Transmigrated as the Villainess, She Made the General Blush - Chapter 17

When Xiao Wangshu woke up and heard about these events, she hurried to the scene, only to find that no one dared to collect Mu Chuxue’s body yet.

A life that had been so vibrant at noon was now extinguished on the ancestral temple’s altar by afternoon.

The swiftness of it all gave Xiao Wangshu a deeper understanding of what it truly meant to be a powerful minister.

The Emperor was a mere figurehead; the Prime Minister held the power of life and death.

She thought, if Xiao Hong knew everything she did about the plot-knew that Mu Chuxue was a key piece for Wei Qixuan to seize control of the court, knew that Mu Chuxue was the crucial move to bring down the Xiao Family-then perhaps Mu Chuxue’s death would have come even sooner.

But everything she knew could never be revealed to a second person.

Only in this way could she survive.

Xiao Wangshu stood in a corner, watching this farce from a distance, personally experiencing just how autocratic the military power described in the book truly was.

At that moment, Xiao Hong seemed to sense her gaze and turned to look toward the corner where she stood.

That glance, sharp and ruthless like a hound.

But when he saw it was his own daughter standing in the corner with her maid, Xiao Hong’s cold gaze softened a little. He slowly raised his hand and waved at Xiao Wangshu, signaling her to return.

“Miss, this place reeks of blood and feels eerie. It’s not suitable to stay long. We’ve seen enough, let’s go back.” Shuxia supported Xiao Wangshu’s arm, softly persuading her.

Yichun nodded repeatedly, echoing in a low voice, “Yes, yes.”

Xiao Wangshu responded with a quiet “Mm,” bowed from afar in Xiao Hong’s direction, then left with Yichun and Shuxia.

…

After Mu Chuxue’s death, there was no funeral, nor any tomb.

She left this world burdened with countless crimes, buried hastily, forced to end her short life.

Aside from affecting Wei Qixuan’s relationship with the Mu Family and the Mu Family’s reputation, Mu Chuxue’s death did not cause much of a stir in the Capital.

Other officials, upon hearing of it, merely sighed and blamed her for a moment before moving on.

The common people, upon hearing of it, simply gained more gossip for their idle chats-gathering in alleyways to talk about how vicious the Mu Family’s daughter was, or how poorly the Mu Family’s children were raised.

—

After Mu Chuxue’s death, life in the Prime Minister’s Mansion continued as usual.

The person most affected by Mu Chuxue was none other than the injured Xiao Wangshu, who, under the watchful eyes of Fang Qin’er and Xiao Fuguang, was forced to recuperate at home for more than half a month, not going anywhere.

“Liu Imperial Physician’s Herbal Honey Paste is truly effective. It’s only been a little over half a month, and the scabs have fallen off and the scars are gone-there’s hardly any trace left.”

Yichun leaned in to examine the wounds on Xiao Wangshu’s body. No matter how closely she looked, she could only see a few faint pink marks.

Those were patches of new skin revealed after the scabs had fallen off. After a few more days in the sun, they would blend in completely with the surrounding skin, leaving no sign at all.

Xiao Wangshu also looked into the bronze mirror on her dressing table. The reflection was blurry, but there was no trace of any scars left.

After a while, Xiao Wangshu smiled and said, “It really is a good thing. I imagine many women would want it.”

Who hasn’t had a few bumps and scrapes in their life?

Women love beauty, especially in these ancient times-they all fear being left with scars. Unfortunately, palace medicine isn’t something they can easily get their hands on.

If this Herbal Honey Paste could be sold, it would surely have a huge market.

Riding on the reputation of palace medicine, it could quickly become well-known.

Hearing this, Yichun didn’t think much of it. She just smiled and continued applying the medicine, shaking her head as she spoke-

“Of course! Good things like this are hard to come by, even if you have money. It’s only because our Miss is so precious, with the Prime Minister and Madam doting on her. Whatever she wants, she gets-there are plenty of people eager to bring things to Miss!”
Xiao Wangshu heard this and slightly frowned.

