Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot-Chapter 22 Lu Family Falls into Misfortune

The father and son rushed to the Governor Mansion without stopping, only to find that Lu Yuan was not there either.

Lu Lingxiao frowned, "Father? Where has the Grand Commander gone?"

Lu Xingzhou shook his head, "I do not know."

"Father, could he be deliberately avoiding us?"

Lu Lingxiao held no affection for the Grand Commander who was only a few years older than himself yet wielded immense power over the court.

Lu Xingzhou did not believe that Lu Yuan would purposely avoid them, but he was somewhat surprised.

Though Lu Yuan was arrogant, he was at least diligent. Where could he have gone? What could be more important than the morning court assembly?

The meditation room.

Lu Yuan, dressed in purple robes, knelt on a cold prayer mat, with Bao Shu, dressed like a little tiger cub, crawling behind him.

Opposite him sat an elderly monk in ash-gray robes.

The monk sat upright, fingering a string of Buddha Beads, his gaze distant and ethereal.

Lu Yuan personally poured him a cup of tea and placed the scalding teapot back on the table.

Bao Shu reached out to grab it, but Lu Yuan moved it away.

Then Bao Shu reached for the pastries on the table. This time, Lu Yuan didn’t intervene. She seized the chance, stuffed one into her mouth, and promptly spat it out with a "ptooey, ptooey, ptooey"—disgusted by the taste!

Lu Yuan asked, "I heard you were ill. Is your body feeling better now?"

The monk said nothing.

Lu Yuan smiled faintly, "A spy from Beiliang arrived—five in total—not a single one left alive."

The monk remained silent, neither touching the tea Lu Yuan had poured nor halting the rhythmic motion of his hands on the Buddha Beads.

Lu Yuan poured himself a cup of tea as well. "Five years ago, when Chu Grand Marshal was killed by his wife, Yumen Pass fell, and nearly two hundred thousand troops were annihilated. Even the ten thousand Black Armor Guards loyal to the Chu Grand Marshal vanished without a trace. With the Chu Family no longer guarding the border, it was as fragile as a pile of eggs, easy to destroy."

At this, he raised his tea cup and took a sip. "Thankfully, after five years of fighting, we’ve finally won. What is your opinion on this war?"

The monk continued flicking his fingers along the Buddha Beads one by one.

Bao Shu, fascinated by the beads, crawled over quickly and reached out to grab them.

The monk saw the child’s glimmering green eyes, released the beads, and smiled kindly, "Little benefactor, as you are so fond of these, it seems you are destined to meet the Buddha. I shall gift this string of Buddha Beads to you."

Bao Shu’s eyes widened. "Wah!"

Lu Yuan said, "You can’t eat it."

Bao Shu immediately shook her little head and lost interest.

Elsewhere, Meng Qianqian claimed she had been frightened at the shop and needed to rest in bed for some time, thus skipping the courtesy visit to the Old Madam.

The Old Madam was livid.

Meng Qianqian, however, paid no heed to the Old Madam’s anger and focused on reviewing her account books in her quarters.

That day, she had originally planned to take over the shop but was unexpectedly caught up in the matter of the Beiliang spies. As the issue was critical, the authorities at Jingzhao Mansion didn’t dare take it lightly, so government officers had been investigating openly and covertly over the past few days.

For now, Meng Qianqian didn’t wish to expose herself as the new owner. She decided to wait for the storm to pass before proceeding.

Nanny Li asked, "Miss, haven’t you already gone through this account book before?"

Meng Qianqian picked up a brush and jotted down figures. "I merely skimmed through it before. Now I am writing down which expenses were ours and which were subsidies given out."

Seeing that Nanny Li seemed hesitant, Meng Qianqian asked, "Nanny, what’s on your mind?"

Nanny Li asked with concern, "Miss, why don’t you explain to the young master that it wasn’t you who sought out the eldest master that day, but rather he who sent someone to call for you?"

Meng Qianqian replied calmly, "Even if I explained, he wouldn’t believe me."

After returning from the Governor Mansion, Lu Xingzhou had immediately called her to the study to inquire about the circumstances of her kidnapping.

She had recounted everything honestly.

Lu Xingzhou, aware that the incident could harm Lu Lingxiao’s reputation, promised her he would have Lu Lingxiao relocate to Haitang Courtyard and cease favoring that woman exclusively.

