Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 280: Thanking Princess Qing
Zhou Junlin looked down at the corpse on the ground, a bleak coldness in his eyes.
’As a guard, he shouldn’t have left behind anything that could identify him, yet he hid this so carefully...’
Zhou Junlin looked away. "Burn them together."
Gu Ha obliged, haphazardly shoving the undergarment back into Shu Fengli’s robes before ordering his men to carry the body away.
"Has Mrs. E been found?"
"I was just about to report, Your Highness. Mrs. E returned to the mansion by herself early this morning."
Zhou Junlin was somewhat surprised. "By herself?"
"Yes. Mrs. E was in full ceremonial attire. She personally carried a plaque and returned to the sound of gongs and drums."
"What kind of plaque?"
Gu Ha said, "It was inscribed with the words ’A Grievous Injustice Unrighted.’ In front of the mansion gates, she’s publicly imploring the Prince and Princess Consort to right the wrongs against Governor E and clear his name."
Zhou Junlin let out a sudden, humorless laugh. "This is holding my feet to the fire. Now all the commoners know I came specifically for Governor E’s case. And since I’m staying at the E Mansion without any attempt to avoid suspicion, it implies I believe Governor E was framed... Heh, whoever is pulling the strings behind the scenes has certainly gone to great pains."
"Your Highness, you mean... Prince Qing?"
Zhou Junlin snorted and ground his teeth. "Who else but my ’dear’ Imperial Uncle?"
Gu Ha asked, confused, "But isn’t the Poetry Collection in Yin Huan’s hands? Why would he need to go through Mrs. E?"
Zhou Junlin’s gaze grew profound. "Have you never considered why the Li Guan Sect’s Defense Map went missing at the same time as the Hong Net’s Poetry Collection? And what’s interesting is that the Poetry Collection really did end up in Governor E’s hands. Did he truly have the skill to steal it from the Ministry of Justice? Everything... falls into place far too neatly."
It was as if it had all been orchestrated.
***
Song Lianhe was jolted awake by the sound of gongs and drums.
"Who is it, setting off firecrackers outside so early in the morning?"
"It’s Mrs. E," Da Xi said, helping her dress. "She’s returned."
"Mrs. E? How could she have come back on her own!"
She quickly finished dressing and hurried out of the courtyard.
The area outside the E Mansion’s main gates was bustling with activity, surrounded by the townspeople of Li Zong Pass. A remarkably tall woman dressed in foreign-style clothing stood ramrod straight before the gates.
E Jintang stood behind his mother, shouldering a plaque inscribed with "A Grievous Injustice Unrighted."
"Jintang!"
In front of his mother, Song Lianhe was too embarrassed to call out "grandnephew" as she usually did.
She hurried over. "What are you two doing?"
"Granny!"
E Jintang grinned and waved at her.
Song Lianhe was speechless.
’He really didn’t need to be so enthusiastic.’
Just then, Mrs. E slowly turned her head.
Unlike the disheveled, dazed woman Song Lianhe had first met, the Mrs. E of this moment was poised and beautiful, her gaze formidable and sharp.
She recognized Song Lianhe.
But she said nothing, simply turning her head away again.
It was Song Lianhe, however, who felt a twinge of guilt.
"We implore Prince Ling to deliver justice for our Governor!"
"We implore Prince Ling to deliver justice for my father!"
The mother and son shouted again and again, drawing whispers and pointed fingers from the surrounding crowd.
Song Lianhe watched carefully and noticed that the townspeople still seemed to feel a great deal of sympathy for Governor E.
In the end, it was because Governor E had treated the people well during his time in office. Even with the sordid rumors that had spread about his later years, most of the people remained discerning. Those who had personally benefited from his kindness, in particular, could no longer stand by and watch. They stepped forward, raised their arms, and shouted:
"We implore Prince Ling to deliver justice for Lord Governor!"
That one cry was met with a hundred more.
