Transmigrated as the Princess's Scummy Wife - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Two Mistresses

Nan Qing insisted on escorting Xuan Zhaoci back to the manor and asked the Imperial Physician to check her pulse while they were at it.

The Imperial Physician was an elderly woman who looked at Nan Qing with a strange expression. Nan Qing’s heart instantly skipped a beat: “Imperial Physician Hu, is there something wrong with Her Highness’s health?”

Nan Qing’s hope of returning home rested almost entirely on Xuan Zhaoci. This NPC, who had a high degree of correlation with the real world, was of paramount importance; naturally, she didn’t want anything to be wrong with her.

“Have the Consort and Her Highness consummated the marriage?”

Nan Qing: “Huh?”

Her eyes widened slightly, looking shocked that the other had asked so directly.

…She certainly hadn’t consummated it in the two days she had been here. As for the original owner… she wasn’t sure.

She looked toward Xuan Zhaoci for help, only to see the Princess’s face still pale, her eyes tightly closed, and her eyelashes trembling slightly. She was awake, but for some reason, she chose to ignore the question when the physician asked.

Nan Qing hesitated and tested the waters: “We have.”

The thick, distinct lashes fluttered even more, and the beauty’s lips twitched slightly.

Nan Qing: “…”

Princess, you definitely heard that!

The Imperial Physician’s gaze toward Nan Qing became even more meaningful. Nan Qing’s mind was filled with “???”.

“Her Highness is not pregnant.” The physician’s expression seemed strained, as if she were swallowing something difficult to say. “Her Highness is of weak constitution and does not handle the heat well; pray the Consort show more consideration. This official shall prescribe a few medicines for Her Highness and the Consort later.”

Nan Qing was baffled. I’m not the one with heatstroke; why prescribe medicine for me?

She picked up the medicine she already had: “The Second Highness summoned a physician for Her Highness earlier. Pray, Physician Hu, take a look at these doses.”

It wasn’t that she suspected the medicine was poisoned, but rather that Xuan Zhaoci’s body was weaker than a normal person’s. A physician who didn’t specifically serve her might not be able to prescribe the right medicine.

Only after the physician left did Xuan Zhaoci “leisurely wake up.” Her amber eyes swept over Nan Qing with deliberate scrutiny, and suddenly her stomach churned again.

Looking at this face and this person, she still wanted to vomit. Even if the Consort before her was no longer the original one.

A certain someone had no idea her “mask” had slipped and was happily thinking about catching crawfish in the fields.

“Your Highness!”

Donghe rushed in, wedging herself between Xuan Zhaoci and Nan Qing. First, she nervously checked the Princess for injuries, then turned to glare viciously at Nan Qing, adopting a protective stance.

The master and servant’s fierce glares were virtually identical.

“Donghe, Her Highness has slight heatstroke. Physician Hu will send medicine later. I’m heading back to the field.”

Nan Qing was used to handing over tasks clearly, but in Donghe’s eyes, this concern was nothing but hypocrisy. No one knew better than Donghe how the Consort used to beat and scold the Princess; there were still several fading bruises on the Princess’s body that were shocking to behold.

“If the Consort has no business, pray do not enter the main hall in the future.” Donghe steeled herself to give the advice.

“Let’s get through tonight first. I’m handling Her Highness’s dinner later.”

“Does the Consort not understand human speech!?”

Nan Qing’s mental images of crawfish were dispelled by the angry shout. She said innocently, “I understand human speech.”

Sincerity is the ultimate killing move. The master and servant were clearly at a loss for words.

Donghe wanted to say more, but Xuan Zhaoci lightly patted the back of her hand. The words at the back of Donghe’s throat were instantly swallowed. She looked at the Consort with angry eyes, but didn’t dare show her rage too overtly out of concern.

“Then I shall trouble the Consort.”

The Princess spoke very gently, making one feel like a spring breeze was blowing. Nan Qing nodded, confirmed their tastes, and left.

Xuan Zhaoci stared at the retreating figure. The walking posture and stride were clearly different. How had she only noticed now…? The one who married her grew up in the countryside and walked with a very brisk, unruly style. This one had a sense of measured calmness, perhaps even having deliberately practiced her poise like a royal princess.

“Your Highness…” Donghe said indignantly and confusedly. “Are you not afraid the Consort will drug the food? Tonight is the fifteenth…”

Donghe was Xuan Zhaoci’s personal maid, having grown up with her. Aside from Xuan Zhaoci’s biological mother, she was the person who cared for her most.

“I am not afraid.”

“You felt like vomiting several times just looking at her. How can you eat together?”

What Xuan Zhaoci found disgusting was the original person. Seeing that face would bring back the memories of being beaten and scolded these past few days. Even though she knew they might be two different people, her nausea remained.

She slowly closed her eyes: “Bring that thing out.”

Nan Qing wore water boots and carried a net over her shoulder as she stepped into the rice paddies. She walked with effortless ease, completely unafraid of being electrocuted by the system.

There were about thirty mu of land under her management. The system could currently recognize three mu. Nan Qing cherished those three mu the most; the rice paddies were not among them. Those three mu were fenced off with netting and surrounded by scarecrows to prevent animals from eating the crops and causing her to get shocked.

She bent over to catch crawfish while chatting with the system.

System Level is currently 1. Upon reaching Level 2, the recognizable field area will increase by 5 mu, and more precise farming events can be identified, effectively reducing the triggering of accidental electrocution.

This upgrade was a double-edged sword. The bad part was that the system would recognize more land, increasing the chance of Nan Qing being shocked. The good part was that the chance of accidental shocks would decrease.

She thought for a moment and asked: What are the requirements for an upgrade?

To upgrade from Level 1 to Level 2, the Host must cultivate and harvest all products within the current recognition range.

The three mu were planted with various vegetables. Their growth cycles were short and most were now mature; they could be harvested within a week. Part of the vegetables would be kept for the Princess’s Manor, and the rest would be sent to the Palace. Since harvesting was inevitable, the upgrade would happen naturally.

Nan Qing sighed and tossed a crawfish into the net. Once inside, it started a pincer fight with the others. The crawfish in the rice fields were quite plump, averaging about eight or nine qian (approx. 40-45g) each all large prawns. The “hemp-green” shells felt moderately hard; the meat inside would certainly be full.

After catching over a hundred, Nan Qing stopped to head home when someone ran up from the distance.

“Qing-ah! If you want to catch shrimp, I have larger ones over at my place. Come get some? I’ve been busy harvesting rice lately and haven’t had time to chat. When are we going back to Tianxiang Pavilion?”

The newcomer, like her, wore wear-resistant hemp clothes and looked drenched in sweat. Nan Qing recognized her; she was one of the owners of the demonstration fields. Over the last two days, passing her field, the woman had been buried in harvesting rice and they hadn’t interacted. Nan Qing had thought they weren’t very close.

She didn’t expect this neighbor to be so familiar with the original owner that she called her by name. They even frequented “Tianxiang Pavilion” which sounded like a dubious place. The plot hadn’t mentioned any of this; she didn’t even know the woman’s name.

Nan Qing hid her surprise and pretended to be familiar: “Another day. I’m in a rush today.”

“Let me see.” The person looked behind her. “This bag has nearly fourteen or fifteen jin (7-8kg). You can only eat seven or eight jin yourself. Come on, fess up: are the rest for those two little mistresses of yours?”

Nan Qing: “???” “!!!”

“How many times has your sister told you? Just focus on the Princess and stop thinking about those outside. If the Princess finds out, you’ll be in for it.”

“Even if the Third and Fourth Consorts have five or six women outside, why are you following them? We aren’t like those nobles; we are farmers, and powerless ones at that, understand, Qing-zai?”

