Transmigrated into an Ancient M-Preg Novel as the Scumbag Alpha (GL) - Chapter 5
Yun Chenghuai was currently under house arrest, so she could only stroll around the princess manor and couldn’t go outside.
When the maids had prepared breakfast and invited them to eat, it was probably around seven in the morning, which would be Chen Shi in ancient times.
Without a watch or phone, it was quite difficult to tell the time.
At the dining table, Yun Chenghuai tilted her head and looked at Shen Liunian, observing her expression.
The two had never sat together for a meal. In her previous life, she often shared tables with people in the cafeteria, so she wasn’t unaccustomed to it.
As for Shen Liunian, with her personal maid serving her dishes and knowing her preferences, she simply lowered her gaze and ate.
Feeling the gaze beside her, it surprisingly felt innocent and harmless.
How could Dog Yun possibly be innocent and harmless? That was stupidity and malice.
Yun Chenghuai had no idea that a single glance from her had already led to Shen Liunian cursing her inwardly.
She didn’t want to cling to Shen Liunian either. They had just met, and with her reserved personality, how could she do such a thing?
But it seemed she had nothing else to do now except cling to Shen Liunian.
Regardless, the key to her fate in three days lay with Shen Liunian.
The plan she had set for herself was to ingratiate herself with Shen Liunian, change Shen Liunian’s perception of her, and eliminate Shen Liunian’s hatred towards her.
Anyway, her goal was to make Shen Liunian feel at ease.
Since Shen Liunian seemed quite annoyed by her presence, why not find something else to do?
She actually wanted to go to the original owner’s study to look around. Although she had the original owner’s memories, she wasn’t very familiar with them; they would only surface when needed.
One’s office area could reveal a lot of crucial information.
She also wanted to sort out her current situation on paper, specifically the people around her who might influence her.
Thinking of the original owner’s imperial elder and younger sisters, plus various other relatives, gave her a headache.
She never had so many relatives before, let alone imperial sisters who wanted her dead.
Their mother was the current Emperor. In the original owner’s memory, when the Empress was alive, the Emperor always had a smile on her face.
Since the Empress’s death, the Emperor had never smiled again.
When her elder sister was six, the Emperor ascended the throne, and the first thing she did was establish her elder sister as the Crown Princess.
Later, the original owner was born, and the Emperor initially favored her.
It was as if, among all the other imperial consorts and princesses, only she and her sister were the Emperor’s true children.
Holding onto this belief, the original owner acted recklessly. In front of the Emperor, she couldn’t distinguish whether she was a subject or a child.
Serving a ruler was like accompanying a tiger. Being an imperial princess was even harder, mainly because one had to clearly distinguish when one was a child and when one was a subject.
This was something every imperial princess had to learn from a young age.
The original owner, being so muddle-headed, lived in the imperial family but behaved as if she were in an ordinary household, constantly acting like a future emperor. It would be strange if the Emperor liked her.
How many emperors throughout history could tolerate their children coveting their throne while they were still alive?
Even if they didn’t show it, their hearts would already be filled with disgust.
The original owner’s fate of confinement was probably just an excuse for Shen Liunian’s departure.
But since she occupied this body, she had to proceed cautiously, not even allowing an excuse to be given.
The original owner was too arrogant and tyrannical, and she didn’t understand the inherent ruthlessness of the imperial family. Perhaps she was ruthless to others but didn’t believe the Emperor would be ruthless to her.
The original owner’s blind self-confidence led to her downfall.
A more important reason was that the original owner’s maternal grandfather, the Grand Protector who was the head of the eight dukes, had died two years prior. Among the original owner’s maternal aunts, only the eldest and youngest aunts were capable.
The eldest aunt was upright and possessed the integrity of a scholar. If she had been a civil official, she would likely have had a smooth official career.
Unfortunately, the eldest aunt spent years toiling in the military camps and couldn’t pass the imperial examinations. Any successful scholar began their arduous studies in childhood. Having spent too much time in the military, the books she read were insufficient for the imperial examinations.
Now, having inherited the title, as a noble and from a military family, she wasn’t skilled in warfare and was too upright to be flexible. At best, this was her limit.
Meanwhile, the youngest aunt possessed considerable talent in military strategy, but she had not inherited a noble title. She had to fight her way up on the battlefield and now guarded the frontier, holding only the rank of Loyal and Martial General, which was essentially just a city defender, commanding ten thousand troops, and this was in Chu Xiang territory, which was Yun Chenghuai’s fiefdom.
Chu Xiang was at the border between Southern Qin and Northern Qi. The two countries had signed a ten-year truce treaty, so without military achievements, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, it would be difficult for the youngest aunt to get promoted.
The remaining aunts were spoiled idlers, engaged in cockfighting and dog racing, neglecting proper duties.
