Transmigrating into the Female Supporting Character with a Good Life in a Laid-Back Novel

Wen Ting Zhou accepted the information that Emperor Shengde was handing over. With one look, Wen Ting Zhou’s handsome visage tightened slightly as seas and rivers overturned in his heart.

Ruan san xiaojie, a person who had never come into contact with agriculture, actually knew how to make farming tools. The field-ploughing tool called the mould-board plough, and the threshing tool called the pedal-powered thresher, he had never heard them before. If its utility was what Ruan san niang had described, the importance ofthese two farming tools’ advent to the common people was self-evident.

Images of Farming Tools

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“Ting Zhou, how credible do you think Ruan san xiaojie’s words are?”

Emperor Shengde asked with narrowed eyes as he knocked his fingers on his imperial desk. Wen Ting Zhou was his secret guard, and also the legitimate grandson of his paternal aunt who was skilled in woodwork. This was also one of the reasons why Emperor Shengde had specifically summoned him into the imperial palace. The abnormality in Ruan san xiaojie’s body was something only he and those two imperial physicians were aware of. If it were not for Ruan san xiaojie suddenly saying that she wanted to redeem herself through good service, he would not have known that Ruan san xiaojie had such capabilities. 

Although Earl Chengyi was an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Works, he was responsible for the weaponry, while farming tasks had its own specialised officials, so where did Ruan san xiaojie manage to get these blueprints from? 

Emperor Shengde started having suspicions about Ruan san xiaojie.

Wen Ting Zhou was proficient in woodwork, he could see the advantages of the mould-board plough at a glance. 

“Replying to the Emperor’s words, this subordinate believes that Ruan san xiaojie’s words are credible. The design of this mould-board plough is extremely refined, and perhaps she does have the blueprints for the pedal-powered thresher in her hands.

“As for the origins of these blueprints, it requires thorough investigation.”

Wen Ting Zhou was not an official in court right now, he was just Emperor Shengde’s secret guard. Once he became Zhuangyuan among the successful candidates and entered the court as an official, he would then turn into a court official from his secret guard. 

There was a distinction between the monarch and his ministers; even if his paternal grandmother was the Emperor’s paternal aunt, Wen Ting Zhou would never overstep that line. 

Emperor Shengde looked pensive. A glint flashed past the bottom of his eyes before he said smilingly:

“You speak correctly. With regards to the mould-board plough blueprint, Zhen will be handing it to the Ministry of Works. Since Ruan san xiaojie wants to redeem herself with good service, Zhen will give her a chance for your sake.”

Wen Ting Zhou smiled slightly, “The Emperor is benevolent.”

“Ting Zhou, tell [me], do you think Earl Chengyi is aware of the fact that his legitimate daughter has the blueprints of these farming tools in her hands?” Emperor Shengde had been sitting on the throne for so many years, so how could he possibly be blind to Earl Chengyi’s ambition? In light of the Wen Family’s interest, he had pushed the boat along the current and allowed Earl Chengyi to seat himself in the position of Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Public Works.

He did not pay attention to this Earl Chengyi for the most part.

However, he did not expect that his legitimate daughter would give him such a huge surprise. Perhaps he should be paying some attention to the Earl Chengyi Residence. 

Wen Ting Zhou shook his head. “He should not be aware. Had Earl Chengyi known earlier, he would most certainly have offered it earlier.”

Emperor Shengde thought the same. However, that Ruan san xiaojie should be in possession of a huge secret. He originally wanted to pass the investigation of the Earl Chengyi Residence and Ruan san xiaojie’s secret to Wen Ting Zhou, but he felt like it was inappropriate now. This child Wen Ting Zhou liked Ruan si xiaojie, and for the sake of protecting her secret braised duck recipe, he had specially entreated him for an imperial edict.

Admittedly, the braised duck made by Ruan si xiaojie was certifiably delicious; he was still reminiscing about its taste even now. 

Emperor Shengde stared at the tall and straight Wen Ting Zhou, whose handsomeness was likened to jade. He changed the topic, smiling as he poked fun at him: “Ting Zhou, as the new Zhuangyuan-lang of the latest imperial examinations, your appearance is too handsome, even Zhen’s princesses have been shouting about wanting to marry you.

“As your fiancée, Ruan si xiaojie must be under great pressure, do you need Zhen to help you protect your marriage?” Emperor Shengde casually teased him with a line. 

Wen Ting Zhou felt delighted in his heart upon hearing that, and he resolutely thanked him for his grace. “Many thanks to the Emperor for his assistance.” 

He and Ruan Ruan did have a marriage contract, but with the disturbance that Ruan san xiaojie had caused, most of the Wen Family members kept their mouths shut, though they were actually holding grudges against Ruan Ruan in their hearts. If another accident sprang out, it was highly possible that the marriage contract between him and Ruan Ruan would be forcibly dissolved. 

