When a "Sea King" is Bound to a System [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 58.1

“Princess, today is the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet. You must get up early to do your hair and makeup.”

The voice of the maid, Su Yi, came from the door. Jiang Yan subconsciously shrunk into the quilt, attempting to sneak through the day.

What did the Crown Prince’s birthday have to do with her? In the dead of winter, forcing someone to get up before dawn was simply inhumane!

Jiang Yan’s little trick did not escape Su Yi. She patted the quilt very good-naturedly and said softly, “Princess, if you arrive late, the seats next to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince might be snatched away by the Fifth Princess and the Seventh Princess, oh.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan slowly peeked out her head and rolled her eyes dramatically. “Su Yi, I admit you have a little trick up your sleeve. Help this Princess get up.”

Su Yi smiled happily, revealing two pointed canine teeth, adding a touch of playfulness to her usual calm demeanor.

Sitting in front of the dressing table and being fussed over by five or six maids, Jiang Yan recalled the scene when she first arrived in this world.

At that time, she was being punished by the Empress for making a mistake. It was the Crown Prince who specially rushed back from the Imperial Academy to save her. From that moment, she developed a fondness for this older half-brother and was willing to play with him.

However, she had been here for five days, and the System still hadn’t issued a task. She had simply been a parasite for five days, eating, sleeping, playing, eating again, and then sleeping again.

The country was called Qin, and it was the strongest among the surrounding states. It was somewhat similar to the Qin State that unified the six states in reality, but there were not as many nations standing on this continent. Originally, there were four, but since the demise of Southern Yue ten years ago, a three-way standoff had formed.

Of course, your Qin State was still your Qin State. No matter how the other two countries fought, they would not bring the flames of war to Qin, because they knew they couldn’t win, and Qin was also looking for an opportunity to eliminate them. Initiating a conflict would be an absolute death wish.

Jiang Yan transmigrated into the body of the Ninth Princess of Qin, Qin Yan. Her birth mother was Consort Mei, a favorite of the King of Qin, but she died young before the age of thirty. Out of love for the deceased Consort, the King of Qin doted on Qin Yan immensely, which became a source of jealousy for the other princes, princesses, and concubines. However, with the Crown Prince and the Empress guarding her, others could do nothing despite their resentment, only ganging up to exclude her in some public settings.

For example, today’s Crown Prince’s birthday banquet was an excellent opportunity for the concubines and princesses to compete for attention.

The Crown Prince, Qin Ji, had just reached his twentieth birthday. He was dashing, elegant, and handsome, the dream lover of many young women in the inner court. But those were not the main points. The important thing was that he was highly valued by the King of Qin and was already participating in court politics, holding great power. Getting on his good side was all gain and no loss, which was why Su Yi reminded Jiang Yan to go early and seize the opportunity.

Unlike the other princesses and princes who had a mother consort to rely on, Qin Yan only had herself. If the Crown Prince and the Empress ever abandoned her, she would only be bullied.

Jiang Yan fully understood this principle. In this deep palace, people were secretly watching her everywhere; one wrong step could lead to an abyss.

She had been too reckless and complacent when she was favored previously, resulting in too many enemies. Apart from Su Yi, she didn’t have a single trustworthy person around her.

All she could do was try her best to salvage the image that the original Qin Yan had almost ruined, hide her sharp edge, and make it impossible for those who envied her to attack.

As long as she could survive until the task was complete, she would win.

But the target hadn’t appeared yet. How long must she survive like this?

Thinking of this, Jiang Yan instantly deflated, resting her chin on her hand and sighing.

“Princess, are you dissatisfied with this hairstyle?”

Su Yi leaned in and asked, interrupting Jiang Yan’s wandering thoughts.

Jiang Yan looked up at her reflection in the mirror and was stunned. She had looked at her face when she first transmigrated, but was she this beautiful then?

Or was it that the sixteen-year-old girl was still developing, and her looks had changed in five days?

That seemed a little unlikely, but she was extremely satisfied with this face.

It was said that Qin Yan looked seven parts like the deceased Consort Mei, which was why the King of Qin particularly doted on her. Jiang Yan’s current face was already a rare beauty, making it hard to imagine what an astonishingly beautiful woman the ten-part beautiful Consort Mei must have been.

This explained why the Emperor had never forgotten her, still reminiscing ten years later, and becoming dispirited for a few days every now and then.

“Princess, are you satisfied or not?”

Su Yi asked again, at the same time placing a hair ornament with dangling pieces (buyao) into Jiang Yan’s updo.

Jiang Yan turned around and pinched her slender waist, her smile mischievous. “Satisfied, satisfied! How could this Princess be dissatisfied with a hairstyle made by little Su Su?”

Su Yi smiled shyly and moved a step sideways, making sure Jiang Yan couldn’t touch her waist.

