Quick Transmigration: The Villain Is Too Pampered and Alluring - Chapter 62

Not long after Sheng Nuan returned from Princess Lin’an’s place, Xiao Dingcheng arrived.

Xiao Dingcheng understood his grandmother well; she was affectionate towards younger generations like them but had always been strict with the servants and the concubines in the household, especially after he took a concubine following his marriage to the princess.

He had already prepared himself for Sheng Nuan to be harshly reprimanded by the Old Madam and to comfort her afterward. However, when he entered Tangnuan Courtyard, he unexpectedly heard laughter.

Then he saw Sheng Nuan and several maidservants gathered in a circle playing shuttlec0ck.

When the shuttlec0ck suddenly flew up and landed on a tree, Xiao Dingcheng raised his eyebrows mildly and was about to step forward, only to see Sheng Nuan suddenly kick off the tree, gracefully soaring into the air, plucking the shuttlec0ck down from the tree, causing the maidservants to applaud continuously.

Xiao Dingcheng was also filled with astonishment and couldn’t help but say, “I had no idea, Nuan Nuan, that you actually know martial arts…”

Sheng Nuan exposed it on purpose.

She would most likely need to use her martial arts in the future, so there was no need to keep it hidden. Besides, if she continued to conceal it, once it was discovered, people would be more likely to suspect her of having ulterior motives.

She smiled at Xiao Dingcheng and lifted her chin. “There are still many things Your Lordship doesn’t know.”

Without the exhaustion and disheveled appearance that Xiao Dingcheng had assumed, she looked spirited and radiant… Xiao Dingcheng felt his heart lighten considerably.

He waved his hand, and Sheng Nuan tossed the shuttlec0ck aside, then trotted over to his side, looking very obedient.

Xiao Dingcheng smiled and asked, “Yesterday, what did Grandmother say to you?”

Sheng Nuan felt a bit embarrassed. “She didn’t say much, just that I made a fool of myself… Then I copied the ‘Diamond Sutra’ for the Old Madam again, and she sent me back.”

Xiao Dingcheng was surprised. “Is that all?”

Sheng Nuan nodded. “After I returned, Su Gugu from the Princess’s side came, saying that Her Highness wasn’t feeling well and wanted me to attend to her. So I went to serve the Princess… Last night, I rested at the Princess’s place.”

Xiao Dingcheng’s expression was complicated. “You’ve worked hard…”

“It’s not hard.”

Sheng Nuan smiled brightly. “The Princess let me sleep in her bed and rewarded me with large pearls… She’s really kind.”

Xiao Dingcheng laughed, then took a box from the hand of a personal servant behind him and handed it over. “Only know to say good things about others. Now that this Heir has given you a gift, shouldn’t you thank me as well?”

Sheng Nuan opened the box and saw the glittering golden buyao¹, her eyes immediately lit up. “Your Lordship is already very kind…”

As she praised him, her eyes remained fixed on the golden buyao, leaving Xiao Dingcheng feeling both amused and exasperated.

However, Sheng Nuan seemed to suddenly remember something and lifted her head with a smile. “Your Lordship, the Old Madam has granted me the grace to visit my family every month… I want to visit my parents tomorrow. Your Lordship, is that okay?”

Xiao Dingcheng was genuinely surprised now.

What had Sheng Nuan done to receive his grandmother’s grace… Although it wasn’t a major matter, someone who should have been despised and punished by his grandmother not only was doing fine but also received favor. It was strange no matter how you thought about it.

Xiao Dingcheng knew that this kind of thing couldn’t be faked, so he simply agreed. Before leaving, he also took out fifty taels² of silver from his own pocket and gently advised, “When you go out, go ahead and buy whatever you want. Give my regards to the two elders.”

Being the heir, Xiao Dingcheng naturally couldn’t accompany a concubine back to her family. When Sheng Nuan received the two heavy silver ingots³, her smile widened even more.

Xiao Dingcheng couldn’t help but laugh. “Money-grubber…”

The next morning, Sheng Nuan set out with her maids and personal servants.

After using her to shield Liu Rumian several times, Xiao Dingcheng was quite considerate and specifically arranged a carriage for Sheng Nuan. He also assigned two of his own guards to protect her, ensuring that Sheng Nuan, as a concubine, had enough face when returning to her family.

On the way, Sheng Nuan got off the carriage to buy some ready-made clothes and some supplements before getting back in to continue her journey home.

The original host’s family lived in an old alley in southern Shengjing City, far from the Duke of Zhenbei’s manor. It was hard to finally get home, and Sheng Nuan almost fell asleep in the carriage.

When she knocked on the door, the original host’s mother, Mrs. Cheng, was surprised and delighted to see her daughter, who had just recently married, and warmly welcomed her inside.

Coincidentally, the original host’s father, Sheng Jingting, was on a day off at home. When the couple saw their daughter return, they were both happy and worried.

Although initially angry that their daughter, a pure and innocent official’s daughter, had to become a concubine, things had come to this and couldn’t be changed. All that remained was worry—worrying that their daughter might suffer unfair treatment in a prominent family like the duke.

Sheng Nuan smiled and comforted them for a long time, then asked the servants to display the gifts she had bought and those given by Xiao Dingcheng. Seeing four maidservants and guards accompanying her, the two believed Sheng Nuan’s claim that she was doing well in the duke’s manor.

