Chapter 239: The Mastermind's Schemes
Chapter 239: The Mastermind's Schemes
Manager Cen had not expected Meng Qianqian to answer so decisively.
"Young Madam, in your heart..."
Meng Qianqian understood what he wanted to ask, but she herself had no answer to this question.
Was Lu Yuan special to her?
Of course, he was.
But why was he special?
It was because he held power that swayed the court, and even if she was once the Grand Marshal Chu, she feared she couldn't easily overthrow him or destroy him.
He had schemed against her, but he had also genuinely saved her life. While she plotted her revenge, she couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude.
Their relationship was too entangled, and the bond ran too deep to cut. It was a tangled mess, and so they twisted together like a rope.
"Manager Cen, I hope that today's conversation remains between us and doesn't reach my husband's ears."
"Yes, Young Madam."
In the past, when facing Meng Qianqian, Manager Cen had treated her more like a clever and quick-witted junior. But now, he truly felt the aura that Meng Qianqian possessed.
She had the same formidable authority as the Grand Marshal, an authority that was not to be trifled with.
No, perhaps she had always had it, but she had never revealed it to him before.
After leaving the account room, Meng Qianqian sat alone in the pavilion for a moment.
She was calming herself down.
Thinking about the inhuman torture Lu Yuan had endured, Meng Qianqian's heart filled with anger towards the Chancellor's Mansion. She wanted to slap even the Chancellor's dogs.
But one must not make decisions in anger. She needed to calm herself.
"Meng Xiaojiu, you have three breaths."
After three deep breaths, Meng Qianqian's eyes regained their usual calm.
She began to ponder the next steps.
Yesterday, the Imperial Wedding had proceeded smoothly, and Lu Yuan had fulfilled the Retired Emperor's conditions. The Emperor's word was law, and the Chu family's case would soon be reinvestigated.
As expected, the Ministry of Justice would be in charge.
No, it absolutely had to be the Ministry of Justice.
The reason was simple. Minister Xing was one of the few officials in court who held real power and maintained a neutral attitude.
Prime Minister Xun's influence had spread throughout the court, and he would not allow Minister Xing to become a loose end.
In the past, when Lu Yuan was away, he had appeared to be a great villain, but in secret, he had protected Minister Xing, as well as officials like Lin Zhaijiu and Wang Yushi, who never participated in court disputes.
This was the first path Lu Yuan had paved for himself.
When the Retired Emperor was confined to the temple, every move he made was under Lu Yuan's surveillance, and even a letter could not be sent out.
But on the night the Dowager Empress went to the temple to request the Imperial Edict of Severance between Lu Lingxiao and Lu Yuan, Lu Yuan had let Eunuch Fu pass through.
A saintly edict unrelated to court affairs was of no concern to a great villain, which was understandable.
But how could the Retired Emperor possibly miss such a perfect opportunity to contact his trusted aide?
Eunuch Fu's surface task was to deliver the edict, but secretly, he quietly sent out the Retired Emperor's oral instructions.
And so, when Lu Yuan went to the border to fight, his influence was significantly reduced, and those officials were originally Prime Minister Xun's followers.
Using the Retired Emperor's hand to cut off one of Prime Minister Xun's arms was the second path Lu Yuan had paved for himself.
At that time, the Retired Emperor probably hadn't guessed that Lu Yuan's backer was the Prime Minister, or even if he had, he had no choice but to do it.
Thus, before Prime Minister Xun returned to court, the opposition between the Retired Emperor and Prime Minister Xun had already begun.
This was the third path Lu Yuan had paved for himself.
In this way, Lu Yuan, who was used by the Prime Minister to establish his authority, became the Retired Emperor's weapon to attack the Prime Minister, and everything fell into place.
Having figured everything out, only four words remained in Meng Qianqian's mind: The Mastermind's Schemes.
The last person who gave her this feeling was Chu Nan.
She was curious; if Chu Nan had met Lu Yuan, who would have been the better strategist?
But Chu Nan was dead, and this question would forever remain unanswered.
What she wanted to know now was how the Chancellor's Mansion would respond to the reinvestigation, which was bound to be linked to the Chu family case.
How would the Chancellor's Mansion deal with this?
Would they kill Lu Yuan? Or Minister Xing?
With the protection of the Miao King, they couldn't kill Lu Yuan.
There were other neutral officials besides Minister Xing, and if he died, someone else would take his place. This path was clearly not feasible.
"What are you thinking about?"
Lu Yuan's voice suddenly appeared above her.
She sucked in a breath, startled.
Had she been so engrossed that she hadn't noticed Lu Yuan's arrival?
