Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 344: Your Person?

Returning to the Ministry of Justice was familiar territory for Song Lianhe.

Zhou Cangyan had been summoned early in the morning. The Ministry of Justice, however, was surprisingly considerate; they waited until she had woken up before sending Da Xi to fetch her. Soon, she too arrived, accompanied by Xuan Mei and Ah Jun.

"Greetings, Princess Qing."

Jing Ye was as prim and proper as ever. As he bowed to her with clasped hands, the tips of his ears turned a visible shade of red.

Song Lianhe let out a soft laugh. ’Jing Ye is still such a bashful boy, blushing whenever he talks to a woman.’

This only made her want to tease him more. She suddenly bent down, leaning in close. "You must be Junior Minister Jing."

Jing Ye jumped in surprise and stammered, "Th-th-that is this humble official."

’Still the same as ever!’

Song Lianhe pressed her lips together to suppress a smile and took another step forward. "I always thought the Ministry of Justice was filled with stuffy old scholars, all so terribly old-fashioned. I never imagined I’d find a little cutie like you... Hey! H-hey! Who’s grabbing my collar!"

Someone had unceremoniously yanked her up by the collar, lifting her feet off the ground. The fabric tightened around her neck, making it hard to breathe.

The next moment, she was tossed behind a broad, black cloak.

"You cause trouble wherever you go."

A man’s cold voice cut through the air.

As if he’d just seen his savior, Jing Ye let out a sigh of relief and raised a sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"This humble official greets Your Highness, Prince Qing!"

Zhou Cangyan shot Jing Ye a sideways glance. ’He’s just a boy, but a rather handsome one at that, with delicate features, white teeth, and red lips.’

He coldly averted his gaze and stared straight ahead. "During the questioning later, just tell the truth." After he spoke, he glanced at Jing Ye again.

It was as if Jing Ye suddenly understood something, for he immediately took a step back. His subsequent glances toward Song Lianhe were ones of a man trying to avoid the plague.

Song Lianhe rolled her neck from side to side—she’d nearly been choked unconscious. "How was I causing trouble..." she muttered.

Just then, Ah Jun got out of the carriage and walked in, supported by Xuan Mei.

Xuan Mei stated succinctly, "The witness."

Worried about his injuries, Song Lianhe moved to support him. "Let me..."

"Get inside already," Zhou Cangyan cut in suddenly.

Jing Ye was quick on the uptake this time. He immediately ordered someone to help Ah Jun inside and said respectfully, "Princess Consort, you needn’t worry. You can leave him to me."

"Then I’ll be troubling you."

Ah Jun still seemed a bit timid around strangers, so Song Lianhe, feeling uneasy, quickly followed them.

Seeing the concern in her eyes, Zhou Cangyan scoffed. "He’s a big boy. It’s not like he’s going to get lost, is he?"

"He’s injured," Song Lianhe replied without turning her head.

A Shadow Guard popped up out of nowhere next to Xuan Mei. "It’s quite a scene in there!"

Xuan Mei had no interest in spectacles. He shot the guard a look that seemed to say, ’You really have too much time on your hands,’ and stepped straight over the threshold.

"..."

Sigh. The Shadow Guard suddenly missed his good friend, Chun Hua.

Jing Ye led Song Lianhe and Ah Jun to a hall, while Zhou Cangyan was escorted to see Zhen Yongming, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

After ordering tea to be served, Jing Ye said, "Princess Qing, please wait here a moment."

"Go on, tend to your duties."

After Jing Ye left, Song Lianhe immediately began to reassure Ah Jun. "If you have any grievances, just speak up. The Ministry of Justice is a place of law. Don’t be afraid. I’m right here with you."

Ah Jun looked at her and shook his head. "I’m not afraid, but... will I cause trouble for you, Big Sister?"

Song Lianhe smiled. "If I were afraid of trouble, I wouldn’t have ’picked you up’ in the first place."

Ah Jun looked up, his bright, clear eyes fixed on her without blinking.

Suddenly, he said, "Big Sister, I’ll do my best to grow up fast."

