Transmigrated Into A Novel As A Scumbag Princess’ Consort - Chapter 3

3:

Zeng Laosan’s face darkened as he raised his whip. “Princess’ Consort, you’d better think carefully—trade or not?”

A mere beggar daring to defy him, truly clueless about life and death.

Yun Chi: Damn, a certain plant.

This guy was definitely targeting her, but she genuinely had nothing to trade.

“I don’t have any silver or anything valuable.”

Zeng Laosan sneered. “Looks like the Princess’ Consort prefers the hard way over the easy one.”

As he raised the whip to strike, Yun Chi hurriedly shouted, “I really don’t have anything! Surely you’ve heard, Your Excellency. I was a beggar before the marriage. Please, have mercy…”

Yun Chi pleaded, knowing she had to bow under someone else’s roof. She didn’t want to get hit again just because her back and arm still ached, and she wasn’t stubborn enough to argue.

Zeng Laosan didn’t buy it, letting out a cold scoff as he swung the whip.

Just as it was about to land, someone spoke up.

“We’ll trade,” Ye Xuejin said, her voice soft and clear.

“Don’t go too far,” Yu Lu added immediately, striding over.

Zeng Laosan lowered the whip, giving Yun Chi a meaningful look. “The Princess’ Consort sure is lucky.”

His sarcastic tone hushed the atmosphere, and everyone’s eyes flickered with varying degrees of complexity.

Who could have imagined that the Princess, once second only to the emperor, would fall to such a state, where even the title “Princess’ Consort” was laced with mockery?

Yu Lu approached, frowning. “What’s going on?”

Ye Xuejin’s voice had been too soft for him to hear clearly. He had intervened because he saw her stand up.

Ye Xuejin pursed her lips and pulled a small object, about the size of a copper coin, from her bosom.

“We’ll trade.”

It was a translucent white jade pendant, its quality evident even in the dim light.

Yun Chi wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but it seemed like the lead escort, Yu Lu, visibly relaxed when he saw Ye Xuejin produce the item.

Indeed, Yu Lu’s expression eased slightly, though it wasn’t obvious. “What do you want to trade for?”

Ye Xuejin said calmly, “A bun.”

Yu Lu froze, visibly stunned.

Thankfully, Yun Chi reacted quickly. “No, we want a bottle of gold sore medicine. If we can also get a few buns, that would be even better.”

Ye Xuejin furrowed her brow slightly but said nothing.

Yu Lu gave Yun Chi a surprised glance, handed the bottle of gold sore medicine to Ye Xuejin, then redirected it to Yun Chi mid-motion.

Yun Chi instinctively took it.

Then, Yu Lu extended his hand toward Ye Xuejin, palm up. “This can only trade one bottle of medicine. Hand it over.”

Ye Xuejin glanced at his face and tossed the jade pendant into his palm.

Yu Lu nodded slightly and turned to Zeng Laosan. “Come with me to distribute the coarse flatbreads.”

“Right away, sir,” Zeng Laosan replied, following him. Over the short distance, he stole several thoughtful glances at Yu Lu.

The prisoners’ dinner was as expected, half a coarse flatbread each, while the escorts enjoyed white flour buns and dried meat soup.

Yun Chi sat next to Ye Xuejin and asked quietly, “Can you apply the medicine yourself?”

What was this woman thinking? She had only asked for a bun earlier when wound medicine was clearly more valuable in their situation.

As for food, the escorts would provide coarse flatbreads, and Ye Xuejin still had a cornbread bun in her possession. What they needed most was medicine.

Rumor had it that the Princess was unmatched in talent and beauty, surely she wasn’t foolish…

Moreover, since she could produce a jade pendant, she likely had other valuables hidden. They could trade for more later, no rush.

Though Yun Chi didn’t understand Ye Xuejin’s reasoning, she didn’t press the issue. The priority was treating Ye Xuejin’s wounds.

Throughout the day, Ye Xuejin’s clothes had become stained with patterns of fresh bl00d, a clear sign her wounds hadn’t healed and were bleeding intermittently.

It was alarming to see.

Leaning against a tree trunk, Ye Xuejin said slowly, “It’s fine.”

Yun Chi frowned. Replying it’s fine again? Was this woman even more resigned to despair than she was?

Recalling Ye Xuejin’s choice to trade for a bun over medicine, Yun Chi’s intuition told her she was right.

She strongly suspected the key reason why Ye Xuejin died so early in the original story was because of her lack of will to survive.

Realizing this, Yun Chi tested the waters. “Why aren’t you eating?”

Ye Xuejin didn’t respond. After a long silence, she took out the cornbread bun, broke it in half, and offered both pieces to Yun Chi.

