Chapter 221: Jealousy
Chapter 221: Jealousy
The Governor's Mansion was vast and spacious, and now, with each courtyard welcoming its owner, the once-quiet residence gradually came to life with a homely atmosphere.
Chen Long preferred tranquility, so Meng Qianqian specially arranged a serene and elegant courtyard for him.
When Meng Qianqian carried a food box to find him, he was sitting in the courtyard, lost in thought.
"Brother," Meng Qianqian called out with a smile.
Chen Long showed no emotion and didn't respond to her.
Meng Qianqian walked up to him and placed the steaming food box on the stone table.
Backlit by the moonlight, her shadow was cast on the ground.
Chen Long glanced at the ground, and the shadows formed a pair.
"What are you doing here?" Chen Long asked expressionlessly.
Meng Qianqian sat down beside him, "You didn't go for dinner, so I had to bring you food!"
Chen Long looked at Lu Yuan, "I was asking him."
Lu Yuan brushed his wide sleeves and sat opposite Chen Long with his arms crossed, "This is my home. I can go wherever I want."
Meng Qianqian pointed to the sky and swore, "He's worried that you'll harm me, but I trust you completely!"
Lu Yuan's face turned cold, "Meng Xiaojiu!"
Meng Qianqian shuddered.
Chen Long looked at the unassertive Xiao Yinhu and said to Lu Yuan, "Why are you being so fierce?"
Meng Qianqian added, "Yes, why are you so fierce?"
Lu Yuan: "..."
Lu Yuan turned his face away, not wanting to argue with someone.
Meng Qianqian opened the food box and took out several exquisite and delicious dishes, "Sweet and sour fish, braised chicken, stir-fried eggplant, radish soup, and sweet potato cakes."
Chen Long took a look, and they were all his favorite dishes.
A thought suddenly flashed through his mind—Wei Yang's words: "Don't you think that Meng Xiaojiu's archery stance is very similar to someone else's?"
Chen Long's eyes flickered.
He reached for the chopsticks, "Two pairs?"
Lu Yuan took a pair, "I haven't eaten either. Do you think I'd send food just for you? How face-saving is that?"
Chen Long looked at Meng Qianqian, "You're not eating."
Meng Qianqian patted her round belly, "I already ate."
The two men slowly and gracefully began their dinner under the moonlight, a pair of handsome men.
Meng Qianqian propped her chin with both hands, feeling that the sight was too good to be true.
But as they ate, something felt off.
Was it just her imagination?
It seemed like there was a murderous aura!
She looked at the two men in alarm, then had an idea and asked Ban Xia to bring a jar of wine.
"Come, come, let's drink!" She poured wine for both of them.
Lu Yuan raised his cup, "To the guest, I'll drink first as a gesture of respect."
"The guest follows the host's lead," Chen Long also drained his cup.
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, "Keep drinking."
Chen Long didn't back down, "If you want to drink, let's drink."
Meng Qianqian covered her head, feeling the murderous aura getting stronger...
When the two men went to pour more wine, Meng Qianqian stood up and hugged the wine jar, "You two, don't drink first. Let's finish discussing important matters before drinking."
Chen Long asked, "What important matters?"
Meng Qianqian asked, "What did you and the other Shier Wei members say at the Princess's Mansion?"
A day earlier.
Chen Long, Si She, Ji Li, Wei Yang, and Haizhu sat in the pavilion of the Princess's Mansion.
Wei Yang's first words were, "Don't you feel that Xiao Yinhu's archery stance is very similar to someone else's?"
No one among the Shier Wei members refuted this statement.
They understood who Wei Yang was referring to, but they also found it a bit absurd.
Wei Yang continued, "As far as I know, Meng Xiaojiu only met Li Haiya once at the border, and he immediately passed on the Yinhu Token to her. Don't you find this strange?"
Ji Li snapped open her folding fan, "Yes, so let's not acknowledge her!"
Si She said, "Don't cause trouble."
Ji Li pouted.
Wei Yang said, "She must have a connection with Chu Great General. Don't you all agree?"
Si She said, "According to what I know, Chu Great General doesn't have a younger sister, nor is it possible for him to have such an older illegitimate daughter. Could it be someone from Chu General's wife's family?"
Ji Li, uncharacteristically serious, said, "Xiao Yinhu is skilled in the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles, so it's not impossible."
Weiyang turned to Chenlong and said, "Chenlong, you have a good relationship with her. Why don't you investigate her?"
Ji Li, not pleased, protested, "Who said they have a good relationship? I'm Xiao Yinhu's neighbor!"
No one paid him any attention.
Si She spoke up, "I originally had a question for Chenlong, but since everyone is here, I might as well ask you all. Six years ago, on the night the Chu family was massacred, where were you all?"
Ji Li fanned himself with his folding fan, "I was on a mission with Li Haiya in Beiliang. Didn't I tell you this before?"
Weiyang replied, "I received the Great Marshal's order to capture Beiliang spies in the city."
Haizhu also said, "Me too."
Si She continued, "Alright, second question, who conveyed the orders to you? I hope you all answer together, as it relates to whether I should consider you enemies."
Ji Li, very cooperative, raised his fingers, "Three, two, one."
The three of them spoke in unison, "Shen Hou."
Ji Li clicked his tongue, "Oh dear, now there's no one left to verify this."
Weiyang, puzzled, asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Ji Li, with a flourish, fanned himself and said, "It means that there's a traitor among the Shier Wei, and that night, someone deliberately sent you all away so that the Chu family would meet their tragic end."
Weiyang's eyebrows furrowed, "Shen Hou is the traitor?"
Ji Li smiled casually, "Or perhaps it's you who are using Shen Hou to lie."
Weiyang, displeased, said, "What evidence do you have to prove we're lying?"
Ji Li spread his hands, "That's why I said, there's no one left to verify it."
Weiyang asked, "Is it just because the three of us sided with the Chancellor?"
Ji Li closed his fan, "Hey? I didn't say that, you did."
Si She asked, "Why did you side with the Chancellor? He could be the one who plotted against the Chu family."
Weiyang, coldly, said, "Whether the Chancellor is the murderer or not has nothing to do with us. I admitted defeat in the bet with the Great Marshal. As agreed, as long as he lived, we would risk our lives for him. But we never said that after his death, we would seek revenge for him. From the moment he died, our pact ended."
"Since it's over, who we sell our lives for is of no consequence. It's not like we were the ones who killed them."
Ji Li said, "Hey, we've been through life and death together, isn't this a little too cold-blooded of you?"
Si She stood up, "If I find out you're traitors, I'll kill you with my own hands."
Weiyang frowned at him, "Si She, do you want to avenge the Great Marshal? Why are you doing this?"
Si She's melancholy blue eyes gazed into the distant horizon, "Because he promised to do something for me, something that only he could do. Now that he's dead, my hope is gone. Those who destroyed everything must pay the price."
Chenlong skipped over the others' speculations and began questioning them about that night's truth, starting with Si She.
Meng Qianqian watched as Chenlong, lying on the table, drunk and unconscious, muttered to herself, "What did Si She promise? Was it me or Chu Nan who promised?"
"What are you muttering about?"
Lu Yuan glanced at her indifferently.
"Nothing," Meng Qianqian smiled slightly, "The Grand Marshal sure can hold his liquor! My husband is drunk, I'll help him inside."
"Husband, husband," Lu Yuan muttered under her breath, then said irritably, "Call Yu Zichuan over later."
Meng Qianqian thought for a moment, "Alright."
It seemed that Weiyang and Haizhu had indeed been turned by Xun Prime Minister.
Xun Prime Minister, you not only want to gain Miaojiang, but you also want to swallow the Shier Wei?
(End of Chapter)
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