Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 257 - 239: Cunning as a Demon

Chapter 257: Chapter 239: Cunning as a Demon

Steward Cen didn’t expect Meng Qianqian to answer so straightforwardly.

"Young Madam, in your heart..."

Meng Qianqian understood what he wanted to ask; this question, even she didn’t have an answer to.

Is Lu Yuan special to her?

Naturally.

But why is he special?

Is it because he holds power over the entire court, to the extent that even if she were the former Chu Grand Marshal, it wouldn’t be easy to topple him; if she couldn’t destroy him, she might as well obtain him.

Is it because he calculated against her, yet genuinely saved her life? In her calculations against him, she also developed some gratitude.

Between them, there is too much entanglement, the ties are too deep; if they can’t be severed, then they should be twisted into a single rope.

"Steward Cen, I don’t wish for today’s conversation to be known by my husband."

"Understood, Young Madam."

In the past, when facing Meng Qianqian, Steward Cen more often felt like he was looking at a smart and clever youngster, but now he truly sensed the aura emanating from Meng Qianqian.

She had become as unassailable as the Grand Commander.

No, perhaps she had always possessed it, just never shown it in front of him.

After leaving the accounting room, Meng Qianqian sat alone in the pavilion for a while.

She was calming her emotions.

Thinking of the inhuman tortures Lu Yuan once suffered, Meng Qianqian was filled with anger towards the Prime Minister’s Mansion, wanting to slap even the dogs there.

But one cannot make any decisions while angry; she needed to calm herself down.

"Meng Xiaojiu, you have three breaths."

After three deep breaths, Meng Qianqian’s eyes regained their usual calmness.

She began to think about what to do next.

Yesterday, the imperial marriage ceremony went smoothly, and Lu Yuan fulfilled the Supreme Emperor’s condition; once a word is given, it cannot be retracted, and the Chu family case is about to be reinvestigated.

It will be handled by the Ministry of Justice without a doubt.

No, it must be handled by the Ministry of Justice.

The reason is simple: Minister Xing is one of the few officials in the court who holds real power and maintains a neutral stance.

Prime Minister Xun’s cronies are almost everywhere in the court, he wouldn’t allow Minister Xing to become a loose end.

Before, while Lu Yuan pretended to be a great traitor, he secretly protected Minister Xing, Sacrificial Officer Lin, and Imperial Censor Wang, who never participated in court struggles.

This was the first path Lu Yuan paved for himself.

When the Supreme Emperor was under house arrest at the monastery, his every move was under Lu Yuan’s surveillance, and not even a single letter could be sent out.

Yet, on the night the old madam went to the monastery to request a decree annulling the bond between her and Lu Lingxiao, Lu Yuan allowed Eunuch Fu to proceed.

A decree unrelated to state affairs, the great traitor didn’t care, and this seemed reasonable.

But how could the Supreme Emperor miss such a great opportunity to contact his confidants?

Eunuch Fu’s official task was to announce the decree, but he secretly conveyed the Supreme Emperor’s oral message.

This led to Lu Yuan’s forces being significantly purged while he went to the border for battle, and those officials were originally cronies of Prime Minister Xun.

Using the Supreme Emperor’s hand to cut off one of Prime Minister Xun’s arms was the second path Lu Yuan paved for himself.

Back then, the Supreme Emperor probably didn’t guess that Lu Yuan’s backer was the Prime Minister, or even if he did, he had no choice but to do so.

This began the confrontation between the Supreme Emperor and Prime Minister Xun even before the latter returned to court.

This was the third path Lu Yuan paved for himself.

Thus, Lu Yuan turned from a sacrificial pawn used by the Prime Minister to establish authority, into a boomerang used by the Supreme Emperor to attack the Prime Minister—it was a natural progression.

Understanding everything, Meng Qianqian’s mind was left with only four words: A mind almost devilish.

The last person who gave her this feeling was Chu Nan.

She was very curious, if Chu Nan were to encounter Lu Yuan, who would be more formidable?

Of course, Chu Nan is already dead, and this matter will never have an answer.

What she was more interested in now was, with the reinvestigation being a foregone conclusion, the Prime Minister’s Mansion must be inevitably implicated with the Chu family’s case.

How will the Prime Minister’s Mansion respond?

Will they kill Lu Yuan? Or kill Minister Xing?

With the Miao King protecting Lu Yuan, he can’t be killed.

Neutral officials are not limited to just Minister Xing; if he dies, another will take his place. This path is clearly also not feasible.

"What are you thinking?"

Lu Yuan’s voice suddenly appeared above her.

She gasped.

Was she so engrossed that she didn’t even notice Lu Yuan’s arrival?

