Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot

Chapter 877: Chapter 720

"Is it you?"

Lu Yuan glanced at him and asked, "What are you sneaking around doing in the middle of the night?"

Meng Lang muttered, "Who’s sneaking around? I’m just thinking it’s pretty late, wanted to see if you guys were asleep yet so I wouldn’t wake you. My dear sister wakes up in such a grumpy mood, I’m afraid if I tick her off she’ll beat me up!"

Lu Yuan snorted, "At least you have some self-awareness."

Meng Qianqian’s voice came from inside the room, "Where’s my brother?"

Meng Lang responded, "No idea, he ditched me early this morning and left. He’s not back yet. He’s been going out early and coming back late lately, not sure what he’s busy with."

Meng Qianqian draped her clothing and walked out, "So, you’re useless then?"

Meng Lang bristled, "Who says that? I’m actually quite useful, okay? Otherwise, why would my master take me along?"

Meng Qianqian said expressionlessly, "Washing clothes, cooking, running errands, hmm, indeed, slightly useful."

Meng Lang: "..."

At the end of July in West City, the autumn chill was deep and strong in the mornings and evenings, much cooler than in the Capital City.

Lu Yuan looked at Meng Qianqian’s thin clothes and said to Meng Lang, "Come inside to talk."

Meng Lang entered the room, sensibly closing the door behind him.

The three of them sat around the table.

Meng Lang poured himself a cup of tea, "I heard from the shopkeeper that quite a few of you have arrived. Who exactly is here?"

Meng Qianqian replied, "That’s not something you should be concerned with, tell us what news you’ve gathered in West City."

Meng Lang pursed his lips and muttered resentfully, "Chen Long says this, you say the same, each of you carrying so many secrets, aren’t you worried you’ll burst?"

Lu Yuan said, "Chen Long isn’t here to sort you out then?"

Meng Lang immediately cowered.

"Okay, okay, I’ll say it."

He spoke reluctantly, "Ayimulan and her envoys have returned to Loulan. Not only did they lose several generals on their way to the Capital, even Toghtai was lost. Ministers and civilians blame Ayimulan for it, her reputation in the court and among the people is somewhat damaged."

Meng Qianqian asked, "What is the Loulan King’s reaction?"

Meng Lang drank a big gulp of tea, "The Loulan King is quite lenient towards this Princess Consort; not only did he pardon her, but he also suppressed all opposing voices, even though he’s seriously ill, he exerted himself over her matters and actually managed to attend court once a few days ago."

When Meng Qianqian and Lu Yuan heard this, they couldn’t help but look at each other and exchanged a knowing look.

"You think the same?"

Meng Qianqian said.

Meng Lang was startled.

What do you think?

Think what?

What just happened?

Did I go deaf or lose my memory?!

Lu Yuan ignored Meng Lang’s dumbfounded look and nodded, "I’m afraid our information about the Loulan King is wrong, the King’s illness is fake, at least not to the point where he can’t leave his bed as rumored."

Meng Qianqian nodded, "The Loulan King and Ayimulan... their relationship is a facade."

Loulan King and Ayimulan are married in name but have their own ambitions; both want to be the prophesied king of the Western Regions.

Such a strong-willed woman as Ayimulan, rivaling the Loulan King on the court, the King must have been dissatisfied for long.

This time, with the incident of A Mushan dying in You State, he simply went with the flow, using the Great Zhou Court and the Governor Mansion to weaken Ayimulan’s power.

This move is nothing short of brilliant.

Lu Yuan sneered ambiguously, "This makes things interesting."

Meng Qianqian said calmly, "Yeah, there can only be one King of the Western Regions. What could be more satisfying than watching them turn against each other?"

The Shang Family’s extermination case, neither the Loulan King nor Ayimulan can escape blame.

It’s only troublesome if they are united.

It’s best if they fight internally, to the point of mutual destruction.

Of course, there’s another possibility.

They might join forces against external threats.

This isn’t impossible.

The twists of events often happen in an instant, who knows what unexpected things will happen next.

Meng Qianqian asked suspiciously, "Do you think... is the Loulan King pretending to be ill?"

Lu Yuan’s fingers lightly tapped the table, "You suspect he’s doing this to deal with Ayimulan?"

Meng Qianqian nodded, "One Ayimulan wouldn’t be worth such efforts, but if you include the other nine Vassal Kings, it might be worth a try."

"After he became seriously ill, the other Vassal Kings are eager to act, fighting both openly and covertly. He just needs to wait until they fight to the death before capturing them all at once. If I were him, this wouldn’t be a bad plan."

Lu Yuan’s eyes reflected deep thought, "It’s a good plan, but somewhat too hastily executed."

Meng Qianqian’s gaze deepened, "Sometimes, you don’t need everything to be ready before acting, because often by the time you are ready, either the enemy is also ready, or the opportunity has already been missed."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, "Meng Xiaojiu, who taught you these profound truths?"

Meng Qianqian said proudly, "Self-taught."

Lu Yuan’s lips curled.

Meng Lang drank his water, his eyes spinning as he watched the two.

You’re discussing business; stop throwing me dog food out of nowhere, alright?

I’ve had my fill tonight!

"I know where my brother went."

Meng Qianqian said.

Lu Yuan, with an implicit meaning and a bit of admiration, "Oh?"

Meng Qianqian felt her cheeks tingling from his intense gaze, her eyes shifted slightly, maintaining her composure as she said, "He probably also discovered the Loulan King’s illness is a sham. Do you think, he might have gone to investigate the Loulan Palace by night?"

It was only Meng Lang who didn’t notice the subtle romance between the two. He shivered, "No way? Doesn’t he care about his life? He used to be the former Princely Heir of Loulan; those who want to kill him in the palace could line up from Loulan to the Capital City! Does he need to be so stupid?"

Speaking of this, he suddenly thought of something, stretched out a hand, and said with a solemn face, "Wait, if he dies, does that mean I’ve officially graduated and become the next true Guard Dragon?"

"Who said someone’s dying?"

Chen Long’s icy voice suddenly sounded behind him.

Meng Lang shivered violently.

The sky fell!!!

"Brother!"

Meng Qianqian stood up.

The coldness in Chen Long’s eyes subsided, "Not sleeping so late."

Meng Qianqian shook her head slightly, indicating she wasn’t tired, "Slept for a long time in the carriage. By the way, where did you go? Surely, you didn’t actually go to the Loulan Palace?"

Chen Long replied, "I planned to go, ran into someone halfway, and then came back."

"Who?"

"Si Snake."

Clang!

From the room next door, the sound of a door being heavily pushed open was heard.

Soon after, Yao Qingluan appeared hastily at the doorway of the room.

She was slightly out of breath, steadied herself, and nonchalantly said, "I... have something to discuss with the Yin Hu Guard."

Meng Qianqian asked, "Now?"

Yao Qingluan’s eyes swept the room, speaking formally, "It’s not a crucial matter. Since the Yin Hu Guard is busy, it can wait until tomorrow."

She turned to leave, her expression somewhat desolate.

She stood in the corridor for a long time until the cold wind penetrated her bones, hands and feet utterly frozen, before lowering her head and returning to her room.

When she closed the door, Si Snake finally emerged from the darkness.