Villainous Crown Prince (6)
The first handsome youth flashed a big smile at Song Xuyi and proudly declared his heritage as coming from a family of military generals, listing the achievements of his ancestors from eighteen generations. Then, with a steel spear standing firmly on the ground, Song Xuyi shivered as the young man’s voice boomed like a bell, saying, “I swear lifelong loyalty to the Wang family.”
The third handsome youth was a trained assassin and servant of the Wang family, also possessing sharp features and fair skin. He straightforwardly told Song Xuyi, “My life is bound to the Wang family by contract. I am born of the Wang family, and in death, I shall serve as the Wang family’s ghost!”
……
At this point, after listening to these statements for so long, Song Xuyi, even if slow to understand, realized her grandfather’s arrangement.
In that moment, Song Xuyi found it somewhat ridiculously amusing: indeed, these youths all had distinct styles, and it seemed that her grandfather had put in quite some effort to gather such a diverse group of handsome youths. Refusing them outright would surely hurt the old man’s feelings.
However, it was absolutely unacceptable for Song Xuyi to calmly accept this situation.
These handsome youths seemed like half-grown children in Song Xuyi’s mind. Although in this era, marriage occurred early, these youths were nearing the age of marriage, their gazes towards Song Xuyi lacking any admiration. Their words to Song Xuyi felt more like self-introductions rather than expressions of interest.
Song Xuyi felt troubled, let out a sigh of resignation, and gestured for these handsome youths to settle into various corners of the courtyard. She had previously wondered why there was such a large courtyard arranged for their visit, only now realizing that her grandfather had long made preparations.
“Congratulations, Princess!”
After the youths withdrew, Nie Qianyu approached Song Xuyi, pulled his lips back into a slight smile, and spoke softly, “The entire courtyard is filled with people now, it will surely be lively from now on…”
The Wang family’s estate was built by the lake, and in the summer breeze that gently caressed them, Nie Qianyu carried a scent different from the sweat and incense of the young men. Nie Qianyu’s scent was exceptionally clean and fresh, like the refreshing scent of oranges on a sunny afternoon.
Feeling rejuvenated, Song Xuyi couldn’t help but find the familiar small villain figure more pleasing to her eyes. Unaware of Nie Qianyu’s peculiar tone, she sighed again, “I’m not sure how to accommodate these young gentlemen.”
“Well,” a sudden thought flashed through Song Xuyi’s mind, her eyes sparkling like stars as she looked up at Nie Qianyu and smiled, “Why don’t I offer these young gentlemen to you as subordinates!”
The more Song Xuyi thought about it, the more feasible the idea seemed.
Nie Qianyu was still young, with little power at his disposal. Song Xuyi had considered clipping his wings and keeping him in Lishui Country where he couldn’t go anywhere. However, as they spent time together, Song Xuyi felt a budding friendship between them. Instead of restraining Nie Qianyu, Song Xuyi felt it would be better to lend him a helping hand. After all, Nie Qianyu didn’t seem like an ungrateful person. If he ever decided to attack Lishui Country, she could persuade him to spare the lives of the male and female leads based on their relationship. It didn’t seem like a difficult task.
Nie Qianyu seemed surprised by Song Xuyi’s response, standing frozen in place.
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It was an expression that had never before appeared on Nie Qianyu’s face.
“You are the most important one,” Song Xuyi said with a smile, slipping into her sweet and affectionate tone once more.
Meeting Song Xuyi’s gaze, Nie Qianyu hesitated, his lips pressing together as if he had just realized something. His eyes involuntarily curved upwards, a slow smile forming at the corners of his lips…
Was he… trying not to smile?
However, the light in Nie Qianyu’s eyes dimmed shortly after, and Song Xuyi noticed his attempt to suppress his smile habitually. Acting quickly, she made a funny face at Nie Qianyu, who widened his eyes. In the end, he couldn’t resist and let out a brief laugh—
This fleeting smile was as short-lived as the blooming of a night-blooming cereus, but to Song Xuyi, it felt like a garden of flowers in full bloom, indescribably beautiful.
“You should smile more, Brother Nie,” Song Xuyi earnestly advised Nie Qianyu.
“Princess, do you know what consequences your actions might bring?” Nie Qianyu didn’t heed Song Xuyi’s advice. He seemed slightly irritated by the change in his expression, awkwardly lowered his head, tightened his lips again, and gazed complexly at Song Xuyi. “Aren’t you worried…”
“But you felt happy, didn’t you?” Song Xuyi interrupted Nie Qianyu, stifling a yawn as she stood up and took steps towards the main house where Wang Mian lived. “If you’re happy, I’m happy too—”
Nie Qianyu did not follow Song Xuyi’s strides.
Song Xuyi walked a considerable distance before realizing that Nie Qianyu was still watching her from afar. She turned around and waved, signaling for Nie Qianyu to return to the house.
Nie Qianyu lowered his head, seemingly pondering something, and did not take a step.
Without looking back at him, Song Xuyi continued on to Wang Mian’s main house.
