Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 164: If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them
In the afternoon, Shen Fu arrived with everyone from the Escort Agency.
Uncle Liang handed him the wedding invitations. "You must ensure these invitations are delivered directly into the guests’ hands."
"Don’t you worry, Uncle Liang!"
Shen Fu turned and began organizing his men, dividing them to cover the four cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west.
Just then, Marquis Xuan Chang sauntered out from inside. He glanced at the festively decorated mansion and said unhurriedly, "King Qing and Prince Ling are both taking a Princess Consort on the same day. I wonder which mansion all the civil and military officials of the court will choose to attend for the banquet."
Uncle Liang turned, bowed respectfully to him, and said, "Our Prince has said that his own face is not important, but the Lin family’s face must not be lost. For anyone who fails to attend tomorrow, he will personally deliver a ’grand gift’ after the wedding."
"Oh?" Marquis Xuan Chang laughed. "Haha..."
’Worthy of the Heavenly Kill Slash! I like his style!’
He turned and called to his personal guard, "Ni Cang, fetch my personal seal."
A man in a slate-blue, straight-hemmed robe stepped forward from behind Marquis Xuan Chang. He had a handsome face and a steady temperament. Clasping his fist, he responded, "Yes."
Soon, Ni Cang returned with Marquis Xuan Chang’s personal seal. The Marquis gestured for Shen Fu to bring over the invitations, then brazenly stamped his own seal right on them!
As he stamped, he boomed, "This old man has never bothered to befriend court officials over the years, but now I’m curious to see just how popular I am!" Then he turned and yelled toward the inside of the mansion, "Wife! Later, you write down the names of all those turtle-bastards who don’t show up! Every last one of them! Anyone who receives an invitation and doesn’t come is looking down on this old man, looking down on my Xuan Chang Marquis Mansion!"
His roaring was so loud that the common folk in the teahouse across the street heard every word loud and clear.
Shen Fu suppressed a laugh, repeatedly exchanging glances with Uncle Liang. He then whispered, "Only such a domineering in-law is a worthy match for our master!"
Uncle Liang simply smiled without a word.
Soon, Marchioness Xuan Chang came out, supported by Nanny Diao. "My Lord, you’re being ridiculous! Whether people come or not is their own choice. How can you force them?" After speaking, she gave a light instruction to Ni Cang, "Ride with haste and deliver one to the Holy Emperor."
Shen Fu nearly lost his footing. ’Did I hear that right?!’
Marquis Xuan Chang had a sudden realization. "Right, right, right! How could we forget the Holy Emperor? This marriage between my granddaughter and King Qing is all thanks to him! My wife is always so thoughtful!"
And so, a wedding invitation stamped with Marquis Xuan Chang’s personal seal came to lie quietly on the desk in the Imperial Study Room.
"Holy Emperor, this..."
Lu Shunfu looked at the man behind the desk with a troubled expression.
Two Princes taking a main wife on the same day. One was his son, the other his brother, and both were daughters of General Song...
Which Prince Mansion should he go to?
It wasn’t just the Holy Emperor; all the civil and military officials were probably tearing their hair out over this, with no idea what to do.
"COUGH COUGH... This Marquis Lin is getting more and more... COUGH COUGH..."
Emperor Cheng Xiao was coughing nonstop from anger. Lu Shunfu immediately handed him some tea. "Holy Emperor, you must take care of your dragon-body~"
"I’ve already chosen not to pursue Song Lianhe’s insubordination, so what more does he want? Huh? What is the meaning of this? What is the meaning of this?!" He snatched the invitation from the desk and threw it forcefully to the ground. "He even stamped his personal seal on it? Is he threatening me?!"
"Calm your anger, Holy Emperor..." Lu Shunfu watched the Emperor’s expression and said in a small voice, "It is not just the Holy Emperor. The invitations received by all the officials are also stamped with Marquis Lin’s personal seal..." With a miserable look, he pulled a bright red invitation from his robes. "Even this slave received one..."
Emperor Cheng Xiao couldn’t catch his breath and fainted.
"Holy Emperor! Holy Emperor! Summon the Imperial Physician! Quickly!"
"Ah! Summon the Imperial Physician!"
