Blame the Villain – Chapter 59

Villainous Crown Prince (1)

When Song Xuyi woke up, she was already wearing the helmet that erased memories.

Her chest felt empty, as if something had suddenly been taken away, leaving an abrupt sense of emptiness.

“What’s wrong with me?” Song Xuyi frowned, recalling the memories of that world. Although she remembered most of the experiences, everything seemed to be covered by a veil, vaguely indistinct and hard to think about in detail.

“Your memories have been extracted. You might be feeling a bit uncomfortable,” the system’s voice was softer than ever before, almost sounding a bit guilty. It awkwardly walked over to Song Xuyi, hesitating before crouching down beside her hand and gently rubbing the palm of her hand.

?!

When the system unexpectedly became so agreeable, Song Xuyi couldn’t believe it and immediately let go of the slight strangeness in her heart, happily starting to pet the system.

“Don’t worry, there won’t be any accidents in our timeline this time. I’ll keep an eye on it throughout,” the system promised Song Xuyi solemnly, and then looked up at Song Xuyi: “But, Xuyi, you must remember the first rule of being a tasker, never fall in love in the small worlds…”

Song Xuyi yawned and murmured ‘hm’ vaguely, lying back down on the platform.

Not hearing a promise from Song Xuyi, the system felt a bit anxious, but then thought that the villain of this world seemed not to match the type of person Song Xuyi liked, so it also relaxed and let Song Xuyi go to the small world with peace of mind.

When Song Xuyi woke up again, she found herself sleeping on a soft, big bed.

Beside was a wood window carved with designs, outside of which the sun looked unbearably scorching. The ceaseless chirping of cicadas stirred a sense of restlessness and irritation within one’s heart.

In front of the bed, there was a plate of ice, and at the foot of the bed stood two young girls, respectfully bowing and fanning. The girls, dressed in identical pink court attire, appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, with delicate and fair features.

Song Xuyi surveyed the surroundings—an opulent and ancient-looking room—and roughly guessed the situation. Turning over, she closed her eyes again and received a summary of the world’s plot:

As expected, this was an ancient world.

The country where Song Xuyi found herself was called Lishui Country, a landlocked ancient nation abundant with rivers and lakes. The male lead, Song He, was the Crown Prince of Lishui Country.

Song He loves the innocent, unparalleled beauty of the female lead, Liu Rumeng, but initially, Liu Rumeng doesn’t like Song He and adores Nie Qianyu, a hostage Crown Prince from the Wu Country. To win his beloved’s heart, Song He asks the Emperor to issue a decree forcing Liu Rumeng to marry him as the Crown Princess, and with the intention of causing turmoil within the Wu Country, he sends Nie Qianyu back to his homeland. In the beginning, Liu Rumeng deeply resented Song He, never showing him a kind face. Knowing he was in the wrong, Song He humbled himself, doing everything possible to take care of Liu Rumeng, even getting stabbed by an assassin and nearly dying for her.

Eventually, Liu Rumeng is moved by Song He’s actions and starts liking him. Originally, they were supposed to walk towards a happy ending set by the Main God, but at this point, the villain Nie Qianyu starts causing trouble again. After returning to his country, Nie Qianyu soon takes the throne of the Wu Country, shedding his previously frail demeanor, reforming the country’s internal issues, and training the army… With the people already skilled in combat and under Nie Qianyu’s leadership, the Wu Country quickly becomes powerful again, frequently invading the borders of Lishui Country.

Facing the crisis, Song He leads troops to battle, but Nie Qianyu, having hidden in Lishui for many years, already knows Song He’s personality and leadership style well. Before Song He could even stabilize his position at the border, he faces a series of attacks from Nie Qianyu.

Song He is defeated and dies at the border. When the news of Song He’s death reaches the capital, Lido, Liu Rumeng chooses to follow Song He to the underworld, ending her life with a white silk…

……

Due to the collapse of the world line, the Main God had no choice but to send Song Xuyi once again.

As for the identity of the body Song Xuyi occupies this time, the Main God adheres to the principle that a higher status makes things easier, thus arranging a rather prominent identity for Song Xuyi—the older half-sister of Song He, the Eldest Princess of Lishui Country.

Song Xuyi’s arrival in this timeline is neither too early nor too late, just the second year after Song He comes to the Lishui Country as a hostage.

This body remains a cannon fodder character in the plot summary.

