Chapter 405: I Am Your Long-Lost Son
Chapter 405: I Am Your Long-Lost Son
Lu Yuan didn't exactly smash through the carriage roof and fall in, but rather, he skillfully "smashed" into the coachman, then nimbly landed on the ground, and finally rolled into the carriage with a swift motion.
This flamboyant display left Meng Qianqian utterly speechless.
The coachman's reaction was equally swift. Although he was momentarily stunned by the impact, it was only for a fleeting moment before he immediately tightened the reins and shouted, "Intruder! Protect the carriage!"
The eight hidden imperial guards who were accompanying them had already suspected Lu Yuan as a suspicious assassin when he smashed towards the carriage, and one of them struck out with a palm towards Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan's previous incredibly smooth roll was a result of dodging this palm strike.
The Grand Marshal was indeed going all out to find his father.
The commotion not only attracted the attention of the eight imperial guards but also caused a huge disturbance on the bustling street.
Windows on the second floor nearby were pushed open one after another, and curious onlookers leaned out to witness the scene.
Pedestrians on the street also gathered around.
The already bustling street was instantly jammed with people.
Liu, the deputy manager, exclaimed in surprise, "Oh dear, what's happening? Where's your man?"
He glanced at the open window, then recalled the loud noise he had heard earlier, and his face changed abruptly. "Did he fall down?"
He peered out the window but could only see a carriage surrounded by eight burly men and a sea of people.
"This is bad, this is bad."
He hurriedly turned and rushed downstairs, not out of concern for Lu Yuan's safety, but for the potential repercussions on the wine pavilion and the secret of his bribery being exposed.
Meng Qianqian didn't follow him downstairs but remained vigilant at the window, tightly gripping her silver needle, ready to strike.
Everything happened too quickly for her to react.
She wasn't surprised by Lu Yuan's unconventional approach, but she wondered how he knew that the person he wanted to see was inside that carriage. They had been in the accounting room the whole time, and the window hadn't even been opened.
Was there some secret signal she had overlooked?
At this moment, the imperial guard who had missed his strike earlier leaped up, pushed the coachman aside, lifted the curtain, and thrust his sword into the carriage.
Meng Qianqian's fingertips were about to pierce the opponent's blade.
"Young Madam!"
A familiar male voice called out from behind, and Meng Qianqian quickly retracted her silver needle, turning around in disbelief as she looked at the newcomer, "Is it you?"
The man entered the room and bowed to Meng Qianqian, "Your subordinate greets the Young Madam."
Meng Qianqian gasped in surprise.
She never imagined she would encounter Shangguan Ling in the Southwest.
After Chancellor Xun's defeat, the Elite Guards were recalled by Zongzheng Xi, and now they only served the Emperor.
However, Shangguan Ling, the commander of the Elite Guards, had gone missing.
Everyone assumed he had fled, and the Ministry of Justice had been investigating his whereabouts, but their efforts were fruitless.
"No wonder we couldn't find you. So, you're here in the Southwest."
Even the most powerful court officials couldn't have guessed that Shangguan Ling had "escaped" to the Southwest.
Lu Yuan's unconventional approach was inherited by his subordinates.
Shangguan Ling stammered, "Young Madam, it's a long story."
"We can talk about your situation later. First, tell me what's going on here?"
Meng Qianqian calmly looked at the imperial guard who had thrust his sword towards Lu Yuan. He didn't hit him, but he entered the carriage, and then the carriage became silent.
At this moment, no one knew what had happened inside.
Shangguan Ling put on a straw hat and pulled the brim down, gazing at the street's carriage path, "That carriage belongs to the Crown Prince's Mansion, and the eight imperial guards are the Crown Prince's personal secret guards. They were awarded to the Crown Prince by the Emperor during his enthronement."
Meng Qianqian said, "So, the person in the carriage is indeed the Crown Prince?"
Before Shangguan Ling could respond, Meng Qianqian frowned, "This is too dangerous. How did you come up with this plan?"
"I..." Shangguan Ling was at a loss for words, "It's a misunderstanding. I was only giving a secret signal to the Grand Marshal, informing him of the Crown Prince's arrival. I didn't know he would jump down."
Meng Qianqian shook her head, "It's too risky."
Shangguan Ling nodded in agreement, "Yes, it is. How could he even think of abducting the Crown Prince?"
Meng Qianqian said, "He's not abducting the Crown Prince."
Shangguan Ling had only received the investigation order but was unaware of its purpose. He curiously asked, "Then, what is the Grand Marshal planning to do?"
Meng Qianqian calmly replied, "To become the Crown Prince's son."
Shangguan Ling was stunned.
He widened his eyes, "What? Is he... is he... has he gone mad? That's the Crown Prince of Liangguo! He has no connection to the Crown Prince. If he suddenly claims to be the Crown Prince's son, would the Crown Prince believe him?"
