Transmigrated as the Villain: Punching the Protagonist Group and Stepping on the Domestic Abuser - Chapter 3

The original owner had a miserable background, but his disposition later truly was not good. In his life, it seemed there was only the single matter of revenge, and everyone else was merely a tool he could use, which gave Liang Shenyu an opening to exploit.

Yet, speaking of which, he was simply a cook!

Rong Se had thought about the path to break the deadlock the entire way, growing more irritated the more he pondered. He had only seen the memories of the original owner, but he did not inherit his personality. The original owner could hold the imperial court in the palm of his hand, so his capability was self-evident, yet in the end, he still met a tragic end.

In other words, the path of defying the heavens and changing destiny was a long one.

The original owner really knew how to pose difficult problems!

Rong Se wilted.

This dejected listlessness persisted all the way until Rong Se stepped off the carriage, walked into the carved-beam and embroidered-door mansion, and passed through the quiet courtyard. This mansion had carved balustrades and jade rails, green tiles and vermilion ridges, and the greenery and rockeries were arranged in an elegant manner. It could be called a work of divine craftsmanship, resembling a human peach blossom paradise. The eaves of the houses curved upward like wings, and the wind chimes hanging beneath the eaves were carved out of full-green hollowed-out jade, with three round and full eastern pearls dangling from the bottom. There was no place that was not exquisite, and no place that was not luxurious.

From a distance, one could even catch sight of several wing towers, with flying pavilions and flowing corridors connecting the structures, and suspended lanterns glowing brightly.

Rong Se remained expressionless while the hand hidden inside his wide sleeves trembled slightly.

What did this represent?

Having struggled for half his lifetime to barely afford the down payment on an apartment under one hundred square meters in a tier-two small city, he now possessed a private estate with an estimated ground area of no less than sixty to seventy thousand square meters, and it was fully renovated!

Rong Se’s eyes lit up instantly, even carrying a hint of intoxication.

Original owner! You really are something!

Walking leisurely toward the bedchamber, Rong Se used up his lifelong self-control just to keep his footsteps from appearing too unsteady and his gaze from looking too dazed.

Yun Chu said respectfully, “Does Your Highness wish to bathe?”

Rong Se maintained his composure and nodded.

The memories he had received were too numerous and messy, yet there were not many impressions of this estate left within them, showing that the original owner had not taken this grand mansion to heart at all. This estate was simply unworthy of appearing in the memories he considered important.

Rong Se’s mood was somewhat subtle, and this persisted all the way until he entered the bathroom named the Canglan Warm Pavilion, by which time he had already grown numb.

He had expected bathing to simply mean washing in a wooden tub, but he had still underestimated the original owner. The bathing room of the Canglan Warm Pavilion was divided into two chambers separated by heavy curtains. The outer chamber held an imperial concubine couch, a small platform table, and tea pastries, while the inner chamber used pottery as bricks. Wooden clogs, bathing stools, bronze lamps, and floating stones used for scrubbing were all readily available. There was even a person-height flower-and-bird bronze mirror with exquisite carvings and a smooth surface. The water outlet was a gold-plated qilin head, a fireplace provided warmth, a drainage floor drain was installed, and there was even a jade bathtub made of Wuji jade that could comfortably accommodate three people soaking inside.

Rong Se fell into a long silence, rekindling his hope for the future.

A regent who does not want to be a villain is not a good cook!

Seeing that Your Highness’s expression flickered between joy and displeasure, Yun Chu hesitated and asked, “Your Highness, does anyone need to wait upon you?”

“No need.” Rong Se snapped out of it, saying in a steady tone, “Tomorrow, bring the estate’s ledgers here for this Prince to look over.”

He wanted to see how much savings he still had left!

Yun Chu was slightly stunned. “All of them?”

Rong Se nodded. “All of them.”

After Yun Chu left, Rong Se suppressed his excitement, drew the hot water, and breathed a long sigh of relief after sinking into the luxurious bathtub.

Rong Se tilted his head slightly, and the bronze mirror reflected his appearance, causing him to raise his eyebrows slightly.

The original owner’s face was almost identical to his own: bright and alluring, with hair like black satin, and possessing a scholarly yet aloof face. However, there was a small, vibrant red mole just under his left eye, which instantly turned the aloof indifference of that face into a striking and dazzling beauty.

With a face resembling a woman’s, he had suffered no small amount of criticism during his school days, though he had never been bullied on account of it.

Fine, at least his face had not changed, and looking at it was somewhat pleasing. Rong Se took a very open-minded view of this.

Anyone who dared to provoke him would be fought back against with his life on the line. If he could not win, he would play dirty. Those smug perpetrators of violence were also afraid of death; when you truly threatened their lives, in a mutual destruction scenario, the first to back down would always be the abusers. Blind forbearance would only make them increasingly bold.

Although the mess left behind by the original owner was not easy to handle, Rong Se felt entirely unburdened. Regardless of the reason he had arrived here, he possessed a brand-new life, no longer forced to entangle himself with a blood-sucking gambler father and his creditors, constantly fleeing to a new place only to immediately worry about where to hide next.

Previously, he had drifted on the edges of the world like duckweed with nowhere to take root.

Yet this was his rebirth.

As he thought, memories that did not belong to him gradually welled up again.

The original owner’s memories were long and fragmented, though this time they were much more detailed. Scene after scene flashed rapidly through his mind; these memories were like having an extra storage card inside his brain, always present, requiring only for Rong Se to calm his mind and recall them bit by bit.

