Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 174: Princess Consort, Take a Guess, Who Is in My Heart?
After her maternal grandparents left, Song Lianhe felt completely at ease.
Zhou Cangyan had his own story to follow, and she had her own business to attend to.
After lunch, she summoned Pang Jiliang and Shen Fu.
Shen Fu cupped his fist in salute. "Benefactor... er, no, Princess Consort! Whatever you need, just give the order!"
Song Lianhe looked at him and asked slowly, "You... have hidden agents, don’t you?"
’The original story only mentioned it in passing, but it was obvious. A man as calculating as Zhou Cangyan would have to have planted his own people all over Ling’an City.’
"Ah? Hidden agents..." Shen Fu seemed hesitant at first, until Pang Jiliang shot him a look. "The Princess Consort asked you a question."
He froze for a moment before quickly replying, "Yes, we have hidden agents!"
Song Lianhe knew his hesitation was normal, but she was moved that Uncle Liang trusted her so readily. After a moment of gratitude, she said, "Rest assured, I won’t ask where these agents are located. I just want to offer a small suggestion."
"Please, Princess Consort, tell us!"
"From now on, we can do it like this..."
Shen Fu was still a bit dazed even after he walked out the door.
He turned back to ask, "Uncle Liang, Her Highness... she’s not joking, is she? We’re in the business of doing proper work. When did we start dabbling in such unorthodox methods?"
Pang Jiliang raised a hand to stroke his goatee and glanced at him. "Just do as the Princess Consort says. Why are you asking so many questions?"
Shen Fu scratched his head. "But the Princess Consort said she doesn’t need anyone to protect her. What if something goes wrong? I won’t be able to answer to His Lordship!"
"The Princess Consort has me."
The voice that suddenly came from behind made him jump.
"Xuan Mei, can’t you make some noise when you walk?"
Xuan Mei drew near, lazily flicking her gaze over him. "Afraid of ghosts? You’re a big man for nothing."
"Can you not talk about that in broad daylight... Wait, who-who-who’s afraid?"
"Oh? When I was at Dao Yuan Temple, I heard a rather strange female corpse was discovered nearby. Dead, but her face was perfectly preserved..."
"AAH!" Shen Fu bolted.
Pang Jiliang looked at Xuan Mei, speechless. "You know full well he’s a coward who’s terrified of ghosts and spirits. Did you really have to frighten him?"
Xuan Mei was silent for a moment. "I couldn’t help it."
They were all used to this kind of playful bickering, and they especially loved to tease Shen Fu, so Pang Jiliang couldn’t be bothered to intervene.
"I’m leaving the Princess Consort in your hands."
"Mm."
"Also, have you seen Xidian?" Pang Jiliang asked with a frown. "I’ve been so busy with the estate’s affairs recently, I’d completely forgotten about her."
Xuan Mei had no interest in anyone besides the people her lord had specifically entrusted to her.
Seeing that the steward seemed troubled, she asked bluntly, "Do you want me to make sure she never comes back?"
Pang Jiliang nearly tore out a few hairs from his beard, his eyes bulging. "You wench! You dare to lay a hand on someone who serves the Old Master?!"
’She’s gotten cocky!’
’Truly out of line!’
But Xuan Mei stated, her face expressionless, "She has improper designs on His Lordship."
"So what?"
"His Lordship belongs to Song Lianhe."
"You... Ugh, forget it." Pang Jiliang looked at the single-minded girl and thought to himself that this team was getting harder and harder to manage.
Xuan Mei turned and went to find Song Lianhe.
「That afternoon.」
Song Lianhe took Xuan Mei and Shuang Ye to the Medical Clinic.
Many carriages were parked outside the Medical Clinic. Judging from their equipage, they must have all traveled from out of town.
"What’s all this..."
Shuang Ye stepped forward to answer, "These are all medicine merchants from various regions, along with representatives from the major apothecaries. They’ve come because they’ve heard of our pills by reputation."
"Mm! Excellent, excellent~"
Song Lianhe was very pleased with this development.
She had intended to start a franchise model from the beginning. First, it would benefit the people of Da Cheng, and second, she needed to make money.
