Quick Transmigration: The Villain Is Too Pampered and Alluring - Chapter 74

The news of Sheng Nuan’s safe return home quickly reached Liu Rumian’s ears, and Liu Rumian ground her teeth in frustration.

That little hoof is really lucky. She managed to escape even that!

Seeing Liu Rumian’s expression, Wen’er hesitated for a moment before cautiously persuading, “Madam, you’re carrying the Heir Apparent’s first child now… That Lady Sheng hasn’t even properly served the Heir Apparent yet. Why bother getting upset with her?”

Liu Rumian reluctantly suppressed the bitterness in her heart and thought for a moment before saying, “You’re right.”

As long as she gave birth to the Heir Apparent’s first child, she wouldn’t need to worry about that little wench Sheng Nuan riding over her head.

It’s just a pity… her child would still be a concubine-born son!

Liu Rumian leaned against the couch, gently stroking her lower abdomen…

Even if he was a concubine’s son, he would still be the Heir Apparent’s first child. No matter what, the Old Madam and the Princess Consort wouldn’t be able to mistreat her anymore.

Liu Rumian barely managed to comfort herself this way, but soon she realized that things were different from what she had imagined.

When it was discovered that she was pregnant, the Princess Consort merely sent over some bird’s nest¹ and other tonics, then never mentioned her again.

As for the Old Madam, she completely ignored her. Whatever good things sent her way, she still had people send it to Sheng Nuan, and she would even call Sheng Nuan to her courtyard from time to time.

Liu Rumian suffered from morning sickness on one hand, while on the other, her heart was full of resentment and unwillingness…

That night, she had just fallen asleep when she was startled awake.

She opened her eyes to see a dark figure standing by her bed.

Liu Rumian screamed, “Who—who’s there?!”

“Why is Sister Liu so nervous?”

A familiar voice sounded, and Liu Rumian saw that it was actually Sheng Nuan.

Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she suddenly noticed that Sheng Nuan was covered in bl00d, her face pale as she stared at her with haunting intensity. “Sister Liu, how ruthless you are, using your own brother to harm me…”

Liu Rumian was startled and frantically cried out, “I didn’t! No, it wasn’t me!”

Sheng Nuan let out a miserable laugh and suddenly lunged toward her…

With a scream, Liu Rumian’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted…

Sheng Nuan clicked her tongue and lightly flew out of the room.

The next day, while Sheng Nuan was dining with the Old Madam, she overheard Gui Momo say, “I heard that the Madam Liu from Feixu Courtyard had a nightmare and heart palpitations again, so we called for the doctor.”

Sheng Nuan continued eating as if she hadn’t heard anything. Then, she heard the Old Madam snort coldly. “Nightmares? Only someone with a guilty conscience would have nightmares like that…”

Sheng Nuan silently gave the Old Madam a thumbs-up in her heart.

Then the next moment, she heard the Old Madam turn her cannons toward her and fire, “You’re just as useless! You’ve been in the manor for so long, and your belly hasn’t shown any signs of movement. That little hoof has already taken the lead!”

Sheng Nuan almost choked and coughed violently…

Gui Momo quickly stepped in to calm the situation, “These things can’t be rushed.”

The Old Madam harrumphed and poked Sheng Nuan’s forehead, then changed the subject. “The Duke’s birthday is coming up. I’ve prepared a gift for you, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

Sheng Nuan was secretly overjoyed but hesitated outwardly. “This… isn’t this improper…”

The Old Madam waved her off. “Enough, I’ve made the decision. You may go now, this Old Madam needs her rest.”

Sheng Nuan could only agree and take her leave.

Gui Momo personally sent her out of the Old Madam’s courtyard…

First, it was Madam Liu getting pregnant, and now the Duke’s birthday was approaching. The whole manor was filled with joy and laughter could be heard everywhere.

Before the Duke’s birthday banquet, Su Lan came to find Sheng Nuan twice, saying that the Royal Princess had invited her, but Sheng Nuan declined both times, citing that she was feeling unwell.

She hasn’t figured out how to face Princess Lin’an yet.

It was at this moment that she realized, while her memories of her time with Xiaoyu were still fresh in her mind, in reality, thirteen years had already passed.