Yet much like reading a book, they had to be retrieved in order to be reviewed, otherwise, they would quickly be forgotten again. He did not know how long these memories would remain, so he could only strive to memorize all of them completely.

Aside from recipes, he had never memorized so many things in all his years.

Emerging from the Canglan Warm Pavilion, Rong Se had already sorted through most of the original owner’s memories. His mind felt dizzy and bloated, and guiding himself by memory to find the bedchamber, he threw himself onto the rosewood hollow-carved frame bed. Since the summer heat still lingered, the couch was cushioned with jade plates, and lying down upon it felt warm, cool, and comfortable.

Before falling asleep, Rong Se was still marveling at the wisdom of ancient humans.

The next day.

When Rong Se was yanked awake and notified to attend the early morning court session, his entire person was in a daze.

He never would have imagined that after escaping the 996 corporate slave lifestyle for years, he would still encounter a day of waking up early for work!

It was not even dawn yet!

After catching up on some sleep inside the carriage, it was only upon reaching the Zhengzheng Hall that Rong Se discovered that good heavens, they had already begun entering the palace gates.

Yet as a notorious frequent latecomer, Rong Se was not in a rush. Waiting until all the civil and military officials had lined up in their proper stations, he strolled leisurely over to his own seat, sat down, and ungraciously began listening to court affairs.

Rong Se’s daily routine was regular, but regularity could not withstand the dawn court sessions starting in the middle of the night. On top of that, the small kitchen had prepared a bowl of white fungus soup for waking up early, which was thin, watery, gelatin-free, and sickeningly sweet. After a single bite, Rong Se abandoned it as completely unpalatable.

Not only did he have to report to work under the stars, but he also had no breakfast to eat, and on top of that, he had to listen to these censors and civil officials debate the motion that the new emperor ought to personally take charge of government against the officials under Rong Se’s command.

You say a word, I offer a sentence, citing classics and historical precedents while bridging ancient and modern times.

Rong Se listened with growing impatience.

Consequently, the officials standing in the hall discovered that the Regent’s complexion was particularly poor today. His naturally aloof brows and eyes were completely covered in dark clouds, and they feared being caught in the fallout.

Cao Lun held his court tablet and said coldly, “Since Your Majesty is no longer a young child, he naturally ought to personally govern; what need is there for a member of the imperial clan to act as regent? What does the Marquis of Dingbei think?”

The gazes of the officials all shifted toward this marquis who wielded heavy military power and had returned to the capital to defend the sovereign.

Rong Se’s gaze also landed upon him.

If this loyal, patriotic, clear, and bright Marquis of Dingbei decided to stir up trouble, he would not fear it either. The family foundation left behind by the original owner was quite substantial, and for a time, his position as Regent would undoubtedly remain rock solid!

Right under the public gaze, Liang Shenyu stepped forward in a single stride and stated in a clear voice, “This subject is merely a crude military man who only knows how to march and fight wars, and understands nothing of governing through principles. Whatever you lords say it is, then let it be.”

The intent to stand aside and watch was far too obvious.

Rong Se narrowed his eyes.

That was strange. Liang Shenyu had traveled ten thousand miles in a forced march to rescue the capital, and even if he harbored no affection for the protagonist shou at this moment, he still should not be sitting on the fence like this.

In the original book, shouldn’t he be confronting the villain head-on at this point?

As Rong Se was observing Liang Shenyu, he unexpectedly saw him look over abruptly. Caught off guard, their eyes met, carrying a trace of playful and ambiguous amusement, causing his heart to tighten slightly.

Clearly smiling, yet he resembled a wolf.

Rong Se remained expressionless and looked away.

A dead silence fell over the hall for a moment, and Cao Lun’s expression turned even more incredulous while the face of Rong Jing behind the beaded curtains faintly turned pale.

“Enough,” Rong Se said indifferently, immediately rising to his feet and making a show of straightening his sleeves. “Speak with this Prince once a conclusion has been debated.”

With that, he walked out in grand style.

Liang Shenyu stood aloof as a spectator, letting these censors argue themselves hoarse to no avail. With his stomach completely empty and feeling nauseous from hunger, Rong Se had no desire to listen to their sharp-tongued sparring.

Just as he stepped out of the palace gates, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps closing in behind him. Rong Se paid it no mind until a hand suddenly rested upon his shoulder.

“Your Highness…”

Rong Se instantly stiffened, his breathing turning ragged as he instinctively grabbed that wrist and twisted it fiercely, blurting out, “Don’t touch me!”

The other party reacted with extreme speed, pivoting smoothly with the force and easily breaking free.

Looking back, it unexpectedly turned out to be Liang Shenyu, whose eyes also held traces of astonishment and teasing, before finally raising both hands in resignation and smiling with polished, gentle courtesy, “Your Highness possesses formidable strength.”

Stunned for a moment by his stress response, Rong Se quickly calmed down, his expression calm as he said, “Something the matter?”

Liang Shenyu’s brows curved into arcs. “Reminding Your Highness not to forget today’s evening meal.”

“I will not forget.” Rong Se lowered his gaze, gave a slight nod, and turned to leave.

Behind him, the gentle and cultured man thoughtfully massaged his own wrist, his gaze fixed continuously upon that jade-like retreating figure, gradually brimming with thick intrigue.

This was the Ninth Prince whom that group of old fogies feared to such an extent?

Liang Shenyu chuckled softly.

He failed to see any gloomy viciousness; instead, he looked rather like a rabbit, startled enough to want to leap up at the slightest poke.