Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 553 - 470: Lu Yuan Complains, The Qilin is Fake_2

Chapter 553: Chapter 470: Lu Yuan Complains, The Qilin is Fake_2

"Great-grandfather!"

Treasure Piggy kept nuzzling Emperor Liang’s neck, like a clingy little kitten.

Who could possibly resist a soft and fluffy little dumpling?

Certainly not Emperor Liang.

Whenever the little dumpling acted spoiled, he’d pluck the stars from the heavens for her.

Meanwhile, Meng Qianqian and Elder Yan sat in the small garden of the Diligent Governance Hall, waiting for Emperor Liang to summon them.

After bidding farewell to Gongsun Liuying, Emperor Liang had left the pair behind alone, clearly intending to have words with them.

Eunuch Yu had the palace attendants prepare tea and snacks and arranged for attendants to be on standby.

Soon after, the attendants were dismissed by Lu Yuan.

Only the master and disciple remained in the small garden.

Meng Qianqian gently stroked the Green Simurgh Sword that rested on the table, her expression solemn and reverent.

For this day, she had waited across two lifetimes.

At long last, she had reclaimed her life chart.

But this was not the end.

Her revenge was just beginning.

Lady Yan said, "You shouldn’t have done this; it was too risky."

Meng Qianqian replied calmly, "What have I done? I don’t quite follow. Please enlighten me, Master."

Lady Yan hesitated, words caught in her throat.

Meng Qianqian said, "If Master won’t speak, then I will. Thousand Mechanism Pavilion stole what was mine, and I merely took it back."

Lady Yan opened her mouth, "You..."

Meng Qianqian drew the Green Simurgh Sword and said, "They should be the ones worrying. The gods observe from three feet above—if they won’t strike, I will!"

Lady Yan froze in place.

Just then, Xiao Dazi stepped into the small garden and politely said, "Elder Yan, Miss Yan, His Majesty has summoned you both!"

Meng Qianqian resheathed the Green Simurgh Sword with a decisive clang.

Lady Yan shut her eyes briefly and said to Xiao Dazi, "Lead the way, little eunuch."

Xiao Dazi escorted them to Treasure Piggy’s exclusive small garden.

Calling it a small garden would be quite generous—it was merely a few potted plants at the corners of the walls. The spacious courtyard resembled more of a small pasture.

At that moment, a reddish-brown colt was standing next to Emperor Liang.

Treasure Piggy tilted her head, blinking up at the colt, brimming with excitement.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Elder Yan and Meng Qianqian both bowed to Emperor Liang.

Hearing their voices, Treasure Piggy turned her head and toddled over on her short little legs, rushing to Meng Qianqian and wrapping her tiny arms around Meng Qianqian’s leg.

With an indulgent glance at the little one, Emperor Liang said to Elder Yan, "You’ve trained a fine disciple—Zhaozhao is quite fond of her."

Emperor Liang’s standard for judgment: Zhaozhao likes her, or Zhaozhao doesn’t.

Elder Yan said, "You flatter me, Your Majesty."

She then turned to Meng Qianqian and said, "Accompany Miss Zhaozhao and play with her for a while."

This was precisely what Meng Qianqian had been waiting for.

The heavens only knew how much she missed the little one. Upon learning that the little one had arrived in the Capital City, she had been itching to sprout wings and fly to her side. When she entered the palace today, Lady Yan assumed she came with the intention of dealing with Gongsun Liuying—little did she know that Meng Qianqian also wanted to see the little one.

Gently scooping up the chubby child, Meng Qianqian held her close.

The little one nuzzled against her shoulder and softly called, "Mama."

Meng Qianqian’s heart brimmed with warmth as she softly responded, "Yes, my dear."

The little one was positively beside herself with joy, wriggling to and fro in Meng Qianqian’s arms.

Emperor Liang had summoned the two of them primarily for two matters.

The first was to reward Meng Qianqian for her services in curing Nie’er—not only the Princess Consort Hui intended to give rewards, but Emperor Liang also planned to bestow generous ones himself.

The second pertained to his chronic headaches.

For the first time ever, the Emperor, who typically refused medicine and avoided seeing physicians, voluntarily sought treatment.