She couldn’t stomach anything, and her body had long gone numb from pain. She might not last much longer, so why waste medicine and food…

Yun Chi furrowed her brow, pushed back the hand holding the bun, and said seriously, “Ye Xuejin, trust me. In at most half a month, your name will be cleared. You have to hold on. I’ll help you.”

To survive, to avoid being blamed by the heroine later, she had to help this woman.

Just half a month, and the worst would be over.

Her cousin had told her that exactly half a month into the exile, news of Ye Xuejin’s vindication arrived by express courier—too late, as Ye Xuejin had already died days earlier, consumed by the scumbag consort’s abuse and humiliation.

Ye Xuejin stared at her for a moment. “Why?”

Meaning, why help her?

Yun Chi understood but didn’t answer directly, instead throwing the question back. “Why did you help me just now?” They were practically strangers—Ye Xuejin likely stepped in because she couldn’t bear to see her get beaten, right?

Hmm, she’s kind.

Yun Chi was kind too.

Mainly because she had no choice but to be kind. If Ye Xuejin still died early, and the heroine, who saw her as a sister, came looking for answers after her vindication, who would speak for Yun Chi?

She could almost picture it: with no backing, she’d definitely take the fall.

Ye Xuejin paused, unsure why she had spoken up. Perhaps because this person had delivered the cornbread bun, or maybe because of that promise, “I won’t abandon you on this journey.”

“That jade pendant was a gift I gave to Shushi…”

Shushi had treasured it like nothing else, always keeping it close.

The pendant ended up in Ye Xuejin’s hands because of the cornbread bun.

She didn’t know how Shushi had managed to hide the pendant or how carefully and anxiously she had tucked it into the bun for Yun Chi to deliver.

Yun Chi’s first reaction was, “That pendant is the only thing you had, was it?”

Ye Xuejin nodded.

Yun Chi’s heart sank. Everything’s gone?!

How were they supposed to trade for things now? Wait—no, not everything is gone.

Her heart stirred, and she handed over the bottle of wound medicine. “Treat your wounds first.”

This was her chance to test the system.

Ye Xuejin didn’t take it. “No need to waste it…”

“How is this a waste? Trust me, I’ll help you.” Yun Chi cut her off, shoving the small porcelain bottle into her hand and closing her fingers around it.

Ye Xuejin silently pulled her hand back, gripping the bottle.

“Thank you.”

As expected, two glowing lines of text appeared before Yun Chi’s eyes.

[Gave one bottle of gold sore medicine. Please choose a reward: one warm cotton shirt or ten taels of gold.]

Whoa! From ten taels of silver to ten taels of gold.

With her prior experience, there was no need to think twice. The warm cotton shirt had to be important.

It seemed the condition for triggering rewards was giving something through her hands, regardless of ownership. Whether it was limited to Ye Xuejin required further testing.

Yun Chi stood up calmly. “I’m going to get some water.”

She walked quickly to the river, crouched with her back to the others, and thought: Warm cotton shirt.

The text vanished, and a neatly folded cotton shirt appeared in her hands, moderately thick and folded into the size of an A4 sheet.

Yun Chi quietly sighed in relief. Honestly, when she had said “I’ll help you,” she had been uncertain.

Now, she finally had some confidence.

Helping Ye Xuejin… In a flash of insight, Yun Chi understood.

No wonder it was worth ten taels of gold. Besides worsening injuries, Ye Xuejin’s death in the original story was also due to catching a chill.

In the deep autumn chill, camping in the wilderness without anything to keep warm, and with her weak, injured body, Ye Xuejin was prone to illness.

This cotton shirt was indeed critical, she had made the right choice.

The cheat system was great but inconvenient. Every reward carried the risk of being noticed.

Oh well, she’d take it one step at a time. Having something was better than nothing.

Yun Chi exhaled a few times to calm herself, tucked the cotton shirt into her bosom, and walked back with the water pouch.

“Ye Xuejin, look! I found a water pouch by the river.”

She feigned excitement, raising her voice slightly to give the pouch a plausible origin.

Whether others believed her didn’t matter, she was sticking to the story.

It was late, and the prisoners, after a day of walking, were exhausted. Those unused to hardship were half-dead, and even the stronger ones were worn out. They glanced at her but paid little attention.

The escorts, gathered around their pot, were too busy eating and drinking to care.

Only Zeng Laosan looked at Yun Chi, a sly, amused glint in his eyes. Tonight seemed like a good time to stir up trouble.

Back at Ye Xuejin’s side, Yun Chi handed her the water pouch.

“Drink some water.”

This woman hadn’t had a drop all day. Tsk, so pitiful—beautifully tragic, but not strong.