Five Big Bosses are Too Clingy After Transmigrating into a Book - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: I Love Beautiful People, But I Love the Kingdom More

Xie Ziqing soaked in ice water to suppress the drug’s effect and protect his purity, but while his purity was preserved, he was now critically ill.

Zhu Mo, who was beaten, was also running a high fever and barely alive. Miaobi, with his face covered in slap marks, knelt before Chu Xingchen, looking utterly defeated.

“Your Highness, please save Attendant Xie. No matter what, he is still your Side Consort! Please grant permission for the Imperial Physicians to examine him!”

Miaobi kowtowed repeatedly, his eyes filled with fierce resentment. In the past, the Imperial Physicians would rush to attend to Xie Ziqing at the slightest sign of trouble. Yet this time, they refused to move, despite repeated requests. He had never been treated with such disrespect and vowed to make the dilatory Imperial Physicians pay a bloody price, subtly filing a strong complaint against them.

Chu Xingchen, however, completely missed his deeper machinations. Hearing that Xie Ziqing was gravely ill, her heart uncontrollably ached. She had inherited all the original Crown Princess’s feelings; the mere thought of Xie Ziqing triggered a mix of love and hatred that was hard to control.

The Crown Princess didn’t know why she loved him so much. Seeing him made her heart race; she loved him enough to give him everything, even her life.

This was clearly a ‘love-struck fool’ mentality, but Chu Xingchen was not that. The residual feelings remained, as did the despair and pain, but she was completely in control.

Chu Xingchen’s expression was momentarily distracted, but quickly settled into cold indifference. She ordered Miaobi to be dragged out immediately. “If he dies, he deserves it.”

It was impossible for her to save Xie Ziqing; she’d rather kill him.

Wan Dong didn’t miss the instant burst of killing intent from Chu Xingchen and was startled. “Your Highness, if Attendant Xie dies in the palace, it will not benefit your precarious situation at all.”

“I know.” Chu Xingchen nodded. If Xie Ziqing died now, it would only damage her already shaky reputation. Xie Ziqing was not worth the risk, and dying so easily would be too good for him.

Even if he were to die, she needed to expose his true nature, ruin his reputation, and let him die burdened by the infamy he deserved—just as he had done to the original Crown Princess.

Wan Dong added a few more points. “Attendant Xie is exceptionally talented, renowned for his reputation. His writings are very popular among scholars, and he comes from a distinguished literary family. His grandfather is a great Confucian scholar with students across the land, and his father is also a renowned academic.”

Chu Xingchen understood Wan Dong’s meaning. “I know their influence. I also know that ever since the former Empress ascended the throne, they felt that ‘a hen was crowing the morning’ [female ruling], resigned their official posts, and refused to serve, earning themselves much prestige.”

“Unfortunately, they didn’t expect that after one Empress, there would be another, and the Crown Princess is also a woman.” Chu Xingchen smiled. “So the Xie family couldn’t sit still and sent Xie Ziqing, their second legitimate grandson, out to gain experience and ensure people didn’t forget the Xie family.”

“My Imperial Mother agreed to let Xie Ziqing enter the Eastern Palace and gave him the Side Consort position, hoping to persuade his grandfather to return to office and encourage the scholars of the land to accept the Empress.”

Wan Dong asked, “That is indeed Her Majesty’s intention, but it seems ineffective now.”

Chu Xingchen spread her hands. “Because Xie Ziqing feels he was forced into the palace, the Xie family, on the contrary, harbors resentment toward the Imperial family.”

Wan Dong was shocked and blurted out, “Your Highness, you actually know that? You previously refused to admit it!”

Chu Xingchen let Wan Dong’s astonishment pass. She then told Wan Dong to get up and coolly addressed Zaochun. “You understand Xie Ziqing and the Xie family so well? Xie Ziqing is sick, and your face is white with worry, more anxious than I am. Anyone would think he’s your Attendant.”

Chu Xingchen’s face hardened. “You clearly harbor designs on my man.”

