Disclaimer: This is an MTL translation that has been edited to make the story flow smoothly which may cause the translation to not be 100% accurate. The Chinese novel: Abused Female Lead And Beautiful Villainess is not owned by me. This is only a fan translation by Idiot Goggle Translations.
Chapter 8: Are You A Princess? The Kind With A Ruined Reputation
"Is it really hopeless?"
He Xiyan visited Shen Wan several times. He saw how she laid on her bed, sick and dying, not even having the strength to open her eyes. He couldn't help but ask Doctor Liu again.
Doctor Liu shifted his face into a sullen expression and showed the image of a man in the midst of suffering and helplessness. Internally, he was particularly annoyed. Why didn't the princess "die" faster instead of "die" slowly? It was torture.
"Yes, Your Highness, there really is no way. Didn't Doctor Chen come before and said that it was hopeless as well?"
He Xiyan only wanted to ask. He looked at Shen Wan and it didn't seem like she could be saved. He unconsciously asked since Shen Wan was eventually going to die because of him. It really made him have complicated feelings.
When he came to the bed, he purposely lowered his voice, "If you have any wishes that you can no longer do, I will help you achieve it." After Shen Wan dies, he'll be relieved. Shen Wan's death can only bring good to him, not harm.
He didn't like Shen Wan and even hated the other woman. The poison in Shi'er's body was related to Shen Wan's mother, so he couldn't tolerate her. Most importantly, the other woman currently occupies the position he needs for Shi'er. So once she's dead, it'd be fine. If she has any last requests and it's within his ability, then he'll help her.
"No." she said.
This surprised He Xiyan greatly. With Shen Wan's feelings for him, he'd thought that the other woman would put forward excessive conditions before her end. But seeing her with her eyes closed and not wanting to speak at all, he hesitated and left. Once Shen Wan is dead, then she's dead. No one would be able to stand between him and Shi'er.
Two days later, Princess Wan died.
Her departure did not cause any disturbance to the Imperial City. In the eyes of many people, she had no sense of existence.
However, the emperor felt a little uncomfortable when he heard about this. For several days, he barely had the appetite to eat. Although He Qingning noticed this, she didn't dare tell the truth.
Her participation for the crown with her brothers was already stretching her father's tolerance for her. If she were too brazen with her actions, she might provoke her father's wrath.
She had no intention of telling the emperor about Shen Wan.
After Shen Wan was led out of the palace by He Qingning's people, she moved directly to a house purchased by He Qingning in the Imperial City. As for her face, it was easy enough to disguise. Upon closer look, she may still be somewhat similar to her original identity, but people who are familiar with her will soon find out that there's a difference between the two. What's more, her name now is He Wan. He Qingning's close confidant: A cold and ruthless woman who knows martial arts.
"Your Highness, I'm not that kind of person." Finally, after waiting for everyone to leave, Shen Wan could rub the stiffness from her face. "You could make me smile all day and it would've been fine, but to make me be so cold like this, isn't it just torture?"
"Pretending to be cold will make it harder for anyone to discover you. There are still many people who know you. I want you to keep pretending, so no one will believe that you're the third princess. Remember that you are He Wan now. You have to be a cold and ruthless person to everyone except me. Do you understand?"
So, except for you, I'm not supposed to care about anyone else?
Shen Wan thought for a moment before she smiled and nodded quickly, "Okay, since you said so, I will try."
"There's no trying, you must do it. From today onward, I will let people know that I have a companion named He Wan. You are not allowed to reveal this secret. Is that clear?"
"Yes, yes, yes. I will absolutely not reveal it."
He Qingning was in a good mood, she said, "Quickly put away your expressions and show me your cold face."
Shen Wan: The little princess' taste is really a bit troublesome. She actually likes to look at her cold face.
Well, since the little princess likes this kind of fun, I'll just go along with it as long as she's happy.
Shen Wan withdrew her smile, her small face turning severe, and her expression serious. The light in her eyes also disappeared in that moment and only a cold presence can be felt from time to time. He Qingning was surprised to see it.
She didn't expect that Shen Wan could act like this. It was as if this cold Shen Wan was real.
"Smile." He Qingning was a bit disturbed and couldn't help but demand this. It was so strange to see her so cold and indifferent.
Shen Wan grinned quickly, her smile spread across her face. This look was more familiar, so He Qingning was relieved, "Good, good. You should practice more in the future. When there are people around, you are He Wan."
"Understood. In front of you, I'm able to smile, right?" Shen Wan leaned her body over the table, looking at He Qingning with a smile on her face, "I'll listen to you. Now that we're on the same boat, there's no going back."
"Yes, you can only smile in front of me."
And only listen to her.
He Qingning glanced at the pretty face close to her. Those clever eyes were really attractive. When Shen Wan obediently agreed to her, her heart was racing hard and she didn't know why.
"I have already sent someone to take care of Hong Zhu."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Shen Wan smiled in thanks. He Qingning turned her gaze away from that fair and beautiful face.
"In three days, we will set out. We may encounter many risks along the way."
