Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 240: This Was the Most Venomous Trick She Could Think Of
Song Lianhe was too angry to sleep, so she went to the vegetable garden to get some fresh air.
Under the farmers’ meticulous care, the sweet potato seedlings were a stretch of lush green. The climate here was dry and hot, and after a day of sunlight, the ground temperature would exceed twenty degrees Celsius, creating the optimal soil environment for cultivating sweet potatoes. As a result, the seedlings rooted early and developed quickly. In less than a month, they had put down fine roots, grown long vines, and their tubers had begun to swell.
Gazing at the "empire" she had built with her own hands, Song Lianhe felt quite proud.
It was as if a beautiful consort stood beside her. She swept her hand out. "My beauty, look! This is the empire We have conquered for you!"
Inside the pavilion, a man opened his eyes.
In the vegetable garden, a young woman stood on the stone steps, bathed in the clear moonlight, speaking treasonous words to a patch of sweet potato seedlings.
"My beauty! Look over here now— Hmm, We haven’t had time to conquer this part yet."
Song Lianhe seemed possessed by Eastern Invincible, her sleeves flung about wantonly. How carefree and dashing!
"My beauty, We—"
Her arm suddenly swung into someone’s chest.
Startled, she turned to see a man cloaked in black.
The black mask on his face gleamed with a cold, strange light in the moonlight.
He...
For a fleeting moment, Song Lianhe thought of the man from the ruined temple.
The man slowly removed his mask, revealing a stern, peerlessly handsome face.
"Your Highness?"
Song Lianhe quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
’Thank goodness it’s not him.’
"Your Highness, what are you doing here so late?"
The corners of Zhou Cangyan’s lips twitched, but his face was expressionless. "I came to see the empire you’ve conquered for your beauty."
"..."
His eyes were cold. "Such treason. Do you have a death wish?"
Song Lianhe awkwardly lowered her head. "Well, I didn’t expect you’d be awake in the middle of the night, either."
Zhou Cangyan glanced at her. "I’m leaving tomorrow."
"Leaving? Are you going back to Ling’an City?"
Song Lianhe immediately grabbed the front of his robe. "Your Highness, take me with you!"
Zhou Cangyan didn’t speak. He lowered his gaze to her hands, which were clutching the front of his robe.
Song Lianhe quickly let go and smoothed out the wrinkles she’d made.
"Just stay here peacefully."
"No way!"
Song Lianhe said urgently, "I have to go back!"
Zhou Cangyan’s eyes grew cold. He refused without a second thought. "I forbid it."
"Why not?"
The young woman before him circled around to block his path, her eyes wide with indignation, like an angry little kitten.
"When I say you may not, you may not. I don’t need a reason."
He turned to leave, having no intention of getting entangled with her.
But Song Lianhe was fuming. She stepped forward and grabbed the jade pendant hanging from his waist. "Is Your Highness’s word golden law? This is completely unreasonable! My family is in Ling’an. You abducted me without a single word—have you ever considered that I would miss them? Besides, my Medical Clinic and my friends are all there. That’s my home! On what grounds do you forbid me from returning? How is what you’re doing any different from being a common bandit!"
She yelled all of this in one breath, every word an accusation. It was clear she was truly furious, completely disregarding his status.
But after her tirade, she immediately regretted it.
The man was already nearly a head taller than her, and at this moment, his presence felt even more oppressive.
He didn’t speak, but slowly turned back around. His cold, sharp gaze was enough to make one break out in a cold sweat.
Zhou Cangyan lowered his eyes, glancing at her hand still gripping his jade pendant.
"Er..."
As if burned, Song Lianhe panicked and snatched her hand away.
The man let out a sudden, cold laugh. His dark gaze bore down on her as he leaned closer, step by step. "Princess Consort, are you... accusing me?"
GULP.
Song Lianhe swallowed hard, shrinking back and lowering her head, not daring to meet his gaze.
"Not exactly... I was just offering some underdeveloped feedback. Perhaps I lost control of my emotions a bit, but fundamentally, I was only hoping for everyone to make progress together, to build a harmonious and beautiful society..."
Her head was bowed so low it nearly touched her chest.
"So eager to return, just to see them?"
"Huh?"
Song Lianhe looked up at him, confused. "Of course!"
’Who else would I be going to see?’
’Zhou Junlin?’
Tsk!
But the way Zhou Cangyan was staring at her made her feel he was unsatisfied with her answer.
"Of course, I’m doing it for you too, Your Highness~" she wheedled, leaning closer and lowering her voice. "Think about it. You’re returning to the capital, but I, your Princess Consort, am left behind in Sui Bei. What would that look like? Emperor Cheng Xiao would surely become suspicious! These emperors are paranoid by nature. The more cautious you are, the more vigilant he’ll become! For example, by cutting off all your lines of retreat. You’ve left him with absolutely no leverage... If you were in his position, what would you think?"
Zhou Cangyan raised an eyebrow.
Song Lianhe snapped her fingers. "He’d be certain that this person is resolved to burn their bridges and fight to the death! Then, he would either counter with his full strength or, better yet, make a preemptive strike!"
As he listened, a smile slowly spread across the man’s face. "Your head isn’t entirely empty, after all."
"Heh, you flatter me!" Song Lianhe continued, "But if Your Highness takes me, your Princess Consort, back with you, things will be different! Who am I? The only daughter of General Li Hua and the maternal granddaughter of Marquis Xuan Chang! And no matter how much Song Xingfeng detests me, he has to admit he’s my father! I am your shield! I am your soft armor! If you personally hand him such a huge piece of leverage—me—what do you think he’ll do? He’ll try to use me to control you! And in doing so, I’ll be buying you time and creating opportunities!"
Her analysis was thorough, logical, and reasonable.
In fact, she wasn’t wrong.
Compared to any other option, Song Lianhe was indeed the best "smokescreen" to confuse their opponent.
"Hah." He lowered his gaze and let out a chuckle, but the amusement didn’t reach his eyes.
Song Lianhe couldn’t quite figure out what he was thinking, so she pressed on with her persuasion. "Also, my Medical Clinic has earned quite a bit of money... My entire enterprise is in Ling’an now. I have to go back. In the future, all those Silver Coins can serve as your..."
’Rebellion fund.’
’To bankroll all his villainous, rebellious activities.’
’Of course, she absolutely could not say those words aloud in her current situation.’
’But it was a given that Zhou Cangyan had surely calculated all this long before she had. Therefore, as the supporting female character, she had to be sensible and lay out her own value ahead of time to secure a little room for survival.’
Throughout her speech, Zhou Cangyan maintained a faint, unreadable smile, but his eyes never lost their coldness.
"So, you’re not desperate to return to Ling’an for Prince Ling."
"Prince Ling?"
Song Lianhe suddenly realized why he’d asked that and hastily waved her hands. "No, no! How could Your Highness even think that? Killing him once was enough; I don’t have the guts to try a second time! Especially not in Ling’an City—I’m terrible at assassinations! I could, however, go to the Taoist temple and find my third grand-uncle, Venerable Ling Xi. I’d ask him for some Talisman Paper and curse a little effigy of him every day! Even if he doesn’t die, he’ll be plagued by endless misfortune!"
She said this with the utmost seriousness and solemnity; this was, after all, the most vicious and insidious scheme she could possibly devise.