If the Emperor opened his golden mouth to protect the marriage, it would be equivalent to a marriage bestowal. Therefore, his marriage with Ruan Ruan would be insured. 

Emperor Shengde’s mouth corners twitched. But since he had already spoken, Emperor Shengde did not plan on reneging either. The fact that Wen Ting Zhou had his heart so invested in a girl was hard to come by; he was quite happy for him too. 

“Zhen will settle this matter on the day you are being appointed the Zhuangyuan then.”

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As Ruan san niang anxiously waited for the old Emperor to let her out, she did not know that she had entered the old Emperor’s eyes like in her previous lifetime. 

She put up hundreds and thousands of defences, but she was still brought into the fold by herself, and it was extremely likely that she would be repeating the fate of her previous lifetime.

Unfortunately for the current Ruan san niang, she was still unaware, and she thought that taking out a few farming tool blueprints could serve as atonement for her crime. 

She kept waiting, and waiting, and after a few days had passed without a single piece of news, she could avoid becoming anxious in her heart. 

Inside the Earl Chengyi Residence, Ruan Xi was also unaware of just how impatient Ruan san niang was. She had just dug the pit, and yet she could not wait to jump in.

Today was the day where the gold roll of honour would be posted, and the news of Wen Ting Zhou becoming the Zhuangyuan among the successful candidates in the imperial examinations reached Earl Chengyi Residence very quickly.

“Quick, quickly prepare the horse carriage, head to Jixiang Restaurant to watch the Zhuangyuan parade through the streets.”

“Young Lady, the horse carriage has been prepared for quite some time, and the silk flowers and handkerchiefs yõu asked for have been prepared as well.” 

Su Yu and Su Zhu were full of joy, their future gu ye was the Zhuangyuan who had passed brilliantly, and the top scorer of all three imperial examinations. They were part of that glory too. 

姑爷 (pinyin: gu ye) – son-in-law (used by the wife’s family). But in this context, it just means the ‘husband of their female master’.

The group reached Jixiang Restaurant very quickly. Coincidentally enough, she encountered Wen Ting Zhou’s tang mei Wen Jing Ru, and she happened to be talking and laughing with a handsome gongzi. When Wen Jing Ru noticed Ruan Xi, she tossed away that handsome gongzi and walked over to her, giggling as she asked: “Si niang, you’re also here to witness tang ge’s elegant bearing while he’s straddled across a horse and being paraded?” 

Ruan Xi nodded her head liberally, full of smiles as she replied: “Indeed, I specifically prepared a lot of silk flowers and handkerchiefs.” 

As she said that, she pointed at the large wooden case in her hand, and the two large wooden cases that Su Yu and Su Zhu were holding. 

Wen Jing Ru could not help but laugh. 

“Si niang, is tang ge aware of how mischievous you are?”

That handsome man seemed rather interested as he glanced at the wooden case in Ruan Xi’s hands. 

“Your tang ge likes me being like this.” Ruan Xi retorted without feeling the slightest embarrassment.

Wen Jing Ru chortled. 

“Si niang, the teahouses and restaurants along the streets are going to be packed to the brim soon, let’s go in.”

Ruan Xi nodded, and their group proceeded to enter Jixiang Restaurant. Ruan Xi was still using Wen Ting Zhou’s personal private room. Instead of going to a private room next-door, Wen Jing Ru and that handsome gongzi decided to squeeze into the same private room to watch the bustle together.

Since the paraded group had yet to arrive, Wen Jing Ru abandoned that handsome gongzi – who was her future husband – again, pulling Ruan Xi to stand closer to the window so they could talk secretly. 

“Si niang, you and tang ge have met in private a few times, have you ever tested if tang ge is interested in the dragons and the suns?”

The movements of the handsome gongzi sitting a short distance away and drinking tea stilled, and his ears perked up imperceptibly. 

Speechless, Ruan Xi gave Wen Jing Ru a pointed look. Two months have already passed, and yet Wen Jing Ru was still thinking about this matter.

Ever since she made that joke during the flower banquet, the relationship between her and Wen Ting Zhou had become increasingly intimate.

“Ting Zhou da ge is very normal, he shows no symptoms of being a cutsleeve.” When Ruan Xi remembered that sentimental and lingering kiss from a few days ago, the tips of ears reddened quietly. 

Once Wen Jing Ru heard that, her eyes brightened. There’s a situation. She smirked ambiguously, “Tell me honestly, have you and tang ge kissed?”

Ruan Xi glowered at her. “Why are you asking so many questions?”

Wen Jing Ru pulled on her hand, giggling, “I’m just curious, alright? Who told tang ge to always stay away from female charms despite being at his age.

“Say it, say it, I won’t tell anyone.” Wen Jing Ru was going to die of curiosity, she really wanted to know about the developments between her tang ge and si niang.

Ruan Xi: “……”

She would never tell others about their intimate moments.

