. Nan Qing felt even more guilty seeing this. Under the collective gaze of the crowd, she feigned surprise though she was actually bracing herself—as she stepped through the palace gates.

The moment her back foot cleared the threshold, the crowd knelt in unison: “Slave-servants welcome the Prince Consort!”

The voices echoed level by level.

“Rise.”

“We thank the Prince Consort.”

It was at this moment that Dong He appeared.

Dong He, who held the highest authority in the Princess’s Manor aside from the masters and officials, suddenly knelt before her with a heavy thud.

Nan Qing’s eyelids twitched. Alarm bells rang wildly in her mind as she took three steps back.

“This servant pays respects to Your Highness.”

“Peace, peace, peace… Dong He, in the future, you may forgo such formalities when meeting this Consort.”

When someone you usually have a poor relationship with suddenly speaks to you with extreme gentleness and flattery, they are either asking for a favor or plotting your demise. Naturally, Dong He wouldn’t be asking her for a favor.

Thus, Nan Qing treated her like an exorcist warding off a ghost, wishing she could just drive Dong He straight back to the main hall.

“This servant implores the Prince Consort to seek justice for Her Highness.”

Nan Qing pricked up her ears.

“This evening, a guard broke into the main hall of Qinghe Courtyard without permission. They bypassed the announcements and even circled to the back corridor. Men, bring Tong Lan forward!”

The crowd parted to form a path. Zhang Zhixuan and his subordinates escorted Tong Lan into the center.

Tong Lan was gagged with a cloth, her eyes fixed on Dong He with indignant resentment. When Dong He ignored her, she turned her head, looking at Nan Qing imploringly, making muffled woo-woo sounds.

This was the guard who had just delivered the message to Nan Qing.

Nan Qing’s heart sank. She cast a side-glance, meeting Dong He’s eyes.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through her mind.

For Tong Lan to dare enter Qinghe Courtyard directly from the gate and even hand her a very explicit letter, this person must be connected to Xuan Hengyan’s camp it wouldn’t even be an exaggeration to say she was one of Xuan Hengyan’s people.

Therefore, whether to punish or not was the core issue.

If she punished her, she feared it would be difficult to explain to Xuan Hengyan’s side. The other party held evidence of her “infidelity”; if she provoked them, that evidence could be sent to Xuan Zhaoci at any time, making it even harder to repair her relationship with the Princess.

If she didn’t punish her, the dignity of a Princess whose residence was trespassed upon by a subordinate would be utterly slighted. It would look as if Nan Qing was complicit.

Nan Qing took a deep breath, looked at Dong He, and asked in a low voice: “Trespassing into Qinghe Courtyard without announcement… are twenty strokes of the board enough?”

Historical experience told her: never try to take a middle ground when choosing a side. Since she wanted to go home and wanted to cling to Xuan Zhaoci’s leg, she could only make everything revolve around Xuan Zhaoci.

Xuan Zhaoci being wronged was far more serious than Xuan Hengyan’s broken plans being leaked.

Hearing “twenty strokes,” the legs of the surrounding crowd went weak. The faces of the massive crowd turned pale simultaneously; how was this any different from taking half a life?

To be beaten with twenty boards just for trespassing in Qinghe Courtyard—even under other Princesses, there was no such cruelty.

They had thought that being assigned to the Qinghe Princess Manor, with a weak Princess, they could be unrestrained and live as if they were out to pasture. Who knew this Fifth Prince Consort would be such a malicious one?

Dong He chuckled softly: “Prince Consort, that is too many.”

Nan Qing remained firm: “It is not. Men, bring the long bench. Commander Zhang, carry out the execution yourself.”

The crime Tong Lan committed wasn’t just trespassing; betraying her master was her greatest sin.

Zhang Zhixuan’s voice was thunderous: “Yes!”

Tong Lan’s pupils shrank: “Prince Consort! Prince Consort, you must save me, I was only.”

Nan Qing barked: “Shut up!”

Before long, screams resounded through the sky.