"Don't be afraid, Your Highness, I will protect you." Shen Wan raised her small fist and said with a frown, "I am the cold and ruthless, most powerful He Wan whose mission is to protect the Royal Princess."
He Qingning let out an amused huff. She smiled and took a sip of tea. "You must also protect yourself. I hope that it will be the two of us together in the end." At first, she had only been fascinated by Shen Wan's skills and intelligence. Her interest made her want to bring this woman full of secrets and extraordinary skills into her side. Now, it seems that her heart is steering her in a different direction.
"Your Highness, give me a day to prepare. I have to make arrangements with the businesses I have in the Imperial City."
"Go ahead."
He Qingning thought of the list of establishments she found and mentally calculated the number of customers going in and out of them each day. She pursed her lips. Shen Wan is indeed very powerful. It's not hard to imagine the amount of hand cramps the other woman gets after counting so much money. ¹
At the same time, at the crown prince's mansion, a steward was helping Shen Shi take inventory of Shen Wan's dowry. Looking at such a desolate place with only boxes full of rags, Shen Shi's face flushed in anger. ²
"Steward, is this really my sister's dowry?" Shen Shi could not believe that this is the same dowry that she's been thinking about this whole time.
Shen Wan was a daughter of the General's Mansion. Both the general and his wife were very fond of her. He had prepared a huge amount of dowry for her early on and since she was endorsed by the emperor, he also added more to it, which made her really jealous.
Shen Wan is now dead. As her sister, she came to make a tally of Shen Wan's leftover property, naturally thinking of possessing her sister's dowry. She never imagined that so many of the boxes here contained only useless things.
"Second Lady Shen, these items are truly the dowry of the princess. There's no mistaking it. Since the third princess entered the palace, these are all the things that have been placed in the storage under the princess' courtyard. Nobody has touched anything."
"What about Hong Zhu? I remember that Hong Zhu was my sister's personal maid. Would she have taken my sister's dowry after she passed away?" Shen Shi said in disbelief at this situation.
The steward shook his head, "I personally sent Hong Zhu away. She was crying very sadly and only brought her own clothes. None would dare touch even a single piece of silver owned by a royal family member."
Shen Shi bit her lip, "I remember that there are establishments under my sister's name. What about the ledger for them?" Those shops and their locations are very good and the monthly entry was very eye-catching.
The manager also remembered this and quickly found the account book.
Shen Shi snatched it immediately and eagerly looked into it. When she found that the shops had been sold to others, she viciously ground her teeth. Her left hand clenched forcefully, her nails dug deeply into the palm of her hand. Her eyes burned red at the thought of Shen Wan being so wasteful. She actually sold all of the shops under her name.
The shops had such good locations and she actually sold it! ! If their father was still alive, he would certainly regret giving Shen Wan such good businesses.
Then, when she read the records of every expense in the past, she almost tore up the ledger.
On the sixth day of May, she heard that a dozen young beggars were living in a broken-down temple. She felt pity and couldn't bear the thought of this. She asked Hong Zhu to sell some of her dowry. A total of 1,200 silver was used to repair the broken-down temple and provide food for the young beggars. She did this hoping that it'll give them a good start at life.
On May 13th, she heard that an orphan and a widow came to the Imperial City to find her husband. The road was affected by severe winds and freezing temperatures. They arrived only to find out from her husband's friend that he died six months ago. The friend was in dire straits, so they couldn't help the orphan and widow. She felt pity for them, so she told Hong Zhu to sell another part of her dowry to buy them a small house to settle in. The child was extremely intelligent and he may be a good investment in the future. She spent more money to send him to school and paid in advance for ten years.
On May 20th...
Shen Shi went through all of the pages in the ledger and almost had a conniption. The steward observed Shen Shi's behavior with a little surprise. Isn't Second Lady Shen's complexion not looking so well? What exactly was written in the account book?
Shen Shi wanted to scream like crazy. Shen Wan really was a prodigal woman. What was wrong with her? She sold all of her dowry and shops just to help the poor. Judging from the ledger, when Shen Wan died there was nothing left.
Shen Wan, she really did this.
This really pissed her off! ! !
Shen Shi still had some sense and sent someone to verify what was recorded in the ledger. She found that there was no discrepancy with the records. A few days ago, a ruined temple was repaired, an orphan and widow came to Imperial City to find someone, and the child really is intelligent. He had already entered the school and is very popular in the academy. She also asked in secret and there was a mysterious benefactor who paid for the child's tuition for ten years.
It was so annoying.
He Xiyan inadvertently heard about this. It was a surprise to know that Shen Wan donated all of her dowry.
Seeing Shen Shi's face not looking so great, he couldn't help but ask what was wrong.
Shen Shi only hung her head and said, "I didn't expect my sister to be so kind. She helped so many people, but in the end, she was not fortunate enough to recover. My prince, I am just angry. I'm angry because if she was so good, why wasn't she good enough to take care of herself?"
He Xiyan was a little uneasy. The third princess did take care of herself, but he drank a bowl of her blood and deprived her of life. There's no other way to explain it. How else can a good person die so suddenly?
"Little turnip heads."
