Transmigrated as the Doomed Scumbag Alpha of the Eldest Princess (GL , ABO) - Chapter 20
Lan Shao brought Wei Nian to a courtyard located directly behind the Marquis’s estate. The door was opened by a young girl who greeted Lan Shao warmly.
But when she saw Wei Nian, she seemed to shrink back a little.
While they were preparing the medicine, Lan Shao and the other person worked together. Wei Nian stood quietly nearby, observing.
When the little girl went to boil the medicine, Lan Shao finally came over and sat beside Wei Nian.
As she looked in the direction the girl had gone, she said softly, “Her name is Lan Yue. I found her on the battlefield.”
“The Rongdi had attacked villages under the rule of Wei City, killing countless civilians. By the time we arrived, there were barely any survivors. She was so terrified that she forgot everything.”
“It happened to be the fifteenth, the night of the full moon, so I named her Lan Yue.”
Lan Shao’s voice grew quieter, as if she were lost in the memory. Wei Nian’s heart stirred slightly, and her eyes followed the small figure of Lan Yue.
The girl now looked lively and cheerful, but that didn’t stop Wei Nian from imagining the horrors she must have experienced back then.
After a while, she looked back at Lan Shao.
Lan Shao had already returned to her work. When she noticed Wei Nian watching, she waved her over and smiled. “Do you want to help?”
Wei Nian’s eyes lit up slightly. She didn’t say anything, but she stood from her chair and quietly walked over to join her.
The next morning, Wei Nian brought the powdered antidote to Mowan Ci and helped her take it. Afterward, the group set out for Ling Shang City.
During the journey, Wei Nian rode in the same carriage as Mowan Ci and Zhi Miao. Following Lan Shao’s instructions, she kept a close eye on Mowan Ci’s condition.
What she observed left her quietly amazed.
The medicine had been prepared in a hurry, yet it was incredibly effective. Mowan Ci looked no different from usual. There were no signs of poisoning at all.
After a while, Mowan Ci turned her head and met Wei Nian’s gaze. Wei Nian froze for a moment, then quickly lowered her eyes, unable to meet her stare.
Wei Nian had not been with Mowan Ci as long as Zhi Miao had, but it had still been quite some time. She was reserved and soft-spoken, not as lively or outgoing as Zhi Miao. Their interactions were mostly formal, focused on medical checkups and pulse readings. There was very little casual conversation between them.
It was because of this that Mowan Ci immediately noticed something unusual.
“Wei Nian, is something bothering you?” Mowan Ci softened her tone.
Wei Nian blushed and hesitated. After a while, she finally asked in a small voice, “Your Highness, what do you think of the medicine’s effect?”
This time it was Mowan Ci’s turn to pause. She didn’t reply right away.
Zhi Miao, who had been paying close attention, grinned and teased, “A-Nian, are you concerned about Her Highness or about the medicine she took?”
Wei Nian’s face turned bright red. Her voice grew even quieter. “Of course I am concerned for the Princess… but I am also curious about the medicine Military Physician Lan prepared.”
“But you saw everything yesterday, didn’t you? How can you still be unsure?” Zhi Miao pressed.
She was starting to suspect that Wei Nian’s feelings toward Lan Shao might not be entirely about medicine, and her teasing made Wei Nian even more embarrassed.
Mowan Ci stepped in. “Zhi Miao, stop teasing A-Nian.”
“I was just saying… A-Nian is a bit slow when it comes to things like this.”
“And you’re not?” Mowan Ci shot back.
Zhi Miao stuck out her tongue and stayed quiet, pretending not to exist.
Wei Nian didn’t respond either. She blinked several times in a row, clearly thinking about what Zhi Miao had said.
Mowan Ci smiled, amused.
She had always thought Zhi Miao, who loved romance stories, would be the first to fall for someone. She had not expected it to be Wei Nian, who was shy and reserved.
That feeling of liking someone…
Mowan Ci had thought about it when she was younger. But those thoughts were vague, never truly real. She had once imagined liking someone gentle, or kind, or brave, or maybe someone playful and full of energy.
Those were just qualities she admired.
As she grew older, she realized how naive she had been. No one stayed the same forever.
Since then, she had stopped imagining what kind of person her other half would be.