Beaming, Song Lianhe raised a hand to pat his head. "That’s right. Our Ah Jun has to grow up big and strong."

Ah Jun blushed and hastily lowered his gaze, murmuring a soft "mhm."

Footsteps sounded at the door.

When Zhou Junlin entered, this was the scene that greeted him.

He raised an eyebrow, a meaningful smile gracing his handsome, elegant features.

Song Lianhe froze when she saw who it was.

"What are you doing here?"

"Didn’t my Imperial Uncle tell you? The matter of Minister Zhuang’s family disrespecting him has alarmed the Holy Emperor. His Majesty has personally appointed me to preside over this case."

Song Lianhe let out a scornful laugh. "Having Prince Ling preside over this case? You might as well just send them home. Why bother with the charade?"

Gu Ha, who stood behind Zhou Junlin, immediately snapped, "Insolence!"

Though Ah Jun knew the man before them was a prince, he still stepped in front of Song Lianhe without a moment’s hesitation.

Song Lianhe was deeply touched. ’No matter what, my Ah Jun will always be on my side.’

She lifted her gaze, her expression turning cold. "Are Prince Ling’s men so ill-mannered? I am Princess Qing, a title bestowed by the Holy Emperor himself. To dare disrespect me is to disrespect the Holy Emperor!"

Gu Ha faltered, lowering his head in frustration.

’How could I have forgotten that!’

"Gu Ha," Zhou Junlin said slowly. "Go outside and receive twenty strokes of the heavy plank."

"Yes!"

Gu Ha didn’t argue.

But Song Lianhe quickly stopped him. "Wait a minute!"

’Even though Gu Ha always picks on me, he’s a loyal man,’ she thought. ’Besides, he gave me a steamed bun when everyone else was ignoring me!’

Zhou Junlin cast a sidelong glance at her. "What is it? Does Princess Qing think twenty strokes are too few?"

’Hearing the title "Princess Qing" from him sounds so unnatural!’

Song Lianhe cleared her throat and said haughtily, "It would be inauspicious to shed blood today. We’ll let it slide this time."

"That won’t do. The Ling Prince Mansion has its rules."

"Come on, can’t you be a little more flexible! Aside from his sharp tongue and being a bit dense, Gu Ha is actually a decent person. Why punish him with twenty strokes over something so trivial!"

Gu Ha: "..."

’Fine,’ he thought. ’At this point, I’d rather take the twenty strokes.’

Zhou Junlin simply said, "Oh?" His gaze as he looked at her was unreadable.

"Since Princess Qing has pleaded on your behalf, the punishment is waived. But remember this: if you ever dare to disrespect Princess Qing again, I will not be so lenient."

Gu Ha dropped to one knee. "Yes, Your Highness!"

"Now, thank Princess Qing."

Ever obedient to Zhou Junlin, Gu Ha immediately bowed deeply to Song Lianhe. "Thank you, Princess Qing!"

Song Lianhe gave Zhou Junlin a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Well then, shall we discuss Minister Zhuang’s crime of gross disrespect?"

But Zhou Junlin turned his gaze to Ah Jun instead. "Is he the one who escaped from the Minister’s Mansion?"

Song Lianhe raised an eyebrow and let out a soft chuckle. "That’s right."

"So, Princess Qing, your purpose here is to get justice for him?"

"Among other things."

Zhou Junlin nodded, then looked up at Ah Jun. "Are you willing to come and serve me?"

Ah Jun froze, clearly taken by surprise.

"Oh my. Instead of asking about the case, Prince Ling goes straight to poaching the witness. You really know how to get to the root of a problem."

Song Lianhe let out a laugh. She slowly walked up to Zhou Junlin, blinked her beautiful eyes at him, and rose onto her tiptoes. Leaning close to his ear, she said with a grin, enunciating each word, "He’s my person. Don’t. Even. Think. About it."

Her whispery voice, carrying the faint scent of herbs, lingered by his ear.

Zhou Junlin looked down and chuckled. "Your person?"