Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 161: The Lord Said, Such a Fine Cabbage
In truth, for Song Lianhe to make sense of all this, she didn’t need to take any action. She just had to let things run their course and stop meddling.
This way, everything about Zhou Cangyan’s "kiss" from the day before became clear, and Song Lianhe no longer had to get hung up on it.
She arrived at the drawing room, where Marquis Xuan Chang and the Marchioness were already waiting. When they saw her, her grandparents smiled happily. "My dear granddaughter, look what Grandfather bought you! It’s the sweet dumplings you loved as a child! And rice cakes, flower preserves..." As he spoke, he pulled a small pinwheel from his robes. "And this!"
Song Lianhe was both amused and exasperated. "Grandfather, how old do you think I am? I stopped playing with these things long ago."
"Ah, then what do you like, my dear granddaughter? Tell your grandfather, and I’ll go get it all for you!"
Marchioness Xuan Chang chuckled from the side. "You have no idea. Your grandfather was drinking with Mr. Cao yesterday. After being brought back by people from the Cao Mansion early this morning, he insisted on going out to buy you snacks. This whole table is filled with things he bought, claiming you love them. He didn’t even consider how many years have passed and how much your tastes must have changed."
Song Lianhe lowered her gaze, and without another word, she picked up her chopsticks and took one of the sweet dumplings. "I love them. I love all of it!"
"Really?"
Marquis Xuan Chang was so happy he kept looking at his wife. "My lady, what did I tell you? How could I not know what our Wenxin likes to eat? She’s the dear granddaughter this old man doted on as she grew up!"
"Yes, yes, my Lord is right about everything."
The couple simply sat with Song Lianhe, beaming as they watched her eat bite after bite. Afterward, she even took the little pinwheel Marquis Xuan Chang had bought and ran around the courtyard playing with it for a while.
The maids and servants of the Marquis Mansion all watched from the side, chuckling happily.
Nanny Diao said, "It’s been so many years since our Marquis Mansion has been this lively."
A young maid joked, "Who would’ve thought our young lady is still so playful?"
"That’s because the young lady is trying to make our Lord and Marchioness happy," Nanny Diao said, sighing with emotion. "The young lady has weathered so many storms. She’s truly different now."
After cheering up her grandparents, Song Lianhe helped them back to the sitting room and only then asked about the previous night’s events.
Marquis Xuan Chang snorted coldly. "Who the Holy Emperor wants to favor is none of my business! But to do it using my granddaughter’s name? He can forget about it!"
"You must speak cautiously!"
Marchioness Xuan Chang glanced at Nanny Diao, who understood immediately. She closed the door, stood guard outside, and dismissed the other servants.
"Grandfather, were you summoned back to the city by the Emperor this time?"
’Song Lianhe had been wondering about that. In the original novel, Marquis Xuan Chang hadn’t returned to Ling’an at this time.’
’And yet, her grandfather’s return this time was incredibly timely. If it weren’t for him, she and Zhou Cangyan might not have escaped unscathed.’
"Well, about that..."
Marquis Xuan Chang stroked his beard and let out a low chuckle. He glanced at his wife first. Madam Xuan Chang smiled faintly. "She’s family, there’s nothing to hide. It’s better to tell her sooner so she can prepare."
"Very well!"
Marquis Xuan Chang crooked his finger. "Granddaughter, lean in!"
Song Lianhe was dying of curiosity and immediately leaned closer. "Grandfather, tell me quickly!"
"It was..."
Song Lianhe’s eyes widened in disbelief. "So it was..."
Marchioness Xuan Chang immediately motioned for her to be quiet.
"Oh, oh, oh!"
Song Lianhe immediately clamped her mouth shut.
"But, my dear granddaughter, there is another matter now that is more urgent." Marquis Xuan Chang tsk-tsked and said unhurriedly, "You and that kid, King Qing..."
"My Lord." Marchioness Xuan Chang frowned and shook her head.
"Alright, alright, fine... King Qing! King Qing, is that good enough!" Marquis Xuan Chang rolled his eyes and said, "You and King Qing are now tied together in the Holy Emperor’s eyes. If you want to break your engagement with that kid, Zhou Ziyin... er, Prince Ling, you have to marry King Qing! You understand this logic, right?"
