Transmigrated as the Princess's Scummy Wife - Chapter 18
Chapter 18: Money to Spend on the Princess
Laughter and playful banter drifted from the room. Nan Qing ate her roasted chicken unhurriedly, her gaze occasionally darting toward the window.
She couldn’t see anything through the window paper, yet she seemed infected by the joy, her lips curling up unconsciously.
As the night deepened, the sound of the night watchman’s clapper drifted from afar, hollow and quiet. It was time for the Princess to rest.
Nan Qing didn’t receive any more letters from Xuan Zhaoci. She simply tucked in a late-night greeting note and left, clutching the stack of letters the other woman had written her, which still carried the faint scent of cold ink.
Xuan Zhaoci unfolded the final note.
Goodnight, Your Highness.
Beside the words were a few strange symbols resembling the character ‘zhi’ but missing the top dot ($z$). She instinctively felt it meant peaceful sleep. Was the Consort wishing her sweet dreams? Truly thoughtful.
She gazed at the last piece of paper for a long time before speaking softly, “Donghe, put these away. Be careful.”
“Your servant knows. I won’t damage them; I’m keeping every single sheet safe for Your Highness.”
Meanwhile, in the Hetian Courtyard, another person was acting with extreme caution.
As if holding a child, Nan Qing nervously placed the stack of papers bearing Xuan Zhaoci’s handwriting on the table. She then retrieved a brocade box from under a large cabinet by the bed.
Opening the lid revealed bundles of Xuan paper, every single one covered in Xuan Zhaoci’s script. She carefully laid out each sheet from the table and placed them into the box. After closing the lid and wrapping it in a layer of moisture-proof cloth, Nan Qing knelt before the cabinet and meticulously tucked the box away.
She even poked her head inside to ensure the box was perfectly aligned before she felt satisfied.
She and Xuan Zhaoci were like friends chatting online; she couldn’t bear to delete the “chat history,” so she had to hide these papers away. This beauty rarely initiated a topic, but she was never a spoilsport; every note Nan Qing sent in received a response, and never a perfunctory one.
Nan Qing simply felt comfortable talking to Xuan Zhaoci. The other woman accepted all her “desire to share.” Having no close friends in the modern world, Nan Qing had silently come to regard her as a confidante.
On the day she eventually leaves, she will take these notes if she can; if not, she will miss this good friend in her heart. She hoped Xuan Zhaoci would live well in this parallel world and achieve her life’s ideals.
She stroked the brocade box. Just as she was about to pull her head out of the cabinet, her gaze caught the wooden boards against the wall. There seemed to be a few cracks there.
Rolling up her sleeves, she reached out. As her palm moved across the surface, Nan Qing’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. There was a palm-sized square gap. She tapped it; it was hollow.
It looked like a hidden compartment. She poked it hard, but it remained motionless. She tinkered with it until the third watch of the night, but still couldn’t figure out the mechanism. She decided to fiddle with it again after work tomorrow.
The next morning, Nan Qing delivered her letter to the Qinghe Courtyard and headed to the fields on her crutches.
The iceberg lettuce had been a hit. The Emperor had ordered the variety to be promoted across the demonstration fields. That morning, all the field owners gathered on Nan Qing’s land to learn how to plant it.
With over twenty people gathered, Nan Qing chose the most remote plot—one far enough from the eight mu identified by the system to avoid accidental trampling.
As everyone crouched down, she began with the seeds: soaking them, then sowing and covering with soil, and watering. She then moved on to the management of seedlings after two or three days. Every step was explained with absolute clarity.
Though she had never studied this, the knowledge felt etched into her soul; she spoke the words effortlessly. Nan Qing surreptitiously watched Nan Tianwei’s expression. Seeing no suspicion, she continued confidently.
Being professional farmers, learning to grow a vegetable was not difficult for them. By mid-morning, everyone could recite the process and precautions by heart. Afterward, they gathered to chat. Since the demonstration crops were only for the royals and nobles, idling for an hour wouldn’t hurt the vegetables, nor would it starve the blue-bloods.
As they talked, the topic turned to the Nan sisters selling shrimp the previous evening.
“Consort, can we really sell them?”
“Aren’t you afraid the superiors will strip your status as a field owner?”
Nan Qing looked puzzled. “I’m not afraid. Didn’t I sell them all already?” If the Emperor wanted to intervene, she would have known by now.
Hearing that they could make money without being stopped, everyone got excited. Everyone knew the Nan sisters had sold nearly five hundred jin of shrimp in less than half an hour, earning nearly three taels of silver—split equally, that was one and a half taels each.