Nan Qing: “Too noisy. Gag her mouth.”

The others watched as Tong Lan’s buttocks were mangled. Hearing only the meaningless muffled groans from the gagged mouth, they shivered, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.

Nan Qing tapped her cane. The da-da sound was exceptionally piercing. Everyone held their breath, their eyes focused on the Prince Consort.

“Do you all think this Prince Consort is cold-blooded and ruthless?” Nan Qing sneered. “Not only will I grant her twenty strokes, but I will also have her dragged to the dungeon later for a public whipping!”

“Are you afraid?”

As her voice fell, the air around them went silent. It seemed no one dared even to breathe.

Who would dare talk back to a Living Yama? Not even a sycophant dared to speak…

“Speak!” the Prince Consort bellowed.

“Afraid… a-afraid!” The crowd stammered, cold sweat pouring from their foreheads, fearing that answering too late would earn them the board as well.

“This Prince Consort is telling you: rules are rules! Put away those messy thoughts of yours. As long as you are here for one day, you must serve Her Highness Qinghe with one heart and one mind! Do you understand?! Otherwise, Tong Lan will be your fate! Clubbing, whipping, severing tendons and hamstrings—this Prince Consort has plenty of methods!”

“Understood… u-understood!”

Among the synchronized voices, there were no shortage of sobs and whimpers. A pungent smell of ammonia wafted through the air; someone had actually lost control of their bladder out of fear. But no matter how foul or disgusting it was, no one dared move a single inch.

The Prince Consort was injured and even used a cane, yet her aura was so sharp that people didn’t dare look her in the eye.

If Nan Qing’s previous punishment of a guard was merely a steady drizzle where the dark pressure and the sound of the boards only made people feel pain then this time it was a sudden, unannounced storm of thunder and lightning. The clubs didn’t hit their bodies, but they pressed invisibly into their hearts, causing suffocation and panic.

Those who could serve as maidservants to the nobility were all shrewd. In that long roar from the Prince Consort, the point she emphasized most was “one heart and one mind.”

Some who had ghosts in their hearts couldn’t withstand the heavy pressure; their backs buckled, and the sound of trickling echoed between their legs.

Dong He seemed frightened as well, taking two steps back and hiding behind Nan Qing.

“Prince… Prince Consort.” A slightly shaken and weakened voice came from behind. “There is one more matter… I implore the Prince Consort to seek justice for Her Highness.”

The crowd’s bodies stiffened, fearing they would be the ones called out.

The Qinghe Princess Manor had been established for two years, and they had served here for two years. Since the Princess was weak, they had naturally done their share of guilty deeds to varying degrees. At this moment, the complexions of the crowd were whiter than the walls.

Nan Qing’s body also stiffened.

How is this not over yet…

“Dong He, feel free to speak. Her Highness has been unwell lately; it is only right that I handle the household affairs on her behalf,” she said, forcing herself to stay composed.

“This servant caught a guard today. This person is named Ji Ziyuan, a military officer of the fifth rank. According to the laws of the Great Xuan Dynasty, only officials of the third rank or higher may take multiple wives or concubines.”

“However, this person openly seduced two maidservants in the garden—one is Sang Zhu, and the other is Zhi Zi. The three of them were committing indecent acts in the garden, utterly disgracing the reputation of the Princess Manor!”

“Prince Consort, you tell us, how should these three be dealt with!”

Dong He was fuming, looking entirely exasperated. But the more she spoke, the more complex and guilty Nan Qing’s expression became.

She had returned late because she went to the residence of her so-called “mistress.” Now she returns to find these two “cases”—who would believe it was a coincidence!

Xuan Zhaoci definitely knew the original owner had a mistress!?

Then wouldn’t she be dead meat if she had left directly from Qinghe Courtyard after receiving the letter…

In an instant, Nan Qing broke out in a heavy sweat, and her knees felt weak. She swallowed hard: “Bring Ji Ziyuan, Sang Zhu, and Zhi Zi forward!”

“Do the three of you plead guilty?”

