Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 386: Am I in Your Heart Now?

Seeing that Song Lianhe was not only a skilled physician but was also offering her services for free, everyone else quickly surged forward.

"Doctor, please take a look at me too!"

"Doctor, I’ve had a headache for several days..."

"Doctor..."

Yin Huan and Manager Meng scrambled to maintain order.

Dusk fell, and the free clinic came to a close.

Song Lianhe rubbed her sore shoulders and returned to the courtyard where she was staying. E Jintang was sitting there, eating a flatbread.

War was imminent in Sishui City, so the residents had already started hoarding grain. The restaurants and taverns outside had all closed their doors. E Jintang had a massive appetite—a single meal for him was enough to finish off three days of Boss Meng’s food reserves. A servant in the kitchen was toiling away making flatbreads, but it was barely enough to fill his stomach. Because he had been sent by Prince Ling, Boss Meng could only suffer in silence.

"Granny, want some flatbread?" E Jintang was quite dutiful. The moment he saw Song Lianhe, he broke his flatbread in half and offered it to her.

Song Lianhe took it and settled back into a lounge chair. Breaking off small pieces of the flatbread and popping them into her mouth, she murmured with her eyes closed, "A mere ten thousand soldiers, all of them old, weak, sick, and disabled... This isn’t pushing him to his death. This is pushing him to rebel."

"Mm-hm."

It was unclear if E Jintang understood. He simply lowered his head and picked up another flatbread.

"Sigh." Song Lianhe let out a low sigh. "If he doesn’t rebel, it’s a guaranteed loss. A feud between Sui Bei and Yu State will be inevitable. What a brilliant move by Emperor Cheng Xiao to divert the trouble. But if he *does* rebel, he’ll become a public enemy to the entire nation, and Emperor Cheng Xiao will have a legitimate reason to send troops."

Though E Jintang was simple-minded, he wasn’t a complete idiot. He had picked up on some of what she was saying. "Why make it so complicated?" he asked, his words muffled by flatbread. "He could have just killed him back in Ling’an City!"

"How would the Emperor dare kill him? He’s been completely obedient, returning to the Capital City when told. ’Surrender your military authority,’ and he surrenders it. ’Go on campaign,’ and he goes. He even married me, a consort who offers him no political advantage. Didn’t he do it without complaint? Killing him now would surely draw public criticism. The imperial family values its reputation above all else. Emperor Cheng Xiao, especially, has lived the first half of his life with neither great merits nor great faults; he can’t tarnish his legacy with a slaughter now."

Song Lianhe continued eating her flatbread, speaking slowly. "No matter which path he takes, he’s in a reactive position. That’s why I have to go and win Zhou Junlin over for him."

"Oh? Why him?"

"Yes, why him? That’s an excellent question." She chewed her flatbread, her words flowing smoothly. "At first, I also thought he was the Chosen One. But I’ve recently come to a realization. For a Chosen One, he schemes far too much. Based on his plans, it seems less like he’s preparing to inherit the throne and more like... he’s plotting a rebellion. That’s right. Compared to Zhou Cangyan, he’s the one who acts more like he’s going to revolt!"

"Heh."

A low chuckle suddenly came from behind her. Song Lianhe froze, her hand stopping just as it brought a piece of flatbread to her lips, as if she’d been turned to stone.

She slowly turned her head. Seeing the man standing behind her with his hands clasped, she shot to her feet. "What are you doing here?"

She glanced around nervously. "How could you recklessly enter the city at a time like this? Were you seen?"

In the courtyard, E Jintang was slumped over the table, fast asleep, still clutching half a flatbread. The Shadow Guard and Xuan Qi were guarding the two entrances. When they saw Song Lianhe, they both greeted her with a bow. "Princess Consort."

Zhou Cangyan gazed at the woman who had rushed up to him. Her face was etched with fatigue, a few stray locks of hair fell against her cheeks, and her eyes were filled with anxiety.

"I sent you to him. Why did you come back here?"