The person who sold the bamboo baskets was also nearby, and prices were transparent; that one and a half taels was net profit. One and a half taels! That was equivalent to their monthly stipend as demonstration field owners.
Excluding the Fifth Consort, each of them managed over ten mu of land, half of which were rice paddies. One mu of paddy could yield about three to four hundred jin of shrimp. In other words, if they sold it all, each could earn at least ten taels.
A massive fortune!
Nan Qing looked at their dazed, drooling expressions, shook her head with a smile, and sent them back to their respective plots. This was the equivalent of seeing a year-end bonus equal to twelve months’ salary; who wouldn’t love it? Nan Qing herself couldn’t resist the temptation.
After a morning of work, at noon, the person sent by the Second Imperial Daughter to collect the menu arrived.
“Master Nan~!”
From afar, a sugary, sickeningly sweet voice drifted over. Nan Qing’s pupils shrank. She happened to be right by Nan Tianwei’s plot. Nan Tianwei looked at her with fury. Before even washing her hands, she smacked Nan Qing’s shoulder with a palm full of mud.
“I told you not to contact those mistresses anymore!”
Every smack was solid. Nan Qing hissed in pain, feeling utterly wronged.
“Stop hitting me, Sister, it hurts!”
“When you were hooking up with them, why didn’t you think about me hitting you!? I’ll break your legs so you have to stay by the Princess’s side and can’t even step out the door!”
“No, no—ow!”
Lately, Nan Qing was most sensitive about her backside; she wouldn’t let anyone touch it. Seeing the palm about to land on her rear, she jumped half a meter away in a flash, narrowly dodging.
“I really broke it off! I have nothing to do with them! We did nothing, Sister! I didn’t know she would come looking for me today; I’m truly innocent!”
She finished the explanation in one breath, and Nan Tianwei’s hand paused.
“Say so earlier. Does it hurt? Sister apologizes; it was my fault for hitting you before clearing things up.” Her cousin looked apologetic, wiping the mud off her hands to check Nan Qing’s injuries. Nan Qing shook her head; with her sturdy build, how could she be hurt?
During the scuffle, Jiaoyu trotted up to her. Nan Qing hid behind Nan Tianwei to avoid her. Jiaoyu, eyes red, dabbed her tears with a silk kerchief and choked out, “Master Nan… I only had something to say to you. Why must you hide behind—”
She seemed unable to recall the other woman’s name, her apricot eyes watery and pitiful as she looked at Nan Tianwei. Alarm bells rang in Nan Qing’s mind.
She didn’t want Nan Tianwei dragged into palace intrigue. Her cousin was pure-hearted, and Bai Yu was a rare honest official. Their harmonious life must not be targeted by these small-minded people.
Nan Qing’s face darkened. She grabbed Jiaoyu’s sleeve and led her away. “Don’t follow. I have something to say to her.” Her tone was serious, making it clear Nan Tianwei shouldn’t follow. Nan Tianwei was anxious but could only watch from afar to ensure they stayed within sight and that the Consort didn’t do anything to betray the Princess.
Nan Qing dragged her to the pavilion and brushed her hand away rudely, even patting her clothes as if to clean off filth. She said coldly, “Don’t involve others.”
Turning her back to Nan Tianwei, Jiaoyu shed her fragile act and sat leisurely on a stone bench, letting out a soft snort.
“That depends on your performance, Master Nan.”
“Since we last parted, I haven’t seen Master Nan for many days. You haven’t come for your trysts in quite a while. It seems the ‘home flower’ is indeed more fragrant than the ‘wild’ ones.”
“Drop that disgusting tone.”
Jiaoyu sneered. “Choosing the hard way, I see.”
Nan Qing endured. “Highness Qinghe is my wife. You’re embarrassing me in public—do you want me to lose this Consort position I worked so hard for?”
Jiaoyu studied her expression. The concern for the woman at home seemed genuine. It appeared she was indeed held back by her wife and wasn’t planning to betray Prince Yan. She smiled sweetly.
“Whether Master Nan can sit securely in the Consort’s seat depends on Prince Yan’s decree—and that depends on your attitude. If you have trouble, you can send word; just find a way to get it to me. Her Highness knows you punished one of her subordinates, but since you did it for the Princess, Her Highness is generous enough to forgive your act of harming a compatriot.”
Nan Qing lowered her eyes appropriately, her expression unreadable. She said quietly, “I accompany the Princess every evening. I haven’t seen any strangers or strange letters. Speaking of strange, it’s weird that the Princess’s sisters haven’t sent a single person to check on her despite her illness. It seems her relationship with the other Highnesses is poor.”
