Quick Transmigration: Saving The Crazy Villainess

Chapter 145: Jiang Ying Yue (52)

It was midday when His Majesty the Emperor dismissed the court and allowed those that just got back from the east to go back to their homes.

However, Sheng Lingxin only managed to reach the Prime Minister's estate late in the afternoon. When she did, her face was pale. And she looked so out of it with her gaze never leaving the ground. Those that welcomed her back, apart from her grandfather, the prime minister got confused why instead of having a jubilant expression on her immaculate face, she looked like her soul had just flown out of her body.

"First Miss." Her maid called out when the female lead almost stumbled down at the doorsteps of her grandfather's main hall. The servant worriedly held her arm and stabilized her gait.

Sheng Lingxin who somehow regained her senses, weakly smiled. Seeing this, the prime minister's face darkened. He dismissed everyone from there so he could talk privately with his granddaughter.

"Lingxin..."

When there were no more people around, the old man sat down on the host's seat. Sheng Lingxin slowly and listlessly knelt and kowtowed to the prime minister to pay her obeisance. "This granddaughter greets grandfather. This granddaughter is glad that grandfather is in great health."

In front of her, the prime minister snorted.

This girl was his son's offspring whom he was most proud of. He always wanted to dote on her and shower her with praises and love so she would get more attached to the Prime Minister's estate. If it had been the usual times, he would have happily told her to raise her head and sit on one of the chairs. Then he would share some news with her and ask for her opinions.

But he didn't do it this time. Displeasure was written all over his face, knowing a part of the reason why the girl was suddenly not being herself.

While staring down at the kneeling girl, the old man said in a cold voice. "If you are currently having inappropriate thoughts about your situation, I suggest you just dismiss them now and clear your muddled mind."

Sheng Lingxin had no reaction as if she didn't hear him say anything. The old man's face darkened more as he continued to preach. "You can only be with Hai Wang. The Emperor thought the two of you have been getting to know each other for so long so he wrote down the decree. His Majesty had judged the time given to you already was enough. You have no choice but marry him next week."

Hearing those words were like sharp daggers stabbed into her chest. Sheng Lingxin's body felt the pain, the fear, and the cold.

She took a breath slowly, then raised her head, revealing eyes that were starting to get misty.

"Grandfather. I don't want to marry him." Her voice was so soft, almost inaudible to one's ears. Thankfully, the aged man, despite being in his sixty's still had very sharp hearing so he heard what she whispered.

The prime minister looked at her for a long time. His aged face was so contorted and the hand on his chest was trembling. It was obvious at a glance that he was barely containing the anger in his heart.

It was quite amazing though that after a minute, he managed to smooth down his expression, and asked in a flat tone, "Why?"

The girl shook her head and indignantly answered, "This granddaughter... just thinks it's unfair. It's unfair that just because the Emperor doesn't want to reward Hai Wang with anything nice tomorrow, he penned down that marriage decree without asking for my opinion. There should be a limit to how biased and unreasonable His Majesty should be!"

"His Majesty is this dynasty's heaven. Why would he ask the opinion of a mere girl like you?" The old man stopped speaking for a while. He watched the female lead bite her lips in frustration. Then he sternly remarked, "Little girl, you should stop thinking too highly of yourself just because His Highness Hai Wang has treated you well this past year. If I were you I'll just accept my fate and be a good Wang Fei."

"I... don't want to."

"Will you stop being stupid?" Annoyance was in the old man's tone when he pounded his fist on the table before him. "Sheng Lingxin. You don't know how many ladies in this empire envy you. Yet here you are, being so irrational and difficult! You don't even have a good reason!"

Upon hearing this, the girl felt her chest tightened, her hands under her sleeves balled into fists, with her nails digging into her palm. She hated the words she just heard. They were more like insults, like salts sprinkled and rubbed on an already bleeding wound.

Who was envied by many ladies again? Did he say her? For being an unfavored prince's favored?

She found it so laughable and ridiculous.

Apart from this, in this world, wasn't the game's female lead the one envied by everyone for being fancied by Chen Wang? And about having no good reason... If she shared about her love and longing for that man, would they be able to understand? Obviously, no. How about her misgiving about the first Miss of the Jiangs? No, as well, right? All this time, she was thinking it was unfair why she was not given any chance to speak with him and deepen their bond.

