After Transmigrating as the Scumbag Alpha Supporting Character, I Captured the Female Lead (GL) - Chapter 4

As soon as Su Yao returned to the Fanghua Palace, she ordered water to be prepared for a bath.

Submerged in the warm tub, the scent of that person’s touch was finally gone. The rising steam blurred her face.

Several days passed. She had expected Rong Yang to make a big fuss about her injury after returning, ruthlessly trampling her dignity, but the other side had been unusually quiet.

Without Rong Yang’s interference, Su Yao had found some peace these past two days and continued to read.

Lanxin stood by serving her. These few days were a rare time of tranquility for the two of them, master and servant. Sometimes, Lanxin couldn’t help but feel emotional.

Although the Su family couldn’t compare to the powerful officials and nobility in the capital, Su Yao had been brought up pampered since childhood. Now trapped in a deep mire, Lanxin wondered how much pain her Miss must be enduring.

Lanxin didn’t know that Su Yao had actually grown used to it.

She could sleep in a simple room, and she could eat food that was difficult to swallow. She had simply lost her appetite; she ate only to stay alive.

Early summer was rainy, and the fine drizzle hadn’t stopped even by noon.

“Miss, someone from that side came to invite you to the dining hall for a meal,” Lanxin’s eyes were full of worry.

The last time she was invited to eat was a year ago.

That mad woman intentionally had the kitchen prepare some slimy, repulsive food and arrogantly forced Su Yao to taste it. Afterward, Su Yao suffered persistent vomiting and was miserable for a long time.

Su Yao put down her book and glanced at the rainwater dripping from the window eaves.

“Let’s go.”

Just as she stepped out of the hall door, a dull rumble of thunder sounded in the sky.

Lanxin followed behind, determined that if that mad woman troubled her Miss, she would stand in front of her no matter what.

Since returning from Prince Jing’an’s Residence, Rong Yang had been physically and mentally exhausted. Facing a woman who wanted to slice her into a thousand pieces, she still had to maintain an arrogant and overbearing persona in front of her—she felt utterly worn out.

These past few days, Rong Yang had nothing to do but stroll through the garden and admire the flowers. She had loved flowers the most in her previous life, but she had spent almost all her time in the hospital, and doctors wouldn’t let her touch unsterilized things.

Today, the Empress sent a messenger from the palace, asking Rong Yang and Su Yao to visit the palace tomorrow.

Su Yao arrived at the dining hall. The woman sitting in the main seat at the center of the table did not raise her eyes. Her long hair was casually loose, concealing her downcast gaze. Even without seeing her expression, one could feel her arrogance and indifference.

The attending maids carefully set the wooden chopsticks, bowl, and spoon in front of Su Yao.

“Begin the meal,” Rong Yang ordered lightly.

The serving maids were very observant. When Rong Yang raised her eyes, they knew which dish she wanted to eat.

Rong Yang ate elegantly, accustomed to chewing slowly. She looked up at Su Yao, who hadn’t touched the food the maid had served.

In the original book, the female lead often suffered from stomach pain later on. Medical skills here were not as advanced as in the real world, and there was no medicine to treat her stomach pain. Every time it flared up, she had to endure it, and of course, this debt was also counted against Rong Yang. With every stomach ache, her hatred for the original owner grew by one layer…

She put down her chopsticks. The serving maids next to her were so frightened they quickly knelt on the floor.

“Princess Consort, are you dissatisfied with the dishes the maid served?” Rong Yang spoke with an imposing authority, despite not being angry.

Su Yao remained silent.

“Then let the Princess Consort’s personal maid serve the dishes. If the Princess Consort is still dissatisfied, drag her out and beat her to death with sticks.”

A light sentence, yet it easily decided the life and death of another person.

Su Yao’s fingers clenched until they were white.

She unwillingly picked up her chopsticks and clamped a slice of meat from the plate in front of her, putting it in her mouth.

It wasn’t bad, and it didn’t have any strange taste.

Lanxin looked at her with worried eyes.

Su Yao gave Lanxin a look, signaling that it was fine, and instructed her to serve the food.

Lanxin observed carefully and only felt comfortable serving the dishes that Rong Yang had eaten to Su Yao’s plate.

