Blame the Villain – Chapter 60

Villainous Crown Prince (2)

Nie Qianyu seemed unaccustomed to being touched. When Song Xuyi leaned in close, he subtly turned away, saying, “Nie, being of humble origin, does not deserve the princess’s generous affection.”

However, Song Xuyi ignored his polite refusal as if she hadn’t noticed Nie Qianyu’s avoidance. She took a step forward, once again taking Nie Qianyu’s arm, and half-forcing him to walk forward with her, said, “This place really isn’t worthy of you. Come live with me…”

Having learned combat skills in a previous world, Song Xuyi remembered descriptions of Nie Qianyu charging into battle with exceptional martial prowess in later stories. She subtly tested him, yet at this moment, Nie Qianyu seemed not to possess the formidable martial arts skills of his future self. When restrained by Song Xuyi, he seemed unable to break free, only managing to tightly press his lips together in silent endurance—

After noticing this, a genuine smile spread across Song Xuyi’s face.

Onlookers were astounded to see Song Xuyi taking Nie Qianyu’s arm.

This princess was known for her willful and spoiled behavior, often desiring odd and fantastical things, always going to great lengths to get what she wanted. Everyone in the palace indulged her whims, but nobody expected her to impulsively claim a person this time!

It would have been one thing if it were another palace maid or eunuch, but it was quite another since it was a sensitive hostage from an enemy nation, not someone Song Xuyi could simply claim on a whim.

Those serving Song Xuyi wanted to dissuade her, but after seeing Nie Qianyu, she was as if enchanted, refusing even the comfort of her palanquin, bombarding Nie Qianyu with questions, and ultimately leading him directly into her palace!

Her subordinates didn’t dare to stop her on the way, only relieved that Song Xuyi’s notorious reputation meant no one dared to object, anxiously following her back to the palace before quickly sending for reinforcements—going to the central palace to seek the Empress.

Empress Wang, dining at the time, was so shocked to hear her darling daughter had done something as outrageous as bringing a foreign man into the palace to live with her that she lost all appetite and rushed in utmost urgency to her daughter’s palace.

Her daughter who has been causing her headaches all this time, an unprecedented vision of obedience, was squatting on a mat, her eyes smiling as she watched a young man eating before her.

Seeing Empress Wang approaching, Song Xuyi looked up and showed a smile, cheerfully calling out, “Mother.”

When her daughter was younger, she was obedient and adorable. In recent years, for some reason, she has often been sullen and prone to outbursts of temper, mostly cold-faced when meeting her. Empress Wang had not seen her daughter so well-behaved for a long time. At this moment, facing Song Xuyi’s smiling face, Empress Wang was taken aback, and her full heart of anger immediately dissipated by half.

“Xuyi, I heard you’re going to let a hostage from Wu Country live in your palace?”

“There are so many good-looking people in the world,” Empress Wang took a deep breath to soften her voice, squatting in front of Song Xuyi and gently persuading in a low voice: “Xuyi, be good, mother will find you a few more beautiful people to accompany you.”

Song Xuyi did not throw a temper tantrum as Empress Wang had anticipated.

Song Xuyi still wore a smile on her face, turned her head to look at Nie Qianyu, and said with a grin: “Mother, you should take a look at him first.”

Empress Wang followed Song Xuyi’s gaze towards the hostage from Wu Country. After seeing the young man’s flawless beauty, like a sculpted figure, Empress Wang opened her mouth, immediately at a loss for words.

Such a face, suitable for both men and women, exquisitely beautiful to the extreme, was a masterpiece meticulously crafted by the heavens. Perhaps even the heavens would find it challenging to create a second one, let alone finding a few more people more beautiful than him!

No wonder her daughter was utterly captivated.

Empress Wang furrowed her brows.

“Mother, I am serious this time.” Empress Wang once again heard Song Xuyi speaking softly, “After seeing the situation of Prince Nie, I have deeply reflected on my actions. I, your daughter, have lived in a honey jar, committing foolish acts, truly shameful. From now on, I only wish to strive hard together with Prince Nie, to reform myself, to learn to be a princess who takes responsibility, seeking welfare for the people, and to be worthy of the support from the people of Li…”

Empress Wang did not expect Song Xuyi to say such words, looking at Song Xuyi in surprise, even Nie Qianyu, who had been observing from the side, raised his eyes to glance at Song Xuyi.

Even though her daughter’s expression was very sincere, Empress Wang did not really believe that her daughter, who tended to lose interest quickly, had the determination to follow through on her words. After all, what Song Xuyi said was too far-fetched, and in a male-dominated era with the segregation of clans, it would be extremely difficult for Song Xuyi to implement her words. However, the fact that Song Xuyi could say such words already made the Empress very relieved.

Instantly, Empress Wang also developed a bit of a favorable impression toward Nie Qianyu: because of his arrival, her always willful daughter could say such reliable words, perhaps letting Nie Qianyu stay by her daughter’s side was not a bad thing.

“You!”

