Blame the Villain – Chapter 74

Villainous Crown Prince (16)

Nie Qianyu didn’t know what was going on with herself.

The girl in front of her looked pretty and well-behaved, but she was full of nonsense: clearly a princess but pretending to be a dancer, clearly recognizing herself but pretending not to know…

If according to her usual self, such a seemingly sinister person would not see the sun the next day.

However, this time, Nie Qianyu looked at the appearance of the young girl, but there was no annoyance in her heart.

There was some anger and some amusement in her heart, but at the same time, it was filled with a curious interest to see how she would act…

However, Nie Qianyu had already received the information she wanted this evening.

Nie Qianyu did not lie; she had indeed lost her memory.

A few years ago, she woke up to find herself lying in the prince’s bedroom, her mind blank.

The empress sitting by her bedside told her that she was the empress’s daughter. To secure their future, they had been disguised as a prince. Not long ago, she had been bitten by a snake, the venom entering her brain, causing her memory loss.

The empress appeared very loving, but from the depths of her heart, Nie Qianyu inexplicably remained wary of the empress. Nevertheless, she did not express her true feelings and continued to deceive the empress.

After the empress left, during the night, the animals revealed the truth to Nie Qianyu: Prince Nie Qianyu was indeed bitten by a snake, but it was Nie Qianyu who released the snake. Nie Qianyu originally intended to cause chaos in the court of Wu Country by poisoning Prince Nie Qianyu, but unexpectedly, Prince Nie Qianyu indulged in decadence, draining himself, and did not survive the snake venom. Nie Qianyu also did not expect that the empress, fearing instability after Prince Nie Qianyu’s death, went to Lishui Country, captured Nie Qianyu back, used medicine to erase her memory, and then had Nie Qianyu continue to impersonate Prince Nie Qianyu and become the prince…

This was a golden opportunity presented on a silver platter.

Nie Qianyu seized the opportunity, deceiving the empress by pretending to trust her completely while secretly building up power under the guise of the prince, recruiting talents and amassing influence…

Developing influence required finances, and Nie Qianyu initially had no money.

At this time, the animals informed her that hidden in the two hairpins in her luggage was a treasure map. They said that these two hairpins were a gift from a girl named Song Xuyi, whom she had been very close to, like sisters.

In her heart, Nie Qianyu had no impression of these two hairpins. It was the first time Nie Qianyu had heard the name Song Xuyi, but at that time, Nie Qianyu scoffed at the idea of being as close as sisters with Song Xuyi: Nie Qianyu was acutely aware of her own personality, knowing she could never get close to others in this lifetime, especially someone from the royal family.

Nie Qianyu believed that the whole thing was probably an illusion she fabricated in order to deceive the princess named Song Xuyi for the hairpins. She quickly cast aside the name.

Following the treasure map, Nie Qianyu found the treasure, used the money to improve the livelihood of the people, recruited talent, and soon strengthened Wu Country. She sidelined the emperor, put the empress under house arrest, firmly holding the power of Wu Country in her hands.

It should have been a time of pride and joy, yet Nie Qianyu found that deep within herself, she seemed to no longer feel any happiness, as if a crack had suddenly opened in her chest, with only cold winds swirling around.

Nie Qianyu felt as though she had forgotten something very important—

She began to suffer from insomnia night after night, and once asleep, there was always a woman with an indistinguishable face in her dreams.

With that woman, she felt joy like never before, traveling far and wide with her, witnessing her shine like the sun upon all things, loved by everyone. Meanwhile, she trailed behind the woman, feeling as lowly as a worm, only able to dream of embracing the sun in her arms.

Most of the time in her dreams, she committed all sorts of outrageous, improper acts with that woman, beyond all norms and dignity.

Nie Qianyu found it absurd: as she dressed as a man to be the prince, there were many women who desired to climb into bed with her. Among them were exquisite women, but she felt no pity for them. She not only lacked any desire in that regard, but even felt repulsed by their touch.

Nie Qianyu thought she was going mad, which is why she imagined a woman with an indistinguishable face who did not exist.

Nie Qianyu didn’t want to be controlled by the emotions in her dreams, so she began consciously trying not to fall asleep, but that was just self-deception.

She started drawing unconsciously, recording every detail with the woman from her dreams…

She had two messenger birds that had been with her for a long time, and when they saw her drawings, they told her: she was drawing Song Xuyi.

This was the second time Nie Qianyu had heard the name Song Xuyi.

The messenger birds unexpectedly held Song Xuyi in high regard, describing Song Xuyi as genuinely warm and kind, like the sun.

Is there really a woman in real life like the one in her dreams?

Nie Qianyu began to intentionally and unintentionally inquire about this princess.

The information she gathered was complex. The most widespread rumor was that Song Xuyi, due to her disappearance, never married and eventually became an old maid. In some rumors, the princess named Song Xuyi was depicted as licentious, forcing people into her service. In other rumors, Song Xuyi was likened to a bodhisattva reincarnated, helping countless peasants thrive in a cannibalistic world…

Since Nie Qianyu had animals acting as spies, she knew more:

For instance, the scandalous rumors about Song Xuyi were spread by the emperor of Lishui Country. The emperor of Lishui Country relied on and deeply feared the aristocrats. His previous fondness for his daughter was all pretense, crafted to placate the aristocracy.

