Abused Female Lead And Beautiful Villainess (Quick Transmigration)

The woman who came to see He Qingning was Madam Xu, Guan Gushan’s wife. It was the season when lotus flowers bloomed in summer, and her purpose was to invite He Qingning to admire them.

“The lotus flowers in Yun Province are truly exceptional. If Your Highness doesn’t mind, you could go see them. In Yun Province, you’ll witness the scene described in the poem: ‘Endless green lotus leaves touch the sky, sun-kissed lotus flowers a unique red.'” Madam Xu kept her head slightly bowed, hands tightly gripping her handkerchief. Before He Qingning could respond, she added, “However, the weather has been terribly hot these past few days. Your Highness’s delicate constitution might not bear it well, so perhaps it’s best not to go.”

Initially, both He Qingning and Shen Wan were suspicious of Madam Xu’s intentions and were about to decline. Unexpectedly, after a moment’s silence, Madam Xu added this caveat. She had come to invite them to view flowers, yet now warned of the scorching weather and He Qingning’s fragile health, advising against the trip.

He Qingning and Shen Wan exchanged glances, then scrutinized Madam Xu carefully before saying, “Very well, let’s go. I’m curious to see if the scenery is truly as you describe.”

At these words, Madam Xu’s body trembled. She instinctively looked up, then quickly lowered her gaze again. “Your Highness, these days are the peak of summer heat…”

“It’s no matter. There should be cool pavilions for viewing the lotus, right? A waterside pavilion won’t be too hot. If it were truly that hot, surely the flowers themselves couldn’t withstand it.”

He Qingning insisted on going, while Madam Xu seemed reluctant for her to do so. Yet Madam Xu had come to extend the invitation despite her apparent misgivings. This was quite telling. It was precisely for this reason that He Qingning decided to accept.

Madam Xu left, visibly disappointed. Upon returning to her chambers, she was intercepted by Guan Gushan. “Is it done?”

“Y-Yes… it’s done. Her Highness has agreed to go the day after tomorrow,” Madam Xu replied, her face pale.

Guan Gushan was elated. He grabbed Madam Xu and embraced her tightly, dragging her into the inner chamber despite her reluctance. Could she resist? No. She had been forcibly married to Guan Gushan, and the father-son duo controlled all of Yun Province. How could she escape? For the sake of her family, she had no choice but to comply.

“Your Highness, you agreed to that without consulting me,” Shen Wan said after Madam Xu left, her usually stoic face showing disapproval. “What if they have some nefarious plot? You’d be walking right into their trap.”

He Qingning grasped Shen Wan’s wrist. “Make a fist.”

Shen Wan complied.

“I trust in your little fists. Didn’t you say you could smash the heads of villains with a single punch?” He Qingning said with a smile.

Though secretly pleased by her wife’s praise of her prowess, Shen Wan was still unhappy about her agreeing to go with potential wrongdoers. Even if Madam Xu seemed to have hidden motives, no matter how significant, nothing was more important than her little princess’s safety.

“Look at Yun Province now. Doesn’t it seem that the people are living in peace and prosperity, with no apparent faults?” He Qingning inquired.

Shen Wan sighed and said quietly, “Fine, I understand Your Highness wants to draw the snake out of its hole, to catch them in their mistakes, right?”

“Exactly. We need a pretext to bring things to light. We’ve gathered most of the evidence against Guan Yujing. Because it’s me who came, he’s lowered his guard considerably. Add to that the fact that I’ve been in Yun Province for nearly ten days, occasionally touring the city with my retinue but showing no interest in other matters, and he’s become even less vigilant. This has made it easier for our undercover operatives to gather evidence and witnesses. Father has had his eye on this place for a while; these investigations have been ongoing for some time.”

“If I were to suddenly accuse him of crimes without provocation, he’d likely find all sorts of excuses to exonerate himself.”

Shen Wan cupped her face in her hands. “Your Highness, you truly are a woman of unparalleled wisdom. No wonder you were able to cajole me into risking my life for you.”

“Stop pretending to be clueless in front of me. Surely you knew all this?”

Shen Wan: “Your Highness, if I said everything outright, wouldn’t that be terribly disrespectful to you?”

He Qingning couldn’t help but laugh at this. Shen Wan was the boldest person she had ever met. Every day, countless words bordering on insolence tumbled from her lips, so blatantly obvious, yet she remained fearless, as if certain that He Qingning wouldn’t do anything to her. Indeed, He Qingning had no intention of doing anything to Shen Wan. In fact, she planned to keep this dangerous individual by her side for life.

On the appointed day, He Qingning and Shen Wan rose early. Madam Xu, however, arrived late. Seeing that He Qingning hadn’t changed her mind, Madam Xu let out a soft sigh and accompanied her out of the compound.

At their destination, the lotus garden truly lived up to Madam Xu’s poetic description, with its flowers and emerald leaves creating a captivating scene. Madam Xu stared blankly at the perfectly blooming lotuses, her fingers constantly fidgeting with her handkerchief, clearly ill at ease.

“Are you feeling unwell?” He Qingning asked. “If you’re not feeling well, you should go back. We can come again tomorrow.”

Madam Xu, surprised by the high-ranking princess’s unexpected concern, quickly shook her head, insisting she was fine. She felt regret, but it was too late now. If she hadn’t followed Guan Gushan’s instructions to invite the princess to view the lotuses, he had threatened to harm her family.

