Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 92 - 91: There is No Cure for Regret in the World

Chapter 92: Chapter 91: There is No Cure for Regret in the World

"Minister Lu said this was no place for Little Nine, and if that’s the case, I, too, have no right to stay here."

As Zhang Feihu spoke, he cupped his hands and bowed to the young emperor. "Your Majesty, this subordinate bids farewell! For my discourtesy today before the throne, I will accept my punishment upon returning to the barracks!"

Nie Hanshan rose and cupped his hands. "Your Majesty, this subordinate bids farewell!"

Zhao Qingyun: "This subordinate bids farewell!"

"This subordinate bids farewell!"

"This subordinate bids farewell!"

One after another, the generals stood and took their leave.

Miss Zhou wept, her face streaked with tears and snot. After wiping her nose, she tossed her handkerchief onto the table. "This lousy banquet, I’m leaving too!"

General Zhou’s body jolted, nearly falling off his seat!

Wretched girl!

The Emperor hosts a banquet, and you’re causing a scene!

Are you trying to get your father killed?

And yet, Miss Zhou’s outburst voiced the sentiments of many. This welcome banquet was meant to honor the soldiers of the border. Which of those present hadn’t killed enemies on the battlefield?

Yet Lu Xingzhou’s airy remark—"This is no place for you"—offended everyone who had shared life and death with Meng Xiaojiu.

Earlier, the screens obscured the view for the womenfolk, but now with closer observation, they could see that many soldiers bore visible injuries.

"Shouldn’t it be Minister Lu who leaves?"

A noblewoman remarked with disdain.

General Zhou’s body jolted again!

Madam!

Why must you get involved too?

An elderly lady nodded. "Exactly!"

General Zhou nearly burst into tears: My dear mother!

With the Zhou family’s women leading the charge, the ladies’ section descended into chaos.

Bound by the Emperor’s authority, the civil servants dared not voice dissent, but the ladies, driven by emotion and rallied by the momentum, ignored such concerns.

It also helped that Imperial Censor Wang was absent.

"This isn’t the first time General Lu has abandoned his wife. Back when spies from Beiliang infiltrated the Capital City, capturing both his wife and concubine, didn’t he only save the concubine?"

"Miss Xiaojiu cut ties with him, and he holds a grudge for it! Who’s to say he didn’t intentionally push her toward the blades of the Beiliang forces this time?"

"I’ve heard that over the past five years, the Lu Family lived off Meng Xiaojiu’s support. And in return, how did Minister Lu repay his former daughter-in-law?"

"Disgracing one’s family name—doesn’t that describe them perfectly?"

Old scandals resurfaced, and each one was a figurative slap across the faces of the Lu Family.

The matriarch and the second madam of the Lu Family wished they could find a hole to hide in.

Lin Wan’er, too, was called a vixen.

Her status as the daughter of the Shenhou was brought up and compared to Meng Qianqian’s.

How could she possibly measure up?

At this point, the Lu Family had no dignity left to remain.

With a flick of his sleeve, Lu Xingzhou declared, "Why does this general need to abuse authority to bully others? In that case, I shall take my leave!"

Anyone could tell he was trying to salvage some pride, but did the Lu Family even have any pride left to salvage?

The Lu Family left in disgrace.

As soon as they exited the Imperial Palace, Lu Xingzhou berated Lu Lingxiao. "Why didn’t you tell me sooner about Meng Xiaojiu?"

If he had known earlier that Meng Qianqian was Meng Xiaojiu, he would never have chastised her in front of the Emperor.

How could things have escalated to this?

In his pursuit of gaining influence over the Black Armor Guards, he had flattered Lin Wan’er incessantly, which had brought no small amount of suffering to Meng Qianqian.

And now, Meng Qianqian turned out to be Meng Xiaojiu?

If he had known this earlier, why would he have sought far and wide for Lin Wan’er? He would’ve treated Meng Qianqian like an ancestor!

Lu Lingxiao had remained silent because he simply had no face to bring it up.

"And you!"

Lu Xingzhou turned to complain to Lu’s mother. "You were so close to Qianqian, spending five years together day after day—did you not notice her abilities?"