“Princess, there are many people in the room. Please don’t be naughty.”

Jiang Yan shrugged and sent a flying kiss across the room to the assembled maids. “A little affection for everyone—is that allowed?”

The other maids giggled, while Su Yi said nothing and continued with her work.

Doing her hair, makeup, and changing clothes—the entire process took two full hours. Jiang Yan felt suffocated by the gorgeous and cumbersome palace dress. The thought of wearing it for the rest of the day made her feel like life held no more promise.

Half an hour before the banquet started, the eunuch who attended Qin Ji came to Zhaoyang Palace and presented Jiang Yan with a very high-quality-looking box, saying it was a gift from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and asking her to wear it without fail.

Jiang Yan thanked him and opened the box. Inside lay a delicate and extravagant hairpin, something beyond her status level.

She didn’t know what Qin Ji meant by this, but since he dared to send it, Jiang Yan dared to wear it. If anything happened, he would be the one responsible. What did she have to fear?

Su Yi removed the buyao and inserted the hairpin into her updo. The maids again showered her with compliments, making Jiang Yan feel so elated that she almost forgot who she was.

With everything ready, and only a quarter of an hour left before the start, Jiang Yan put on the gift and walked towards the Eastern Palace, strolling leisurely without even taking a sedan chair.

Halfway there, she encountered the Fifth Princess, Qin Ying. She was traveling with her mother, Consort Li, and looked down at Jiang Yan from her sedan chair.

“Ninth Sister, why are you not riding in a sedan chair? Did Crown Prince Brother not prepare one for you?”

Jiang Yan smiled faintly, “Riding in a sedan chair too much can cause a bit of osteoporosis. I’m taking a walk to exercise.”

Qin Ying didn’t know what “osteoporosis” meant, but she had always viewed Qin Yan as a thorn in her side. Whenever she saw her, she felt the need to make a sarcastic remark to show her own superiority.

“Then take your time exercising, Sister. This Princess will go on ahead. Just make sure your little short legs don’t cause you to be late, though. Crown Prince Brother absolutely detests unpunctual people.”

After speaking, Qin Ying gave Jiang Yan a condescending look and ordered her sedan chair to proceed, at the same time making things a bit more difficult for Jiang Yan.

It had snowed a few days ago, leaving some snow on the road. The paths in the palace grounds had been swept clean, but there was a pile of uncleared snow on the side. As Qin Ying passed by, she winked at the eunuchs next to her. The four eunuchs frantically shoveled the snow onto the path like dogs. The snow was stirred up by the wind and hit Jiang Yan and her entourage in the face. The other party left without any burden, and Jiang Yan could even hear Qin Ying’s laughter.

Jiang Yan looked at the pile of snow on the ground and secretly sighed that Qin Ying had an intelligence problem.

Sure enough, there was a reason why the King of Qin didn’t like her. This was the epitome of incomplete right-brain development and zero left-brain development.

Did she really think a little snow would block her path? It would have been less trouble to just get down and break her legs.

“Princess, this…” Su Yi hesitated, clearly realizing that Qin Ying’s brain was not quite right.

“Sweep it. Clear the road so that those coming behind in sedan chairs don’t accidentally fall.”

Jiang Yan also took a broom and swept with the eunuchs and maids. Midway through, she looked up and silently recited:

“Three, two, one.”

“Yan’er, why are you sweeping snow here?!”

The King of Qin’s voice was slightly surprised. He ordered his guards to stop the carriage and walked up to Jiang Yan.

The King of Qin had just passed forty. Although there were already traces of age on his face, he was overall handsome and imposing. Jiang Yan had to look up to talk to him.

“I’ll leave after I sweep this snow, Father. You go ahead, don’t worry about me.”

Jiang Yan’s nose was red, and she looked at the King of Qin with a pair of bright, innocent eyes. The King of Qin was instantly filled with heartache.

“The palace servants are responsible for clearing the snow. What is a Princess doing sweeping the ground?”

The King of Qin finished speaking, threw away the broom in Jiang Yan’s hand, and used his large palm to warm Jiang Yan’s cold hands.

“But the palace servants have already swept once. I didn’t want to make them work hard again. It’s better for me to do it; after all, it’s my fault.”

The King of Qin sensed something was wrong, glanced at the people behind Jiang Yan, and his voice became serious. “What happened?”

The eunuchs and maids knelt down one after another, their heads lowered, afraid to speak.

“Father, please don’t blame them. It has nothing to do with them. I made Fifth Sister angry, and that’s why she did this. It’s all my fault.”

Jiang Yan put on a pitiful appearance, her eyes lowered, her long lashes concealing the emotions in her eyes.

The King of Qin probably understood what was going on. He held Jiang Yan’s hand and walked toward his own carriage.

He had always turned a blind eye to the infighting of his daughters. As long as it wasn’t too excessive, he generally wouldn’t interfere. When others bullied Yan’er, he just spoiled her more, but who knew they would instead intensify their actions.

