Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 40: Striking Out on One’s Own

After preparing the ointment, Song Lianhe took Ah Yu and Shuang Ye to see the butler.

Gazing at the basin of black, gooey stuff, Pang Jiliang raised an eyebrow. "Thank you, Second Miss," he said, "but I’ve already seen a doctor. It’s nothing serious now."

"I know the Prince Qing Mansion doesn’t lack for good doctors, but my remedy is an ancestral recipe! I guarantee it’s a surefire cure! You’ll be up and about in three days, tops!"

She spoke with such conviction that Pang Jiliang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Second Miss, you needn’t feel guilty. It was only ten extra lashes. This old servant can endure it."

"That won’t do! You took those ten extra lashes because of me. If this leaves you with a chronic injury, wouldn’t I be to blame?"

She immediately called to Ah Yu, telling him he absolutely had to watch the butler apply the ointment!

Resigned, Pang Jiliang could only thank her.

Strangely enough, Pang Jiliang had indeed fully recovered three days later. He showed no signs of discomfort as he directed the servants around the mansion.

But given Pang Jiliang’s age, Song Lianhe worried he might be left with a chronic injury, so she had Shuang Ye brew an herbal tonic and delivered it personally.

Ah Yu took the medicine inside while Song Lianhe and Shuang Ye squatted on the covered walkway, cracking melon seeds. Xuan Mei stood off to one side, sword in hand.

Ever since Mrs. Liu had shown up and caused a scene, Xuan Mei had been sticking to Song Lianhe like a shadow.

"Miss, Her Ladyship came to take you home with such a commotion this time; plenty of people outside must have seen it. Us staying here at the Prince Qing Mansion isn’t a viable long-term solution."

Song Lianhe spat out a seed husk and said slowly, "I have no intention of returning to the General Mansion. But you’re right, staying in the Prince Qing Mansion isn’t a long-term solution either."

Xuan Mei glanced at the two of them but remained silent.

Shuang Ye’s face fell. "Then where will we go?"

"Heh, we’re going to strike out on our own, of course!"

"But we..."

Just as she said that, they saw a servant hurrying toward them.

Having been in the mansion for some time, Shuang Ye had become quite friendly with the staff. She immediately called out to him, "Brother Liang, what’s the rush?"

"It’s Shen’s escort team! They’ve run into trouble! Dozens of the men are injured... I have to see the butler, quickly!"

Ah Liang frantically pushed the door open and rushed inside.

Song Lianhe was confused. "An escort team?"

Xuan Mei said, "It’s one of the Prince’s enterprises."

"So your Prince has his own enterprises!"

’I thought Zhou Cangyan only knew how to lead troops and fight wars,’ she mused. ’The book never mentioned his financial situation.’

Just then, the door opened, and Pang Jiliang emerged with a solemn expression, walking briskly.

"Have the doctors been summoned?"

"They have! But..." Ah Liang lowered his voice, whispering in his ear, "The men have all been poisoned. It’s a bizarre toxin, and the doctors are completely helpless. Right now, everyone is..."

Pang Jiliang’s brow furrowed, and he quickened his pace.

’Even though I can’t hear what they’re saying, I can tell from the commotion that something serious has happened.’

After coming out, Ah Yu returned to Song Lianhe’s side, ignoring everything else around them.

"Let’s go. This is none of our business."

Song Lianhe turned and headed for the rear garden.

’A moment ago, she’d faintly heard the word "poisoned." ’

’According to the novel’s original plot, Zhou Cangyan secretly cultivated his own power base. After returning to the capital, his forces infiltrated various industries throughout the city to act as a cover.’

’One of his escort teams suffered heavy losses against bandits on Jiguan Mountain. The bandits’ appearance was suspicious, as if they were specifically targeting the team. It took Zhou Cangyan a long investigation to discover they were actually the remnants of Prince Yongdong’s rebel army—the very same one Zhou Junlin had supposedly wiped out near Qi Guan City!’

’Zhou Junlin had claimed to have eliminated all the rebels, but in reality, he had secretly absorbed a portion of them into his own private forces. The group on Jiguan Mountain was precisely the one he had deployed to test the villain, Zhou Cangyan.’

’This incident was, in a way, the first real clash between the hero and the villain.’

’Although she knew the inside story, Song Lianhe had no desire to get involved. At the moment, she couldn’t afford to offend either of those two men.’

’However, the book had described the men led by Master Shen. They were all soldiers who had charged into battle alongside Zhou Cangyan in the early days to defend the nation. They were iron-willed heroes, every last one of them unflinchingly loyal!’

’Even after being poisoned, suffering excruciating pain that twisted their bodies into grotesque shapes, and watching their comrades die one by one, not a single one of them resented Zhou Cangyan. Instead, they all declared that in their next lives, they would follow him again to guard the borders and slay the nation’s enemies!’

’That scene was as stunning as it was tragic.’

’It was this defeat at Jiguan Mountain that triggered a drastic change in Zhou Cangyan’s personality. His methods grew increasingly extreme, sending him further and further down the path of a villain, well past the point of no return.’

’She remembered reading that part. She, who had never once shed a tear for the hero or heroine of a story, had cried through an entire pack of tissues!’