I Really Like the Male Supporting Character (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 17

To make their journey more interesting, Ah Luo and Wenren Jin chose a different route on their way back to the capital. It took longer than their trip from the capital to this village, but it also meant that they could have much more enjoyable moments on their return trip.

They had set out for the temple in mid-July, but by the time they returned, it was nearly the end of August. 

Soon after they returned to the capital, Zhao Qiuchen married the seventh prince, Gu Qilou. However, Ah Luo couldn’t attend the wedding, as she had suddenly fallen ill.

It started as a bit of nausea after meals, which Ah Luo thought was simply from the heat of the capital’s summer. She wasn’t concerned, as she assumed that it was just a lack of appetite.

The hot weather had Ah Luo frequently dragging Wenren Jin to the lake in their garden to go boating. At dusk, with the sun just setting, they would stop under the shade of trees and enjoy the cool lake breeze there. Sometimes, they’d even sneak in a quick swim.

Ah Luo didn’t know how to swim, but she still wanted to. As such, she pestered Wenren Jin to teach her how to swim. By the end of the month, she had learned.

One day, while they were at the lake, they happened to catch a fish, which Ah Luo had the kitchen prepare for dinner. 

However, that night, she suddenly awoke and vomited heavily.

When she lifted her head, Wenren Jin looked pale. He appeared even sicker than she was.

At the time, Ah Luo thought she had just eaten something bad or perhaps had a touch of heatstroke. She managed to calm Wenren Jin enough to keep him from calling a physician in the middle of the night. 

However, the next morning, when she sat down for breakfast and saw a bowl of plain porridge, she felt a sudden wave of nausea and retched on the spot.

That was when she started to suspect it wasn’t an illness.

Sure enough, when the physician arrived, he checked her pulse and smiled. He congratulated her, saying, “Congratulations, my lady. You are expecting, and likely have been for over a month.”

Judging from the date, it seemed she had conceived while they were on the road.

Though this was joyous news to all, Ah Luo felt that her pregnancy was no different than an illness. Anyhow, they were equally uncomfortable to her.

She was miserable, and she couldn’t keep anything that she’d eaten down. She was hardly able to drink water, and everyone around her became overly cautious; they wouldn’t even allow her near the lake anymore. Wenren Jin would even wake instantly if she so much as kicked off the covers at night and tucked her back in with utmost care.

In less than half a month, Ah Luo had lost weight due to severe morning sickness, and she had to turn down Zhao Qiuchen’s wedding invitation to spend her day resting at home.

Upon hearing the news of Ah Luo’s pregnancy, her mother—Lady Yao, and sister-in-law—Lady Zhong, came to visit and brought additional news.

Very soon after entering the crown prince’s residence, Su Baiwei had also become pregnant. She was nearly three months along by now, so she likely had conceived in early July, shortly after moving into the crown prince’s residence.

Perhaps buoyed by this, the crown prince was becoming more assertive in court. Being the legitimate son of the empress and designated heir since birth, he now had a growing following around him. He had earned some military accomplishments a few years back, and his marriage to the Song family’s daughter further strengthened his influence.

However, the more the crown prince displayed his power, the more the emperor grew wary of him.

Recently, a number of officials had petitioned the emperor. They urged him to grant more responsibilities to the crown prince and suggested that the crown prince should take on some real duties to establish his reputation among the people.

The emperor was slow to express his position on the matter. However, after continuous pressure, he dismissed several Song family officials.

Though they were minor officials, it sent a clear message. It was evident to all that the emperor’s patience with the Song family was wearing thin.

The Song family had been a thorn in the emperor’s side ever since he ascended to the throne. He’d initially handed military power to Song Renzhou, even though he knew that should the Song family ever turn against him, he could easily march his 200,000-strong army to the capital and topple the empire. 

To appease them, the emperor married a daughter of the Song family and named their son as the crown prince right after he was born. Moreover, though the empress had been deceased for over ten years, the emperor had not dared appoint a new empress.

It made the emperor both fearful and resentful. He had attempted to summon Song Renzhou back to the capital repeatedly, but all of his attempts had been repeatedly thwarted. As long as the Song family still held military power, that family would always constrain him.

By now, the emperor had had enough of the Song family. The sight of his son intertwined with the Song family pained him, because he knew that his son would be facing similar constraints as him during his reign, and he gnashed his teeth in hatred towards the Song family.

Towards the crown prince, who had married a girl from the Song family as well, the emperor felt utter disappointment.

He was aging and weakening in health. He knew that, sooner or later, he would have to pass over the throne to a successor.

He had never seriously considered changing his heir, as the crown prince had proven his abilities. But the crown prince’s lack of foresight had disappointed the emperor, who began to question whether his son was suited to rule.

Recently, the emperor appeared to have finally been persuaded by the court officials and started sending the prince to fulfill some tasks. However, this honour wasn’t given solely to him but also to several princes who were also about to reach adulthood.

Among them was the seventh prince, Gu Qilou, who had recently married.

The emperor’s intent was unmistakable: he was dissatisfied with the crown prince and planned to assess all of his potential heirs.

Lady Yao held Ah Luo’s hand and worriedly said, “The waters in the capital are about to get murky. Your father has no wish to be involved in these matters, but with your sister married to the crown prince, others see our family as affiliated with his party. To avoid conflict, your father intends to retire, and your brother has requested reassignment elsewhere. We will likely leave the capital soon and will have to leave you here alone. It pains me, my dear.”

