Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 147: So Your Highness Wants Me to Be Your Concubine Too?
Zhou Cangyan galloped to the Imperial Palace. After dismounting, he headed straight for Chongzheng Hall.
Fang Xiu was waiting outside the hall. Upon seeing him, she immediately came forward. "Prince Qing, the Empress asks that you first return to Kunyi Palace. Her Majesty will speak to the Holy Emperor on your behalf. Please, do not act rashly."
Zhou Cangyan’s gaze was cold, and a biting chill emanated from him. He didn’t break his stride.
"Your Highness!"
Fang Xiu had been ordered to stand guard here and had no choice but to desperately block him. She stepped forward to bar his path. "Your Highness! With Her Majesty here, you can rest assured."
Zhou Cangyan stopped. His pale eyes swept over her, seemingly without effort. "I naturally trust the Empress, but this is one matter I cannot afford to gamble on."
"Prince Qing! Prince Qing, please wait..."
Zhou Cangyan’s gaze grew even colder as he went straight to the Imperial Study Room.
Hearing that Prince Qing had arrived, Chun De’s expression changed slightly. His brows furrowed, his eyes filled with worry.
Emperor Cheng Xiao chuckled enigmatically. "He sure got here fast."
The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. Outside the gates of Tanwei Palace, Song Xilan knelt on the ground, her back ramrod straight.
This place was far from the main halls of the Imperial Palace. The staff of Tanwei Palace who passed by all turned a blind eye to the frail woman kneeling there.
Man Yue looked at her mistress with heartache. "Miss, let’s just go."
Song Xilan gritted her teeth. Her knees had long since gone numb, but she still insisted on kneeling there.
The night wind cleared her head, allowing her to understand many things.
It seemed she was being dragged down by her mother, but in reality, what happened today was bound to happen sooner or later!
The Holy Emperor disliked her, and Consort Qi also felt she was unworthy of Prince Ling. Now, they had simply found a good excuse to force her to back down. If she left today, she would lose her last chance.
’Hmph. So what if it’s imperial power?’
’I won’t let them get their way, no matter what!’
"His Highness, Prince Ling, has arrived!"
A palace attendant announced his arrival. Song Xilan froze at the sound. She bit her lip but did not turn around.
"Xilan!"
Zhou Junlin strode forward and went to help her up. "How could you be so foolish?"
He had also just received the news, and upon learning she had been kneeling here for a long time, he had rushed back with his men.
"Your Highness!"
Song Xilan grabbed his hands and slowly looked up at him. "Xilan knows my mother has committed a grave error, which is why I am here to beg forgiveness from the Holy Emperor and the Noble Consort. I ask that Your Highness allow me to do so."
Zhou Junlin frowned. "What does the mistake Mrs. Liu made have to do with you?"
With his words, he had already drawn a clear line between Mrs. Liu and Song Xilan, his tone rather cold.
Song Xilan’s gaze wavered. "But she is my mother. As Your Highness knows, that is a fact that cannot be changed."
Zhou Junlin subconsciously avoided the question. "You should still get up. The ground is cold, and your constitution is weak..."
"Your Highness," Song Xilan said suddenly. "Do you regret it? Do you regret promising to marry me?"
Zhou Junlin paused, his deep eyes fixed on her. "I am marrying you because that is where my heart lies."
In the past, such a heartfelt confession from him would surely have brought her to tears. But now, she only looked at him quietly and asked, "And what about my sister?"
Zhou Junlin lowered his gaze and frowned. "Xilan, you know I have no romantic feelings for her."
Hearing his answer, Song Xilan felt her heart go cold.
’He didn’t like Song Lianhe, but he also hadn’t denied that he was going to marry her.’
Song Xilan gave a bitter laugh. Her body swayed, and unable to hold herself up any longer, she crumpled back onto her heels.
"Xilan!"
Zhou Junlin’s heart still ached for her. Ignoring her protests, he swept her up into his arms and ordered Gu Ha to summon an Imperial Physician at once!
Song Xilan slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with disappointment.
She choked out, word by word, "You said you only wanted to marry me. That you would *only* marry me, and there would be no one else."
Zhou Junlin’s heart clenched, and he quickened his pace. "That vow has not changed. How could you not know how my heart feels for you?"
Song Xilan laughed. "What about Lianhe? Will you give her up?"
"That is merely a temporary measure!" Zhou Junlin stopped abruptly and looked down at her. "Right now, this affair with your mother has caused a huge scandal. For your sake, I must protect her, no matter how much I dislike her. What choice do I have? She is your mother. But the one she insulted was General Li Hua! You know how crucial her position is in Da Cheng. If I don’t seek justice for the General and yet still insist on making you my main wife, it will inevitably draw criticism from the Court. It would disillusion the entire world!"
Song Xilan keenly caught the meaning behind his words. Her eyes, filled with hurt, stared blankly at him.
"What do you mean... making me your main wife would draw criticism?"
Zhou Junlin pressed his lips together, his gaze lowered.
Her voice began to tremble. "Your Highness?"
After a long moment, he finally looked up. "With your intelligence, how could you not have guessed? Must I say it out loud? But don’t you realize how cruel it is for me to have to say it!"
’I don’t want to be the one to say words that will hurt the woman I love. Even if it’s the truth, it shouldn’t come from my lips!’
It was as if Song Xilan no longer recognized the man before her. She struggled out of his arms and held out a hand toward Man Yue.
Man Yue immediately rushed forward to support her mistress.
"So, the main wife Your Highness intends to marry is... is my sister? Then what about me? Where does that leave me, Your Highness?!"
"Xilan! The only woman I love is you!"
"Please, answer my question, Your Highness!" Song Xilan’s demand made Zhou Junlin freeze.
’The Xilan I knew was always so gentle and serene. But the woman before me now... all that gentleness is gone. Her eyes are red, her expression stubborn, almost radical!’
Zhou Junlin was silent for a moment before he said slowly, "Xilan, you’ll still be marrying me either way. Is being the main wife really that important to you?"
Song Xilan suddenly went rigid. She stared at him without a word, the light instantly vanishing from her eyes.
Zhou Junlin knew this must be hard for her to accept. ’But is my own situation any better?’
He said, "Just now in the Imperial Study Room, the Holy Emperor’s intention was to let the mistake stand and marry you off to Prince Qing!"
Song Xilan was even more shocked. "Prince... Prince Qing?!"
"That’s right." Zhou Junlin took a step forward, gripping her shoulders. "How could I stand by and watch you marry another man? But right now, we need to appease the entire court and silence the gossip! So, I must ask you to bear this injustice for a while. Be my Concubine for now. As long as you and I know what is in each other’s hearts, what do those empty worldly titles matter? Just know this: I will never fail you in the future!"
His words were, one might say, brimming with genuine emotion.
But Song Xilan was no longer moved to tears as she would have been before. Instead, she let out a choked laugh. Looking at him with red-rimmed eyes, she said, word by word, "Does Your Highness know why, even though I’m known as the daughter of the General Mansion, I’ve always been looked down upon? It’s only because my mother is a concubine! Even though my father later made her his main wife, in the eyes of the world, she is still a concubine! A concubine who can never be presented in polite society!"
Zhou Junlin’s brows knitted tightly.
"So, is Your Highness now asking me to be your concubine as well? If that’s the case, then what’s to stop me from marrying Prince Qing? At least with him, I would be his main wife!"