Because the Lishui Country has been wealthy and economically developed for generations, a preference for dressing up and admiring beauties gradually formed among the nobility. Like many girls of marriageable age in Lishui, the original owner of this body also fell for Nie Qianyu at first sight, who was as graceful as orchids and bright as the moon. Although Nie Qianyu was cold and aloof at the time, he was just an imperial hostage that anyone could step on. Holding a high position and wielding great power, the original owner disregarded public criticism and took Nie Qianyu into her own palace.

The original owner treated Nie Qianyu extremely well, wholeheartedly hoping to cultivate their feelings and have Nie Qianyu become her Prince Consort, taking Nie Qianyu with her wherever she went. Later, while following the original owner on a hunting trip, Nie Qianyu was bitten by a poisonous snake while protecting the Emperor. Grateful for his life-saving grace, and with the original owner speaking well of him, the Emperor bestowed a residence for Nie Qianyu to move out of the palace and arranged a job for him in document restoration.

Moving into the mansion gifted by the Emperor, Nie Qianyu began to recite poetry and engage in literary exchanges, immersing himself in books and paintings day by day. Coupled with his captivating appearance, he soon became the “Number One Scholar” that all the noble ladies flocked to.

Everyone was blinded by the facade Nie Qianyu displayed, thinking he had lost all political ambition. After all, people from the Wu Country are known for their bravery and prowess in battle; who would have thought their Crown Prince would become obsessed with literature and arts all day? Moreover, Nie Qianyu’s physique wasn’t like the traditional men of Wu Country – tall and burly; he was slim and slender, more resembling the traditional scholars of Lishui Country.

News of the Wu Country changing their Crown Prince meant Nie Qianyu became an abandoned son. Seemingly in fear of attracting trouble, Nie Qianyu began to close his doors and seldom went outside. However, his dazzling appearance still caused him a lot of trouble. Regardless of the original owner’s intentions, which were known to all, the folly of lust still led to many noble ladies fighting over him in fits of jealousy.

Who would have thought this abandoned Crown Prince, who seemed destined to be a Prince Consort, harbored ambitions to unify the two countries in his heart? And that he would be the one to ignite the lingering war between the two countries later on?

Fortunately, things haven’t developed to that point yet.

……

After receiving the information, Song Xuyi made plans for her life in this world and opened her eyes.

At this time, Nie Qianyu was twelve years old, and the body Song Xuyi was in was eleven.

In recent years, the Wu Country has been extremely weak due to the foolishness of its ruler. A few years ago, voices in the Lishui Country suggested attacking the Wu Country. Sensing his vulnerable position, the ruler of Wu promptly sent envoys to Lishui, offering a large tribute of jewels, horses, and weapons, and sent his Crown Prince, Nie Qianyu, to be a hostage.

No one knows how Nie Qianyu spent his first few years in Lishui, as it seemed he only appeared in public when he turned fifteen.

On the day of the triennial imperial examination celebration, many noble ladies gathered beside the imperial bulletin board hoping to choose a husband from among the successful candidates. A supremely young man, dressed in white and seeking knowledge from the top scholar, spoke eloquently of the “Talents of Lido”. His somewhat youthful and reserved appearance captured the hearts of nearly all the noble ladies present.

Fortunately, Nie Qianyu, who in the future will sweep across the lands with just his face, is currently just a small carrot head living in a secluded palace.

Song Xuyi intends to first check on Nie Qianyu’s situation. If she can take care of this troublemaker, everything that follows will be much smoother.

“I want to go out for a walk.”

Song Xuyi, acting upon her thoughts, reckoned that the temperature outside had cooled down with the arrival of dusk. She immediately stood up and commanded the two palace maids beside her.

Hearing Song Xuyi speak, one maid immediately rushed out of the room in a fluster, followed by a procession entering, carrying fans, towels, food, toys, and other items, lining up behind Song Xuyi. A palanquin was already waiting at the door.

After years of development, the Lishui Country had powerful clans deeply rooted within it. The Emperor, eager to curb these clans’ power and prevent the state from falling into their hands, had only a few offspring despite the many concubines in his palace—three sons and one daughter. The sons were all born to women of relatively low status, while the sole daughter, Song Xuyi, was born to the Empress, who came from the most prestigious clan.

Despite the mutual wariness between the Emperor and the clans, they all adored Song Xuyi. With the additional favoritism from the Empress, Song Xuyi enjoyed unparalleled adoration in the palace, even overshadowing the Crown Prince, Song He.