Zaochun’s face went completely pale. With this accusation, how could she survive? “Your Highness, this servant did not! You misunderstand…”

“Misunderstand what? I’m not blind. Do you think I can’t see through you?” Chu Xingchen didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Guards, drag Zaochun out. Tomorrow, send her to Lord Xiao and have him deal with her according to palace rules.”

Chu Xingchen had no patience for palace schemes. Zaochun was dragged out, destined for a terrible fate.

Wan Dong watched Zaochun being dragged out, lowered her head, and quietly said to Chu Xingchen, “This servant will ensure that no word leaks from the Jade Splendor Hall, preventing them from contacting the Xie family.”

Chu Xingchen smiled, thinking Wan Dong was very clever. She knew she had to prevent Xie Ziqing and his family from controlling public opinion and defaming her.

Chu Xingchen was about to praise Wan Dong when the maid said, “This servant can guarantee that, without your permission, not a single word will leave the Jade Splendor Hall. I only hope that you can stand firm in your position and not be tempted by beauty again.”

Chu Xingchen: “…I promise.”

Tired and emotionally drained, Chu Xingchen went to sleep.

…

The next day:

Zhou Buyan’s movements were very light. Chu Xingchen was sleeping soundly, with her clothes loosened. He pulled open her collar, brushed aside her hair, and saw the red mole two inches below her collarbone.

On her pale skin, the red mole was very noticeable. It had been covered by her hair earlier, preventing confirmation, but now he was certain: although the Crown Princess had completely changed, like a different person, she had indeed not been replaced.

Zhou Buyan left silently, just as undetected as he had arrived.

Chu Xingchen was woken up on time by Wan Dong, her sash undone. Even though she was the Crown Princess, she still had to go to work.

The Empress had sent someone to inquire about her condition. Chu Xingchen simply said she was fine and would attend court on time.

Wan Dong was relieved that Chu Xingchen wasn’t cranky and was serious about going to court. “Your Highness, that’s right. Before, you never liked attending court, making excuses three times a week just to go find Attendant Xie…”

Wan Dong realized she was saying too much and quickly stopped. Chu Xingchen didn’t blame her. “Not anymore. Before, I loved beautiful men more than the kingdom. From now on, I love beautiful people, but I love the kingdom even more.”

Modern women know a truth: men are never as reliable as a career. Moreover, if the kingdom is stable, what kind of man can she not have?

Chu Xingchen, accompanied by Wan Dong, marched confidently to court according to her memory, but was immediately met with a cold shower.

The officials attending court were polite, but extremely cold. Chu Xingchen was utterly isolated.

She also noticed that even though women’s status had risen, the court was still dominated by men. There was not a single female official; she was the only woman in the entire hall.

Only when the Empress arrived did the hall finally have two women.

The Empress’s features were beautiful and gentle, but upon seeing her, one would ignore her looks because she exuded supreme authority. Compared to Chu Xingchen, the Crown Princess, these officials were truly subservient to the Empress.

Their respect was for the Empress; for her, it was only dissatisfaction. On Chu Xingchen’s first day at court, she was confronted with memorials impeaching her for being tyrannical and unqualified to be the Crown Princess.

Chu Xingchen: This is awkward.

Because she was the only suitable heir apparent in the State of Chu, and the royal clan had no close bl00d relatives, the memorial against her was shelved. Chu Xingchen’s job security was temporarily maintained.

When court adjourned, everyone kept their distance, except for Wan Dong, who was waiting outside. She approached and whispered:

“Your Highness, the people who submitted the memorial are all those backed by Chen Ruoshui, because you whipped her earlier.”

Chu Xingchen: “……”

She remained silent, but Wan Dong started blaming herself. “This servant should have stopped you from looking for Attendant Xie. That way, you wouldn’t have run into him meeting Chen Ruoshui, you wouldn’t have been pushed into the water out of anger and jealousy, and you wouldn’t have fallen in yourself.”

Chu Xingchen made light of her troubles: “If I hadn’t fallen into the water, you wouldn’t have jumped in after me, right?”

The maid was a non-swimmer, yet seeing her fall, she immediately plunged in to try and save her, ending up soaked herself. The Crown Princess was ultimately rescued by Zhou Buyan.

