Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha Playboy in Ancient Times (GL) - Chapter 30

Cui Zhu obediently followed Su Muyu’s instructions and carefully put away the silver notes. After all, this was essentially her lady’s personal savings.

Meanwhile, Shen Xingyue had returned from the study with a few picture books that had interesting titles. She figured Su Muyu had probably finished talking with Cui Zhu by now, so she brought the books back to the bedroom.

Su Muyu was sitting at the table drinking tea when she saw Shen Xingyue walk in with a stack of books. Her expression turned slightly puzzled. But the moment she saw the title on the top book, a faint blush spread across her cheeks. Of course Shen Xingyue wouldn’t bring any serious reading—once again, it was those kinds of picture books.

Shen Xingyue noticed her gaze lingering on the title of the book in her hand—”The Overbearing Demon King Seduces the Little Fairy”—and cheerfully offered it to her. “If you like it, you can read it first.”

“I don’t want to read that,” Su Muyu said flatly, refusing to take the book. She turned away, climbed back onto the bed, and lay down with her back to Shen Xingyue, ignoring her completely.

Shen Xingyue gave a helpless little shake of the book and looked toward Cui Zhu with an exasperated smile. “What is she mad about now?”

Cui Zhu pursed her lips, trying hard not to laugh. These days, the Princess was far easier to deal with than before. She couldn’t help but chime in, “Your Highness, maybe you should go and coax Miss a little. I’ll take my leave now.”

With a stifled giggle, Cui Zhu quietly stepped away to the side hall.

Shen Xingyue put the picture books aside and walked over to the bed. Sitting down next to Su Muyu, she gently pulled her closer and softly coaxed, “Don’t be upset, alright? It’s just a harmless picture book. If you don’t want to read it, then don’t. But don’t ignore me, Rain’er.”

“Hmph. Like I’d believe you.” Su Muyu huffed. Just the title alone made it obvious the book wasn’t anything decent. As expected, Shen Xingyue was into those kinds of stories.

Shen Xingyue had no defense. She really had just picked those books to pass the time, but now Rain’er was misunderstanding her again. With a sigh, she stood up and decided to go check out the small kitchen in Feixue Courtyard. Come to think of it, she hadn’t visited it even once since arriving.

Though she was a royal princess, Beichuan as a whole was poor in food resources. Common people could only survive the long year by storing up grain during the three months of spring or by hunting in the mountains. Many even dried tree leaves to use as vegetables during the long winters. Over the course of nine months, people would often die either from the cold or from starvation.

The current empress—Shen Kaiyuan—was the original host’s aunt and a diligent, compassionate ruler. But even so, the harsh environment of Beichuan limited what she could do.

Shen Xingyue wanted to learn more about what food Beichuan could actually produce, so she put on a cloak and headed toward the kitchen.

Back in the bedroom, Su Muyu waited a moment, thinking Shen Xingyue might come back to coax her a little more. But instead, she heard the sound of the door opening and closing. She turned to look, a little disappointed. So she really left?

Did that mean Shen Xingyue was already growing tired of her?

Realizing that part of her had wanted Shen Xingyue to coax her, Su Muyu quickly shook her head and burrowed deeper into the blankets, whispering to herself, “How could you expect her to coax you? Su Muyu, you were never like this before.”

The feelings in her heart were strange—something she had never felt in her seventeen years. She had clearly hated Shen Xingyue before. So why did she now feel a faint sense of attachment?

She shook her head again. This wasn’t right. Shen Xingyue’s kindness was likely just a passing whim. She couldn’t allow herself to get caught up in it. She had to remember what she wanted to do from the beginning.

Her only goal was to save up enough money to leave the palace, to leave the capital. If she could, she wanted to buy a small home in a quiet town somewhere. And ideally, bring her mother and younger sister with her.

But that was all just wishful thinking. Even the first step—leaving the palace—was nearly impossible. Her mother’s situation was even worse. Without a letter of divorce from Su Changyuan, her mother could never leave the Su family. And as for her younger sister—even if Su Changyuan agreed to divorce their mother, he would never allow her to take the child away. The girl still held value for him.

Thinking about all this left Su Muyu feeling down again. Yes, the Fifth Princess had given her verbal promises—but they had only met a few times. Could she really be trusted?

At the small kitchen in Feixue Courtyard, Shen Xingyue stepped inside. Though it was called a “small” kitchen, it was at least a hundred square meters in size. There were nine people working there—cooks and assistants. When they saw her arrive, they were startled and immediately dropped to their knees.

Shen Xingyue raised her hand and smiled. “I’m just here to take a look. No need to be nervous—get up.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” they replied, still visibly uneasy. The Princess had a fearsome reputation. Were they about to be punished for some issue with the food?

Of course, Shen Xingyue had no idea what wild thoughts they were imagining. She casually glanced over the day’s ingredients: mostly chicken and fish, along with a fresh delivery of vegetables.

After scanning everything, Shen Xingyue asked, “Do we have anything spicy here—something with a strong kick?”

The kitchen steward, Niu Er, quickly stepped forward and replied, “Spicy? I’m afraid I’ve never heard of anything like that. But we do have something that makes the mouth go numb.”

As he spoke, he opened a small box for Shen Xingyue to see. She took one glance and recognized it as Sichuan peppercorn. Nodding slightly, she thought, So this world really doesn’t have chili peppers…

“Do we have any beef tallow in the estate?” Shen Xingyue asked after a moment of thought.

“We don’t have any at the moment,” Niu Er replied quickly. “Your Highness may not be aware, but cattle are usually used for farming. They’re rarely slaughtered, so beef and beef fat are uncommon. But if you’d like some, I can have someone arrange to slaughter one from the estate’s pasture and send it over.”

