Transmigrated as the Doomed Scumbag Alpha of the Eldest Princess (GL , ABO) - Chapter 11
Once the plan to return to the capital was set, Jiang Si began organizing the preparations.
There were one thousand soldiers among the traveling group. Including the Princess’s personal guards, servants, and coachmen, the total number reached around one thousand two hundred people.
It was quite a grand and impressive procession.
Su Xun rode ahead on horseback to lead the way. Jiang Si and Mowan Ci each had their own carriage.
Whenever she felt uncomfortable sitting in the carriage, Jiang Si would get out and ride a horse for a while.
Fortunately, the scenery changed each day, and although the journey was long, it was not unbearably dull.
The capital was located in the Central Plains. From the northern border, traveling by horseback would take about fifteen days. But since they were moving slowly by carriage, a month and a half was considered normal. If they encountered bad weather and were delayed, the trip could easily stretch to two full months.
When they first left the northern border, the skies were high and the weather was clear. But as they neared the southern region, they ran into a stretch of continuous rain.
The southern lands were hot and humid. Even in winter, it was not very cold. This season happened to be the rainy season.
As they traveled into a more remote and wild area, the heavy rainfall eventually forced them to stop moving forward.
Su Xun came to the side of Jiang Si’s carriage and said, “Marquis, the road ahead is flooded. We can only camp here for the night.”
Jiang Si did not mind where they stopped for the night. She nodded and told Su Xun to inform the Princess. She also suggested it would be best to put up a shelter and burn some firewood to keep warm.
But after giving that order, she paused and called him back.
“I’ll speak to the Princess myself,” she said, preparing to step down from the carriage. A maid accompanying her handed her an oil-paper umbrella.
Quan Fang had already been sent to work in the back courtyard. The maid currently by her side was Sang Zhi. Her gesture of offering the umbrella was calm and respectful, not overly familiar. Jiang Si gave her a small smile, and Sang Zhi lowered her head shyly, moving the umbrella a little closer.
Jiang Si had only meant to be polite. She did not expect to make her so nervous.
She reached out and gently said, “It’s alright. I’ll take it myself.”
Sang Zhi immediately looked up, her expression flustered.
Jiang Si had expected this. She sighed inwardly and reassured her.
“I just want to be alone for a bit. Please don’t overthink it.”
Her kindness only seemed to make those around her uneasy.
Jiang Si felt a little tired of it all.
She took the umbrella and walked forward with large strides, ignoring what Sang Zhi might have been thinking.
As she approached the Princess’s carriage, one of the guards notified Zhi Miao. The rain was still falling heavily. Zhi Miao stepped out and greeted her respectfully.
This was not what Jiang Si wanted. She quickly raised her hand to stop her.
“I have something to say. We can talk by the window.”
Zhi Miao did not return to the carriage. Instead, she stepped down and pulled back the curtain for her. That was when Jiang Si saw Mowan Ci.
Jiang Si gave a slight bow and said, “Princess, the rain is too heavy, and the road ahead is flooded. We have no choice but to stay here for the night.”
This small matter did not require her to deliver the message in person.
That was why Mowan Ci looked at her with such a strange expression.
Jiang Si’s heart skipped a beat. She worried that Mowan Ci might misunderstand her intentions and quickly prepared to leave. But as she turned to go, Mowan Ci called out to her.
Not far from where they had stopped, there was an abandoned straw hut. Su Xun did not build a new shelter but had his men quickly repair the old one.
Jiang Si and Mowan Ci sat inside to talk.
Su Xun had arranged for hot water to be brought. After Zhi Miao served them both tea, she left.
Jiang Si did not know what to say to Mowan Ci. Once Su Xun and Zhi Miao had gone and only the two of them remained, the silence became unbearably awkward.
The air was cold due to the rain, and Mowan Ci had already put on a heavy cloak. Compared to Jiang Si’s thin clothing, she seemed much warmer.
