Transmigrated as the Princess's Scummy Wife - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Nan Qing’s Speed in Peeling Crawfish Was Extremely Fast. With Two Fingers, She Quickly Twisted Off the Head…

Nan Qing’s speed in peeling crawfish was extremely fast.

With two fingers, she quickly twisted off the head, then made a cut along the edge of the body. The shell peeled away completely. Her fingernail flicked open a thin layer of flesh in the middle of the back to pinch out the vein. After processing, the visual presentation of the shrimp meat remained intact.

She used clean chopsticks to scrape the golden-orange roe into an empty bowl to collect it. The Princess was physically weak and shouldn’t eat anything too “cold” or rich, so she would happily accept the roe herself. Heh heh.

The springy, firm shrimp meat landed in another empty bowl. In the time it took Donghe to eat only five or six, she saw the Consort neatly peel about twenty five or six of each flavor.

The small bowls of the four different flavors were pushed in front of Xuan Zhaoci.

“Pray, Your Highness, enjoy.”

Nan Qing’s long fingers unhurriedly wiped themselves on a silk kerchief. The gaps under her nails were cleaned thoroughly; her nails were pink and healthy. Due to years of farming, her finger bones were lean and strong, possessing a great deal of aesthetic appeal.

They were clearly a pair of pleasing hands, yet Xuan Zhaoci found them disgusting.

Fortunately, the churning in her stomach was not severe. No matter how difficult her physical condition, she could control it enough to eat. She waited a moment before picking up a steamed shrimp.

The temperature was perfect. The shrimp, tasted without any dipping sauce, was original, sweet, and succulent, with no hint of fishiness. Shrimp from the rice fields had a special freshness, as if a single bite could transport one back to the vast, natural earth, bringing a sense of yearning relaxation and freedom.

The meat was firm, full, and springy—perfect ingredients and texture. Xuan Zhaoci was chronically ill and usually had a poor appetite, but after eating this shrimp, it felt as though a bottomless pit had opened in her stomach.

As a royal noblewoman, her eating manners were exceptionally elegant. Even with the delicious food before her, Nan Qing couldn’t help but steal a few glances. Those scallion-white hands held the jade chopsticks; the former were even more soft and beautiful. She picked up a shrimp and placed it in her mouth unhurriedly, her pink lips closed, taking small, delicate bites.

It was a live tutorial on how an ancient princess eats. The actor Nan Qing watched with great interest and began to learn unconsciously. Her ability to mimic was very strong. By the time Xuan Zhaoci ate her third shrimp, Nan Qing was eating in perfect synchronization, replicating the grip and position of the chopsticks exactly, and capturing the posture and aura with uncanny precision.

Once the “performance” began, Nan Qing became completely immersed in her own world. She didn’t realize she possessed a very special temperament that combined a brisk, carefree nature with a gentle, refined, and dignified grace. Even in simple, down-to-earth clothes, she could project a unique air of distinction.

Donghe looked at the Consort, then looked at her own mistress hesitantly. Xuan Zhaoci gave her a look that told her to stay calm.

“Consort.”

A gentle voice drifted into her ears. Nan Qing half-returned to her senses. “What is it, Your Highness?” Half of her mind was still unconsciously mimicking the other woman’s tone.

Donghe: “…” Xuan Zhaoci: “…”

The cold eyes twitched slightly, and even the red mole at the corner of her eye seemed to jump. She spoke softly, “I must trouble the Consort to serve me some dishes.”

Perhaps it was because the Princess’s voice was so gentle that Nan Qing reflexively complied, or perhaps Nan Qing was so busy mimicking her that she didn’t realize serving food was supposed to be a maid’s job—she muddledly began to wait on the Princess.

She served the dishes in a daze, and by the time she snapped out of it, Xuan Zhaoci had already finished eating.

“That is enough, Consort. Pray, take some tea to rinse your mouth.”

Nan Qing finally came back to reality completely and asked suspiciously, “Is this a task for the Consort to do as well?” Her handsome, elegant face was full of doubt.

“The Consort is a subject; I am the sovereign.”

Nan Qing silently rolled her eyes in her mind. You feudal aristocrats will be eliminated sooner or later. The vast working and peasant classes will rise up and teach you how to behave.

