Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 182 - 168: The Little Emperor Cries

Chapter 182: Chapter 168: The Little Emperor Cries

Zong Zhengxi almost doubted his own ears. He flipped through the treasure book and the Great Seal on the table repeatedly. They were indeed the tokens of the Jinyi Guard, without a doubt.

When he ascended the throne, his father had personally handed them to him. Later, when his father retired to the "palace retreat" to recuperate, the tokens were temporarily kept by Lu Yuan under the excuse of Zong Zhengxi’s youth.

From that point on, the Jinyi Guard had become nothing more than a tool for Lu Yuan to eliminate dissidents.

Zong Zhengxi never expected that one day Lu Yuan would willingly return the Jinyi Guard to him.

He stared blankly at Lu Yuan. "You... what scheme are you plotting this time? Are you testing me?"

Lu Yuan smiled faintly. "Did not Your Majesty summon the Prime Minister back to the court just for this day? I congratulate Your Majesty on personally taking charge of the administration and pray that Your Majesty blesses the people for generations to come."

"I..."

Zong Zhengxi was caught off guard by this abrupt shift to direct rule, so much so that even his manner of self-address changed.

A wave of unrest surged in his heart; he couldn’t tell whether it was the unease of being seen right through by Lu Yuan or the unease of losing something significant.

Lu Yuan rose with composure and elegance, addressing Zong Zhengxi, "I humbly take my leave, Your Majesty."

Was this his way of issuing a polite dismissal?

Zong Zhengxi’s eyes widened in disbelief.

From the moment he set foot into the Governor Mansion, every step had gone beyond his expectations.

Whether Zong Zhengxi left or not seemed irrelevant, as Lu Yuan departed of his own accord after saying those words.

Watching Lu Yuan’s resolute retreating figure, utterly devoid of hesitation, Zong Zhengxi inexplicably panicked. "You... you handed over the Jinyi Guard—aren’t you worried about losing your position?"

Lu Yuan paused at the doorway. Without turning his head, he gazed into the endless twilight and said in an indifferent tone, "Is this not what Your Majesty desires? To eliminate this ’thorn in your side,’ Your Majesty has waited a long time, hasn’t he?"

"I..."

Once again, words failed Zong Zhengxi as he choked in silence.

"Go ahead and realize your imperial ambitions, Your Majesty. From now on, whatever decisions Your Majesty makes, I will not interfere."

With those parting words, Lu Yuan walked away entirely.

Zong Zhengxi clenched his fists and roared in fury, "Better that you don’t interfere! You’re right—I’ve been waiting for this day! Do you think you’re all that impressive? If you won’t aid me, the Prime Minister will! The Prime Minister is far better than you! He won’t force me to do homework! I’m the Emperor—I don’t need to study those trivialities of civil examinations! I should be learning the art of governance! If you won’t teach me, the Prime Minister will!"

Xiao Dazi cautiously tried to console him, "Your Majesty, anger can harm your body—please take care of your sacred health..."

"Shut up!"

Zong Zhengxi snapped.

Xiao Dazi instantly went silent.

Staring at the treasure book and Great Seal on the table, Zong Zhengxi reached out to smash them to the ground.

Xiao Dazi fell to his knees in fright with a thud.

Zong Zhengxi’s hand froze mid-air.

He remembered just after ascending to the throne, when he threw a tantrum by hurling all his inkstones and brushes off the desk, only to have Lu Yuan take a ruler and fiercely strike his palms in return.

Even his father and mother concubine had never laid a hand on him, yet Lu Yuan had relentlessly struck his palms again and again. Each time he threw something, Lu Yuan would punish him.

In the end... he stopped daring to smash things.

But now, Lu Yuan didn’t care about him anymore. Why should he keep obeying him?

Zong Zhengxi hurled the objects once more, yet the memory of the palm strikes felt as though etched into his very bones.

He collapsed back into his chair in frustration, an inexplicable sense of grievance welling up within him.

