Chapter 406: A Bold Move
Chapter 406: A Bold Move
In the alleyway, Meng Qianqian and Shangguan Ling's hearts were in their throats.
The two had weathered many storms, and they had long cultivated a mental fortitude that remained unperturbed even when Mount Tai collapsed before them. However, Lu Yuan's bold action was truly daring, filled with unknown dangers.
"What's going on? Are they in the sunlight. Why are they all standing still? If they're going to kill or butcher someone, just say it, so we can go and save them."
Shangguan Ling anxiously muttered to himself.
Meng Qianqian watched the horse-drawn carriage that had suddenly stopped.
Due to the distance, neither she nor Shangguan Ling could hear if there had been any conversation between them. She could only hope that the Crown Prince wasn't a bloodthirsty person.
"What kind of person is the Crown Prince?"
She asked.
Shangguan Ling thought for a moment and said, "Before he was officially named Crown Prince, he could only be described in four words - obscure and unknown. He was the least favored son in the Prince Qin's Mansion, and almost no one in the city discussed him."
Meng Qianqian said, "There's nothing worth discussing among the commoners, at least it shows that he isn't a cruel and violent person."
Shangguan Ling suddenly realized, "That's true."
A son of a high-ranking official who isn't favored, if he does anything out of the ordinary, he would have been scolded and known by everyone.
"Young Madam."
"What is it?"
"You really..." Shangguan Ling wanted to say something but stopped, "Never mind, it's nothing."
He was worried about the situation, but this young girl, who was several years younger than him, remained calm and collected in such a critical moment.
What he wanted to ask her was, are you really just a teenager?
How could she be so experienced, as if she had lived two lifetimes?
What nonsense, where in the world are there people who have lived two lifetimes?
"Lu Yuan has entered."
Meng Qianqian said.
He wasn't escorted into the mansion by force. The two Palace Guards who were holding him released their grip, and he walked into the mansion on his own.
Meng Qianqian could only see his back, but she noticed the shocked expression on the nearby guard's face.
The eight Palace Guards split into two groups. Four escorted the carriage, while the other four surrounded Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan was temporarily safe. He had said something to the Crown Prince that allowed him to enter the mansion.
However, he was still a suspicious person.
If he made a wrong move, the Palace Guards would take his life at any moment.
It was hard to say whether this was a good or bad thing.
The good news was that he had entered the Crown Prince's Mansion, completing the first step of their plan.
The bad news was that if the Crown Prince eventually confirmed that he was an imposter, he would be trapped inside the heavily guarded mansion, making it much more difficult to escape.
Meng Qianqian took out a bone whistle from her purse and blew it towards the sky.
Humans couldn't hear the sound of the bone whistle, only eagles could.
The hunting eagle circled in the sky twice and then swooped down, landing on Meng Qianqian's arm, which was protected by armor.
Shangguan Ling was startled by the sudden appearance of the large bird and almost drew his Xiu Chun Saber to kill it.
The eagle, with its domineering aura, flapped its wings and charged towards him, showing off its dominance as the ruler of the sky.
Shangguan Ling leaned back and grabbed its throat, "You dare to be so fierce, tonight we'll have stewed eagle."
The eagle squawked, "Chirp~"
Meng Qianqian took out two pieces of jerky, "Keep an eye on Lu Yuan, and if there's any danger, you know where to find me, right?"
The dog man was only worth two pieces of jerky, and the eagle ate it while grumbling.
More.
Meng Qianqian said, "That's all."
Eagle: Then your man is also gone.
Meng Qianqian drew Shangguan Ling's Xiu Chun Saber, "Tonight we'll have stewed eagle, I think that's fair."
The eagle obediently rubbed its head against Meng Qianqian and flew into the Crown Prince's Mansion, extremely obedient.
Shangguan Ling was stunned.
Damn, I saw flattery on an eagle's face, I must be seeing ghosts!
"Let's go back too."
Meng Qianqian said.
"Is that eagle reliable?"
Shangguan Ling asked.