'Nobody understands...' The female lead angrily thought.

"I don't want to marry Hai Wang," she said with finality in her tone as fury boiled inside her.

The Prime Minister once again started staring at her for a long time, his expression unreadable. A few minutes later, he broke the silence and said in a nonchalant tone,

"Well, if you really don't want to, go ahead. Nobody will force you then. But I guess, there's no more I can do but watch you and our whole clan die from that prince's anger."

Sheng Lingxin wrinkled her nose, "Grandfather, you are just being too pessimistic. If I break our engagement, I'm sure Hai Wang won't be that heartless..."

The old man before her felt irritated but he was long done wondering why her brain was not working properly at this time.

"Sheng Lingxin." He just barked in a voice that held chips of ice, no more intending to use mild words on her.

Sheng Lingxin could see that the creases on the old man's forehead multiplied by at least two. He looked extremely austere, yet mocking when he clicked his tongue and fired several remarks at her in succession.

" I really don't know what gives you the idea that the second prince won't be heartless to us even though you are heartlessly planning to abandon the engagement he tried so hard to salvage for a year. But let's say you become successful in your attempt, what comes after that then? What will happen after that? Are you perhaps taking yourself for Miss Jiang? With somebody who would help clear your reputation as an unwanted lady once your engagement is annulled?"

"... I don't mind." She simply answered, aware of what the old man wanted to say.

"You don't. So where are you getting your courage?"

Every aristocratic family wanted to get close to the imperial family. So no one would want a woman who antagonized them.

Jiang Ying Yue's case was different because the person who rescued her was another prince, somebody who no longer needs to curry favor with the imperial clan. However, Sheng Lingxin had long been promised to Hai Wang and this time, it was her who wanted to escape out of it. Even if she had admirers, none of them would be courageous enough to go against the clan ruling this dynasty. The wedding was near, if she broke it now, she would either become a heartless lady in the eyes of the people, or an imbecile.

'But if I can't have the man of my dreams, why would engagement and marital status matter?' Sheng Lingxin complained in her heart.

The girl was actually thinking that the clan pushed her, she would just run away and then start a new business somewhere. Her massive network and net worth gave her the confidence she would be able to do well. She simply forgot that if the imperial family placed a ban on her name, then she would not be able to accomplish anything. Apart from this, she was not aware that once she got separated from the male lead, then her days would become difficult.

Even now, the girl had no clue that it was Hai Wang's influence ensuring she would have an easy time in everything she does.

However, it didn't mean that the Prime Minister didn't know.

'The second prince is so good to her. So why can't this damn lass just accept her fate and be a doted Hai Wang Fei?'

The patriarch of the Sheng family cursed out. While nursing his headache, he started to lecture,

"Sheng Lingxin, you are intelligent. Let's not talk about what would happen to your reputation since that is quite the smaller issue. What I want to remind you really is that you had been with that man for more than a year. Don't tell me you haven't discovered yet that it is him who has the highest chance of winning and not His Highness Rui Wang? Especially now that the whole empire heard of his successful rain praying ceremony?"

'What of it?' She almost blurted out, not liking why the throne was a big deal for their family when they were already so wealthy and powerful.

This was probably one of the greatest problems with women from the modern society, especially those at her age. They were too much of a hopeless romantic. Had the prime minister talked with somebody else, they would have realized already that the marriage was for the survival of a clan. However, not Sheng Lingxin. All she had been wondering was why she couldn't go after the person she liked.

The talk between the grandfather granddaughter pair ended with Sheng Lingxin being silent during the talk. The old man saw her looking so obedient and not refuting him anymore so he assumed that her brain was finally working again.

Little did he know. Throughout their discussion, Sheng Lingxin had arrived in a decision.

'Later, I'll sneak out and bring some amorous powder with me. I'll see him!'

'To heck with reputation... Cook the rice if it's the only way. Even as a concubine, I'll make sure to enter his manor. I'm certain once I'm there I will be able to make him fall for me too. I swear to make him mine!"