Transmigrated as a Love-Obsessed Scumbag Villainess (GL) - Chapter 4

Zhao Shangrong had no idea what Wang Yaoshuang was contemplating. She only knew that after she spoke those considerate words, the other party fell silent.

She felt uncertain. Had she said something wrong to displease the female lead?

Before transmigrating, Zhao Shangrong was a young worker who had just entered the workforce for less than two years. Layout design was her first job after graduation. She had no complex relationships around her, the company atmosphere was good, and there wasn’t much internal scheming among colleagues. Her focus had always been on work… These experiences ensured she was someone with little guile, so she completely failed to realize what her act of consideration implied in someone else’s eyes.

Wang Yaoshuang realized she had been distracted for too long. She recovered her composure and subconsciously sneaked a look at Zhao Shangrong’s reaction, finding that he was not cold-faced at all.

The seventeen-year-old Prince of Yingchuan was in the prime of his youth. The face that had been somewhat round when he was younger had begun to show clear bone structure with age. He was meticulous about cleanliness; his face was flawless, without any spots or blemishes. His eyebrows were untrimmed, making his brow look a little wild, yet the ends were sharp like a blade, giving him a natural heroism.

Such a handsome appearance was in no way inferior among men.

The popular aesthetic was to prize fair and beautiful skin, regardless of gender. Men and women alike enjoyed applying rouge and powder, shaping their eyebrows into willow leaves, and wearing flowers in their hair. To make their words and actions appear graceful and ethereal, they would even take Five-Mineral Powder, which made them feel light and airy, though it also left their bodies quite frail.

The Prince of Yingchuan’s skin was naturally fair, and he never applied rouge or powder. Yet, in the eyes of the public, he still belonged to the category of elegant and romantic young talents. It was only a pity that his temperament was vastly different from his appearance, making it impossible for people to feel close to him.

The Prince, without his usual scowl, was unexpectedly pleasant to look at. Wang Yaoshuang couldn’t help but be momentarily distracted by his beauty.

After a moment, she hesitantly spoke: “Your Highness…”

“Yes?” Zhao Shangrong’s eyes were clear and cool.

Wang Yaoshuang considered the situation. Since she knew that Consort Yun would have a fit the day after tomorrow, it would be best to go while she was lucid. She suggested, “It is getting late. Should we go to the palace now?”

Go to the palace?!

Zhao Shangrong’s internal alarm bells went off.

If she remembered correctly, the Prince of Yingchuan’s face was ruined by his birth mother. Although she wasn’t sure of the exact time of the disfigurement, any contact meant there was a constant risk of the disfigurement crisis occurring.

If she knew exactly how the Prince of Yingchuan was disfigured by his birth mother and the circumstances under which the incident happened, she could guard against it. But she had only transmigrated two days ago, had made no preparations, and going into the palace rashly would be walking straight into danger!

Seeking good fortune and avoiding harm is human nature. Zhao Shangrong didn’t care about disfigurement but didn’t want to suffer needlessly. So, she sat down on the couch, held her head, and told the Chief Court Physician, “This Prince has a headache. Take a look.”

The Chief Court Physician was just about to slip away, expecting no further trouble, but was surprised by this move from the Prince. He assumed the Prince was still sulking about the consort in the palace and was deliberately making an excuse to avoid going.

Unexpectedly, his expression changed slightly after performing the diagnosis.

He asked, “When did Your Highness begin to feel unwell?”

This question stumped Zhao Shangrong.

How could she know so much? She felt unwell after the nightmare… No, wait, she felt quite uncomfortable right when she transmigrated while asleep.

She offered a wild guess: “About the last two days. I wasn’t feeling very well the night of the wedding.”

Wang Yaoshuang, standing nearby, hadn’t realized Zhao Shangrong also had physical problems. Her heart tightened slightly, and she anxiously looked to the Chief Court Physician for his opinion.

The Chief Court Physician asked, “What kind of discomfort exactly?”

“Just headaches, pain in my limbs, especially the joints…” The more Zhao Shangrong described it, the more it sounded like the nightmare of dismemberment by five horses was projecting into reality.

She knew she might be suffering from phantom pain caused by the nightmare.

The Chief Court Physician was also perplexed. He said, “It should be vertigo caused by excessive drinking. This official will prescribe some medicine for Your Highness to take, and we can observe if the symptoms improve after two days of rest.”

Zhao Shangrong, as a modern person, knew that people intolerant to alcohol could suffer from alcohol poisoning if they drank too much, potentially leading to liver damage. Some symptoms of alcohol poisoning include hallucinations, mania, and lack of limb coordination.

But the problem was, the wine of this era was mostly brewed with yeast and wasn’t distilled. Would it contain high-purity alcohol?

Considering this was a web novel, many authors often substitute modern baijiu (white spirits) into their fictional worlds, so alcohol poisoning didn’t seem too strange here.

“Mhm, then you may withdraw!” Zhao Shangrong accepted the Chief Court Physician’s explanation.

The Chief Court Physician had expected the Prince to throw a tantrum, but he was surprisingly calm. Was it because the Princess Consort was present?

He quickly retreated. Wang Yaoshuang hesitated for a moment before pretending to be concerned about Zhao Shangrong: “Your Highness, you…”

Zhao Shangrong suddenly slapped her thigh and told someone to summon the Chief Clerk of the Prince’s Residence, saying, “Both this Prince and the Princess Consort are unwell. I fear we cannot enter the palace to pay respects to the Consort Mother and the Empress today. You know how to handle this.”

As a Prince with his own established residence, the Prince of Yingchuan had many advisors and officials, even before officially taking up his post in his fiefdom. When he eventually went to lead troops, there would be people to handle military affairs, meaning he rarely needed to handle everything personally.

