Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot-Chapter 360 - 335: The Real Father

When Meng Qianqian returned to the flower hall to retrieve Lu Yuan, she happened to encounter Xun Qi stopping Lu Yuan.

Meng Qianqian said, "I’ll wait for you out front."

Lu Yuan nodded.

Xun Qi and Lu Yuan went to a small garden near the flower hall.

"Let’s talk here then."

Lu Yuan didn’t want to go too far.

Xun Qi sneered, "You don’t seem worried that someone might overhear our conversation."

Lu Yuan said confidently, "What’s there to worry about? That I’m also the Prime Minister’s adopted son? If this gets out, wouldn’t it just confirm that all my years of being labeled a traitor have been orchestrated by him? I have the guts to admit it—just afraid you don’t have the guts to tell it."

Xun Qi snorted coldly, "If you truly have no fear, why not go to the government office and admit it yourself?"

Lu Yuan responded breezily, "I’m just about to."

"You—"

Xun Qi was so angry he was nearly fuming.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, then questioned Lu Yuan, "I don’t understand—why did you betray your foster father?"

Lu Yuan lightly mocked, "So, refusing to be his dog, in your eyes, counts as betrayal."

Xun Qi said indignantly, "If not for the foster father picking you up from the streets back then, you’d have starved to death already!"

Lu Yuan pointed at his own head. "Xun Qi, with my brain, do you really think I’d starve on the streets? Even you don’t believe that, do you?"

Xun Qi faltered, "Whatever the case, the foster father still raised you for so many years."

Lu Yuan clasped his hands behind his back, "One shields you from the storm, but little does one know the storm itself is caused by that very person. Xun Qi, I don’t know why you’re so steadfastly loyal to him, even willing to die for him, and I don’t want to know. Everyone makes their own choices. I don’t presume to be a teacher to others—take care of yourself."

Meng Qianqian hadn’t walked too far and overheard their entire conversation.

Seeing Lu Yuan approach, she said, somewhat surprised, "I didn’t expect you wouldn’t try to persuade him."

Lu Yuan said, "He’s a smart man. If he insists on heading down a path of no return, then it means he has no way out."

Meng Qianqian said, "It’s the first time I’ve seen someone describe ’beyond saving’ with such elegance."

Whether Xun Qi truly had no choice, she didn’t know, but following the Prime Minister was undoubtedly the worst choice.

What made Lu Yuan rare was that he never meddled with others’ fates.

Someone had once told her: when you intervene in someone’s cause, you’ll have to bear their consequences.

"Where’s the old man and my mother?"

Lu Yuan asked.

Meng Qianqian replied, "Grandfather said he wants to personally escort the Prime Minister to the Ministry of Justice to avoid someone intercepting the prison transport midway. Mother was hungry and went back first with Tan’er and my younger sister."

After all, acting was exhausting, especially crying scenes, which drained a lot of energy.

Meng Qianqian added, "What’s the plan next?"

Lu Yuan said, "The citizens outside the Prime Minister’s Mansion today are all witnesses. Next, we strike while the iron’s hot to dismantle his prestige among the common people."

This step was crucial, as important to the big picture as the evidence itself.

Thinking of the evidence, Meng Qianqian asked, "Are we handing the evidence to the Ministry of Justice?"

Lu Yuan said, "We’ll review it ourselves first."

Meng Qianqian grasped his meaning, "True, better safe than sorry. Let’s confirm first that there’s nothing suspicious hidden in the evidence."

As they were talking, they unconsciously arrived at the Prime Minister’s Mansion gates.

Just stepping over the threshold, Lu Yuan stopped and said to Meng Qianqian, "Wait for me in the carriage."

Meng Qianqian turned her head and, seeing a familiar figure, immediately understood, "Alright."

Now that things had somewhat concluded, after bidding farewell to the Emperor, the officials began leaving the Prime Minister’s Mansion one after another.

General Zhou sighed, "Old Lin, you still have a soft spot for your student! He’s no longer that frail scholar he once was—his mind is full of schemes. Why bother—"

"Ahem!"

Imperial Censor Wang cleared his throat loudly, twice.

He was straightforward, but not clueless.

Slandering someone behind their back and getting caught by the person in question—that would be awkward.

General Zhou looked up, only to meet Lu Yuan head-on.

"Old Lin, I’m leaving first!"

General Zhou quickly slinked away.

The Zhou Family women were close with Meng Qianqian, and Zhou Nanyan even treated Meng Qianqian like a sister. However, General Zhou was stubborn and always held that the infamous traitor Lu was no good.

"Well, I’ll be going too."

Imperial Censor Wang flicked his sleeves and boarded the carriage.

Once teacher and student, now as strangers. The two regarded each other in silence.

Lu Yuan had come to express his gratitude.

If not for Lin Ji suggesting that Imperial Censor Wang admonish the Miao King, the Miao King might not have stalled for so long.

But now, standing in front of Lin Ji, he couldn’t utter a single word.

His throat ached slightly.

Lin Ji cast him a glance and walked away, expressionless.

"Why do you do this?"

"Naturally, for wealth, for a bright future."

"What’s wrong with doing things the proper way?"

"If there’s a shortcut, why not take it? Should I spend my life teaching at the Imperial College like you? I want to be above others—can you give me that?"

"How many times must I tell you—Dean Liao is innocent! How many lives will you continue to harm?!"

"The Jinyi Guard arrests without care for innocence. If I say he’s guilty, then he’s guilty!"

"The bond between us as teacher and student is severed!"

...

"Husband, husband."

Meng Qianqian shook Lu Yuan’s arm.

Lu Yuan returned to his senses, "Hm?"

Meng Qianqian pointed outside, "We’re home."

"Let’s get out of the carriage."

Lu Yuan rose with his usual aloof demeanor and stepped out of the carriage.

Meng Qianqian shook her head and sighed, "Every time he sees Lin Ji, he feels down for quite a while. A teacher for a day is a father for life. Compared to just using him, like Prime Minister Xun does, Lin Ji is probably the only person he truly sees as a father."

"Miss, you talk about him, but aren’t you the same?"

Wu Ge’er spoke up.

"Huh?"

Meng Qianqian was taken aback, "What about me?"

Wu Ge’er said, "When the master feels down, you worry about him too."

Meng Qianqian pointed at herself, "Do I?"

Wu Ge’er nodded earnestly, "You do."

"I..." She was a competent follower, of course she worried about her employer.

Wu Ge’er scratched his head, "Miss, you were so unhappy living with the Lu Family. Since coming to the Governor Mansion, you’ve changed. We all like the current you, and we like the current master too. When we see how well you two get along, we’re genuinely happy for you!"

Meng Qianqian smiled faintly.

- ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Of all the people rejoicing over Lu Yuan’s "safe" return to the residence, none was more thrilled than Nanny Li.

Her former disdain for Lu Yuan was matched now by her current fondness.

Nanny Li swore she would never inwardly curse the master again—perhaps his bad luck was entirely her fault.

Hovering over Lu Yuan, she fussed endlessly, "...Master, weren’t you supposed to be in Miaojiang for treatment?"

Lu Yuan, unfazed, replied, "Oh, I recovered on the way."

"Braised pork is ready!"

"Candied pork knuckle is ready!"

"Yam and pearl barley porridge!"

"Lily and lotus seed soup!"

"Stuffed nonsense—"

Nanny Li snapped her head toward Nanny Wan, who was both serving dishes and announcing them.

Nanny Wan chuckled sheepishly, "Shrimp stir-fry with egg—a recipe Lady Du just learned."