Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 364: The Lord Said Not to Waste

"BLEAARGH—"

The Shadow Guard ran to the side to vomit violently again, and Xuan Mei finally lost her patience.

She slammed the bronze shovel in her hands onto the ground with a CLATTER and turned to glare at him coldly.

The Shadow Guard walked back, clutching his chest. Knowing he was at fault, he said with a pained expression, "Sister Mei, you can’t blame me. You know I’m truly terrified of..."

One more look at the basket of snakes, writhing and crawling over each other, and the Shadow Guard’s hair practically stood on end.

"We could have just burned this whole place down. Why do we have to dig every single one out..."

"His Highness said that if they can be used for medicine, they shouldn’t be wasted."

The Shadow Guard picked up the bronze shovel from the ground, his hands trembling nonstop. "And you believe that?"

’Is this for medicine?’

’This is blatant revenge!!’

’Forget a dignified prince, even a respectable human being would lose their dignity by doing something like this!’

’So, they must all be for medicine. Not a single one can be left behind...’

Xuan Mei had a habit of seeing the truth but not speaking it. If the Prince said they were for medicine, then it must be to benefit the common people.

Late that night, Prince Qing Mansion was ablaze with lights.

Housekeeper Pang was so busy his feet barely touched the ground. The entire mansion was preparing for the grand wedding tomorrow.

They also had to constantly deal with Hidden Guards from the palace and other factions. Every so often, someone would leap onto a wall with a WHOOSH, snatch a Hidden Guard, and casually toss him down. People waiting below would immediately pin him—gagged, bound, and stuffed into a sack, then whisked away. The whole sequence was executed with practiced, fluid ease.

Housekeeper Pang, as nimble as a swallow, landed lightly before turning with a frown. "Xiao Wu, I’m only going to say this one last time! Tomorrow is a joyous occasion. If you wear your pants backward again, then you can just stop wearing them at all!"

A ripple of soft laughter spread through the area.

Xiao Wu’s face turned bright red, and he scurried back to change his pants.

"Little Doudou, you’re so short! Can you even reach those lanterns? And where’s Da Zhu? Da Zhu, what are you doing rummaging in the chicken coop?!"

In stark contrast to the bustling courtyard, the room was perfectly still.

All the blood and filth had been cleaned from Song Lianhe’s body. She now lay pale-faced on the couch, her hands clutching the blankets tightly. Her brow would occasionally furrow in distress, her forehead beaded with cold sweat.

"...Sigh. Anyone would have a breakdown in that environment."

Huai Xu took the towel from Da Xi to clean his hands. "It’s a miracle you were able to get her out alive. As for everything else... I’d say you shouldn’t push your luck."

He glanced up at the cold, indifferent man standing nearby and scoffed. "Besides, you don’t really want to marry her anyway. It’s no great loss if the wedding is called off."

The words had barely left his lips when a gaze as sharp as a blade shot toward him.

"With your medical skills, how is it possible she hasn’t woken up yet?"

Huai Xu handed the towel back to Da Xi. "And what if she herself is unwilling to wake up? Even if I am the greatest physician of our time, I cannot control another person’s will."

Zhou Cangyan froze, his brows instantly knitting together. "She’s... unwilling?"

"That’s right."

Huai Xu looked with a puzzled expression at the unconscious woman on the couch. "It’s as if she’s trapped in a nightmare, unable to escape."

He turned back to Zhou Cangyan and couldn’t help but sigh. "You shouldn’t have killed Zhang Yu. The fight with the Southern Official is bound to alert Ling’an. What will you do if the Holy Emperor learns of this and demands the man from you? You killed an enemy Hidden Guard without authorization. How could those vile old Officials at Court possibly let you off the hook? The real *Danling Ci* still hasn’t been found, which means we can’t make a move on the Sui Ning front. You, Prince Qing, cannot afford any trouble right now."

He finished with a disapproving shake of his head. "Biwu, you were foolish."

"If I killed him, I killed him. Why should I care what others think?" Zhou Cangyan stared intently at the unconscious woman, a flicker of unease surfacing in his eyes.

Huai Xu caught that flicker of emotion perfectly. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

He clicked his tongue twice, leaned in closer, and sucked in a sharp breath. "HSSS—don’t tell me..." he said, astonished.

