Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 110 - 109 What Kind of Person is Lady Chu

Chapter 110: Chapter 109 What Kind of Person is Lady Chu

The elderly madam looked at the empty courtyard. "Huh? Where is everyone?"

The someone who had been smashed into the wall: "..."

The elderly madam thought she had misheard and dejectedly closed the door again.

A man dressed in black, with white hair, painstakingly pried himself out of the wall. His knees hit the ground, and his face was ashen.

"Wasn’t... the compass... already fixed...? Why is it still... so... unlucky...?"

Bang!

The compass broke again.

The man in black with white hair: "...!!"

As the top Commander Guard among the Twelve Guards, his head could be severed, his blood could flow, but his image must not be tarnished.

The man in black and white hair, with a face battered and bruised, planned to climb over the wall and return to his side to regroup and fight another day. However, midway through his climb, he got stuck.

"Huh? Isn’t that... Chicken Young Master?"

Nanny Wan, who had just split some firewood, looked up to see someone sprawled on her family’s wall, tail-end up... ahem. She was wondering who dared to climb into her courtyard when she got closer and felt their robes looked a bit familiar.

"Why are you climbing the wall?"

"Sightseeing."

"Oh."

Nanny Wan didn’t think too much about it. After all, he couldn’t even carry a bag of rice—what evil schemes could he possibly be plotting? Even if he plotted something, he’d lack the strength to execute it.

The man in black and white hair said, "Lend me a hand."

"Alrighty!"

Nanny Wan put down her hatchet, rolled up her sleeves, extended her arms—and with the strength to rip rivers and mountains apart—yanked him downward!

Crash!

The man in black with white hair felt his hairs stand on end!

"I meant... push me... over..."

I didn’t mean pull me back down!

I had already climbed halfway up!

Also, I’m practically grinding this iron rod into a needle already!!!

...

By the time Meng Qianqian got home, the man dressed in black with white hair had already clamped his legs together, supported himself on the wall, and wobbly made his way back next door.

"The young master from next door came by earlier to admire the view for a bit," Nanny Wan said.

After a moment’s thought, Meng Qianqian responded, "Everyone living in this alley is pitiful. Let him look if he wants."

Nanny Wan nodded. "Eh."

"Qianqian!"

The elderly madam burst through the door. This time, she finally saw her and was as happy as a child.

Meng Qianqian curved her lips into a smile. "Great-grandmother."

The two entered the room and sat down at the table.

Looking at the untouched dishes on the table, Meng Qianqian knew at a glance that the elderly madam wasn’t eating properly again.

The elderly madam pouted and said, "Qianqian, without you at home, I feel so lonely. The stories Xi Que tells are no good at all!"

Xi Que laughed awkwardly.

Meng Qianqian said with a smile, "I’ve just finished reading a new book over the past two days. It’s about a Fierce Ghost and a Flower Demon. Eat your meal first, and I’ll tell it to you after you’re done."

The elderly madam’s eyes immediately lit up. She grabbed the bowl and chopsticks and began eating at full speed!

"...Miss Liu willingly became a demon for the scholar, but their happiness was short-lived. The scholar suddenly disappeared. While searching for him, Miss Liu replaced him and took imperial exams in his stead, hoping one day he would return to find her. As for whether the scholar was killed by someone or betrayed her, it remains unknown."

The elderly madam fell asleep.

Tan’er sat perched on a small stool, listening intently.

With her fists propping up her cheeks, Tan’er asked earnestly, "And then?"

Meng Qianqian said, "Later, Miss Liu ran out of mana and transformed into a cluster of flowers, never to appear again."

Tan’er asked, "And the scholar?"

Meng Qianqian spread her hands. "Dead. The flowers grew so beautifully because he was buried beneath them."

Tan’er excitedly clenched her fists. "So tragic, so tragic! But, what about the Fierce Ghost?"

Meng Qianqian smiled. "The Fierce Ghost comes next. When the scholar becomes a ghost, I’ll tell you tomorrow."

Tan’er pouted, tugging on Meng Qianqian’s arm and shaking it. "Nooo, I want to hear it now!"

Meng Qianqian thought to herself, I haven’t even come up with the next part yet. Even if you want to hear it, I have no choice.