She led the two inside. Reaching the covered walkway, she stopped and watched the man inside with a leisurely air.
Yan Wen was introducing the Medical Clinic’s three signature treasures to several medicine merchants: the Antipyretic Pills, the iodine oil pills, and the Miasma Pills.
The sight of the elegant young gentleman holding a pill and speaking with such eloquence was truly a feast for the eyes.
Perhaps because he was being well cared for at the clinic, Yan Wen had filled out since his arrival. His cheeks were no longer so sunken, and he looked much more energetic. Dressed in the clothes Song Lianhe had specially commissioned for him, he fully embodied the grace of a refined, jade-like gentleman.
According to Shuang Ye, business was always exceptionally good whenever Yan Wen was around.
Some young women, even if they weren’t sick, would come by to purchase medicinal foods and find an excuse to strike up a conversation with him.
It wasn’t that Yan Wen was unaware of their intentions. At first, he had been somewhat ill at ease, but he had since become much more calm and composed. He no longer blushed and stammered when speaking with the young women.
In Su Huaqing’s words, the penny had finally dropped.
After the medicine merchants had gotten a general overview, Yan Wen had an assistant lead them to the upstairs tea room to rest.
Suddenly, a light breeze swept through, causing a jade horse wind chime hanging from the eaves to tinkle. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
He instinctively turned his head...
A charming young woman was standing just outside the door, watching him with a warm smile.
Yan Wen froze.
Song Lianhe stepped forward and waved a hand in front of his eyes. "It’s only been a few days since I was last here. You don’t recognize me already?"
Yan Wen snapped back to his senses. He quickly lowered his head to avoid her gaze, trying to hide the panic in his eyes. His words came out rather stiffly. "Shouldn’t you be resting at the manor? What are you doing out here?"
"Sigh, so much has happened one after another, and I haven’t been able to check on the clinic. I can’t just dump everything on you while I live a life of leisure, can I? The moment I felt a bit better, I hurried over." Song Lianhe sat down, poured herself some tea, and raised the cup to her lips. "The Metropolitan Examination is in a few days. How are your preparations? You mustn’t let the clinic’s business interfere with your studies."
’The current storyline is so convoluted now. I don’t dare be so certain that he’s the fated top scholar anymore.’
"Mm."
Yan Wen finally looked up at her, his gaze firm and confident.
Song Lianhe smiled. "I’m sure you’ll do splendidly!"
Yan Wen stared at her smiling face for a long moment before silently averting his gaze, his brow furrowing. "If... if I pass..."
His voice was too low for Song Lianhe to hear clearly. "Hm? What did you say?"
Yan Wen pressed his lips together, his fair face flushing slightly. But in the end, he said nothing and just shook his head. "It’s nothing."
"Well, well, well~ And who might this peerless, jade-like beauty be? Why, if it isn’t our very own Princess Qing!"
The moment she heard that flamboyant voice, Song Lianhe had the urge to roll her eyes.
Su Huaqing strolled in, clad in white robes with a smile on his face, holding the same tattered folding fan that never left his hand, no matter the season.
He came to a stop in front of Song Lianhe, looked her up and down, then pursed his lips and let out a long, meaningful "Hmmmm~."
"Magnificent! Truly magnificent! I haven’t seen you for only a few short days, and our Second Miss Song already has the grand bearing of a Princess Consort!" Then, his smile vanished, and he turned to his friend with a serious expression. "My brother, we have finally made it. We have a powerful backer at last."
Yan Wen: "..."
’If Wanzhang Hermit ever gets beaten up one day,’ he thought, ’it’ll definitely be because of that mouth of his.’
He said, "I have guests to attend to," and headed upstairs.
Now that there were no outsiders, Song Lianhe turned to face Su Huaqing. "How would I dare to be your backer, sir? Haven’t you already pledged fealty to another mountain? Compared to me, *that* other person is the one you truly hold dear~"
’She didn’t get it. He had already thrown in his lot with Zhou Junlin, so what was the point of this act?’
Su Huaqing raised an eyebrow and took a step forward, leaning closer. His sparkling eyes bored into hers. "Then please, Your Highness, do tell me... who is this person I supposedly hold so dear?"
