Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 155 - 146: Newlywed Life

Chapter 155: Chapter 146: Newlywed Life

April 17th: The weather was warm and sunny.

Yesterday, the Grand Commander held a high-profile wedding, with drums and gongs resonating throughout the streets, causing quite a stir in the Capital City. But today, after the townspeople learned his bride was none other than Meng Qianqian, the entire city was in uproar.

In the teahouses, the storytellers had abandoned their tales and begun recounting the events surrounding the new lady of the Governor Mansion.

"Meng Qianqian? Is it the same Meng Qianqian I know?"

A young man dressed as a scholar asked. Although he dressed the part, it was evident he wasn’t fond of studying, having spent the entire morning idling in the teahouse.

A refined gentleman nearby commented, "Who else could it be? Are there that many people in the Capital City named Meng Qianqian?"

"Wait a moment..." The scholar hesitated, his brows furrowing in confusion. "Wasn’t she married before? And didn’t she divorce her husband?"

"It was an irrevocable divorce!" The gentleman corrected him. "A decree issued personally by the Supreme Emperor."

The scholar replied, "Still, even with an irrevocable divorce, she was once married. The Grand Commander holds such high rank; why would he marry a twice-married woman?"

Another patron joined in, "Exactly! As I recall, wasn’t the Grand Commander originally engaged to a young lady from Miaojiang?"

"Who cares about her being twice-married? Do you even have an unmarried sister or daughter in your family whom the Grand Commander would favor?"

"Hey—watch your mouth!"

"Young master, I’ve always spoken this way!"

"Who are you to her?"

"I’m her younger brother!"

The refined gentleman wasn’t just anyone; he was Han Lin, the self-proclaimed younger brother who had pledged allegiance to Yu Li as his sworn elder brother.

Han Lin had spent the entire morning in the teahouse, quarrelling with those who doubted Meng Qianqian. Though he never managed to win a physical fight, he hadn’t lost a single verbal sparring match.

The news spread like wildfire through every corner of the Capital City, and by the time it reached the Imperial Palace, it was already noon.

Lately, Consort Li had been enjoying the spring breeze of good fortune. Her son was getting married soon, and the Empress happened to be her own family’s niece.

This gave her the perfect opportunity to convince the Emperor that he was now of age and ready to begin direct governance.

Naturally, Lu Yuan wasn’t going to hand over his grip on the reins of power so easily. But, arrogance has its limits; no matter how formidable Lu Yuan was, he couldn’t defy ancestral protocols.

Eunuch Wang entered hastily, bowing as he addressed her, "Your ladyship!"

Consort Li was reclining on the Imperial Concubine’s Couch while a young palace maid applied neroli dye to her nails.

She admired the vibrant hue of the dye immensely.

"Your ladyship."

Seeing that Consort Li was immersed in the beauty of her dyed nails, Eunuch Wang called out again.

"I heard you."

Consort Li continued admiring her freshly-colored nails, "Did you not see that I’m busy?"

Eunuch Wang replied urgently, "Your ladyship, something major has occurred."

Consort Li dismissed his concerns, "So what if Lu Yuan didn’t attend morning court? He’s newlywed, indulging in the pleasures of the bridal chamber—isn’t that perfectly normal? The more he indulges in beauty, the more it benefits me and His Majesty."

Eunuch Wang, now visibly restless, exclaimed, "The Grand Commander didn’t marry the young lady from Miaojiang! There was never any such miss from Miaojiang to begin with!"

Consort Li’s brows furrowed sharply, "Then who did he marry?"

Eunuch Wang, mustering his courage, stammered, "Meng Xiaojiu."

Consort Li’s hand jerked, causing the palace maid to accidentally smear neroli dye onto her fingertip. The frightened maid dropped to her knees, begging for forgiveness.

Eunuch Wang glared hard at the palace maid, "Get out of here at once! How dare you linger and irritate Her Ladyship?"

"Y-yes! Right away!"

The maid scurried out, trembling.

Consort Li’s voice turned icy, "Are you certain?"

Eunuch Wang replied resolutely, "It’s undeniable! The ministers themselves spoke of it during court today! The pomp and grandeur of yesterday’s wedding were unprecedented—an eight-carriage procession brought the bride to the mansion. Even the carriage drivers were distinguished generals like Zhang Feihu, each renowned for their wartime achievements!"

Consort Li was livid, absolutely livid!

Lu Yuan had stolen her son’s grand wedding day, but she had assumed it was merely her mad elder sister playing tricks, so she had let it slide.

Lu Yuan... this was his revenge on her. His actual intent was to take Meng Qianqian as his consort!

What an ingenious move of deception—first creating confusion to mislead her into thinking he was marrying a Miaojiang heiress, and then marrying Meng Qianqian before the Imperial wedding, leaving her in a position where it was too late to intervene!

She could have ordered her son to decree Meng Qianqian as a consort, but how could she snatch a minister’s wife?

And to think she had even sent such expensive congratulatory gifts—

"Damn you, Lu Yuan... How dare you play me like this!"

While some were infuriated upon discovering the bride was Meng Qianqian, others were undeniably elated.

Such as Lady Wang and her associates.

