Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot-Chapter 333 - 310: Return to Beijing

Meng Qianqian looked a little sheepish.

Was the little one here for Bao Shu, or was it here for the dragon boots it had marked?

By dusk, the group arrived at the Capital City.

Lu Yuan and Meng Qianqian first escorted Zong Zhengxi back to the Imperial Palace.

As they got out of the carriage, the wolf cub clamped down on his dragon boots with its teeth.

Zong Zhengxi couldn’t very well bicker with a wolf cub, so with a darkened face, he gave the dragon boots to it.

Yes, that’s right. He *gave* the boots to the wolf cub.

Definitely not because the wolf cub had robbed him of them.

The group returned to the Governor Mansion.

Bao Shu, having played wildly for days, fell asleep as soon as she got into the carriage and didn’t wake up even after they arrived.

After Nanny Li greeted Lu Yuan, she hurriedly glanced at Meng Qianqian and the Bao Shu in her arms, her excitement barely concealed as she said, "You must be exhausted. Slept all the way again, didn’t she? Let me take her."

Meng Qianqian curved her lips slightly. "Nanny, she’s grown heavier now. Be careful not to strain yourself."

Nanny Li, having missed the little one terribly over the past few days, joyfully took the sleeping Bao Shu into her arms and said to her, "Let Nanny hold you. Heavy? Where’s the heaviness? Oh heavens—she really *has* gotten much heavier..."

"Nanny Li, let me carry her,"

Qing Shuang offered. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

"I can manage..."

Nanny Li had barely taken a few steps before she was panting for breath. With the ground still slippery from the recent rain in the Capital City, she feared she might accidentally fall and hurt Bao Shu. Reluctantly, she handed Bao Shu over to Qing Shuang.

"Ah, getting old... can’t keep up anymore," she sighed.

Meng Qianqian chuckled. "Nanny, you’re not old yet. Even Ban Xia can’t carry her for too long."

Ban Xia, walking behind alongside Tan’er, quickly nodded. "Exactly. I wouldn’t last long carrying her, either."

Raising her index finger dramatically, Tan’er declared, "But *I* can carry her all day long!"

Ban Xia retorted, "Who’s competing with you? Why don’t you brag about how much food you can eat while you’re at it?"

Tan’er rolled her eyes toward the sky. "If you’ve got the guts, why don’t you eat as much as me? It’s not like we can’t afford it!"

Ban Xia thought: Is this really about *affording* food? It’s about not being able to stuff that much food into her stomach!

A maid with an appetite like Tan’er? There wasn’t a second one like her in the entire Governor Mansion.

She could eat a lot, but to be fair, she truly had the strength to match.

All things considered, she wasn’t wasting food.

Nanny Li used to find the pair’s constant bickering and chatter tiresome, as it often gave her a headache. But having not heard their lively banter for several days, she now found the silence uncomfortably odd.

"Right after you left, the Capital City started raining. It rained for several days before finally stopping this afternoon. It didn’t rain at the hunting grounds, did it?"

Meng Qianqian replied, "It rained there, too."

"Oh dear, then how were you supposed to hunt? You didn’t get soaked, did you?"

Nanny Li’s expression changed as she pulled Meng Qianqian’s hand toward her, feeling her palm and then her forehead. Finding her not feverish, she relaxed slightly.

Meng Qianqian smiled and said, "It wasn’t continuous. It rained on and off."

She didn’t mention getting wet. She had recovered already, so a little rain wasn’t a big deal, but Nanny Li would only worry.

As if reminded of something, Nanny Li asked, "By the way, where’s the young lady from your maternal family?"

Meng Qianqian replied, "She went to the palace with my grandfather and grandmother. My cousin went as well."

Nanny Li was surprised. "The Miao King, his wife, and the young master have already returned from Yu’an City?"

Meng Qianqian nodded. "They returned a while ago. They stayed at the hunting grounds for a few days and have just entered the palace."

The Miao King had been summoned by the Supreme Emperor, while Liu Qingyun went to visit her dear sister. She had brought along Bai Yuwei and Bai Qingchen, as well.

Nanny Li immediately said, "Then I’ll have the kitchen prepare some late-night snacks."