In thirteen years, people inevitably change, and perhaps, she had never truly understood that person in the first place…

She also wanted to have a heart-to-heart with Xiaoyu, but the moment she thought about what had happened in that private inn room that day, she lost her nerve.

It’s better to wait until she’s finished thinking things through.

In the Jingluan Courtyard, when he heard that Sheng Nuan had once again refused to come, Princess Lin’an’s expression turned cold…

She must have found out.

He shouldn’t have been so impatient to get close to her that day, leading her to harbor resentment toward him.

What he wanted wasn’t fleeting pleasure, so… he had to restrain himself and take things step by step!

Princess Lin’an’s eyes darkened…

Finally, the Duke of Zhenbei’s birthday arrived.

Aside from the members of the Duke’s household, many other noble families came to offer their congratulations. The banquet was set in the manor’s rear garden, and the night was filled with laughter and joy.

However, Princess Lin’an did not make an appearance. The Princess Consort explained to the guests that the Princess had caught a cold and was bedridden… Sheng Nuan overheard this and instinctively glanced toward Jingluan Courtyard before quickly looking away.

Since it was a small-scale banquet, attended only by nobles of considerable status. From time to time, the younger generation from various families would step forward to perform, drawing rounds of applause from the entire audience…

After the Minister of War’s daughter finished a graceful dance, Princess Chaoyang suggested with a smile that the Duke of Zhenbei’s household also offer a performance.

In the Duke of Zhenbei’s family, there was only Xiao Dingcheng, the Heir Apparent. His official wife, Princess Lin’an, was ill and absent, so the task fell to the two concubines, Sheng Nuan and Liu Rumian.

Originally, neither of them was qualified to sit in the front. However, since Liu Rumian was newly pregnant and Xiao Dingcheng was considerate of her, he had informed the Duke of Zhenbei and Princess Consort, allowing her to sit beside him.

As for Sheng Nuan, she was brought by the Old Madam and sat even closer to the head of the table.

Hearing Princess Chaoyang’s suggestion, Liu Rumian glanced cautiously at Xiao Dingcheng, her eyes full of expectation.

After all, being able to show her face at such an occasion was a good thing…

Xiao Dingcheng glanced at his mother. Seeing that she was indifferent and did not object, he nodded to Liu Rumian. Liu Rumian suppressed the excitement in her heart and stood up and curtsied gracefully.

“Then this Liu will boldly play a piece to entertain the Duke and all the esteemed guests.”

A moment later, Liu Rumian, dressed in a smoky green dress, walked gracefully to the center like a willow swaying in the wind. She sat down steadily on the qin bench, her delicate hands gently reaching for the strings…

The melody flowed, elegant and soft, and as Liu Rumian played, she discreetly observed the Duke of Zhenbei’s expression… but the more she looked, the colder her heart grew.

The Duke of Zhenbei was naturally imposing and usually very stern. At this moment, he held his wine cup, his brows slightly furrowed, as if displeased with her performance.

Liu Rumian had originally planned to show off, but upon seeing the Duke of Zhenbei’s expression, her heart skipped a beat. Her hands faltered, causing her to hit the wrong note… This mistake made her even more flustered, and the rest of the performance was increasingly mediocre.

By the time the piece was over, she was drenched in cold sweat.

Although the other guests secretly looked down on her performance, out of respect for the Duke of Zhenbei, they pretended to offer polite compliments. However, anyone could hear how perfunctory their words were.

The Duke of Zhenbei set down his wine cup and let out a disdainful snort, “Such frivolous music…”

Liu Rumian’s face turned as white as a sheet, and she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl in.

Xiao Dingcheng felt a bit helpless and was just about to speak up to diffuse the situation when Liu Rumian suddenly stood up, bowed, and said, “This concubine is not feeling well, and I have ruined the Duke and everyone’s enjoyment. I am truly ashamed… Luckily, Sister Sheng is very talented. How about we invite her to perform and offer her talents in honor of the Duke’s birthday?”

Xiao Dingcheng’s expression went rigid, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked at Liu Rumian, as if seeing her for the first time.

At this point, anyone with half a brain could see what was happening—Liu Rumian had failed to make a good impression and embarrassed herself. Now, she was trying to drag the other Madam Sheng down with her…

1. bird’s nest – made from the saliva of swiftlets and is a prized delicacy that is rich in nutrients. ↵