As Nan Qing spoke, Jiaoyu felt she had regained control over her.
“Master Nan is truly devoted. Your concern for Princess Qinghe is enough. As for the other Highnesses, they are busy with their own affairs. As for the Fifth Highness… ha, she’s so frail; she’s better off staying under Master Nan to serve.”
Slap!
Nan Qing was beyond furious. She didn’t hold back the force of the slap. It was heavy and powerful. A muddy print instantly appeared on Jiaoyu’s face, the vivid red of blood seeping through her fair skin.
“You—!” Jiaoyu clutched her burning face, glaring.
“What about me!? You know I am devoted to Highness Qinghe, yet you repeatedly insult her in my presence. What are your intentions!? Should I report your deliberate provocation to Prince Yan? Even Prince Yan doesn’t pursue my devotion to Qinghe; who do you think you are!?”
Nan Qing spoke at a rapid-fire pace. Jiaoyu hadn’t even processed the first sentence before the next insult hit. She opened her mouth to curse back, but Nan Qing silenced her with a final blow.
“Say one more word and I’ll slap the right side of your face too. Try me and see if my hand is faster or your legs.” Her face was grim. “Never let me hear you insult my wife again.”
After the stick came the carrot: “We are all working for Prince Yan. No one is nobler than the other. If we respect each other, Prince Yan will benefit more, won’t she?”
Only now did Jiaoyu understand why this person had been chosen by Prince Yan.
Nan Qing didn’t waste another word. She handed over the menu and returned to the fields, instructing the guards to drive Jiaoyu away and never let her in again.
The guards looked at her with ambiguous expressions. Nan Qing: “…”
Fine, as long as Xuan Zhaoci doesn’t misunderstand.
Hidden in the shadows of a melon shed, the secret guard “Xiao An” held a ledger, on which many lines were written:
The Consort led Jiaoyu by the sleeve to the pavilion to rest; the two spoke in low voices.
The Consort slapped Jiaoyu.
Nan Qing was completely unaware. That evening, after she and Nan Tianwei finished selling shrimp, they pocketed several fresh taels of silver and went to Tianxiang Pavilion. The sisters and Bai Yu had a joyful meal.
The quality of the dishes at Tianxiang Pavilion was well-managed. Boss Qi even sat beside them with a fan, accompanying them in their drinks and food. When settling the bill, Nan Qing calculated what Boss Qi had eaten and demanded a 30% discount.
Qi Tianhuai was nearly moved to angry laughter, calling Nan Qing a miser. Nan Qing said innocently, “This money is to be spent on the Princess. Boss Qi, do you really want to take the money I intended for my wife?”
Qi Tianhuai was stifled. She then went to the backyard, brought out a small puppy, and stuffed it into Nan Qing’s arms. She said with a half-smile, “I see a 30% discount still leaves the Consort at a loss. Why don’t I give the Consort a gentle, soy-sauce-colored local dog for free?”
She emphasized the words ‘gentle’ and ‘soy-sauce-colored.’ Nan Qing: “…”
She’s making a subtle jab at me.
The puppy was only as big as two palms. Once stuffed into her arms, it kept whimpering, making Nan Qing’s heart melt. On the way home, she racked her brain for a name. Upon arriving, she delivered a letter to the Qinghe Courtyard.
After sending the note, she went straight to her room to study how to open the hidden compartment. Not long after, there was a knock on the door. A-Xiang delivered a piece of paper Xuan Zhaoci’s reply.
This Palace believes it should be named Nan Shi (Stone). The nickname can be A-Shi. A character as firm as a rock it is a beautiful sentiment.
The sentiment was indeed beautiful. But why must the dog take her surname? Nan Qing was dazed. And ‘Shi’… isn’t that just taking a part of the character ‘Pan’ from the idiom ‘firm as a rock’ ? Wait, ‘Pan’ and ‘Qing’ look similar…
Nan Qing clutched little Nan Shi, laughing in frustration. But why did the puppy’s eyes look so much like a human’s? Not until she looked in the bronze mirror did she realize.
A long time later
Nan (Big Soy-Sauce Dog) Qing: Awoo?
Nan (Little Soy-Sauce Dog) Shi: Woof!
Xuan Zhaoci: “So cute!” (Starry eyes)
Nan Qing: (Starry eyes)
Xuan Zhaoci: “I meant the little one.”
Nan Qing: … (Clown face)
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