Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 47: For Whom Does the Grand Commander Bow Down

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: For Whom Does the Grand Commander Bow Down

Changchun Palace.

Consort Li listened to Eunuch Wang’s report, her beautiful eyes flashing with anger: "What did you say? They were rescued by the Governor Mansion’s people?"

Eunuch Wang said, "Not exactly rescued. Lady Lu and her maid accidentally fainted right at the gate of the Governor Mansion. The Imperial Guard was yelling and fighting on the Governor Mansion’s territory. To anyone unaware, it might seem that Your Grace was trying to make a public spectacle! Wouldn’t that just put Your Grace at odds with them?"

Consort Li tugged at her handkerchief in dissatisfaction: "A pack of fools!"

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Lady Yan finally emerged from Meng Qianqian’s room.

She went next door.

Even after a sleepless night, this famed courtesan of the Wanhua Tower—renowned for training countless beauties—remained impeccably made-up, exuding charm and allure with every gesture.

Sitting down with a flourish, fan in hand, she smiled at the man opposite her, Lu Yuan: "Oh my, Grand Commander, you’re either an early riser or you haven’t slept at all?"

Lu Yuan sipped his tea leisurely: "Is she alive?"

Lady Yan replied teasingly, "When I, Lady Yan, step in, how could anyone fail to be saved? Still, I’m quite curious—why is the Grand Commander so concerned about a little maid? At first, I thought she was your woman, but upon closer look, she’s still a maiden! You haven’t even touched her!"

Lu Yuan’s tea-sipping froze for a moment.

"Ah, so I hit the mark?" Lady Yan’s eyes gleamed, curiosity ablaze as she pressed on, "What’s going on? Tell me all about it!"

Lu Yuan set his teacup down: "You talk too much."

Lady Yan scoffed, "I saved her for you, didn’t I? Is it wrong to ask? If you won’t tell, I won’t help next time! Oh dear, the mighty Grand Commander, brought to his knees by a woman—"

"I saved her because she has value."

With that, Lu Yuan rose to leave. Just as he pulled open the slightly ajar door, he saw Meng Qianqian standing there.

Behind her stood Qing Shuang, her face icy, and the Commander of the Jinyi Guard, his expression caught between awkwardness and exasperation.

The Commander’s hand, which had been scratching his head, froze in mid-air, neither moving forward nor retreating.

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly.

Meng Qianqian spoke calmly: "I’ve come to thank the Grand Commander. I owe you for this favor. If I can be of any use to you in the future, please do not hesitate to ask."

The Commander of the Jinyi Guard looked thoroughly embarrassed. "Well... um..."

Meng Qianqian curtseyed slightly: "Thank you for sheltering me, Grand Commander. I’ll be taking my leave."

With that, she returned to the room next door and bent down to carry the soundly sleeping Tan’er.

Qing Shuang stepped ahead of her and hoisted Tan’er onto her shoulder.

Meng Qianqian hesitated for a moment. "Thank you, Miss Qing Shuang."

Qing Shuang replied, "You may simply call me Qing Shuang."

Snow had fallen for an entire day and night, only stopping as night fell. A thick layer of snow blanketed the ground, crunching underfoot with each step.

Watching the three figures depart, the Commander of the Jinyi Guard turned his frosty face toward Lady Yan, who was sipping tea leisurely inside. "I say, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?"

Lady Yan chuckled, "You abducted me here; shouldn’t I take my revenge? Did you think I was made of paper, hmm?"

The Commander of the Jinyi Guard gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to cut her down on the spot. Turning to Lu Yuan, he asked, "Sir, shall I... go explain?"

"Hmph!"

Lu Yuan walked away, expressionless.

Someone from the kitchen approached and asked, "Commander, what’s for breakfast?"

The Commander of the Jinyi Guard straightened his sleeves and replied nonchalantly, "Duck with a hard bill!" (literal: ’dead duck’s mouth’, implying stubbornness)

Meng Qianqian arrived at the gate of the Governor Mansion, where a carriage was already prepared. After boarding, Qing Shuang lifted Tan’er into the carriage as well.

Meng Qianqian asked Qing Shuang, "Could we stop by the Wang Family first? There’s someone I’d like to pick up."

Qing Shuang opened the carriage window and looked out. She said to Meng Qianqian, "The Wang Family is already here."