When dinner ended, although Su Yao didn’t eat much, she had eaten something.

“You will go to the palace with me tomorrow.”

Su Yao said coldly: “I don’t want to go.”

She hated Rong Yang, and she hated everyone and everything around her.

Rong Yang scoffed: “I’m not asking for your opinion. You have no right to choose, Fifth Princess Consort. I’ll wait for you tomorrow morning.”

Her gaze was sharp and piercing, and the inescapable look and suppressive aura of a Qianyuan (Alpha) left people silently acquiescing.

Su Yao could only accept it for now. She would endure. She had always been waiting for an opportunity—an opportunity to permanently leave Rong Yang without harming her family. Therefore, she wouldn’t alert the enemy easily.

Rong Yang understood this perfectly.

“Got it.” Su Yao stood up and left angrily with Lanxin.

However, in the original plot, the two of them never went to the palace together at this time. She had unintentionally changed the plot, and she wondered if there would be any consequences.

“Chunxi, make arrangements for tomorrow morning,” Rong Yang ordered.

“Yes!” Chunxi bowed in response. Every time the palace sent a message inviting her to court, the Princess angrily declined. The Empress must be very happy that the Princess is willing to go this time.

She and Xia Qing originally took orders directly from the Empress. They were sent to guard Rong Yang when the Princess was five years old. At that time, they were nine.

The next morning, the Princess’s carriage, its horse hooves making a crisp sound, traveled through the capital’s streets and slowly stopped outside the palace gate.

The tassels hanging from the four corners of the carriage curtain swayed in the air, and the luxurious carriage body attracted many onlookers.

The Imperial Guards on duty outside the palace initially didn’t know whose carriage it was and stopped it for inspection. When they saw Chunxi produce the Fifth Princess’s token, they were stunned. How long had the Fifth Princess not entered the palace? So long that the Imperial Guards didn’t even react the moment they saw the token.

Rong Yang lifted the curtain and glanced out the window. The red dress embroidered with gold and inlaid with jade, that beautiful, arrogant face, and those sharp peach-blossom eyes—the Imperial Guards lowered their heads in salute, not daring to look closer, and quickly let them pass.

They feared if they looked twice, their eyes might be relocated…

The majestic palace, golden and resplendent, with gold tiles and vermillion eaves, was solemn, magnificent, and impressive in its rises and falls.

After entering the palace, the Empress sent a sedan chair to receive them.

The two waited for a while inside the inner hall of the Ningkun Palace before being summoned.

The Empress of the State of Yong was a Kunze (Omega), around forty years old, having given birth to two daughters: the eldest, Princess Ronghuan, and the younger, Rong Yang. Although she had borne children and was no longer young, she was naturally beautiful and well-maintained, looking no older than thirty.

In the original book, the Empress was skilled in political strategy and controlled most of the state affairs of Yong. However, the Emperor constantly wanted to control the court himself, so the two were superficially amicable but inwardly at odds.

Rong Yang, as the youngest princess and the Empress’s last child, was deeply loved by both the Emperor and the Empress from birth. Coupled with her superior Qianyuan (Alpha) bloodline, the Empress especially valued her. In the ABO world, the pheromones released by a Qianyuan can suppress a Kunze, and a Kunze’s pheromones can suppress a Zhongyong (Beta). A Superior Grade Kunze like Su Yao, however, can suppress an ordinary Qianyuan.

But accompanying Rong Yang’s superior bloodline was her violent temper.

This temper vexed the Emperor and Empress. The Emperor was so disappointed in her that he eventually left her to her own devices. The Empress occasionally showed concern, but she was too busy with state affairs to pay her much attention.

Because it was summer, the Empress wore a silver-white deep garment, with an intersecting collar embroidered with mountains, rivers, and dragons and phoenixes—both luxurious and dignified.

“Your subject pays respects to Mother Empress!”

Rong Yang led Su Yao to salute and kneel.

The Empress sat on the main seat of the grand hall, gently raising her hand, her gaze, filled with both affection and authority, looking down at the two:

“Rise and be granted a seat.”

Rong Yang and Su Yao slowly rose and sat on the right side.

The Empress’s soft gaze lingered on Rong Yang, while her expression towards Su Yao was indifferent.

The female official attending the Empress stepped forward to pour tea.

