Chapter 324: Chapter 324: Fortunately, the Lord is Wise and Was Not Bewitched

Song Lianhe returned to her room, carrying a large armful of medicinal herbs.

She’d had a fruitful evening. She found some flowerpots and repotted the herbs with intact root systems. She figured she would go back to the garden first thing in the morning, mark off the area with the remaining herbs, and ask Mrs. E to look after them for her.

Keeping herself busy like this helped the frustrations she’d felt because of Zhou Cangyan fade considerably.

She couldn’t help but sigh. ’Song Lianhe, oh Song Lianhe, you’ve even mastered the art of cheering yourself up. You really are easy to please!’

Meanwhile, when Zhou Junlin returned to their room, Song Xilan was already fast asleep.

He stood before the bed for a long moment before turning and heading to the study.

Gu Ha followed him. “Prince, it’s so late. Are you still going to work on official matters? We’re setting off tomorrow. You should get some rest.”

Zhou Junlin said nothing and pushed open the study door.

—

Song Lianhe was so pleased with her work that she stayed up half the night, only falling asleep near dawn.

When Gu Ha’s pounding on her door woke her up in the morning, she glared at him, dark circles under her eyes and a murderous look on her face. “What?”

Gu Ha snapped, “We’re leaving!”

Leaving?

’Oh, right. We’re returning to Ling’an City today.’

She yawned, her mood finally improving slightly. “Got it.” She turned to go back inside.

“Hurry up, don’t dawdle!”

Hearing Gu Ha’s imperious tone, Song Lianhe slowly sauntered back.

She placed one hand on the door, her supple frame leaning against it. With a sultry gaze, she purred, “What’s this? You want to watch me change again?”

“You—”

Gu Ha’s face instantly turned red.

“What about me? Was I right again?” She magnanimously stepped aside. “Don’t be shy. After you!”

“You, you, you… Ah!”

Gu Ha had never been teased by a woman like this before. He was still shaken from the last time! ’And she’s doing it again?!’

Watching him flee in a panic, Song Lianhe’s morning grumpiness finally dissipated.

’Now that’s more like it.’

’Life isn’t just about the struggles in front of you, but also the ones behind you!’

’That just proves that struggling is an unavoidable part of life’s journey.’

’Surely, Gu Ha will sooner or later come to understand my good intentions.’

’Yep, that’s it.’

Song Lianhe had an astonishing number of things to pack: countless bottles and jars, bundles of herbs she had preserved overnight, and several potted plants. In contrast, she had very few personal belongings—just a small bundle with a few changes of clothes was all.

Seeing Song Lianhe at the rear of the procession, struggling to lug her numerous packages, Song Xilan snorted to herself and called for a maid to bring refreshments into the carriage.

“The Prince has a poor appetite in the morning. Have him eat something later on the road.”

“You are so good to the Prince, Princess Consort!”

She chuckled lightly. “It doesn’t compare to how well he treats me.”

The maid beside her gushed, “The Prince and Princess Consort are truly a match made in heaven, the envy of everyone!”

“You’re such a sweet-talker.”

At the rear of the carriages, Song Lianhe was arguing with a driver. “I know the carriages are for people, but these potted plants are all rare medicinal herbs! They can’t go with the cargo. They need to be carefully looked after throughout the journey!”

“No means no! Get in if you’re getting in. If not, you and your weeds can ride the donkey cart in the back!”

“But isn’t that for hauling cargo? How about this: I’ll ride the donkey cart, and my herbs can ride in the carriage. That should work, right?”

“Get out of here!” the driver said impatiently, grabbing her and trying to drag her away.

「At a teahouse on the street corner, with a direct view of the E Mansion.」

Zhou Cangyan picked up his teacup.

The Shadow Guard and Xuan Mei stood by the window. Beside them perched a falcon.

The Shadow Guard spoke. “Those potted plants she’s protecting… are they the ones she dug up with Prince Ling last night?”

Xuan Mei grunted in affirmation.

“Hmph, no wonder she treasures them so much!” the Shadow Guard said with a hint of displeasure. “One moment she’s telling our lord she’ll marry no one but him, and the next she’s off for a late-night rendezvous with Prince Ling?”