“When you said you wanted to be the Consort, I advised you not to get involved with the royal family. You insisted Princess Qinghe was beautiful and you wanted to marry her. Fine, so you married her. But what is this now? Why insist on ignoring a beautiful Princess at home to mess with those ‘flowers and willows’ outside?”

“Do you know they’re only after your money!? It wasn’t easy to rely on farming to reach the day we finally stood head and shoulders above others; can’t you just settle down for me?”

Nan Qing, whose head felt like it was falling off: “…”

Sister, thank you, that’s called ‘standing out’.

Nan Tianwei was fuming. She poked Nan Qing’s forehead, and then noticed something was wrong. If she hadn’t looked closely, she wouldn’t have noticed. She pointed at a very faint slap mark on Nan Qing’s left cheek: “This could only have been done by Princess Qinghe, right? Could it be you were actually caught?”

The skin of those who farm all year is a healthy wheat color; the faint red slap mark wouldn’t have been visible if Nan Tianwei hadn’t leaned in close.

Nan Qing touched her face with a sheepish smile. Although it wasn’t for that reason, being hit did involve “women.” Best not to mention such an embarrassing thing, so she ignored the topic.

“Sister, I know my mistake. These shrimp are for the Princess.”

Before she could finish, she was smacked on the head. Nan Qing was a bit dazed.

“I knew you were the best at doting on your wife. Listen to me: while Xinghe and Jiaoyu are only after your money and haven’t reached the point of real feelings, break it off and send them away!”

Nan Qing nodded like a woodpecker: “Yes, yes, yes, I’ll definitely go to… where was it again?”

“Tsk, look at you. You didn’t even like those mistresses that much, you didn’t even remember the place. That house you bought in private, you gave it some fancy name. You can’t remember it and I can’t quite remember it either, but you know the location, right? It’s just two streets away from the Princess’s Manor.”

“I won’t chat with you anymore. I’m a married woman too, I can’t stay out for too long.”

The two parted ways. Nan Qing returned to the Princess’s Manor with a heavy heart. The plot provided by the system was useless; where did this sister come from and what was their relationship? And where was the outside residence…

Nan Qing’s head ached the more she thought about it. She really wanted to complain about this terrible scumbag original character. And, how dirty… the original owner was actually messing around. Was she not afraid of catching something?

She tossed the net of crawfish aside and quickly got a tub of hot water to scrub herself. After washing her hands thoroughly, she used two small mirrors to check her body. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary and with a normal scent, Nan Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She scrubbed herself two or three times until she nearly took off a layer of skin and her wheat-colored skin was an unusual crimson before she stopped. She changed into clean clothes and took the crawfish into the kitchen.

When she came out, she carried a wooden bucket in each hand and headed straight for the main hall.

“Your Highness, the dinner I made for you has arrived.”

Donghe glared at her. Nan Qing raised an eyebrow, set down the buckets, and pulled out several plates. Bright red crawfish were presented on the table: garlic flavor, spicy, oil-braised, and steamed. Each plate radiated an incredibly inviting aroma.

In the center was a dish of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, egg fried rice, and some home-style dishes. The red, orange, and green colors complemented each other; the presentation was excellent. Even before eating, one’s appetite surged.

Xuan Zhaoci glanced at her surreptitiously. This person’s wheat-colored skin was a bit red, perhaps from being stuffed in the kitchen.

Nan Qing set the table and sat down, ready to feast. Suddenly sensing Xuan Zhaoci’s gaze, she looked at the master and servant and said, “Your Highness, let Donghe sit down and eat as well.”

Donghe was about to refuse with the excuse of peeling shrimp, but Xuan Zhaoci lifted a finger. Donghe immediately shut up and sat down obediently.

Princess Qinghe suppressed the loathing between her brows and said softly: “The task of peeling shrimp shall be left to the Consort.”

Nan Qing: Why does she find me annoying yet still asks me to peel shrimp? (Melting)

Donghe: Her Highness is using you as a servant.

Nan Qing: …

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