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Chapter 123: Shocking the Capital
Chapter 123: Shocking the Capital
Ji Li had lost face and fled in embarrassment.
Meng Qianqian leaped lightly and landed in front of the swing, unblocking the acupoint for Tan'er.
Tan'er breathed a sigh of relief. "That chicken is so powerful! Sister, what did he mean by killing and taking orders?"
"He hasn't acknowledged my identity yet," Meng Qianqian explained. "If I don't earn his recognition, he'll kill me and take back the Tiger Emblem."
Tan'er worriedly stomped her foot. "What should we do? He's so strong; we can't beat him!"
Meng Qianqian smiled faintly. "It's fine. After tonight's commotion, he probably won't dare to show his face to me for a while."
Before that, she would work hard to improve her martial arts and strengthen her body, striving to uphold the dignity of the Yin Hu Wei (Tiger Guards) when she formally faced Ji Li.
"Tan'er, don't tell anyone else about this for now, and keep Ji Li's identity a secret as well."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Tan'er giggled and pointed outside. "Sister, that big axe guy seems to live in the alley too. I heard him going further inside. Do you want to pay him a visit?"
Meng Qianqian thought for a moment and shook her head. "No."
She couldn't beat him.
The next day, Zhang Feihu paid a visit.
The seventh uncle, Meng Tianlan, and Yu Li were not at home. Yu Li had gone out with Wu Ge to visit the various colleges in the capital, and he seemed genuinely interested in enrolling in one of them.
As for the seventh uncle and Meng Tianlan, they had been taken by the people arranged by Cen Guanshi to tour the capital and the nearby famous mountains and rivers.
"Hmm? Little Nine, did your in-laws come to visit?"
There were more clothes hanging on the clothesline in the back yard.
"My relatives from my husband's family are here," Meng Qianqian replied.
Zhang Feihu was surprised and quickly went to take a look.
Meng Qianqian invited Zhang Feihu into the main room. "They went out early in the morning."
Banxia served a cup of hot tea. "General Zhang, please have some tea."
"Ah, ah!" Zhang Feihu picked up the tea cup and politely took a big sip. "Whew! That's hot!"
Banxia stammered, "Sorry, I forgot that General Zhang prefers his tea cold. Let me get you another cup."
Zhang Feihu waved his hand. "It's fine. I can drink it once it cools down."
Banxia anxiously glanced at her mistress.
Meng Qianqian curved her lips. "Go on with your work."
Banxia left the room.
Meng Qianqian recalled that Zhang Feihu had mentioned leaving the capital soon, and she assumed he had come to bid her farewell. She had been staying at home lately and wasn't well-informed about the court's movements, so she wasn't sure if the envoy from Beiliang had already entered the capital.
Seeing Meng Qianqian's silent and pensive expression, Zhang Feihu smiled. "Don't worry, I didn't come to bid you farewell. The seventh prince of Beiliang caught a cold along the way, and the court has just sent an imperial physician to treat him. They won't be arriving in the capital anytime soon."
The seventh prince's illness was purely due to his inability to adapt to the local climate, and it had nothing to do with any foul play by the court or the Beiliang envoys.
However, there was a possibility of unrest, so the court had dispatched an entire army under the pretext of escorting the imperial physician.
Initially, the court had intended to favor Lu Lingxiao, but who knew that he would end up receiving ninety strokes of the board and be unable to get out of bed. In the end, the task fell to Han Ci and Zhao Qingyun.
"Why didn't General Zhang go?"
This was a great opportunity to make a name for oneself. In terms of seniority, Zhang Feihu was the first choice, followed by Nie Hanshan.
Soon, Meng Qianqian understood Zhang Feihu's intentions.
He wanted to give younger officers more opportunities to distinguish themselves and let the people of Beiliang see that the Great Zhou Dynasty had a wealth of talented individuals, not just the older generation.
Nie Hanshan shared the same sentiment.
Meng Qianqian said sincerely, "I admire the magnanimity of the two generals."
"Let's not talk about that." Zhang Feihu waved his hand. "I came today to discuss the betrothal gift with you. I'm not very familiar with the customs in the capital, so... how much is usually given?"
