Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 199 - 183: Bet Whether I Will Kiss You or Not

Chapter 199: Chapter 183: Bet Whether I Will Kiss You or Not

Lu Yuan entered the inner hall and bowed to the Supreme Emperor. "Greetings, Your Majesty."

The Supreme Emperor cast Meng Qianqian a glance.

Understanding his intent, Meng Qianqian helped him sit up and took a cushion from Jiang Dehai’s hands to place it behind his back.

The Supreme Emperor rarely smiled but managed a faint one at Lu Yuan. "Your overly submissive demeanor is a bit unsettling to me."

Lu Yuan remained expressionless and feigned ignorance. "This subject doesn’t understand what Your Majesty is implying."

The Supreme Emperor laughed again, his gaze profoundly inspecting Lu Yuan. After a lingering moment, he said, "Recent events—Jiang Dehai and Dean Yang have already explained them to me. Return to court, Lu Yuan. The Imperial Guard will belong to you, and henceforth, my Imperial Guard will serve as my trusted aides."

The Supreme Emperor’s trusted aides—wouldn’t that place them above the Jinyi Guard and the regular Imperial Guard?

Meng Qianqian: "Wow."

Lu Yuan’s lips twitched; he suddenly thought of the little brat. Indeed, you are influenced by the company you keep, aren’t you?

The Supreme Emperor noted Lu Yuan’s silence. "Unwilling?"

"Willing, absolutely willing!" Meng Qianqian nodded vigorously, as if worried another second of hesitation might make the Supreme Emperor change his mind. "Little Nine thanks the Supreme Emperor on behalf of her husband—"

Lu Yuan raised a hand to stop her from kneeling. He adjusted his robes and knelt, formally expressing his gratitude. "This subject thanks the Supreme Emperor for the generous favor."

Though the Supreme Emperor spoke sparingly due to his illness, each word was deliberate and to the point, leaving no room for excess.

Meng Qianqian had anticipated that the Supreme Emperor might reward Lu Yuan, but she hadn’t expected his decision to be so resolute.

Those who accomplish great things must possess both decisiveness and wisdom.

Ordinary individuals might need more rounds of testing to gauge Lu Yuan’s loyalty and resolve, but for the Supreme Emperor, one test was enough.

"Speaking of which, you were very daring. What if you hadn’t been able to cure me..."

Meng Qianqian escorted him to the corridor.

Lu Yuan replied calmly, "But wasn’t he cured in the end?"

Meng Qianqian found herself at a loss for words. She opted not to argue and instead curved her lips into a smile. Bowing slightly, she said, "Congratulations, my lord husband, on making such a triumphant return!"

Lu Yuan cleared his throat coolly.

Meng Qianqian stared at him brazenly. "You should thank me, you know."

Lu Yuan’s lashes trembled slightly. Dodging her intense gaze, he said evenly, "Thank you... wife."

It was the first time Meng Qianqian had heard him call her that. She muttered, "Wife? Sounds oddly nice."

The Supreme Emperor had passed through the critical phase of his illness and even regained some appetite that very night.

From the medicinal broth to food preparations, Meng Qianqian refused to delegate tasks to anyone else.

Water and ingredients were all brought into the palace by Lu Yuan from outside, ensuring no secondary contamination.

She prepared a simple pot of vegetable porridge.

Imperial Physician Li glanced at the porridge in her hands and muttered softly, "Can this even be eaten?"

Meng Qianqian, sitting by the dragon bed, shot him a glare. "You aren’t the one eating it."

Imperial Physician Li snorted. "I’d say it’s not fit for anyone to eat."

Meng Qianqian raised an eyebrow. "My porridge isn’t meant for people—it’s meant for dragons! Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?"

The Supreme Emperor looked helpless yet amused. To the physicians, he said, "That’s enough. You all may leave, except for Madam Lu and Dean Yang."

None dared to defy him and retreated respectfully.

The Supreme Emperor looked at Meng Qianqian and smiled wryly. "They tried to stop you—let’s call it their fault. Why don’t you, with your abundant magnanimity, let this go?"

Meng Qianqian thought for a moment. "For the sake of Your Majesty and Dean Yang, fine!"

Dean Yang was stunned.

The Supreme Emperor chuckled. "She’s angling for credit from you now. This girl certainly resolves grudges decisively."

Dean Yang had lent Meng Qianqian a helping hand at a critical juncture, aligning himself with her in sharing the risk of potentially failing to heal the Supreme Emperor.

Meng Qianqian wasn’t known for much else, but when it came to backing people up, she was unmatched.