Or, perhaps, in her heart, Lu Yuan was no longer someone she needed to be wary of, someone who could approach her at any time?
"Sit wherever you like."
"Did you go find Manager Cen?"
"I asked about your condition."
"I don't think I'm sick."
Meng Qianqian: Can you not be stubborn for a single day?
Lu Yuan said, "Be careful today when you go to the palace."
Meng Qianqian asked suspiciously, "Do you think something will happen to me?"
Lu Yuan glanced at her. "I'm afraid something might happen to others. You're practically wearing a sign on your face that says, 'I really want to kill someone.'"
Meng Qianqian cleared her throat. "Is it that obvious?"
Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze. "But when you go to the palace today, you should pay attention to one person."
"Who?"
"The Marquise of Changning," Lu Yuan said calmly. "Do you know why she challenged you in the palace last night?"
Meng Qianqian shook her head.
Lu Yuan spoke with a meaningful tone. "The Changning Marquis's family wants to form a marriage alliance with the Chancellor's Mansion. Guess who the Marquise has her eye on as a son-in-law?"
"It's not you, right? After all, you and the Chancellor's Mansion have a relationship that outsiders aren't aware of."
Meng Qianqian paused, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. "Chenlong? My brother?"
---
Taner didn't get to eat the braised pork from the palace yesterday, and when she returned to the mansion, there were no ingredients for braised pork. She pouted all evening, and today, she was determined to go to the palace with Meng Qianqian to get back the braised pork that the Emperor owed her.
Meng Qianqian smiled helplessly.
Taner pouted. "Sister, why are you laughing?"
Meng Qianqian patted her head. "Taner, promise me that you'll always stay carefree like this."
Taner hugged herself. "That depends on whether there's braised pork to eat!"
Ban Xia scolded, "All you know is eating!"
Taner stuck her tongue out at her. "Hmph!"
Ban Xia opened her mouth. "I won't argue with a child."
Taner said, "You clearly can't win against me!"
Ban Xia: "Who said I can't win against you?"
Taner: "You said it!"
Ban Xia: "Then I'll say it!"
The two of them bickered all the way to the palace before finally calming down.
After getting off the carriage, no matter how Taner provoked her, Ban Xia refused to retort, carefully and cautiously staying by Meng Qianqian's side.
Taner looked up to the sky. "I won!"
The Imperial Wedding between the Emperor and Empress was held in the Chamber of the Empress, where they completed the nuptial rites and exchanged cups of wine. Afterwards, Yao Qingluan moved into the Jingren Palace.
However, Lu Yuan had interrupted the Emperor and Empress's nuptial wine ceremony last night, and Meng Qianqian guessed that their consummation might have been affected as well.
Indeed, Zong Zhengxi had not consummated his marriage with Yao Qingluan last night.
At fifteen, one could say he was not too young, but many young masters and imperial princes of noble families had already learned about the matters between men and women at this age. Zong Zhengxi, however, was an exception.
He had not yet awakened to such desires.
The Grand Dowager had sent him palace maids to serve him, but he wouldn't let them touch him.
"Your Majesty, did you sleep well last night?"
Wang Dequan came to visit Zong Zhengxi early in the morning.
Zong Zhengxi frowned. "Not well. I'm used to sleeping alone; I can't sleep with someone else."
"Ah..."
It seemed they had not consummated their marriage.
Zong Zhengxi asked, "Can I sleep alone tonight?"
Wang Dequan forced a laugh. "This... I can't make that decision, Your Majesty."
Zong Zhengxi said with resentment, "Never mind. Asking you is useless. I'm going to attend the morning court."
Wang Dequan reminded him, "Your Majesty, you're not attending court today."
Zong Zhengxi had forgotten about that. "Oh, then I'll go do my studies. I want to be a diligent emperor."
Wang Dequan was taken aback. "But isn't Your Majesty the one who hates studying the most? Why suddenly..."
Zong Zhengxi's stomach churned with anger. "Why, why? It's naturally to drive out all of you useless servants!"
Wang Dequan: "..."
---
In the Jingren Palace, Meng Qianqian saw Yao Qingluan seated on the Phoenix Throne.
Although Yao Qingluan was the Grand Dowager's niece, their facial features were not similar. The Grand Dowager's appearance seemed to resemble her birth mother more.
Yao Qingluan was also a stunning beauty.
However, her beauty was more like the luxurious brocade of the mortal world, while the Grand Dowager was like the clouds of a celestial palace.
Taner: Braised pork, braised pork, braised pork, will I ever get to eat braised pork?
(End of Chapter)
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