Meng Qianqian asked in confusion, "What do you mean by 'bridal gift money'?"
Zhang Feihu stared at her in astonishment. "You don't know?'' He pulled out a wedding invitation from his pocket and exclaimed, "You... didn't receive this?"
Meng Qianqian opened the invitation and was stunned.
Even when staging a play, Lu Yuan goes all out. This wedding invitation looks so authentic!
Seeing Meng Qianqian's reaction, Zhang Feihu was convinced of his speculation.
He scratched his head, "What's going on? All the brothers received one, how did you get left out? You're the Grand Marshal's bodyguard and live so close by, shouldn't the first invitation have gone to you?"
Meng Qianqian was shocked and dazed. "All... received... one?"
Zhang Feihu nodded. "Yep, everyone from the centurions and above received a wedding invitation. For those who didn't, the army will host a banquet for three days, and I heard that each brother will receive a red packet!"
Meng Qianqian was flabbergasted.
"You're shocked, right? I was the same when I first heard it!" Zhang Feihu patted her shoulder. "I was thinking, since you're the Grand Marshal's confidante, you probably don't need an invitation. By the way, do you know who our future sister-in-law is?"
...
At Changchun Palace.
On Consort Li's table lay a wedding invitation as well. It had been sent by the Marshal's Mansion to the Duke's Mansion, and then passed on to Consort Li for her perusal.
It stated that on the 16th of next month, the Marshal's Mansion would be hosting a wedding banquet and cordially invited relatives and friends to attend.
Eunuch Wang was puzzled, "It's strange that the bride's name isn't mentioned on the invitation. I've never seen such a wedding invitation in my life."
Consort Li huffed, "Lu Yuan is always unpredictable. It would be strange if he followed the rules."
Eunuch Wang looked at the date on the invitation, the 16th of April, and said, "It's on this day... how dare he take the Emperor and Empress' auspicious date?"
Consort Li pressed her temples and said slowly, "He wouldn't take this date. It's most likely my crazy sister from Miao Territory who took it."
How could she not know that her sister's visit to the capital this time was to facilitate Lu Yuan's marriage with someone from Miao Territory? Lu Yuan's fiancee was probably a young lady from Miao Territory. She never expected that he would also have a day when someone forced him into marriage.
Eunuch Wang asked tentatively, "Your Highness, should we..."
Consort Li asked indifferently, "Are you thinking of getting this date back for me?"
Thinking of her crazy sister, the fear of being controlled rose in Consort Li's heart, and she dared not admit that she was actually a little scared.
She turned her head away and said, "Let her have this one!"
News of Lu Yuan's upcoming marriage to a young lady from Miao Territory soon spread.
Lu Wan had gone out to buy some rouge and also heard about it. She immediately returned to the Maple Court and told Lin Wan'er.
"Miss, Meng Qianqian relied on her looks to seduce the Grand Marshal and get his support, right? But now, the Grand Marshal is about to get married! Once the Marshal's wife arrives, and she finds out that Meng Qianqian once seduced her husband, what do you think will happen to her?"
Lin Wan'er recalled how Meng Qianqian had bullied her when she first entered the Lu family, simply because she was the main wife. She had even mocked Lin Wan'er for being a concubine.
Now, how ironic that Lin Wan'er was about to become a wife, while Meng Qianqian had become a shameful concubine!
It was as if heaven's wheel had turned full circle!
Lin Wan'er could already envision a series of painful endings for Meng Qianqian, including having her hair pulled, being tortured on the cangue, publicly humiliated, and even thrown into a pig cage.
Moreover, while outsiders were unaware, she had heard from people in the Duke's Mansion that the 16th of next month was originally an auspicious date for the Emperor and Empress. Lu Yuan had taken their date, which showed how much he valued his fiancee.
This time, Meng Qianqian was truly left with no way out.
Qianqian: What happened to keeping a low profile?
Grand Preceptor: I never said that, you did.
(Megaphone) Little Loudspeaker: Cleaning house - for tickets!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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