Transmigrated as the Princess's Scummy Wife - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Going Home

Nan Qing still gripped the edge of the wooden tray with one hand, her eyes lowered, not daring to look at Xuan Zhaoci. She hadn’t clearly done anything wrong, yet under the other woman’s show of weakness mixed with a forceful attitude, she felt a sudden surge of guilt.

Constrained by the mask, her range of vision was extremely narrow, making her senses of smell and hearing exceptionally sharp. On the low hill, the unique fragrance of peaches permeated the air, sweet and fresh, accompanied by the subtle sounds of the crowd eating.

Relying on these minute sounds, she could capture the voices of the Crown Princess, Xuan Hengyan, Prince Xian, and Prince Yi; they all seemed to be chatting with those beside them. Among the many sounds, only Xuan Zhaoci’s was missing.

Nan Qing panicked instantly. The thought of being stubborn to the end vanished into thin air. She hurriedly looked up, only to find the other woman staring at her without blinking. Her pale pink eye sockets had turned a flushed crimson at some point, and those amber eyes were fixed straight on her.

Nan Qing had acted with many people and faced all sorts of worldly emotions—grief, sentimentality, despair, agony… but she had never seen anything like Xuan Zhaoci: a sadness mixed with a trace of imperceptible bitterness, and within that bitterness, a hidden pain.

Nan Qing’s heart felt as if it were being twisted by these complex emotions. She was in so much pain she could barely breathe; her throat felt blocked as if by a lemon, sour and tight.

She had caused trouble.

Her thin lips moved several times as she tried to explain, but fortunately, her reason remained. She quickly wrote three words: Am not injured.

The beauty studied her slowly. When Xuan Zhaoci didn’t speak, she exuded a cold, “do not approach” aura. Nan Qing steeled herself to meet her gaze, offering a pleasing smile, until the other woman let out a soft, sharp huff. Nan Qing knew then: she was finished. Her wordplay had been seen through.

“Am not injured” she hadn’t included a subject.

Xuan Zhaoci closed her eyes, lowered her gaze, and slowly moved her chopsticks. Those hands, which had never touched “spring water,” were perfectly kept, white as jade, with healthy pale pink nails and palms. The way her fingertips manipulated the long chopsticks was exceptionally nimble and light, a sight to behold.

Soon, the appetizer entered her mouth. Every dish placed before Xuan Zhaoci was personally made by Nan Qing. This was a cold dish: peach flesh mixed with tomatoes. She had chosen the sweetest batch of peaches from the orchard; eaten alone, they were cloyingly sweet, but they were perfect for cooking. Peeled, pitted, and chopped, the fruit was spread evenly over tomato chunks. No extra seasoning was needed; a simple plating, and it was served.

The fresh fruit enveloped the tomato, each piece bite-sized. One bite brought a sweet-and-sour refreshing taste with no stray flavors the ultimate appetizer. Xuan Zhaoci ate elegantly and unhurriedly. When satisfied, the red mole at the corner of her eye would lift slightly with her gaze, making her look breathtakingly beautiful.

Behind her, Donghe gave Nan Qing a look. Nan Qing understood instantly. This was the maid’s way of saying she wanted to slack off. Nan Qing smiled and took over her tasks—passing tea, handing over handkerchiefs. She was happy to serve this delicate Highness Qinghe with all her heart. Serving a beauty always brought an unconscious sense of joy.

Although the couple’s seats were peripheral, many gazes still lingered on them.

“I thought it was just a rumor, but has the Fifth Consort really been… ‘subdued’ by Highness Qinghe?”

“We’re far enough away that there’s no need to be so cautious. The Fifth Consort was likely ‘slept into submission’ by the Princess. In the first few days of the marriage, I heard the Consort beat the Princess; who knew that after just one cycle of the first and fifteenth…”

Their expressions were ambiguous as they raised their eyebrows at each other. The Third Princess gritted her teeth, glaring angrily at her own Consort, who only knew how to eat. Thinking about the many “outside residences” her Consort kept made her heart ache even more. The Fourth Princess glanced at her, their eyes filled with an identical mix of irritation, resentment, and sparks of fury.

