Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 199: You’re the King of Sui Bei, at Least. Where Is the Sincerity?
"When you’re in the right, you show no mercy." What a line.
Cheng Xidian’s face turned deathly pale.
Song Lianhe turned back to look at Luo Fubang. "Oh~ so you’re not completely blind to the truth after all."
"You... She..."
Luo Fubang was so angry he pointed a finger at Song Lianhe, then said irritably, "Out."
He was the first to walk out of the kitchen.
Song Lianhe huffed, then turned back to help Sister Mi and Da Xi to their feet. Da Xi grabbed her arm worriedly.
"It’s fine, don’t be afraid." Song Lianhe winked at her, then strode out after him without a glance at Cheng Xidian.
"You..."
Cheng Xidian tried to go out as well but was blocked by Zhong Shimin, who stepped in her way.
"Thousand Commander Cheng, please stay."
Cheng Xidian turned back, glaring at him maliciously. "Leader Zhong, what instructions do you have for me now?"
Zhong Shimin tossed a scroll at her. Cheng Xidian opened it suspiciously, and after reading it, she immediately raged, "Why am I being dismissed?!"
"The Young Master issued the order. If you have a problem with it, you’re free to ask him yourself."
Ignoring her further, Zhong Shimin strode away.
"This is impossible! Impossible!"
Cheng Xidian frantically tore the scroll to shreds and stomped on the pieces.
Seeing her in such a frenzy, Sister Mi and Da Xi reacted quickly, rushing to protect the food in the kitchen, terrified she would start smashing things again.
Song Lianhe followed Luo Fubang out of the kitchen, trailing behind him rather reluctantly.
Luo Fubang walked a few steps, then glanced back at her. Song Lianhe immediately looked away.
Luo Fubang chuckled, clasping his hands behind his back. He said unhurriedly, "With a temper like yours, you’re bound to suffer a great loss sooner or later."
"If I suffer, that’s my business. You don’t need to trouble your old self with it."
Song Lianhe gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Besides, that precious grandson of yours doesn’t have a much better temper than I do, does he? If you have time to worry, you should worry about him."
"He can take care of himself; he doesn’t need anyone else’s concern. But you? What do you have to protect yourself?"
"I have him."
Song Lianhe’s reply was natural and full of confidence. "I am his lawfully wedded Princess Consort. Who would he protect if not me? If he can’t even protect his own woman, he’ll become a laughingstock."
Luo Fubang snorted. "You’ve certainly calculated things well."
"Heh, rather than saying I’ve calculated things well, I’d say I married well!"
Song Lianhe knew Luo Fubang disapproved of this marriage, so she deliberately provoked him, smiling sweetly as she said, "Whose fault is it that I just so happened to marry the grandson of the Sui Bei Rongzhu?"
Luo Fubang glanced back at her, let out a couple of chuckles, then half-closed his eyes and ignored her.
It wasn’t until they reached the courtyard that he finally spoke. "That diagram of the... what was it called... sweet potato vine, did you draw it?"
Song Lianhe plopped down on the stone chair opposite him. "You’re welcome."
Luo Fubang was speechless.
He took a deep breath and asked again in a low voice, "Can this thing really be eaten as a staple food?"
Song Lianhe looked at him, her expression unchanging. "As long as there’s nothing wrong with the vines, I can ensure the people of Sui Bei have enough to eat."
Luo Fubang was stunned. He turned to face her, staring intently at the young woman before him. "Do you realize that to promote the cultivation of sweet potatoes, we would have to requisition farmland? The risk of switching crops is enormous, no different from gambling with the lives of our people in Sui Bei. Are you... certain you can do it?"
Song Lianhe smiled. "When you ask me that question, it’s because you don’t have any better options, right?"
Luo Fubang didn’t speak.
This was a serious matter, after all, so Song Lianhe didn’t beat around the bush. She said directly, "What’s the yield per *mu* for wheat and rice? I went to the farmers this afternoon to find out. The yield is two to three hundred *jin* per *mu*, and that’s during a good harvest. But sweet potatoes are different. This crop is drought- and heat-resistant, and the yield can reach three to four thousand *jin* per *mu*."
