Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 119 - 118 Marriage Certificate

Chapter 119: Chapter 118 Marriage Certificate

Meng Tianlan burst into hearty laughter, but mid-laugh, his vision went black and he collapsed.

Yu Li: "Third Uncle!"

Glancing at the loudly snoring Meng Tianlan, Meng Qianqian sighed, hoisted him onto her back, and turned to Lu Yuan. "My Third Uncle was offensive; Little Nine will take him home first and come by tomorrow to apologize to the Grand Commander in person."

She then said to Yu Li, "Cousin, let’s head back. I’ll take you to see the Imperial College another day."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Yu Li didn’t know whether to be more astonished that his cousin knew this man or that her strength was remarkably great.

More importantly, did he just hear his cousin call him the "Grand Commander"?

There’s only one Grand Commander in the Capital City, right?

As Yu Li looked back at Lu Yuan again, Lu Yuan was already strolling away in the opposite direction, unhurried and unbothered.

The crowds surged around him, yet he didn’t blend into them. Instead, he stood out with an air of refined aloofness and delicate pride.

"Cousin Brother, let’s go!"

Tan’er called back to remind him.

"Coming."

Yu Li withdrew his gaze and followed her.

Even the maid belonging to his cousin was peculiar—not addressing her as "Miss" but calling her "Sister," nor addressing him as "Young Master Cousin" or Third Uncle as "Third Lord."

His trip to the Capital City was turning out to be vastly different from what he had imagined.

When Meng Qianqian carried her Third Uncle home, Uncle Meng and Seventh Great-Uncle were terrified.

Uncle Meng hurried forward to take Meng Tianlan. "What—what happened?"

"Third Uncle got drunk. I can handle it. Nanny Li, which room does he stay in?" Meng Qianqian replied.

"This one!"

Nanny Li opened the door.

She was unperturbed; the Third Lord was a notorious drunkard. After more than five years, this clearly hadn’t changed. That her young mistress was extraordinarily strong? Well, that was something she’d long gotten used to as well.

Seventh Great-Uncle stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed. "Meng Xiang, did I see that right? Is that really Third Girl?"

A large, drunken man that even he couldn’t carry easily was slung over her back like it was nothing, and she wasn’t even panting.

Uncle Meng was just as shocked. Since when did the Third Miss become so formidable?

Everyone followed into the room.

By the time they entered, Meng Qianqian had already laid Third Uncle on the bed, and Nanny Li had pulled over the quilt to cover him.

Seventh Great-Uncle poked Meng Tianlan forcefully on the forehead, fury tinged with disappointment. "You rascal! You said you were going to deal with Lu Lingxiao. So, turns out you went drinking instead!"

Tan’er countered earnestly, "Seventh Great-Uncle, you’ve misunderstood Third Uncle. Third Uncle truly went to make trouble for Lu Lingxiao!"

Seventh Great-Uncle asked in dread, "He confronted him? Did he get hurt?"

Tan’er waggled her finger and, in an exaggerated tone, declared, "Third Uncle didn’t get hurt. But Lu Lingxiao, oh, he got beaten with ninety heavy strokes!"

Seventh Great-Uncle looked skeptically at the loudly snoring, deeply intoxicated Meng Tianlan. "Does Old Third really have that kind of skill? I can’t quite believe it."

Tan’er, with all the mischief of a storyteller, exclaimed, "Third Uncle has tremendous skills! On the very first day after coming here, he became sworn brothers with the Grand Commander—you know, the one under one but above thousands—the great, treacherous minister!"

Seventh Great-Uncle and Uncle Meng, along with the others, collectively froze in bewilderment.

Meng Tianlan remained asleep until noon the next day. Hungover as he was, he felt like his head was splitting apart, his skull buzzing incessantly.

Worse still, Ban Xia and Tan’er elaborated on just how fearsome the Grand Commander was.

Only then did he learn that the man he had sworn brotherhood with was actually the Great Zhou’s number one villain. His limbs went limp, and he collapsed bonelessly from the bed to the floor, landing directly on his knees.

Tan’er continued to scare him. "The Grand Commander has unpredictable moods. When he’s happy, no matter how you offend him, he won’t get angry. But when he’s in a bad mood? Oh, he’ll settle the score with you fiercely!"

Meng Tianlan was on the verge of tears.

"Tan’er."

Meng Qianqian pushed open the door and entered.

"Hehe, Sister!" Tan’er greeted her with a sly grin.

Looking at her Third Uncle’s despairing face, Meng Qianqian deduced that he had finally realized the grave trouble he had caused.

"Third Uncle, I have something to ask you."

Meng Tianlan sniffled, tearing up and muttering hopelessly, "When a man’s life is near its end, his words are kind. Ask away."

Meng Qianqian opened her mouth but stopped. Forget it. Let him stew in it for a few days as a lesson.

Ban Xia stifled her laughter and helped Third Uncle back onto the bed.

Tan’er fetched a small stool and placed it beside the bed. "Sister! Sit!"

Meng Qianqian took a seat.

Meng Tianlan scrutinized her, choking up. "How did you become a little skinny monkey? Where’s my chubby piglet?"