He wiped his reddened eyes and gritted his teeth, yelling, "I was here today to add insult to injury! I know Lu Yuan offended the Prime Minister, and I seized the chance to pressure him into returning the Jinyi Guard! I demanded it from him! He didn’t return it of his own will! I don’t care about him anymore! I don’t care about him anymore!"

In the small garden, Meng Qianqian stood beside Lu Yuan.

Watching Zong Zhengxi storm away in shame and anger, Meng Qianqian asked, "Your Majesty seemed quite upset. Is it really fine?"

Lu Yuan crossed his hands behind his back and snorted coldly. "Let him rage; what does it have to do with me? If it’s harmful, he brought it on himself."

Smiling gently, Meng Qianqian replied, "I was speaking of the Jinyi Guard. To so easily hand over something that represents years of your efforts as the Grand Commander—are you truly willing?"

In a detached tone, Lu Yuan replied, "What does willingness matter? Shangguan Ling betrayed me—the Jinyi Guard has become a hot potato. Should I keep it only to watch it burn me?"

Meng Qianqian couldn’t help but let out a quick laugh.

The metaphor might have been inappropriate, but it captured the situation surprisingly well.

The Jinyi Guard was a card that, no matter how it was played, inevitably resulted in the opponent’s triumph. Better to discard it entirely.

Meng Qianqian said, "But now, you truly have nothing left, Grand Commander."

"Are you afraid?" Lu Yuan asked, his tone indifferent. "If you fear, you’re free to leave at any time. You and I were merely part of a transaction to begin with; no need to sink into the swamp with me."

After a brief pause, he added, "You’ve been married to me once. Consort Li might wish to draw you into her fold, but she won’t send you into the palace now."

Meng Qianqian turned to face him squarely. "Do you think I’m someone who abandons friends in adversity?"

Lu Yuan avoided meeting her gaze and instead fixed his eyes on Bao Shu, who was frolicking on the grass. His voice was icy: "Since when were we friends?"

Meng Qianqian nodded slightly. "The situation is worse than I thought. The Grand Commander hastening to push me away—are you afraid of ultimately failing?"

Lu Yuan’s gaze quivered briefly, and he said steadily, "I do not fear failure."

"Then you’re afraid of dragging others down with you, aren’t you?" Meng Qianqian smiled faintly. "Grand Commander, shall we wager? This time, you’ll win."

Lu Yuan sneered coldly, "Hmph."

Meng Qianqian declared, "Though you no longer have the Jinyi Guard, you still have me—Little Nine. And don’t forget, I’m one of the Twelve Guards. As long as I can reunite the Twelve, we can reignite the Chu Grand Marshal’s Black Armor Army to sweep across the land."

Lu Yuan replied evenly, "To this day, only you and Chen Long of the Twelve have appeared. No—it’s unclear whether the foster son my adoptive father just took in is even Chen Long."

Meng Qianqian blinked. "Actually, my neighbor... is Ji Li, the Rooster of the Twelve."

"...No wonder Yu Zichuan couldn’t beat him," Lu Yuan muttered.

Meng Qianqian continued, "What’s more, Ji Li is skilled in divination. If he cooperates, tracking down the others won’t be difficult. He vanished suddenly a few days ago; I suspect he went off to find another of the Twelve."

"Gone this long? With his abilities, he should’ve found someone by now. No time like the present—shall we return to Fengshui Alley for a look?"

Bao Shu perked up her ears at the mention of Fengshui Alley and scurried over, stretching her little arms toward Meng Qianqian.

She wanted to go too.

Meng Qianqian scooped her up. "Alright, you can come."

Watching Meng Qianqian act promptly without hesitation or fear, Lu Yuan turned his face away and murmured, "Reckless and audacious, utterly oblivious to the danger."

He had approached success countless times, only to be thrown back to square one time and again, like a tower demolished the moment its final stone was laid.

That man wanted nothing less than to shatter his will entirely, refining him into a broken creature who would obediently kneel at his feet like a loyal dog.

This time, could he truly win?