Xuan Mei grunted again.

Zhou Cangyan took a sip of his tea.

The Shadow Guard tutted. “Nothing but lies. I almost believed her! Thankfully, our lord is wise and wasn’t bewitched!”

The hand Zhou Cangyan had wrapped around his teacup suddenly tightened.

CRACK—

The teacup had cracked.

Both the Shadow Guard and Xuan Mei had excellent hearing. They turned their heads in unison.

Zhou Cangyan nonchalantly opened his hand. With a casual flick of his wrist, the broken shards flew out. A series of soft THUDS followed as they all embedded themselves in a nearby wooden pillar. He then picked up a handkerchief and casually wiped his palm.

The Shadow Guard blinked. ’So, he probably… probably wasn’t bewitched… right?’

Just then, Xuan Mei said, “Prince Ling is coming out.”

At the main gates of the E Mansion, Zhou Junlin emerged with Gu Ha.

Seeing him, Song Xilan immediately lifted the carriage curtain. “Prince…”

Zhou Junlin gave her a faint smile and was about to walk over when he saw the driver dragging Song Lianhe.

His brow furrowed, and he strode forward instead.

Song Xilan froze. “Prince?”

SMASH—

A potted plant had shattered.

Seeing the pitiful sight of the five-split yellow gentian on the ground, Song Lianhe was about to explode with rage. Ignoring the driver who was still pulling at her, she dropped to her knees and scooped up the plant.

“Lian! Oh, Lian!”

The driver kicked at it impatiently. “What’s so special about this thing! It’s just a rotten weed!”

The kick landed squarely on her wrist.

Luckily, the snake head gold bracelet on her wrist took the brunt of the blow, letting out a sharp, metallic ring—

And that sound was like a battle horn, as two fierce gusts of wind instantly descended!

Without a second thought, Zhou Junlin lashed out, his palm striking the driver’s arm. At the same time, a thousand-pound hammer came smashing down—

E Jintang possessed immense natural strength, and the hammer he swung whistled through the air. After striking the driver, Zhou Junlin sensed the powerful force coming from behind. His brows tightened. He spun around, swinging his arm down and using the “four ounces to move a thousand pounds” technique to skillfully deflect the heavy hammer, protecting the person behind him.

Song Lianhe only felt a gust of wind rush past her face. In the next instant, a figure in white robes stood before her, and the chaos quickly subsided.

E Jintang came running over, fuming. He didn’t care who was standing there; he moved to step past the figure, intent on breaking the driver’s legs.

“How dare you bully someone in front of my E Mansion? I think you’ve got a death wish!”

The driver, whose arm was throbbing from Zhou Junlin’s strike, was already breaking out in a cold sweat. Seeing the situation, he knew he had messed with the wrong people. With a THUD, he dropped to his knees. “It’s all my fault! Spare my life, Prince!”

Zhou Junlin turned around. His gaze swept past Song Lianhe, ignoring E Jintang, and landed on the Willow Leaf Dart by her feet…

In the teahouse, Zhou Cangyan lifted his eyes, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Across from him, Chun Hua’s eyes were once again gleaming with excitement, as if asking, ’It was you, wasn’t it? You’re the one who threw the dart just now, right? It was you, it was you!’

Zhou Cangyan lowered his gaze and, with a sweep of his hand, knocked the annoying falcon off the table.

Back at the E Mansion’s gates, hearing the commotion, Song Xilan immediately signaled for her maid to help her out of the carriage.

She shot Song Lianhe a cold look before deliberately asking, “What’s happened here?”

The maid replied, “It was nothing. The driver just accidentally broke one of Doctor Song’s plants, and Doctor Song threw a fit. When the Prince found out, he intervened… Oh, and that Young Master E is also in a rush to stand up for Doctor Song.”

The maid’s name was Kong Qing. She had been close friends with Man Yue and had a remarkably similar temperament. After Man Yue was beaten to death for talking back to Zhen Niang, Kong Qing quickly rose to take her place. Now that Song Xilan had recovered over the past two days, Kong Qing had become her head maid.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep