Transmigrated into the Scum Female Consort - Chapter 125

That evening, the Inspector General’s Manor held a grand banquet. In the outer parlor of the main bedroom, a table was set with fine wine and delicacies for only four people: Ye Xuejin, Yun Chi, Qi Mingyan, and Tao Qianhua.

“There are no outsiders here tonight. We shall not speak of rank; let everyone be at ease,” Ye Xuejin said warmly, raising her cup.

Tao Qianhua stood immediately, a smile playing on her lips. “Since Your Highness has said so, I shall not be formal. This cup I drink to Your Highness—may you achieve victory and success soon.”

After multiple rounds of internal weighing, she had feared coming all this way only to find nothing. Now that the situation was settled, it was time for her to tuck away her minor, insignificant ambitions.

Ye Xuejin smiled knowingly, and the four shared their first drink. The atmosphere relaxed visibly.

Once they had eaten their fill, Qi Mingyan excused herself. Preparations for the coming battle had to begin tomorrow, and she needed to spend the night considering every detail. With her gone, Ye Xuejin looked at Tao Qianhua and went straight to the point.

“Qianhua, you have yet to satisfy my curiosity. Why exactly did you come to the Southern Border?”

The previous testing and posturing no longer mattered. Ye Xuejin needed a definitive stance from her.

Tao Qianhua swirled the wine in her cup and drained it in one go. Her face was slightly flushed. Wine is a wondrous thing; the state of being nearly drunk is the most subtle. Words spoken then are not necessarily offensive, and words left unsaid allow for an easy retreat.

She gave a soft smile, her tone carrying a hint of a spoiled pout. “He’an, were you disappointed in me today?”

Ye Xuejin shook her head calmly. “Qianhua, you should know me. Why would I dwell on such trivialities?”

Tao Qianhua gazed at Ye Xuejin, her eyes brimming with clear admiration. “Then it was I who was being too clever for my own good. He’an, I toast you.”

She refilled her cup, stood up, and walked to Ye Xuejin’s side. With one hand holding the wine and the other grasping Ye Xuejin’s hand, she smiled with a sudden, captivating charm. It was reminiscent of their days in the capital—laughing, teasing, and carefree. To outsiders, they were close friends; in private, they were exceptionally intimate.

Ye Xuejin’s gaze flickered. She quietly withdrew her hand. “After this cup, do not indulge further.”

Tao Qianhua’s eyes drifted toward Yun Chi. She let out a mock-offended huff. “He’an, how can you push me away like that? Ah… it is my fault. I must apologize to the Princess Consort.”

Yun Chi: “…” What am I supposed to say?

She said nothing, only raised her cup with a smile and drank. Then, she glanced at Ye Xuejin. Ye Xuejin gave a slight, silent shake of her head. Both women watched Tao Qianhua quietly as she finished her wine.

When Tao Qianhua set the cup down, her face was a deep rosy red, clearly showing signs of intoxication. She did not return to her seat but leaned down toward Ye Xuejin’s ear.

Yun Chi’s fingers tightened. If she starts holding hands again, I’m going to have something to say, she thought.

Ye Xuejin frowned and leaned away, not letting the scent of alcohol brush against her. Tao Qianhua stared at her blankly, murmuring, “He’an, since when have we become so distant?” She made a move to drape an arm around Ye Xuejin’s shoulder.

Ye Xuejin stood up abruptly, her expression turning cold. “Qianhua, you are drunk.”

Had she misread the situation? Ye Xuejin wondered. Does Tao Qianhua still harbor her own ambitions?

Tao Qianhua met her gaze for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter—a laugh that eventually turned into reddened eyes. “He’an, I’m not drunk. I know I still have to explain myself. I’m just… unhappy. Now that you have a Consort, are you going to avoid me? What about our years of friendship?”

Ye Xuejin sighed. “Qianhua, you are drunk.”

Tao Qianhua grabbed her shoulders, tears filling her eyes. Her voice choked up. “He’an, you’re alive. Do you know how much joy I felt when I saw you were still alive? He’an, I am so grateful you are still here.”

At these words, Ye Xuejin instinctively looked at Yun Chi. Yun Chi was wide-eyed with shock, shaking her head in confusion. She had no idea what was happening. She hadn’t read the original book; she had only heard her cousin’s spoilers about a “perfect heroine” who deeply mourned her “late friend.”

Wait… her cousin had said it was a romance novel. It wasn’t a “girls’ love” (yuri) story. Strangely, Yun Chi felt a bit of relief. Surely the heroine wouldn’t…

Just as the thought occurred, Tao Qianhua reached out and pulled Ye Xuejin into a tight embrace, her voice a mix of crying and laughing. “He’an, if my father wasn’t the Prime Minister, if I were just a penniless beggar, would we have…”

“Noble Consort, you are drunk.” Yun Chi hesitated for only a second before standing up and forcibly prying Tao Qianhua’s hands away, stepping between her and Ye Xuejin.

Yun Chi now seriously doubted her cousin’s reading comprehension. Are you sure this wasn’t a girls’ love story?!

Behind her, Ye Xuejin could not hide her astonishment, her face showing a rare moment of daze.

Tao Qianhua smiled at Yun Chi, looked down in silence for a moment, and then returned to her seat.

“I’ve made a fool of myself before the Consort. Where was I? Ah, yes—why I came to the Southern Border.” Her voice was now calm, almost incredibly sober, as she poured herself more wine.

