Double Rebirth: The Scumbag Heroine is Terrified of the Yandere Prince! - Chapter 39

Qing Ying was taken back to the Chu Estate by Song Xuerou.

Seeing the complex look in Shen Ruoli’s eyes, Yun Yue assumed her mood had been soured by Xuerou’s appearance. She stepped forward to comfort her. “Crown Princess, you and the Consort of Chu are now worlds apart—one in the heavens and one in the abyss. You needn’t spoil your mood for her.”

“Just as you said, the Prince of Chu is scum! And this Consort of Chu is no better!” Yun Yue clenched her fists. “Back then, if she hadn’t clung to you so shamelessly, how could a mere concubine-born daughter of the Prime Minister’s Estate be fit to stay by your side? How else would she have ever met the Prince of Chu?”

As she spoke, Yun Yue’s grip tightened even further.

“That Consort of Chu is clearly a wolf in sheep’s clothing! She knew perfectly well you had feelings for the Prince, yet she intentionally approached him and eventually snatched him away. Then she had the nerve to act all pitiful to garner sympathy everywhere!”

Having served Ruoli for over a decade, Yun Yue knew exactly how Song Xuerou had used Shen Ruoli to gain a foothold in the Prime Minister’s Estate and eventually climb her way to the position of Consort of Chu. Thus, seeing Xuerou earlier had made Yun Yue want to knock her down with a single punch.

“Miss, they are a match made in heaven—a scumbag man and a treacherous woman. They aren’t worth your sorrow!”

“Sorrow?” Shen Ruoli laughed. “Where do you see sorrow on me? I was merely wondering if Qing Ying will survive in Xuerou’s hands.”

As Yun Yue said, Song Xuerou was no simple woman. She was merely a concubine-born daughter with two legitimate older sisters suppressing her; she should never have had a day of glory in the Prime Minister’s Estate.

Shen Ruoli first met her when they were only a few years old, during her grandfather’s seventieth birthday. Grand Empress Dowager Shen was her grandfather’s youngest sister, separated by over a decade in age. Her grandfather had always doted on her, even raising her like a daughter at one point, so the siblings shared a deep bond.

On that day, the Grand Empress Dowager and the Emperor and Queen all graced the Duke’s Estate. Nearly every noble and prominent family in the capital turned out to celebrate her grandfather’s longevity. As the legitimate young miss of the Duke’s Estate and the apple of the Grand Empress Dowager’s eye, Shen Ruoli was the center of attention. No matter where she went, she was flanked by princes and princesses, followed by the sons and daughters of great families.

A concubine-born daughter like Song Xuerou was someone Shen Ruoli wouldn’t have spared a second glance. Yet, on that day, Xuerou saw her chance and “allowed” her eldest legitimate sister to push her into the water right in front of Shen Ruoli.

Ruoli hadn’t wanted to meddle, but because it was her grandfather’s birthday, she felt compelled to order someone to rescue Xuerou and comfort her. She even had the troublemaking Eldest Miss Song sent back to the Prime Minister’s Estate. From that day on, the Eldest Miss Song was ostracized by the noble circles of the capital—everyone knew she had offended the Second Miss Shen. She never stepped foot out of the Prime Minister’s Estate again.

Xuerou, on the other hand, had come to Ruoli after changing her clothes, kneeling piteously to offer her thanks. Later, she frequently used excuses like gifting pouches or handkerchiefs to get close to Ruoli. Innocent as she was back then, Ruoli felt sorry for the girl and allowed her to stay by her side.

Over the next ten years, Xuerou’s status in the Prime Minister’s Estate leapt over her two legitimate sisters. Now that she was the Consort of Chu, she was naturally the pillar of the Song family.

“Yun Yue, back then I thought I was saving a poor little thing. I didn’t realize I was rescuing a poisonous, heartless scorpion.” Shen Ruoli pulled herself from her thoughts. “Do you know that when a scorpion stings, it prefers to do so in dark, damp places, hidden from sight?”

In her previous life, she had met such a tragic end while Song Xuerou remained beautifully hidden. In this life, she would personally tear away that woman’s mask.

“I understand,” Yun Yue nodded. “From now on, we must be exceptionally careful of the Consort of Chu!”

Shen Ruoli acknowledged this and instructed Yun Yue to keep a close watch on the Chu Estate. “Don’t let her actually kill her. After all, Qing Ying is still of some use to me.”

Yun Yue had just left when Xie Xuanjin returned.

At that moment, Shen Ruoli had just lain down to read when a tall shadow blocked her light. She looked up, startled. “Your Highness, why do you walk without making a sound? Are you a cat in disguise?”

“Why are you so surprised to see me? Have you done something shameful that you fear I might discover?” Xie Xuanjin countered.

He snatched the book from her hands. Glancing at the cover, he placed it back on the table with total lack of interest. “I thought you had no interest in military strategy. Are you planning to learn this to use against me?”

Looking at the closed copy of The Thirty-Six Stratagems on the table, Shen Ruoli choked—Xie Xuanjin had actually guessed correctly! She was planning to learn it to deal with him! Or rather, to save her own life.

“Why is Your Highness back so early? It’s not even dark yet. Are you slacking off?” She sat up. “This book is too profound; I don’t understand it. Why don’t you explain it to me?”

Shen Ruoli offered a small bow, her face looking sincere and studious.

“Oh? You are so clever; is there actually something you don’t understand?” Xie Xuanjin sat down, uncharacteristically patient.

Shen Ruoli immediately flipped the book open to the page she had just been reading. “Look, Your Highness. It speaks here of the ‘Beauty Trap’: ‘When the enemy is strong, attack their general. When the general is wise, target his emotions. When the general is weakened and the troops demoralized, their strength will wither. Use this to defend against the foe and ensure one’s own safety.'”

She held the book up to his eyes. “This ‘Beauty Trap’ is only the thirty-first of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, yet it sits at the head of the stratagems for a losing battle! Your Highness, why is that? And what exactly is a ‘Beauty Trap’?”

Xie Xuanjin: “…”

Was this woman truly ignorant, or was she feigning it?

He wanted to tell her that in his previous life, he had fallen for her precisely because he had lost his heart to her “Beauty Trap,” leading to his miserable end. If Shen Ruoli didn’t understand what a beauty trap was, then no one in the world did! And yet here she was, looking at him with an innocent face, asking for a lesson. It was utterly ridiculous.

“Do you truly not understand, or are you pretending?” Xie Xuanjin’s gaze began to turn dangerous.

Shen Ruoli blinked innocently, her eyes bright and clear. “Your Highness, I am sincerely seeking knowledge!”

As she said this, her hands grew restless again, sliding up to encircle Xie Xuanjin’s neck. “Your Highness is well-read and brilliantly wise! Please, enlighten me!”

Without a hint of shame, she sat herself directly in his lap. Her collar was slightly loosened, revealing glimpses of her fair neck and her pale green silk chemise…

Xie Xuanjin’s eyes darkened, and his voice turned husky. “Shen Ruoli! You are becoming bolder and bolder!”

He grabbed her restless hands, clutching them tightly in his palm. His voice was cold and sharp. “Which hand did he hold? I’ll chop it off right now!”