Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot

Chapter 828: Chapter 676: The Grandchild-Doting Maniac

Meng Qianqian entered the palace to visit Zhou Nanyan.

Zhou Nanyan’s condition had improved considerably, and she was able to walk around and had a normal appetite.

When Meng Qianqian arrived at Changchun Palace, Zhou Nanyan was doing embroidery.

"Young Madam Lu has arrived, Your Ladyship."

The female official said with a smile.

Zhou Nanyan quickly put down her embroidery and moved it aside slightly, as if trying to use the basket to hide it.

Then she cheerfully walked towards Meng Qianqian: "Sister Meng!"

Meng Qianqian glanced at the embroidery that Zhou Nanyan had deliberately "hidden" and said calmly, "I came to see you."

Zhou Nanyan linked arms with Meng Qianqian and sat on the bench: "His Majesty told me that if it weren’t for Sister Meng arriving in time, I would have been in grave danger."

Meng Qianqian looked at her, and Zhou Nanyan’s cheeks reddened slightly, shyly turning her gaze away: "Why does Sister Meng keep staring at me? Is there something on my face?"

Meng Qianqian thought to herself how mischievous she could be. If Zhou Nanyan weren’t so innocent, she might let it go, but the more she behaved like a little rabbit, the more Meng couldn’t help teasing her.

Meng Qianqian picked up the half-finished embroidery from the basket and asked playfully, "Oh, whose clothes are these for? And there’s an embroidered swan."

"Ah, Sister Meng!"

Zhou Nanyan’s face turned red, and she quickly reached out to grab it.

Meng Qianqian lightly lifted her arm, making Zhou Nanyan miss, her face turning crimson as she pouted: "Sister Meng!"

Meng Qianqian teased mischievously: "Tell me who it’s for, and I’ll give it back to you."

Zhou Nanyan was so embarrassed she wished she could hide, covered her face, and after a long pause, whispered very softly: "It’s for him."

"Who is he?"

Meng Qianqian asked, already knowing the answer.

"It’s... Zong Zhengxi."

"Zong Zhengxi?"

Meng Qianqian burst into laughter.

He doesn’t have such a pet name; it must be a term of endearment between the two, and knowing Zhou Nanyan, it probably wasn’t her idea, but Zong Zhengxi’s.

He sure knows how to come up with names.

Meng Qianqian felt like a parent watching their child try to act grown-up.

Still, it showed one thing: these two youngsters were starting to realize their feelings.

Although not very much.

"Can you give it back to me now?"

Zhou Nanyan asked bashfully.

Meng Qianqian seldom saw Zhou Nanyan so shy, which she found adorable and tempting to continue teasing.

Ultimately, she held back.

She returned the haphazardly embroidered garment to its rightful owner.

Zhou Nanyan cleared her throat and corrected her sternly: "And by the way, I wasn’t embroidering a swan, it was a Yuan Yang."

Meng Qianqian: "..."

Wang Rou and Lin Xiaoru also came to the palace today to visit Zhou Nanyan.

Seeing Sister Meng was there too, the two were pleasantly surprised.

The four chatted for a while before Yao Qingluan summoned Meng Qianqian.

"What’s going on with the Empress? Why does she keep summoning Meng Qianqian? Is she making things difficult for you?"

Zhou Nanyan held Meng Qianqian’s hand, asking worriedly.

Meng Qianqian reassured her: "It should be about the poisoning incident involving you and Consort Lan. The Empress hasn’t troubled me, don’t worry."

That was the absolute truth; so far, Yao Qingluan hadn’t shown any signs of making things difficult for her.

Wang Rou said to Zhou Nanyan: "Given Sister Meng’s status, even if the Empress wanted to make things difficult, she’d have to think twice."

Zhou Nanyan thought that made sense. She still had the female official escort Meng Qianqian to the Jingren Palace, waiting outside.

"Greetings to the Empress, may Your Ladyship be ever blessed."

Meng Qianqian courteously performed a bow.

Yao Qingluan said, "Rise, I presume you already know why I’ve called you here today."

"I am here to receive Your Ladyship’s guidance."

Meng Qianqian said.

Yao Qingluan saw her measured demeanor, not overly ostentatious, pondered for a moment, then said: "You are indeed different from the others."

Meng Qianqian sensed something was amiss.

There was a hint of inexplicable melancholy in that statement.

Wait, could the Empress think that she... has something going on with Si Snake?

Or does she believe Si Snake has feelings for her, which is why he listened to her suggestion to protect her from Prime Minister Xun’s schemes?

Meng Qianqian put herself in the Empress’s shoes and suddenly realized that if the Empress truly harbored feelings for Si Snake, her thoughts would make perfect sense.

Si Snake did not know the Empress, and for him to protect her, he must have received someone’s instructions.

Lu Yuan wasn’t familiar with Si Snake either.

The only person connecting them was her.

Being both part of the Twelve Guards, Si Snake was her senior, and she held no authority over him; Si Snake was also not someone to meddle in others’ affairs.

So, it really seemed like there was only one possibility left.

Si Snake... liked her, so when she asked him to protect the future Empress, Si Snake agreed without hesitation.

Such thoughts flashed through her mind, and Meng Qianqian rubbed her forehead secretly.

This really was... a ridiculous scenario!

Si Snake listened to her orders because she was the Grand Marshal,

and it had nothing to do with romance.

But how was she going to explain this to the Empress?

For the first time, Meng Qianqian felt the frustration of not being able to explain everything clearly.

Wait, it seems the focus is wrong, Empress you—

"The matter of the poisoning of the Imperial Concubine and Consort Lan, I’ve started investigating these past two days."

Yao Qingluan seemed to sense Meng Qianqian’s astonished gaze and timely shifted the topic, returning to the matter at hand, "The poison was indeed not administered by Consort Lan; she was also a victim."