Meng Qianqian said, "More reliable than you."
Shangguan Ling said, "Don't badmouth people."
Lai Fu's carriage stopped at the wine pavilion.
The two went to the wine pavilion to meet with Yu Zichuan.
The curious onlookers had already dispersed, and business on the street had returned to normal.
The carriage stopped in an alley next to the street, and Lai Fu looked out onto the street, waiting to see if Meng Qianqian and Lu Yuan would return.
Yu Zichuan calmly sat on top of the carriage, polishing his bow.
Suddenly, a fierce sword aura slashed through the air, carrying endless killing intent, aiming straight for Yu Zichuan's vital points.
Yu Zichuan didn't hesitate for a moment. He nocked an arrow and fired it in one fluid motion.
He didn't even need to aim with his eyes, and the arrow flew like lightning towards the attacker.
"Holy shit!"
Shangguan Ling narrowly avoided being hit and had to switch from offense to defense. He drew his Xiu Chun Saber and blocked the arrow shot by Yu Zichuan.
He landed steadily on the ground and took a few deep breaths.
"Your archery skills are impressive."
It wasn't just impressive; he almost hit him, right?
This kid must have received guidance from a master. After not seeing him for a few months, he truly had the shadow of a divine archer.
"The Goddess Sect taught me."
Yu Zichuan said.
Liu Muyan had instructed Chen Long in martial arts and Yu Zichuan in archery.
Shangguan Ling sighed, "What a loss, if I had known, I would have asked you to go to the Xiang Mansion as a spy, and I would have gone to Wushan to learn martial arts."
The two events didn't happen at the same time, but they were connected by cause and effect. Going to the Xiang Mansion as a spy meant that he was destined to "flee the capital" and infiltrate the Southwest's Thousand-Mechanisms Pavilion, missing the opportunity to go to Wushan with Lu Yuan.
Shangguan Ling jumped onto the carriage and sat next to Yu Zichuan, patting him on the shoulder, "Listen, I'm not a traitor, I'm on your side, understand? Initially, I urged you and Qingshuang to work for the Prime Minister, it was my way of testing the both of you, do you get it?"
"The Imperial Coach"
Yu Zichuan: "Get down."
Shangguan Ling: "Hmm?"
Yu Zichuan: "Only I can ride on his head."
Shangguan Ling: "..."
"Where's the other person?"
Yu Zichuan just realized that Lu Yuan hadn't returned, and he craned his neck to look around.
See, the one who wanted to infuriate Lu Yuan was him, and the one who was worried about Lu Yuan's return was also him.
Meng Qianqian spoke softly, "He sneaked into the Crown Prince's Mansion. Let's go back and wait for his news."
Yu Zichuan: "Oh."
Shangguan Ling: "Young Master can finally sit now."
"No way."
Yu Zichuan firmly refused.
The roof of the coach was his alone.
Well, he could also split Qingshuang in half.
Shangguan Ling grumbled as he got off the coach, seemingly aware of how filthy that falcon had cursed earlier.
"Yu Zichuan, is it convenient to bring Shangguan Ling to your home?"
Meng Qianqian asked.
Yu Zichuan: "Oh, it's possible."
Shangguan Ling proudly said, "I knew it, you're all talk but soft-hearted!"
Thinking of something, he asked, "By the way, where's Tan'er? Isn't she always with you? Didn't she come with you?"
Meng Qianqian got on the coach, "She's here, we're going to Thousand-Mechanisms Pavilion."
Shangguan Ling's jaw nearly dropped.
No, I've only been an undercover agent for a few months, but I feel like I don't know you guys anymore.
Are they all so fierce? The Crown Prince's Mansion, Thousand-Mechanisms Pavilion, damn, they're all dens of dragons and tigers!
He wiped the cold sweat from his palms, "You're not planning to enter the palace next, are you?"
Meng Qianqian thought seriously, "That's a good idea."
Shangguan Ling stumbled, almost falling to his death, "No, I was just talking. Young Miss, pretend I didn't say anything."