Or perhaps, in her heart, Lu Yuan was already someone she didn’t need to be wary of, someone who could approach her anytime?

"Just sitting around."

"Did you go see Steward Cen?"

"Asked about your illness."

"I’m not sick," said Lu Yuan.

Meng Qianqian: Can’t you survive a day without being stubborn?

Lu Yuan said, "Be careful when you enter the palace today."

Meng Qianqian suspiciously asked, "Will I be in trouble?"

Lu Yuan glanced at her, "I’m afraid someone else will be in trouble; your face is just shy of having ’I want to kill someone’ written on it."

Meng Qianqian cleared her throat, "Is it that obvious?"

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze, "But when you enter the palace today, you can actually keep an eye on someone."

"Who?"

"The Lady of Changning Marquis," Lu Yuan said lightly, "Do you know why she challenged you at the palace banquet last night?"

Meng Qianqian shook her head.

Lu Yuan said meaningfully, "Changning Marquis Mansion wants to align with the Prime Minister’s Mansion through marriage. Do you guess who the Marquise of Changning has chosen as a son-in-law?"

"It can’t be you, right? No, outsiders don’t know about your relationship with the Prime Minister’s Mansion."

Meng Qianqian paused, her eyes trembling, "Chen Long? My brother?"

-

Tan’er didn’t get to eat the braised pork at the Imperial Palace yesterday, and there were no ingredients for braised pork back at the mansion, so she was sulky all night. Today, she was determined to follow Meng Qianqian into the palace to eat the braised pork the Emperor owes her.

Meng Qianqian chuckled lightly and helplessly.

Tan’er pouted, "Sister, why are you laughing like that?"

Meng Qianqian patted her head, "Tan’er, promise me to always be this carefree."

Tan’er crossed her arms, "That depends on whether there’s braised pork to eat!"

Ban Xia scolded teasingly, "All you think about is eating!"

Tan’er made a face and stuck out her tongue, "Meh!"

Ban Xia opened her mouth, "I won’t argue with a child!"

Tan’er said, "That’s because you can’t argue with me!"

Ban Xia quipped, "Who says I can’t out-talk you?"

Tan’er said, "You said so!"

Ban Xia said, "Fine, fine!"

The two kept bickering until they reached the Imperial Palace and then stopped.

As soon as they got off the carriage, no matter how much Tan’er provoked, Ban Xia refused to argue back, staying cautiously by Meng Qianqian’s side.

Tan’er looked towards the sky, "I’ve won."

The imperial marriage of the Emperor and Empress was completed in Jiaofang Palace with the wedding wine and marital rites, after which Yao Qingluan moved into Jingren Palace.

But last night, the imperial wedding wine was taken by Lu Yuan, and Meng Qianqian estimated their marital rites were also quite unlikely.

Zong Zhengxi indeed didn’t consummate the marriage with Yao Qingluan last night.

At fifteen, he’s neither too young nor too old, as many noble youths and princes already understood the ways between men and women at that age, yet Zong Zhengxi was an exception.

He hadn’t grasped such matters yet.

The Supreme Imperial Concubine had once sent him palace maids for instruction, but he wouldn’t let them touch him.

"Your Majesty, did you sleep well last night?"

Wang Dequan went to visit Zong Zhengxi early in the morning.

Zong Zhengxi frowned, "Not well, I’m used to sleeping alone, I couldn’t sleep well with another person."

"Ah..."

Looks like the marriage wasn’t consummated.

Zong Zhengxi asked, "Can I sleep alone tonight?"

Wang Dequan laughed awkwardly, "This... is not something a servant can decide."

Zong Zhengxi said resentfully, "Forget it, it’s no use asking you either, I’ll go to court."

Wang Dequan reminded, "Your Majesty, there’s no court session today."

Zong Zhengxi forgot about this, "Oh, then I’ll go do my homework, I want to be a diligent emperor."

Wang Dequan was taken aback, "Your Majesty, didn’t you always dislike doing homework? Why the sudden—"

Zong Zhengxi, full of morning grumpiness, said, "Why, why? Naturally, to eventually kick out all you useless servants!"

Wang Dequan: "..."

-

In Jingren Palace, Meng Qianqian met Yao Qingluan, who was sitting on the Phoenix Chair.

Yao Qingluan, though the niece of the Supreme Imperial Concubine, bore little resemblance to her in features; the Supreme Imperial Concubine likely took more after her birth mother’s looks.

Yao Qingluan was also an absolute beauty.

However, her beauty was more like the earthly richness of brocade, while the Supreme Imperial Concubine was as ethereal as a cloud from the Immortal Palace.

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