However, Song Xuyi herself had a rather difficult temperament, making those around her tread lightly in fear.

Sighing internally, Song Xuyi looked around at the silent group of servants and didn’t rush to change her original harsh persona. She boarded her carriage and began to travel grandly around the palace. As word of Song Xuyi’s outing spread, the palace servants promptly made themselves scarce, leaving the roads she passed eerily deserted.

This made the journey rather tough for the two eunuchs leading the way.

Song Xuyi seemed to wander aimlessly but was subconsciously making her way toward Nie Qianyu’s residence. As they proceeded, the surroundings became increasingly desolate, with ruins and overgrown weeds beginning to appear. The two eunuchs had to push aside branches and leaves to make way for those following.

The two eunuchs were trembling, fearing punishment from Song Xuyi if they were too slow, and were sweating profusely. At that moment, they saw a youth dressed in black, who was repairing a wall, and naturally assumed him to be a young eunuch from the Cold Palace. So, they called out, “Hey there, come over and give us a hand!”

A flock of sparrows flew up from the wall, and the figure in black seemed to freeze for a moment before slowly walking over to Song Xuyi, silently helping the two eunuchs clear the weeds.

The figure in black was youthful, around 1.5 meters tall, and looked quite frail.

Song Xuyi had completely lost her way in this area and, thinking that the figure in black might know the way around, asked, “Do you know where that hostage from Wu Country lives? They brought some unsalted fruit from Wu Country that’s delicious, and I want to ask him if there’s any left.”

The shadowy figure paused in his actions.

“The Princess is asking you a question! Have you gone mute?” the eunuch beside him started to bluster again.

“I am Nie Qianyu from the Wu Country.”

The shadowy figure fell silent for a moment, then turned around, lifting his head to bow respectfully towards Song Xuyi: “I have seen the Princess…”

Song Xuyi’s eyes widened, not expecting Nie Qianyu to be right in front of her, and what surprised Song Xuyi even more was Nie Qianyu’s appearance—

The sunset spread orange light across the sky, coating Nie Qianyu in a layer of golden sheen. The young man in black, with slightly messy hair, stood straight. His features were so delicate they were beyond criticism; his eyes seemed to have crushed stars in them. Especially the red mole at the corner of his eye added an indescribable beauty to him, making him appear exquisitely androgynous…

Song Xuyi somewhat understood why the original owner was always chasing after Nie Qianyu! Before seeing Nie Qianyu, Song Xuyi never imagined someone could be this handsome!

And looking at the surroundings, Nie Qianyu’s living conditions must be very poor…

No wonder the later Nie Qianyu would attack the Lishui Country!

Song Xuyi knew that people in the palace tend to bully the weak and fear the strong, and guessed that Nie Qianyu’s days in the palace were not easy. However, she didn’t expect Nie Qianyu’s situation to be so bad that he had to repair the wall himself…

From being a beloved Crown Prince to falling to this state, Song Xuyi put herself in his shoes and thought, if it were her, she probably would have been unable to bear it…

Fortunately, Nie Qianyu hadn’t been here long, so there was still time for her to make amends.

“The unsalted fruit only grows once a year and is extremely difficult to preserve. I don’t have much left here, so Princess has made a trip for nothing…” Nie Qianyu, neither humble nor arrogant, bowed again towards Song Xuyi.

Yet, Song Xuyi laughed.

“It wasn’t for nothing,” facing Nie Qianyu’s slightly puzzled eyes, Song Xuyi’s eyes curved into crescents. She smiled very happily. Amidst the exclamations of the eunuchs and palace maids, she hopped down from her palanquin, quickly ran to Nie Qianyu’s side, and took his hand: “I found a handsome young man.”

“Prince Nie, come back to the palace with me! From now on, I will take care of you…”

Song Xuyi made up her mind to keep Nie Qianyu by her side, to personally oversee his education, to spoil him with good food and wine. Song Xuyi didn’t believe that Nie Qianyu would become like the dark and vengeful character described in the original plot summary!

The author has something to say:

Xiaonie’s real name is Nie Qianyu.

Xuyi does not know she is a girl, so ‘he’ is used instead.

LP: Re-translated on March 27, 2024

Real name – 聶千語

Fake name – 聶千煜

Both are translated to English as “Nie Qianyu”.