After all, which family’s concubine could return to her family’s home with such dignity…

As long as the Duke of Zhenbei’s heir treated their daughter well, they were at ease.

Then, Sheng Nuan, avoiding Sheng Jingtang, slipped the thirty taels of broken silver⁴ she had specially exchanged into Cheng’s hands.

The Sheng family was poor, relying solely on Sheng Jingting’s meager salary to live. Now that Sheng Jingting was a minor official, Mrs. Cheng couldn’t work outside to earn money, so the family had always been tight financially.

Mrs. Cheng refused to take the money, asking Sheng Nuan to keep it at the duke’s manor to manage. Sheng Nuan smiled and comforted her, saying that the Old Madam and the princess in the duke’s manor treated her very well and had rewarded her with many treasures… Mrs. Cheng was both happy and nervous listening.

Now, their daughter was living under the same roof as that noble princess…

Just as mother and daughter were talking, the courtyard gate was suddenly knocked on, and Sheng Nuan saw a young man in a chief’s official uniform walk in.

Upon seeing Sheng Nuan, the other person was startled and hesitation flashed across his face.

Sheng Nuan also knew from customer service that this person was a neighbor of the Sheng family, named Song Liang, a junior constable.

Previously, Sheng Jingting had intended to marry his daughter to him, because although Song Liang’s family was poor, at least he was from an official’s family. He was also good-looking and had a reputation for being honest and upright.

However, the original host had fallen in love with Xiao Dingcheng at first sight and naturally looked down on the junior constable. After knowing her father’s intentions, she had always looked unfavorably on Song Liang and despised him.

Song Liang himself knew that seeing Sheng Nuan return home, he originally wanted to avoid this already married woman, but thinking of his own mother lying sick in bed awaiting help, he could only stand there with a stiff spine.

Sheng Jingting had already stepped forward to greet him.

When Song Liang, with a flushed face, stammered that he wanted to borrow silver, Sheng Jingting was also somewhat embarrassed… It was the end of the month, and he was just as strapped for cash as Song Liang, waiting for his salary to get by.

Seeing Sheng Jingting’s expression, Song Liang also guessed the situation and didn’t want to trouble others. He apologized for the disturbance and said he would go ask friends… Mrs. Cheng hesitated whether to take out the silver her daughter had given.

She had just been thinking about using this silver to buy the house… That’s right, the house their family was currently living in was still rented.

Seeing Song Liang turn to leave, Sheng Nuan stood up and called out to him, “Elder Brother Song.”

Song Liang was somewhat surprised but still paused to greet properly. “I wish the Madam well.”

Sheng Nuan fished out two silver lumps⁵ from her pouch, totaling five taels, and asked Qing’er to deliver them.

Song Liang was immediately astonished and didn’t dare to respond.

Sheng Nuan smiled and comforted, “Elder Brother Song, please use it to treat Aunt’s illness, that’s the most important. Before, I was immature and treated Brother Song rudely. I hope you won’t hold a grudge. If possible, please also look after my parents a bit in your spare time…”

These five taels of silver were considered as life-saving money for his mother. Song Liang no longer refused and, with a blushing face, assured her, “Madam, don’t worry. Uncle Sheng has always taken good care of me and my mother. Even if you don’t mention it, Song Liang will certainly take care of them…”

Song Liang thanked her several times, took the silver, and left. Sheng Nuan, along with Mrs. Cheng, made dumplings together and enjoyed a meal before heading back to the duke’s residence.

On the way back, she also asked the coachman to detour to buy a few jin⁶ of sugar snowballs and sour jujube cakes.⁷

Upon arriving at the manor, she washed up and tidied herself before first delivering the sour jujube cakes to the Old Madam’s courtyard, handing them over to Gui Momo without going to see the Old Madam. Then, she took the sugar snowballs to Princess Lin’an.

These two were her thighs; she needed to hug them tight to have a good life…

Her original plan was to hand the food to Su Lan and leave, but she didn’t expect that just as she passed a packet of sugar snowballs to Su Lan, the voice of Princess Lin’an came from the room.

“Is that Sheng Nuan? Come in…”

Sheng Nuan couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off with Princess Lin’an’s voice, which sounded much lower and hoarser than usual… Then she remembered that the princess had just recovered from typhoid fever and was still not fully well, so it was understandable for her voice to be hoarse…

1. buyao – a hair ornament that features hanging tassels or decorative elements. ↵
2. tael (兩, liǎng) – a traditional Chinese unit of weight commonly used to measure precious metals like silver and gold. 1 tael = 37.3 grams. ↵
3. ingot (錠, dìng), specifically silver ingots (錠銀子, dìng yínzi) – “錠” refers to a standardized block or ingot. Typically rectangular or boat-shaped, known as sycee (元寶, yuanbao). ↵
4. broken silver (碎銀子, suì yínzi) – “碎” means fragmented or broken, referring to irregular pieces of silver. These pieces are not cast into specific shapes; they are often fragments chipped off from larger ingots or sycee. ↵
5. silver lumps (銀裸子, yín luǒzi) – small, refined ingots, practical for transactions but more structured than broken silver. They might resemble the elongated seed shape. ↵
6. 1 jin = 500 grams. ↵
7. sugar snowballs and sour jujube cakes. ↵