Madam Lu replied coldly, "Does it matter if I did? When I wanted to adopt Lin Wan’er as an honorary daughter, one of you disagreed, and the other didn’t care. If only you’d spared a single thought for Qianqian, we wouldn’t be in this situation now!"

Indeed, if he had opposed Lin Wan’er’s affair with his son from the start and adopted her as a foster daughter instead, Qianqian wouldn’t have left the Lu Family.

If that had been the case, the Shenhou’s heiress would be part of the Lu Family, and so would Yin Hu—

Lu Xingzhou regretted it deeply, but alas, there was no turning back time!

Linde Hall.

The generals, having stood up for Little Nine and vented their frustrations, felt satisfied but now faced an awkward situation.

Having declared their departure, could they actually sit back down without losing their dignity?

Meng Qianqian thought for a moment. "I heard the food from the Imperial Kitchen is excellent. My brothers and I have never tried it. Why don’t we have a meal before we leave?"

"I’m hungry," Zhao Qingyun said as he sat back down.

"I’m hungry too," Nie Hanshan echoed, also taking his seat again.

Zhang Feihu looked to the heavens.

Meng Qianqian tugged on his sleeve.

Though known for his immense strength, General Zhang Feihu allowed Meng Qianqian to effortlessly pull him back into his seat.

The young emperor let out a long sigh of relief and cast a grateful glance at Meng Qianqian.

After calming the generals, Meng Qianqian left to find Bao Shu, who seemed to have wandered off to play with Ban Xia and Tan’er.

As soon as she left, Zhang Feihu promptly slapped Nie Hanshan across the face.

Nie Hanshan gritted his teeth. "What was that for?"

"You call yourself a scout? How could you not find out this kind of information?"

"How would I know Little Nine had anything to do with the Lu Family? What business do I have snooping on the Lu Family’s affairs? Also—"

Before Nie Hanshan could finish his sentence, Zhang Feihu slapped him again from the other side. "What Lu Family’s daughter-in-law? Didn’t you hear? She’s severed ties with them!"

Nie Hanshan clutched his head and glared. "Stop hitting me!"

Zhang Feihu indeed seemed ready to strike again, but just then Zhao Qingyun tapped him on the shoulder.

He snapped, "What?"

Zhao Qingyun: "I’m the scout."

Nie Hanshan: "That’s what I wanted to say earlier!"

Zhang Feihu: "..."

Meng Qianqian searched for Bao Shu for quite a while but couldn’t find her.

Fortunately, with Qing Shuang secretly tailing Bao Shu, there was no immediate cause for concern, though it was getting close to mealtime.

Unfamiliar with the Imperial Palace layout, Meng Qianqian remembered that last time she arrived directly in a sedan chair to Changchun Palace and had no idea where she was now.

She thought of finding a palace attendant to ask but realized there was no one in sight.

How odd. From here, she could hear the music from Linde Hall, indicating she wasn’t far, yet no attendants patrolled the area?

As her curiosity grew, her sharp ears picked up the conversation between a man and a woman.

The exact contents were unclear, but she caught the phrases "on the road" and "seven days."

Both voices sounded vaguely familiar.

"Someone’s here!"

The man’s alert tone came suddenly.

A fierce palm strike shot toward Meng Qianqian.

She quickly ducked behind a tree. Her movement technique was swift, but the opponent’s palm strike was faster, brimming with overwhelming Inner Strength.

In her haste, she blocked the strike directly with her arm, leaving it numb and incapacitated.

"Who’s there?"

The masked man approached the tree coldly.

Clutching her useless right arm, Meng Qianqian prepared for a last stand. Her odds of winning? Twenty percent.

"Waaah!"

A childish, squeaky voice suddenly cried out.

"Ew, you’re filthy. I’m not picking you up."

"Waaah waaaah waaaah!"

The little one hurled a string of rather colorful insults.

The man, poised for a lethal strike, flinched, his gaze flickering momentarily before leaping away using Qinggong.

Meng Qianqian promptly fired a silver needle after him. Though her opponent was eager to escape, he was hit by the needle, his figure lurching briefly. Yet his deep Power ensured he could still flee swiftly.