"That won’t be necessary."

The Miao King would undoubtedly dine at the Supreme Emperor Palace, and as for Liu Qingyun, Bai Qingchen, and Bai Yuwei, the Supreme Imperial Concubine would surely host them generously.

As the two spoke, they entered the main courtyard.

Lu Yuan emerged from the study, draped in a purple cloak.

"I need to step out for a bit," Lu Yuan said.

Meng Qianqian asked curiously, "You’re heading out again right after coming back?"

Lu Yuan responded, "I’ll be back soon."

Meng Qianqian said, "Oh, take an umbrella with you. It’ll probably rain again later."

"Alright."

Lu Yuan didn’t refuse.

Meng Qianqian muttered under her breath, "What’s he doing going out at this hour?"

Nanny Li followed Meng Qianqian into the room and removed her cloak, neatly folding it over her arm. "Miss, there’s a matter I need to bring up."

Meng Qianqian asked, "What is it?"

Nanny Li hesitated before saying, "The people from the Ministry of Justice came earlier. They asked if Chen Long was in the Governor Mansion. I told them no. Then they asked if he’d returned here in the past few days. I said he had not. Their guards even searched Chen Long’s courtyard, and if Steward Cen hadn’t intervened, they would have searched the entire Governor Mansion. Miss, has Chen Long done something wrong? And isn’t Minister Xing on good terms with us? Why is he being so uncompromising?"

Minister Xing was known for his integrity. He wouldn’t bend the rules for the Governor Mansion, no matter his wife’s friendship with Meng Qianqian.

What really troubled Meng Qianqian was the news that Chen Long had escaped custody—escaped from the Ministry of Justice, no less.

Chen Long had been held by the Ministry of Justice only on suspicion. As the Prime Minister’s adopted son, he would have been exonerated once the matter was cleared.

But now, by fleeing, he had turned innocence into guilt.

Why would he do such a thing?

Grabbing the cloak folded over Nanny Li’s arm, Meng Qianqian said, "Nanny, I’m heading out for a bit."

Nanny Li asked worriedly, "At this hour? Where to?"

"The Ministry of Justice."

"Miss—"

Nanny Li lifted the curtain to follow her, but Meng Qianqian had already disappeared.

Tan’er exited the kitchen with a plate of osmanthus cake.

Nanny Li said, "Tan’er, stop eating for now! Miss is going to the Ministry of Justice. Go after her and keep an eye on her!"

"Got it!"

Tan’er shoved the plate into Nanny Li’s arms, stuffed two large pieces into her mouth, grabbed two more in her hands, and dashed off.

"And take an umbrella—"

Nanny Li came out with an umbrella, only to find everyone had vanished.

Nanny Li sighed in frustration and concern. "When it’s your husband going out, you’re thoughtful enough to remind him to take an umbrella. But when it comes to yourself, you don’t even care."

Meng Qianqian and Tan’er had just ridden out of the Governor Mansion when they ran into Si Snake at the gate.

"Is Ji Li here?"

Si Snake asked.

"He hasn’t returned," Meng Qianqian replied, glancing at Si Snake. "You disappeared the moment we entered the forest. Lu Yuan said you went to find Xun Qi. Other than him, did you meet anyone else?"

"Chen Long,"

Si Snake replied.

Meng Qianqian tightened her grip on the reins. "So you did meet him. Do you know where he went?"

Si Snake answered honestly, "I don’t know. All I know is that the Prime Minister ordered him to kill Lu Yuan."

Meng Qianqian’s eyes flickered. "What?"

Si Snake asked, "Lu Yuan isn’t with you?"

Meng Qianqian frowned. "He just left. Could he have gone to meet Chen Long?"

If Lu Yuan had left without telling her, there had to be something unusual going on. If he hadn’t mentioned Chen Long, it was because he didn’t want her involved.

Lu Yuan must have known that Chen Long was coming for him!

Meng Qianqian bit her curved forefinger and whistled toward the residence.

A hunting eagle soared down from the rooftop and, with a shrill cry, ascended into the stormy clouds above.

Meng Qianqian spoke to the eagle, "Find Lu Yuan!"