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Chapter 170: What a Wonderful Brother
Chapter 170: What a Wonderful Brother
Suddenly, a sweet voice rang out from the alley, calling out, "Brother!"
Chen Long's expression froze, and he turned towards the voice.
Meng Qianqian took a step forward, chasing after him.
"Brother!" the girl called out again, her voice filled with laughter.
Meng Qianqian clenched her fists. 'If you have another sister...'
Chen Long walked past the girl, brushing shoulders with her.
A young scholar hurried into the alley, holding a box of freshly baked pastries. "Didn't I ask you to wait for me at the shop?" he said to the girl.
The girl smiled. "I was worried you'd get lost."
The scholar lovingly patted her head. "I lined up for half an hour to get these. Here, take them."
"You're the best, brother!" The girl giggled as she took the pastries.
The siblings left together, chatting and laughing.
Meng Qianqian stood in the alley, laughing and crying at the same time.
What was she thinking?
How could her brother have found another sister just because she died? Lin Wan'er's deception as Shen Hou's daughter wouldn't work on Chen Long; he was a wise and calm person.
Now that she had confirmed he was alive, Meng Qianqian was happy. But the thought that she might never be able to reunite with him in this life made her feel sad again.
"If we can't reunite, then I'll become one of the Twelve Shadows that you recognize."
Wiping away her tears, Meng Qianqian smiled. She would have to work harder on her martial arts.
When Meng Qianqian returned to Fengshui Lake, Bao Zhu and her good-for-nothing father had tired themselves out from their argument. Bao Zhu was dozing off, her little head bobbing up and down like a chick pecking at rice grains.
"Why don't you hold her?" Meng Qianqian asked Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan looked wronged. "She won't let me."
Meng Qianqian picked up Bao Zhu, who glanced at her and obediently snuggled into her embrace, falling into a deep sleep.
Lu Yuan glanced at her red-rimmed eyes, scanning her from head to toe to check for injuries. Finding none, he said expressionlessly, "You've seen him?"
Meng Qianqian nodded, cradling the sleeping Bao Zhu. "It was Chen Long."
"Did you two recognize each other?" Lu Yuan asked.
Meng Qianqian's eyelids twitched as she wondered how her relationship with Chen Long had been exposed. Then she realized that she was Xiao Yin Hu, one of the Twelve Shadows, just like Chen Long. Lu Yuan was asking if they had recognized each other as fellow members of the Twelve Shadows.
She had been too nervous.
Even if Lu Yuan continued to suspect her identity, he would never guess that she had died once before.
"No," Meng Qianqian replied.
"Then why are you crying?" Lu Yuan asked.
"It's nothing," Meng Qianqian said.
"Hmph, suit yourself." Lu Yuan folded his arms behind his back and strode forward.
Once they entered the Governor's Mansion, Meng Qianqian carried Bao Zhu to Ting Lan Yard.
Cen, the housekeeper, approached Lu Yuan with a smile. "The Madam went out to clear her mind. It's good that she has her ways to deal with her sorrows. Staying in the mansion all the time could make one go crazy!"
Lu Yuan furrowed his brows. "What does it mean when a woman cries for a man?"
Cen was surprised. "Crying? Who's crying? The Madam?"
"Just answer the question!" Lu Yuan said.
Cen thought carefully. "When a woman cries for a man, it's either because of family ties or romantic love. The first reason is easy to understand—seeing a family member after a long time can be very emotional. But if it's because of love, then it's troublesome—'Love that cannot be attained, tossing and turning in bed, 'These memories can only be chased, for at the time, they were taken for granted,' 'Entering the Marquis' household is like entering the deep sea, from then on, the beloved is but a passerby'..."
Lu Yuan glared at Cen.
Clearing his throat, Cen said solemnly, "Or perhaps she was crying because of ugliness."
Lu Yuan walked away, his face cold.
Cen slapped himself on the face. "Why did I have to learn from Officer Shangguan's sharp tongue?"
Meng Qianqian lay in bed that night, thinking about Chen Long and tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Lu Yuan was in the study, reading a book. Hearing the noises from the neighboring room, he recalled Cen's words, "Love that cannot be attained, tossing and turning in bed," and his face darkened.
The next day, Liu Changsheng came to the Governor's Mansion to inform Meng Qianqian about a disturbance at the shop on East Street. He had reported it to the officials, but the culprits seemed to have some background. Instead of arresting them, the officers had surrounded the shop.
After Liu Changsheng had turned the shop into a tea house, business had boomed, attracting the envy of competitors.
However, Liu Changsheng had always handled these situations well, sending the troublemakers away.
It was only because the situation had become particularly tricky that he had come to the Governor's Mansion to seek Meng Qianqian's advice.
"Let's go and take a look," she said. "I want to see if someone's green with envy or if they're taking advantage of the Governor's Mansion's weakened state to kick us while we're down."
When she saw the guest in the side room, she realized that she had guessed wrong the entire time.
"Paying respects to Princess Wanping," Meng Qianqian said, bowing politely.
Princess Wanping sat in an armchair made of yellow pear wood, which clearly didn't belong to the shop. It must have been carried upstairs by her servants.
Meng Qianqian couldn't help but think of Lu Yuan, who always brought his own chair and charcoal fire wherever he went.
Was Princess Wanping trying to imitate the Heart's Master?
The princess was dressed in a pink waist-bound robe, with a white, pipa-collared silk jacket draped over it. Her figure was graceful, and her head was adorned with a light and airy heart-shaped bun, without any gold hairpins, but instead decorated with white jade flowers and pearl headbands, giving her an air of youthful elegance and vitality.