Meng Qianqian stared intently at the carriage, from which no one had emerged. She hoped that the Retired Emperor's token would bring them some luck.
Within the confines of the imperial coach, a bizarre scene was unfolding.
A highly skilled imperial guard pointed his sword at Lu Yuan, who appeared extremely weak and collapsed beside a man dressed in luxurious brocade robes, as if he had fainted. The guard searched Lu Yuan's body, "No weapons, no hidden weapons, is he even an assassin?"
What kind of assassin is so incompetent that he faints from a mere stumble?
The guard checked Lu Yuan's breath, "He's still alive."
"Take him to the dungeon."
"Yes!"
Just as the guard was about to bind Lu Yuan, Lu Yuan slowly regained consciousness, looking as if he was struggling to open his eyes. He weakly said to the man, "Is it you?"
The man looked at Lu Yuan suspiciously, "Do you know me?"
Lu Yuan grabbed his sleeve, "I'm your long-lost son..."
The man said, "Do you want to take a good look before calling me father?"
Lu Yuan paused, his gaze falling on the man's face.
At first glance, it was clear that this was a face not much older than his own.
The man gave a cold laugh, "I'm thirty this year. I dare ask, how old is my son?"
Lu Yuan replied, "Three years old."
The man laughed heartily, "Interesting, truly interesting! I've long heard that my royal brother's mansion has received many people claiming kinship. I didn't expect to pick up one on the way, are you really my royal brother's son?"
Shangguan Ling, even mistaking the Crown Prince's whereabouts, you're doomed!
Lu Yuan stopped pretending, dusted off his sleeves, and nonchalantly sat in the carriage, saying, "Yes."
The imperial guard was dumbfounded.
Is it that easy to change?
These days, even swindlers don't need acting skills.
The man smiled, "Since you've been my son for a while, you only need to answer one question for me, and I'll take you to see the Crown Prince. But if you answer wrong..."
His smile vanished, "I'll have your head."
-
Half an hour later, the imperial coach, escorted by eight imperial guards, arrived at the Crown Prince's mansion.
The steward of the mansion had been waiting at the entrance for a long time. He approached with a beaming smile, "Your Highness, you've finally returned. The Crown Prince has been eagerly awaiting your return for many days!"
He personally opened the carriage curtain for the Duke Ming.
Duke Ming, full of vigor, stepped out of the carriage.
He turned and said to the person inside, "Come down."
Is there someone else in the carriage?
The steward was stunned for a moment, then he saw a remarkably handsome man with an innate air of nobility get out of the carriage nonchalantly.
Having seen countless people, he was still amazed by the man's appearance and demeanor, finding him otherworldly.
He asked curiously, "Who is this person?"
Duke Ming smiled, "Oh, he's here to claim kinship with the Crown Prince. He says he's the son of the Crown Prince's royal brother. I'm a kind-hearted person, so I brought him back for my royal brother."
Upon hearing that he was here to claim kinship, the steward's expression turned solemn.
Ever since Jian Junwang appeared, waves of people had come to claim kinship, making the steward wonder who the Crown Prince really was. Looking at Lu Yuan again, he didn't find him extraordinary either.
As the saying goes, appearances can be deceiving.
The steward's eyes flashed with disdain as he respectfully asked Duke Ming, "Your Highness, I dare to ask, who is this person to you?"
Duke Ming smiled with malicious joy, "I have nothing to do with him. We just met on the way here. What? Is he not the son of the Crown Prince's royal brother?"
The steward spoke with gravity, "Your Highness, you may not know this since you've just returned to the Imperial City. Ever since Jian Junwang acknowledged his ancestry, many greedy people have come forward, claiming to be the Crown Prince's kin, attempting to muddy the royal bloodline. Including him, I don't know how many rats have come knocking on the door."
Duke Ming asked meaningfully, "Does the Crown Prince's royal brother only have one son?"
The steward understood his implication. If the Crown Prince had many romantic encounters with women, there might be more offspring.
The steward sighed, "I won't hide it from you. The Crown Prince only had romantic feelings for one woman in the common realm, and that's Jian Junwang's mother. Apart from her child, the Crown Prince couldn't possibly have other offspring in the common realm."
"In that case, he's indeed a fake."
Duke Ming lost interest, no longer paying attention to Lu Yuan. He yawned and headed into the mansion, "You deal with this person. He played a trick on me, but I don't want him to die too easily."
The steward understood and respectfully responded, "Yes."
Only after Duke Ming crossed the threshold and entered the mansion did the steward straighten up, turning to look at Lu Yuan with a cold gaze, "Men, tie him up!"
"Yes!"
The eight imperial guards rushed forward, surrounding Lu Yuan.