Sweet potatoes were nothing rare in her original world. Song Lianhe had lived in the mountains with her grandparents since she was a child, and the nearby villages all mainly grew sweet potatoes. She had learned all about them through osmosis.
"How much did you say?"
The moment he heard "three to four thousand *jin*," Luo Fubang’s eyes flew wide open.
When Song Lianhe repeated it, Luo Fubang lost his composure.
He paced a few steps around the courtyard, glanced back at her, then paced a few more steps anxiously. "Is that really true?"
"It’s simple enough to verify. We just need to find the vines and plant a test crop."
"Do you know where to find them?"
Song Lianhe grinned. "You’ve asked the right person."
Luo Fubang raised an eyebrow. "What are your conditions? Spit it out."
She immediately snapped her fingers. "Now that’s why you’re the Warlord!"
Luo Fubang waved his hand dismissively, looking as if he’d seen right through her. "Alright, just say what you have to say."
"I can help you find it, but I only have one condition: I want to go home."
Luo Fubang fell silent.
"You can’t be serious, Old Man Luo. You’re the ruler of Sui Bei, for goodness’ sake. Do you have to be so stingy? I’m not asking for gold or silver. I just want to go home. You can’t even grant me that? Where’s your sincerity?"
Luo Fubang sneered. "You think I want to keep you tied up here? Look at the mess you’ve made of my Prince Mansion in the few days you’ve been here! A Witch Doctor? You think I can’t see through your little tricks? I just haven’t bothered to call you out on them!"
"Old Man Luo, you’re casting me aside after I’ve served my purpose! Using my ’Witch Doctor’ persona, how many servants in the Prince Mansion have I cured? Why didn’t you say I had ’little tricks’ when I was treating them?"
"That’s... that’s just because..."
"Because of what? Because I’m kind and naive, so you all take advantage of me!"
"Nonsense! Who’s bullied you?"
"Someone knocked over my bowl when I was just trying to drink some rice water! There were barely any grains of rice in it to begin with, and it was only my turn because someone else didn’t want it. You don’t call that being bullied?" The more Song Lianhe spoke, the angrier she became. "I should go ask Zhou Cangyan if this is how his family treats his Princess Consort!"
Luo Fubang’s eyes widened when he heard that. "Why is your first instinct always to tattle, you little brat? It’s just some rice water!" He suddenly raised his voice. "Tell the kitchen to make her a pot of congee!"
"Yes, sir."
Zhong Shimin appeared from out of nowhere, startling Song Lianhe.
Soon, Zhong Shimin was back at Luo Fubang’s side. His elegant, upright posture was quite a pleasant sight.
Perhaps her gaze was too direct, for even the ever-composed Zhong Shimin couldn’t help but lift his eyes and glance at her.
Luo Fubang’s eyes shifted between the two of them. It was only then that he noticed his personal guard was in no way inferior in heroic bearing to that bratty grandson of his.
He frowned, cleared his throat twice, and said, "In any case, you cannot leave Sui Bei for the time being."
Song Lianhe immediately grew anxious. "Why not?"
Zhong Shimin spoke up suddenly. "It is the Young Master’s wish."
"Zhou Cangyan?"
Song Lianhe froze.
"Yes," Zhong Shimin said. "The order to abduct you and bring you to Sui Bei also came from the Young Master."
"It... was him?"
’No wonder I thought it was strange. Even if I was suddenly abducted and brought here, people from the Prince Mansion should have come to rescue me by now, right? And even if the Prince Mansion did nothing, I’ve been missing for so long, the people at the Medical Clinic must be worried sick! Sister Cao would be the first to panic, and then my grandparents would find out!’
’But after all this time, no one has come from Ling’an City. That in itself was telling.’
’If Zhou Cangyan had secretly planned all of this, then everything would make sense.’
