Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 135: Prince Qing, You Really Didn’t Have To

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: Prince Qing, You Really Didn’t Have To

Only then did Song Lianhe learn from Jing Ye that after Zhou Cangyan had abducted Mrs. Liu last night, he went straight to General Li Hua’s grave. There, right in front of the tomb, his guards forced Mrs. Liu to kowtow, making her slam her head against the ground. With every kowtow, she was forced to shout, "General, forgive me!"

She kowtowed until her forehead was a bloody mess, and she fainted several times.

Zhou Cangyan was in no hurry. He simply sat nearby, and whenever she fainted, he would order his men to slap her awake. Once she regained consciousness, they would force her to continue kowtowing.

He watched with cold eyes, remarking nonchalantly that he would let her go only when General Li Hua decided to forgive her.

This continued until Mrs. Liu, seething with hatred, couldn’t catch her breath and fainted once more.

Zhou Cangyan shot a look, and Shen Fu rolled up his sleeves. ’He didn’t want to hit a woman, but who told this old hag to bully his benefactor!’

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

A few hard slaps later, Mrs. Liu slowly came to. Her entire face was swollen, she couldn’t even open her eyes, and she was unable to cry out loud, managing only a few whimpers from her throat.

The picturesque man spoke coldly, "Continue."

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Held down by force, Mrs. Liu felt she would rather die.

This went on until the Ministry of Justice received a report. Zhen Yongming quickly dispatched Jing Ye with his men. The moment they helped Mrs. Liu to her feet, she let out a loud wail.

But in the next instant, she felt a wetness beneath her skirt and was horrified to realize she had lost control of her bladder.

Overcome with shame and panic, her eyes rolled back into her head, and she fainted again.

Witnessing her miserable state, even Jing Ye couldn’t help but shudder. He quickly ordered his men to support her and drag her away.

Humiliating the wife of a current General is a serious crime. However, given Zhou Cangyan’s special status, Zhen Yongming submitted a report to the throne overnight. The Chief Eunuch, Lu Shunfu, delivered a verbal edict: "When the Emperor’s kin breaks the law, they are to be treated the same as a commoner." This indicated the Holy Emperor’s stance, and so Zhou Cangyan was imprisoned.

Song Lianhe was speechless for a long moment after hearing this.

’So, it wasn’t because of Xin Haiyun. It was because he went directly after Mrs. Liu to vent my anger...’

She couldn’t describe the feeling in her heart, only that it felt heavy and constricted.

After telling her everything, Jing Ye added with a stutter, "Prince Qing really didn’t have to... For someone like Mrs. Liu, it-it truly wasn’t worth it."

He didn’t finish his sentence, but Cao Jin picked up where he left off, "There are already people in the Court targeting him. By doing this, he has personally handed them leverage against him."

Song Lianhe bit her lip, the suffocating feeling in her chest growing even stronger.

While these few were whispering among themselves, Song Xilan had already arrived with Prince Ling, Zhou Junlin.

"Father! Where is Mother?"

Ever since Mrs. Liu was taken by Zhou Cangyan last night, even though Song Xingfeng had gone to the palace overnight for an audience with the Emperor, she had been restless.

The thought of her maternal aunt’s horrific fate—being skinned alive—made her shudder with fear.

’What kind of man was Zhou Cangyan?’

’The Heavenly Kill Slash!’

’Countless people had died at his hands. Even though most were enemy soldiers, his cruel and bloody methods were still despised by all!’

’How could her mother be safe in the hands of such a man?’

Now, her only option was to seek help from Zhou Junlin. As a fellow prince, he should have some sway with Zhou Cangyan!

So, heedless of whether she would lose face in front of Zhou Junlin, she went to the Ling Prince Mansion at the crack of dawn.

Zhou Junlin, who was already aware of the matter at the General Mansion, immediately went to see Gu Ha. "Why wasn’t this reported?"

Gu Ha stammered, "This subordinate was afraid of disturbing Your Highness. Besides... Mrs. Song and Song Lianhe have conflicts from time to time. I assumed this was just another one of those instances. I never imagined it would involve Prince Qing..."

Gu Ha was Zhou Junlin’s personal guard, so naturally, he always put his master’s interests first.

He had an excellent impression of Song Xilan and accepted her as his future mistress, but that didn’t mean he accepted Mrs. Liu.

Therefore, he believed that when it came to the General Mansion, and especially Mrs. Liu, it was best to avoid getting involved.

"Absurd!"

After the reprimand, Zhou Junlin immediately ordered his attendants to help him change. He turned back and looked at Gu Ha coldly. "After this matter is settled, go and receive your punishment."

Gu Ha replied, "Yes."

When Zhou Junlin saw Song Xilan, her face was haggard with dark circles under her eyes. She must have been up all night with worry.

Song Xilan was about to curtsy but he stopped her.

"What are you doing?"

"Your Highness, I know this is a family matter and I shouldn’t trouble you. But... but now, Your Highness is the only one I can turn to for help..."

Seeing his beloved’s helpless expression and red-rimmed eyes, Zhou Junlin immediately declared, "You and I will be married soon. Your business is my business!"

"Your Highness..."

Song Xilan was moved to tears. ’It seems I truly haven’t loved the wrong man.’

Hearing that Mrs. Liu had been taken to the Ministry of Justice, the two of them rushed over. Worried about her mother, Song Xilan couldn’t help but quicken her pace.

"Your Highness."

Gu Ha took a step forward. Zhou Junlin turned to the side, and Gu Ha reported, "The Second Miss Song is here as well."

Zhou Junlin raised an eyebrow, his expression thought-provoking.

He said nothing and followed Song Xilan into the Right Temple Deputy Hall.

As soon as he entered, he saw Song Lianhe standing in the center of the room. At her feet were the shards of a broken teacup, and her skirt was even stained with damp tea leaves.

Unlike the hysteria she usually displayed after clashing with her family, she stood there with her red lips pressed together, calm and defiant, her gaze firm.

For some reason, seeing such a strong Song Lianhe caused faint ripples in his heart.

It wasn’t that Zhou Junlin was unaware of her situation in the Song Family.

Admittedly, Song Lianhe had a habit of being arrogant, had a difficult personality, and was generally disliked. As a result, when she fell into trouble, there were plenty of people eager to kick her while she was down.

Song Lianhe was no longer like her former self, who would run to Zhou Junlin to complain whenever she saw him. She just stood there coldly, like a statue of a goddess—aloof, noble, and inviolably sacred. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

As if sensing his gaze, Song Lianhe shifted her eyes toward him slightly.

For some unknown reason, Zhou Junlin’s breath hitched.

But their eyes met for only a split second before her gaze swept past him, not even pausing for a moment.

Zhou Junlin was slightly taken aback at first, then he furrowed his brow. He couldn’t quite describe the feeling in his heart, but a faint displeasure appeared on his face.

"This humble official greets Your Highness, Prince Ling."

Zhen Yongming stepped forward and bowed, neither obsequious nor arrogant.

Zhou Junlin returned to his senses and nodded slightly. "Lord Zhen, pay it no mind. I merely heard that something had happened to my future Princess Consort’s family, so I accompanied her here. I have no other intention."

Before Lord Zhen could respond, Song Lianhe let out a scoff.

’What a load of "no other intention."’

’As if anyone here doesn’t know you came to back up Song Xilan.’

At her sound, many people turned to look at her.

Zhou Junlin’s gaze fixed on her again. Song Xilan bit her lip and stepped forward. "Sister, if Mother has wronged you in any way, I will apologize on her behalf..."

"Song Xilan, what can you do on her behalf? Can you take her place for a crime punishable by beheading?" Song Lianhe cut her off abruptly, her gaze cold and hard.

"..."

Song Xilan froze, panic flashing across her face.

No one present knew better than her that Song Lianhe was not just making empty threats.

Cao Jin stood by Song Lianhe’s side, keeping his gaze lowered and his expression neutral.

Zhou Junlin frowned. Unlike usual, he didn’t immediately refute her, but instead looked toward Song Xilan.

He, too, had heard about the incident but hadn’t given it much thought. ’What place was this? The Ministry of Justice! The body that tries, investigates, and impeaches all court officials.’

’Mrs. Liu was an official’s family member. If she committed a crime, it was only natural she would be sent to the Ministry of Justice.’

’Furthermore, knowing his Imperial Uncle, while the man might disregard rules, he wasn’t a fool. If Mrs. Liu had truly been sent here merely for provoking Song Lianhe over a trivial family matter, it simply wouldn’t make sense.’

As the realization dawned on him, Zhou Junlin’s brow tightened.

Just then, Gu Ha came in, silently approached his side, and whispered a few words in his ear.

Zhou Junlin was startled. "Is that true?"

Gu Ha nodded and replied in a low voice, "The one from the Liu Family is already dead."

The expression on Zhou Junlin’s face changed slightly. When he looked at Song Lianhe again, his gaze had become complicated, with a faint trace of remorse.