Why should Xuan Zhaoci be able to secure her Consort with just her figure? Putting family background aside, in terms of physique, how could Xuan Zhaoci compare to the Fifth Consort? Nan Qing had the truly stunning body—strong arms, curves in all the right places, a versatile type that could be either offensive or defensive. Xuan Zhaoci only had her face.

The Third and Fourth Princesses exchanged a rapid look. Fourth Princess: The Fifth Consort surely hasn’t tasted the flavor of women outside. Third Princess: Xuan Zhaoci won’t be able to keep her. My Consort has a mistress she’s been ignoring lately, but her figure is quite alright. Fourth Princess: My Consort has one too.

The sisters’ silent exchange ended there, leaving behind a meaningful smile. They each turned back, whispering to their respective spouses: “Consort.”

Xuan Chengtian took in everyone’s behavior without a word. She lifted her teacup and took a slow sip.

“Fifth Consort!”

A loud shout from beside her interrupted her leisure. A flash of displeasure crossed Xuan Chengtian’s eyes. Nan Qing stood up to bow as all eyes converged on her.

“I intended to have you introduce the innovative dishes of the Peach Banquet to everyone, but I didn’t expect your throat to be injured, Sister-in-law. How about this: you don’t need to introduce them. Just as you did in the fields last time, how about stir-frying a main dish for everyone on the spot?”

The crowd erupted. This Prince Yan was openly humiliating her sister-in-law in public. Yet some had been waiting for this, shouting in agreement: “The appetizer just now was delicious. I too wish to see the Fifth Consort’s skill!”

“I agree!”

Without giving Nan Qing time to react, more and more voices joined in. The smile on Xuan Hengyan’s face grew more brilliant. Nan Qing calculated the situation: this level of humiliation was roughly equivalent to a modern game of Truth or Dare, where a group demands the loser pick someone at random to kneel to, kowtow deeply, and then swallow that person’s phlegm.

In everyone’s eyes, she would soon have to kneel and “swallow the phlegm,” but to the modern Nan Qing, it was as simple as cooking a dish. However… she surreptitiously scanned the surroundings. The crowd was excited; they all wanted to see her humiliated.

Under the expectant gaze of the crowd, Nan Qing slowly nodded. She then made a gesture, and a maid from Prince Yan’s manor timely brought her paper and pen.

“The Fifth Consort requests that the dish she cooks only be edible by Highness Qinghe.”

“Haha! I thought it was some grand request. Granted!”

“Wait.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Xuan Zhaoci, who had suddenly stood up. Just as they worried she would defend her Consort, Xuan Zhaoci spoke softly: “This younger sister is willing to accompany the Consort.”

The noise exploded instantly. Nan Qing’s head started to ache. Princess, oh Princess, why are you joining the chaos?

But the other woman had no intention of asking for her opinion. She simply gave her a cool glance and said warmly: “Consort, lead the way.”

Fine. Now it had turned into the couple kneeling and swallowing phlegm together.

On a clearing at the foot of the hill, a stove had been set up. Nan Qing directed the maids to move the charcoal and set up a roaster with a giant stone slab on top. Originally, this dish was just a simple stir-fried beef, but Nan Qing changed the method on the spot.

The beef had been marinated in peach juice. She had chosen peaches that weren’t fully ripe and still had fruit acid. Fruit acid is very effective against beef; after marinating for a while, the meat becomes extremely tender. Roasting it in its original flavor is the most fragrant and delicious way.

Large slices of beef hit the stone slab, instantly emitting a sizzling sound. At that exact moment, a buzzing of electric current echoed in her mind. Nan Qing called for the system a few times in her head, but finding no response, she ignored it.

The aroma of meat hit their noses instantly. The stone slab was hot; the blood-red of the meat rapidly turned dark, and the edges curled and charred slightly. Nan Qing flipped it over. Once the other side was roasted, she quickly plated it and used scissors to cut it into small portions. The thin meat still carried some peach juice and oil, lightly coating the surface utterly tempting.

