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Chapter 77: Qianqian's Misstep
Chapter 77: Qianqian's Misstep
In the end, the Prince of Qi resolved to write the humiliating letter of surrender.
But when he wrote down "two hundred thousand taels of gold," Lu Yuan interrupted with a smile, "One hundred thousand."
The Prince of Qi was taken aback. Could there be such a good deal? Had this ruthless man finally developed a conscience?
Lu Yuan smiled. "Write. One hundred thousand. The other half doesn't need to be known to the court."
The Prince of Qi's jaw clenched. "To so blatantly line your own pockets, aren't you afraid His Majesty will hold you accountable, Grand Preceptor Lu?"
Lu Yuan's lips curved in amusement. "Prince Qi, do you know why you lost? Because you didn't even investigate my background thoroughly."
At this moment, the shivering and cowering Zhong, who was kneeling on the ground, looked up at the Prince of Qi and said with trepidation, "Uncle, your son-in-law reminded you, Grand Preceptor Lu is the Emperor's mentor..."
The Prince of Qi raged, "Call me 'uncle' again, and I'll rip your tongue out!"
He had indeed inquired about Lu Yuan. The Emperor's mentor, the one who pulled the strings in the court and played power games. But such a charismatic minister was often all talk and no substance, relying only on their silver tongues to enchant the monarch.
How could he know that rumors were often exaggerated, and Lu Yuan was even more ruthless than his reputation suggested?
"Write," Lu Yuan said, smiling.
Gritting his teeth, the Prince of Qi wrote the letter of surrender.
"When will you give me the evidence?" he asked.
Lu Yuan replied nonchalantly, "The evidence will be handed over when the gold is delivered."
Enraged, the Prince of Qi stormed off! But soon, he returned, his face still flushed with anger. "What about the ten thousand taels the envoy brought before..."
Lu Yuan looked at him, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
The Prince of Qi bit back the curse that had risen to his lips. All the unfair deals in his life seemed to be at the hands of Lu Yuan!
The three thousand troops of Northern Liang withdrew from the valley, and after seeking Lu Yuan's permission, Zhang Feihu also led the three thousand imperial troops back inside the Yumenguan Pass.
The Imperial Tiger Corps was bewildered. They had arrived late last night and received orders to deploy to the valley before dawn, thinking they were going to engage in a decisive battle with the Northern Liang army. But in the end, this was it?
General Liu of the Tiger Corps asked, "General Zhang, may I ask..."
Zhang Feihu waved his hand. "No need to ask. We won."
General Liu was perplexed. "Did we? I mean, did we even fight?"
Meng Qianqian emerged from the tent.
Zhang Feihu shouted at her, "Little Nine, are you coming or not?"
"I'm coming," replied Meng Qianqian.
General Liu asked curiously, "Who is she?"
Zhang Feihu put his arm around his shoulder, like a father showing off his child, and said, "Let me tell you all about it..."
With the main force gone, the valley, once filled with a murderous aura, returned to its previous tranquility.
Inside the tent remained Lu Yuan, quietly sipping his tea, and Yu Zichuan, standing guard by his side.
Suddenly, Yu Zichuan's expression changed, and he looked alertly at the tent flap.
A man dressed as a herder lifted the flap and stepped inside.
"Your Majesty, please sit," Lu Yuan said with a smile.
This man was none other than the Prince of Li, the younger brother of the Prince of Qi, and the fourth prince of Northern Liang. He was twenty-seven years old.
In contrast to the rugged Prince of Qi, the Prince of Li had a more refined air about him, and his features were more handsome. Perhaps it was due to his mother, a beauty from the Central Plains.
However, it was also because of his impure bloodline that the Emperor of Northern Liang did not favor him.
The Prince of Li sat in the same chair his brother had occupied, facing Lu Yuan. "Grand Preceptor Lu, you are indeed capable, manipulating my third brother with just a few words."
Lu Yuan smiled and poured him a cup of tea. "Thanks to Your Majesty for providing me with the evidence of his plot against the Crown Prince."
The Prince of Li's expression was complex as he said, "I owed Tiger a favor, but I never expected him to give that favor to you."
Before his death, Tiger had given the Prince of Li a token to give to Lu Yuan, asking him to contact the Prince of Li, who was secretly stationed at the border. Tiger had said that the Prince of Li could be of great use.
The Prince of Li continued, "I'm curious. What did you promise Tiger? I know him well; he never makes a deal that isn't in his favor."
Lu Yuan smiled. "You need not concern yourself with that. As for the seventh prince, Your Majesty, you must ensure that your father sends him. Only when he experiences this pain firsthand will he truly hate his useless son, the Prince of Qi."
"I will make sure it happens," said the Prince of Li. "You need not worry."
"Excellent," Lu Yuan replied.
The Prince of Li turned serious. "I make a pact with you today. For five years, I will not invade the lands of the Great Zhou, harm its people, or kill its merchants. But when those five years are up, I will lead my army south and conquer the Great Zhou!"
Lu Yuan smiled but remained silent.
The Prince of Li glanced at him. "I thirst for talented individuals. Grand Preceptor, if you ever wish to serve another master, I will welcome you at any time."
Lu Yuan poured tea to see him off. "Your Majesty, safe journey."
...
The army returned to Feng County and set up camp at their previous site.
The villagers were overjoyed to see them again and showed their appreciation by steaming millet buns, slaughtering chickens and sheep for the soldiers, while the women mended the soldiers' torn clothing.
The one-and-a-half-year-old toddler returned with his parents.
His father was busy, so he toddled over to Meng Qianqian's tent, reaching for the tent flap with both hands, but he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Meng Qianqian stepped out of her tent and helped the little one up.
The toddler babbled, "Mama."