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Suddenly, the earth-shattering sounds of jubilant firecrackers rang out, and the beating of drums could be heard from in the distance. The crowd below started shouting loudly in excitement: “The Zhuangyuan-lang is here!”

Ruan Xi immediately forsake Wen Jing Ru, calling for Su Yu and Su Zhu to bring the large wooden cases over.

Wen Jing Ru: “……”

How frustrating oh.

The people inside the surrounding teahouses and restaurants leaned closer to their windows to watch the commotion. Wen gongzi was a giant among men, and in his fame of becoming the Zhuangyuan followed his merit.

However, it was a pity that such a handsome and elegant man like Wen gongzi, whose appearance was like crown jade, actually had a fiancée. 

At this moment, the ranks on horseback and parading through the streets with attendants crowding around, were surrounded by thunderous cries of approval.

The new Zhuangyuan Wen Ting Zhou was clad in a crimson red brocade robe with a red flower ribbon draped and crossed over his chest as he was mounted on a steed that was bestowed by the Emperor and holding onto a soft whip made out of golden strands. He was handsome and dignified, his literary grace illuminating, and he stole all the limelight from the bangyan (second place) and tanhua (third place). Apart from this, the flower hairpins, handkerchiefs, and embroidered pouches from young girls and young married women fell like rain as they were thrown towards him.  

Being a martial arts practitioner, Wen Ting Zhou evaded those hairpin flowers, handkerchiefs and pouches, whereas the pitiful bangyan and tanhua behind him were more than thirty-years-old, married and with children, though their appearances were still majestic, and they were  favoured by the young married women. However, they did not have any dodging capabilities, so they were pelted by those flower hairpins and pouches until they had dizzy heads and blurry vision. Despite that, Wen Ting Zhou was still handsome and with an elegant demeanour, and calm in expression.

When the ranks reached the bottom of Jixiang Restaurant, Wen Ting Zhou stopped, raising his handsome visage to look towards a certain private room’s window directly with his pitch-black eyes. 

“Tang ge, si niang is over here!” Wen Jing Ru yelled in excitement to Wen Ting Zhou below. 

Ruan Xi met his eyes, revealing a devious and beautiful smile.

“Ting Zhou da ge, catch!”

Saying that, Ruan Xi sprinkled a huge handful of silk flowers and handkerchiefs on his person. This time around, Wen Ting Zhou did not evade it, allowing those flower-embroidered pouches to land on his body. He even extended his hand to catch one of the flowers to stick it on his own cap, before giving her a gentle smile.

“Ruan Ruan, is there more?”

“Yes, she does, tang ge, hold on for a moment, si niang still has two large wooden cases of silk flowers and handkerchiefs…”

Wen Jing Ru said excitedly. 

The handsome gongzi: “……”

Wen Ting Zhou: “……”

Hence, under countless gazes that were focused on them, the others stopped throwing handkerchiefs and silk flowers at Wen gongzi in an extremely sensible manner, and even the firecrackers, the flags, and drums stopped. 

Needless to say, all of them could guess that the beautiful and graceful lady leaning out of a window of the Jixiang Restaurant was the rumoured Ruan si xiaojie, the future wife of Wen gongzi.

Ruan Xi pursed her lips into a smile, and under thousands of staring eyes, she leaned over the window and threw the handkerchiefs and silk flowers downstairs.

“Catch.”

“Okay.”

A grin hung on Wen Ting Zhou’s lips as he exuded a delighted air from his whole body. He raised his hand to catch the embroidered pouches and handkerchiefs she was throwing to harbour them within his arms, the gentleness in his eyes overflowing.

And yet, he was thinking in his heart, what should he request from Ruan Ruan this time?

The crowd on both sides of the street widened their eyes, and the majority of the girls and young married women were full of envy and well-wishes.

The bangyan and tanhua behind him were smiling with crinkled eyes as they watched this wondrous scene.

Inside the teahouse opposite of Jixiang Restaurant, Mu Qing Ci was completely starry-eyed as she watched Wen gongzi and Ruan si xiaojie publicly display their affection under countless stares.

How romantic. 

Once she was done throwing the flowers and handkerchiefs, Ruan Xi reluctantly waved her hands at Wen Ting Zhou to send him off.

Smiling gently, Wen Ting Zhou continued to ride his horse and parade the streets. The firecrackers, flags, and drums rang out once more.

After the Zhuangyuan parade ended, the interaction between the new Zhuangyuan Wen gongzi and his fiancée in front of the Jixiang Restaurant also spread through the entire capital. What shocked people more was that the Emperor actually helped the new Zhuangyuan Wen Ting Zhou and Ruan si xiaojie protect their marriage on his own accord. Once the news was released, those who had been pushing the waves and adding to the billow of rumours the entire time had no choice but lay down the flags and still the drums.

In a single leap, Ruan Xi became the target of envy and jealousy for all the noble daughters within the capital.