Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 233: Someone Who Should Have Been Forgotten
「Yu State.」
"That damn Zhou Cangyan! What kind of illness could possibly keep him bedridden?! I’ve gone to see him time and again, only to be blocked from entering!"
Song Xingfeng’s eyes were red with rage. He smashed his inkstone to vent his frustration!
"General, King Qing is clearly doing this on purpose! Last time he proposed a night raid, you claimed illness and didn’t dispatch your troops. Ever since then, he’s been copying you, lying in his tent and refusing to come out no matter who calls!"
The Vice-Lieutenant, Zuo Yong, was also indignant.
In this campaign against the traitors, Zhou Cangyan was nominally the main general, while Song Xingfeng was the vice general. However, the commander’s seal was in Song Xingfeng’s hands.
Even though it was a ragtag army of the old, weak, sick, and disabled, they wouldn’t move without Song Xingfeng’s command.
Therefore, after Zhou Cangyan’s initial battle plan was deliberately ignored, he had given up completely. In Zuo Yong’s words, he was "following his example."
As for Prince Yongdong, if his enemy didn’t move, he wouldn’t either. Scouts reported that he spent his days drinking and carousing with beautiful concubines, living a life of utter merriment!
Furthermore, the two cities of Daisui and Fengbai, which had been at odds not long ago, had unexpectedly mended their relationship and were now providing mutual aid and defense!
Now, Yu State had ample provisions and was defended by the Yongdong Army. A while back, the city’s populace had panicked upon hearing that the "Heavenly Kill Slash" himself was leading the attack. But in recent days, seeing no movement from the opposing side and hearing rumors that the Heavenly Kill Slash had been angered into a bedridden illness by that good-for-nothing National Guardian General, the people had all relaxed.
The spies reported that portraits of Song Xingfeng had appeared in the city, and people were going to them daily to pray and give thanks. They prayed for his continued good health, hoping he would so thoroughly anger that Living Yama that he’d go see the real King Yama.
Gradually, this trend changed. Someone else claimed that praying to Song Xingfeng’s portrait was also effective for conceiving a child!
And so, people praying for children, for marriage, or even for a good harvest next year all went to pay respects to Song Xingfeng’s portrait.
How could Song Xingfeng endure hearing this? He hadn’t earned his title of National Guardian General for nothing—it was forged through life-and-death battles with real blades on the battlefield! To be humiliated like this by common folk! Did they really think he was afraid?
But no matter how unwilling he was, this was a battle... that he absolutely could not be the one to fight.
This was also what the Holy Emperor had repeatedly and emphatically instructed before his departure.
Seeing the battle devolve into a stalemate, it wasn’t just the enemy—even the morale of his own army was suffering.
They were a hastily assembled force to begin with; sending them to the battlefield was basically sending them to their deaths. The agony of waiting around uselessly was the biggest drain on morale.
Zuo Yong was continuously receiving reports of deserters being caught and brought back. Several had already been executed, but it was useless!
If they continued to let the situation develop like this, it wouldn’t just be Zhou Cangyan who would be held accountable.
After Zuo Yong finished his analysis, Song Xingfeng fell into deep thought.
’Zhou Cangyan is doing this on purpose, there’s no doubt about it.’
’If something really goes wrong, he has his status as an imperial relative to fall back on. But what about me?’
’Aside from this remnant force of Prince Yongdong’s, the Da Cheng Dynasty has enjoyed an era of peace and prosperity since the previous emperor’s ascension. The status of Military Generals, however, has greatly declined. This is especially true in the Court, where several factions are all led by the Officials.’
’Under these circumstances, it wouldn’t be impossible for the Holy Emperor to abandon me.’
Just then, a sweet cry interrupted his thoughts.
"Father!"
—
Song Lianhe had been truly busy lately.
So busy she was run off her feet.
Besides cultivating sweet potatoes, there were also preparations for the new branch of the Medical Clinic.
