Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 281: Sigh, Impulsive, Too Impulsive

"She accepted it?"

"Yes! Just like that! Ugh! The Princess Consort revealed her identity and accepted Mrs. E’s plaque. Isn’t this just drawing all eyes to us? She’s making such a mess..."

The Shadow Guard felt it was unfair to his master. He’d been setting up this plan for so long, only to have it all stirred up by that Second Miss Song!

The man in brocade robes across from him opened his folding fan and said unhurriedly, "If she accepted it, she accepted it."

"My lord?!"

The Shadow Guard said anxiously, "But... what if you’re discovered for disobeying the imperial decree and abandoning your post? Aren’t you just handing him leverage on a silver platter?!"

"Compared to that, they’re more concerned about what E Xianwang has hidden."

"You mean..."

Zhou Cangyan’s eyes were light and placid. As he looked up, a captivating charm was fully released.

"Spread the word. Say that we have the item."

In the room, the plaque stood propped against the wall.

Song Lianhe, Xuan Mei, and Da Xi stood opposite it, their arms crossed.

Song Lianhe: "Sigh..."

Xuan Mei: "Impulsive."

Da Xi: "Too impulsive."

Chun Hua: "CHIRP!"

The three women paused, looking down at the bald falcon standing beside them.

Chun Hua flapped its wings, as if to say it had been part of the whole thing.

The three of them looked away again. Song Lianhe wasn’t one to fret over nothing. Since she had accepted the plaque, she would see the matter through and clear Governor E’s name!

"Too difficult," Xuan Mei said.

Song Lianhe walked up to her, her beautiful eyes narrowing as she looked her up and down. "Sister Mei, you know something, don’t you?"

Xuan Mei was refreshingly blunt. "I don’t."

Song Lianhe pointed at her. "Does she look like she doesn’t know?"

Da Xi shook her head. "She doesn’t."

The two exchanged a look, then suddenly flanked Xuan Mei from the left and right.

"Come on, dear Sister Mei, just tell us, please~"

"Yeah, Xuan Mei, just tell us~"

At first, Xuan Mei stood perfectly still, but she couldn’t hold out against the two women’s grabby coaxing and finally had to give in.

"The woman who ’eloped’ with Governor E is still missing."

With Xuan Mei’s reminder, Song Lianhe immediately understood.

"Zhen Niang!"

Song Lianhe slowly turned and sat down at the table. "Let me sort this out."

She had promised to clear Governor E’s name of two charges: first, the "elopement," and second, "corruption."

As for the rest, the waters were too deep. She couldn’t get involved, nor did she want to.

Especially that poetry collection Shu Fengli mentioned. It was like a landmine—whoever stepped on it would be blown to bits!

’I’m just a side character. I should just protect my own little plot of land. I’ll leave these landmines for the powerful main characters.’

She said immediately, "Let’s go find Shu Fengli."

"He’s dead," Xuan Mei said without expression. "He died in an alley behind the gambling den."

It took Song Lianhe a long moment to process this. She murmured, "How could he just be dead?"

Not wanting her to overthink it, Xuan Mei immediately changed the subject. "People like him aren’t afraid of death. From the day he started working for Zhou Junlin, he was prepared to die a violent death at any moment."

Song Lianhe said suddenly, "But... he was afraid of something happening to Zhen Niang."

The day they’d caught Shu Fengli and subjected him to all sorts of "interrogation," he hadn’t flinched. The only thing he couldn’t bear was any mention of Zhen Niang.

Song Lianhe made a swift decision. "Let’s go find Zhen Niang!"

Since she had dared to reveal her identity in public, there was no longer a need to hide. She changed back into her usual clothes, and for convenience, she even put on a man’s attire.

SNAP. Song Lianhe flicked open her folding fan and spun around. "How do I look? Dashing? Can you still tell I’m a woman?"

Da Xi: "Well..."

Xuan Mei: "As long as you’re not blind."