Ah Luo hugged her mother to comfort her. She said, “Don’t worry about me, Mother. My husband treats me well and will take good care of me.”

Ah Luo said that to her mother, but after sending her mother away, she showed her sadness to Wenren Jin.

Perhaps due to her pregnancy, she had become more sentimental and spent days feeling down about her family’s departure.

One day, Wenren Jin observed her quietly before suggesting, “When the weather cools in a few months, shall we go south?”

Ah Luo quickly caught on. She asked, “Oh? Do you intend to go south of me?”

Since she had become pregnant, Wenren Jin had been particularly attentive to her. Anything she so much as mentioned wanting, no matter how rare, he would procure for her.

Normally, he would attend various book gatherings and poetry meetings and rarely refused invitations. However, now that she was pregnant, he refused to leave her side even for a moment.

He knew that she couldn’t bear the thought of her family being so far away from her, so he wanted her to go with them. Ah Luo wasn’t surprised at all by his suggestion.

She touched the dark circles he’d gained from sleepless nights and showed him a gentle smile. “It’s all right; I’m only a bit reluctant to see them go. I’m happy to be with you, anywhere we are.”

Wenren Jin shook his head and softly replied, “It isn’t only for you. I’ve always loved travelling and never enjoyed staying long in the capital.”

That was true. Ah Luo had rarely heard of his reputation before; the heir of the marquis of Yuanting was known more among scholars than in the capital’s high society. His attendance at the grand princess’ flower-viewing banquet had been a rare occurrence.

Later, she had learned that the reason he’d been at the banquet was because his father, who was anxious for a daughter-in-law and grandchildren, had forced him to go.

In short, Wenren Jin himself didn’t care for the capital’s luxuries and preferred roaming freely. They agreed to leave once her pregnancy was stable after the third month when the weather cooled.

The two were delighted with the plan, though his father, the marquis, was less so. He was reluctant to see his future grandchild leave. However, because he was unable to change his son’s mind, he insisted on visiting the south after Ah Luo gave birth to see his grandchild.

The entire household began bustling with preparations, as this was not just Wenren Jin travelling alone but a move for the expectant Ah Luo as well.

It was during this period that Zhao Qiuchen came to visit. Ah Luo reclined in a chair under the veranda while servants spread books to dry in the sun nearby. Her husband, the ever-refined figure in white, fanned her and fed her grapes. He looked every bit like the male pet of an empress regnant.

Zhao Qiuchen sighed and said, “Every time I come to see you, I wish I had never come.” 

Ah Luo glanced at her before ordering a servant to bring a chair for her without standing up. She then said, “Why? Are you envious?”

Zhao Qiuchen laughed and half-jokingly said, “Yes, I’m envious and jealous of you.”

Then again, every noblewoman in the capital was envious of Su Luoyan. Many who had mocked her once now looked on in admiration. Wenren Jin’s love for her was well known; some had seen him personally braving the hot sun to buy treats for her. When asked about it, he would always smile and reply, “My wife wishes to eat it.”

When it comes to choosing a husband, would it be better to choose one with great status but a cold heart, or one who simply would treat you like a precious gem?

Undoubtedly, most women would choose the latter, and Wenren Jin epitomized that choice.

Some people also ridiculed Wenren Jin for being henpecked. They said that Su Luoyan was just like her mother—a fierce and jealous wife. However, Wenren Jin immediately defended her and said that his wife was the person who had supported him throughout their marriage; she had entrusted her life to him and was bearing a child for him as well, so of course, it was only right for him to repay her efforts. It came without saying as well that since she would only have one husband in her life—him, he would also only ever have one wife in his life—her.

This remark had spread, and everyone who had ridiculed Su Luoyan was practically slapped in the face by it. Ah Luo instantly became the most envied woman in the capital.

Zhao Qiuchen, though, was simply jesting; she was happily in love with her own new husband.

“What brings you here today?” Ah Luo asked.

“Well, I finally had some free time! Qilou has been so busy with his new assignment that I rarely leave home, so I came to chat with you.”

Her words reminded A-Luo of something important. The story had changed; now, the male and female protagonists were married, and the storyline had altered significantly.

In the original storyline, the male protagonist wouldn’t be allied through marriage with the Song family at this point in time—not yet. The emperor also wouldn’t have forced the princes forward. With these changes, Ah Luo worried that the seventh prince might face an early misfortune, so she cautioned, “I’ve heard there’s a gang of ruthless bandits in Shu County on the outskirts of the capital. If you or your husband passes through that place, you must take extra precautions.”

In the novel, the seventh prince had passed by that place but was ambushed by bandits. He didn’t bring many guards with him, so the bandits managed to kill him. The grief from the loss of his beloved son caused the emperor’s health to further deteriorate, and it set the stage for the power struggle that was to follow.

Zhao Qiuchen was a little puzzled. Shu County was a remote place, and she didn’t know if she or her husband would ever pass through that place. Still, she thanked Ah Luo for her concern and made a note of what she said.

Ah Luo then shared her plan to leave for the south in winter, and the two promised to keep in touch through letters. Zhao Qiuchen didn’t stay long; after sitting for a little while longer, she left.

Although they had planned to leave in winter, by late October—when the trees had turned differing shades of gold, Ah Luo and Wenren Jin set off south.

The Su family had already settled there, and they had also prepared a place of residence for Ah Luo and Wenren Jin in anticipation of their arrival.