Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 258 - 240: Showing Off My Husband

Chapter 258: Chapter 240: Showing Off My Husband

Meng Qianqian brought Ban Xia and Tan’er to perform the ceremonial kowtow to the new Empress.

Meng Qianqian’s demeanor was flawless, and Ban Xia followed suit respectfully, though Tan’er seemed a bit out of place.

Yao Qingluan said warmly, "Lady Lu, please rise."

Once the three straightened up, Yao Qingluan’s gaze fell on Tan’er’s clever and adorable oval-shaped face. "You must be Tan’er, correct?"

Tan’er tilted her head. "Does the Empress know me?"

Yao Qingluan smiled lightly. "Last night, His Majesty mentioned you, saying your braised pork was left uneaten when you departed suddenly."

At the mention of her heartbreak, Tan’er’s hands flew to her face as she began to wail dramatically—without a single tear: "My braised pork, oh no!"

The assembled ladies and young maidens couldn’t hold their laughter and covered their faces to hide their amusement.

Yao Qingluan was also amused by Tan’er’s antics. "His Majesty has ordered that if you come today, you must eat to your heart’s content before leaving."

Tan’er clenched her fists. "Long live His Majesty!"

Lady Xing was also present. She waved at Meng Qianqian to come closer.

Meng Qianqian walked over.

The moment she sat down, a mocking laugh drifted over from across the table, light and disdainful.

Meng Qianqian lifted her eyes and saw that it was none other than the Lady of Changning Marquis.

Lu Yuan was truly prophetic.

How convenient. Today, she was already in a foul mood. If this lady wanted to walk into the lion’s den, she couldn’t blame anyone but herself.

Meng Qianqian smiled faintly. "Lady Changning, do you have some complaint against His Majesty? To mock him so openly?"

Lady Changning drawled lazily, "When did I ridicule His Majesty? Don’t credit me with such baseless accusations, Lady Lu."

Meng Qianqian retorted, "That sneer of yours earlier—do you think I’m deaf and can’t hear it? What, did my maid say something inappropriate? Or is shouting ’Long live His Majesty’ so utterly hilarious to you?"

Lady Changning’s eyes were filled with derision. "I wasn’t laughing at the Emperor; I was laughing at your Governor Mansion. Can’t even afford a few plates of braised pork—what a disgrace to bring shame all the way to the Imperial Palace."

Meng Qianqian curved her lips slightly. "The Governor Mansion is indeed no match for the extravagant wealth of Changning Marquis Mansion. Three sons’ official positions solely purchased through donations—must’ve cost at least tens of thousands of taels of silver. Unlike my husband, who had to rely purely on his capabilities to earn the post of Grand Commander."

Lady Changning had three sons and one daughter, none of the sons being particularly capable.

Meng Qianqian’s words struck straight at Lady Changning’s sore spot.

Lady Changning, a direct descendant of the Yao Family and aunt to the Emperor, had never imagined being humiliated in public like this.

Her face flushed red and then turned pale with fury.

She glared at Meng Qianqian, eyes blazing, "And you think Lu Yuan’s post was achieved honorably? You know full well it’s the position of a sycophantic traitor who seduced his ruler. And you dare flaunt that here?"

Meng Qianqian raised her brows. "My husband is excellent—of course I’ll flaunt him. Besides, he’s highly valued by both His Majesty and the Supreme Emperor. Are you implying that the Supreme Emperor and His Majesty are incapable of telling loyalty from treachery?"

"Lady Changning, such audacious words! Are you criticizing my Imperial Father now?"

A cold reprimand sounded as the goose-yellow-robed Princess Wanping, accompanied by her personal female official, strode into the main hall.

Lady Changning’s expression shifted dramatically.

Princess Wanping gave the Empress a light bow, prompting everyone to rise and pay their respects.

After taking the seat to the upper left, Princess Wanping coldly addressed Lady Changning: "Lu Yuan is deeply esteemed by my Imperial Father. By insulting Lu Yuan, you are insulting my Imperial Father."

Lady Changning hurriedly bowed deeply. "This minister’s wife spoke out of turn. Please forgive me, Princess!"

Princess Wanping snorted coldly, raised the tea cup offered by her maid, and ignored Lady Changning thereafter.

Meng Qianqian noticed that alongside Lady Changning, bowing and apologizing, was a demure and graceful young woman.

"Who is she?"

Lady Xing elaborated, "The legitimate daughter of Changning Marquis Mansion, Tao Shiyu. Her given name originally meant ’chirping birds and fragrant flowers,’ but a Taoist once divined that she lacked water in her Five Elements, so it was changed to the ’rain after a sunny day’ interpretation."