"We implore Prince Ling to deliver justice for Lord Governor!"
"We implore Prince Ling to deliver justice for Lord Governor!"
Mrs. E remained ramrod straight. She and E Jintang were naturally tall, which made them stand out in the crowd. Now, with quiet dignity, their voices rang out, loud and clear, vowing to clear the name of their husband and father.
Song Lianhe was moved by the scene before her.
Their persistence was forged from countless moments of despair, carrying the fragile desperation of an all-or-nothing gamble.
Because no matter the outcome, the man they were fighting for was already gone.
「Inside the mansion」
Song Xilan hadn’t slept a wink all night.
Whenever she closed her eyes, she would see Man Yue’s blood-soaked face, wailing as she reached out for help.
"My Lady, save me! It hurts so much!"
"My Lady... I did it all for you..."
"My Lady, how could you be so cruel and not save me... It’s so cold here, and I’m so lonely all by myself..."
"My Lady, why don’t you come down and keep me company?"
In a daze, half-dreaming and half-awake, Song Xilan struggled to sit up on the daybed. "Man Yue... Tea..."
But after she called out for a long time, an unfamiliar face approached her. "Princess Consort, your tea."
She took the cup and drained it before asking, "Where is Man Yue?"
The young maid looked troubled. "Man Yue... she..."
The image in her mind slowly sharpened: Man Yue, covered in blood, lying all alone on a straw mat.
She was dead.
Song Xilan’s head throbbed. She rubbed her temples, and after finishing her tea, she lay back down.
Just then, another servant came to report. "Princess Consort, Mrs. E is outside the gates. She’s asking to see you..."
"I will not see her."
Song Xilan was agitated and didn’t want to see anyone.
"But..."
"Did you not understand me? Get out!" Song Xilan had never lost her temper like this before.
"Yes, yes." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
The maids all withdrew.
The room fell silent once more.
Between the plague of snakes last night, falling into the water multiple times, and Man Yue’s death, Song Xilan was in a complete stupor, her mind a chaotic mess.
It was as if several voices were arguing in her head. A sinister one occasionally cut through the others, repeating over and over, ’You are the female protagonist. You are the protagonist...’
Song Xilan’s headache intensified, and she immediately pulled the blanket over her head.
Outside the E Mansion, Mrs. E’s voice grew hoarse, but still no one emerged from the gates.
As the sun climbed higher, E Jintang, still shouldering the plaque, was drenched in sweat. He repeatedly wiped his brow with his sleeve.
Just then, someone quietly offered him a handkerchief.
He froze for a second, then looked toward Da Xi.
Da Xi gestured for him to use it to wipe his sweat, then returned to Song Lianhe’s side.
Song Lianhe frowned, Mrs. E’s cries of "We implore Your Highness to deliver justice!" ringing in her ears.
The townspeople were also crying out against the injustice, murmuring about how pitiful Mrs. E was.
Song Lianhe clenched her fists. Gazing at the silent, unmoving gates, she found she couldn’t bear to listen a moment longer. She abruptly raised her hand. "I’ll do it!"
Her sharp cry stunned the crowd, and all eyes turned to her.
Mrs. E slowly turned her head.
Xuan Mei and Da Xi both let out a small, simultaneous sigh.
’Still so impulsive.’
Song Lianhe lifted the hem of her dress, walked up the steps, and turned to face the crowd. Tipping her chin up, she said, word by word, "This plaque, *this* Princess Consort will accept."
The crowd immediately burst into an uproar.
"She called herself a Princess Consort... Could she be Princess Consort Ling?"
Xuan Mei immediately stepped forward and, also with just one hand, took the plaque. She returned to Song Lianhe’s side, holding it so the words "A Grievous Injustice Unrighted" faced the crowd.
Mrs. E stared blankly at Song Lianhe, then suddenly dropped to her knees. She bowed low, her forehead touching the ground. "This humble one thanks Princess Qing!"