Yichun and Shuxia had been arranged by Fang Qin’er from a young age to serve at her side. The three of them had essentially grown up together, forming a bond far deeper than that of ordinary mistress and maids.

The original occupant had been pampered since childhood, and with Yichun and Shuxia always by her side, their lives were even more splendid than those of many young ladies from regular families. Over time, the two inevitably acquired a hint of arrogance as well.

Shuxia was the steadier one-self-restrained and able to curb that pride.

Yichun, however, let hers show a bit too much.

As Xiao Wangshu was frowning and about to speak, Shuxia interjected with a gentle reminder,

“Yichun, what nonsense are you saying? It’s one thing to speak like this in private, but never say such things outside. If someone hears, what would they think? If word reached Liu Imperial Physician, wouldn’t he say our young lady treats him as a servant?”

Shuxia shook her head as she spoke, clearly exasperated by Yichun’s temperament.

Yichun looked at Shuxia’s expression, then at Xiao Wangshu’s face, and seemed to realize her mistake. Her voice softened, “Miss, this maid knows her fault.”

But before, when she spoke this way, it seemed the young lady quite liked it.

Seeing Yichun’s pitiful and timid appearance, Xiao Wangshu let out a soft sigh and replied, “As long as you know your mistake. In the future, listen more to Shuxia; she won’t harm you.”

“Yes! From now on, this maid will listen only to Miss and Shuxia!”

Seeing that Xiao Wangshu would not pursue the matter further, Yichun immediately broke into a bright smile and nodded vigorously. Her ability to change expressions was truly remarkable.

Xiao Wangshu smiled and shook her head, no longer dwelling on the matter.

At this time, Shuxia was sifting through a pile of clothing, and finally selected a plain goose-yellow pleated skirt. She asked, “Miss, for tomorrow’s visit to Fang Mansion to see Old Lady Fang, shall you wear this?”

Xiao Wangshu looked up, nodded, and said, “Alright, that one.”

The goose-yellow dress was lively yet understated, its color demure and well-suited-indeed perfect for visiting Old Lady Fang.

Suddenly, Yichun slapped her forehead and exclaimed, “That’s right! Miss, don’t forget-the Madam also instructed that you and the young master should go to the Treasury today to choose some gifts for Old Master Fang and Old Lady Fang.”

“Let’s go now, so we don’t forget,” Xiao Wangshu said unhurriedly, standing up and asking, “Is my brother still at the Riding Field?”

Shuxia glanced at the sky outside the window and answered, “It’s still early; the young master should still be practicing his riding.”

—

At the Riding Field.

It was just past the beginning of the Shen hour, and Xiao Fuguang was still sweating through his training.

Compared to Xiao Fuguang, practicing riding and archery under the blazing sun, Xiao Zhenxi, seated far away in the pavilion, looked especially at ease.

Perhaps only Xiao Zhenxi himself knew how much he wished to be like Xiao Fuguang, galloping wildly on horseback. No matter how hard the training, it was still better than not even having the right to train.

“Sister!”

Seeing Xiao Wangshu walking over with a fruit basket, Xiao Fuguang tightened his reins.

The horse beneath him neighed, rearing up on its hind legs before coming to a stop and pawing the ground.

Chen Chu sat beneath a tree, wiping his sword. His training uniform was drenched with sweat, clinging to his back, his taut muscles stretching the fabric.

From a distance, Chen Chu watched as Xiao Fuguang dismounted and ran toward Xiao Wangshu, making no move to urge him to resume his training.

Her injuries had finally healed. It had been a long time since Chen Chu had seen her out and about, and he was still a bit unaccustomed to it.

This showed just how delicate the bodies of young ladies truly were-so pampered that even a minor injury would require them to rest indoors for a long while.