"Is there a cure for my headaches?" he asked.

Lady Yan replied, "If Your Majesty cooperates with treatment, combining acupuncture with herbal decoctions, you can fully recover in no time."

The mention of acupuncture was tolerable, but upon hearing about taking medicine, Emperor Liang immediately abandoned the idea: "Pretend I didn’t ask."

Lady Yan: "..."

Emperor Liang glanced at the pair playing in the distance—a big one and a small one—and mused aloud, "How skilled is your disciple’s horsemanship?"

Lady Yan thought for a moment before answering, "Exceptional."

The Emperor had only asked casually, not expecting a genuine skill set: "In that case, it’s all settled. Zhaozhao wants to learn to ride, and we lack a teacher to instruct her. Let your disciple teach Zhaozhao how to ride."

Lady Yan was dumbfounded: "Miss Zhaozhao... is only two years old."

Emperor Liang declared, "So what? I was on horseback when I was two!"

Lady Yan replied, "As you decree."

Well, being recognized as Zhaozhao’s master effectively provided an extra layer of protection. If Thousand Mechanism Pavilion wanted to move against Meng Qianqian, they’d have to reconsider carefully.

Treasure Piggy pulled Meng Qianqian’s hand to look at the colt.

"It’s Zhaozhao’s! Isn’t Zhaozhao amazing?"

Meng Qianqian’s lips curved softly. "Absolutely amazing."

She began helping the little one get familiar with her colt.

Meanwhile, Emperor Liang inquired about many aspects related to Meng Qianqian, and Lady Yan provided responses one by one.

She was from the Southwest, an orphan picked up by Lady Yan during her travels in the martial world. Blessed with extraordinary talent, she was a once-in-a-century rarity in both martial arts and medicine.

Inside the study of the Diligent Governance Hall—

Lu Yuan was flipping through a book with a dark expression.

Lu Zhaoyan remarked, "You itching to go out?"

Lu Yuan huffed. "Hmph."

Lu Zhaoyan, adopting a stern tone, said, "Rein it in. The reason you’re held back is for your own good. Look at you, practically glued to Little Nine with those eyes. Are you afraid your royal grandfather wouldn’t notice?"

Lu Yuan snorted coldly. "Is it wrong to be charming?"

Lu Zhaoyan: "..."

"If you want to look, you do it."

Slamming his book onto the desk, Lu Yuan stormed out without a glance back.

Lu Zhaoyan called out, "Where are you going?"

Lu Yuan replied, "To find my bride."

Lu Zhaoyan shouted, "You rebellious brat!"

Lu Yuan’s timing was unfortunate—by the time he arrived, Meng Qianqian and Lady Yan had already left.

Gazing at the now empty courtyard, his fury had nowhere to go.

But someone had to bear the brunt of it.

"Where’s my royal grandfather?"

He demanded from a nearby little eunuch who was cleaning up.

The little eunuch replied, "His Majesty has gone to the Imperial Study Room."

Lu Yuan turned and marched straight to the Imperial Study Room. "Royal Grandfather!"

Emperor Liang, who had just opened a memorial to the throne, looked up to see Lu Yuan’s stormy demeanor and said with amusement, "Yuan’er has come? Why the long face? Who’s offended my Imperial Grandson?"

Lu Yuan spoke without hesitation, "Thousand Mechanism Pavilion!"

Emperor Liang’s gaze sharpened slightly. "What’s happened with the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion?"

Lu Yuan, unable to contain his frustration, declared, "Thousand Mechanism Pavilion has presented the Imperial Family with a fake Phoenix Girl! The more I think about it, the angrier I get. And the State Preceptor—what a joke! Can’t even distinguish between a real and fake Phoenix Girl? Or perhaps, he knew it was a fake but deliberately passed it off as genuine? What exactly is the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion plotting?"

Emperor Liang observed his vehement rant and said, "Go on."

Lu Yuan snorted. "Moreover, if the Phoenix Girl is fake, who’s to say that the Qilin they retrieved is real?"

Emperor Liang, with a faint smile, asked, "If Qi’er isn’t real, are you?"

Unfazed, Lu Yuan replied, "You are the Emperor, Royal Grandfather. Whoever you declare is real, is real."