Not far away in the alley, Meng Qianqian witnessed this dangerous scene, and she and Shangguan Ling held their breaths simultaneously.
In the imperial coach, a voice from within asked, "If you really want to fight, I'll go. You wait here for me."
"That won't do."
Shangguan Ling replied, "Even if the Grand Marshal didn't order us to protect the young mistress, it's still unreasonable to send a woman to her death."
Meng Qianqian said, "I have Wushan's talisman, and you're a wanted criminal by the court."
Shangguan Ling couldn't refute.
He clenched his teeth, "Blame me for mistaking the Crown Prince and Duke Ming's whereabouts."
"The Crown Prince sent his personal guard to receive Duke Ming outside the city. Anyone would make a mistake."
Meng Qianqian wasn't excusing Shangguan Ling; she was stating facts.
Shangguan Ling still felt guilty.
How could he have made such a huge blunder? If the Grand Marshal was truly captured today, he wouldn't leave the Crown Prince's Mansion alive.
Even his status in Wushan and the court would be useless and might even bring him deadly consequences.
Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion and Chancellor Xun were in cahoots. After the Grand Marshal eliminated Chancellor Xun and abducted the dragon and phoenix twins from the Shang family, if the Pavilion knew he was in the Imperial City, they would surely spare no effort to kill him.
Did the plan have to end before it even began, with a beheading?
Lu Yuan had long noticed Meng Qianqian and Shangguan Ling tailing them.
At this critical moment, this father must be acknowledged, whether he liked it or not.
Otherwise, with that girl's temper, she'd likely rush out to protect him.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he spoke with a chilling tone, "How dare you! I'm my father's son. Who gave you the audacity to disturb the Crown Prince?"
After so many years in the court, he hadn't been idling around. The aura of a treacherous minister was as strong as it could be.
This rebuke froze the eight elite guards in their tracks.
It was as if an aura of authority held their spirits in check, making them hesitant to move.
The steward was stunned for a moment.
Soon, he snapped out of his daze.
Having served the Crown Prince for years, he knew that the Prince wasn't always the favored son. He had always been cautious.
Finally, after all this time, a rogue could scare him?
He rolled up his sleeves and walked towards Lu Yuan with an air of superiority, "I've seen your kind, rogue. Speak, who sent you here? I don't believe you dared to come alone. Tell me who's behind this, and perhaps I'll be merciful and leave your corpse intact!"
Lu Yuan replied calmly, "Leaving a corpse intact is considered mercy? You might as well grant yourself one."
"You—"
The steward choked, his anger rising, "You dare to refuse? Don't think you can come and go as you please in the Crown Prince's Mansion. Don't assume I'm unaware of your intentions. Do you think infiltrating a few spies, killing the true Imperial Grandson, will let you sleep soundly?"
Lu Yuan hooked his lips, "Isn't he the Guardian Dragon? If he's so easily killed, he must be a fake."
"You, you, you—"
The steward was furious, his hand trembling as he pointed at Lu Yuan, "You're all talk! Men, cut out his tongue!"
A murderous intent flashed in Meng Qianqian's eyes.
Lu Yuan's hand moved behind his back, his index finger twitching slightly.
Meng Qianqian understood.
Lu Yuan signaled for her to stay calm.
Could it be... Lu Yuan had a backup plan? But the two elite guards instantly captured him.
The steward swaggered in front of Lu Yuan, "Scream now, why aren't you screaming?"
Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged, "I'll give you one last chance. Let me go, or when my father returns, your days as steward will be over."
"Hahaha!"
The steward burst into laughter, "I don't know who your father is, but your life is over. Take him away! Find a secluded spot for the execution, and make sure to clean up the blood. The Furen and the Prince don't like bloodshed."
Two elite guards dragged Lu Yuan into the nearby alley.
Meng Qianqian had reached her limit.
Just as she decided to intervene, a coach drove up from the side and stopped at the entrance of the Crown Prince's Mansion.
The steward and several elite guards hurriedly paid their respects.
A gentle yet authoritative male voice came from the coach, "What's happening here?"
The steward replied, "Your Highness, another rogue has arrived. This person deceived Duke Ming, a grave crime! I'll drive him away immediately!"
"Has Ming returned?"
"He just entered the mansion!"
The coach fell silent.
The steward respectfully stepped aside.
The coach entered the mansion through the main gate, and the curtain was lifted by the cool breeze.
Lu Yuan didn't look inside the coach.
Nor did the coach's occupant look at Lu Yuan.
The two passed by each other.
Suddenly, Lu Yuan spoke up, "Have you been to Miaojiang? Have you seen a girl who likes to give people chick charms?"
Clatter!
Something inside the coach fell heavily to the ground.
(End of Chapter)
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