When the old Grand Protector was alive, commanding hundreds of thousands of troops in Southern Qin, the Emperor tolerated the original owner. Now, with the Grand Protector’s manor idle and the Grand Protector no longer commanding troops, the Emperor didn’t need to consider anyone’s feelings to deal with an imperial princess.
Shen Liunian was completely an innocent victim, having encountered such an idiot as the original owner.
—
Yun Chenghuai ate her meal, her mind rapidly working.
Keeping Shen Liunian meant more than just clinging to her; there was another rather important matter.
The fact that Shen Liunian could escape the princess manor suggested that the Princess Chuxiang Manor wasn’t as strict as it should be.
She glanced at Shen Liunian, who had just put down her chopsticks, her brows slightly furrowed, appearing somewhat impatient.
Shen Liunian naturally didn’t want to share a room with Yun Chenghuai. During breakfast, waiting for Yun Chenghuai to make a scene, she didn’t suggest returning to her own courtyard.
But throughout the meal, Yun Chenghuai said nothing, dutifully eating.
This made Shen Liunian somewhat puzzled. When had Dog Yun become so patient?
Breakfast was finished, and Yun Chenghuai still hadn’t made a fuss. Shen Liunian had no time to waste.
Her pregnancy was an unexpected development that affected her subsequent plans, and she needed to devise a course of action as quickly as possible.
Crown Princess Li Zhaoxian of Northern Qi would remain in the Southern Qin capital for at most three more days.
And today was the day Li Zhaoxian was supposed to send someone to find her. Regardless of what Yun Chenghuai intended, it would be more convenient for her to return to her own courtyard.
Shen Liunian looked at Yun Chenghuai. Their gazes met, and Yun Chenghuai even smiled at her…
Since morning, she had felt that Yun Chenghuai was acting strangely. Yet, the person was still the same person; she couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.
Just then, a sharp, overbearing voice rang out, “This old woman heard that Lady Shen is moving to the main courtyard?”
Yun Chenghuai looked up at the sound, seeing a woman of about fifty, dressed in luxurious clothes, walk in.
She matched the person entering the room with the one in her memories: the original owner’s wet nurse, Lan Ping’s mother, Wet Nurse Xue.
Before she could answer, Wet Nurse Xue walked directly to a chair and sat down, flicking her handkerchief with considerable arrogance. “Your Highness, Lady Shen is a mere merchant’s daughter. How can she reside in the main courtyard?”
“Your Princess Consort should be from a renowned family, a noble house. Lady Shen, like a cuckoo usurping a magpie’s nest, should know her place and not lose her self-awareness, truly believing she is worthy of the Princess Consort’s position.”
“Having been in the princess manor for half a year, she shows no respect for hierarchy, no reverence for Your Highness. How can she possibly live in the princess manor’s main courtyard?”
Wet Nurse Xue, relying on her status as the original owner’s wet nurse, was displeased that Shen Liunian became the Princess Consort. She usually called her by her name or “Lady Shen,” speaking without courtesy, full of insults and fault-finding.
The original owner disliked Shen Liunian being a merchant’s daughter and implicitly allowed everyone in the manor to not call her “Princess Consort.”
Yun Chenghuai felt a pounding headache. She was trying everything to improve her relationship with Shen Liunian, but these people around her, one after another, were all tormenting Shen Liunian. Ultimately, the blame would naturally fall on her.
Furthermore, Wet Nurse Xue usually lived outside the princess manor, supported by her Qian Yuan daughter. The residence was provided by the original owner. Her ability to arrive at the manor so quickly suggested that Lan Ping had spread the news about the manor’s affairs.
The entire Princess Chuxiang Manor was managed by the original owner like a sieve, with various spies around. Who knew how many people from other factions were truly within the manor?
Shen Liunian couldn’t help but frown. She didn’t even tolerate Dog Yun much; at worst, she’d be punished. Why should she tolerate a vicious wet nurse?
Dog Yun had been confined by the Emperor for a month, and upon returning to the manor, she took her anger out on Shen Liunian, finding fault countless times in just a few days.
If Yun Chenghuai hadn’t threatened the people around her, she wouldn’t have compromised so easily.
A mere wet nurse dared to flaunt her power in front of her. Did she truly think Shen Liunian was made of mud?
Shen Liunian endured it for a moment, not lashing out. She thought about returning to her own courtyard, and this was a perfect opportunity to use Wet Nurse Xue’s words to do so. The next second, her face returned to calmness.
“What Wet Nurse Xue says is true. I will return to my own courtyard now.”
With that, she immediately stood up, but the injury on her knee pulled, causing her to lose her balance. Just as she thought she was about to fall, she found herself falling into a warm embrace.
She looked up and saw Yun Chenghuai’s concerned gaze.
Yun Chenghuai was already displeased that Wet Nurse Xue was here disrupting her plans, and she was anxious that her morning’s efforts might go to waste, so her gaze had been fixed on Shen Liunian.
Seeing her about to fall, she quickly stood up to support her, only to end up holding her tightly.