Shangguan Ling wanted to conceal his identity, so he also got into the coach.
"Young Miss, please forgive me."
He apologized with a bow.
"It's fine."
Meng Qianqian and Lu Yuan didn't have many strict rules here. They were all about putting the greater good first.
"Young Master, are you sitting comfortably?"
Lai Fu said.
"Hmm."
Yu Zichuan responded lightly.
But just as Lai Fu drove the coach to the alley entrance, a minor accident occurred, blocked by another coach.
Lai Fu went down to negotiate with the other party, hoping they would give way, but instead, he was met with a barrage of curses, "Who do you think you are, to ask my young miss to make way for you?"
Although Lai Fu was young, he was neither arrogant nor rash. He followed the principle of 'it's better to do less than more', and he still spoke politely, "Big brother, please make way."
They had been out for a long time, and if they didn't return soon, the madam and the master would start worrying.
Especially since the madam was pregnant, she was even more anxious than usual.
Clearly, he was also a coachman, but the other party was acting high and mighty, pushing Lai Fu away, "Get lost!"
Lai Fu took several steps back, but Yu Zichuan quickly supported him, preventing him from falling to the ground.
"Move aside."
Yu Zichuan said to the coachman.
The coachman glared at Yu Zichuan.
The coachman held a large bow in his hand, and he sneered, "Oh, so you think you're impressive with a bow and arrow? You want to shoot people in the street? Come on, if you have the guts, shoot one!"
Meng Qianqian observed the situation through the gap in the curtain.
Shangguan Ling whispered, "It's the coach of Thousand-Mechanisms Pavilion."
Thousand-Mechanisms Pavilion? Meng Qianqian's eyes turned cold.
What a narrow escape.
Meng Qianqian said to Yu Zichuan, "Xiaochuan, come back."
Yu Zichuan obediently turned and left.
"Hey—Did I let you go?"
The coachman reached out to grab Yu Zichuan's shoulder.
Yu Zichuan hated being touched by others, and with an over-the-shoulder throw, he sent the coachman flying to the ground.
The coachman cried out in embarrassment.
Meng Qianqian saw that Yu Zichuan hadn't used excessive force; otherwise, he could have easily left the coachman with broken bones and a heart failure.
At this moment, the coachman didn't even have a scratch on him.
"Who dares to be so bold, to lay a hand on my Thousand-Mechanisms Pavilion's people?"
Accompanied by a haughty shout, a young girl in luxurious yellow clothing appeared at the alley entrance, her expression filled with arrogance.
The coachman immediately stood up, "Second Miss! Second Miss! You must stand up for me!"
Shangguan Ling clenched his fist, "It's bad, it's the Second Miss of Thousand-Mechanisms Pavilion, Gongsun Ziyu."
Meng Qianqian asked, "Is she the one marrying Jian Junwang?"
Shangguan Ling said, "She's the twin sister of the First Miss. The First Miss is eighteen, and the Second Miss is sixteen. They are the daughters of the Pavilion Lady."
Meng Qianqian said calmly, "The 'sisters' of Wu Xiu and Lu Yuan?"
Shangguan Ling already knew the background of Changle, so when gathering information, he had paid special attention to news related to the Dragon and Phoenix Twins.
He said, "This Second Miss is notorious for being unreasonable and domineering. In Thousand-Mechanisms Pavilion, she often bullied Miss Changle. Her older sister seems fair on the surface, but behind her back, she naturally favors her biological sister."
Gongsun Ziyu glanced at her coachman and then looked coldly at Yu Zichuan, "You beat up my person like this? Which hand did it?"
Yu Zichuan ignored her.
The coachman pointed at Yu Zichuan, "Both! Both hands hit him!"
Gongsun Ziyu kicked him away, "Useless thing, if you hit me, I'll break your bones! Which hand did it?"
The coachman's eyes flashed, "I... I don't want people to think I'm bullying others."
"You've bullied enough, kneel down and kowtow three times, and this Miss will spare your life."
(End of Chapter)
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