Transmigrated into the Villain's Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife (Transmigrated into a Book) - Chapter 18

Why is Jiang Wanxue here?

Seeing the grandeur with which Eunuch Bai welcomed her, Lin Chu couldn’t help but wonder—was there some connection between Jiang Wanxue and the Sixth Prince?

Perplexed, she watched as Jiang Wanxue, led by Eunuch Bai, entered the inn. Not wanting to linger awkwardly, Lin Chu returned to the room where Yan Mingge was recuperating, carrying the basin of water.

As she cleaned Yan Mingge, Lin Chu remained alert to the sounds outside.

Since it was nighttime and the entire inn had been booked by Shen Chen, there were no other guests. Every sound in the stillness of the night seemed amplified.

She heard footsteps going upstairs—clearly more than one person.

Then came the sound of a door opening.

“I’m feeling a bit fatigued. Could you trouble the innkeeper to prepare a bucket of hot water for me?” The soft and delicate voice, like a warbler’s song, was unmistakably Jiang Wanxue’s.

“My lady, you’ve had a fright today. The young master instructed us to see to your every need. This maid may be clumsy with words, but she’s diligent. Please don’t hesitate to ask for anything,” Eunuch Bai’s high-pitched voice replied deferentially.

“The Sixth Young Master is truly thoughtful. I must thank him first,” Jiang Wanxue responded graciously.

The sound of a door closing followed, then footsteps descending the stairs—presumably Eunuch Bai and his attendants leaving.

Not long after, Lin Chu heard the innkeeper delivering hot water to the room next door.

She couldn’t figure out why, among all the rooms in the inn, the Sixth Prince had arranged for Jiang Wanxue to stay in the one adjacent to theirs.

In another upper room of the inn.

Shen Chen lounged in a circle-backed chair as if he had no bones, idly holding a bundle of chopsticks. On the table before him was a bamboo tube for holding chopsticks. He half-heartedly tossed the chopsticks, some landing inside, but most scattering on the table and floor.

His pale, refined face bore an expression of sheer boredom.

Eunuch Bai entered, bowed deeply beside him, and said,

“Your Highness, Jiang Wanxue has been brought back.”

“Oh? Where did you put her?” Shen Chen’s interest seemed piqued when a chopstick landed perfectly in the bamboo tube. Though his next toss, overly vigorous, missed again.

“According to your instructions, she’s been placed in the room next to the Young Marquis,” Eunuch Bai replied cautiously, casting a furtive glance at Shen Chen’s expression.

“Your Highness, wouldn’t this arrangement be… inappropriate?”

Shen Chen raised his eyelids lazily, looking at Eunuch Bai.

“Why would it be inappropriate?”

Eunuch Bai, rendered speechless, dared not say more.

They had, of course, thoroughly investigated the old affairs from the capital before making this move.

Childhood sweethearts, inseparable companions.

If it weren’t for the troubles that hit the Yan family back then, Jiang Wanxue would probably be the wife of the Yan family’s heir now.

But things had changed. They were both married, and Jiang Wanxue was already a mother. Any affection between them seemed unlikely—awkwardness, however, was inevitable.

His master had always acted on a whim. Eunuch Bai had witnessed Yan Mingge’s protectiveness toward Lin Chu earlier and worried that this arrangement might backfire. If the two women clashed like rivals, it could ruin everything.

Shen Chen tossed the last chopstick in his hand. Noticing Eunuch Bai still standing there, he raised his eyelids again.

“Anything else?”

Eunuch Bai, dropping the topic of Jiang Wanxue and Yan Mingge, pulled a letter from his sleeve and presented it.

“Just now, old Feng Yan sent a visiting card. He claims he failed to manage his subordinates properly, causing them to offend Your Highness. Three days from now, he plans to host a banquet at his residence to apologize and offer a welcome feast. He hopes Your Highness will honor him with your presence.”

Shen Chen sneered.

“He thinks I’ll go just because he asked? He’s nothing but a lackey of Minister Zhao!”

After the Crown Prince’s fall, the Second Prince had risen as the most promising candidate for the throne. With the Emperor’s health worsening yearly, the court’s wily ministers had begun aligning themselves with their preferred successors. Minister Zhao and his faction had pledged allegiance to the Second Prince. However, the Third Prince’s maternal family wielded significant military power at the borders, intensifying the struggle between the two factions.

The Han family, a martial clan, seized the opportunity to align themselves with the Second Prince. However, the Han and Yan families had been close allies in the past, and Yan Mingge’s current plight was largely orchestrated by the Second Prince’s faction.

As the saying goes, to destroy the weeds, one must also dig out the roots. Though the Emperor had spared Yan Mingge’s life, the Second Prince’s faction remained wary of him. If Yan Mingge were to rise again, he could pose a significant threat.

Thus, they set this trap, using Han Zichen to eliminate Yan Mingge. This would not only rid them of a potential danger but also test the Han family’s loyalty.

Eunuch Bai, hearing Shen Chen’s disdain for the invitation, withdrew tactfully.

Moments later, Shen Chen’s personal guard, Nie Yun, entered hastily. After saluting, he reported with urgency,

“As Your Highness anticipated, I intercepted a letter Feng Yan was sending back to the capital on the main road out of the city.”