She asked Donghe good-naturedly, “Where is the tea?”

Donghe acted in concert with her mistress, her eyes searching around performatively until they finally landed on a decorative shelf nearby. Nan Qing took the tea leaves, brewed a pot, and holding the blue-and-white porcelain cup with both hands, respectfully presented it to Xuan Zhaoci.

“Your Highness, pray rinse your mouth.”

“Consort, the rinse basin,” Donghe reminded in a low voice.

Nan Qing: “…”

Still good-naturedly, she took the rinse basin and held it beneath Xuan Zhaoci’s chin. The Princess unhurriedly rinsed her mouth, then took the clean silk kerchief Nan Qing handed her to gently wipe her pink lips.

The entire sequence of movements was pleasing to the eye. Nan Qing’s internal displeasure was dispelled by this textbook-perfect performance, and her focused gaze fell upon Xuan Zhaoci.

Xuan Zhaoci closed her eyes slightly, suppressing the annoyance and loathing in her heart, and glanced sideways at Donghe.

Donghe cleared her throat. “Consort, are you still eating? If not, I shall have the maids come in to clear the table.”

“I’m eating!”

Nan Qing snapped back to her senses. Facing a table still full of crawfish, she began to feast ravenously. Like a whirlwind, in less than the time it took to drink two cups of tea, she had cleared everything on the table.

She didn’t even spare the ones in the Princess’s bowl. However, those were the ones Nan Qing had peeled for her; since the Princess had left them, Nan Qing felt no burden eating them. Xuan Zhaoci, however, pursed her lips.

This person truly hasn’t given up on me.

As the saying goes, a full stomach makes for a sleepy mind. Nan Qing ate to her heart’s content, and her head felt heavy. She bid Xuan Zhaoci goodnight and dragged her dazed body toward the door. Yawning uncontrollably, before her hand even touched the door, she closed her eyes and fell asleep right on the spot.

What Nan Qing didn’t know was that Donghe quickly darted to her side and steadily caught the back of her head. Her lower body was rock-solid clearly, she was a trained martial artist.

Donghe took the Consort’s head and slowly lowered it to the floor. The Consort, who had just gorged herself, lay sprawled out on the ground in a “star” shape. Donghe stood up with a face full of reluctance and walked back to Xuan Zhaoci.

“It worked. The Consort is sleeping like the dead. Even if a pig stepped on her now, she wouldn’t feel it.”

“Your Highness, you should have just let her fall and knock herself out, or fall to her death. That way she couldn’t hit you anymore.”

“You silly girl.” Xuan Zhaoci poked her forehead. “Do you not understand why I married the Consort? If something happened to her, how would I explain it to the Empress?”

Donghe said indignantly, “Is Your Highness really going to be held back by this person for the rest of your life? On the day you married her, so many young ladies in the capital cried. They all wanted to marry you, Princess. Any of them would be better than the Consort.”

Those beautiful amber eyes suddenly became difficult to read. “How could I be held back by such a person for a lifetime? You, stop always worrying needlessly.”

“Tell me, who summoned you away from the manor today?”

“The messenger was Sister Zhang, the guard standing outside. She said a banquet was being prepared at Prince Yan’s manor, and they were short-staffed, so they needed to draft people from the manors of the various imperial daughters and princesses.”

Prince Yan was the Second Imperial Daughter.

Xuan Zhaoci’s eyes were cold as ice. “No one in the manor was willing to go, is that right?”

Donghe nodded aggrievedly.

“Your Highness!”

Just as the two were about to continue, a loud shouting and knocking came from the door. Master and servant exchanged a glance, and Donghe stood by the door.

“Her Highness is changing. State your business quickly.”

The voice outside: “There is a woman calling herself the Consort’s cousin. She is Nan Tianwei, owner of the ‘Heaven No. 2’ demonstration field. She has brought her wife, Bai Yu, to visit, saying they are looking for the Consort.”

Nan Qing had an exceptionally sweet sleep. If the floor hadn’t been so hard, she could have slept even longer.

“Consort, Consort, wake up.” It was Donghe.

Hearing the voice constantly calling her, Nan Qing opened her bleary eyes and said muddledly, “Does Her Highness… have business for me?”