"My lady, why have you brought me to the Governor Mansion so early?"

"Speak for yourself—I told you to return to the Capital earlier, didn’t I?"

"Well... I was handling matters in Li County. I rushed back as soon as I received your message, but what could I do with the city gates closed?"

"Enough chatter! Get down quickly—this is urgent!"

Lady Wang unceremoniously dragged Imperial Censor Wang off the carriage.

"Lady Wang,"

Meng Qianqian’s gentle voice sounded from behind her.

Lady Wang and Imperial Censor Wang turned around simultaneously. Lady Wang promptly shoved her husband aside.

"Miss!"

Ban Xia leapt from another carriage and ran to Meng Qianqian, grabbing her arm and looking her over anxiously. "Miss!"

Meng Qianqian wiped the tears from Ban Xia’s face. "I’m fine."

Lady Wang, too, held Meng Qianqian’s hand, scrutinizing her closely. "Truly fine? They didn’t use torture?"

Empress Xiao had contacts within the Imperial Guard and learnt that Meng Qianqian and Tan’er had been taken to the Governor Mansion. Everyone knew that the Governor Mansion housed the most terrifying dungeons in the Capital, not to mention the unholy alliance between the Grand Commander and Consort Li. Lady Wang had feared Meng Qianqian might crawl out missing a layer of skin.

Meng Qianqian smiled faintly: "No, but thank you for your concern, Lady Wang."

Seeing her sincerity, Lady Wang felt reassured. She glanced around nervously and asked, "Where is Tan’er?"

Meng Qianqian replied, "In the carriage. She was exhausted yesterday and hasn’t woken yet."

Then she looked toward Imperial Censor Wang and politely curtsied. "Greetings to you, Master Wang."

Imperial Censor Wang returned the bow courteously.

Lady Wang said, "This is the Lady Lu I mentioned to you."

Imperial Censor Wang bowed again. "Thank you, Lady Lu, for saving my wife’s life."

Meng Qianqian replied hastily, "I dare not accept such thanks."

Imperial Censor Wang asked suspiciously, "So, my lady, you called me back in the dead of night because Lady Lu was detained at the Governor Mansion? May I inquire, Lady Lu, on what grounds were you arrested?"

"It was all a misunderstanding," the Commander of the Jinyi Guard interrupted grandly, stepping forward. "After investigation, it’s clear Lady Lu committed no crime. She is free to leave."

Lady Wang asked, "And what about Tan’er?"

The Commander of the Jinyi Guard replied, "Though she caused a disruption in the Imperial Palace and violated palace rules, considering her young age, her dedication to saving her mistress, and this being her first offense, we’ve decided not to punish her."

Imperial Censor Wang frowned. "Who caused a disruption in the Imperial Palace?"

"No one! You must’ve misheard!" Lady Wang hurriedly pulled her husband away. She knew her husband’s habit of filing impeachment memorials indiscriminately—ally or foe, it didn’t matter!

"But, my lady, I distinctly heard—"

"You heard nothing!"

Lady Wang pushed her husband onto the carriage. "Get him back home!"

"Yes, my lady!"

The coachman cracked the whip, and the carriage sped off.

Lady Wang then took Meng Qianqian’s hand and led her onto another Wang Family carriage.

Over at the Lu Family, news of Meng Qianqian’s detention at the Governor Mansion had already reached them. However, the version they heard wasn’t about the Imperial Guard losing to the Jinyi Guard—it was that the Imperial Guard had voluntarily handed the case over to the Jinyi Guard.

After all, even the Imperial Guard had to maintain its dignity.

The matriarch didn’t care who handled the case. She was furious regardless: "Constant troublemaking! How did the Lu Family end up with such a wretched trouble magnet!"

The second wife chimed in, "Exactly! Last time, she offended the Grand Commander. Now she’s crossed the Noble Consort. I think she’s determined to drag the Lu Family down! Isn’t there a law for that... what’s it called... ’implicating all nine branches’ of a clan?"

At these words, everyone’s faces turned pale.

The old matriarch clutched her chest in panic. Consort Li was the Emperor’s birth mother. Once the Supreme Emperor passed away, she would naturally become the Empress Dowager.

How many heads could the Lu Family offer to atone for offending her?

"That wretched girl!"

The second wife said anxiously, "Mother! We need to come up with a solution quickly; we can’t let her drag us all down!"