At dawn the next morning, Meng Qianqian had already practiced martial arts for an hour. Just as she was about to rest, Zhang Feihu came to visit.

"General Zhang?"

Meng Qianqian personally opened the door, appearing quite surprised.

Zhang Feihu said, "I was just passing by and thought I’d stop by since you live nearby. Still waking up this early even when you’re no longer in the barracks?"

Meng Qianqian smiled. "It’s a habit."

Zhang Feihu asked curiously, "How long have you been here to already pick up such a habit?"

Meng Qianqian merely smiled, skipping over the question, and invited Zhang Feihu in. "Come inside."

Zhang Feihu waved it off. "No need, just here to talk for a bit."

As a man, entering a home full of women felt a bit inappropriate. This wasn’t the barracks anymore. Even leaving the maids aside, Little Nine was still a young lady.

The Capital City wasn’t the border. There were more rules, more gossip.

Zhang Feihu was a blunt man, not versed in the ways of aristocratic families, but he at least understood not to cause trouble for Little Nine.

Meng Qianqian appreciated Zhang Feihu’s thoughtfulness and discretion. Those men who claimed to lack tact simply because they were "real men" were just making excuses.

When someone truly cared, they’d be considerate in all things.

Meng Qianqian smiled at him and sat down on the steps of the veranda. "Let’s talk here."

Zhang Feihu sat beside her.

"The Beiliang Envoys are almost here. Once they escort the Seventh Prince, my brothers and I will leave for the border with the envoys."

The border commanders were accompanying the Beiliang Envoys as a gesture of respect but also to ensure no trouble arose along the way. They needed to safely "send" them past Yumen Pass.

"All of you?"

Meng Qianqian asked.

Zhang Feihu replied, "Han Ci will stay. He’s from the Capital City and will join the Imperial Guard later."

The depth of bonds between people often had nothing to do with the length of time they’d known each other. Some remained strangers after five years, while others became like family within days.

Thinking about the soldiers she had fought alongside on the battlefield, Meng Qianqian fell into a silence.

"Why the gloomy face?" Zhang Feihu teased, reaching out as though to ruffle her hair, just as he’d done in the barracks. But realizing she wasn’t wearing her helmet now, he withdrew his hand.

He laughed. "Don’t go thinking about reunions. Not meeting again is for the best—means the nation is peaceful. If we do meet, it’ll only be because there’s another war."

Meng Qianqian felt a strong sense of reluctance, a reluctance that weighed heavily on her.

She never realized that, without her knowing it, she had forged so many ties in this life.

Zhang Feihu glanced at her. "Alright now, it’s not like we’re leaving just yet."

He was only worried that, when the time came, things would be too hectic for him to bid her a proper farewell.

Zhao Qingyun had thoroughly dug into everything about her, and after hearing it all, his brothers fell silent.

No one had expected her to endure so much hardship with the Lu Family. That scoundrel Lu Lingxiao—before leaving the Capital City, they’d have to teach him a proper lesson!

"What are your plans for the future?" Zhang Feihu asked.

Meng Qianqian replied, "I’ll stay in the Capital City to fulfill Yin Hu’s last wish."

"What last wish?"

He shouldn’t have pried into matters concerning the Twelve Guards, but when it came to Little Nine, he couldn’t help feeling concerned.

Yin Hu actually hadn’t left her any last wish. But without this reason, it’d be hard to explain otherwise.

With a calm expression, Meng Qianqian said, "He asked me to complete one thing. What it is exactly, he said I’d know when the other Ten Guards find me."

"I see." Zhang Feihu, seeing even she didn’t know, decided not to press further. But with the Ten Guards around, they probably wouldn’t let her face danger alone.

"You know," Zhang Feihu began, "in my whole life, I’ve only admired two women. One of them is you. The other is the former Lady Chu."

Meng Qianqian paused. "What kind of person was Lady Chu?"

Zhang Feihu spoke with deep respect. "A very mysterious woman. No one knows her origins. Some say she was tied to a certain sect; others claim the sect was investigating her origins, too. No one ever saw her true face, as she always wore a veil. She entered and exited the barracks, saving countless lives.

"They say she killed the Chu Grand Marshal and burned the entire Chu Family to the ground. We brothers don’t believe it. But what does it matter? The court already long sealed the case."