"Of course, I do!"
Song Lianhe was still cracking melon seeds, looking as if she hadn’t realized the gravity of the situation.
"Let me ask." The Marchioness Xuan Chang grew anxious. She pulled her over and said, "Tomorrow is Prince Ling’s wedding day. The original plan was for two young ladies from the General Mansion to be wed on the same day. This means, if you wish to avoid attracting unwanted attention, tomorrow must also be your wedding day with King Qing!"
PFFT—
Song Lianhe spat out a mouthful of tea, which sprayed right onto her grandfather’s beard.
She frantically wiped her grandfather’s beard, a panicked expression finally appearing on her face. "I’m getting married? Tomorrow?"
"You didn’t know?"
Marchioness Xuan Chang said, "The Empress used this as the very pretext to summon your grandfather and me back to the city."
Song Lianhe felt increasingly guilty. "I... I think I might have heard something about it..."
’It was just that too much had happened in the past two days, without even a moment to breathe. She vaguely remembered Zhou Cangyan mentioning it...’
"Oh dear, Grandmother, what do we do now?"
"What do we do? We do whatever my dear granddaughter wants, of course!" Marquis Xuan Chang slammed his hand on the table, his voice loud and bold. "If my granddaughter is unwilling, it doesn’t matter who says otherwise!"
Marchioness Xuan Chang shot him a glare. "The situation is dire. What’s the point of saying all that?"
Marquis Xuan Chang pursed his lips, but he didn’t dare defy his wife.
"Grandmother has a question for you. When you heard King Qing was being punished in the Imperial Palace, you rushed over in a panic to save him?"
"Yes!" Song Lianhe nodded obediently. "He offended the Holy Emperor, so of course I had to go save him!"
"Alright, then let me ask you another thing. Before the Holy Emperor, you would rather defy an imperial edict than marry Prince Ling. Was that out of resentment, or were you just being rash?"
"Of course it’s because I don’t want to marry him! He wants to marry Song Xilan, yet he still has his eyes on me. Who does he think he is? That he can have all the good things in the world? Tch!"
Marquis Xuan Chang nodded emphatically. "Precisely! Precisely!"
Marchioness Xuan Chang now had a better understanding. She asked, "What do you think of Prince Qing?"
Song Lianhe blurted out, "He’s great!"
She didn’t notice the look exchanged between the Marquis and Marchioness. After thinking for a moment, she added, "His temper might be a bit bad, but he’s been fine with me and hasn’t really lost it. And well, he’s smart enough. Hmm, most importantly, he’s a true scoundrel! If he wants to do something bad, he’ll be thoroughly bad about it, without needing or deigning to pretend otherwise! He’s much easier on the eyes than that pretentious Zhou Junlin!"
Marchioness Xuan Chang smiled. "Grandmother understands now."
"Hmph..." The Marquis Xuan Chang, however, couldn’t bring himself to smile. "Such a fine head of cabbage..."
The Marchioness Xuan Chang made an immediate decision. "There’s no time to lose. My Lord, go to the Prince Qing Mansion at once!"
"I’m not going."
"You—"
Just then, Nanny Diao called from outside, "Marchioness, someone from the Prince Qing Mansion is here."
Marchioness Xuan Chang raised an eyebrow. A small, satisfied smile played on her lips. "Who has come?"
Nanny Diao’s voice held a hint of laughter. "It’s Prince Qing, Marchioness. He has come in person."
Hearing this, the smile on Marchioness Xuan Chang’s face widened. "Good."
She stood up and glanced at the reluctant Marquis Xuan Chang. "My Lord, come with me to welcome our esteemed guest."
"I’m not—"
Marchioness Xuan Chang shot him a glare. "Are you coming or not?"
"...I’m coming, I’m coming."
Hearing it was Zhou Cangyan, Song Lianhe wanted to ask if his injuries had gotten any better, so she stood up. "Then I’ll..."
But Marchioness Xuan Chang’s expression turned serious. "You will stay here."