’That’s not how it goes in the TV dramas! As soon as a woman puts on men’s clothes, it’s like her gender is sealed away. Unless the plot requires it, you can guarantee that the male lead, the second male lead, and all the extras won’t recognize her! Why doesn’t it work for me?’

The three of them walked out of the garden and reached the main gate, just as Zhou Junlin’s carriage pulled up.

Zhou Junlin stepped down from the carriage. He looked up and saw a figure in a straight robe of sapphire-blue ice-silkworm brocade, a lotus-and-fish ring pendant at their waist. Their long, flowing hair was tied up, secured only by a single kingfisher-feather hairpin.

Song Lianhe wore no makeup, her face bare, yet it couldn’t hide her natural beauty. Her posture was poised and graceful, with a straight back and a slender neck. She waved her folding fan gently, her bearing roguishly elegant. A gentle breeze swept by, lifting the hem of her robe, making it seem as if she were walking on floating lotus flowers.

Her dewy almond eyes were large and bright. Even when not smiling or angry, she had a flirtatious air that was half-coy, half-petulant. She was exquisitely beautiful, incomparably pure and delicate.

Zhou Junlin stood still in front of his carriage, his dark eyes fixed on the woman walking out of the gate. The pad of his index finger unconsciously rubbed the jade thumb ring he wore, as if caressing the fair, delicate skin of his beloved, instantly arousing a sense of longing.

Seeing his prince’s expression, Gu Ha grew anxious, but he didn’t dare act rashly. He could only glare at Song Lianhe.

’This woman must be a demon, sent specifically to bring disaster upon my Prince!’

Song Lianhe was talking with Da Xi when someone called out to her from behind.

"Granny!"

E Jintang came running over with a THUD, THUD, THUD, carrying a pair of thousand-pound hammers. "Mother said I should follow you and protect you!"

Song Lianhe wanted to refuse, but how could she resist such a filial child?~

So, she beckoned, and E Jintang immediately understood, bending over and lowering his head.

She smiled and patted his head. "Good boy~"

Zhou Junlin’s gaze darkened. As his eyes shifted to E Jintang, it was as if a cold, sinister wind swept past.

E Jintang, however, just smiled foolishly.

Like one of the giant hounds he raised.

Da Xi couldn’t help but whisper to Xuan Mei, "The Princess Consort really has a way with training people."

Xuan Mei didn’t respond. When Da Xi looked up, she saw Xuan Mei staring coldly outside the mansion gates.

Only then did Da Xi notice the carriage outside, and Zhou Junlin. She quickly tugged on Song Lianhe’s sleeve. "Princess Consort..."

"Don’t mind him."

Song Lianhe had noticed the master and servant duo long ago; she just couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge them.

"Let’s go."

She swaggered out with her three companions.

"Wenxin."

Zhou Junlin suddenly called out to her.

Song Lianhe stopped, her brow furrowing in disgust.

With her back to him, she asked in a cold tone, "What is it, Prince Ling?"

Zhou Junlin took a slow step forward, but Xuan Mei suddenly blocked his path.

Zhou Junlin looked at her coldly, his thin lips pursed. Since they were in front of the Governor’s Mansion, he didn’t want to cause trouble. He remained where he was and spoke to the person Xuan Mei was shielding behind her. "You promised Mrs. E you would restore her husband’s good name. That was a truly impulsive act. The implications run deep. Did... Imperial Uncle not tell you?"

He clearly meant well, but his habitual tone of judgment and probing made Song Lianhe want to roll her eyes.

But she also knew that now was not the time to have a falling out with him, especially since she couldn’t cause trouble for Zhou Cangyan. Even though he was at the Li Guan Sect, everyone was already well aware of the situation.

Song Lianhe slowly turned around and gently tugged on the corner of Xuan Mei’s sleeve. Xuan Mei frowned, but she stepped aside.

"Prince Ling, I’ve never been one to look before I leap. I act purely on impulse. Otherwise, how could I have blindly chased after a man for so many years, enduring endless humiliation and ridicule?"

She said this with frankness, holding nothing back.

But to Zhou Junlin’s ears, every single word was a vicious lash against his heart.