Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 283: She’s Here to Settle Accounts with This King
"She had you bring this?"
"Yes."
The man slowly opened his folding fan, seemingly glancing nonchalantly at the bamboo tube on the desk.
The weather was hot and dry. Due to the contrast in temperature, beads of condensation covered the bamboo tube, trickling down its side.
It was as if the entire room grew cooler from its refreshing presence.
The man lowered his gaze. The smile on his lips held a pleasure that was hard to discern as real or fake. Emotions swirled in his light, amber-colored eyes—greedy, yet restrained.
"Is she... concerned about me?"
Before Xuan Mei could reply, the Shadow Guard entered, holding an ice dessert.
"Mmm~ Delicious! Delicious!"
He ate with great satisfaction and said to Xuan Mei, "Please thank the Princess Consort for me. I didn’t expect her to be so considerate of a subordinate. It’s quite embarrassing! If the Princess Consort has any orders in the future, I will carry them out without hesitation!"
Seeing the ice dessert in his hand, the man’s eyes turned cold.
"Why does he have one too?"
His tone was full of disdain and dissatisfaction.
The Shadow Guard then noticed another ice dessert on the desk and blurted out, "Don’t you like it, My Lord? If you’re not going to eat it, you can bestow it upon me. I quite like it..." Before his hand could touch the bamboo tube, it was slapped away by a fan.
"That one is mine."
He shot the Shadow Guard a sidelong glance. Though his expression was still grim, he wouldn’t allow anyone to touch the thing she had given him.
The Shadow Guard chuckled teasingly. "It’s yours, My Lord, all yours..." But the moment he met his master’s icy gaze, he immediately restrained himself and lowered his head to eat his own ice dessert.
Zhou Cangyan’s eyes were half-closed in a languid manner as he gently waved his fan. "She went to Huaxu Square to find Zhen Niang?"
"Yes," Xuan Mei replied. "The Princess Consort is determined to clear Governor E’s name."
Zhou Cangyan stopped fanning. He raised his perceptive eyes, a dark light surging within them, and suddenly said, "Xuan Mei, since when have you become so presumptuous?"
Without a word, Xuan Mei dropped to one knee. "I only know that since My Lord bestowed me upon the Princess Consort, she is now the one I must protect, even at the cost of my own life."
Zhou Cangyan stared at her coldly, not saying a word.
The Shadow Guard quietly shrunk to the side, looking at Xuan Mei with some concern.
Everyone who served Zhou Cangyan knew that the one thing he hated most in his life was disloyalty. No matter the reason, once you entered his service, there was only one path to follow! ’By saying that, hasn’t Xuan Mei just provoked him?’
But unexpectedly, after just sweeping his cold gaze over her, Zhou Cangyan slowly picked up the bamboo tube from the desk. He lifted the lid, and a refreshing chill wafted out, invigorating the senses.
"Get up."
Xuan Mei rose, her expression unchanged, as if she weren’t the one who had just spoken so defiantly.
’That’s it? She’s fine?!’ the Shadow Guard thought, stunned. ’In that case, can I go find another patron tomorrow and leave myself a way out?’
"Go back and watch over her."
Xuan Mei didn’t move.
"Is there something else?"
"...The Princess Consort said that buying the ice desserts used up all her monthly allowance."
The man looked up and suddenly let out a soft chuckle.
"So she’s come to me for reimbursement."
Xuan Mei lowered her head.
’As a former top assassin, this is the first time I’ve ever had to ask someone for silver...’
"Shadow."
he called, holding out his hand at the same time.
The Shadow Guard took out a money pouch from his robes and placed it in his hand.
The man crooked his finger again.
The Shadow Guard froze, then gritted his teeth and pulled out the silver notes from his robes as well. "My Lord, this is all we brought with us on this trip~"
’If I had known one bowl of ice dessert would cost this much silver, I wouldn’t have eaten it!!’
Zhou Cangyan handed both the silver notes and the money pouch to Xuan Mei. She accepted them respectfully. "I will take my leave."