“No, it is your cousin, Nan Tianwei, waiting for you outside.”

Cousin?

Nan Qing woke up instantly. Only then did she realize she was lying on the floor. More ridiculously, it seemed she was on the floor of the Princess’s main hall. She scrambled back, away from Donghe, her eyes darting around. The table had been cleared, and Donghe had changed her clothes.

“Consort, you have slept for a day and a night. Your cousin Nan Tianwei is very worried about you. You should go out and see her as soon as possible.”

Though Donghe spoke words of concern, she was actually driving her away. It was already dark now. Nan Qing knew it was inappropriate to stay in the main hall overnight, so she scrambled up and hurried out.

How could I sleep for a day and a night? So strange.

System, she called out in her mind.

Present.

How did I sleep for a day and a night?

Apologies, Host. The system level is too low to identify this command. Please change your request or upgrade the system.

When was the last time you electrocuted me?

System detected the last electrocution punishment was at exactly 3:00 PM yesterday. Your vegetables were injured.

That meant while she was asleep, the vegetables were fine. As long as the vegetables were fine, it was okay. Nan Qing rubbed her brow, at least managed to wash up and tidy her appearance before going to see this “cousin.”

When she pushed open the door to the parlor, she froze for two seconds. It was the “sister” from yesterday evening who told her to be faithful to the Princess. So it was her cousin.

But wasn’t the original owner an orphan? Stupid system.

Before her head full of questions could be answered, Nan Tianwei rushed up and hugged her. Nan Qing was nearly squeezed breathless. The original owner was strong enough, but this one was even more of a bear.

“Sister, let go. It hurts.”

Nan Tianwei released her, looked her up and down to confirm she wasn’t injured, and sat back down. “Come, greet your sister-in-law.”

Bai Yu gave Nan Qing a soft smile. Nan Qing bowed. “Greetings, sister-in-law.”

“Go on, get out of here with those messy formalities. Don’t bring that into our relationship.” Nan Tianwei frowned as she looked at the refined-looking Nan Qing.

No wonder this cousin didn’t even call her “Consort”; they were clearly very close. Nan Qing followed suit, picking a seat and sitting down in a relaxed, haphazard way just like the other. “Alright, sister.”

Nan Tianwei nodded with a smile. “I came because of what you said yesterday evening about bringing shrimp to the Princess. I thought I’d come over to confirm, just so you wouldn’t be tricking me.”

Nan Qing: “…”

“I didn’t expect you…” Nan Tianwei smiled meaningfully. “It seems you’ve ‘served’ the Princess quite thoroughly.”

Nan Qing lifted her chin. “But of course.” Between peeling crawfish, serving dishes, and offering tea, how could it be anything but thorough?

Bai Yu’s face turned red as she chided Nan Tianwei with a look. Nan Qing suddenly realized the implication and her face went dark. But it wasn’t easy to explain, so she let them continue to misunderstand. She pretended to be shy and lowered her eyes. “Then, sister, yesterday you…”

“Oh, right. Your Princess’s personal maid specifically came to tell me. As soon as I heard, I figured you were a lucky girl, so I hurried off with your sister-in-law.”

“Also, is your health not great? How did you sleep for an entire night and an entire day? You’re way too weak. I brought some venison and fish maw for you today. Hurry up and eat more to supplement yourself, so you don’t fail to satisfy.”

“Wife!” Bai Yu hurriedly interrupted her bold words.

Nan Tianwei snapped back to her senses. “Apologies, my lady. Little Qing and I are both crude country folk; we’re used to it.”

Bai Yu glared at her. “You’re used to it!?”

“I’ll change, I’ll change.”

“And what did you just call the Consort?”

“Oh, right. After her mother and father passed away, the villagers were afraid her formal name was too elegant and she’d be hard to raise. Seeing how fast she ran, they gave her a rustic nickname. ‘Qing’ is used to it, right, Dog Qing?”

Nan Qing: “…”

Sister, if I call you ‘Dog Wei,’ can you get used to that too?

Nan Tianwei: No, but you’ll have to be a ‘dog’ (faithful/subservient) from now on. Best to get used to it early.

Nan Qing: …

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