Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 388: Beautiful! Very Beautiful

"Oh, it’s you."

When Ah Jun saw him, his tone was quite casual, completely unlike his previous fear.

The Shadow Guard, following behind Zhou Cangyan, was instantly angered by his attitude. "Hey, you little brat! Don’t think you can disrespect our lord just because you have the Princess Consort backing you up!"

Ah Jun huffed. "Who was it that ditched my sister on your wedding day to see another woman? He’s the reason so many people laughed at her!"

The Shadow Guard stammered, "That was because... so... and then... Hmph."

He silently retreated.

The matter was truly indefensible. Even he couldn’t smooth things over for his lord.

Zhou Cangyan slowly walked forward and casually raised his hand. Ah Jun flinched, instinctively protecting his head. "If you dare hit me, I’ll tell my sister! She’ll definitely get revenge for me!"

"Hey! You kid!"

The Shadow Guard was so angry he looked ready to roll up his sleeves.

Zhou Cangyan lowered his hand, stopping him. "Where is the package the Princess Consort prepared for me?"

Ah Jun pouted, turned around, and deftly climbed onto the haystack. After rummaging around for a moment, he jumped down into the middle of it.

A moment later, a door in the middle of the haystack pushed open.

Only then did the Shadow Guard realize that a carriage was hidden inside the haystack.

Ah Jun emerged from the carriage and tossed a package over.

The Shadow Guard caught it and presented it to Zhou Cangyan with both hands.

Zhou Cangyan took it and slowly opened it...

It was a pair of arm guards.

The craftsmanship was indeed crude, but the unique design made up for it.

"Ah, the Princess Consort only sent you this? Isn’t this a bit too..."

Just as the Shadow Guard was about to complain, a cold glare from Zhou Cangyan made him obediently shut his mouth.

"What do you know!" Ah Jun said indignantly. "My sister made these arm guards with her own hands! Every single stitch was sewn by her!"

Zhou Cangyan stroked the uneven stitches, the corners of his lips curling up slightly.

"Why did she make these?"

"Hmph, who do you think they’re for?" Ah Jun said. "At first, my sister wanted to make a full set of armor. She said something about it being made of a highly resilient material, like a... a ’bulletproof vest’... But time was too tight, so she could only make this pair of arm guards."

Zhou Cangyan placed the arm guards directly inside his robes. "Are all the medicinal herbs here?"

"Yes, they’re all here."

Ah Jun pulled down the rest of the loose straw. "To transport all this, we had to hide and sneak our way here. We couldn’t even risk staying at an inn. It was fine for us, but it was really hard on my sister..."

Listening to this kid call her "sister" over and over again was starting to annoy the Shadow Guard.

But the Princess Consort seemed to take special care of this boy, doting on him like a younger brother. He couldn’t afford to offend him!

A single carriage was too conspicuous, so Zhou Cangyan ordered it to be abandoned. They would carry the medicinal herbs separately to avoid the risk of losing everything at once.

After they left, Ah Jun waited outside the city until dawn the next day before returning to report.

"When he saw the arm guards... what was his reaction?"

Song Lianhe asked, pretending to be casual as she bit into a steamed bun.

"He didn’t say anything, just put them away," Ah Jun reported truthfully.

"He didn’t say anything?"

Song Lianhe narrowed her eyes and took a vicious bite of her bun. ’No taste, no appreciation for quality!’

The truth was, she’d only gotten the sudden idea to make him a pair of arm guards after seeing the bracelet Mrs. E had given her. It seemed like a good way to pass the boring time on the road.

After all, it was the first time she had given someone such a thoughtful gift, one she had sewn stitch by stitch. She’d even pricked her hands full of holes. Of course she hoped he would value it.

But then again, ’who is Zhou Cangyan? What kind of priceless treasures has he not seen?’

’How could a mere pair of arm guards possibly catch his eye?’

—

With the medicine from Song Lianhe, the Shadow Guard immediately had his men distribute it.

"My lord! You won’t believe it, but the Princess Consort’s medicine has been a huge help!"

