Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 271 - 253: The Object of the 12 Guards

Chapter 271: Chapter 253: The Object of the 12 Guards

"""

The servant returned to the Lu Family, looking disheveled and covered in dust, to report back to Lu Xingzhou.

The steward Zhao was also present.

This servant was his nephew, known for being rather clever. It was precisely for this reason that Zhao had entrusted such an important errand to him.

"Back so soon?"

Steward Zhao was surprised.

You Ping said with frustration, "I couldn’t even get into the Princess Mansion. The servants there are so domineering. As soon as they heard I was from the Lu Family, they chased me away, saying our family has no right to send gifts to the princess."

Steward Zhao awkwardly turned to look at Lu Xingzhou.

Back in the day, the old master of the Lu Family had contributed to the emperor’s ascension. During his funeral, the Supreme Emperor even came in person to pay his respects and performed the ceremonial offerings as a junior.

For Princess Wanping to act like this now was undeniably disrespectful to the Lu Family.

Lu Xingzhou’s expression didn’t change much, remaining as enigmatic as ever: "Did you mention the Old Madam?"

You Ping replied indignantly, "I mentioned her, but that boy said the Old Madam is no longer considered part of the Lu Family and told me to get lost!"

"This..." Steward Zhao was at a loss for words. He turned to Lu Xingzhou and said, "Sir, did you hear what they said to us?"

Lu Xingzhou didn’t seem concerned about whether Princess Wanping looked down on the Lu Family. His true interest lay in finding out whether Lin Wan’er and her maid Lu Luo had encountered Princess Wanping during their escape last night.

Princess Wanping had earned a significant reputation among the common people for her acts of bravery against injustice, distributing porridge to the poor, and standing up for the weak. If she encountered an unusual situation, she would likely intervene.

Of course, such acts of charity might merely be a performance for the people; those in positions of power excelled at such things.

Steward Zhao gave You Ping a discreet signal. You Ping quickly got the hint and left.

Steward Zhao said to Lu Xingzhou, "Sir, judging by my humble opinion, Lin Wan’er and her maid Lu Luo probably escaped on their own without encountering Princess Wanping. Otherwise, we would have heard something by now."

For Lin Wan’er to successfully escape from the Lu Family meant that she must have discovered Lu Xingzhou’s plot to have her killed.

But even if she spoke of it, would anyone truly believe her?

She was merely an illegitimate mistress who had risen in status through her pregnancy. Her reputation in the Capital City was already in shambles.

And Princess Wanping, born of the Central Palace’s nobility, despised such women who straddled the line between propriety and impropriety. How could she possibly be kind enough to shelter Lin Wan’er?

Seeing Lu Xingzhou remain silent, Steward Zhao awkwardly suggested, "Sir, if you’re still worried, perhaps you could personally visit the Princess Mansion?"

"No need."

It was likely that the Lu Family’s past deeds had made her detest them. Even if he went, she probably wouldn’t see him.

Since Princess Wanping showed such disdain for the Lu Family, she definitely wouldn’t meddle in the Lu Family’s domestic issues.

Lin Wan’er probably did escape on her own.

"Continue sending people to secretly search for the whereabouts of those two. A woman about to give birth should not be that difficult to track down."

Unless... she had left the Capital City.

He wasn’t worried about her dying out there, but he feared what she might say while outside.

"Understood, Sir!"

Steward Zhao quickly went to make arrangements.

Lu Xingzhou headed to Lu Mother’s courtyard.

Lu Mother was sitting in her room, trimming flower branches.

She loved arranging flowers during her leisure time. It was something she had done consistently for years without change.

Lu Mother seemed unaware of Lu Xingzhou’s footsteps and remained engrossed in her task.

Lu Xingzhou spoke, "Go to the Governor Mansion and bring Grandmother back."

Lu Mother snipped off a leaf and replied indifferently, "I’ve tried bringing her back before. Grandmother is unwilling to return to the Lu Family. If Sir is genuinely concerned, perhaps you should go bring her back yourself."

Lu Xingzhou gave Lu Mother a long look and asked, "Did you help Lin Wan’er escape last night?"

How could it be such a coincidence to find ladders on two sides of the walls?

Lu Mother continued trimming her flower branches and said calmly, "I don’t understand what Sir is talking about."

