Quick Transmigration: The Mad Beauty Refuses to Be the Scapegoat!-Chapter 492 - 5: Cannon Fodder Vase in a Power Struggle Novel (Part 5)

Chapter 492: Chapter 5: Cannon Fodder Vase in a Power Struggle Novel (Part 5)

Upon hearing this, a look of concern appeared in Little He’s eyes.

"What’s wrong, Miss? Are you feeling unwell?"

When there was no one else around, she still called Jiang Lai "Miss" because the original owner was easygoing and never minded such terms of address. Their interaction was always relaxed and harmonious.

Looking at the table in front of her, it was filled with sweet and salty dishes; aside from the pastries, all four other dishes were meat-based, with the main course being a large bowl of sweet porridge and a bowl of rice. Even if there were any vegetables, they were merely a garnish, not enough for even a bite.

And these were the original owner’s daily breakfasts for years.

"Sigh..."

Eating like this every day, really, the fact that the original owner could still get out of bed and walk around meant that she must not have been prone to gaining weight.

"I’m fine. I’m just not in the mood today and don’t have much appetite. Take it away."

If it wasn’t taken away soon, Jiang Lai wouldn’t be able to control her two guilty hands.

Finally, Jiang Lai forced down a bowl of plain porridge as if it were medicine.

It was like stuffing a tooth gap; her three-room-apartment of a stomach felt like it had been swept by a wind, still empty and without satisfaction.

Although hungry, as long as she could hold out until noon, it would be fine.

Jiang Lai had always been self-disciplined, vastly different from the original owner, but she had a strong ability to adapt.

She wanted to be lazy and slim, the only way was to focus on the three meals a day.

Before Chu Yunxuan returned from court at noon, Little He got busy again.

Seeing Jiang Lai still strolling in the yard, she quickly brought over a food box from the small kitchen and urged Jiang Lai.

"Miss, Your Highness will be back soon, you need to hurry and eat."

These seemingly unrelated words were, in fact, an unspoken secret between the original owner and Little He.

The original owner, who waited every day to eat with him, would always have a small meal beforehand to keep up appearances. This way, she could pretend to eat a normal amount in front of Chu Yunxuan.

In other words, Jiang Lai had to eat two lunches a day.

Little He calculated the timing precisely, ensuring that when Jiang Lai ate during this time frame, she wouldn’t be too hungry or too full at the actual meal time and thus wouldn’t raise any suspicions in front of Chu Yunxuan.

The round table, which could seat four people, was filled with a variety of dishes.

Like breakfast, there were few vegetables and lots of meat, and all rich meats. A meal with everything from flying in the sky, running on land, to swimming in water was presented on the table.

Seeing Jiang Lai not making a move, Little He thoughtfully handed her the chopsticks.

"Miss, you didn’t eat this morning, you have to eat more at noon, otherwise you won’t have the energy to deal with those madams if they come bothering you again in the afternoon."

Those madams Little He mentioned were all invited by Chu Yunxuan; their families were either rich or noble, although not as high in status as the Daughter of the Imperial Historian, but as long as they were useful to Chu Yunxuan, he essentially welcomed them all.

Anyway, his rear courtyard was big enough to accommodate a few women easily.

None of these women, after entering the mansion, received any favor from Chu Yunxuan. Over time, their resentment grew deeper. To divert their attention, Chu Yunxuan would spend every night in Jiang Lai’s courtyard.

As the main wife, being the most favored, no one could say anything. But bringing back a house full of women without even granting them a title of concubine, who could not even see the Eighth Prince all day long, left them to live a life of endless waiting. Without the possibility of rising in status through bearing a son, these women focused all their anger on Jiang Lai.

This is why Little He reminded Jiang Lai to eat more.

Otherwise, these women, gathering together, could easily toy with the naturally naive Jiang Lai.

Little He’s sympathy was useless; every time Jiang Lai was bullied, the Eighth Prince never showed up. He only appeared after those women vented their frustrations and then he showered Jiang Lai with all his tenderness and affection, further igniting the women’s jealousy.

And thus, the cycle continued, with Jiang Lai being the one who always suffered in the end.

"Miss, what’s wrong? These are all your favorites."

Jiang Lai took out her chopsticks and silently poked at the large pork knuckle in front of her, the broth thick and aromatic, the outside glazed with syrup, crunchy and indeed enticing.

"Who made this pork knuckle?"

"Your small kitchen, from the Taishi Mansion. You’ve been eating food made from the small kitchen since you were young, why don’t you seem to have an appetite today?"

Before coming here, the madam had instructed.

The Miss crying or making a fuss was a small matter.

If the Miss didn’t eat, that was a big problem.

"Was I always this fat before?"

Jiang Lai sincerely asked.

Little He instinctively shook her head in denial.

"No, Miss is not fat."

"The Bodhisattva is watching, those who lie will have no good marriage prospects for life."

This statement, to the devout Little He, was no less than a severe blow.

She hurriedly corrected herself.

"Somewhat, somewhat plump."

"Somewhat my foot."

Jiang Lai threw down the chopsticks.

"If I keep eating like this for another two years, you’ll have to burn incense for me."

The original owner, in less than a year after getting married, went from slightly overweight to now being uncomfortably obese.

There’s no scale to weigh herself now, but Jiang Lai roughly estimated that the original owner, who was about one meter sixty-five, weighed around a little over a hundred and twenty pounds before marrying.

Looking at it now, she had to be at least a hundred and fifty pounds.

Maybe even a hundred and sixty.

Calling her plump was just an ancient euphemism.

Gaining thirty to forty pounds in a year, and given the current physical condition, the original owner likely had high blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol levels, and if she continued eating like this, in the medically underdeveloped ancient times, she probably wouldn’t survive past the end of next year.

Seeing Jiang Lai angry, Little He hurriedly knelt down, grabbing her skirt.

"Miss, this servant actually noticed long ago that the meals prepared for you in the small kitchen were becoming more and more greasy, but you said you liked it like this. Being just a servant, I didn’t dare to say much.

And, and you also said that the Eighth Prince promising you a private small kitchen was a sign of his affection."

At the parental home, because the master and madam cherished the Miss, they specially gave her a private kitchen. After marrying the Eighth Prince, the Eighth Prince agreed to bring the small kitchen into the mansion, a move that greatly satisfied the master and madam and made the Miss even more devotedly infatuated with the Eighth Prince.

Initially, Little He also thought the Miss’s fate was good, being cherished by her parental home and receiving no less affection after marriage.

But gradually she felt something was off, after all, she accompanied the Miss day and night, and no one understood how the Eighth Prince looked at the Miss better than her.

Little He indeed tried to remind Jiang Lai, but back then, Jiang Lai wouldn’t listen to any of this and even scolded her once.

After that, Little He dared not speak anymore.

Today, Jiang Lai brought it up on her own, making Little He both puzzled and glad.

"Miss, what should we do with the meal..."

"Pack it up and give it to the beggars, and prepare the meal according to my instructions."