Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot-Chapter 357 - 332 Intimate Moments

Meng Qianqian’s eyes widened in disbelief, muttering to herself under her breath, "How... the price has gone up? Before, a sweet word or a bit of flattery would suffice, but now I..."

She pursed her lips, which had just been kissed by him. "At this rate, will I eventually have to ’offer myself to repay the debt’?"

Is it this costly to apologize?

Lu Yuan said casually, "If you think of it that way, it’s not impossible."

Meng Qianqian froze. "Huh? That’s how I think? Wait, wait, how did it become my idea? I was just..."

"Just what?"

Lu Yuan asked.

Meng Qianqian’s heart raced, her mind cluttered, leaving her speechless under his questioning. It felt like she knew the answer but couldn’t quite articulate it.

Could a single kiss make her this way?

No, it wasn’t just a kiss.

That kiss was more passionate, domineering, and tender than the one outside the cave—it left her knees weak.

As she recalled it, her cheeks burned even hotter.

Meng Qianqian clutched her chest in confusion, where her heart thudded uncontrollably. She murmured softly to herself so that only she could hear, "You weren’t like this before. Shouldn’t you be saying, ’Meng Xiaojiu, don’t push your luck, stop trying to take advantage of me!’?"

"Why aren’t the two of them coming up yet?"

It was Bai Yuwei’s voice. "Could they have encountered danger? I’ll go check!"

Tan’er grabbed her arm. "If only one person comes up, then there’s danger. But if neither comes up, it means they don’t want to come up!"

"Why wouldn’t they want to come up?"

Bai Yuwei asked in confusion.

Tan’er replied slyly, "Probably because they’re doing something sneaky!"

"Something sneaky? And they didn’t invite me?!"

"Bringing N along would just cause trouble! Those two are being all lovey-dovey!"

Bai Yuwei blushed.

In the secret passage, Meng Qianqian choked hard.

You kids, where do you learn all this stuff?

"Let’s... let’s go up," she said, scratching her head.

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Did you remember what I just said?"

Meng Qianqian’s eyes darted slyly. "And if I didn’t remember?"

Lu Yuan’s lips curled up. "Then I’ll just remind you again."

Meng Qianqian: "..."

This is unbearable, truly unbearable!

-

Meng Qianqian, like a little hamster, scurried up the ladder.

What she didn’t see was Lu Yuan’s ears turning bright red.

After calming his emotions, he regained his usual cool demeanor and confidently exited the secret passage.

They emerged to find themselves inside a well. Below was the murky water, and above was the narrow well opening.

A dried-up well would have been one thing, but who would have thought that a functioning water well could hide an entrance?

Bai Yuwei, using both hands and feet like a nimble little frog, quickly hopped up to the well’s edge.

She then lowered the rope for drawing water and pulled the others up one by one.

"Our little sister is a hero again," Meng Qianqian commended her generously.

No matter that she hadn’t contributed earlier, the final act of effort gave her a deep sense of pride.

Bai Yuwei said proudly, "I told you, you can’t do without me! And yet at first, you didn’t want to bring me along!"

Tan’er stuck out her tongue. "Bleh-bleh-bleh."

"Watch out!"

Meng Qianqian suddenly sounded an alert.

As Lu Yuan was closing the entrance on the well wall after emerging, a poison dart shot out, aiming straight for Bai Yuwei’s eyes!

Tan’er spun midair and delivered a sharp kick, sending the dart flying deep into the well.

Bai Yuwei broke out in a cold sweat from fright.

Tan’er hugged her little wolf cub and tilted her head with a smirk. "No-need-to-thank-me!"

Meng Qianqian glanced up at the crescent moon in the sky. "We entered the secret passage in the morning. Who would’ve thought so much time would pass—it’s already night. Is this the Prime Minister’s Mansion?"

Lu Yuan looked around. "It’s the southeast corner of the mansion. The ancestral hall is in the northwest corner."

Meng Qianqian remarked, "This secret passage is enormous."

Lu Yuan said, "There must be other exits. Chen Long might not leave through here. We don’t need to wait for him."

Meng Qianqian nodded. "Earlier, when Xiao Mei, Tan’er, and I entered the mansion, Grandfather was searching the place with the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and General Han. After searching for so long without results, Grandfather’s situation may already be difficult. We’d better hurry to find him."

With that, she turned to the two young girls. "Tan’er, Little Sister, you two leave the mansion first and wait for us in the carriage."

-

Flower Hall.

The Miao King had been reprimanded by Imperial Censor Wang for the third time.

Imperial Censor Wang found himself truly at a loss for words. frёewebnoѵēl.com

As more and more officials gathered to watch the commotion, the flower hall had practically turned into a mini court meeting.

"Your Majesty, please issue the decree," Prime Minister Xun urged.

"Your Majesty, please issue the decree!"

The officials joined the call to action.

Zong Zhengxi gripped the armrest tightly.

Was it just his imagination?

Why did Prime Minister Xun seem unusually aggressive today?

He had always been known for his magnanimity.

The Miao King’s ruckus had indeed escalated to an unmanageable level.

The Miao King glanced at the young Emperor, now caught in an increasingly difficult position.

To be fair, the young prisoner had done his utmost.

The Miao King couldn’t truly push the Emperor into losing his authority and public trust.

He rose, his expression clear and open, and smiled. "Your Majesty, please issue the decree."

A trace of hesitation and inner struggle flashed in Zong Zhengxi’s eyes.

Xun Qi, ready and waiting, stepped forward with a prepared abdication document. Handing it to the Miao King, he said, "His Majesty, in his benevolence, does not wish to punish the Miao King. The Miao King should voluntarily abdicate."

Zong Zhengxi’s expression changed.

The Miao King chuckled. "Ah, just like how you forced the Supreme Emperor to abdicate back then?"

Xun Qi smiled lightly. "It was your own grandson who forced the Supreme Emperor."

The Miao King glanced at the serene-faced Prime Minister Xun, took the abdication document from Xun Qi, dipped it in red clay, and was about to press his fingerprint.

Suddenly, Meng Qianqian’s voice came from outside the hall: "Grandfather—"

The Miao King’s eyes lit up, and he laughed heartily, tearing the abdication document to shreds instantly.

"Granddaughter-in-law! You’ve arrived!"

"Grandfather!"

Meng Qianqian stepped in and cast a quick glance at the bustling flower hall. She couldn’t help but feel fortunate—it was busier than she’d expected, but at least she wasn’t too late.

"You’ve come at just the right time."

The Miao King looked her over from head to toe and whispered, "Nothing went wrong, did it?"

Meng Qianqian gave a subtle shake of her head.

Relieved, the Miao King said to her, "Pay your respects to His Majesty and greet the officials."

Following his instructions, Meng Qianqian took a few steps forward and gave Zong Zhengxi a formal bow. "I greet Your Majesty."

Zong Zhengxi quickly said, "Rise at once!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Meng Qianqian then turned to the assembled officials with a composed demeanor and offered them the respectful greeting of a junior. "Greetings to you, esteemed officials."

Imperial Censor Wang visibly relaxed.

Finally, the Young Madam of the Lu family had arrived. In all his years as an imperial censor, he had never found admonishing an official to be such an exhausting task!

Xun Qi frowned. "Meng Qianqian, why are you here?"

This woman gave him a sense of unease no less intense than Lu Yuan did.

It wasn’t that she was necessarily more cunning than Lu Yuan, but she always carried an air of relentless determination, as if she would gamble everything she had.

Meng Qianqian replied, "Seventh Young Master, what kind of question is that? Since your mansion captured my husband, how could I not come?"