Finding a shop was easy enough—it was in the best district, in the most conspicuous location! She heard Old Master Luo had personally gone to negotiate for it, Silver in hand.
Back in Ling’an City, after Cao Ying received Chun Hua’s message by falcon, she had decisively sent Ah Jun and the men from the Qiongqi Escort Agency to escort two large carriages full of goods.
By the time the shop’s renovations were nearly complete, the people had arrived.
"Miss!"
When Chao Junyu saw Song Lianhe, he couldn’t contain his excitement. He stumbled forward, dropped to his knees before her, and hugged her legs, bursting into tears.
"Miss... I... I thought you were... you..."
Seeing him cry so heartbrokenly, Song Lianhe was both touched and pained. "Isn’t your miss right here and perfectly fine? Get up. You’re a big boy now, wiping away tears like that. What would people think? Hurry and get up, don’t let others laugh at you."
Chao Junyu just kept crying. He had been so worried!
Even though he had been desperately trying to grow up and make himself stronger ever since Song Lianhe had "adopted" him, he was still just a boy of fourteen or fifteen on the inside. After missing her for so long, seeing her made him lose control of his emotions.
The group from the Qiongqi Escort Agency were all chuckling as they watched the scene, and a few of them even started teasing him.
"This kid didn’t even shed a tear when we ran into a pack of wolves on the road, and he fights more ferociously than anyone! But the moment he sees our Young Madam, he’s like a kid who’s found his mommy, crying and sniveling like a little girl!"
"Hahaha!"
Laughter erupted all around.
THWACK.
A small pebble sailed through the air and hit the speaker squarely on the head.
"Ow! Who was that?"
Xuan Mei stood behind Song Lianhe, tossing two more pebbles in her hand as if ready to throw again. The burly men across from them scattered in an instant.
"Sister Mei! Sister Mei, have mercy!"
"We were just joking around!"
Chao Junyu couldn’t care less what they were laughing about. He was hugging a real person now, and he refused to let go no matter what!
"Er, Ah Jun..."
Suddenly, a large hand reached out from her side, grabbed Chao Junyu by the collar, and lifted him up before casually tossing him aside.
Fortunately, Xuan Mei used her shortsword to break his fall, preventing Chao Junyu from tumbling backward.
Once he got a clear look at the culprit, he merely frowned, angry but not daring to speak.
Zhou Cangyan stood at Song Lianhe’s side. He was dressed in the uniform of a Tiger Beak Guard with a black mask covering his face. Although he looked like an ordinary guard, his noble and frosty aura was undeniably eye-catching.
Song Lianhe looked back at him. "My Prince..."
She had just begun to speak when she abruptly stopped.
’The way he looks with the mask on... it’s so familiar.’
Zhou Cangyan naturally knew why she was looking at him with such suspicion. But he neither dodged nor avoided her gaze, and there even seemed to be a hint of hidden anticipation in his eyes.
He slowly lowered his head, looking at her with a bewitching gaze like a villain luring a child with candy. "Well?"
Song Lianhe started, only then realizing she had been staring at him for too long. Teasing glances surrounded them.
She quickly composed herself, suppressing the question in her heart that even she found ridiculous.
’I must be seeing things. How could I possibly think Zhou Cangyan looks like the man from the ruined temple?!’
’Impossible!’
’Oh, right. He was the one whose innocence she ruined, and then he married her as a Prince, made her a Princess Consort, and even backed her up in getting revenge...’
’Is he crazy?’
’He’s the villain!’
’After catching me, he should have torn me limb from limb and fed me to Xiao Bai behind the house!’
"What’s wrong?" Zhou Cangyan’s voice suddenly drew near. "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing, nothing!" Song Lianhe said with a smile. "I just thought of something interesting."
"Interesting?"
"Yes, it’s just... I feel that you, my Prince, look a lot like someone I’m supposed to have forgotten."
A dark, inscrutable look flashed through the man’s eyes, and he suddenly let out a cryptic laugh.
"Someone... you’re supposed to have forgotten, hm...?"
