Quick Transmigration: Saving The Crazy Villainess

Chapter 96: Jiang Ying Yue (3)

The plot that was supposed to be received some time ago automatically played in his mind when he closed his eyes and leaned his back on the cushion.

It was currently the seventy-fifth year of the Zhao Empire. The current emperor was fifty-six years old and had fathered five princes and two princesses. Apart from the seven-year-old fifth prince, all the other sons of the emperor already completed their coming-of-age ceremony.

Since the emperor was now old yet there was still no crown prince, the ministers began choosing sides and had the four princes begin their battle for the throne.

Rui Wang, the arrogant prince from earlier, was the third prince born from the most beloved consort. As said, love the owner, love the dog. So since his mother was the emperor's most favored, he too became the most favored out of all the princes. 

It was suspected that the emperor already forged a decree to have Rui Wang be the crown prince. Only a 'huge' enough merit was needed to seal the deal so that it wouldn't look forced or unjustifiable on the surface. However, this merit never came to Rui Wang. His competitors never let him have it. If he did something big, one of the jealous princes would do something bigger to prevent the emperor from declaring him as the crown prince.

'The other princes are very capable in their own right which led to the emperor not naming an inheritor. Of course, it's only a matter of time until the male lead wins. But until then, it's still a fact that Rui Wang is the emperor's favorite. He knows it too, otherwise, he wouldn't be so courageous to leave the banquet before anyone else.' 

It had to be said that this man was not the male lead... A fact that Jiang Li found very welcomed. If ever he had to deal with this Rui Wang, he wouldn't have to worry much about the world's interferences.

The favored son of this world was the most unloved concubine-born son of the emperor. His name was Chen Heng, titled Hai Wang. Like in many dramas, the male lead's mother was the emperor's true love. However, because the mother died during childbirth, the emperor deeply hated the son.

Without receiving the proper amount of love and support from his father, the male lead matured into a cold, two-faced, utilitarian, and scheming young man. He became someone treating feelings and affection as mere instincts that make humans weak.

For him, while love and emotions were not necessarily to be cut off, they were still to be controlled and manipulated for one's gains. 

The male lead's soulmate who tamed his cynical heart was Zhang Wu, a transmigrator from the modern world. She used to be a playful office lady who loved spending her free time on phone games and TV dramas. After dying from a hit-and-run, this girl woke up in the body of the prime minister's sickly first legitimate miss, Sheng Lingxin.

Before the real miss' death, her father treated her coldly. She also had no maternal backing, therefore, she was regularly bullied. But of course, when the female lead took over, this situation immediately changed.

The way she dealt with the malicious household members and disobedient servants was very efficient. For someone like her who came from the modern world and whose field of specialization was customer service, it was doubtful how she managed to do that. It was like she had a step by step guide. Her attitude about things was too relaxed, as if it was okay being half-hearted since she already knew what the outcomes would be.

Just what did the female lead rely on if she had no system or ghost for a golden finger? Her beauty? Or intelligence? But how could she adapt so easily?

The answer was simple.

She was like Jiang Li, with memories of future events, except hers were gotten from playing a girl-targeted game. With that as her cheat, all future events became an opportunity for her to exploit. She even managed to establish a business empire which greatly helped the male lead in his fight for the crown.

"Host, the girl who tried to kill herself ten minutes ago is Jiang Ying Yue, the supposed protagonist of this game world."

"... I know."

"Also, the female lead has already transmigrated and, at this point, captured the attention of both Rui Wang and Hai Wang. The former frequently encountered her in his outside trips."

Jiang Li nodded.

Basically, the frequent encounters triggered the comparison between the two girls which made the other prince think that Jiang Ying Yue was weak, cowardly, and unworthy of being his main wife.

For Rui Wang, only the female lead, Sheng Lingxin, was good - witty, charming, capable, bubbly... In short, someone who grew up learning stupid things like Chess, Calligraphy, Poetry, and Embroidery would never do.. even if that person only pursued excellence in those arts so she could stand next to him unabashedly.

Jiang Li pressed his lips together and continued viewing the memories. 

Jiang Ying Yue was this world's villainess. Like what happened earlier, when her engagement got annulled, she tried to smash her head against a pillar. Yet, since she didn't know the correct technique when doing that, she survived... and became everyone's subject of ridicule. 

Apparently, if a girl had her engagement called off, it would become very difficult for her to find a new fiance.

No matter the era, marriage was one of the best ways to forge ties and secure influence between big families. So now that nobody wanted to marry Jiang Ying Yue, what's the use of keeping her then?

Not long after, a rumor about her promiscuity being the reason for the annulment spread in the city. Of course, this was false, and the Jiang clan knew it. However, instead of defending her and hunting down whoever spread those malicious rumors, they use that excuse to chase her out of the grand marshal's residence.

Their reason for doing that? What else apart from that she was now nothing more than worthless baggage? She could not be used for the family's interest anymore.

It was a sad reality, but useless things had no place in every big aristocratic family. 

1. Otome games in Japanese XD