“I heard you were injured?” the Empress’s gentle and amiable voice rang out in the quiet hall.

“It was nothing. I’ve recovered,” Rong Yang replied lightly, her face showing no emotion.

The Empress glanced at Rong Yang, her tone carrying a hint of expectation:

“That’s good. Since you rarely come, would you like to stay for lunch today?”

Rong Yang intended to refuse, but knowing her fate, she felt somewhat reluctant. The Empress in the original book did not have a good ending, and she worried about Rong Yang’s safety until her death…

She nodded, agreeing to stay.

Seeing her daughter, who had been unwilling to be close to her for a long time, agree to stay for a meal, the Empress’s mood brightened considerably, making her look upon Su Yao next to her with slightly more favor.

“I will send someone to call Ronghuan over later. Our family hasn’t sat together for a long time.”

“Alright,” Rong Yang said.

Next, the Empress and Rong Yang discussed some everyday topics, which Rong Yang answered one by one. Su Yao sat to the side, seemingly listening or perhaps thinking of other things.

Soon, this harmonious atmosphere was broken by the chief eunuch, Eunuch Xu, who said there was a memorial that required the Empress’s attention.

The Empress instructed Rong Yang and Su Yao to stroll around and then left with her entourage.

Rong Yang felt bored sitting there. Since she had come to the palace, she planned to walk around and see things.

Su Yao didn’t want to go, and Rong Yang didn’t say much, leaving her in the Ningkun Palace, but not before giving a harsh warning:

“Wait for me here. Don’t wander off, or you know the consequences.”

Rong Yang walked inside the palace walls. The palace maids and eunuchs walked quickly with their heads down. They saluted and bowed when they saw Rong Yang, not daring to whisper.

She walked until she reached the Imperial Garden.

Various exotic plants and rare flowers emitted a fresh scent. A certain crabapple tree particularly pleased Rong Yang. She realized what her own residence’s garden was lacking.

Not far away, she saw an elegant and luxurious woman surrounded by a crowd, leisurely feeding the fish in the pond of the Imperial Garden.

She looked like a concubine in the palace. Rong Yang didn’t want to look for trouble, so she detoured to another side.

An hour later, Rong Yang returned. Not because she had finished exploring the Imperial Garden, but because she kept running into concubines and consorts the moment she walked a little further. She didn’t want to deal with them, so she planned to return to the Ningkun Palace to wait obediently for the Empress.

When she got back, she didn’t see Su Yao, who was supposed to be sitting there. Only a few maids and female officials were on duty in the main hall.

Where is the female lead? Where did she go alone?

“Someone,” Rong Yang called out with a frown.

“Princess,” the female official in the hall quickly came forward and bowed her head.

“Where is the Fifth Princess Consort?”

“The Eldest Princess arrived, and she went out with the Eldest Princess,” the female official noticed Rong Yang’s displeasure and answered cautiously.

She went out with Ronghuan?

She didn’t want to go out with me?

In the original book, the two had no contact and didn’t know each other.

She was happy to talk to a stranger, completely disregarding what I said.

Rong Yang frowned, waved her sleeve, and sat down. The air in the hall instantly became cold and frigid. Though it was already summer, it felt like deep winter.

The female officials and maids in the hall lowered their breathing. They seemed to see the Empress’s shadow in Rong Yang.

“Send people to find her!” Rong Yang’s voice was low.

“Yes.” The female official quickly arranged for people to go search.

Just as she was about to leave the hall door, the female official saw Ronghuan and Su Yao returning and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

“What are you doing?” Ronghuan asked, looking at the female official rushing to lead people out.

Her figure was slender, her white dress fluttering in the wind. She was as noble and elegant as a jade tree with orchid leaves, her skin fair, her eyes lively, her lips red, and her eyes as clear and bright as a spring.

“Greetings to the Eldest Princess and the Fifth Princess Consort,” the female official knelt and saluted, her voice particularly loud.

Ronghuan was a Qianyuan (Alpha) with both talent and virtue, and she was careful in thought. She was the Empress’s most capable right-hand in court. Her only flaw was her romantic and passionate nature. The book mentioned that besides her Princess Consort, she had four or five concubines in her residence, and the presence of women around her never stopped.