"Hmm."

Meng Qianqian also gathered her thoughts and nodded.

She also believed that Consort Lan was innocent.

Ayimulan hurriedly placed a Loulan dancer in the palace, and everyone thought she had bad intentions, but she deliberately went against such expectations.

Alina was the flaw in the open, but her moves were in the shadows.

She looked at Yao Qingluan, waiting for a final result.

Unexpectedly, Yao Qingluan just sighed, "It’s a pity we didn’t find out who poisoned them."

Meng Qianqian asked, "On that day in the Imperial Garden, was there anyone else who approached the Imperial Concubine and Lady Lan?"

Yao Qingluan paused, "Ying Yue from Cien Palace."

The former Empress Xiao, cousin of Lady Wang, after Zong Zhengxi’s grand wedding, was promoted to Empress Dowager and moved into Cien Palace.

Ying Yue was her trusted female official.

No wonder Yao Qingluan looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

As the investigation continued, it unexpectedly implicated the Empress Dowager Xiao.

"What was Eunuch Ying Yue doing?"

She asked.

Yao Qingluan replied, "Just passing by, happened to be picking flowers nearby, and paid respects to the Imperial Concubine and Lady Lan."

She added after a pause, "The Empress Dowager has a hobby of flower arranging, and she sends people to pick flowers from the Imperial Garden every day, so it wasn’t deliberately getting close to the Imperial Concubine and Lady Lan."

Meng Qianqian understood.

Everything seemed to be too much of a coincidence.

Two possibilities.

First, Yao Qingluan is lying, deliberately pointing the finger at the Empress Dowager Xiao.

Second, this matter is indeed related to Cien Palace.

But being related doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the work of the Empress Dowager Xiao, and Alina bribing Ying Yue isn’t certain either.

After all, that is Alina.

Yao Qingluan glanced at Meng Qianqian and said nonchalantly, "I know you might be suspecting me, but it’s okay. I believe in your ability to clear my name."

Meng Qianqian cupped her hands, "Little Nine takes her leave."

After leaving Jingren Palace, she inquired the female official about Xiao’s little spring.

Little spring was a spy planted by Lu Yuan beside Empress Dowager Xiao, who had been very helpful when she entered the palace before.

"Are you referring to Eunuch Quan, Madam Lu?" asked the female official. "Eunuch Quan passed away from illness a few days ago."

"Passed away from illness?"

Meng Qianqian pondered, "How could it be such a coincidence?"

-

When Emperor Liang entered the capital, the happiest person besides the old lady was Treasure Piggy.

Treasure Piggy didn’t even ride the horse.

After all, riding a big horse isn’t as stylish as riding on Emperor Liang’s neck?

She raised her little chin, swaggering proudly like a little peacock borrowing a tiger’s might, feeling immensely proud!

Emperor Liang walked with the little one through the streets and alleys of the Capital City.

Cui Hu, having been in the capital for only a few days as a guard of Great Liang, introduced the shops of Great Zhou with great familiarity, almost like a traitor to Liang Country.

"A hundred steps ahead is the Weiyang Building where we are to have a decisive battle with Loulan. Weiyang Building has a century-old reputation, originally as a distillery, but unfortunately, the boss mismanaged it, extending too many credits, and being deceived once by a friend, ended up in huge debt and had to sell the distillery."

"Sold it, sold it!"

Treasure Piggy mimicked.

For the sake of amusing the little one, Emperor Liang forgave Cui Hu’s "traitor’s heart".

A talk full of tears, his hand-picked imperial guards probably didn’t know as much about Liang Country’s shops.

The three passed Weiyang Building without entering.

Cui Hu was bewildered, "Your Majesty, aren’t we here to see Weiyang Building?"

Emperor Liang gave him a cold look.

Cui Hu got the hint, "Please instruct, Your Majesty."

Emperor Liang: "I’ve finished reading the booklets. Where to buy new ones?"

Cui Hu: "..."

Half an hour later, Cui Hu, carrying a heavy bundle weighing twenty jin, walked out of the last study looking ashen-faced.

Emperor Liang strolled the streets of the Capital City for half a day, gaining insight into the customs and culture of Great Zhou.

Despite believing that Liang Country’s military strength was more powerful than Great Zhou’s, and being confident in his ability to command respect, he had to admit that the court of Great Zhou was very effective in governance.

Be it the streets, markets, vendors, and traders... everything was prosperous and orderly.

"I should consult the Supreme Emperor of Great Zhou on this. It’s an unexpected gain from this trip."

Originally, he only thought of reuniting with his mother, who would have thought it would yield such insights.

"Great-grandfather! I want it!"

Suddenly, Treasure Piggy pointed to a place, speaking in a soft, childish voice.

"Which one do you want?"

Emperor Liang followed the child’s gaze, "The rattle or the candied hawthorn?"

Treasure Piggy shook her head.

"Then what does Zhaozhao want?"

Besides the hawker selling rattles and candied hawthorn, Emperor Liang didn’t see anything else.

Treasure Piggy’s little finger lifted slightly, full of overbearing authority.

Emperor Liang’s gaze moved up, meeting the eyes of someone sitting on the second floor.

The person was stunned while gnawing on a chicken leg.

Such a powerful aura!

An old and a young one, the bigger one is like a hegemon, the smaller one... the smaller one is a little tyrant.

"I want him!"

Treasure Piggy said word by word.

The person pointed at himself, "Me?"

Little one, do you even know what you’re saying?!

I am after all —

Treasure Piggy disdainfully waved her finger, shifting slightly to the side.

The person turned his head, looking up and down, "Mo Yi, it seems she’s pointing at you."

Mo Yi snorted coldly, full of disdain, "Hmph."