Lu Yuan had sent invitations to the Wang and Zhou families, but Lady Wang, believing Lu Yuan was marrying the Miaojiang heiress, had resolutely refused to attend the celebrations, even disallowing Imperial Censor Wang from attending.

Lady Xing, Lady Zhou, and Lady Lin had each refrained from stopping their husbands but had, like Lady Wang, proudly declined the invitations themselves.

That evening, the three ladies learned the truth and deeply regretted missing out.

By first light the next day, the trio coincidentally gathered at Lady Wang’s estate to share the joyous news of Meng Qianqian’s marriage.

Lady Wang, crestfallen, sighed, "I already know. I scolded Wang Daniu all night."

Lady Xing asked, puzzled, "Why scold him?"

Lady Wang lamented, "He’s a grown man, yet he has no mind of his own. ’Husband leads, wife follows.’ I’m just a woman—why did he listen to me? If he had ignored my words and dragged me to the wedding, we wouldn’t have missed Qianqian’s grand day, would we?"

The other three: "..."

Over at the Zhou household, Zhou Nanyan also heard the news about Sister Meng’s marriage. Suddenly enlightened, she remarked, "Ah, so that’s why."

"What do you mean ’so that’s why’?"

Zhou Ye, grinning ear to ear, approached her.

Seated under the veranda, Zhou Nanyan turned around in astonishment, asking, "Second Brother? You’ve got a break?"

Zhou Ye had been studying at the Imperial College, and today wasn’t one of their scheduled holiday breaks.

Zhou Ye replied, "Imperial College granted us a three-day leave."

The unexpected break—was it to celebrate the Governor Mansion’s wedding?

Zhou Nanyan pieced it together and nodded with dawning realization.

Zhou Ye chuckled, "I’ve been observing you for a while now. Are you pondering some profound life question with that look of sudden enlightenment?"

Zhou Nanyan was too excited to contain herself. If she didn’t share her thoughts with someone soon, she might burst.

Glancing around, she lowered her voice and whispered to Zhou Ye, "Second Brother, His Majesty’s second peony bouquet was actually sent to Sister Meng’s house."

Zhou Ye was flabbergasted, "What? You’re saying His Majesty wants Meng Xiaojiu as his consort?"

Zhou Nanyan quickly clamped her hand over his mouth, "Shh! Second Brother, keep your voice down! Don’t let anyone hear! I promised Sister Meng I’d never spill the secret! Not even to Mother!"

Zhou Ye removed her hand and, mirroring her realization, nodded knowingly, "No wonder the Grand Commander rushed to wed. Once the Imperial wedding is over, formal consort appointments will commence. If an imperial decree comes, Meng Xiaojiu refusing to enter the palace would count as defying the Emperor."

In truth, Zhou Ye wished his sister could meet a man willing to defy imperial decrees and steal her away, relieving her of the fate of entering the palace.

But men like that were rare in this world.

Previously, he had harbored deep misgivings about the Grand Commander. Now, after this incident, he saw Lu Yuan in a new and favorable light. Lu Yuan was indeed an extraordinary man.

Governor Mansion.

Lu Yuan’s parents weren’t at the estate, so the bride wasn’t obligated to present tea to the elders today.

Unexpectedly, the Grand Duchess summoned Lu Yuan as soon as she woke up, "Where’s my great-grandson-in-law? Quickly, bring him to serve me tea!"

The servants looked aghast at the Grand Duchess. Ordering the Grand Commander to serve tea—was she courting death?

Yet, to everyone’s astonishment, Lu Yuan actually showed up.

Meng Qianqian was in the courtyard helping Bao Shu practice walking, and she was surprised to see him. "Grand Commander, why are you here?"

Lu Yuan replied nonchalantly, "Didn’t you summon me?"

Meng Qianqian: "Huh?"

"Hurry up and follow me."

"Oh."

Meng Qianqian handed Bao Shu over to Qing Shuang and followed Lu Yuan into Tinglan Garden’s main hall.

The Grand Duchess sat cheerfully in the host’s seat, grinning from ear to ear. "Hurry, hurry, great-grandson-in-law, I want some tea!"

Meng Qianqian: "Great-grandmother..."

A maid presented a tasseled tea cup. Lu Yuan accepted it and offered it to the Grand Duchess, "Great-grandmother, please enjoy your tea."

Meng Qianqian stared at him in utter bewilderment.

The Grand Duchess beamed with delight, "Good, good, good! Tea served by my great-grandson-in-law tastes especially sweet! Qianqian, it’s your turn now!"

Meng Qianqian received a tea cup from the maid, stepped forward gracefully, and offered it, "Great-grandmother, please enjoy your tea."

The Grand Duchess chuckled gleefully, "Well said, well said."

After finishing her tea, the Grand Duchess handed each a heavy red envelope, then clasped their hands together. "From now on, the continuity of the Meng Family rests on your shoulders. You must work hard to expand our lineage, understand?"

Lu Yuan responded with an unperturbed expression, "Understood, Great-grandmother."

Meng Qianqian looked at him with wide eyes.

"Off you go now!"

The Grand Duchess said with joy.

As Lu Yuan and Meng Qianqian stepped out of the hall, their hands had just released when the Grand Duchess leapt from her chair and placed their hands back together, commanding sternly, "Hold hands!"

Meng Qianqian: "..."