Wan Dong: “…This servant will learn to swim. Next time, I can save you. That way, you won’t lose control out of jealousy over Attendant Xie desperately saving Chen Ruoshui and being so anxious about her, and you wouldn’t have publicly whipped someone, so you wouldn’t have been impeached today.”

Chu Xingchen: “…Wan Dong, you are truly eloquent and so sharp.”

Wan Dong mumbled: “Wan Dong is not good at speaking pleasant words. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

“It’s fine. You may not speak pleasant words, but you speak the truth. I truly deserved to be impeached today. Who told me to fight over a man’s attention, publicly whipping an official’s daughter in a fit of jealousy, showing no heir apparent demeanor?”

Chen Ruoshui, having fallen into the water and been beaten, felt utterly humiliated. She then fell gravely ill with a fever. Her men felt distressed and naturally sought full revenge.

The Crown Princess already had a bad reputation. Their efforts, combined with a public opinion offensive, made the Crown Princess’s status and reputation highly precarious.

Seeing that Chu Xingchen wasn’t angry, the praised Wan Dong gathered her courage and whispered again, “Your Highness, it’s also because you previously insisted on driving out Consort Shen and the others, so…”

So Grand Secretary Shen and the others were watching coldly. They were all key ministers relied upon by the Empress, and if they took this attitude, others would follow suit.

Chu Xingchen transmigrated at the worst possible time—a complete minefield. It wouldn’t be easy to regain their support and fix her image.

After inserting her critical opinion, Wan Dong quickly added, “Your Highness, there are ways to resolve this difficult situation.”

“Are you talking about Grand Secretary Shen and the others?” Chu Xingchen smiled. “I know what you mean. I will perform my duties well, reconcile with them quickly, and earn their trust.”

As she spoke, they arrived at her place of duty. Wan Dong curtsied and quietly reminded her, “Your Highness, they might continue to make things difficult for you. This servant will be outside. You can call me anytime.”

Wan Dong’s guess was correct. The first thing Chu Xingchen faced inside was a carefully planned challenge from the men backing Chen Ruoshui: solving the aftermath of the snow disaster.

This was the revenge plot of Xie Ziqing and Chen Ruoshui’s backers. With coordination inside and outside the palace, they intended to completely dismantle the Crown Princess’s power, allowing the whole kingdom to see how incompetent and worthless she was.

“Your Highness the Crown Princess, the Empress specifically instructed you to handle the disaster relief and reconstruction after the snow disaster. Your subjects have already completed the initial relief. Reconstruction has begun, and now you only need to solve the heating problem. This is the first task Her Highness the Crown Princess has personally taken on. Your subjects trust that Her Highness will surely resolve it.”

After Chu Xingchen entered, they showered her with flattery and subtle threats, making it impossible for her to refuse. They made their stance clear: this problem was left for her to solve, and they would no longer intervene.

Chu Xingchen knew they were deliberately challenging her to force her to accept, but after organizing her thoughts, she realized they probably hadn’t found a solution either. Yet, she accepted the task.

Their coercion was real, but the people of Nanshan County were suffering and dying—that was also real. She could not avoid it.

“Alright, I will find a solution as quickly as possible.”

Seeing Chu Xingchen accept, the officials who spoke lowered their heads, their eyes filled with disdain and triumph.

She’s just a fool of a Crown Princess. If they couldn’t solve the problem, what could she possibly solve?

When they left, two of the men were whispering. “Good. No need to worry. With the Crown Princess bearing the responsibility, any deaths will be her fault.”

“Indeed. She insisted on showing off. She probably thinks the people of Nanshan County are like her, with reconstructed houses that are palaces, and plenty of warm clothes and charcoal, right?”

The speaker chuckled softly. “No one told her that Nanshan County has few mountains, so lumber for heating is almost impossible to find. If the Crown Princess finds out, will she renege again?”

“It won’t matter if she reneges this time. If people die, the blame is hers.” Their tone was full of malice.

Not long after they spoke, they were surprised to hear the Crown Princess summoning everyone, claiming she had found a solution.