Transmigrated as the Villainess, She Made the General Blush - Chapter 18

In fact, he saw her that day when he entered the palace.

The first time, he saw her sleeping by the window in the attic, a beautiful young lady wrapped in bandages all over, looking rather pitiful; the second time, she was still wrapped in bandages, running over to the altar to watch the excitement with eager eyes, only to be sent back by the Prime Minister, looking even more pitiful.

A scheming young lady of the Chancellor’s Mansion, but somehow there was a bit of contrast to her.

Thinking of this, Chen Chu unconsciously lifted the corners of his mouth.

He sat far away under a tree, head down, polishing his knife, and no one noticed the expression on his face.

Xiao Fuguang ran up to Xiao Wangshu and hurriedly asked, “Sister, how did you come out? Is your body fully recovered?”

“Of course it’s fully recovered. If I don’t move around soon, my bones will go soft from lying down.”

Xiao Wangshu handed him the fruit basket in her hand and continued, “You go ahead and practice. When you’re done, we’ll go pick out some gifts for Grandfather and Grandmother.”

“Alright, then Sister, you sit in the pavilion and wait.” Xiao Fuguang led Xiao Wangshu to sit in the cool pavilion.

Xiao Zhenxi immediately stood up in the pavilion, cupped his hands in greeting, and called out, “Fourth Sister.”

Xiao Wangshu nodded to him and smiled, “Seventh Brother, have some fruit to quench your thirst. It’s still hot.”

It was already late summer, almost autumn, but the air still retained some of the summer’s heat. It would probably take another half a month before it cooled down.

“Thank you, Fourth Sister.” Xiao Zhenxi was always so reserved and polite with everyone, even looking a bit embarrassed when taking a pear from the fruit basket.

Seeing that he liked pears, Xiao Fuguang picked out two big ones from the basket and stuffed them into his arms.

Xiao Zhenxi became even more bashful, quietly saying, “Thank you, Eighth Younger Brother.”

“No need to be so polite, Seventh Brother!” Xiao Fuguang didn’t mind, picked out several big peaches from the basket, hugged them in his arms, and walked over to Chen Chu.

Every time Xiao Wangshu came, Chen Chu always managed to get some food and drink.

—

With Xiao Wangshu sitting here waiting, the afternoon passed quickly.

Xiao Zhenxi sat nearby, occasionally chatting with Xiao Wangshu, but most of the time he was watching Chen Chu train Xiao Fuguang, his eyes full of envy.

Chen Chu knew that Xiao Fuguang would be taking a day off from training tomorrow to go to the Fang Mansion, and could guess that the siblings probably had other matters to attend to later.

Following the principle of not making things difficult for those who feed you, he let Xiao Fuguang finish training on time today, without adding any extra drills.

—

After the afternoon riding practice ended, Xiao Wangshu and Xiao Fuguang took Fang Qin’er’s key and entered the Treasury.

The moment the door opened, Xiao Wangshu was almost blinded.

Blinded in a physical sense-there were too many glassware, jade pieces, and gold bricks, the reflections were overwhelming.

“Grandfather loves tea and calligraphy. I’m afraid we’ll have to ask Father for some tea leaves or famous ink treasures to truly please Grandfather. Grandmother loves Sister the most. Even if Sister brings her a clay doll, Grandmother will praise your pure heart.”

With these words, Xiao Fuguang summed up Xiao Wangshu’s status in the Fang Mansion.

Fang Qin’er was the apple of Old Lady Fang’s eye, and Old Lady Fang adored both children born to Fang Qin’er.

Of the two siblings, she especially favored Xiao Wangshu, because Xiao Wangshu had always resembled Fang Qin’er as a child.

“Sister, don’t be nervous. Grandmother never cares about how expensive the gifts are. As long as it’s from Sister, Grandmother treats it as a treasure,” Xiao Fuguang continued.

Xiao Wangshu smiled and shook her head, sighing, “Even if Grandmother doesn’t care about the value of the gifts, I still want to show my sincerity. After all, she worried about me for a whole month.”

Originally, after waking up from falling into the water, she had planned to visit the Fang Mansion to reassure Old Lady Fang.

Unexpectedly, she ended up entering the palace and got caught up in the affair with Mu Chuxue.

When she returned from the palace, she was covered in various scrapes and bruises. If she went to the Fang Mansion like that, it would surely trouble the old lady.