Finding him annoying, Zhou Cangyan raised a hand and shoved him aside.

"My Prince."

It was Housekeeper Pang at the door, and he sounded rather unhappy.

"Princess Consort Ling’s people have arrived."

Huai Xu smirked. "Well now, they must be here for Zhang Yu. I’m quite curious to see the wonderful expression on her face when you hand that pile of meat over."

Zhou Cangyan, however, was unconcerned. "As far as she’s concerned, all that matters is that he can no longer speak. Whether he’s dead or alive is irrelevant."

"Hah. She may not care, but what about Prince Ling? I heard that before you arrived, it was Prince Ling who sent your future Princess Consort to the Southern Official’s place."

He ignored Zhou Cangyan’s irritated expression and added unhurriedly, "For all we know, Princess Consort Ling is retrieving Zhang Yu on behalf of Zhou Junlin."

Zhou Cangyan’s brow furrowed even deeper. He turned to glare at Huai Xu with undisguised irritation. "If you can’t heal her, then get out!"

"I’m not leaving. I’m staying for the wedding feast!"

Before Zhou Cangyan could say more, Housekeeper Pang urged from outside, "My Prince, it would be best to dismiss Princess Consort Ling’s people quickly, lest they are seen by others and implicate Your Highness."

Zhou Cangyan cast one last glance at the woman on the couch, then turned and left.

Huai Xu turned his head and said to Da Xi, "Please bring me something to eat."

Da Xi acknowledged the request and left as well.

Only when there was no third person left in the room did Huai Xu approach the couch. "All right, stop pretending."

Song Lianhe slowly opened her eyes.

—

The visitor was Kong Qing. She bowed the moment she saw Zhou Cangyan and asked impatiently, "Prince Qing, where is Zhang Yu?"

Zhou Cangyan glanced over his shoulder at the Shadow Guard behind him, who produced a large, oil-paper-wrapped bundle that vaguely resembled a human form.

"He’s in here?"

Kong Qing was overjoyed, assuming that Zhou Cangyan had merely captured the man.

She hurriedly ordered the attendants to carry Zhang Yu away.

As the attendants moved to lift the bundle, a sickening, fishy stench assaulted them. Fighting back their nausea, they struggled to carry it out the back door.

Kong Qing glanced around before pulling a letter from her sleeve. "Your Highness, this is from my lady for you."

’My lady?’

The Shadow Guard frowned. ’Such little schemes are truly endless!’

It was unclear what Zhou Cangyan was thinking. His expression remained listless, and as if he couldn’t be bothered, he simply motioned for the Shadow Guard to take the letter.

Seeing that he had accepted the letter, Kong Qing, eager to report back to her mistress, quickly took her leave with her men.

Zhou Cangyan looked up at the sky. The horizon was turning a deep navy blue, looking cold and distant.

’How irritating.’

Meanwhile, Kong Qing had the carriage stopped in front of a private courtyard. The back gate opened, and she swiftly ordered her men to carry Zhang Yu inside.

"Where is he?"

Mrs. Liu came stumbling out. "Where is Zhang Yu?"

Although Song Xilan couldn’t stand to see her mother in such a state, she felt that her mother was willingly debasing herself instead of acting like the respectable General’s wife she was!

But she was her mother, after all. Furthermore, Mrs. Liu had threatened her with her own life, claiming it would be two lives lost from one body if Song Xilan didn’t help save Zhang Yu. The affair and her pregnancy with the southern entertainer would surely be exposed, and then she’d see how long she could hold on to her position as a Princess Consort! Gritting her teeth, Song Xilan had finally agreed.

"Zhang Yu!"

Mrs. Liu lunged forward, frantically ordering the servants to unwrap the oil paper. "Damn them all to hell! How could they do this to you!"

Nanny Tian called over several maids, and they all fumbled to get it unwrapped...

"AHH!!"

A piercing scream erupted. The maids scattered in terror, and Nanny Tian collapsed onto the ground.

Song Xilan took one glance and stumbled back several steps, her eyes wide with terror.

Kong Qing was already scared witless.

Mrs. Liu’s eyes bulged as she stared in disbelief at the corpse, which barely maintained a human shape...

"No... No... Zhang Yu!!"

She let out a guttural roar, then her eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed in a faint.