Especially after she differentiated as a Kunze. The late emperor became even more protective of her.
Before her differentiation, all her education was focused on the ways of ruling. Afterward, her lessons continued without interruption. The late emperor even began teaching her personally and kept her away from any interaction with Qianyuan men.
Before she entered the Marquis of Jialing’s estate, Mowan Ci had never once thought about who she might be with. She assumed she would spend her whole life in the palace.
But reality had taken a different path.
Mowan Ci gave a faint, bitter smile. She lifted the curtain and looked at Ling Shang City, which was growing closer.
Her heart felt heavy and complicated.
She had grown up in the capital, but now she knew she would probably never return.
And Ling Shang City, the place she had once resisted with all her heart, might now become her second home.
…
After returning to the Marquis’s residence, Mowan Ci went directly back to the South Courtyard. Meanwhile, Lan Shao handed off a sealed letter and ordered it to be delivered to Wei City with all possible speed.
She had waited until they returned to Ling Shang City to send it because the northern battlefield near Wei City was difficult to reach. Only the elite scouts of the Jingyuan Army could enter safely and reliably.
After sending the letter, Lan Shao also arranged for someone she trusted to head toward the Western Frontier.
The goal was to search for the antidote. Based on what she had discovered the previous night, Lan Shao had a few leads. Even if they could not find the antidote directly, gathering the necessary medicinal ingredients would still be valuable.
Once all the arrangements were made, Lan Shao walked to the South Courtyard. Waiting at the entrance was Wei Nian. When she saw Lan Shao, she nodded and silently led the way toward Mowan Ci’s room.
They walked without speaking. Just before Lan Shao entered the room, Wei Nian suddenly stopped and spoke softly.
“Would you accept me as your apprentice?”
Lan Shao looked slightly surprised. She glanced at Wei Nian and replied with a small smile.
“I cannot.”
“My master’s teachings follow a strict tradition. Each teacher is only allowed to take one apprentice.”
“You saw her last night. Her name is Lan Yue.”
Wei Nian had prepared herself for rejection, but it still hurt. She lowered her eyes, and her disappointment showed clearly. The sight of her like that made Lan Shao feel uneasy.
Lan Shao had always remained distant when dealing with people like Su Xun, the Marquis of Jiajing, and even her fellow soldiers. But with Wei Nian, she felt something different.
She did not want to see her upset.
“You never had a formal teacher?”
“No. I did not.” Wei Nian shook her head. Then she looked at Lan Shao again, her voice quiet but sincere. “My father was once the head of the Imperial Medical Academy. I grew up surrounded by his knowledge. Whenever I had time in Yeting Pavilion, I would read through his medical books. Later, when Her Highness kept me at her side, I studied even harder, hoping to repay her kindness.”
“So Her Highness is very important to you?”
Wei Nian was caught off guard by the question. But she quickly nodded with quiet certainty.
“Of course.”
“I see.”
“If my junior apprentice cares about someone, then naturally I care too.”
Wei Nian was confused. She repeated the words with a bit more emphasis.
“Junior apprentice?”
“Yes,” Lan Shao said calmly. “In fact, your story is quite similar to mine.”
“I spent three years studying medicine under my master. After she passed away, she entrusted me to her junior brother.”
“He went missing years ago. No one knows what became of him. Before he disappeared, he left one message. He asked me to take in a student for him.”
“You and I seem to be connected by fate. So I will teach you on his behalf. Do you accept?”
Wei Nian nodded quickly. A small, joyful smile spread across her face.
Lan Shao smiled in return, but when she saw the light in Wei Nian’s eyes, she quickly looked away and returned to a more serious expression.
She cleared her throat gently and motioned for Wei Nian to bring her inside.
…
Inside the South Courtyard, Mowan Ci was taking a bath.
It was late autumn, and the weather had turned cool. Yet her body felt unusually hot. She had no choice but to bathe in slightly cool water to ease the heat.
She had taken the medicine for several days now. While it still worked, its effects had clearly weakened. What troubled her more was the strange dream she had during her afternoon nap.
In the dream, the person’s face was unclear. Only the outline could be seen. The features were completely blurred, making it impossible to see the eyes or brows.
Even the usual scent was gone. There was no trace of that familiar amber fragrance.
But even so, she knew.
She knew it was Jiang Si.