Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 265 - 247: The Fierce Grandmother

Chapter 265: Chapter 247: The Fierce Grandmother

Meng Qianqian returned to the main courtyard and told Lu Yuan about Princess Wanping asking her to go to the Princess Mansion.

"You should rest first. No need to wait for me tonight."

Lu Yuan said coldly, "Are you planning to leave me alone in an empty room?"

Meng Qianqian blinked in confusion. "Hmm?"

Lu Yuan cleared his throat. "What I mean is... are you going out to secretly meet someone else?"

Meng Qianqian frowned again. "Hmm?"

Lu Yuan continued in a lofty tone, "Do you not care about my dignity?"

"Ah..."

This logic felt so forced.

Meng Qianqian quickly switched to her sycophantic mode. "Grand Commander, if you’re free, could you accompany Little Nine to the Princess Mansion?"

Lu Yuan replied indifferently, "Only because you are the one asking me to go."

Meng Qianqian nodded hastily. "Yes, yes, absolutely. It’s my idea for you to come along, not that you insisted on joining me."

Lu Yuan’s face turned chilly. "Meng Xiaojiu."

Meng Qianqian immediately softened. "I was wrong."

After saying goodbye to Liu Qingyun, Meng Qianqian got onto the carriage to the Princess Mansion with Lu Yuan.

"Grand Commander, Mother didn’t scold me."

"Why would she scold you?"

"For leaving the residence so late at night."

She had expected Lu Yuan to respond with, "The Princess summoned you; how could you not go?"

But to her surprise, Lu Yuan replied, "She often sneaks out herself in the middle of the night."

"Sneaks?"

I didn’t sneak out... wait, there’s gossip here.

Lu Yuan sneered, "When I was young, whenever she got a late-night craving and went to the town to buy food, she would always take me. If we got caught by my grandmother, she’d claim it was me who wanted the food and let me take the blame."

Meng Qianqian: "..."

"So, didn’t you get beaten up a lot when you were little?"

Judging from what her grandfather said, her grandmother was quite fierce.

Lu Yuan said, "No. My grandmother believed ’if the child errs, it’s the mother’s fault,’ so my mother got the beating."

Meng Qianqian was once again dumbfounded.

Lu Yuan continued, "So later, my mother would sneak off to town alone. When caught by my grandmother, she righteously said, ’Didn’t you say if the child errs, it’s the mother’s fault? Beat yourself up, then!’"

Meng Qianqian: As expected of my grandfather’s biological daughter—just as mischievous!

"And then?" Meng Qianqian was curious how her grandmother responded.

Lu Yuan said, "Then my grandmother replied, ’If the child errs, it’s the mother’s fault; that’s true. But... are you the son? No, you’re the daughter!’ And then my mother got beaten again."

She hadn’t imagined that her mother-in-law had this kind of colorful history. Meng Qianqian didn’t know what to say.

But if Lu Yuan was willing to share such amusing stories, did it mean he no longer harbored as much resentment towards Liu Qingyun in his heart?

Meng Qianqian’s face was full of curiosity. "Any more stories?"

Lu Yuan started talking about his childhood memories.

Time slipped through their fingers unknowingly. What was a half-hour carriage ride felt like an instant.

The two disembarked from the carriage.

The steward of the Princess Mansion, surnamed Bao, had been waiting outside for quite some time. When he saw the Governor Mansion’s carriage, he immediately stepped forward to greet them.

When he recognized Lu Yuan, he was utterly startled. "Grand Commander, why are you here?"

Lu Yuan replied coldly, "What? Am I not allowed to come?"

Steward Bao laughed nervously. "Of course not—just surprised! Grand Commander, Young Madam, please come in!"

Meng Qianqian asked, "Steward Bao, may I know why the Princess summoned Little Nine so late at night?"

Steward Bao sighed deeply. "Sigh, the Princess was out boating on the lake today and got back late. On her way, she encountered a woman in labor..."

When Meng Qianqian arrived, she discovered that the woman in labor mentioned by Steward Bao was none other than Lin Wan’er.

Lin Wan’er had fainted, while Lu Luo stayed by her bedside. It seemed she had endured many hardships—her hair was disheveled, her face dirty, and her body covered in wounds.

"Lu Luo?"

Meng Qianqian called out tentatively.

Lu Luo looked up and was immediately alarmed. "Young Madam!"

"You know each other?"

Princess Wanping entered the room.