Her face was painted with delicate makeup, her eyebrows shaped like distant mountain peaks, and her lips like they held a hint of rouge.
To be fair, Princess Wanping was indeed beautiful, and her appearance here did not seem out of place.
Princess Wanping spoke slowly, "You dare to make me wait. You certainly have a lot of nerve."
Listen to her, even her words were similar to Lu Yuan's.
Meng Qianqian remained calm and said, "Princess Wanping, you've caused such a ruckus just to force Xiao Jiu to show himself, haven't you? Now that he's here, can the officials outside be dismissed?"
Princess Wanping lifted her finger and admired her newly painted nails, "That depends on whether you know what's good for you."
Meng Qianqian responded with an 'oh', "What do you mean by that?"
Princess Wanping replied with disdain, "I'm not here to beat around the bush with you. Leave Lu Yuan. Either ask him for a divorce yourself, or have him write you a letter of divorce. I, Princess Wanping, will find you another suitable man, and I will provide the dowry myself."
Meng Qianqian's smile faded, "Are you ordering me, Princess Wanping?"
Princess Wanping asked, "And if I am?"
Meng Qianqian replied calmly, "May I ask, Princess Wanping, what gives you the right to meddle in my affairs?"
Princess Wanping thought that Meng Qianqian was trying to drive a hard bargain, "I will ask my father, the Emperor, to bestow upon you the title of County Princess. I will also gift you ten thousand taels of gold and a thousand acres of fertile land. Surely that will satisfy you? I advise you to know when to stop. Don't be greedy and anger me, or you might not even get a single copper coin!"
Meng Qianqian let out a cold laugh, "A mere County Princess title isn't enough. My husband's looks rival those of Pan An. He is the most handsome man in the world. You would have to trade your title and all your wealth for him."
Princess Wanping's expression turned stern, "Meng Qianqian, don't think you can refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Are you aware of the current situation? My father, the Emperor, and the Prime Minister have returned to the capital. They will surely be rectifying the government, and Lu Yuan will be the first to be affected. Only I, Princess Wanping, can protect him!"
She continued, as if her previous statement wasn't enough, and directed her words at Meng Qianqian, "Don't think I'm unaware of your little secrets. If it weren't for me cleaning up the mess behind the scenes, your relationship with the Lady of Anyuan Hou would have been exposed long ago!"
She was referring to the incident where Lady Yu and the servants of Anyuan Hou Mansion had caused a scene. The fact that there hadn't been any subsequent rumors was likely due to Princess Wanping's intervention.
"So, you're doing this for my husband's sake?" Meng Qianqian asked.
Princess Wanping lifted her chin, "Of course. In this world, no one cares for him more than I do!"
During their previous encounter at the palace, she had tried to hide her feelings, but now, with only Meng Qianqian present, she made no attempt to conceal her affection for Lu Yuan.
Meng Qianqian sighed, "Princess Wanping, I appreciate your good intentions, but my husband's difficulties are something I will face with him."
Princess Wanping scoffed, "Who do you think you are? You think your achievements at the border are impressive? Compared to the Prime Minister and his advisors, you are nothing!"
Meng Qianqian feigned surprise, "Princess Wanping, I am one of the Twelve Guards. Are you saying that the Prime Minister has someone more formidable than the Twelve Guards by his side?"
Princess Wanping proudly declared, "There's no harm in telling you. The Prime Minister has adopted Chen Long of the Twelve Guards as his son. You, on the other hand, are a new addition to the Twelve Guards and are not even worthy of being his shoe-shiner!"
Meng Qianqian furrowed her brows.
Chen Long was indeed the Prime Minister's newly adopted son.
Strange, what was going on? How did Chen Long become the son of the Prime Minister?
It seemed that she needed to meet with Chen Long again and ask him about this directly.
Seeing Meng Qianqian deep in thought, Princess Wanping sneered, "Now you know better, don't you? If you know what's good for you, leave the Commander's Mansion immediately and stay far away from Lu Yuan!"
Meng Qianqian paused for a moment before sticking out her tongue and huffing, "The Prime Minister's power has nothing to do with you. Why are you acting so high and mighty?"
If this had been in the past, Princess Wanping would have scolded Meng Qianqian for being presumptuous.
However, instead of getting angry, she laughed, as if she had been waiting for Meng Qianqian to give her an opportunity to boast.
"The Prime Minister has given Chen Long to me, to be my personal guard."
No wonder she was so confident. She had come not only to take Lu Yuan away but also to flaunt Chen Long in front of Meng Qianqian.
The Prime Minister was indeed generous. He had given away one of the Twelve Guards, whom even the beloved concubine Li and the Emperor themselves dreamed of winning over.
No wonder Princess Wanping wanted to boast. Who wouldn't, in her place?
Furthermore, by giving away one of the Twelve Guards, he was demonstrating his loyalty to the Emperor.
At that moment, Meng Qianqian finally understood Lu Yuan.
Wait, this might not be bad news after all.
She had been worrying about how to get close to Chen Long, and now the opportunity had presented itself.
Meng Qianqian smiled, "Princess Wanping, how about we make a bet? If you win, I will belong to you. But if I win, Chen Long will be mine."
Princess Wanping said disdainfully, "What would I want with you?"
Meng Qianqian smiled back, "If I become your person, you can decide whether to kill or torture me as you please."
Princess Wanping thought for a moment before coldly stating, "I don't want your life. I want Lu Yuan!"
Great villain: Meng Xiaojiu, how dare you gamble with my life! Try me!!!
A short, sweet chapter today!
(End of Chapter)
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