This was his oversight.

Jiang Yan glanced sideways at the King of Qin’s expression, a subtle smirk in the corner of her eye.

Feigning weakness and softness to counterattack Qin Ying—Plan complete!

Although her methods weren’t particularly advanced, she still managed to turn the tables on Qin Ying, and from now on, the King of Qin would surely feel more pity for her.

Killing two birds with one stone. Perfect.

Qin Ying was secretly smug and had been in a good mood the whole way. She hadn’t done it to delay Qin Yan’s time, but simply to disgust her and make her know just how much she hated her.

Arriving at the Eastern Palace, a eunuch announced their arrival loudly. Qin Ying walked in, arm in arm with Consort Li, her chin held high.

Consort Li came from a good background and was currently favored, so Qin Ying naturally had the capital to be arrogant.

As soon as she entered Qiong Lin Hall, she immediately spotted the seat next to Qin Ji, let go of Consort Li’s hand, and walked over.

The Seventh Princess, Qin Xu, glanced at her, a cold sneer curving her lips. She had already been rebuffed; she would let Qin Ying also taste the feeling of being rejected.

Qin Ying walked over, flashing her best smile, her voice sweet: “Crown Prince Brother, may I sit next to you?”

Qin Ji turned to look at her, his face expressionless. “No.”

Qin Ying’s smile froze for a moment, but she quickly found a pretext to salvage her dignity. “Crown Prince Brother must be joking! If I didn’t know you, I would have taken it seriously.”

She said this and sat down without invitation, completely oblivious to the fleeting look of disgust in Qin Ji’s eyes.

“Do my words sound like a joke?”

Qin Ying was stumped. Under the gaze of the consorts and officials, she didn’t know whether to stand up or not. She hovered slightly on the edge of the seat, her face turning red and then pale, her expression a spectacle.

“Is Crown Prince Brother reserving this seat for someone else?” Qin Ying asked as she slowly stood up, pretending not to be embarrassed.

Qin Ji ignored her and said to the eunuch beside him, “Go and see if the Ninth Princess has arrived.”

The eunuch took the order and withdrew. Qin Ying was left with egg on her face. She walked up to Qin Xu and said coldly, “Get up, I want to sit here.”

Qin Xu finally looked up at her, showing no fear. She pointed to the table next to her. “Isn’t there a seat there? Why must you sit in mine?”

Qin Ying glared at her, meeting her challenge head-on. “Don’t you understand sitting according to seniority? I am your elder sister, so naturally I should sit here.”

“If that’s the case, the seat you should be sitting in is the one next to Crown Prince Brother. Why aren’t you sitting there?”

Because she couldn’t! Qin Ying was so angry her teeth hurt. She finally gave up and reluctantly sat below Qin Xu.

Jiang Yan and the King of Qin arrived in the same carriage, which could be considered a form of exceptional honor.

After all, the Crown Prince Qin Ji had not received such a privilege since he was eight years old, and Jiang Yan was already sixteen.

Jiang Yan followed the King of Qin in. Everyone rose to bow. Jiang Yan automatically walked to Qin Ji’s side and whispered to him, “Crown Prince Brother, forgive me, I’m late.”

Qin Ji sat down with her. Upon seeing the hairpin on her head, the corner of his lips slightly curved. “The hairpin suits you very well. Yan Yan looks beautiful today.”

Jiang Yan was happy to be complimented and smiled. “Thank you for the gift, Crown Prince Brother. You have excellent taste.”

She affirmed Qin Ji’s approval of her, her eyes curving up like a small sun.

Qin Ji’s smile widened. He brought all the pastries from his table over to Jiang Yan’s front.

“I remember you like these. I specially had them prepared.”

Jiang Yan accepted them unceremoniously and smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Crown Prince Brother, you are so kind.”

Qin Ji merely smiled and poured himself a cup of wine, taking a small sip.

Just as Jiang Yan was stuffing a piece of pastry into her mouth, the System notification sounded.

[The target is about to appear. Host, please pay attention!]

She choked instantly, coughing violently several times. Qin Ji immediately looked over, patting her back and asking, “What’s wrong? Shall I call for the imperial physician?”

Jiang Yan waved her hand repeatedly, indicating no need. She just choked; calling the imperial physician would be making a mountain out of a molehill.

However, she always felt that Qin Ji was being overly nice to her. Could it be because she was too cute?

A self-conceited person thought so.

Qin Ji poured water for Jiang Yan and helped her catch her breath. Only after confirming she was fine did he return to his seat. The King of Qin had no objection to this, and was instead relieved that the siblings had a good relationship. The Empress looked on, her eyes darkening. Her voice was cool as she said, “Ji’er, today is your birthday. Do you plan to just let the ministers sit here quietly?”