The Shadow Guard couldn’t bear it and chased her to the door. "Spend it wisely!"
Inside the room, Zhou Cangyan took a bite of the ice dessert and frowned slightly. A concoction of fruit jam and milk was still too sweet and rich for his taste.
He looked down. ’This kind of little snack is something only she would like.’
He took another bite. And it seemed... tolerable.
「Outside Huaxu Square」
Song Lianhe and Da Xi stared at each other in dismay.
Across from them, E Jintang was furious and exasperated.
"Get down!"
"N-No, I won’t..."
"Aaargh! Get down!"
"I w-won’t get down!"
The little beggar on his back, taking advantage of her small frame, clung to him with all four limbs, refusing to get off him for dear life.
Noticing that the guards of Huaxu Square were already looking their way, Song Lianhe simply instructed E Jintang, "Just bring her in with us."
Li Guan Sect was only so big. She had already revealed her identity, and with E Jintang in tow, such a recognizable group would find it hard not to alert their targets.
After the group entered, someone came forward to greet them. "Princess Qing, please come to the private room upstairs."
Song Lianhe raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Thank you for your trouble."
She led her group straight to the private room on the second floor with the widest view. As soon as they sat down, fruit tea and pastries were served one after another.
"Are you hungry? Have some."
Song Lianhe picked up a pastry and offered it to the little beggar.
Once the little beggar was sure no one would chase her away, she finally climbed off E Jintang. After a moment of cautious observation, she snatched the item from Song Lianhe’s hand, scurried into a corner, and stuffed the entire pastry into her mouth.
"Slow down~" Seeing her choking, Da Xi quickly poured her a cup of tea.
The door opened, and Zhen Niang walked in with her maid, Xi Que.
"Princess Qing, your presence graces us. Forgive Zhen Niang for not welcoming you sooner."
She bowed gracefully. Song Lianhe tilted her head, looking at her, and suddenly said, "The resemblance... it’s truly there."
Zhen Niang’s body stiffened.
Had it been anyone else, upon hearing the word "resemblance," they would have at least asked "resembles who?" or "resembles what?"
But Zhen Niang was extremely sensitive to that word.
The smile on her cheeks began to stiffen.
"What is Princess Qing talking about? I do not understand."
"Surely you must know, Madam, that you and my elder sister... oh, that is, Prince Ling’s consort, Song Xilan, bear a striking resemblance. At first glance, you look like the same person."
Zhen Niang fidgeted with the handkerchief in her hands. "Princess Qing jests. Princess Consort Ling and I are as different as clouds and mud. How can we be compared?"
"Indeed, you cannot."
Zhen Niang froze, the smile on her lips truly forced. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Song Lianhe stood up and walked toward her. "Even if you do resemble her, Zhen Niang is still just Zhen Niang. You are not an accessory or a substitute for anyone."
Zhen Niang looked at her, stunned, momentarily forgetting to conceal her emotions.
She snapped back to her senses, and just as she was about to look away, Song Lianhe suddenly leaned forward, her large eyes staring straight at her.
"Actually, upon closer look, you don’t resemble her that much." The woman before her smiled softly, a pure and charming smile. "Your eyes are slightly longer and narrower, more bewitching, more alluring. Even I find them lovely, let alone all those men. But why would you hide such a beautiful pair of eyes with makeup? It’s truly a pity."
Zhen Niang raised a hand to gently stroke her eyes. She had almost forgotten what she herself originally looked like.
She lowered her gaze, gave a bitter smile, and murmured, "What does it matter if they like them? They are not the ones I have ever wanted."
Song Lianhe scoffed. "You have your own beauty. Those who can’t appreciate it are blind, so it’s best to forget them! There are plenty of men in this world. Why waste your best years on someone like that?"
Behind Zhen Niang, Xi Que listened with an excited expression and couldn’t help but say, "Princess Qing is right! Madam, you mustn’t keep wronging yourself like this!"
