Double Rebirth: The Scumbag Heroine is Terrified of the Yandere Prince! - Chapter 36

She hadn’t expected Zi Yan to move so quickly!

Shen Ruoli was somewhat surprised and exchanged a look with Shen Rufeng. Originally, she had thought that Zi Yan would need more time to adapt to the identity of “Qing Ying”—that she would have to learn every detail of Qing Ying’s life from scratch before she could successfully deceive Xie Xuansong.

Unexpectedly, almost as soon as they had returned to the capital, Zi Yan had sent the real Qing Ying back! Since Zi Yan dared to send her back so directly, it meant she had already completely secured Xie Xuansong’s trust and convinced him that she was the real Qing Ying.

“See? What did I tell you?” Seeing Ruoli’s astonishment, Shen Rufeng gave a warm, knowing smile. “Leave the rest of the matter to Zi Yan.”

“Brother, you’ve truly done me a great favor!” Shen Ruoli stood up quickly. She lowered her voice and asked, “Where is Qing Ying now? And where is the Crown Prince?”

“His Highness is still in the Imperial Study. The messenger who brought Qing Ying back just sent word; he didn’t dare bring her into the palace without the Crown Princess’s orders, so he has placed her temporarily in a residence outside the palace walls,” Yun Yue answered.

“Mhm.” Shen Ruoli pondered for a moment. “The Crown Prince is already aware of this matter, so there is no need to be secretive about it. Go and report it to him, then bring her back with Feng Qing.”

By involving Xie Xuanjin’s people in the process, that suspicious man wouldn’t think she had some other ulterior motive, would he?

“Yes, Crown Princess,” Yun Yue obeyed and left.

As Shen Ruoli turned around, she saw Shen Rufeng looking at her with a face full of pride and relief. “I’ve realized that Lier has truly grown up,” he remarked emotionally.

“I used to be far too immature,” Shen Ruoli sighed. Looking at the brother standing before her, her eyes reddened.

In her previous life, Xie Xuansong had pulled up the Shen family by the roots, killing every last member—he hadn’t even spared her two-year-old nephew. Now, everything could still be made right! She would protect her brother; she would protect the entire Shen family!

“Brother, don’t worry. The immature Shen Ruoli of the past is dead! Now that I am the Crown Princess, I understand exactly how heavy the burden on my shoulders is.” She fought back her tears. “I will think thrice before I act. I will not bring trouble upon the Shen family.”

“What do you mean ‘bring trouble’?” Shen Rufeng did not like those words. Seeing the shimmer of tears in her eyes, he sighed with heartache. “It seems Xie Xuansong hurt you deeply. Don’t worry, Brother will definitely vent this grievance for you! In the morning court today, I already filed a formal complaint against him.”

Shen Rufeng continued in a heavy tone, “A few months ago, the Minister of Revenue fell ill, and the Ministry was temporarily placed under the Prince of Chu’s charge. With the end of the year approaching, the Ministry is busy collecting taxes and auditing the annual accounts. Yet he is nowhere to be found and left no word for anyone. His dereliction of duty has stalled the entire Ministry! If the Emperor blames us, who will take the fall?”

Shen Rufeng was the Vice Minister of Revenue. When the Minister took leave, Xie Xuanjin had suggested that Shen Rufeng take temporary charge of all Ministry affairs. Who knew that Xie Xuansong would suddenly appear as the “spoiler”? He led the opposition, claiming Shen Rufeng was too young and the Ministry too vital to be handed to a green boy.

Thus, after some deliberation, Emperor Xie Yuanhe allowed Xie Xuansong to take charge with Shen Rufeng assisting. But Xie Xuansong, banking on his status as the Prince of Chu, ordered that everything in the Ministry must follow his command. Nothing could be decided without his nod. It was a blatant move to strip Shen Rufeng of his power.

Shen Rufeng’s move against Xie Xuansong wasn’t just for Ruoli; it was also to vent his own frustrations!

