Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 155: The Marchioness, Not to Be Outdone by Marquis Lin
When Song Lianhe left Chongzheng Hall, Shuang Ye rushed to her side. Lady Cao then escorted them both directly back to the Xuan Chang Marquis Mansion.
The once-shuttered gates of the mansion were now bustling with visitors, a sign of Marquis Lin’s return.
Marchioness Xuan Chang, having received the news, was already waiting at the main gate.
Seeing the person alighting from the carriage, the Marchioness’s eyes instantly reddened. She rushed forward and grasped Song Lianhe’s hand. "Wenxin... are you my Wenxin?"
In that instant, it was as if the memories of this body were stirred. A scene flashed in her mind: she was still in swaddling clothes, and her large, dark eyes reflected the loving faces of her mother, Lin Shuniang, and her grandmother...
"Grandmother..."
Before Song Lianhe could even process it, tears streamed down her face.
"My poor child, you’ve suffered so much!"
The Marchioness squeezed her hand tightly. Having spent half her life accompanying her husband on military campaigns, Marchioness Xuan Chang possessed a certain martial air not found in the wives of ordinary officials.
After thanking Lady Cao’s party, she held tightly to Song Lianhe’s hand and ushered her into the Marquis Mansion. Shortly after the two sat down, the Marchioness learned the full story.
CRASH—
She swept a teacup to the floor, then shot to her feet and bellowed, "Someone! We’re going to the General Mansion!"
Song Lianhe, who hadn’t even taken a single sip of tea, quickly tried to stop her.
But the Marchioness declared, "The Song Family is simply outrageous! Do they really think the Lin family has no one left? Wenxin, don’t you worry. Your grandfather and I have returned to back you up! I’m going to see for myself today just who gave a mere mistress the audacity to disturb my daughter’s peace and harm my granddaughter! I’ll skin that man alive and rip out his tendons!"
’Compared to Marquis Lin, the Marchioness’s fiery temper was every bit as impressive.’
"Then I’ll go with you, Grandmother."
"No," the Marchioness said. "Song Xingfeng is your father, after all. If it comes to blows, it would be a grave act of filial impiety on your part."
Song Lianhe nodded, but then quickly added, "Mrs. Liu is pregnant with my father’s child."
The Marchioness scoffed. "Then we’ll offer it as a sacrifice to the heavens!"
Song Lianhe froze for a moment. "Grandmother, it’s not that serious! Really! Right now, we have the moral high ground. If we harm the child in Mrs. Liu’s womb, we’ll lose all justification and tarnish Mother’s good name in the process."
The Marchioness frowned. "Wenxin is absolutely right."
Then she gave her a surprised look. It was hard to imagine such words coming from her granddaughter.
In the past, she had been vengeful over the slightest grievance. Anyone who crossed her was lucky to escape with just a layer of skin peeled off.
Regardless, Marchioness Xuan Chang could not stomach this insult. She immediately handpicked a squad of men and "marched" on the General Mansion.
Shuang Ye asked worriedly, "Miss, the General won’t give the Marchioness any trouble, will he?"
"He wouldn’t dare." Song Lianhe was certain of it. "My maternal grandmother is his mother-in-law, and my grandfather helped advance his career. Besides, Mrs. Liu was the one who started this. All he can do is lie down and take the beating and cursing."
She shrugged. "General Song can only pray for himself now."
Shuang Ye then asked, "Miss, will the Lord save Prince Qing?"
At the mention of this, Song Lianhe’s smile vanished, and her brows knitted together.
’In the original novel, Zhou Cangyan rebelled, and Lin Yuanzhong led troops to suppress the uprising. But he was old by then. On top of that, the original owner of this body had suffered endless humiliation in the Ling Prince Mansion, which made him lose heart with the Zhou family and Prince Ling. He ended up suffering a crushing defeat, and Lin Yuanzhong died of grief. The Marchioness passed away shortly after.’
’According to the novel’s plot, they were practically fated enemies. So, could her grandfather really save him?’
「Meanwhile, the Marchioness had arrived at the General Mansion.」
She brought her men and barged right in.
"Who goes there? How dare you barge into the General Mansion—"
"Get out of the way!"
Marquis Xuan Chang’s soldiers were all battle-hardened veterans, a far cry from the guards of the General Mansion who were little more than gatekeepers. One of them sent the doorman flying with a single kick.
By now, someone had already rushed inside to report the intrusion.
Marchioness Xuan Chang strode into the courtyard. Her personal attendant, Nanny Diao, immediately brought a chair for her. "My Lady, please have a seat."
Marchioness Xuan Chang sat down, her back ramrod straight. Though she was in her fifties, the years she had spent with the army had forged a decisive and formidable character.
Soon, Song Xingfeng hurried to the scene.
"Mother-in-law?"
He immediately bowed. "I greet you, Mother-in-law. When did you return to Ling’an City?"
Marchioness Xuan Chang remained seated, as immovable as a mountain. She hailed from a family of high officials, and her brother was the current Minister of the Secretariat. She had an extraordinary bearing and a naturally intimidating presence.
She stared coldly at Song Xingfeng, then spoke. "My dear son-in-law, I have come all this way myself. So where is that ’General’s wife’ of yours? Why has she not come to pay her respects?"
The moment she spoke, Song Xingfeng knew his mother-in-law must have learned about the matter with Mrs. Xin and had come to hold him accountable.
He hurriedly replied, "Mother-in-law, Wanqing is injured and pregnant. It is truly not convenient for her to come and pay her respects."
Marchioness Xuan Chang sneered. "My daughter could charge into battle and slay enemies while she was pregnant, yet I never heard you mention any ’inconvenience’ then! When the Holy Emperor commended my daughter, you were happy to share in her glory, weren’t you? How grand! And now, you’re coddling that cheap slut who crawled into your bed during the mourning period!"
Song Xingfeng’s face flushed with anger and embarrassment. He was a man of immense status, a dignified Second-Grade Official and the head of all Military Generals! For Marchioness Xuan Chang to berate him in public was a blatant slap in the face.
Yet, the woman before him was his mother-in-law, the Marchioness Xuan Chang, and the sister of the Minister of the Secretariat. No matter how furious he was, he had no choice but to endure it.
Song Xingfeng took a deep breath. "Please, calm your anger, Mother-in-law. I will have her brought here to pay her respects to you at once."
Marchioness Xuan Chang coldly turned her face away.
Song Xingfeng gritted his teeth and ordered Zhang Xi to fetch Mrs. Liu.
When she heard that Marchioness Xuan Chang had arrived, Mrs. Liu was so frightened she nearly fell out of bed.
"Why is that old hag here again?!"
She had suffered at the Marchioness’s hands before and was terrified of her. Hearing that the Marchioness had demanded to see her by name, she knew instantly that the woman had come to avenge her "damned, dead daughter"!
No matter how foolish Mrs. Liu was, she knew that going out there meant walking into a death trap.
"Go and tell the General that I’m not feeling well. I’m not going to the front courtyard."
Zhang Xi said awkwardly, "The master said that even if we have to carry you, Madam, we must get you there."
"He said that? I’m carrying a child of his Song family! Doesn’t he care about me at all?!"
Nanny Tian quickly interjected, "Madam, that old sorceress has surely come to cause trouble. This is unavoidable. We should call for the young miss."
"Yes, yes! Quick, go get Lan’er! Tell her that her mother is on her deathbed!"
"Yes, ma’am."
Nanny Tian immediately sent a maid to find Song Xilan while she herself helped Mrs. Liu shuffle toward the front courtyard.
When they reached the front courtyard, Mrs. Liu looked up and was so terrified by the scene that her legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
"Madam!"
Nanny Tian quickly helped her up.
The bruises on Mrs. Liu’s face hadn’t faded, and her body was covered in injuries. She staggered forward, looking truly pathetic.
Song Xingfeng’s heart ached, and his brows furrowed in concern. But he couldn’t protect her in front of his mother-in-law, so he could only stand there silently, his expression grim.
When she was before Marchioness Xuan Chang, she motioned for Nanny Tian to step back, then tremblingly curtsied. "Wanqing pays her respects to the Old Marchioness."
Glaring down at her, Marchioness Xuan Chang let out a cold laugh, then suddenly raised her hand and viciously slapped her across the face—
