After Transmigrating As The Scumbag Alpha In An Ancient Pregnant-And-Run Novel - Chapter 13

In the courtyard, those stewards and older servants had already returned. They stood row after row, trembling from the cold wind.

They had been there for more than half an hour. Shen Liunian deliberately took her time. She had someone light a stick of incense, and after Nanling served her through her grooming, she drank another cup of tea. Only when the incense had burned out did she finally walk out.

As for Yun Chenghuai, she struggled to fix her hair herself. Calling it “fixed” was generous. She had simply tied it into a ponytail, fastened the hair crown onto it, then secured it with a hairpin.

The original owner was the same age as her. At twenty, she had only just reached adulthood in Southern Qin. After coming of age, a Qianyuan’s hair would all be tied up.

Yun Chenghuai knew how to tie a bun, but there was too much hair. Without the proper tools, how could she possibly put it all up? She could only tie it casually.

Like this, she did not look like a prince. She looked more like a wandering swordswoman.

When it came time to dress, she fell into complete chaos. She wanted to ask Shen Liunian for help, but the other woman definitely would not bother with her.

If the mistress did not care, the maids naturally would not either.

Fortunately, Anyuan spoke up and saved her.

“Your Highness, Xiaobei has returned.”

“Have her come in.”

This was the Princess Consort’s room, so Anyuan, a Qianyuan guard, naturally remained outside. Xiaobei was different.

In her memories, Xiaobei had originally been a Qianyuan from a martial-world family. Unexpectedly, her family was wiped out by enemies, and her gland was injured because of it. By chance, she entered the palace as an inner official.

Ever since the original owner moved into the imperial daughters’ residence, Xiaobei had followed her. The two could be considered to have grown up together, and Xiaobei was the person who understood the original owner best.

Whether in the imperial family or noble households, there was a rule that when a master made a mistake, a servant could suffer punishment in their place.

When the original owner made a mistake and was grounded, Xiaobei was the one who took the beating for her. Fortunately, the original owner had stuffed silver into the right hands, so the blows were not too heavy. After resting for a dozen or so days, Xiaobei had returned.

Originally, Yun Chenghuai had been worried that she would expose herself in front of the original owner’s personal inner official. But right now, she urgently needed Xiaobei to save her.

Xiaobei entered the room. Seeing the situation inside, she first froze slightly, then knelt steadily and paid respects.

“Your Highness, this servant has returned.”

“Greetings, Princess Consort.”

Yun Chenghuai raised her brows slightly. From the moment she transmigrated until now, Xiaobei was the only person who had addressed Shen Liunian as Princess Consort, and had done so with sincere respect.

Sure enough, someone who could survive in the imperial palace was no mediocre person.

In the novel, it had only written about how scummy the original owner was and how badly she treated the female lead. It had not described much about the original owner’s specific circumstances.

Yun Chenghuai had only learned about her situation through the original owner’s memories, sorting through the network of relationships centered around the original owner.

It was as if she were standing from a god’s-eye view, watching all of the original owner’s memories and seeing things the original owner herself could not see. From that, she had at least gained some understanding of those people.

In her memories, Xiaobei was loyal to her master. Everything she did put the original owner first, and she had not relied on the original owner’s power to bully others.

Seeing Xiaobei, Yun Chenghuai felt that aside from the personal guards, this person might be the only one by her side who was usable.

The original owner had truly done a terrible job. If not for the Duke Who Stabilizes the State’s estate helping her, she would not even be able to find anyone around her she could use.

Now that Yun Chenghuai had taken over the mess left by the original owner, in order not to repeat the same mistakes, she still had to plan carefully.

Although in Shangdu City, everyone was shrewd enough to seem as if they had grown ten heads, and her plans might not necessarily be able to outdo theirs.

She came from the modern world and had not been tempered by society. Even if she had read a few more books and knew the plot of the novel, every step was still difficult.

Forget it. Thinking too much was useless. She would take it one step at a time.

“Xiaobei, help this prince dress.”

On ordinary days, aside from those personal maids, Xiaobei was the one who served the original owner the most.

Hearing Yun Chenghuai’s voice, Xiaobei hurried forward to help. When she saw Yun Chenghuai’s high ponytail, she paused slightly, then smiled. “Your Highness looks rather like you did when you were young today.”

Yun Chenghuai smiled. How would she know what the original owner had looked like when she was young? In the memories, she could not see her own appearance.

Hearing this, Shen Liunian glanced at the two of them and gave a cold snort. “Should I move back to Qinglin Courtyard and leave this place to you master and servant?”