The Shadow Guard rushed in to report excitedly. After just one day of taking the medicine, the soldiers’ symptoms had already lessened considerably. According to the prescription the Princess Consort left, they would be completely cured within three days.

Zhou Cangyan was in his tent trying on his pair of arm guards. He didn’t show much surprise at the Shadow Guard’s words, instead looking as if he had expected it all along.

The Shadow Guard couldn’t hold back. "My lord... how many times have you tried on these arm guards? No matter how much you like them, you don’t have to be so attached that you can’t put them down!"

Zhou Cangyan lifted his eyes and gave him a faint glance. "Are they not good-looking?"

"Good-looking! Exceptionally good-looking!"

The Shadow Guard was quick to agree; how could he dare say a single word of dissent?

But speaking of which, ’the Princess Consort and the Prince are certainly an interesting pair.’

’Back in Ling’an, it was one mishap after another. Even on their wedding day, there was so much drama! Anyone who saw them would have called them a mismatched couple.’

’But now that they’re separated, their feelings are finally starting to warm up!’

’What took them so long?’

"How are things with Xuan Mei?"

He unfastened the arm guards again and began carefully wiping them with a cloth.

"Oh, she’s in Sishui City right now. With her there, my lord can rest assured. The Princess Consort will be safe."

Just then, Xuan Qi lifted the heavy tent flap and entered.

"My lord, this is a letter from the old lord."

He handed the letter forward.

Zhou Cangyan unfolded the letter, glanced over it, and set it down again.

"Emperor Cheng Xiao has issued three consecutive imperial edicts summoning him to the palace for an audience."

The Shadow Guard said indignantly, "Judging by the timing, those edicts must have been sent out right after we left the city!"

Xuan Qi said, "Word from the palace is that staff from the Imperial Medical Bureau have been frequently visiting Chongzheng Hall. I fear Emperor Cheng Xiao’s health won’t hold out for much longer. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be in such a hurry to deal with us."

"But it’s useless for him to issue these edicts. The old lord won’t pay them any mind at all!"

"Then he can use this to charge the old lord with the crime of defying an imperial decree."

Zhou Cangyan placed the polished arm guards back into the cloth wrapper.

The Shadow Guard was speechless.

’It’s a good thing the Princess Consort only made a pair of these things. If she had actually made a full suit of armor, he could just imagine how exhausted his lord would be from polishing it all!’

Zhou Cangyan said unhurriedly, "He is clearing all obstacles for that person."

"My lord, are we really going to fight?" the Shadow Guard asked, a little resentful. "Even if we win, that father and son will be the ones to enjoy an era of peace and prosperity."

Zhou Cangyan’s eyes were calm as he remained silent. Xuan Qi, however, spoke with a serious expression, "We fight for the people and for Da Cheng, not for that father and son of the Zhou Family."

"Sigh, I understand the principle, of course. But when I think about how we’re conquering this land for someone else, I just can’t stomach it!"

The corners of Zhou Cangyan’s lips curled up slightly. He placed the cloth-wrapped bundle back into a brocade box and said in a clear, languid voice, "Whose land it will be is not yet certain."

He rose and walked to the entrance of the commander’s tent. His light brown eyes, naturally distant and cold, swept across the camp. "Tonight, at midnight, we strike camp."

The Shadow Guard and Xuan Qi immediately responded, "Yes, my lord!"

As night fell, Song Lianhe finally packed up and took down her sign for the day.

After three consecutive days of providing free consultations, both she and the clinic had made a name for themselves.

Everyone in the city, from the common folk to the elite, now knew of the "miracle-working physician." Even the city guards came to her for consultations and prescriptions in an orderly fashion.

Song Lianhe lay on a bamboo chair in the courtyard. Understanding how hard she had worked, Manager Meng usually avoided disturbing her in the courtyard at this time.

A cool sensation circled her wrist, then stopped.

"CAW—"

A cry echoed from the sky, and then Chun Hua swooped down, landing directly on the stone table beside her.