Meng Qianqian decided she’d frighten him some more in the coming days—might as well scare him half to death.

As if remembering something, Meng Tianlan asked, "By the way, I just heard from Ban Xia that you fell into the water and injured your head, even forgetting Uncle Meng and Yu Li. Do you still remember Third Uncle?"

Meng Qianqian thought for a moment. "I do recall one thing about Third Uncle."

Meng Tianlan’s eyes lit up. "What is it?"

Meng Qianqian replied calmly, "When I was little, Third Uncle sold me for wine money."

Meng Tianlan choked.

He cleared his throat vigorously. "How could that count as ’selling’? A great monk said you had extraordinary potential and wanted to take you as a disciple. Third Uncle was finding you a good master! Besides, you didn’t actually end up leaving, did you?"

Meng Qianqian retorted, "To become a monk’s disciple and a little nun?"

Meng Tianlan: "..."

"Let’s not bring this up." Meng Tianlan quickly changed the subject. "You mentioned earlier you had something to ask me—out with it then!"

Meng Qianqian decided to stop teasing him. "Third Uncle, how in the world did you mistake Lu Lingxiao?"

Meng Tianlan replied, "After I entered the Capital City, I originally planned to visit the Lu Family. But halfway there, I got lost and overheard someone talking about Lu Lingxiao. So I asked this fellow, ’Do you know where the Lu Family is?’ He assumed I was just another commoner trying to ingratiate myself with Lu Lingxiao and said the Lu Family doors aren’t easy to enter, but if I wanted to find him, I should wait on his route home from court. He even said he could guide me for a price."

"The rest... you can probably guess."

That person then pointed to Lu Yuan’s carriage, claiming Lu Lingxiao was inside.

Meng Qianqian stared at him. "And you believed him?"

Meng Tianlan hesitated. "I wasn’t that dumb. I asked, ’What if it’s the wrong person?’ So he boldly ran forward, knelt before the carriage, and shouted, ’Master Lu, I have a grievance! Please, stand up for me!’ A guard dragged him away, telling him to go to the Government Office to lodge his complaint. The figure inside was indeed surnamed Lu. I just didn’t expect it to be the wrong Lu... Qianqian, was I set up? Who the hell is so despicable?"

Tan’er snorted. "It must be that lowly Lin from the Lu Family!"

"Who’s this Lin?" Meng Tianlan asked.

"A petty little scoundrel!" Tan’er replied, hands on her hips.

Meng Qianqian said coldly, "First, they wrote letters to summon the Meng Family to the Capital, then stationed people to spy on us. They waited for the right moment to prompt the Meng Family into offending Lu Yuan. That way, I would lose my greatest ally in the Capital and have no choice but to flee back to You State with my family in tow."

Ban Xia suddenly realized. "So that’s what happened. How despicable! Thank goodness Third Uncle didn’t manage to offend the Grand Commander... otherwise..."

Meng Tianlan’s eyes flickered.

Meng Qianqian, ever perceptive, noticed his shift and asked, "Third Uncle, you didn’t actually harm Lu Yuan, did you?"

Meng Tianlan, looking guilty, muttered, "I just, uh, dislocated... my sworn brother’s, uh... cough, the Grand Commander’s arm... is all."

Meng Qianqian gasped audibly.

Tinglan Garden.

Lu Yuan hadn’t gone to court today and had been sitting in his study all day reviewing memorials.

A maid suddenly announced, "Grand Commander, Miss Meng has arrived."

Lu Yuan gave an indifferent hum.

Meng Qianqian entered, and the maid tactfully withdrew.

"Greetings to the Grand Commander." Meng Qianqian saluted him politely.

Lu Yuan didn’t even lift his eyelids, continuing to use his left hand to leaf through a document.

Noticing his stiff right arm, Meng Qianqian asked with genuine concern, "Grand Commander, hasn’t your injury been treated?"

Lu Yuan replied nonchalantly, "Physician Zhang is out of town. As for other doctors, I don’t trust them."

Pausing briefly, Meng Qianqian took a step forward. "Grand Commander, forgive my boldness."

Without hesitation, she grabbed Lu Yuan’s arm and, with a quick motion, re-set the dislocated joint.

Glancing at the book still in his hand, she instinctively asked, "Grand Commander, what are you reading?"

Lu Yuan said blandly, "A marriage contract. Your Third Uncle wrote it. He... betrothed you to me."

Meng Qianqian’s temple throbbed violently. Her unreliable Third Uncle—how could he have written a marriage contract with Lu Yuan?!

Clasping her hands, she bowed deeply. "My Third Uncle behaved thoughtlessly while intoxicated. I humbly ask the Grand Commander for forgiveness."

Lu Yuan stared at her coldly. "You’re unwilling to marry me?"

Meng Qianqian steeled herself. "Little Nine... is willing, but Little Nine is unworthy of the Grand Commander."

Lu Yuan snorted lightly. "Of course you’re unworthy."

Meng Qianqian sighed in relief.

Closing the marriage contract, Lu Yuan remarked, "But I’ve given it some thought. I do need someone to handle the Miaojiang situation. Rather than involve others, it’s only fitting that you repay your Third Uncle’s debt."

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