“Brother, brilliant work!” Shen Ruoli’s eyes lit up. “The year-end audit is the Ministry’s top priority. Xie Xuansong was kept in Fuzhou by the Crown Prince and was too ashamed to let anyone know, so he simply decided to ‘vanish.'”

Although she didn’t know how Xie Xuanjin had explained things to the Emperor on the night he returned, the Emperor hadn’t blamed him, nor had he explained to the public that the Prince of Chu was staying in Fuzhou to help the Prince of Zhenbei with bandits. Xie Xuansong’s faction also felt disgraced, so they claimed to know nothing and kept his whereabouts a secret. Now, in the imperial court, Xie Xuansong had effectively “evaporated.” His power was crumbling bit by bit!

“But he is a Prince, after all. It won’t be easy for you to oppose him openly. Have you discussed this with Father?”

“Father disagreed at first. But after hearing that because of the Prince of Chu, the Crown Prince hasn’t been close to you… Father gave his consent.”

“Father doesn’t blame me anymore?” The smile on Shen Ruoli’s face dimmed.

Because of Xie Xuansong, she had shamed the Shen family. In her previous life, had it not been for her foolishness, would the Shen family have been destroyed at her hands? Since her rebirth, she had wanted to return home to apologize to her parents. But she feared Xie Xuanjin would be suspicious, and she also feared her parents wouldn’t forgive her.

“Blame you? Father and Mother are too busy worrying about you! That day, when word reached us that you were hung from the city tower by the Crown Prince, Father was so frantic he didn’t even put on his shoes before rushing out to save you! Mother immediately sent a petition to enter the palace.” Shen Rufeng said helplessly, “They are only frustrated that you failed to live up to expectations! How could they blame you?”

“I’ve made you all worry.” Shen Ruoli lowered her head and sniffled. “But this is all Xie Xuansong’s fault! If it weren’t for him, the Crown Prince and I wouldn’t be like this! Brother, Xie Xuansong isn’t easy to deal with. He doesn’t dare do anything to the Crown Prince yet, but that doesn’t mean he won’t move against the Shen family!”

Fearing her brother would clash head-on with him to avenge her, she added, “I already took a heavy revenge on him that day. For what comes next, I will consult with the Crown Prince while keeping you informed. Brother, you must not act on impulse!”

Seeing her so concerned for the family, Shen Rufeng was even more gratified. “Don’t worry, we understand! As for you, since the Crown Prince isn’t close to you, you must take good care of yourself! The Grand Empress Dowager dotes on you, but the harem is now under the Queen’s control. The Emperor is not the Grand Empress Dowager’s biological son; if trouble persists, it will inevitably lead to friction. You… must also think of the Grand Empress Dowager.”

Just as he finished speaking, Feng Qing and Yun Yue brought Qing Ying in and threw her at Ruoli’s feet. Feng Qing released her mute point, and she immediately began screaming at the top of her lungs.

“Shen Ruoli! So it was you behind everything! You slut! Aren’t you afraid that the Prince will never forgive you once he knows the truth?!”

“Do you really think that by putting a body double by the Prince’s side, he won’t notice anything? Since things have come to this, I might as well tell you! You, Shen Ruoli! You are nothing but my body double! It’s only because you look a bit like me that the Prince gave you a second look! You pathetic woman!”

At these words, Shen Ruoli’s gaze darkened. “What did you say?”

She and Qing Ying clearly didn’t look alike at all! But at death’s door, Qing Ying had no reason to lie. Meeting the woman’s provocative gaze, Shen Ruoli suddenly realized something!

She stepped forward quickly and felt around Qing Ying’s ears. Sure enough, she found a seam! With a forceful tug, the human skin mask on Qing Ying’s face was ripped away!

Looking at the face underneath, a face that truly did bear a striking resemblance to her own—Shen Ruoli felt as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning.