Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 141: You Want to Protect Me?

Song Lianhe’s goal was to blow this whole situation wide open!

To the point where every dark scheme and hidden player would be exposed!

When she heard someone from the palace had arrived, her mood soared. She immediately had a guard fetch her more flower tea and pastries. Crossing her legs, she leaned back on the platform bed, carefully picked up her cup from the small table on the bed, and took a noisy sip.

Then, estimating that the hour was right, she began her preparations.

First, she got her clothes dirty and disheveled, then messed up her hair and rubbed her eyes hard.

With all her preparations complete, she settled in to wait.

As expected, it wasn’t long before the door was kicked open!

That’s right. Kicked open.

The force of the kick was so great it made her jump, and the cashews in her hand scattered across the floor.

"How dare you! This is the Ling Prince Mansion! Who are you to trespass...?"

"Get the hell out of my way!"

’Was that... Shen Fu?’

Shen Fu cleared the way, a pair of Meteor Hammers in his grip. Behind him was a man in a black robe, his dark gaze radiating an intimidating aura.

Song Lianhe jumped down from the platform bed and ran to the cell door, waving at the men outside. "I’m over here!"

"Benefactor!"

Shen Fu came over in a few steps. "Benefactor, please step back!"

Song Lianhe instinctively did as he said and stepped back. She watched as Shen Fu swung his massive hammers and, with a CRASH, CRASH, smashed the cell door to the ground.

Before Song Lianhe could even marvel at such raw power, Zhou Cangyan stepped through the doorway.

He was so tall that he had to duck his head to enter. As he slowly straightened, his light brown eyes landed on her and stayed there.

Her breath hitched as their eyes met, and her heart began to race.

Zhou Cangyan was dressed in close-fitting black robes, with golden bracers on his wrists and a longsword at his waist. His long hair was tied back in a ponytail, secured with a jade coronet.

This was the first time she had seen him wearing a sword.

’It felt like a feather was tickling her heart.’

’If he were in full military dress...’

’She dared not even imagine the sight! It was the ultimate uniform fantasy! So alluring!’

Song Lianhe thought, rather inappropriately, that she was hopelessly superficial. Just looking at that exquisitely handsome face was enough for her to conjure up an entire movie in her head—any genre would do.

Seeing her staring at him so brazenly, Zhou Cangyan’s thick brows furrowed.

"Scared?"

Song Lianhe snapped out of her daze and quickly shook her head.

"Your Highness, weren’t you at the Ministry of Justice? How are you here?" She sucked in a sharp breath. "Don’t tell me... you broke out of prison?!"

’That’s a major crime!’

’Breaking out of prison is the same as fleeing to escape punishment! It would be an admission of guilt for all the crimes they’ve accused you of!’

"We’re done for, we’re done for! Why did you come out? No, you have to come back to the Ministry of Justice with me!" She grabbed his hand, completely ignoring how intimate the gesture was. "We have to find Lord Zhen right now and confess," she said frantically. "There might still be time!"

She tried to pull him out the door, but he caught her by the wrist.

"I didn’t break out of prison."

Song Lianhe blinked. "Really?"

He didn’t speak, but instead led her out of the cell.

Hearing that he hadn’t broken out of prison, Song Lianhe let out a small sigh of relief.

Suddenly, he spun around, tightening his grip on her hand and pulling it to his chest. His eyes, now lowered, seemed to burn with a fiery rage. "And what about you? How could you let him lock you up in a place like this?"

"I..."

The fury in his eyes startled her.

"Cat got your tongue?"

He took another step closer. Intimidated, Song Lianhe immediately caved and told him everything. "I just... I didn’t want them to take Mrs. Liu away. And... I also wanted to save you."

He froze. "Save me?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Song Lianhe hesitated before giving a small nod. "You’re a Prince, yet you were still locked away in that place. Zhen Yongming must have been acting on orders from someone higher up. I kept wondering, if it had been any other Prince, would they have met the same fate? After thinking it over, I realized the lack of a clear answer was an answer in itself. The Empress might want to help, but as a woman of the inner palace, she can’t interfere too much. So, that leaves me as the only one who can help you. And the only way I can do that is to make this situation so big that no one can feign ignorance any longer! They have to give my mother justice, and they have to clear your name! Simply put, no one gets to harm the people I’ve chosen to protect!"

This was what she truly believed.

’It was just as she’d said. Zhou Cangyan might seem like a glorious Prince, but he was constantly under the Emperor’s suspicion and had never truly had a family to call his own. There was a reason he was the villain of the story. But she didn’t care what his role was supposed to be in this book’s world. All she knew was that when she had faced injustice, he was the first person to stand by her side.’

’I would repay his every kindness tenfold!’

Zhou Cangyan’s gaze faltered slightly, a faint light flickering in the depths of his eyes. He murmured, his lips parting, his voice extremely soft, "You... want to protect me?"

"Yes!"

"Why?"

Song Lianhe replied in all seriousness, "Because Your Highness treats me well!"

Gazing at her, Zhou Cangyan suddenly broke into a smile.

’He rarely smiled. It came with the territory of being the villain, so whenever he did, Song Lianhe couldn’t help but assume he was up to no good.’

’But right here, right now, it was as if a soul had been breathed into his smile, giving it warmth.’

Watching him smile, Song Lianhe was momentarily bewitched. She stared, mesmerized, as her heart once again started to pound like a drum.

’This man will be the death of me!’

’Doesn’t he realize that a smile like that has the power to topple kingdoms and ruin lives?’

’If any other woman were to see this...’

She frowned. Acting on the noble principle of, ’If you’re going to be a menace, be a menace to me and me alone,’ she reached up and physically pushed the corners of his smiling mouth back down.

Under his confused gaze, she smiled with satisfaction. "That’s more like it."

He didn’t ask what she was doing. He looked around in disgust, unwilling to let her stay in this place for a moment longer, and immediately pulled her into the courtyard.

He pulled her along, so all she could see was his back, and the occasional glimpse of his face in profile when he turned. ’What a perfect side profile,’ she thought dreamily. ’Just looking at it is enough to make my heart flutter...’

The Ling Prince Mansion’s cells were located in a remote courtyard. It was overgrown with green, shade-loving vines whose astonishing vitality had allowed them to cover every surface. The effect was oppressive, like a natural prison.

As the two of them stepped out, they were confronted by several dozen Ling Prince Mansion guards, who drew their weapons in unison—a truly frightening sight.

But on their side, Zhou Cangyan had only brought Shen Fu.

Zhou Junlin stood at the forefront. His gaze slid past Zhou Cangyan, then fixed on Song Lianhe, his eyes filled with a kind of accusation.

Song Lianhe wondered. ’Is he... blaming me for going back on my word? For abandoning my post?’

He stared at Song Lianhe, but his words were for Zhou Cangyan. "Imperial Uncle, are you aware that this is the Ling Prince Mansion?"

"Heh..." Zhou Cangyan let out a low, unhurried laugh, his gaze turning glacial. "Then are *you* aware that the one you abducted to your Ling Prince Mansion is this King’s very own Princess Qing?"