“The day I woke up, I heard the Emperor had decreed your marriage to a beggar. I knew then… I knew even in my past life. But I could do nothing, for I knew our identities would never allow it. Your Consort could be a merchant, a laborer, anyone… even a beggar. Anyone but me. Because my father is the head of the officials. Because I was born into the Prime Minister’s house.”

Tao Qianhua took a large gulp of wine. “I should have given up. But how could I do nothing? He’an, you died! How could I watch you be pushed to a dead end? I wanted to see you, but I fainted again. When I woke, you had been exiled, and my father, wanting to please the Emperor, was sending me into the Palace.”

She set the cup down, a single tear falling as she stared directly into Ye Xuejin’s eyes. “He’an, why didn’t you come find me those few days? When you didn’t see me on your wedding day, was there not even a hint of concern or care?”

Ye Xuejin remained silent for a moment. “I had too much to deal with. I didn’t know you…”

From the decree to the wedding, it was only a few days. Then came the framing and the chaos in the Princess’s Manor. She barely had the energy to save herself; she hadn’t given a thought to which friends attended the wedding.

“But I wanted to care for you,” Tao Qianhua said, her eyes burning bright. “Father saw my heart and confined me to the manor. I was desperate and helpless, so I ordered Shi Niang to find you in secret. I thought if I was destined to enter the Palace, I would use that position to find evidence to clear your name. Perhaps then you could live.”

But Shi Niang had lost contact soon after leaving. Tao Qianhua had worried, then speculated. Once she discovered the “framing” was orchestrated by the Emperor himself, she knew it was too late. He’an had survived, but the chance between them was gone.

A flash of surprise crossed Ye Xuejin’s eyes, and her tone turned serious. “Qianhua, I have only my Consort in my heart.” She raised her cup. “I toast you, and I thank you for your efforts on my behalf.”

There were too many surprises tonight. The cold wine felt heavy in her throat.

Yun Chi was completely stunned. What kind of book was this? Zhu Yan was a transmigrator, Wu Hu could dream of the future, and now the heroine was a “regressor” who had lived a past life? It was a mess.

Wait… if the heroine was a regressor, it made sense. Because she knew the future, she had rushed to the Southern Border regardless of the cost, but she was still a step too late to change the “original” Ye Xuejin’s tragic end. In the original timeline, after losing her love, she must have turned to her career—killing the “scum” original owner of Yun Chi’s body, using Zhu Yan to destabilize the board, and becoming the final winner.

“What was her final position in the book?” Yun Chi wondered. Her cousin hadn’t said, but she had a feeling.

Silence fell over the table. Finally, Tao Qianhua stood up again and looked at Yun Chi. “Consort, I was out of line today. I shall punish myself with three cups. I hope you are magnanimous enough not to hold it against me. I look forward to your ‘guidance’ in the future.”

She downed three cups in succession, her body swaying as if she were at her limit.

Guidance. This was the second time someone had said this to Yun Chi. The first was Zhu Yan.

Yun Chi studied her. “In your past life, did you see what became of Zhu Yan?”

Tao Qianhua looked surprised. “Zhu Yan first became the King of Yangzhou, then changed the country’s name to Da Zhu. He declared himself Emperor Zhu the First.”

Emperor Zhu the First (Zhu Shi Huang)? Yun Chi’s lip twitched. It sounded ridiculous and oddly familiar. Was he trying to copy the First Emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huang)?

Tao Qianhua raised her final cup. “This last cup I toast to the Princess and her Consort. May the two of you live in harmony like the phoenixes, reaching a grand age together, forever tied.”

Having finished, she bowed and walked out with slow but steady steps.

Yun Chi knit her brows and asked Ye Xuejin, “What do you think?”

Ye Xuejin sipped her wine slowly. “Qianhua is a clever person. In the end, she was very candid.”

Yun Chi nodded, her feelings complex.

“Do not overthink it, Consort. Qianhua and I were only friends in the past, and in the future, there will only be the bond between ruler and subject.” Ye Xuejin took Yun Chi’s hand, her eyes smiling. She believed the part about the “past life,” but she had her doubts about the “confession.” After all, Tao Qianhua had shown her ambition earlier that day.

But none of that mattered. Whether the display of emotion was real or a calculated move to gain trust, a clever person would know their boundaries from now on.

Yun Chi felt an inexplicable surge of happiness. “Don’t worry, I’m not a petty person either.”

Ye Xuejin’s gaze turned tender. “Does the Consort truly not mind at all?”

“I really don’t mind,” Yun Chi blurted out, looking away. “As you said, her last toast was candid. She’s a smart one.”

Ye Xuejin squeezed her hand. “We leave for Caozhou tomorrow. I think it best to take both Zhu Yan and Qianhua with us.”

By taking Zhu Yan away, Qi Mingyan could stabilize Yangzhou and control the rear. Tao Qianhua’s intellect was a match for Qi Mingyan’s; if she assisted them, they would be even more formidable.

“You decide. I’ll just follow your orders,” Yun Chi said. She trusted Ye Xuejin’s judgment in people.

“‘Your’ orders?” Ye Xuejin’s fingers traced Yun Chi’s pulse point in small circles. “Whose orders does the Consort wish to follow?”

Yun Chi’s breath hitched. She caught Ye Xuejin’s fingers. “Yours. Only yours, He’an.”

Ye Xuejin’s smile deepened. She leaned into the side of Yun Chi’s neck, exhaling softly. “And you said you didn’t mind.”

She had even called her “He’an.”