Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 221 - 205: Win Big Brother Back

Chapter 221: Chapter 205: Win Big Brother Back

Meng Qianqian gazed silently, her eyes deep and unreadable.

This wager had originally been intended as a way to leverage Prime Minister Xun’s power to uncover more members of the Twelve Guards. Now that the goal had been achieved, meeting those old acquaintances from the past again left Meng Qianqian with complex feelings.

Hai Pig, Wei Sheep—why are you here?

Have you, too, become people of Prime Minister Xun?

Could you two be the traitors among the Twelve Guards?

Ji Li also revealed a look of astonishment. "It’s you two?"

Wei Sheep said, "Long time no see, Si Snake, Rooster."

"I didn’t come for you. I came to see him."

As Si Snake spoke, her gaze landed on Chen Long’s face.

Chen Long was not wearing his bamboo hat today. His cold, angular features were expressionless.

He glanced at Si Snake as though she were a stranger, then quickly averted his gaze.

At that moment, Meng Qianqian clearly felt it—the Twelve Guards had truly split apart.

Or perhaps, the Twelve Guards had never been truly united. The reason they had submitted was that they had lost to the "Chu Grand Marshal."

Now that the Chu Grand Marshal was finally dead, they had gained their freedom. Why would they willingly bow to the Chu Family again?

"Heavens, so many of the Twelve Guards..." Zhou Nanyan muttered, stunned.

Princess Wanping smirked with triumph. "Well? Are you admitting defeat now?"

Zhou Nanyan asked in confusion, "Do tokens count too?"

Princess Wanping cast a sidelong glance at Meng Qianqian. "She admitted it herself. If the person is gone, the token counts."

Zhou Nanyan suddenly panicked and clung to Meng Qianqian’s arm. "Sister Meng, what should we do?"

No matter how bad Lu Yuan’s reputation was, Sister Meng had chosen him in the end. And besides, he was far better to Sister Meng than that bastard Lu Lingxiao. Naturally, she couldn’t bear to see Lu Yuan taken by someone else.

Then, as if struck by inspiration, she exclaimed, "I know! Sister Meng, I’ll go to the palace to see the Imperial Concubine! I’m her future daughter-in-law; she’ll definitely meet with me! I’ll beg her to get the Monkey Order back for us!"

Everyone knew Lin Wan’er was aligned with Consort Li. As long as Consort Li gave the order, even if Lin Wan’er was unwilling, she would have to comply.

Meng Qianqian chuckled. "Weren’t you the one who kept saying you didn’t want to enter the palace? Now you admit to being her daughter-in-law?"

Zhou Nanyan replied resolutely, "If it helps Sister Meng, what’s this small sacrifice? Besides, it’s not like I have a choice."

Meng Qianqian patted her head affectionately. "Silly girl."

Though Princess Wanping hadn’t heard exactly what the two were discussing, she had an inkling of their plan. She sneered coldly. "I advise you to give up now. Consort Li may not favor me, but she certainly doesn’t like your Little Nine any better."

That much was true. Consort Li wouldn’t intervene in the conflict between Princess Wanping and Meng Qianqian; she would rather see the two of them tear each other apart.

While munching on a candied hawthorn skewer, Tan’er raised her head and whispered to Meng Qianqian, "Sister, should I just kill her? If she’s dead, the wager’s off."

Meng Qianqian replied softly, "Such a young girl—you shouldn’t be thinking about killing all the time."

Besides, Chen Long and the others weren’t pushovers. And there were also two guests from Miaojiang present.

Princess Wanping, growing impatient, said sharply, "Meng Xiaojiu, are you planning to renege? Let me warn you—if you go back on your word, don’t blame me for making sure you never leave the Princess Mansion!"

Meng Qianqian slowly stood up and looked at Princess Wanping. "Princess, why don’t you take another look—who really won?"

Frowning, Princess Wanping was about to scold Meng Qianqian, but then she noticed an object on Meng Qianqian’s table that hadn’t been there before. "That’s—"

Meng Qianqian held the token aloft. "The Chen Long Token."

The crowd collectively gasped.

Princess Wanping yelled sharply, "Chen Long is here with me! How dare you use a counterfeit token to deceive us?"

"Oh, really?" Meng Qianqian smiled gently and turned her gaze toward Chen Long.

Chen Long hesitated briefly, then said, "It’s real."

Princess Wanping’s face fell.

Ji Li, fanning himself, chuckled. "Our arduous journey to You State was well worth it after all."

Back then, Ji Li had divined that the Chen Long Token was in You State, so he and Si Snake had immediately set out to find Chen Long’s successor.

Meng Qianqian smiled faintly. "Princess, your man here had already passed the Chen Long Token to his disciple long ago. Who knows if he can still be considered one of the Twelve Guards."

"One token does not serve two masters," Wei Sheep said as he looked at Chen Long. "Chen Long, is this true?"

Princess Wanping rose abruptly. "You are not allowed to admit it!"

Chen Long: "It’s true."

Wei Sheep sighed. "Then we’ve lost."

Princess Wanping slumped back onto her cushion, stunned.

Liu Qingyun visibly sighed with relief.

Zhou Nanyan was so overjoyed that she hugged Tan’er tightly. "Tan’er, we’ve won!"

At this moment, only Tan’er, the little chatterbox extraordinaire, could match her excitement.

But Tan’er, squished in the embrace, wailed, "My candied hawthorn... my candied hawthorn!"

Meng Qianqian laughed. "Princess Wanping, a wager is a wager. Chen Long belongs to me now."

Princess Wanping could never have imagined such a curveball. "Why didn’t you say earlier that you weren’t Chen Long anymore?"

Chen Long: "I am Chen Long. I still possess all the abilities of Chen Long. The Prime Minister values my skills, not just the token."

Ji Li added fuel to the fire. "Murder, arson—of course this Chen Long is quite proficient. The Prime Minister probably didn’t expect you’d use Chen Long’s identity just for a gamble! What’s the term for this?"

Lin Xiaoru replied, "A waste of heavenly resources."

Princess Wanping banged the table in fury!

Si Snake said, "Chen Long, I have something to ask you."

Meng Qianqian smiled. "Not so fast. He’s mine now. He’ll be coming with me shortly."

Hah! Brother, you’re not escaping this time!

"Wait."

Just as everything seemed settled, Bai Yuwei—who had remained silent until now—suddenly spoke, her tone dripping with hostility. "Meng Xiaojiu, right? Do you dare to make a bet with me?"

"Dare, of course." Meng Qianqian’s lips curled slightly. "But I won’t."

Bai Yuwei’s voice turned icy. "I knew it—you’re afraid!"

Oh, for heaven’s sake. Stomp down one gourd and another pops back up. Just after dealing with Princess Wanping, now a Miaojiang heiress appears?

If Lu Yuan rejected you, you should go trouble him, not drag me into this. Honestly, why must women make things harder for each other?

Meng Qianqian spread her hands. "If you want to think that, so be it."

Bai Yuwei was momentarily speechless. "You—"

"Wei’er!"

Bai Qingchen stepped forward, cutting her off.

Bai Yuwei protested angrily, "Brother! She didn’t win honorably! Those were just some cheap, opportunistic tricks—completely beneath notice!"

Bai Qingchen replied calmly, "A win is a win."

Bai Yuwei pointed directly at Meng Qianqian. "If she dares compete with me, I’ll admit she’s won!"

Tan’er snorted. "And who are you that we need your approval?"

Bai Yuwei’s cold gaze swept over them. She swiftly unfastened the whip at her waist and lashed it toward Tan’er.

At first glance, the whip seemed to fall short, but in reality, it sent a flying stone hurtling toward them with astonishing speed. The attack was a surprise, leaving little time to react.

Meng Qianqian quickly shot out a silver needle, intercepting the stone in midair.

Protective as always, Meng Qianqian didn’t mind being targeted herself. But if anyone dared harm those around her, she wouldn’t take it lightly.

Her eyes leveled on Bai Yuwei, calm but dangerous. "What do you want to compete in?"