Given Guan Gushan’s nature, he had likely been captivated by the princess’s beauty. Unable to act within the compound under his father’s watchful eye, he had devised this scheme.

Madam Xu glanced at the exquisite pastries and tea on the table. Knowing Guan Gushan’s character, she suspected they might be tampered with.

He Qingning noticed this too and was about to take a pastry. Panicking, Madam Xu beat her to it, grabbing the pastry and quickly eating it in two bites.

Shen Wan’s face remained expressionless as she coldly eyed Madam Xu. Though Madam Xu meant well, taking food meant for her wife still displeased her. If her wife didn’t “eat” the pastry, how would they lure Guan Gushan out?

“Madam Xu, are you hungry?”

Madam Xu nodded hastily. “I woke up late today and didn’t have time for breakfast. I am a bit hungry.” She continued eating the pastries, no longer concerned about propriety. Her life had been full of oppression; submitting to Guan Gushan was for her family’s sake, but she couldn’t bring herself to harm the innocent princess. The princess looked even younger than her, about the age she had been when she encountered Guan Gushan. Remembering her own experiences made her sorrowful.

“Take your time, there’s no rush.”

Madam Xu kept her head down, her eyes reddening. It had been a long time since anyone had spoken to her so gently. Despite her desperate efforts to protect her family, they still resented her, calling her a jinx, saying that without her, they wouldn’t have suffered such misfortunes. To Guan Gushan, she was nothing more than a plaything.

As she ate, Madam Xu began to succumb to the drugs in the pastries, her head growing dizzy. As she was about to lose consciousness, she saw He Qingning drinking tea, and a faint floral scent hung in the air. In the moment before she collapsed, she also saw He Qingning and Shen Wan fall. Her heart filled with icy despair.

Indeed, she had been powerless to change anything.

When He Qingning opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a soft couch. The room was filled with a hazy smoke, and a man sat by the table, toying with a folding fan. Sensing her awakening, he turned, gazing at her with infatuated eyes. “Ah, my beauty, you’re awake. Your young master has been waiting for you.”

Guan Gushan was elated. If not for his preference to watch a living, struggling beauty in his arms, he might have acted immediately.

“Who are you?”

“Where is this place?”

“How dare you! Do you know who I am?”

He Qingning recited the lines Shen Wan had prepared for her in quick succession. She thought this Guan Gushan must truly be addled. Did he really believe a princess could be so easily drugged and abducted? If not for her desire to lure him into a trap, causing her to have her guards stand down, this fool would have already been caught and crippled.

“This place? This is one of my young master’s mountain villas. Who am I? I’m Guan Gushan. And you, my beauty, aren’t you Princess He Qingning? Ha! If you weren’t a princess, this young master wouldn’t even be interested.”

“Since you know I’m a princess, you should understand the consequences of offending me.”

“Consequences?” Guan Gushan laughed, waving his fan as he sauntered to the couch. He whispered, “My dear princess, you’re truly naive. No one who falls into my hands has ever escaped. In this villa, there are only my beauties, no princesses. In a few days, Princess He Qingning will leave Yun Province, only to encounter bandits in Qingzhou. The princess will unfortunately be gravely wounded by these bandits and perish. By then, who would suspect me? They can’t blame Yun Province either. If the emperor wants to vent his fury, let him take it out on Qingzhou.”

“My beauty, if you want to scream, go ahead. This place is remote; there’s no one around except for my villa. No matter how loudly you cry out, no one will come. Of course, I do enjoy the sound.”

With that, Guan Gushan reached out to touch He Qingning’s face. She swiftly slapped him, then kicked him forcefully between the legs, causing him to howl in pain.

Clutching his groin, Guan Gushan’s face contorted with rage. He shouted, “Everyone, get in here! Strip her and tie her up! She asked for this!”

The door burst open. Despite his pain, Guan Gushan’s face reddened with anticipation of what was to come, a smug smile playing on his lips.

However, what happened next left him dumbfounded.

People did enter, but they weren’t there to restrain He Qingning. Instead, they seized Guan Gushan, binding him and stripping him down to his underwear. Shen Wan approached him, her face impassive. She raised her small hand and delivered several resounding slaps across his face.

Given Shen Wan’s incredible strength, how could anyone withstand such furious blows?

Guan Gushan let out one agonized cry before losing consciousness.

Not only was he knocked out, but several of his teeth were knocked loose, and his face swelled up like a pig’s head.

“Wake him up,” Shen Wan commanded coldly. Her face was filled with an icy fury that He Qingning had never seen before. She found this version of Shen Wan somewhat adorable.

She rubbed her brow, certain her sense of aesthetics must be malfunctioning.

When Guan Gushan came to, sensing the dire situation, he mumbled, “What are you doing? Do you know who I am?”

Shen Wan delivered another stinging slap and tilted her chin up. “Of course we know. Aren’t you Guan Gushan, the prefect’s only son?”

“Then how dare you—”

“Why shouldn’t we dare? This is your mountain villa. No matter how loudly you scream, no one will come. Go ahead and yell. The more pitiful you sound, the more I’ll enjoy it.”

He Qingning couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

She really was quite adorable.