Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 162: The Young Lady is Unwilling to Marry King Qing?
Marquis Xuan Chang and his wife arrived in the front hall. Across from them, a tall, slender man stood with his back turned. Sunlight slanted in, casting a bright golden glow upon him and creating an aura of captivating, refined elegance.
It was late summer, and he was dressed in a black robe patterned with silver pythons and dragons. As the door opened, his robes billowed in the breeze, giving him the bearing of a celestial being—truly a figure of graceful elegance.
The man turned. "Lord, Marchioness."
Gazing at the man’s handsome features, Marchioness Xuan Chang pursed her lips, her eyes filled with mirth.
Zhou Cangyan’s features were refined and coolly handsome, and he carried a pristine air. Despite his reputation at court and among the people as a "God-Slayer," a "Harbinger of Slaughter," a "Heartless Man," and a "Jinx," his good looks were undeniable.
"Prince Qing." Marchioness Xuan Chang smiled and ordered a servant to bring tea.
Marquis Xuan Chang, however, still looked displeased to see him. Seated in the host’s chair, he simply lifted his cup and drank his tea, ignoring the guest.
Zhou Cangyan did not take a seat. Instead, he walked before the couple, lifted the hem of his robes, and knelt.
Marquis Xuan Chang was stunned. This was a Prince, the Holy Emperor’s own younger brother! How could he kneel to them?
He was about to stop him when the Marchioness reached out and held him back. "Prince Qing," she said calmly, "what is the meaning of this?"
Zhou Cangyan looked up and said respectfully, "I have long admired the young lady of your house. I have come today to ask for her hand in marriage. I hope you, as her elders, will grant my wish."
Marquis Xuan Chang nearly fumbled his teacup, his disdainful expression becoming almost impossible to hide.
But the Marchioness suddenly rose, walked over to Zhou Cangyan, and helped him up herself. "Prince Qing, are you truly here only to ask for my granddaughter’s hand?"
A faint smile touched Zhou Cangyan’s lips. "I am not asking for the hand of a young lady of the Marquis Mansion, nor for someone connected to the General Mansion. I am asking for *your* pearl, the apple of your eye."
With his words being so clear, what more did the Marchioness have to worry about?
"Excellent!"
It was so simple dealing with an intelligent man. She agreed on the spot.
"My lady! He... he..."
Marquis Xuan Chang was still not satisfied. He felt that even the best man in the world was not good enough for their Wenxin.
The Marchioness ignored him and simply said, "Prince Qing, please stay for a meal!"
Zhou Cangyan replied, "Thank you, Marchioness. However, the wedding is tomorrow, and there are many things to prepare."
Marquis Xuan Chang: "The wedding?"
"Heh. Is there anything my Marquis Mansion needs to prepare?"
"There is no need to trouble the Lord and Marchioness. My steward will be over shortly with his people to handle everything. The Marchioness need only spend time talking with Wenxin."
"Then we are in your debt, Prince Qing."
The Marchioness, smiling warmly, personally escorted him to the gates of the mansion. Only then did she see the procession waiting outside. Guards, carriages, and horses were all draped in festive red, stretching as far as the eye could see. At the very front of the line, Shen Fu was personally holding a pair of wild geese, grinning from ear to ear. Behind him stood his brothers from the Escort Agency.
A matchmaker personally presented the Three Letters, reciting auspicious phrases.
The Marchioness truly hadn’t expected Zhou Cangyan to prepare such an extravagant betrothal gift. This brought immense honor to the Marquis Mansion!
It wasn’t that the Marquis Mansion lacked gold, silver, or other treasures, but the scale of the betrothal gifts represented the future husband’s regard for his bride and the sincerity of his family.
Zhou Cangyan said, "Time was short, so I could only prepare this much. I hope the Marchioness will forgive the humble offering."
A crowd of onlookers had gathered. The procession from the Prince Qing Mansion, complete with beating gongs and drums for the grand betrothal ceremony, had already caused a sensation throughout Ling’an City as the endless line of carriages and horses made its way through the streets.