Nanny Li sighed, "Why can the young master never see Miss’s virtues?"

Meng Qianqian continued her accounting. "Whether he sees it or not, it doesn’t matter."

"Miss!"

Ban Xia entered, carrying a food box. Closing the door behind her, she grinned and laid out breakfast from the box.

A bowl of barley porridge, a plate of small vegetables, two bamboo shoots stuffed with minced meat, and a platter of crystalized cured pork.

Recently, the communal meals had been quite poor, consisting only of porridge and small vegetables. The bamboo shoots and cured pork were dishes that Ban Xia herself had prepared in the small kitchen.

Nanny Li brought over warm water and a washing cloth.

Meng Qianqian washed her hands and asked, "Has the charcoal been sent to my mother’s quarters?"

Ban Xia smiled, "It has. Miss predicted right—they asked where the charcoal came from. Just as instructed, I said it was from the Old Lady."

Since Meng Qianqian had been "squeezed dry," it was the Old Madam who had taken over household management.

She had been stingy, reducing both food quality and the quantity of charcoal provided. Even the silver charcoal had been replaced with smoky black charcoal.

Meng Qianqian had bought some charcoal herself and mixed it with the batch from the Household Affairs Office meant for the Old Lady’s tribute.

The Old Lady, who had always favored Lu’s mother and Meng Qianqian, shared the charcoal with the two of them without suspicion. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Seeing Ban Xia grinning so widely, Meng Qianqian asked, "Why are you so cheerful? Is there good news?"

Ban Xia smirked mysteriously, "Miss, since you didn’t leave the courtyard today, you might not know—but a spiritualist has arrived at the estate!"

Meng Qianqian paused mid-sip. "Oh? Is that so?"

Nanny Li frowned and asked, "Why summon a spiritualist? Who invited her?"

Ban Xia planted her hands on her hips. "The Old Madam! The Old Madam said that there’s been unrest at the estate today. She claimed we must have attracted some unclean presence, so she summoned an Immortal to cast away the evil. As soon as the Immortal arrived, she pointed at Haitang Courtyard, declaring that the entire place was shrouded in dark energy and the unclean presence resided here!"

Meng Qianqian chuckled lightly. "This is just to avenge her grandson for the beating he got in Haitang Courtyard."

Nanny Li asked anxiously, "What happened next?"

Ban Xia animatedly recounted, "Then, that Immortal carried a big basin of dog’s blood and prepared to come to our courtyard to exorcise the evil. Who’d have thought that after just a few steps, the Old Lady snatched the basin of dog’s blood and poured it all over the Old Madam’s head!"

"Pfft—"

Even Nanny Li, always composed, couldn’t suppress her laughter.

Meng Qianqian, listening, felt greatly relieved.

Ban Xia smirked, "In weather this cold, I reckon she’ll be washing off that dog’s blood all day long!"

Meng Qianqian nodded.

That mental image alone brought a sense of satisfaction and ease to her body.

Since the young master had brought home another woman, Nanny Li had felt like a heavy stone was lodged in her chest.

The tension of the past few days had finally eased considerably.

Nanny Li added another piece of charcoal to the brazier. "As the year-end approaches, Miss has always been generous with the silver. The primary stewards received ten taels each, the secondary handlers five taels, and even the cleaning maids got about a hundred copper coins each. Everyone would always say Miss managed the household brilliantly. I wonder how this year will fare now that the Old Madam is in charge."

Ban Xia scoffed, "In my opinion, she won’t part with a single copper coin!"

Whether the Lu Family’s year-end festivities went smoothly didn’t concern Meng Qianqian. She only cared about when Lu Lingxiao would repay the silver he owed her.

Meanwhile, the Lu Family’s father and son had waited all day at the Governor Mansion, their legs growing numb, until Lu Yuan finally returned home.

Lu Xingzhou hurried forward and respectfully explained his purpose for coming.

Lu Yuan smirked. "Master Lu, this is a crime of deceiving the monarch—you do realize it’s punishable by beheading, don’t you?"

Lu Xingzhou’s face turned pale.

Lu Lingxiao stepped forward with a resolute expression. "This matter is mine alone and has nothing to do with my father!"

Lu Yuan’s smile deepened. "General Lu, such boldness—I greatly admire it. Guards, seize General Lu!"