Transmigrated as the Doomed Scumbag Alpha of the Eldest Princess (GL , ABO) - Chapter 9
Jiang Si’s eyes widened. She thought to herself, if Mowan Ci wanted to “know her place,” why not act like this in front of everyone?
She could not understand the princess, nor could she figure out what exactly this behavior was meant to achieve.
But the letter that followed gave her a vague idea.
“A family visit?”
The letter was personally written by the Emperor. After a brief and formal greeting asking how the princess was faring in the northern lands, the rest of it focused entirely on urging her to find a way to return to the capital with the Marquis of Jiajing to pay a family visit.
It was clearly a very private letter, and yet it had been laid out right in front of Jiang Si.
She had no idea what the princess’s intentions were.
She could not be certain whether this part was in the original story or if it had only appeared because she was now acting as the Marquis.
Should she ask? Or pretend not to know?
As she was debating, Mowan Ci suddenly spoke. Her tone was no longer cold. There was even a trace of gentleness.
“My Lord, would you allow me to return to the capital for a family visit?”
So that was what the earlier use of the word “concubine” had been for.
She had softened her stance and was seeking permission to return.
Jiang Si thought it over. She decided to go along with it, but did not want to appear too eager. After pretending to hesitate for a moment, she said, “I will think about it. For now, Your Highness should return to your quarters and rest.”
This reaction seemed to be exactly what the princess had expected.
She gave a soft smile, nodded politely, and prepared to leave with Zhi Miao.
Before she could go, Jiang Si called her back and returned the letter.
“A letter written by His Majesty should remain with Your Highness.”
Mowan Ci did not refuse. She let Zhi Miao take the letter and walked calmly out of the study.
Once they were gone, Jiang Si slumped her shoulders and wiped the thin layer of sweat from her forehead before returning to the couch.
The princess was not someone to be taken lightly.
Just moments ago, she had spoken with soft warmth, pretending to agree with whatever Jiang Si said.
But in truth, she had quietly released her scentbond.
At first, Jiang Si had not noticed. She had only sensed a faint trace of fragrance, but when she got closer, she realized it was the scent of snow lotus.
It was strong, and it made her uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, Mowan Ci had left the study and was also starting to feel unwell.
Unlike Jiang Si, who felt it in her senses, the discomfort for the princess came from the heat and weakness at the back of her neck.
She had not applied her suppressant, which now made her anxious. Her walking pace quickened noticeably.
As they walked, the snow lotus scent grew heavier. Even Zhi Miao could smell it. She looked at the princess with concern and asked, “Your Highness, how can it be this early?”
Most people experienced their heat cycles every two to three months. Mowan Ci had always been regular, once every three months.
But this time, it had come an entire month early.
It took about a month and a half to travel from the capital to Yucheng. They had left soon after her last heat cycle had ended. Although the journey had been long and tiring, Mowan Ci had spent nearly the whole trip inside the carriage and had not overexerted herself.
So why had it come early?
While Mowan Ci remained calm, simply walking faster than usual, Zhi Miao was clearly flustered. She opened her mouth to speak but then stopped herself. She lowered her head and rushed toward the Southern Courtyard.
Whenever the princess went out, she was always accompanied by armed maids. Zhi Miao was not the only one assigned to her.
But in the Marquis’s residence, that kind of escort would clearly seem like they were guarding against the Marquis herself. Mowan Ci had chosen not to bring them.
If someone were to run into her now, it would be disastrous.
The bigger problem was that there were far too many Qianyuan in the Marquis’s household.
“Your Highness, we are almost there. Please don’t be afraid.”
Compared to Zhi Miao, who was nearly in tears, Mowan Ci remained composed. She glanced at her and smiled softly.
“You are the one who should not be afraid.”
She had not applied the suppressant, but they were only a few steps from safety. Everything would be fine.
The two of them walked on, one anxious and panicked, the other calm and quiet. They passed only a few ordinary servants along the way, and no Qianyuan appeared.
When they finally reached the room, Zhi Miao let out a sigh of relief. She immediately retrieved the suppressant and applied it to the princess.
Mowan Ci’s heat cycle was different from most. Even her suppressants were special.
They had been specially developed by the Imperial Medical Bureau for her, now that she was over twenty-five.
Zhi Miao applied the ointment while tears streamed down her face.
Mowan Ci had removed her outer robe, exposing her shoulders, and was lying on her stomach on the couch. She suddenly turned her head sharply when she heard Zhi Miao crying.
“Why are you crying?”
“This is not my first heat cycle.”
“And it will not be the last. Why make such a fuss?”
“Your Highness, your heat cycle is not like others. What if we run out of this medicine? What will we do then?”
“That is why I must return to the capital,” Mowan Ci said with a soft sigh. She folded her hands and rested her chin on them.
She blinked slowly, a quiet smile forming at the corner of her lips.
But it was a bitter and self-mocking smile.
In the end, she was still just a servant. How could she dare to speak about matters concerning her masters?
But deep in her heart, she felt it was unfair. The Princess did not deserve this.
