Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha Playboy in Ancient Times (GL) - Chapter 26

After the earlier commotion, the crowd had dispersed, and with the plum garden being so vast—its winding paths separated by clusters of plum trees—no one paid much attention to Su Muyu’s side of things. She and Shen Yijia hadn’t gone far; they were still within Wenyou’s line of sight, though too far for anyone to hear what they were saying.

Shen Yijia smiled faintly as she looked at Su Muyu. “We meet again. If I’m counting correctly, this makes it our third time. I didn’t expect you to gain a foothold in the Prince’s Manor so quickly. Even someone like Shen Xingyue, that reckless scoundrel, seems completely taken by you. I must admit, I underestimated you.”

“You flatter me, Your Highness. I’ve just been lucky, that’s all,” Su Muyu replied softly, lifting her gaze to meet Shen Yijia’s. She had originally been seeking a way to approach Shen Yijia, hoping to form an alliance that might help her escape from the Prince’s Manor. But now that she was actually face-to-face with her, she didn’t feel as triumphant as she had imagined.

Was it… because of Shen Xingyue?

She quickly pushed the thought from her mind. She couldn’t afford to rely on anyone—not even Shen Xingyue. Sure, she had protected her today, but what about next time? Would she always be there? Always take her side?

Shen Yijia had extended an olive branch, and Su Muyu knew she shouldn’t reject it.

“You and I are alike,” Shen Yijia said, her smile lingering. “From the first time I saw you, I felt it. We’re both born of concubines, both unwilling to accept the fate handed to us. If you ever need my help, you can send someone to my residence.”

With those words, she turned and walked away without further explanation.

Not far off, Shen Xingyue and Xiao Yang were making their way back. From a distance, Shen Xingyue could see Shen Yijia speaking with Su Muyu, and for some reason, a wave of unease surged in her chest. She didn’t have time to think about how this related to the original plot of the book—she just instinctively hated the sight of the two of them standing together.

She’d only stepped away for a short while, and Shen Yijia had already taken the opportunity to cozy up to Su Muyu. Was this the famed magnetic pull of the original novel’s heroine?

Her face darkened as she turned to Wenyou. “Why did the Princess Consort go off by herself?”

Seeing her expression, Wenyou immediately straightened and reported, “I wanted to follow with guards, but the Fifth Princess wouldn’t allow it. And it wasn’t just the two of them—Lady Haoyue was with them too.”

“It doesn’t matter who she brought,” Shen Xingyue muttered, her voice filled with irritation. “If anything like this happens again, come find me right away. What if something had happened?”

She grumbled at Wenyou for a while, then, still a bit sulky, began walking toward Su Muyu.

She had spent her entire conversation with Xiao Yang glancing over, worried Su Muyu might run into trouble. Meanwhile, Su Muyu had just been casually chatting with Shen Yijia.

As Shen Xingyue approached, Su Muyu was already walking back toward her. When their eyes met, Su Muyu paused—so Shen Xingyue had seen everything?

Shen Xingyue’s face was unreadable as she walked up and said coolly, “Next time, don’t wander off with others on your own. What if something happened?”

“I understand. I’ll be more careful next time,” Su Muyu replied with a slight nod, falling in step beside her.

She glanced sideways at Shen Xingyue. Noticing that Shen Xingyue didn’t reach out to hold her like before—and that her expression was cold—Su Muyu felt a small pang of guilt. She hesitated, then said quietly, “I’ve crossed paths with the Fifth Princess once or twice before. We were just chatting about ordinary things, nothing more.”

“Oh really?” Shen Xingyue responded flatly. “Then why wouldn’t she let Wenyou follow you? Do you think I’m a child? That easy to fool? If you don’t want to explain, that’s fine. I won’t ask again.”

Her tone was calm, but there was a sourness in her chest that she didn’t quite understand. It wasn’t about losing Su Muyu’s favor points or deviating from some book plot—it was just pure, simple jealousy.

Su Muyu noticed her unhappiness. Remembering how Shen Xingyue had stood in front of her earlier and shielded her from Su Muqiu and Su Muxue’s attacks, she felt a pang of conscience. The truth was, she hadn’t told Shen Xingyue everything just now.

She hadn’t reached any agreement with Shen Yijia, but Shen Yijia’s offer remained—if danger ever arose, she now had someone she could call on for help.

Seeing how downcast Shen Xingyue looked, Su Muyu hesitated, then reached out and tugged gently at her cloak, trying to get her attention.

Shen Xingyue stopped and looked back at her. “What is it?”

“The ground’s a bit slippery… I’m having trouble walking. Could you… hold me like before?” Su Muyu looked up at her with bright, sincere eyes.

Shen Xingyue had been ready to say no—but seeing her like this, thinking of how badly the original Shen Xingyue had treated her in the past, her heart softened almost instantly.

Su Muyu wanting to connect with Shen Yijia wasn’t unreasonable—after all, if she hadn’t come into the picture, Su Muyu would’ve suffered under the original Shen Xingyue for much longer before Shen Yijia eventually helped her escape. Thinking of this, Shen Xingyue sighed, then softened and reached over to pull Su Muyu gently into her arms, protectively guiding her as they walked back together.

Su Muyu felt a warm flutter in her heart. Even though Shen Xingyue was clearly upset, she was still looking out for her. Her voice grew a little softer as she said, “Don’t be angry anymore. We really didn’t say anything much. I’m your Princess Consort—no one else can take me away.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the tips of her ears turned red. Had she been influenced by Shen Xingyue? How could she say something so bold and shameless out in broad daylight—and in public no less?