Dean Yang stood and cupped his hands in salute to Meng Qianqian. "Madam Lu’s medical skills are unparalleled, and her generosity is humbling. We... are undeserving."

"Dean Yang, please don’t!"

This was just how Meng Qianqian was—if someone was rude to her, she could counter them without hesitation. But when treated courteously, she found herself flustered and unsure how to respond.

After finishing his porridge, the Supreme Emperor said to Meng Qianqian, "Go check on Fu Dequan for me."

Meng Qianqian went to the eunuch’s quarters.

Eunuch Fu was awake, with Lady Yan seated nearby, absentmindedly munching on melon seeds. On the table sat a bowl of herbal medicine.

"Where did this come from?"

Meng Qianqian asked.

Lady Yan spat out a seed shell. "Leftovers from your medicine pot."

Eunuch Fu weakly propped himself up. "Madam Lu..."

"Eunuch Fu, lie down first." Meng Qianqian stepped forward to examine him. Like the Supreme Emperor, his condition was due to the epidemic.

He had contracted it while caring for the Supreme Emperor. His symptoms were slightly milder, and the same decoction should prove effective for him as well.

Meng Qianqian picked up the bowl. "Eunuch Fu, drink the medicine first."

Eunuch Fu glanced at Lady Yan, then back at Meng Qianqian. "Is... is it really medicine? She said it might... poison me, claiming... either I or the illness must die."

Meng Qianqian: Well, that’s not untrue.

Meng Qianqian smiled. "Rest assured, the Supreme Emperor has already taken it. There’s only a fifty percent chance it’ll kill you."

Eunuch Fu: "..."

-

After three days and nights of investigation, Lu Yuan finally traced the source of the epidemic in the Imperial Palace to a chef in the Imperial Kitchen.

A month prior, the chef had taken a day off. On his way home, he encountered a girl selling herself to fund her father’s burial.

Sympathetic, he purchased the girl to serve as a maid.

However, the girl fell ill and passed away within a few days of arriving at his home.

Shortly after, the chef also fell ill and eventually succumbed to the disease.

He had no children and was buried by his nephew, who fortunately, along with the pallbearers, avoided infection.

The chef had seniority in the Imperial Kitchen and rarely cooked personally, except when preparing vegetarian dishes favored by the Supreme Emperor.

Lu Yuan reported his findings to the Supreme Emperor.

"Has the epidemic spread among the common people?" the Supreme Emperor asked.

"No," Lu Yuan replied.

This was a scheme targeted at the Supreme Emperor. Those infected appeared to have been closely monitored, with no direct interactions outside the chef.

Upon hearing this, the Supreme Emperor sighed in relief. "As long as the people are unharmed. Lu Yuan, I’ll need to borrow your wife for a few more days. Once the epidemic in the palace is entirely eradicated, I’ll return her to you."

Lu Yuan: "Please return her quickly, then."

The Supreme Emperor: "Oh? Are you unwilling to part with her?"

Lu Yuan said blandly, "Her family misses her. The matriarch longs for her great-granddaughter, and the child seeks her mother."

The Supreme Emperor took a sip of medicine and teased, "Sounds more like you miss your wife."

Lu Yuan: "I do not."

The Supreme Emperor chuckled triumphantly.

Lu Yuan turned quickly to see Meng Qianqian standing at the doorway, holding a bowl of lean pork porridge.

Lu Yuan opened his mouth to speak but glanced at the Supreme Emperor instead.

The Supreme Emperor wore an expression suggesting he was enjoying the unfolding drama.

Meng Qianqian: What do I do now? Fake marriage with Lu Yuan, so of course, he doesn’t miss me. But the Supreme Emperor doesn’t know that, so I should—

"Waaaah..."

She burst into mournful tears, appearing heartbroken as she turned and left.

Lu Yuan quickly rushed after her.

Under a large tree, Meng Qianqian stood with her back to him.

"I..."

Lu Yuan started to speak, but Meng Qianqian abruptly turned around with a grin. "Fooled the Supreme Emperor, didn’t I?"

Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned.

Meng Qianqian said, "The Supreme Emperor must’ve made another bet with Eunuch Fu, though he probably didn’t expect this time to involve both you and me. I’ll head off now, and you can tend to your tasks."

She had barely walked two steps when Lu Yuan suddenly pulled her back. "Yu Zichuan and Qing Shuang made a bet as well."

Meng Qianqian had never seen him like this before. His gaze was both deep and blazing.

She stammered, "Bet on... what?"

Lu Yuan fixed his eyes on her, took the porridge bowl from her hands, and said, "On whether I’d kiss you."

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