After applying the suppressant ointment, Zhi Miao could no longer hold back. As she packed everything up, she finally spoke the words that had been weighing on her heart.
“Your Highness, I feel so sorry for you.”
Mowan Ci closed her eyes for a moment. After fixing her clothes, she sat up and looked at Zhi Miao’s tear-streaked face, gently wiping her tears.
“Zhi Miao, don’t cry.”
“Am I not still doing well?”
“But what about next time? We can’t keep going back to the capital again and again.”
“This suppressant only works for one episode, and now it came even earlier than expected. Even Heaven seems to be helping His Majesty.”
Mowan Ci considered Zhi Miao’s words and softly repeated, “Heaven…”
“If Heaven is helping him, so be it,” Mowan Ci said quietly. She stood up and walked to her desk, took out a letter, read it once more, and said, “Zhi Miao, prepare the ink.”
“I am writing back to His Majesty.”
Zhi Miao started crying again. She wiped her tears and walked over to stand beside Mowan Ci.
Mowan Ci did not hide the contents of the reply from Zhi Miao.
The message was short, only four characters.
Return to the capital in September.
After reading it, Zhi Miao asked in confusion, “Your Highness, how can you be so certain we will depart by mid-next month?”
It was currently the end of June. If they left in July, it would make sense to arrive in the capital around September.
“If the Marquis of Jiajing did not want to return, he would have refused me today.”
“If he did want to, he wouldn’t have agreed so quickly either. So I expect he will respond in about half a month.”
“That is just as well. By then, your heat cycle will be over.”
Half a month could feel short or long, depending on the person.
For Mowan Ci, half that time was spent enduring the heat cycle. It was difficult and exhausting. But for Jiang Si, those days were filled with horseback riding lessons and physical training.
At first, she could not ride a horse at all, and she had no idea how to train her body.
But within two weeks, she had improved significantly. Even the military strategy books made sense now. Although she had not yet tested her knowledge on the battlefield, she felt she would not perform badly.
It was strange. She had never been exposed to any of this before.
It was likely that at first, she had not fully adapted to the physical skills this body had once known.
Now, she could even handle military duties with confidence.
Life had become relatively comfortable as well. Without Ye Chan around, Cheng Pu had become much more obedient and did not cause any trouble.
She disliked having too many people around, so she dismissed many servants and enjoyed the quiet.
She had thought life without modern electronics would be boring, but the Marquis of Jiajing turned out to be much busier than she had expected.
One day, just as Jiang Si finished reading the latest military report, Su Xun arrived with another matter.
“My Lord, this is a letter from Prince Pingjin.”
“Prince Pingjin?”
Su Xun nodded, opened the letter, and handed it to her.
Though the letter was written in traditional script, Jiang Si had become used to it over the past two weeks and could now read it much faster.
Prince Pingjin’s message was also very brief.
He asked about the situation in Nanliang and when Jiang Si planned to send troops.
Nanliang?
Jiang Si thought for a while before recalling the details.
The battle at Yueliang was the reason the Marquis had requested permission to take the Princess as a concubine.
Weicheng, a few dozen li from here, bordered the Rongdi tribes. For the past decade, the Marquis had defended the city well. The Rongdi dared not attack easily.
Now, with the Yue Kingdom showing weakness, the northern border remained secure under the Marquis. But his relationship with the Yue royal family was strained both on the surface and in private. People in Nanliang had heard of this. Otherwise, how could they be so bold, repeatedly capturing cities on the southern border?
Prince Pingjin had suffered defeat after defeat. With no other choice, the Emperor turned to the Marquis of Jiajing for reinforcements.
Now that the Princess was already living in the Marquis’s residence, Prince Pingjin sent his plea directly to the household.
“Su Xun, how many troops do you think we should send?” Jiang Si asked after reading the letter.
Although she had gained some knowledge of military matters, she still valued Su Xun’s experience. He had served in the army for years and fought countless battles.
“Although I agree we should provide support, I believe we should not send too many.”
“Two thousand troops should be enough.”
“Very well. Tomorrow, send two thousand soldiers to support Prince Pingjin,” Jiang Si agreed. After thinking for a moment, she added, “Send Cheng Pu as well. Better to keep him busy than let him cause trouble here.”
Though Cheng Pu was brash, he was a capable commander. After receiving her orders, Su Xun left to make the arrangements.
Just after he left, Mowan Ci, whom Jiang Si had not seen in many days, arrived at the residence.
Jiang Si had just finished organizing her letters and military reports when she looked up and saw her.
It was July now. The summer heat had grown intense. Jiang Si could no longer bear wearing her outer robes and had spent her days in the study wearing only her inner garments.
These clothes were not revealing. Other than the simple design, they were not so different from her outerwear. The black silk was cool and breathable.
She had been dressing this way for several days, and no one dared to say a word.
Except for Mowan Ci.
Mowan Ci looked at her with discomfort in her eyes and softly reminded her, “My Lord, even in the study, you should still dress properly.” After speaking, she turned her head away. Zhi Miao, who stood nearby, glanced once and did not dare to look again.
They acted as if she were being indecent.
But her inner garments covered her completely. How was this inappropriate?