So opening the conversation by mentioning the weather did not seem fitting.
With just the two of them present, Jiang Si’s eyes kept wandering toward Mowan Ci, though she tried not to.
Mowan Ci kept her gaze straight ahead, watching the ground in silence.
After a long pause, she finally spoke.
“Marquis, is there something you wish to say to me?”
They had already been traveling for half a month. Mowan Ci had gradually relaxed during the journey, but she still worried that Jiang Si might change her mind halfway through. So, she could only speak in this cautious manner.
Although Jiang Si had not planned to say anything at first, hearing that question gave her something to talk about.
“You are a princess. There’s no need for you to behave like this in front of me.”
“As a royal concubine, I cannot pretend otherwise. So, there is nothing wrong with the way I am acting.”
Mowan Ci answered calmly, her tone serious and her logic sound.
For a moment, Jiang Si did not know how to respond. She lowered her head, pressing her lips together. After a while, she finally spoke.
“About the matter of taking you as a concubine, I had my reasons.”
“I only hope the Princess can…”
“Forgive you?”
Mowan Ci interrupted before Jiang Si could finish speaking. She stood up suddenly, her eyes wide and filled with anger.
The grace and calm she had shown earlier were nothing more than forced self-control.
Every time she was alone with the Marquis of Jiajing, Mowan Ci would feel a pounding headache, dizziness, and even a trace of nausea.
Yet Jiang Si had no self-awareness. She always tried to come closer.
“No, not forgiveness!”
“I only hope the Princess can give me some time. None of this was truly my choice. If the Princess still does not believe me, then once we arrive in the capital, I will ask the Emperor for permission to marry you as my wife.”
“Or, if permitted, to become your prince consort.”
“My consort?” Mowan Ci’s eyes narrowed slightly. Although she said nothing more, Jiang Si could clearly feel her reaction.
Her entire posture showed rejection, and her expression seemed to ask, “You think you are worthy?”
It was true. The Marquis of Jiajing was not worthy.
And Jiang Si herself had not found a better way to ease the strain between them.
If she openly asked to end their relationship, would that not make her someone who first humiliated the Princess, then discarded her?
Princess Shaoyuan had already become the concubine of a remote military marquis. If she were to be rejected now, it would be a complete disgrace.
The Princess would lose face. The Emperor would lose face. The entire royal family would be shamed.
And at that point, Jiang Si would no longer be dealing with just one princess.
The Marquis of Jiajing had great power, and her army was the strongest in Yue Kingdom. But even with all that force, she did not want to be the one who started a war.
She was fine with suppressing unrest, but she could not allow herself to be the cause of it.
The conversation fell into silence. Mowan Ci said nothing, and Jiang Si could only sit there quietly as well.
It did not last long before thunder rumbled across the sky. Heavy rain came pouring down, and the small repaired shelter began to shake.
Mowan Ci had spoken with strength and confidence before, but the moment the thunder struck, Jiang Si saw something different in her eyes.
She saw hesitation, fear, and an effort to stay calm.
Jiang Si stepped forward, thinking that if she moved closer, maybe Mowan Ci would feel safer.
But as soon as she moved, Mowan Ci’s fear became even more obvious. There was something else in her gaze too, something Jiang Si could not understand.
“Stay away from me.”
Mowan Ci once again showed her cold and distant side. Only then did Jiang Si realize that her earlier gentleness had been nothing more than an act to convince her to travel to the capital.
Now that they had come halfway, the Princess had relaxed.
Fear had made her forget to keep pretending.
That was what Jiang Si believed.
But in truth, Mowan Ci was reacting this way because of her xinxiang.
She had noticed that her xinxiang was becoming harder to control.
It had only been two months since she met Jiang Si, but situations like this were becoming more and more frequent.
The scent of rain could usually help mask her xinxiang, but now they were too close.
She did not want Jiang Si to sense it.
And she absolutely could not allow it to happen.