Hearing this, Song Lianhe’s temper flared. She slammed the flatbread down and snorted, "Did you ask for my opinion? If you want to send me away, you at least have to ask if I’m willing!"

Zhou Cangyan pressed his lips together, saying word by word, "He can protect you."

She spun around to face him, her aura every bit as powerful as his. "Hah, a joke! I am your Princess Consort. Why aren’t you protecting me yourself? Why pawn your troubles off on someone else?"

Upon hearing this, the Shadow Guard nodded repeatedly.

’She has a point.’

"Even if... even if you don’t like me, there’s no need to do this."

The more Song Lianhe spoke, the more aggrieved she sounded.

Zhou Cangyan lowered his gaze. "Since you came all this way, why didn’t you look for me?"

She mumbled, "You were already trying to send me away. Why would I go out of my way to get the cold shoulder?"

"Nonsense," Zhou Cangyan couldn’t help but rebuke her coldly. "You can’t possibly be unaware of how dangerous it is here, yet you just walked right in. It won’t take long for Prince Yongdong to discover your identity as Princess Qing!"

Song Lianhe retorted confidently, "What’s there to be afraid of? This is one of Zhou Junlin’s safe houses. If anything happens, it’s his problem to deal with."

"And what if something happens to you?" Zhou Cangyan’s tone grew severe. "If you get hurt, it won’t matter who takes the blame!"

Song Lianhe’s heart fluttered. She blinked her shimmering eyes at him, an irrepressible smile playing on her lips. "So you were worried about me, after all?"

"I was not."

His denial was stiff.

The Shadow Guard couldn’t help himself and suddenly blurted out, "You call that not worrying? The second you heard the Princess Consort had entered the city, you came rushing over in a mad panic. Nothing any of us said could stop you. You weren’t even afraid of exposing your identity..."

Zhou Cangyan narrowed his cold eyes and glanced back, snapping, "You talk too much!"

The Shadow Guard clapped a hand over his mouth, not daring to say another word.

Song Lianhe’s mood instantly lifted. The small flame in her heart, which had just been doused, flared brightly once more.

She lowered her eyes and habitually tugged on the corner of his sleeve. "Does this mean I have a place in your heart now?"

Zhou Cangyan frowned, staring at her for a long moment. He didn’t say a word, nor did he deny it.

The Shadow Guard rolled his eyes.

’Did he take such a huge risk coming into the city just to stand here and be struck dumb?’

Just then, a voice from the side suddenly said, "Yes."

The Shadow Guard’s eyes widened as he stared at Xuan Qi in disbelief. ’Are you insane?!’

It wasn’t just the Shadow Guard; Zhou Cangyan also turned his head slowly to look at him, his gaze razor-sharp.

Xuan Qi acted as if he didn’t see the look. He glanced at the Shadow Guard and was even kind enough to explain, "His Lordship seems to have lost his tongue, so I’m speaking for him."

The Shadow Guard: "..."

’Daring to criticize the lord to his face like that... he really must be insane.’

Zhou Cangyan’s face went dark, but Song Lianhe let out a laugh. She said with a meaningful look, "Now I finally understand why Xuan Qi’s blood couldn’t be used that day we saved Jintang."

The Shadow Guard pressed his lips together. Even though she was just stating a fact, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his heart had been wounded.

Song Lianhe felt as if honey were flooding her heart, making the exhausting journey of the past few days feel completely worthwhile.

Zhou Cangyan turned his gaze back to her. "Since you’re settled here now, don’t wander about. Sishui City is Yu State’s first line of defense, and Prince Yongdong will do everything in his power to hold it."

Song Lianhe froze. "So, you mean you intend to conquer Yu State?"

"Yes. This battle is inevitable," he said slowly. "Prince Yongdong is colluding with Nanchen, intending to topple the nation. When the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold. At that point, Sui Bei will not be able to remain uninvolved."

He saw the worry in her eyes and focused on the crease between her brows. Suddenly, he raised his hand and gently tapped it. "Don’t frown. It’s ugly."