"Sis Wan Wan?" ³
Shen Wan shushed and whispered, "Remember, there will be no Sis Wan Wan anymore. There's only Sis He Wan now. You guys recognize me, right?"
Looking at these children with puffy, red eyes, they must have recognized her enough to cry for her.
"I'm planning on something big right now, but there are still things that I value here in Imperial City. I need your help to keep watch for me."
"Sis Wan Wan, don't worry, we will definitely keep an eye on the shops you care about so they don't lose money."
"We know Sis Wan Wan likes to count the silver. Every time we see you sitting in the temple and counting them you look so happy. Watching you be so happy also makes us happy."
188: Pfft. The impression of her loving money has really dug into the hearts of these kids.
The host is really greedy for money. Even knowing that the money in this world can't be taken away, she still can't help but indulge in it. I'm really curious about where she spent all of her real money. It's not like she's raising a little spawn of her own.
Now that the discussion was over, Shen Wan left with reluctant eyes of little children aimed at her back.
This time, she went to a fabric store. A woman saw the token she presented and quickly invited her into the house. Soon after, she came out and went to many other places.
Shen Wan's movements were transparent to He Qingning. She was really perplexed why Shen Wan laid low within the Royal Family. In such a short amount of time, she's caused so many major events. Every night, she doesn't sleep. She goes out to collect people. None of the people she found were stupid and she made use to all of them. It was also because of this that she decided to lure Shen Wan to her boat.
Shen Wan finished arranging everything and returned to He Qingning's residence.
A whole body bonelessly collapsed on the settee. He Qingning was sitting on the side and flipping through a book, "Boss Shen had such a busy day, huh?"
"It's not bad. After all, it's an industry that I was lucky enough to hit hard. All I have to do is cry and get it over with." ⁴ Shen Wan opened her eyes and said, "Today, I said so many words in one breath that it really made my tongue dry."
He Qingning poured a glass of water and sent it over, "Get up. Drink some water and hydrate your throat."
Shen Wan got up with a backflip and held the cup in both hands. She looked at He Qingning with a pair of smiling eyes, "Your Royal Highness, you are such a considerate girl. The person chosen to marry you... Bah! Whoever you marry will be very happy."
Shen Wan: It must be me! ! !
If He Qingning dared to like other bastards, she'll punch through that bastard's head with one punch!
"Have a good day's rest and we'll leave the day after." He Qingning was used to Shen Wan's flattery. When she saw her drink the water in one gulp, she simply brought over the tea pot and refilled it for her.
Shen Wan drank many cups in a row and the teapot had bottomed out. Despite the teapot being empty, she still bashfully stretched her cup over for more.
He Qingning put the teapot aside and laughed, "You're going to make me get up."
"It's rare to drink tea that's poured by you."
He Qingning glanced at Shen Wan's bulging belly, her eyes looking very amused, "You're full of water. Will you still be able to eat later?"
"I can eat."
If Her Highness serves her actual food, she'd rather die.
He Qingning found that Shen Wan's gaze was getting more and more unscrupulous. The meaning of it caused her to get a little flustered.
She put away her smiled and brushed a hand on Shen Wan's face, "We'll be going back to the palace in a moment. Get your cold façade up."
As soon as the words fell, Shen Wan's face became rigid and a flash of ice could be seen in her eyes. It was truly a masterpiece capable of deceiving people.
He Qingning brought Shen Wan to the Imperial Palace. She Wan looked very serious along the way. The people they passed were already used to it. He Qingning had such a frigid court lady. They heard that she was a master martial artist and the princess was going on a tour. They already knew and they didn't care. The emperor pampered the princess and for them, it was harmless.
Once they were back at He Qingning's residence, He Qingning suddenly noticed that there was something wrong with Shen Wan. She quickly summoned a servant before asking, "What's wrong?"
"I drank too much water. I... can't hold it anymore!!"
He Qingning: "..."
188: "..." What a sight.
To be continued...
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¹T/N: Okay, I finally figured out that it really was LITERALLY counting money instead of an expression. Not reading ahead is definitely a disadvantage here.
²T/N: The MTL translation here is "green face". After finally urging myself to search it and not just base it on English expressions which could mean sick, jealous, and/or disgusted, I found out that in Chinese expression, being green in the face is actually being man or angry. Hahahaha.
³T/N: For what the children used for Shen Wan's nickname, I decided to make an altercation for it. The translation for her first nickname is basically "Jiejie BendBend" and the other is "EveningEvening Jiejie". Both 'Bend' and 'Evening' means 'Wan' and the position of the word 'Jiejie' is different. So the nicknames would be "Sis Wan Wan" and "Wan Wan Sis". In English, there's not much of a difference, so I made "Wan Wan Sis" to "Sis He Wan" instead.
⁴T/N: Here the MTL says "cry and do it". I changed it to "smile and endure it", then I changed it to "cry and get it over with" which sounds much more similar.
T/N: I kinda felt bad for getting sucked into my petty desires and delaying the last update, so I made sure to get this through as fast as possible. I'll probably do the same with the next chapter.
T/N2: Once I finish this, I'll most likely take them down from the site. I only started posting this since I was going to edit the MTL anyway and wanted my friends to discuss the chapters with me.