In the depths of his heart, the emperor of Lishui Country abhorred his daughter, born of noble lineage. He had even secretly advised the crown prince, Li He, that in the future, when Li He ascended to the throne, if the time was right to strike at the nobles, he could use Song Xuyi as the lever—

The emperor never expected that Song Xuyi would change overnight, even assisting the Wang family in solidifying their position.

The emperor’s hatred extended to Song Xuyi, and he could no longer feign a caring father’s appearance, now deliberately tarnishing Song Xuyi’s reputation.

……

And what was the story between herself and Song Xuyi?

Based on the information she had obtained, Nie Qianyu pieced together the true nature of the situation bit by bit, which was utterly different from the rumors: she was the one who had stirred the emotions between them.

But how could that be possible?

Upon learning that Song Xuyi had never given up on searching for her all these years, Nie Qianyu suddenly felt the urge to meet Song Xuyi.

However, Song Xuyi, being the princess confined by the emperor to the palace, was practically unreachable for her in the short term…

What if Lishui Country ceases to exist as a nation?

As long as she became the emperor of Lishui Country, she could then go see Song Xuyi…

The idea of attacking Lishui Country was incredibly strong, lingering in Nie Qianyu’s mind over the years.

Nie Qianyu didn’t know why she suddenly had this idea. Clearly, according to what the animals said, she had only been focused on seeking revenge and possibly destroying the Wu Country, never considering leading both countries.

However, Nie Qianyu had always been a decisive person. Since this idea emerged, Nie Qianyu had secretly started preparing for the attack on Lishui Country ever since becoming the crown prince.

After stabilizing and strengthening the country from within, Nie Qianyu launched the war according to the plan…

The war unfolded just as Nie Qianyu had anticipated, with victory over Lishui Country now within reach. However, Nie Qianyu did not expect Song Xuyi to appear on the front lines, let alone plot an assassination against her…

Filled with immense rage, Nie Qianyu refrained from killing Song Xuyi, aware that Song Xuyi was seeking her out. Upon learning that Song Xuyi had infiltrated the envoy team heading to Wanhua City, Nie Qianyu intentionally delayed the envoy team for a while, secretly observing Song Xuyi from the sidelines for a long time…

The young girl fanning herself shrank into a corner, barely visible unless closely examined. Seeming unfamiliar with being exposed, she kept discreetly adjusting her clothes. Oblivious to how her flushed cheeks and delicate posture were enticing, Nie Qianyu’s gaze couldn’t help but drift towards the girl’s slim waist, almost wishing to gouge out the eyes of anyone else who caught sight of it!

Nie Qianyu suddenly realized: she did not want the young girl to leave.

Therefore, Nie Qianyu made a last-minute change to the plan and arranged things differently, eventually appearing at the banquet late, with a graceful entry.

She noticed the young girl’s gaze constantly drifting towards her face, realizing the girl had come because she couldn’t let go of her. Delighted by this, Nie Qianyu purposely adopted a cold and distant demeanor to intrigue the envoy party, then specifically instructed for Song Xuyi to handle the gardening in her palace.

Upon hearing news of the emperor making things difficult for Song Xuyi, Nie Qianyu even entertained thoughts of patricide…

Fortunately, Song Xuyi remained unharmed.

Given the girl’s charm, it might not be safe for her to tend the plants, so Nie Qianyu had her brought to her own chambers.

She deliberately shed her usual disguise, dressed in nightclothes, reverted to a girlish appearance, and appeared before Song Xuyi, who showed no surprise at all.

So, Song Xuyi indeed knew she was a woman…

Nie Qianyu deliberately probed Song Xuyi’s various responses, observing them all closely. In the end, she confirmed her speculation: Song Xuyi truly held no other feelings for her.

However, since she could stir her emotions, how could she let Song Xuyi walk away unscathed?

She mentioned the amnesia incident to Song Xuyi, hoping to tempt her into confessing their past, but she never expected Song Xuyi to go along with it, pretending to be a stranger in their interaction…

Nie Qianyu felt impatient inside but couldn’t express the reason for her anger to Song Xuyi. She could only drink without a change in expression. She was surprised at her own lack of composure, as Song Xuyi’s advise to sleep early made her happy again. The incident where Song Xuyi fell asleep due to inhaling sleeping incense struck her as both humorous and absurd…

Song Xuyi was completely unaware that, in Nie Qianyu’s mind, those two lamps had taken on faces upon seeing her. Nie Qianyu, gazing at the lamps, suddenly understood her dream: with Song Xuyi by her side, even mundane occurrences would become enjoyable.

……

The brilliance of the night pearl filled the room as Nie Qianyu carefully outlined Song Xuyi’s face. She couldn’t help but feel joy every time she looked at that face, as if she had received her favorite toy. She playfully pinched Song Xuyi’s cheek, rubbed her arms, and recalled Song Xuyi’s night of deception, which made her lips curl involuntarily—

“You little liar!” She lifted Song Xuyi and placed her on the bed, watching their intertwined black hair. She felt a void in her heart had finally been filled.

Suddenly, Nie Qianyu felt sleepy. She let out a soft yawn and lay down quietly beside Song Xuyi.

“You’re a little liar trying to deceive me, and I am the grand deceiver of two nations—”

“We should be together…”

The author has something to say:

Changjin Lake is so beautiful, wow~~~

It’s time to set a flag again, nutrients broke 5500, see you on Friday.

Hehe~

LP: Re-translated on April 23, 2024