Upon hearing Song Xuyi’s intention to send several young men under Nie Qianyu’s command, Wang Mian’s expression instantly turned extremely shocked. He glanced at Song Xuyi with a complex look in his eyes and sighed softly, “The Wang family has always produced people with deep affections. I never imagined that you, at such a young age, would be so deeply infatuated. My dear granddaughter, you must understand your exalted status; in this world, you can have anything, but your other half should not be spoiled, especially with this Prince of Wu, who attracts so much attention…”
He seemed to want to say something more, but Song Xuyi was prepared and had a maid call for her grandmother. Seeing his wife staring at him wide-eyed, Wang Mian found himself at a loss for words.
Everyone knew that while Wang Mian, the head of the Wang family, feared nothing and no one, he feared his wife.
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The little old man’s beard was bristling with anger, clearly not expecting Song Xuyi to bring his wife in to suppress him. Although he was very protective of his wife, he did not blame Song Xuyi, but instead shifted all his anger onto Nie Qianyu: it was that cursed Prince of Wu who had led his sweet granddaughter astray, causing her to act so out of character!
Under his wife’s narrowed gaze, Wang Mian could only reluctantly grunt and wave his hand, “Fine, do as you wish.” As if remembering something, Wang Mian then stroked his beard and smirked narrowly, “After all, that Prince of Wu of yours might not be able to handle the young men I’m sending over—”
However, Song Xuyi did not delve further into this topic. After finalizing the matter, Song Xuyi asked Wang Mian for a few plots of land, expressing her desire to stay longer in the area to tend to some plants. Wang Mian was delighted to hear this, and the displeasure caused by the Prince of Wu quickly dissipated. He repeated ‘good’ several times and, in front of Song Xuyi, promptly wrote a letter to be sent to Empress Wang, stating that Song Xuyi would be staying in Zhongzhou for one or two years.
Empress Wang yearned day and night for her daughter’s return, but she never expected her father to intercept her own letter, infuriating her to the point of tearing up the missive sent by Wang Mian…
But these are stories for another time.
Now that Song Xuyi had secured the land, she began planting the sweet potato seeds she had collected. Sweet potatoes could be planted twice a year, and it was the perfect season for planting now. After teaching a few servants at the church how to make sweet potatoes sprout and grow vines, how to plant them to yield more sweet potatoes, and how to deal with pests and diseases, Song Xuyi started going out.
Zhongzhou was vast and abundant, with a rich variety of resources. Perhaps she could discover other staple foods.
Through her interactions during this period, Song Xuyi noticed that the people of this era had already discovered many crops growing above the ground, such as rice, wheat, and soybeans, but they had not explored the grains that grew underground.
As expected, good fortune favored Song Xuyi as she delved into the forest for a while and discovered wild potatoes and peanuts in this world. At the same time, she also found spices such as star anise, cinnamon, and pepper. But what excited Song Xuyi the most was finding chili peppers…
Wang Mian originally thought that Song Xuyi’s request for those plots of land was just for fun. He did not expect his granddaughter to actually plant things there and tend to them diligently. However, those plants did not grow tall, their sparse flowers not particularly appealing, and they did not bear fruit even after flowering.
Wang Mian was unsure of the purpose of Song Xuyi planting them, but since his granddaughter liked it, he indulged her. However, he couldn’t help but worry about his fair and delicate granddaughter frequently venturing into the woods, working in the fields personally, and coming back covered in mosquito bites every time…
As Song Xuyi enthusiastically searched for food, Nie Qianyu remained by her side. Strangely enough, whenever Nie Qianyu accompanied her, Song Xuyi’s chances of finding ingredients increased significantly. The mosquitoes that used to bite seemed to decrease in number when he was around, and Song Xuyi was more than happy to have Nie Qianyu accompany her.
As for the young men Song Xuyi had sent under his command, Nie Qianyu seemed to have no intention of supervising them. He simply instructed them not to leave the separate courtyard and to stay obediently within the compound.
However, when the young men practicing martial arts attempted to put itching powder in Nie Qianyu’s bathwater, they were suddenly attacked by a swarm of bees, causing their faces to swell for many days. One of them was so embarrassed that he avoided appearing in front of Song Xuyi for nearly a month;
The son of a civil official argued with Nie Qianyu, who responded with a few cutting words that left the young man crying under his blanket for several days;
A bodyguard threatened Nie Qianyu with a sword to stay away from the princess, but to his misfortune, Song Xuyi appeared just as a beautiful butterfly fluttered past, catching him red-handed…
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……
If one or two people lost face, that could be forgiven, but when several people couldn’t handle Nie Qianyu’s tactics, it became quite peculiar.
Initially, Wang Mian thought Nie Qianyu was all show, but after these trials, he realized Nie Qianyu was deviously cunning and not a suitable match. Combined with Nie Qianyu’s sensitive identity, Wang Mian decided quietly: Nie Qianyu must not stay by his innocent and kind-hearted granddaughter’s side any longer!
And soon, an opportunity presented itself.
The author has something to say:
Xiaonie: Ha, not a single good fighter among them!
LP: Re-translated on April 06, 2024