Chapter 328: Xiaolangzai's Achievement
Chapter 328: Xiaolangzai's Achievement
"When I was young, I was sent to the Shang family as a hostage. At that time, I didn't understand the meaning of being a hostage. I thought my birth parents didn't want me, but I still wanted them."
People's words are kind when they are about to die.
If it weren't for his impending death, some words would have been kept in Chen Long's heart for a lifetime, never to be spoken.
"At that time, the court was divided into different regions, and the Shang family was one of the feudal lords. They had the authority to decide the fate of hostages. Someone proposed sending me to the capital, but I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to be too far from my parents, but I had no choice. It just so happened that it was the Shang family's first birthday celebration. The Shang family's young lady was about to perform the Zhou Sui ceremony, and I came up with a plan. I secretly smeared honey on my palm and fed the little girl two mouthfuls. She was very smart and remembered it immediately. When it was time for the ceremony, she didn't want anything else and crawled towards me, hugging my hand. That's how I stayed with the Shang family."
"Oh, continue."
Lu Yuan said casually.
It was unclear whether Chen Long was speaking to Lu Yuan or to himself, "I pretended to like her very much, but I always secretly bullied her. I would knock over her rice bowl and tell the servants that she did it herself. I would steal her candy and hide her little drum."
"But she seemed not to know what anger was. When I knocked over her bowl, she would bring another one. When I stole her candy, she would bring me lots of candy. When I hid her drum, she gave me all her drums."
Lu Yuan hummed, "She's a real fool!"
Chen Long recalled, "Later, my father broke his promise and rebelled. The Shang family's subordinates wanted to kill me, but she cried and didn't allow anyone to take me away. She chose me as her brother."
"Who is she?"
Lu Yuan asked, raising an eyebrow.
Chen Long glanced at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan leaned back, resting his hands behind his head, "Anyway, I'm going to die, and I won't be able to tell anyone."
Chen Long hesitated for a moment and said, "She is the daughter of General Shang, Shang Jiu."
Lu Yuan: "Oh."
Chen Long: "She's also the heir of Qianji Pavilion."
Lu Yuan: "Hmm."
---
Duke's Manor.
Meng Qianqian held the howling Xiaolangzai and boarded an ordinary-looking carriage.
Tan Er quickly followed.
Just as the carriage was about to depart, Bai Yuwei also got on.
"Why are you here?"
Tan Er asked.
Proximity to vermilion influences one to become vermilion, and proximity to ink influences one to become ink. After spending so much time with Tan Er, Bai Yuwei had also picked up some of her habits.
For example, the way she held her arms across her chest.
Bai Yuwei said, "Wherever you go, I'll go."
Tan Er shook her index finger, "The Minister's Mansion is not a place to be taken lightly! It's very dangerous!"
Bai Yuwei hummed, "Are you saying I didn't help out in the previous incidents? If not for me, could she have won against Xun Qi? Could she have captured Xun Yu? Moreover, I've lived in the Minister's Mansion, have you? Are you as familiar with the Minister's Mansion as I am?"
Tan Er looked at Meng Qianqian, "Elder Sister."
Meng Qianqian curved her lips, "Since Younger Sister is willing to help, it's perfect."
Bai Yuwei raised her eyebrows triumphantly at Tan Er, "Did you hear that, did you hear that?"
Tan Er clenched her fists and flapped her arms behind her back, shouting at Bai Yuwei, "I heard it, I'm not deaf!"
Bai Yuwei covered her ears, "You're so noisy!"
Tan Er leaned closer to her, "I want to be noisy! I want to be noisy!"
Bai Yuwei, annoyed, sat on the other side of Meng Qianqian, "Elder Sister, please manage her!"
Meng Qianqian, upon hearing the term 'Elder Sister', said, "Tan Er."
Tan Er looked up, "I understand."
Following Lu Yuan's instructions, the carriage stopped at a winery located two li east of the Minister's Mansion.
The three of them changed into the attire of the Chancellor's Mansion maids and, carrying the little wolf pup, headed towards the western side of the mansion.
This was the weakest point in the mansion's defense, and with the Majestic King causing a stir inside, attracting everyone's attention, the three of them managed to infiltrate the estate without any trouble.
As soon as the little wolf pup touched the ground, it sniffed around and made its way towards Luo San's courtyard.
It was so small and a bit scruffy that at first glance, one might mistake it for a stray dog.
"The people in the Chancellor's Mansion are really getting worse at their jobs. They can't even catch a stray dog," Lian'er said, tossing it a bone.
However, the little wolf pup only sniffed it before turning and walking away without a backward glance.
Lian'er's appetite suddenly vanished as she looked at her bowl of food, "Not even a dog wants to eat it. What is this thing?"
The little wolf pup left the courtyard and continued sniffing around as it searched.
"Will it work?" Bai Yuwei whispered from behind a large tree.
Tan Er said, "Last time, it followed for so long, even in the rain!"
Bai Yuwei expressed her doubts, "If I had known, I should have asked my grandfather to keep his hunting falcon. A falcon would never lose track."
Falcons have their advantages, but a secret chamber like this is not a falcon's forte.
Meng Qianqian's gaze followed the little wolf pup, "It's gone, follow it!"
The three of them quietly trailed after the little wolf pup.
If nothing unexpected happened, something unexpected was about to occur.
"Grandson—where are you—?"
"Majestic King, you've searched several times already. With so many of us here, including General Han and the Minister of State, surely not everyone is a spy for the Chancellor's Mansion!"
It was the Majestic King and Xun Qi.
"Who said several times? It's only been once or twice! The Chancellor's Mansion is so big, what's wrong with me searching more? It's not like I'm losing my grandson—there's someone over there!"
The Majestic King jumped behind the rock garden.
The four of them stared at each other.
"Did you find him?"
General Han stepped forward.
"Ah—it's a..."
The Majestic King caught the little wolf pup and, using the rock garden as cover, said to General Han, "It's just a dog."
"A dog?"
General Han looked at the scruffy little wolf pup with suspicion.
The Majestic King spoke seriously, "It's a dog."
The little wolf pup bared its teeth and howled like a dog, "Woof!"
"..."
It was indeed a pup that had been raised by Manager Cen's dog for several days.
"No one over there, keep looking!"
The Majestic King released the little wolf pup and, with a subtle kick, sent it back behind the rock garden.
Meng Qianqian hugged the pup.
The little wolf pup squirmed uncomfortably, "Meow!"
Meng Qianqian quickly covered its mouth.
The group stopped in their tracks and looked at the rock garden with curiosity.
The Majestic King placed his hands on his waist and called out, "Meow!"
The group was used to the Majestic King's eccentric behavior, so they shook their heads with resignation, not suspecting anything.
Meng Qianqian and the other two breathed a sigh of relief.
Bai Yuwei patted the little wolf pup's head, "You're a wolf, why are you imitating cats and dogs?"
Tan Er said, "If it howls like a wolf, wouldn't it be scarier?"
Bai Yuwei choked.
The little wolf pup stopped running and began circling around the rock garden.
"Could it be here?" Meng Qianqian murmured.
"It's running away!" Tan Er called out.
The little wolf pup darted out.
Tan Er huffed, "Now it remembers it's a wolf?"
Fortunately, all three of them had light body skills, or they would have surely lost track of the pup.
Unexpectedly, the little wolf pup led them into a small ancestral hall in the Chancellor's Mansion where the ancestral tablets were kept.
Bai Yuwei rubbed her arms, "It's so eerie and creepy."
The little wolf pup weaved its way to a storeroom at the back of the hall, where a coffin was placed.
(End of Chapter)
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