「Ling Prince Mansion.」
Tomorrow was his wedding day, and he was marrying the very Xilan he had longed for.
But as Zhou Junlin faced the magnificent, crimson-decorated garden, he felt not a shred of joy. The feeling of tightness and frustration in his chest only grew worse when he thought of the person who was also getting married on the same day—the one who was about to marry his Imperial Uncle.
Ever since they were children, Song Lianhe had been like a little tail trailing behind him, always chasing after him and calling out, "Brother Junlin."
Now, that little tail had grown up. She had her own thoughts, and had suddenly become like a different person. She no longer chased him, no longer saw marrying him as her only purpose in life.
This was clearly the outcome he had always hoped for, yet he was starting to resent her, to hate her.
’She swore she would only love me in this life, yet in the blink of an eye, she’s giving Imperial Uncle that look of unconditional trust!’
’What a fickle, faithless woman!’
"Gu Ha."
"My Prince," Gu Ha appeared behind him.
"Come with me. We’re leaving the mansion."
Zhou Junlin took a few steps, but Gu Ha, with his head bowed, silently blocked his path. "My Prince, you are marrying Miss Song tomorrow."
Zhou Junlin narrowed his dark eyes and stared at him. "I am aware."
"So... so you cannot go see Song Lianhe!"
Gu Ha decided to risk it all. He dropped to his knees with a THUD. "If she had any feelings for you, why would she marry King Qing? Now that Marquis Xuan Chang is back, even the Holy Emperor is helpless against him. What can you possibly change by going there? My Prince, only Miss Xilan is truly sincere toward you!"
The man before him remained silent for a long time.
The dead silence was a stark contrast to the vibrant, boisterous colors of the surroundings.
After a moment, Zhou Junlin spoke slowly, "...Gu Ha, do you have any idea what you are saying?"
"This subordinate knows his fault!"
Gu Ha was prepared to offer counsel even at the risk of death. He had to say it, even if it meant being punished by the Prince!
"My Prince! Song Lianhe is a temptress! Nothing good comes to those who get close to her! First, she brought misfortune that led to the death of General Li Hua, and now she has caused the Song Residence’s reputation to plummet and has even implicated Miss Xilan! My Prince, why must you insist on..."
"Silence!"
Zhou Junlin’s usually gentle and refined face turned cold and twisted simply because his subordinate had slandered Song Lianhe.
Gu Ha gritted his teeth, determined not to let his master be ruined by that infamous woman!
"My Prince, do you intend to betray Miss Xilan?"
Zhou Junlin froze. It felt as if a cold arrow had pierced his chest, the pain spreading instantly...
Xilan...
’That’s right, how could I betray Xilan?’
Zhou Junlin clenched his fists at his sides, slowly turned back around, and continued to gaze at the courtyard full of red.
Gu Ha remained kneeling.
"...Go and receive your punishment."
"Yes!"
Gu Ha rose to his feet without the slightest hesitation and strode toward the rear courtyard.
He had overstepped his bounds and deserved punishment, but he did not regret it!
「Xuan Chang Marquis Mansion.」
Uncle Liang and the servants had been busy there all day. The Marchioness Xuan Chang was naturally grateful and quickly ordered for dinner to be prepared, insisting that they must stay to eat.
And so, the servants from the Prince Qing Mansion, along with the men from the Escort Agency who had been running errands all day, all stayed for dinner at the Xuan Chang Marquis Mansion.
Due to the large number of people, no one stood on ceremony. They simply gathered in a secluded courtyard, dining under the open sky and enjoying wine and conversation.
Marquis Xuan Chang was used to being informal, and with his granddaughter getting married the next day, he was in high spirits. He started a drinking match with Shen Fu and the others.
Song Lianhe, having just applied medicine to her hands, also came over to join the lively gathering.
In her original world, she had always lived by a certain saying: If the mountain won’t turn, the road will; if the circumstances won’t change, change your mindset.
To put it another way: "If you can’t beat them, join them!"
Since she couldn’t change the outcome, she might as well enjoy the present moment.
However, she had just raised her cup to propose a toast when Shuang Ye whispered in her ear, "Prince Qing has arrived."