Lu Yuan didn’t step into the courtyard and waited outside, so Princess Wanping hadn’t seen him yet.

This time, it was Meng Qianqian’s turn to be surprised. "Princess, you don’t know who these two are?"

She turned to Lu Luo again. "You didn’t tell the Princess your identities?"

Lu Luo suddenly dropped to her knees, kowtowing to Princess Wanping, crying and pleading. "Princess! Please show mercy and save my mistress!"

Princess Wanping looked at Meng Qianqian with a peculiar expression.

Meng Qianqian pointed to the bed where Lin Wan’er lay. "She is Lin Wan’er, Lu Lingxiao’s wife."

Princess Wanping frowned. "She is Lin Wan’er? The concubine who pretended to be you and attended the Governor Mansion’s banquet under that guise?"

Meng Qianqian thought to herself: Why do you only remember things related to Lu Yuan...

Princess Wanping glared at Lu Luo. "Didn’t you just tell this Princess that... ah, forget it! You, save her first!"

The last remark was directed at Meng Qianqian.

Meng Qianqian replied, "Treatment won’t come cheap."

Princess Wanping said curtly, "As if I’d be short of your peanuts and dates."

Meng Qianqian quipped, "Five hundred taels."

Princess Wanping roared in anger, "Meng Xiaojiu, why don’t you just go rob someone?!"

Meng Qianqian calmly replied, "Lu Yuan is outside."

Princess Wanping’s tone changed instantly. "You’ll get a thousand taels."

Meng Qianqian grabbed Lin Wan’er’s wrist and began taking her pulse.

Suddenly, Lu Luo shouted, "Princess! You can’t let her deliver the baby. She’ll kill my mistress!"

Meng Qianqian spread her hands. "Princess, it’s not that I don’t want to help."

Princess Wanping frowned slightly, then instructed Steward Bao outside the door, "Go to the Lu Family and tell them Lin Wan’er is in my mansion."

Lu Luo immediately cried, "Princess, you mustn’t!"

Princess Wanping’s tone turned cold. "This won’t do, that won’t do—what exactly do you want? From the moment you met this Princess, you haven’t said a single truthful word! You even hid your identity from me! Get out of my sight!"

A maid entered the room and dragged Lu Luo out.

"Continue," Princess Wanping told Meng Qianqian.

Meng Qianqian asked, "Princess, aren’t you afraid I might kill her by accident?"

Princess Wanping answered solemnly, "Just treat her. If she dies, it’s on me."

Meng Qianqian gave Princess Wanping a deep look, suddenly realizing that perhaps her understanding of the Princess had been too shallow.

Though she was chaotic at times, she also carried the responsibilities and compassion of a Princess.

Meng Qianqian spoke earnestly, "Princess, even if you hadn’t run into her, she wouldn’t have lived long. There’s no need to take all the guilt on yourself."

Princess Wanping frowned. "What do you mean?"

Meng Qianqian glanced at the unconscious Lin Wan’er. "She’s been poisoned."

Princess Wanping looked confused. "Poisoned?"

Meng Qianqian took out her silver needle. "What is a tonic for ordinary people turns into poison for her."

After a few needles, Lin Wan’er slowly opened her eyes. As she regained consciousness, waves of familiar, sharp pain flooded her senses.

Meng Qianqian said, "Princess, ask her yourself."

Princess Wanping tentatively approached the bedside, gazing at the disoriented Lin Wan’er, and asked with a frown, "Lin Wan’er, I am Princess Wanping. You’re in my mansion. Can you tell this Princess what happened to you?"

"Oh dear, is she mute? Call her maid—"

Lin Wan’er suddenly burst into tears. "Princess! Lu Xingzhou tried to kill me... Please, seek justice for me!"

Princess Wanping was shocked. "You’re not mute? Wait a moment—what did you just say? Lu Xingzhou tried to kill you? Isn’t he your father-in-law?"

"He is..."

Lin Wan’er nodded, just about to expose Lu Xingzhou’s crime, when suddenly her water broke with a gush.

Princess Wanping jumped back in alarm. "Meng Xiaojiu, she wet herself!"

Meng Qianqian lifted the blanket and gazed intently. "Her water just broke. Princess, we need to decide: save the mother or the child?"

Only then did Lin Wan’er notice that Meng Qianqian was also present.

Princess Wanping examined her carefully. "We can only save one?"

Meng Qianqian answered gravely, "Her body is already critically weakened. It’s possible... neither might survive."