Meng Qianqian suddenly realized—so it was her.

There’s no way Changning Marquis Mansion would marry off an illegitimate daughter to the Xun Family, so it must be Tao Shiyu.

Setting Tao Shiyu’s character aside, just thinking about Lady Changning’s behavior made Meng Qianqian sincerely wish not to become in-laws with Changning Marquis Mansion.

Moreover, Meng Qianqian suspected strongly that Lady Changning’s initial intended match was Xun Yu.

However, Xun Yu was set to marry a young noblewoman from Miaojiang—how could he possibly settle for someone like Tao Shiyu?

Lady Changning must’ve lowered her sights to Tao Shiyu marrying Chen Long as a compromise.

All of the Capital City knew that Prime Minister Xun had presented Chen Long as a guard to Princess Wanping. But because Princess Wanping lost a gamble to him, Chen Long now served personally as her guard.

It was no surprise that the Governor Mansion and Prime Minister’s Mansion were not on good terms, with Changning Marquis Mansion siding with the Prime Minister.

On top of that, Lady Changning seemed to view Meng Qianqian as a rival to her daughter in her own mind.

"Your Majesty, my daughter has copied a volume of Buddhist Scriptures at home and would like to present it to you."

The wife of the Minister of Rites intervened to smooth things over, successfully diverting the topic.

During the Emperor and Empress’s wedding, the civil and military officials were not required to offer monetary gifts, but when greeting the Empress, they typically presented a token of congratulations.

During the Supreme Emperor’s reign, to curb corruption, any gift valued over two taels of silver was forbidden.

Thus, the ladies and maidens could not send gold or jewelry—their contributions had to come from genuine effort.

A palace maid presented the Buddhist Scripture to Yao Qingluan.

Yao Qingluan opened it and revealed a look of approval. "Miss Li, you are thoughtful."

Miss Li rose and curtsied, "Thank you for your kind praise, Your Majesty."

One after another, the ladies presented their handmade gifts—painted fans, artworks, sachets. A young lady from the Ministry of Industry’s agricultural division brought a melon that she had grown herself, which elicited laughter from everyone present.

Tao Shiyu presented a sachet, filled with dried flowers she had sun-dried herself, boasting calming and soothing properties. The sachet, meticulously embroidered with an exquisite pair of mandarin ducks, had its feathers shown in delicate detail, and its meaning was auspicious.

Her needlework earned widespread admiration.

Soon, it was Meng Qianqian’s turn.

When Ban Xia opened the box and gently lifted the item, everyone thought a kitten might leap forth. Upon closer examination, it turned out to be a fan emblazoned with a white cat.

What was more surprising: when Ban Xia flipped the fan over, the reverse side revealed a graceful young woman in full bloom.

The wife of the Minister of Rites exclaimed, "Double-sided embroidery!"

Yao Qingluan glanced at her palace maid.

The palace maid understood and immediately brought the fan to her.

Yao Qingluan instantly recognized the young woman on the fan as herself and the cat as Snow Tuan, a feline she had raised in the Yao Family.

Her mother had once said that her cousin disapproved of cats and forbade her from bringing Snow Tuan into the palace.

This fan eased her longing for Snow Tuan.

The wife of the Minister of Rites smiled and asked, "Your Majesty, we’ve heard much about double-sided embroidery but never seen it up close. Would you allow us..."

Yao Qingluan nodded and instructed the palace maid, "Show it to the ladies and maidens."

She then said to Meng Qianqian, "Lady Lu, your gift pleases me greatly."

Tao Shiyu’s sachet was overshadowed, leaving her somewhat disgruntled. But as the fan was passed to her, she immediately spotted a flaw.

"Lady Lu, may I ask where this fan was made?"

"By my own hand," Meng Qianqian replied.

Tao Shiyu smiled faintly. "Lady Lu, though I am not highly skilled, I have studied embroidery with my master for years. This fan bears the unmistakable style of Yanyu Pavilion."

"What? Yanyu Pavilion? She purchased the fan from Yanyu Pavilion?"

"That’s cheating! We all made our gifts ourselves."

"How shameless..."

The young maidens whispered among themselves, their gazes toward Meng Qianqian turning skeptical.

Lady Xing, understanding Meng Qianqian’s character, refused to believe she would resort to deception. "Miss Tao, accusations require evidence."

Tao Shiyu declared, "My master is Wu Xiuniang from Yanyu Pavilion, the eldest discipled of the Pavilion’s proprietor. I cannot mistake the work of Yanyu Pavilion!"

Hearing her claim such lineage, the gathering instantly lent greater credence to her words.