Shen Chen’s lips curled into a mischievous smile.

“Old Han must never have imagined that, in sending someone to kill Yan Heng, he’d lose his own son instead.”

Nie Yun, knowing better than to comment, remained silent.

Shen Chen rose from the chair, his mocking grin giving him the look of a playful, mischievous youth. Yet his words carried a chill that could make one’s blood run cold.

“This lone descendant of the Yan family has grown into a wolf on this frontier. What a headache. How does one make a wolf obey?”

In the room, Yan Mingge fell into a deep sleep after taking medicine, due to excessive blood loss.

Lin Chu thought that since there was hot water in the inn, she might as well take a bath. Back home, there had never been enough water or a proper bathtub, and with the cold weather, she rarely sweated. She would usually just use a cloth dipped in hot water to wipe her body. Fortunately, the original owner was a clean person, and in the military camp, there had been both a bathtub and hot water, so she could take care of herself properly. For the past few days, Lin Chu had just made do with what she had.

Now that she had the chance to bathe, Lin Chu immediately felt a strong itch from her scalp to her feet. She thought about using another guest room but then felt it wouldn’t be appropriate since they hadn’t paid for the rooms. She glanced at the still unconscious Yan Mingge and thought he wouldn’t wake up, so she called the innkeeper to bring hot water to the room.

This inn was the best in Qiang City, and the innkeeper was no novice. When he came in with two rough servants and a bathtub, he kept his head lowered, as did the two servants. At first, Lin Chu felt a bit embarrassed, but now she was rather surprised.

Before long, the hot water was delivered along with a set of women’s clothes and soap. The round-faced maid who delivered the clothes and soap saw Lin Chu’s surprised gaze and explained,

“These were bought by the young master earlier. They are all new. Madam, please don’t worry about using them.”

Such small matters were probably arranged by the ever-helpful Eunuch Bai, who worked for Shen Chen. But this maid was clearly good with words.

Knowing that Shen Chen would never lack these things, Lin Chu didn’t act coy and simply took the items with thanks. The round-faced maid, seeing Lin Chu’s composed manner, took a longer look at her. Having served Shen Chen before, she had seen many beautiful women, and Lin Chu’s appearance was above average.

However, women from beyond the frontier, regardless of looks, were usually not of the highest status. Lin Chu, however, didn’t carry any airs, which surprised the maid somewhat.

After the maid left, Lin Chu tested the water temperature before preparing to bathe. As she was halfway through removing her outer clothes, she suddenly turned her head to glance at the bed. Although Yan Mingge was still in a deep sleep, she couldn’t shake the feeling of discomfort.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to draw the bed curtain. Even though it was a semi-transparent gauze, it still gave her a sense of security.

As she sank into the warm water, her whole body felt pleasantly warm. Lin Chu sighed in contentment. She closed her eyes to enjoy the bath for a while before picking up the soap that had been placed beside the tub. She played with it for a bit, still quite curious about this ancient version of soap. She sniffed it, and it had a very pleasant fragrance. After trying it out, she found it quite good. The only difference from modern soap was that it didn’t produce much foam, but otherwise, it wasn’t very different.

Soap like this was a luxury in ancient times, made primarily from white bean powder, mixed with fragrances like sandalwood, musk, clove, and other spices, along with white worms and herbs, and finally, egg whites and pig liver. Only the wealthiest families could afford it. Ordinary people used soapwort for washing. Lin Chu had used soapwort for washing clothes before, and it wasn’t very effective.

She thought to herself that she should find some time to make her own soap. As an engineering student who had been tortured by organic chemistry in the past, she finally had some use for it now! Making regular soap was simple. Just mix lard with strong alkaline substances, add a small amount of water, heat it until it’s fully blended, then let it cool.

This was a luxury, but if she sold it at an affordable price, there would surely be many who would want to buy it! She thought that if she made a lot and sold it cheaply, she might even make a profit from selling soap!

Excited about the prospect of future wealth, Lin Chu felt a little thrilled. The water had started to cool, so she stood up to grab the clothes on the nearby stool but suddenly felt a gaze on her back, making her feel uneasy. Lin Chu stiffly turned her head, only to see Yan Mingge lifting the bed curtain and staring blankly at her.

A scream that was about to burst from her lips was forcibly held back. She quickly ducked back into the bath. Her movements had splashed quite a bit of water. Lin Chu could feel her face turning bright red, and she almost thought her head might be smoking… Hadn’t he been asleep?!

Her reaction also woke Yan Mingge, who quickly dropped the bed curtain and coughed twice.

“I… I didn’t mean to…” His usual deep, mellow voice now stuttered. “I… I just wanted to get some water… I… didn’t know you were bathing…”

Yan Mingge forced himself not to think about the blood-boiling scene he had just witnessed, trying to keep his voice steady. Half asleep and half awake, he had felt thirsty. Years of living a dangerous, solitary life had made him accustomed to taking care of himself. So, when he woke up, groggy and with blurry senses, he forced himself up to find water. But when he lifted the bed curtain, he didn’t expect to see that scene…