So she rested for a while longer, wanting to wait until her wounds had mostly healed before going.

With all these delays, it ended up being a whole month-far too long.
“There was a reason for it, so you needn’t blame yourself, Sister. It’s all because the Mu Family keeps causing trouble. This time, you were injured protecting the imperial heir-Grandmother understands that.”

As Xiao Fuguang spoke, his tone unconsciously carried a hint of hostility-

“Speaking of which, that Mu Family girl is truly fortunate. I once overheard Mother and Matron Du say that Eldest Sister made several attempts in the palace, but that Mu Family girl managed to evade her every time.

“Sister, Eldest Sister has always been meticulous. Before she acts, she must have calculated everything and only moves when all is ready. For the Mu Family girl to escape every time, it’s almost as if she has divine protection.”

Don’t say the Mu Family girl is protected by the Emperor; when Eldest Sister plots against the Emperor, she doesn’t hesitate to use drugs either.

Otherwise, how did Fifth Sister end up carrying the imperial heir?

Would the Emperor willingly have a child with a daughter of the Xiao Family?

After listening, Xiao Wangshu nodded and said softly, “It does sound like good luck.”

Standing before the world, a person is still so insignificant. The death of one person won’t bring about the end of the world, even if that person is the protagonist of this book’s alternate world.

Fortune shifts, changing in an instant.

Perhaps the so-called chosen heroine in this book is just a temporary product of a burst of luck, ready to be replaced at any moment.

“But it could also be that Eldest Sister’s schemes are all in the shadows, with many uncontrollable factors. If just one link goes wrong, the whole plan fails, which is why she keeps escaping.

“If it were like you and Second Brother, with an undeniable crime discovered and the officials pronouncing a death sentence, escorted to the altar by iron cavalry, even with wings she couldn’t escape.”

As Xiao Fuguang spoke, he shrugged and then laughed, “Let’s not mention her anymore, lest it spoil your mood, Sister.

“Speaking of which, Sister, you have done a great service protecting the imperial heir. The rewards from both the palace and the manor have been plentiful these days. Fifth Sister has sent out quite a few belongings from the palace.”

This time, Father rewarded Sister in the manor, but that wasn’t enough-he even squeezed quite a few rewards for her from the Emperor’s own inner palace. It shows just how satisfied Father is with what Sister accomplished this time.

If Fifth Sister didn’t follow suit, it would be rather embarrassing.

“No matter how much Fifth Sister sends, her belongings are only so many. Half of it is just for Father to see.”

Xiao Wangshu thought for a moment, then smiled, “But the rewards from the Emperor are genuine, which means Father praised me a lot before him.”

It’s just a pity for the puppet Emperor-having just lost his official consort, now he must reward her under all kinds of subtle pressure from Xiao Hong.

He must have felt quite resentful while bestowing those rewards, right?

But it doesn’t matter; the gold, silver, and jade artifacts bestowed are all real. Even if the rewards come with resentment, she still likes them.

“If Father hadn’t fought on the battlefield back then, driving off the Xianyu bandits, Wei State would have changed dynasties long ago. The Emperor can still sit on the dragon throne and enjoy wealth and honor today-all thanks to Father. If he can’t even bear to part with these rewards, he’s far too stingy.”

As Xiao Fuguang spoke, he picked out gifts for Old Lady Fang, muttering, “There are so many things in the Treasury, my eyes are dazzled and I still haven’t found anything suitable.”

Xiao Wangshu scanned the Treasury, her gaze finally settling on the corner of a cabinet to her left. She walked over, picked up a Jasper Bracelet, and asked Xiao Fuguang, “What do you think of this?”

The jade beads on the Jasper Bracelet were round and full, the jade itself clean and subdued in its glow, with a heavy, substantial feel in the hand.

On the bead ring of the bracelet hung a tassel, and the pendant on the tassel was carved in the shape of a lotus flower, vivid and lifelike.

With so many jade artifacts in the Treasury, and Xiao Wangshu being someone who had seen all kinds of jewels, for her to pick out this Jasper Bracelet at a glance showed it was no ordinary piece.

Xiao Fuguang’s eyes lit up, and he quickly said, “This looks great! The style is dignified, and it seems perfect for Old Lady Fang.”

The siblings made a quick decision-the gift for Old Lady Fang was settled.

As for the tea and calligraphy for Old Master, that would require Xiao Fuguang to thicken his skin and go pester Xiao Hong for them.

…