Ji Ziyuan, Sang Zhu, and Zhi Zi replied simultaneously: “We plead guilty!”

“Twenty strokes of the board and one month’s salary forfeited.”

The Prince Consort delivered the punishment decisively. Once the sentencing was over, she hurried back to Hetian Residence.

The Shadow knelt respectfully beside Xuan Zhaoci, providing a real-time report of the events at the manor gate to her master.

“The Prince Consort was in a great hurry to return. After entering the courtyard, she even dropped her cane and limped back to the main room. She didn’t even eat dinner.”

“Master, according to your instructions, Xiao An did not enter the main room. It is unclear what the Prince Consort is doing inside.”

“How has Mother been lately?” Xuan Zhaoci stopped asking about the Prince Consort’s affairs.

“The Second Princess has not gone out of her way to cause trouble for the Great Master. However, as for the Emperor… I heard from a contact in the palace that today, the Emperor happened to flip the Great Master’s name tablet, but…”

Before Xuan Zhaoci was a chessboard. Her two fingers, like scallion stalks, held a white jade piece. A moment later, the white piece was placed, and the jade board made a crisp sound.

Hearing this, she curled her lips into a smile. The vermilion mole at the corner of her eye rose with the tilt of her gaze. The steam from the hot tea blurred her face.

The Shadow had always known her master was beautiful, but when blurred by the mist like a face partially hidden behind a pipa she possessed an even more celestial charm.

The more she revered her master, the more she hated the Prince Consort, wishing she could tear the person who insulted her master into a thousand pieces!

“Did Imperial Mother have someone throw the tablet away and flip another one?”

The Shadow lowered her head and said in a muffled voice: “Yes. The second flip landed on the Noble Consort’s tablet.”

“A-Ying, you have only officially started working for me and Mother in the last three years, so you might not know. Imperial Mother is very averse to flipping Mother’s tablet. Mother’s birth chart clashes with Imperial Mother’s. It was only because Mother was pregnant with me that Imperial Mother was forced to give her a title; they even skipped the ceremonies.”

The Shadow nodded: “It was my ignorance. I understand now. As for the Prince Consort’s side…”

“Have the kitchen prepare some late-night snacks for her. I am tired.”

The Shadow vanished soundlessly, and Dong He happened to return at that moment.

At the same time, in Hetian Residence, Nan Qing was scratching her head in frustration.

She sat at the table holding a brush. Crumpled waste paper was scattered across the desk and piled on the floor.

It was almost time for Xuan Zhaoci to rest, and Nan Qing was worried sick.

This kind of misunderstanding couldn’t be left overnight. Leaving it overnight would cause huge trouble; maybe the other party wouldn’t even want to see her tomorrow.

But it seemed Xuan Zhaoci really wanted to vomit just looking at her. She couldn’t force Xuan Zhaoci to see her; that might make the Princess’s health even worse and make her hate Nan Qing more.

She also couldn’t gauge if Xuan Zhaoci was willing to listen to her, so she decided to prepare a letter.

What to write, however, became a struggle.

Your Highness, today I… Too wordy, Xuan Zhaoci probably wouldn’t finish reading it. Crossed out.

Your Highness, I know I was wrong, I have nothing… Sounds like making excuses. Xuan Zhaoci would probably tear it up on the spot after reading. Crossed out.

Your Highness, it’s the Second Princess… Too sensitive. Can’t mention this on paper. Smudged out.

Late at night, the courtyard was silent inside and out.

She glanced at the water clock. There were only a few minutes left before the Princess went to sleep. Running there would take about that much time.

Swish, swish, swish. Nan Qing scribbled a few words with large strokes, rolled up a bundle of rice paper, and ran toward Qinghe Courtyard.

Nan Qing: You definitely can’t guess what I wrote.

Xuan Zhaoci: (Rolls eyes) (Rolls eyes) (Rolls eyes) Stop disturbing my sleep.

Nan Qing: (Clown emoji)

Support Transmigrated as the Princess’s Scummy Wife