People said that Prince Ling’s recent betrothal gift ceremony couldn’t compare to this spectacle!
Moreover, Prince Ling had his matchmaker and steward deliver his gifts. How could that compare to the sincerity of Prince Qing coming to the door himself?
Furthermore, the story of Prince Qing being punished by the Holy Emperor for protecting the County Princess and speaking up for General Li Hua had already spread throughout Ling’an City. This meant he had come today while still injured. Such sincerity was truly remarkable!
The people in the crowd were all murmuring amongst themselves.
For the past two days, Ling’an City had been abuzz with news about the Song Residence. First, Mrs. Liu’s family had shown up at their door with a corpse to cause a scene. Then, Prince Qing had been sent to the Ministry of Justice. In the blink of an eye, the Old Marquis had suddenly returned to the city and completely cut ties with the General Mansion. And before anyone could even process all that, a wedding was suddenly in the works!
The city’s taverns and street-corner teahouses had been incredibly lively these past two days.
"When the General Mansion was making a big show of marrying off two daughters at once, I heard from a friend who does odd jobs there that while they said it was for two daughters, they were really only busy with preparations for the elder Miss Song. The second young miss wasn’t involved at all!"
"Sigh. Even if the second young miss is good-for-nothing, marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event! You can’t show such blatant favoritism. You have to treat them both fairly..."
"What do you know? With one marrying Prince Ling and the other Prince Qing, it’s perfectly clear who holds more weight."
"Look at the show Prince Qing is putting on. He clearly has no regard for Prince Ling, which means he also has no regard for the Holy Emperor..."
Song Lianhe was completely oblivious to the commotion outside.
She stood alone in the courtyard, her brow furrowed in thought, mulling over her grandmother’s words.
’So, if I don’t marry Prince Ling, I’ll offend the Holy Emperor.’
’And if I don’t marry Prince Qing, I’ll offend Prince Qing, the Holy Emperor, *and* Prince Ling...’
Song Lianhe drew in a sharp breath. ’It seems I only have one path to choose!’
’But marrying Zhou Cangyan...’
"Miss!"
Chao Junyu had suddenly appeared in front of her.
Song Lianhe paused, then quickly asked, "Ah Jun, where have you been?"
Chao Junyu glanced up at her, then lowered his head. "I came to ask you, Miss... can I move into the Escort Agency? I want to learn martial arts from Brother Shen." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
"You want to learn martial arts? That’s wonderful!" Song Lianhe was genuinely happy for him. "You’re still young, so it’s good to learn more skills to fall back on. I was originally thinking of having you study under Manager Yan after he passes his exams! But learning martial arts is great too. It builds character and strengthens your body. And it’ll help you grow taller and stronger!"
"But... if I do that, I won’t be able to stay by your side, Miss."
"Oh, don’t be silly. You’ll just be at the Escort Agency! We’ll be so close. I’ll come visit you when I’m free, and you can always drop by here too!"
Only after hearing her say this did a smile finally appear on Chao Junyu’s face.
"Oh, right. Why is it so noisy outside?"
She had only just noticed the commotion.
"You don’t know, Miss?"
Chao Junyu slowly lowered his gaze. "Brother Shen is with Prince Qing," he said softly. "They’re here to deliver the betrothal gifts."
"Betrothal gifts?"
Song Lianhe stared at him, stunned. A vague panic about the unknown began to stir in her heart.
All her energy had been focused on Zhou Junlin, her every thought dedicated to getting away from him. In that context, Zhou Cangyan had been an ally, a partner in her act!
Only now did she truly, tangibly realize that her marriage to Zhou Cangyan was a foregone conclusion.
"Miss?"
"Huh?"
Song Lianhe looked up, her gaze meeting Chao Junyu’s with a hint of bewilderment.
The boy’s clear eyes were fixed on her. "Miss... you don’t want to marry Prince Qing?"
"I..."
Song Lianhe wanted to say ’I do.’ She *should* have said ’I do.’ But she could only open her mouth in a futile gesture.
Outside the courtyard, a figure in black leaned against the wall. The gentle light that had been in his eyes slowly froze into ice...