Shen Xingyue glanced at her, gave a light snort, and replied, “Let’s hope so.”

Off in the distance, Xiao Yang watched them for a while, then simply turned and left with her attendant. They were practically clinging to each other—clearly in the middle of some post-fight reconciliation. Staying any longer would just be awkward. Better to wait for Shen Xingyue to invite her to the Prince’s Manor for that promised feast.

Thanks to Shen Yijia’s little “visit,” Shen Xingyue lost all interest in admiring the plum blossoms. To be honest, plum trees all looked the same after a while. If it weren’t for the lack of entertainment options in ancient times, who would willingly come out into the freezing cold just to look at flowers?

She pulled Su Muyu a little closer and gently felt her hand. Just as expected—it was icy cold again.

“Let’s go back. Your hands are freezing again,” Shen Xingyue said, concern evident in her voice.

“Alright.” Su Muyu nodded. Knowing Shen Xingyue still cared about her health made her relax a little.

By noon, Shen Yijia had arranged banquets in both the main and side halls. Naturally, Shen Xingyue and Su Muyu were seated in the main hall. Shen Xingyue’s seat was right beside Shen Yijia’s, and soon, the attendants began bringing out the dishes.

The food was quite decent—grilled lamb, lightly stewed fresh fish, several other appetizing dishes, and warm rice wine served in jade pitchers. Steamed buns and pastries were provided as staples, and each table was given a platter of neatly sliced apples.

Fruit was an especially rare delicacy in Beichuan during winter. After months of heavy snow, these apples had been shipped in from the southern kingdom of Nanqi—precious imports that only the noble elite could afford.

Shen Xingyue first took a few slices of apple to whet her appetite. When she noticed Su Muyu hadn’t picked up her chopsticks, she leaned over and said, “We’ve been walking around all morning. Eat something. These apples are from Nanqi—imported delicacies. Have a few pieces before the main course. They’re really refreshing.”

“Mhm.” Su Muyu nodded, picked up a slice of apple, and tasted it. Her eyes lit up instantly. This was her first time trying such fruit—the tangy sweetness was unlike anything she had tasted before.

Shen Xingyue saw the lamb had been roasted to perfection, crispy on the outside and tender inside. She used the small knife at the table to cut it into bite-sized pieces and placed them into Su Muyu’s bowl. “The lamb today is really good. Try some.”

Su Muyu had gradually gotten used to Shen Xingyue’s care over the past few days. Without much thought, she accepted the bowl and began eating.

Neither of them found anything odd about the interaction, but the people seated in the main hall were all sneaking glances. One by one, their eyes widened—Shen Xingyue’s attentiveness to Su Muyu was beyond what they’d expected. However, after what happened earlier with Su Muqiu and Su Muxue, no one dared to joke or gossip.

Shen Xingyue didn’t stand on ceremony either. She ate heartily and even asked the servers to bring another round of grilled lamb. The meat was so fresh and well-cooked that it needed only a bit of salt—no other seasoning—and still tasted amazing. The only thing missing, in her opinion, was chili. It was a pity—did this world even have chili peppers?

She remembered reading in her previous life that chili had once been considered a poison in ancient times before gradually being accepted as a spice. Shen Xingyue made a mental note: once spring came and the forests turned green again, she’d head into the mountains and see if she could find any other good ingredients.

After the meal, Shen Yijia was tired and had her attendants escort all the young nobles safely out of the estate. Shen Xingyue and Su Muyu also began heading out.

It was early afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly. Shen Xingyue’s mood had lightened slightly, but she still couldn’t stop thinking about Su Muyu’s conversation with Shen Yijia. Her current “favorability” score with Su Muyu was probably still in the negative. If Su Muyu left now, wouldn’t that mean all her efforts were for nothing?

Su Muyu noticed Shen Xingyue was unusually quiet—nothing like her usual chatty self. She seemed distracted, as though something was weighing on her mind. Remembering what had happened earlier with Shen Yijia, Su Muyu felt a bit guilty.

Was Shen Xingyue… upset because of that? Was she jealous?

Su Muyu’s ears turned pink again. She couldn’t believe she was using that word to describe Shen Xingyue. But still, her face flushed—Shen Xingyue didn’t like her, right? So why would she be jealous?

But then again… why did it feel like Shen Xingyue really was acting jealous?

Pushing those thoughts aside, Su Muyu reminded herself to cheer Shen Xingyue up in the carriage later. After all, Shen Xingyue had helped her a great deal today. Being protected like that—shielded so openly—it was a new feeling for her. Whatever the reason behind it, Su Muyu just felt warm inside. That was enough.

When Wenyou placed the small stepping stool by the carriage, Shen Xingyue suddenly felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked back instinctively and saw Su Muyu smiling faintly at her.

“Help me up, would you? The ground’s slippery. I’m afraid I’ll fall,” she said sweetly.

“Alright.” Shen Xingyue nodded, stepped up first, and then, just like that morning, reached down to help Su Muyu into the carriage.

Cui Zhu, standing off to the side, covered her mouth and smiled quietly before turning to walk toward the carriage meant for the maidservants and matrons. Over the past few days, she had witnessed the changes in the Princess. In the past, even if the Princess had treated her lady well, it hadn’t been anything noteworthy. But today—today, the Princess had stood up for her lady publicly. Her care and affection were obvious.

Cui Zhu was starting to feel it more and more: the Princess and her lady… might actually be a perfect match.