In the end, the mother, deeply affectionate for her daughter, was persuaded by Song Xuyi. She sighed, her gaze complex as she ruffled Song Xuyi’s head: “I will go to find your father, you must remember the words you have said now…”

As Empress Wang expected, upon hearing Song Xuyi’s request, the Emperor, who was always known for his benevolence, couldn’t help but scold: “She is causing chaos! Which woman has ever dared to be as reckless as her? At such a young age, to dare to keep a man in the palace…”

Empress Wang originally intended to have a good talk with the Emperor, but with such expressions from the Emperor, being a direct daughter of the Wang family, a lineage of glory for generations, Empress Wang was not someone to suffer in silence. She immediately retorted sharply: “What’s wrong, the blood of my Wang family, the only princess of this dynasty, wants a man, so what? Although Prince Nie’s identity is a bit special, between countries, there has never been a lack of political marriages. In ancient times, there were princesses sent to marry beyond the borders as a form of alliance. This time, consider it as the Wu Country sending a prince over for marriage, wouldn’t this even more glorify our country’s prestige?”

“Ridiculous!” Not knowing which sentence enraged the Emperor, he immediately widened his eyes, veins popping on his forehead, his face turning fierce as if he couldn’t wait to devour Empress Wang alive.

Empress Wang was startled by such an outburst from the Emperor. Over the years, despite the Emperor’s control over and reliance on the noble clans, his relationship with Empress Wang wasn’t particularly deep, but he had always been polite and courteous to her. The Emperor, known publicly for his gentle and generous reputation, had never shown such fury before.

Seeing the fear in Empress Wang’s eyes, the Emperor seemed to suddenly realize something.

He abruptly closed his eyes and upon reopening them, the expression in his eyes had changed.

“It was my lapse in demeanor!” the Emperor sighed, his face reclaiming its usual gentle expression: “Xuyi is also my daughter, I wish for her life to be smooth and free from public criticism. There is an old saying, ‘concern leads to chaos’, my impatience led to my outburst…”

“But you are right,” the Emperor took Empress Wang’s hand, a fleeting shimmer in his eyes but a trace of helplessness in his smile: “Since Xuyi likes him, I can only indulge her. Let Nie Qianyu stay in Xuyi’s palace then! However, although the Wu Country is weak, to silence gossip, we shall claim that Prince Nie is suffering from a serious illness, seeking treatment in Xuyi’s palace…”

Listening to the Emperor, who was considering everything for the sake of Xuyi, Empress Wang also let go of the fear in her heart and showed a smile, “Your Majesty is as thoughtful as ever.”

The Emperor smiled as well, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Thus, with the silent approval of the two highest authorities in the palace, Nie Qianyu started living in Song Xuyi’s palace. Somehow, the news of Song Xuyi forcibly taking the hostage from Wu Country leaked, causing a flurry of slanderous rumors and incessant petitions criticizing Song Xuyi, making Empress Wang so angry that she smashed her favorite tea set, and only managed to suppress the rumors with her family’s influence. Song Xuyi’s reputation hit rock bottom among the people for a while.

However, regardless of the turmoil this incident caused outside, life within Song Xuyi’s palace remained tranquil and peaceful.

She indeed seemed to be keeping her word, no longer losing her temper at the palace maids and eunuchs at every turn. She attended classes with Nie Qianyu, listening to lectures from the Imperial Tutor and diligently completing various assignments. When meeting the Emperor and Empress, she always had a smile. Empress Wang, seeing this, was immensely relieved, thinking all changes were thanks to Nie Qianyu. While showing care and rewarding her daughter, she also bestowed generous rewards upon Nie Qianyu.

From the beginning, after realizing that he seemed unable to refuse Song Xuyi, Nie Qianyu behaved extremely accommodatingly. He didn’t get close to anyone, resided in a side hall of Song Xuyi’s palace without any servants of his own, and his smile was uniform towards everyone, fully embodying the image of a cautious and prudent guest under someone else’s roof.

Song Xuyi didn’t know whether he was truly like this or it was all an act, but for the sake of her plan to reform the villain, she diligently engaged Nie Qianyu in scholarly discussions daily. She tried her best to steer the conversations towards the hardships of the common people and their suffering. Although Nie Qianyu listened to Song Xuyi’s talks, he rarely expressed his own views, merely echoing Song Xuyi. She wasn’t sure if he took her words to heart.

The only time Nie Qianyu showed a different side was when interacting with small animals. He seemed to have a great fondness for them; birds in the sky and fish in the pond all managed to capture his attention. As if by nature, animals also became extremely attached to him, clustering around him without any fear.

Seeing Nie Qianyu’s behavior, Song Xuyi was not discouraged, knowing that reforming an villain with already-formed values was not a simple process. Given that Nie Qianyu was now under her control, Song Xuyi temporarily set aside progress in this area, beginning to plan her commercial empire in this world.

To improve the lives of the common people, the prerequisite was to get close to them.

However, a princess confined within the deep palace had no qualification to approach the common folk.

The opportunity Song Xuyi had been waiting for arrived two months later: the fiftieth birthday of the Wang family patriarch — the father of Emepror Wang, was fast approaching. Song Xuyi eagerly volunteered to go back to the Wang family’s ancestral land to celebrate her grandfather’s birthday on behalf of her mother.

The author has something to say:

Turns out…

There are actually little angels who think the double death in the small world isn’t a HE…

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LP: Re-translated on April 02, 2024

The Empress was translated as “Queen Consort” originally but that doesn’t really make sense when the ruler is an Emperor not a King. So, I chose “Empress” instead.

Also, Author really believing the double death is a HE???