Having roasted a perfect portion of meat, Nan Qing was overjoyed. She instantly forgot there were people on the hill above; her eyes held only Xuan Zhaoci. With great enthusiasm, she carried the plate to her and, without a word, picked up a piece of meat and held it directly to Xuan Zhaoci’s lips.

Xuan Zhaoci looked at the person’s blinking, shimmering eyes and thought of Little Nan Shi at home. Her heart softened, her pink lips opened slightly, and under Donghe’s dumbfounded gaze, she slowly ate the food fed to her by the Consort.

The aroma drifted up the hill, and everyone’s eyes went wide. They were salivating, secretly swallowing. For a moment, the hilltop was filled with the sound of people swallowing. The few who had just been thinking of humiliating the Fifth Princess and her Consort were now staring longingly at the meat on their plate humiliating someone wasn’t nearly as joyful as a delicious meal.

Especially the onlookers who weren’t closely related to the imperial family; the thought of bullying was tossed to the back of their minds. At this moment, they only wanted a piece of meat.

“Highness Qinghe is truly enjoying a feast. It smells too good…” “I’m so envious. I almost want to make my wife go back and learn to cook too.” “Ahhh, I really want to eat it!”

Finally, someone couldn’t sit still. “Crown Princess, Prince Yan, could you allow the Fifth Consort to… bestow a little upon us?” When people want something, they use honorifics.

Xuan Hengyan’s face was dark, her expression displeased. The Third and Fourth Princesses didn’t look much better. Xuan Chengtian waved her hand, signaling her personal maid to deliver the message. When Nan Qing received the command, a voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

Detection: Broadcast is about to end. Host, please be prepared. Countdown: 100 seconds.

What “broadcast end”? What preparation?

Nan Qing’s mind went blank. She stood frozen for over ten seconds before she reacted. Broadcast end… does that mean I can go home!? Home!? I don’t have to stay in this ghost place with no air conditioning in the middle of summer!?

Nan Qing was so happy she nearly jumped. Her heart pounded wildly. Right, right, right, she had to prepare. She had to finish the task at hand first; she couldn’t disobey the Crown Princess’s order. She didn’t know if this was a parallel world or what, but she couldn’t bring trouble to Xuan Zhaoci. Xuan Zhaoci had looked after her and chatted with her every night; she was a good person.

Without a second thought, Nan Qing rapidly roasted a pile of meat. Except for Donghe, all the maids carried the freshly roasted meat up the hill.

Countdown: 10 seconds.

She could already feel a mist before her eyes. She began to lose sight of the people in front of her, only able to see their rough outlines. Nan Qing didn’t want to waste time and got straight to the point.

“The divorce papers are in the back porch of Your Highness’s room. They are already signed.”

Nan Qing’s greatest concern was Xuan Zhaoci. She knew the other woman’s grand plan; she knew Xuan Zhaoci wasn’t someone who could be bound by marriage or a manor. The world was vast, and everywhere was a stage where Highness Qinghe could shine. When the time was right, Xuan Zhaoci would surely be able to put those divorce papers to good use.

Countdown: 6 seconds.

“Consort…”

The electronic voice and that gentle voice rang out simultaneously. But the person who was usually so calm now had a voice that carried a hint of a sob. The mist blurred her eyes, and Nan Qing felt a sudden ache in her heart.

She seemed… a little reluctant to leave Her Highness. But she was even more reluctant to leave her cool air-conditioned room, Wi-Fi, and chilled watermelon.

Her breathing suddenly turned heavy. Nan Qing fell to her knees with a thud. Even though she couldn’t see the front, she kowtowed deeply, her words resonant and powerful:

“I, Nan Qing, wish Your Highness a swift realization of your desires. I hope Your Highness takes care.”

Xuan Zhaoci: So you’re giving me a “good person card,” are you? (Furious)

Nan Qing: (Pitying) But Your Highness truly is a good person.

Xuan Zhaoci: …

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