Take his marriage to Wang Yaoshuang, for instance. With the Grand Court of Ceremonies above and the Prince’s officials below, even though he did not personally welcome the bride or perform the kowtow ceremony, the wedding proceeded without a hitch.

Although according to the rites, on the third day after the wedding, he should take his new wife into the palace to pay respects to the Empress and Consort Yun, his birth mother, he could claim illness and avoid going, thereby escaping the disfigurement crisis.

Zhao Shangrong thought his idea was excellent, unaware that Wang Yaoshuang’s face had gone pale: although she had been included, the excuse used was exactly the same as in the previous life, and the outcome was still leading to the previous life’s tragedy. How could this be?

“Your Highness!” In her haste, Wang Yaoshuang grabbed Zhao Shangrong’s left hand and tried to persuade him to retract the order.

Zhao Shangrong was startled. Her dark eyes looked innocently at the Princess Consort, who was displaying anxiety for some unknown reason.

His body temperature was slightly low, and his hands were cool, three degrees cooler than the naturally frail Wang Yaoshuang, giving a pleasant, crisp, but not cold feeling, like early autumn weather. Thus, Wang Yaoshuang’s grasp cooled her down and brought her back to her senses. She quickly withdrew her hand and bowed to apologize: “This concubine was presumptuous. Please forgive me, Your Highness!”

Zhao Shangrong was about to reach out to help her up, but decided it didn’t fit the Prince of Yingchuan’s persona. To prevent his character from collapsing too quickly and arousing suspicion, he cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, “We are husband and wife. How can this be considered presumptuous? We need not be so distant.”

Wang Yaoshuang was stunned. She genuinely couldn’t imagine these words coming from the Prince of Yingchuan.

The Prince of Yingchuan in her previous life loathed her and was too lazy to even keep up appearances of mutual respect in public, let alone have any physical contact.

The two completely ignored the Chief Clerk who was waiting nearby.

He looked at the Prince, then glanced at the Princess Consort. Based on his understanding of the Prince, he believed it was most appropriate to follow the Prince’s instructions. However, after meeting the Princess Consort, the Prince’s attitude seemed subtly different.

After a brief thought, he made a decision and stepped forward: “Your Highness, this official has something to say, though I am unsure if I should.”

Zhao Shangrong: “…”

She said, “Whether you should speak is something you, as a subordinate, should be clear on. Do not throw the problem back to this Prince.”

The Chief Clerk choked on his words and said awkwardly, “This official…” He pointedly looked at the Princess Consort as a hint. “According to the Humble Rites, after Your Highness and the Princess Consort marry, the Princess Consort completes the ‘Becoming a Wife’ rite. However, after entering the residence, the Princess Consort must also observe the ‘Three Days of Sitting Quietly’ and, three months later, perform the ‘Temple Visit’ rite. This is the ‘Becoming a Daughter-in-Law’ rite.”

Zhao Shangrong nodded, righteously stating, “This Prince is marrying for the first time and is unaware of what you speak of. You… explain it clearly.”

Wang Yaoshuang: “…”

Chief Clerk: “…”

Your Highness, you were the one who didn’t want to marry and refused to listen to the Humble Rites then, and now you are the one saying you don’t understand. If only you had known this day would come!

He only dared to complain about his superior internally, not daring to transgress.

Seeing that Zhao Shangrong was not angry, he explained more clearly: “‘Three Days of Sitting Quietly’ is the rite for the imperial clan members to meet the Princess Consort, held after the Princess Consort goes to the palace to offer respects to the Empress and the Consorts. The ‘Temple Visit’ rite three months later requires bowing and worshiping the ancestors at the Ancestral Temple. Only then is the Princess Consort considered a noble lady acknowledged by the court.”①

After the Chief Clerk’s explanation, Zhao Shangrong finally understood why Wang Yaoshuang’s expression was off. If she feigned illness and prevented Wang Yaoshuang from going to the palace to pay respects, it meant that although Wang Yaoshuang was married to her, she was still not a Princess Consort acknowledged by the imperial family. She would be ridiculed and gossiped about wherever she went, which was even more serious than the Prince of Yingchuan’s earlier neglect of the welcoming and kowtow ceremonies.

Weighing the pros and cons of going to the palace versus not going, Zhao Shangrong made a decision.

She declared, “Then prepare to enter the palace!”

I won’t go near Consort Yun when I’m there. I refuse to believe she’ll take a knife and slash my face in front of so many people.

His behavior once again defied Wang Yaoshuang’s understanding. Influenced by her memory of the previous life, Wang Yaoshuang subconsciously asked, “Will Your Highness also go to the palace?”

Zhao Shangrong asked, confused, “Could I originally not go to the palace?”

The Chief Clerk quickly interjected, “Your Highness must naturally go to the palace.”

If the Prince doesn’t go to the palace to show his presence before the Emperor, how will he bring up the matter of going to his fiefdom to command his troops?

Wang Yaoshuang certainly hoped Zhao Shangrong would go with her to prove they could make different choices than in the previous life. However, considering Zhao Shangrong was unwell, as his Consort, she should at least feign a gentle and virtuous concern for him. She said, “Your Highness is unwell. This concubine can go to the palace alone.”

Zhao Shangrong said, “You look even worse than I do. If you can still go to the palace, am I to be lesser than you?”

Wang Yaoshuang: “…”

Where did the Prince’s inexplicable competitive spirit come from?

Author’s Note:

Prince: How dare you say I can’t do it?!

Princess Consort: We’re acting a bit like two sparring weaklings.

Note: ① From The General History of Chinese Customs: Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties Volume.