-

Meng Qianqian woke up to find it was already afternoon. The curtains had been drawn, leaving the room dim, with occasional bright beams of sunlight sneaking in through the gaps.

From the yard, Bao Shu’s giggling could be heard. Liu Qingyun was chasing her around while she gleefully dodged.

Lu Yuan was not around.

Huh, doesn’t he need to catch up on sleep?

Meng Qianqian stretched lazily and called out, "Ban Xia."

Nanny Li entered the room. "Miss, you’re awake? Ban Xia is outside watering the new peonies Madam planted."

Meng Qianqian rubbed her eyes and asked, "Nanny, what time is it?"

"It’s almost the hour of Shen (3–5 PM)."

"I slept that long? How did I make it back to the courtyard?"

She vaguely remembered being inside a carriage talking to Lu Yuan about the Twelve Guards but had no memory of when she fell asleep.

Nanny Li cleared her throat and said, "Miss was sleeping soundly. It was the Master who carried Miss back to the courtyard. What a labor of love for him."

Meng Qianqian: Nanny Li, you’ve betrayed me completely, haven’t you? Did my mother-in-law bribe you too much?

Nanny Li handed Meng Qianqian clothes she had prepared in advance. "Miss, what happened at the Princess Mansion last night? You stayed there all night and disturbed Madam, who needed medicine for something."

Liu Qingyun detested being woken up, yet last night she wasn’t angry when roused but even sent Yu Zichuan to deliver the medicine herself.

The calmer Madam seemed, the bigger the matter usually was.

Meng Qianqian shared what happened regarding Lin Wan’er, though she naturally omitted parts involving the Twelve Guards.

Nanny Li was utterly shocked.

She never expected Lin Wan’er to be pretending, nor did she anticipate Lu Xingzhou would want Lin Wan’er dead.

Even a tiger will not eat its cub. No matter what, Lin Wan’er was carrying his son, his flesh and blood.

Nanny Li was chilled to the bone.

As for the fake Lin Wan’er, although Nanny Li had been expecting her to face karma for her misdeeds, she hadn’t hoped for her death.

"That poor child,"

Nanny Li sighed.

She said no more after that.

Everyone had their own fate. There was far too much injustice in the world. She could only hope that the child wouldn’t bear the sins of the previous generation.

Meng Qianqian glanced around and asked, "Where is my husband?"

Nanny Li was heating water and replied, "Your Majesty came here earlier. The Master just finished escorting His Majesty out and is now in the study."

Meng Qianqian washed her face and asked, "Why did His Majesty come to the mansion?"

Nanny Li said, "It seemed he came to play card games with the Old Madam and the Miao King. Madam joined them too."

Meng Qianqian’s lips twitched. Three old hustlers—did they manage to leave Zong Zhengxi without his underwear?

"Have some snacks to tide you over. I’ll ask the kitchen to prepare a couple of dishes."

"Alright."

Meng Qianqian carried half a plate of Osmanthus Cake and half a plate of fried treats to the study.

Lu Yuan was tinkering with an odd little box.

Meng Qianqian placed the plate on the table and asked, "Grand Commander, what is this?"

Lu Yuan replied, "Something Yu Zichuan dug up from the Lu Family."

"Is this what Hai Pig wanted Lin Wan’er to wait for?" Meng Qianqian asked curiously, blinking. "Is it opened yet?"

Lu Yuan said coolly, "Since it’s something belonging to the Twelve Guards, I should wait and let you open it yourself."

"Then I won’t stand on ceremony."

Meng Qianqian put down the Osmanthus Cake she had been nibbling and reached out to open the box.

"Let me do it." Lu Yuan suddenly blocked her hand. "Stand back and watch from over there."

Meng Qianqian obediently backed away.

The box was locked with a mechanism—not an ordinary copper lock but a Poetry Lock, which required rotating the text on copper rings to open.

There were four copper rings, each with six... symbols?

Meng Qianqian widened her eyes in surprise, "What are these? I don’t recognize them."

"Sanskrit."

While speaking, Lu Yuan had already unlocked the mechanism.

"You even know Sanskrit?" Meng Qianqian admired Lu Yuan with newfound reverence.

She walked back over for a closer look and exclaimed, "Huh, the box is empty!"

"""

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.