Xiaobei hurriedly curtsied and focused on helping Yun Chenghuai dress.

Yun Chenghuai smiled. “Madam is joking. If anyone must give way, it should be Xiaobei giving way to us.”

Shen Liunian: “……”

Her attempt at sarcasm had failed and turned into being teased instead.

Shen Liunian’s face turned cold. Even her back seemed to give off a chill.

“Let’s go.”

Yun Chenghuai strode after her. Xiaobei followed behind the two of them and lifted her eyes to glance at Nanling, only to be met with several eye rolls.

Shen Liunian and her servants had always found her and her master unpleasant to look at. Xiaobei did not take it to heart.

The stove fire beneath the corridor burned brightly. Shen Liunian was wrapped in a fluffy cloak, most of her small, delicate face covered by it. If not for the fact that she was tall enough, her entire person might have been swallowed by the cloak.

This Shen Liunian looked charming and adorable. If not for that pair of cold eyes, she would have carried a bit of that sweet yet commanding feel.

Yun Chenghuai followed beside Shen Liunian and sat down on the other side of the stove.

There were many rare and precious flowers in the main courtyard of the prince’s manor. As if sensing that the courtyard’s mistress was in a poor mood, they all drooped their heads.

The imperial clan was still the imperial clan. Even in winter, there were plenty of flowers to admire.

Yun Chenghuai’s gaze lingered on the flowers for a moment, and then the sound of account books being flipped reached her ears.

She lifted her eyes and looked over, only to see Shen Liunian casually flipping through the account books placed on the table.

The stewards and older servants had gone back to retrieve the items, and now they had all handed them over.

Who knew whether Shen Liunian had looked through them carefully or not? Very quickly, she put the account book down. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Yun Chenghuai, and with a faint frown, she gave her a cold, cutting glare.

“The account books will be checked and reconciled by specialized people. I believe all of you should have heard of the Shen family’s accountants. Those who admit their wrongdoing on their own will receive a light punishment in consideration of past service. Those who remain stubborn…”

Shen Liunian’s eyes narrowed slightly, and from her mouth came one cold word.

“Kill.”

When she said the word “kill,” Shen Liunian’s entire body was filled with killing intent. She was nothing like an ordinary Kunze raised in the inner chambers.

Yun Chenghuai remembered that the novel had mentioned Shen Liunian’s martial arts were quite good. She often bent a bow to shoot eagles and subdued fierce horses. Occasionally, she even took her subordinates out hunting and had killed many wolves.

There were many tribes in the northwest. Some tribes always wanted to plunder the Shen family. The Shen family possessed eighteen mines and often faced harassment from tribal cavalry.

Before Shen Liunian had even come of age, she had already led the Shen family’s private soldiers in battle against those cavalry. Because she liked to wear a silver mask, the legend of Shen Silver Mask had always circulated across the northwest grasslands. Everyone thought she was a Qianyuan and had never regarded her as a Kunze.

The fact that Shen Liunian was Shen Silver Mask would only be revealed later in the novel.

Many years ago, the Shen family had also been one of the tribes. They possessed eighteen mines and countless wealth, and the people of their tribe never lacked clothing or food. But possessing treasure while innocent invited disaster, drawing Southern Qin, Northern Qi, and the northwest tribes to fight over them.

Thus, the Shen family decided to do business, separate from the northwest tribes, and survive in the gap between Southern Qin and Northern Qi, developing themselves by relying on both countries.

With eighteen mines in hand, they developed their own forces. If the Shen family had still been a tribe, they would have become the head of the northwest tribes.

Unfortunately, without cities to protect them, they lacked a true foundation. Later, once Shen Liunian obtained cities, along with the Shen family’s hundred thousand private soldiers, she unified the northwest tribes. Starting from the northwest, she gradually devoured Southern Qin.

When Yun Chenghuai saw that look in Shen Liunian’s eyes just now, she suddenly thought of the young Shen Liunian in the novel, dressed in bright clothes and riding a spirited horse, swinging her sword to kill enemies.

Just thinking of General Shen dressed in armor made her heart thump wildly. Who would not love the handsome General Shen who could bend a bow and shoot eagles? Unfortunately, Yun Chenghuai had never been able to see it with her own eyes.

She had the mentality of a little fan. When she read the novel, she had always liked the female lead and had a deep filter for her. Seeing Shen Liunian like this, her eyes were about to sparkle.

Shen Liunian had already been watching her from the corner of her eye. When she noticed Yun Chenghuai’s gaze, her heart inexplicably caught.

Inwardly, she cursed: Sick in the head.