Meng Qianqian sighed. How could he tell I'm a woman even though I'm wearing a mask? He calls every woman 'mama' and every man 'daddy.'
As fate would have it, Lu Lingxiao happened to pass by and spotted the little one. "Are you here? Your mother is looking for you."
The little one looked up at Lu Lingxiao.
Meng Qianqian was worried that after calling out to her, the child would call Lu Lingxiao 'father' again, which would truly irritate her.
Fortunately, the little one didn't call out, merely staring at him with big, curious eyes.
Lu Lingxiao reached out to pick him up, but the child pushed him away, wanting Meng Qianqian instead.
"Where's his mother?" Meng Qianqian asked.
"Over there," Lu Lingxiao replied, pointing in a certain direction.
Meng Qianqian hugged the little one and went to find his mother.
Lu Lingxiao always felt that she didn't like him, and he couldn't help but think that it wasn't surprising if Lu Yuan's people didn't like him either.
Lu Lingxiao was in charge of delivering the supplies brought by the villagers back to the village.
There were too many things, and he couldn't tell who they belonged to, so he could only send them to the village chief's house first.
As soon as he entered the village chief's house, he sensed something amiss.
The village chief's house was usually bustling with the noise of many children, but today it was unusually quiet.
"Village chief?" He called out, but there was no response from inside the house.
In the past, when the village chief's children heard the soldiers' voices, they would rush over to see them.
Lu Lingxiao quickly put down the sack on his shoulder and cautiously pushed open the half-closed door to the main room.
"Don't move, or I'll kill them!"
It was a rebel who had escaped capture, and he had taken the village chief's family hostage. Several of the older children were tied up tightly, their mouths stuffed with cotton, while the youngest was held in his arms, a sharp knife pressed against his throat.
The village chief and his wife knelt on the ground, their faces filled with fear.
Lu Lingxiao remained calm and said, "Let the children go, and we can talk."
The rebel, his eyes wild with madness, shouted, "What's there to talk about? I'm going to die... I'm going to die... You're here to catch me... You're all going to die! Every single one of you!"
Lu Lingxiao said, "I'm not here to catch you. Let the children go, and I'll pretend I never saw you today."
The rebel brandished his knife. "I don't believe you! You, die in front of me and I'll believe it! Otherwise, I'll kill him!"
"Ah—" The village chief's wife cried out in fear.
The rebel's knife slashed towards the child's throat.
Without hesitation, Lu Lingxiao drew his dagger and stabbed himself in the chest!
The rebel was stunned for a moment.
Now was the chance!
Lu Lingxiao took a step forward, grabbing the rebel's dagger with one hand and snatching the child from his arms with the other!
Enraged, the rebel grabbed a nearby bench and brought it down hard on the heads of the other two children.
Lu Lingxiao leaped forward, using his body to block the bench.
The bench struck his back and head, and blood began to flow.
The rebel drew another knife and slashed at Lu Lingxiao!
A cry of pain escaped the rebel's lips as he was struck by a silver needle and the knife fell from his hand.
Meng Qianqian darted forward, kicking the knife away.
The rebel's body twitched a few times and then became still.
"It's over," Meng Qianqian said, hugging the little one and reassuring the village chief and his wife.
The couple thanked her profusely, and the village chief hurried to untie the children.
The village chief, filled with worry, approached Lu Lingxiao. "Sir, are you alright?"
Lu Lingxiao handed the child back to him. "It's just a minor injury. I know how to take care of it."
His chest was still impaled by his own dagger, and to confuse the rebel, he had truly inflicted a serious wound, but as an experienced general, he knew how to avoid vital areas.
Then, he turned to Meng Qianqian, his expression complex as he said, "Thank you for what you did earlier."
Meng Qianqian ignored him and walked away, hugging the little one as she went to find his grandparents.
Unbeknownst to her, at that very moment, the little one reached up and pulled off her mask.
Meng Qianqian: "......!!!"
She quickly turned away and strode towards the door.
But it was too late. Lu Lingxiao had already seen her face.
Paying no heed to the dagger still embedded in his chest, he rushed forward, disbelief written on his face. "It's you?"
Meng Qianqian closed her eyes briefly.
Lu Lingxiao stifled the pain in his chest and moved to stand in front of her, staring at her face, one he hadn't seen in many days, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing!
Meng Xiaojiu... How could she be Meng Qianqian?
"You... that... I... didn't..." Lu Lingxiao was too shocked to form a coherent sentence.
"Get away from me!" Meng Qianqian snapped, her patience at an end.
"Jiukai," the little one parroted.
Meng Qianqian hugged the child and walked away.
Lu Lingxiao's heart was in turmoil, and he couldn't calm his thoughts.
"How could this be? Did I make a mistake somewhere? How could she be Meng Xiaojiu?"
"Why is she here at the border? Why did she become Lu Yuan's bodyguard?"
"She even fought on the battlefield... She couldn't even kill an ant before..."
If it had been Wan'er fighting on the battlefield, he would have believed it, after all, she was Shen Hou's daughter, and her father and brother were both heroes of the border. But Meng Qianqian was just a delicate flower, a vine that relied on men for survival.
Lu Lingxiao's mind spun with confusion.
After getting his wounds treated by the military doctor, he immediately went to Meng Qianqian's tent.
"Who gave you permission to come in?" Meng Qianqian asked coldly.
Lu Lingxiao stood before her, his expression stern as he demanded, "Meng Qianqian, what is the meaning of this? Explain yourself!"
Meng Qianqian replied calmly, "What is there to explain? It has nothing to do with you."
Lu Lingxiao frowned. "You traveled thousands of miles to find me at the border. Could it be that you regret it now? Are you trying to play some new trick? Do you want me to change my mind about you?"
A short, chubby chapter
Baoshu is super fierce: Waaah Waaah!
(End of Chapter)
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