Shen Xingyue considered it for a moment before saying, “No rush. By the way, do we have any cow’s milk?”

“I’ve heard of it,” Niu Er answered cautiously. “But that’s something the Hu people drink. They say it has a strong, gamey smell. I’ve never heard of anyone in Beichuan drinking it. And besides, most families can’t afford a dairy cow, even if they wanted one.”

“Does our estate have any dairy cows? See if you can find a few and bring them over. Build some sheds across from the stables in the side courtyard and raise them for milk,” Shen Xingyue instructed.

Niu Er hesitated. “Your Highness, cow’s milk smells a bit strong. Are you sure you really want to drink it?”

Shen Xingyue nodded. “Send someone to inquire at the estate. If we don’t have any, buy a few. I want fresh milk every day from now on.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll take care of it right away.” Niu Er didn’t know what got into the princess—wanting to raise cows in the royal estate? But for the sake of his own job and head, he didn’t ask questions. He quickly went off to find Steward Li.

Shen Xingyue wandered around the kitchen a bit more. She noticed that the stoves still burned wood. That got her thinking—Beichuan’s winters were long, and very few families could afford to burn charcoal. Over time, forests were being cut down constantly, and if no one paid attention, the environmental damage would pile up. It might not be obvious now, but in a few decades, Beichuan could end up living like the northern Hu people—surrounded by desert.

It was the kind of thing the court should start taking seriously. Shen Xingyue didn’t really want to get involved in politics, but having inherited this identity, she was now the Princess of Ankang. If there were things she could do to help, perhaps she should.

For now, though, she needed to handle her own affairs. Su Muyu’s health was still fragile, and daily access to fresh milk would do her a lot of good. Besides, she was only seventeen—drinking milk might help her grow a bit taller too.

Just thinking of Su Muyu made Shen Xingyue’s gaze soften. She had upset her earlier—she’d better hurry back and coax her properly.

When Shen Xingyue returned, she saw that Su Muyu was still lying on the bed, this time on her back.

She removed her cloak and hung it on a nearby rack. After warming up by the brazier for a moment, she walked over to the bed. Knowing full well that Su Muyu wasn’t asleep, she gently took one of her hands—cold to the touch—and warmed it between her own.

“I stopped by the kitchen,” she said softly. “I’ve asked Niu Er to bring a few dairy cows from the estate. You’ll have fresh milk to drink every day from now on.”

Su Muyu felt the warmth spreading through her palm. She opened her eyes and asked curiously, “Is cow’s milk even drinkable?”

“Most people can drink it, unless they’re lactose intolerant. It’s good for your health. Try it a few times—you’ll see,” Shen Xingyue said, switching to warm her other hand.

Seeing how serious Shen Xingyue was about warming her hands, Su Muyu couldn’t help but smile. So that was why she had left earlier—not out of irritation, but to make arrangements for her well-being.

Her ears turned red again.

The hand that Shen Xingyue held began to feel warm in more ways than one. Embarrassed, Su Muyu quickly pulled her hand back, turned her back to her, and muttered, “I’m tired. Don’t bother me.”

Shen Xingyue laughed silently to herself. Rain’er was really becoming a little heartless. She’d just warmed her hands, and now she was being pushed away?

Shen Xingyue moved closer and spoke in a wounded, playful tone, “Rain’er, how cruel of you. I just warmed your hands, and now you won’t even talk to me.”

She tugged lightly at Su Muyu’s sleeve, then started murmuring, “My wife? Rain’er? Princess Consort? Why won’t you speak to me? If you keep ignoring me, I’ll start crying. My wife is so heartless, doesn’t even care about me…”

Su Muyu turned her head, blushing furiously, and reached out to cover Shen Xingyue’s mouth. But Shen Xingyue caught her mid-motion and pulled her straight into her arms.

“You finally responded. Looks like coaxing my wife takes some real skill,” she teased.

Su Muyu’s cheeks were completely red now. She hated how shameless Shen Xingyue was—calling her “wife” at every turn. She tried to push her away, kicking at her legs, though her kicks were light and without force.

Shen Xingyue, who was much stronger, didn’t resist and simply let her playfully struggle in her arms like a little kitten.

But in the chaos, Shen Xingyue lost her balance—she was already near the edge of the bed—and ended up tumbling off, bringing Su Muyu with her.

Fortunately, Shen Xingyue hit the floor first and instinctively held Su Muyu tightly to protect her. At that moment, Su Muyu was straddling her waist.

Yi Liu arrived with two young maids to tend the brazier. She knocked gently before opening the door—only to immediately regret it. There in plain view was the Princess Consort sitting astride the Princess, both of them with disheveled clothes.

Yi Liu quickly shut the door and turned to the others. “The Princess and the Princess Consort are… resting. We’ll come back later.”

“Okay, okay.” The two young maids were completely flustered, having never seen anything like that before. They followed Yi Liu back to the side hall in a daze.

Of course, the sound of the door opening and closing had alerted both women inside. Shen Xingyue didn’t mind, but Su Muyu immediately buried her face in Shen Xingyue’s chest. She had never sat on someone like that before—and to be seen like that too!

Her entire neck flushed red with embarrassment. She was still sitting on Shen Xingyue’s waist, but her legs had gone weak. She couldn’t even stand up. So, she stayed where she was, face hidden, completely mortified.

Shen Xingyue chuckled softly and held her by the waist. Her voice was gentle as she asked, “Thank goodness you didn’t get hurt. Can you stand?”