Lu Yuan looked a little stunned as he glanced at the old man, clearly even he hadn’t expected that the old man would pull out such a treasure.
The Miao King winked at his grandson-in-law: "Well? Impressive, isn’t it? Your grandpa’s got skills, huh?"
Lu Yuan whispered, "Where’d you get it? You didn’t steal it, did you?"
The Miao King bristled: "What are you on about? Am I that kind of person?"
Of course, he actually snatched it!
It’s a long story—Miaojiang’s tribes were nurous, constantly at war with one another. Though the Bai Family unified Miaojiang, it was at the cost of exhausting all their military strength. Surrendering to the court was a choice born of helplessness.
But he’d never admit that! He made outrageous demands from the Supre Emperor and even snatched the Imperial Sword.
The Supre Emperor chased him across ten mountain peaks.
Refuse to return it? He absolutely refused!
Just as Lu Yuan was about to bow to the Imperial Sword in reverence, the Miao King grabbed his sleeve and declared earnestly, "The Supre Emperor said: You don’t need to kneel."
The crowd: "..."
The Miao King’s antics, like escorting Lu Yuan to morning court sessions while delivering "Miaojiang specialties" to ministers who held grudges against Lu Yuan, had long been regarded as part of his irreformable troublemaking by the court officials.
But could he not show such audacious cheekiness in the Jinluan Palace?
The Miao King brazenly faced the crowd of dignitaries, puffing up his chest: "So what if I’m shaless? Co at if you don’t like it!"
The Minister of Revenue spoke up, "To overturn an old case, there’s got to be so kind of justification..."
The Miao King slung the Imperial Sword over his shoulder and proclaid confidently, "Last night, the Supre Emperor appeared to in a dream! He said the souls of the Chu Family are restless in the underworld. The murderous case of the Chu Family must hold deeper truths. He commanded to bring this Imperial Sword he once gifted and inform His Majesty and all of you to reinvestigate the case!"
Minister Huo scoffed, "Utter nonsense! Why would the Supre Emperor show up in *your* dream?"
The Miao King raised an eyebrow: "Why don’t you go ask him yourself?"
Minister Huo was left utterly speechless.
Lu Yuan added, "Since the Supre Emperor has spoken to him in his dream, surely there must be hidden truths to this case. Or are you suggesting that even the Supre Emperor can be disregarded?"
The Minister of Revenue gritted his teeth, rose to protest: "Lu Yuan, you—"
The Miao King pressed the Imperial Sword against his neck: "Hmm?"
The Minister of Revenue obediently sank back down into a kneeling position.
Zong Zhengxi addressed Pri Minister Xun, "Pri Minister Xun, if the royal ancestor wishes the case to be reinvestigated, do you have any objections?"
Pri Minister Xun cupped his hands respectfully to reply, "Your subject has no objections."
The Miao King remarked with satisfaction, "That’s more like it!"
Zong Zhengxi, now relieved, turned to Minister Xing and said, "Minister Xing, from this day forward, the Chu Family case is entrusted to the Ministry of Justice. I hope you can resolve the case swiftly, bring the true culprit to justice, rectify the injustice for the victims, and allow the deceased to finally find peace."
Minister Xing raised his official tablet high and replied, "Your subject accepts the edict!"
After morning court, the officials began leaving Jinluan Palace one by one.
With the Miao King’s assistance, Lu Yuan managed to win today’s proceedings with ease.
Although he had thods of his own, he’d have to admit—using them would’ve required quite a bit of effort.
The Miao King asked casually, "Well? Want to co to morning court with you from now on?"
Lu Yuan replied, "You’re not going back to Miaojiang?"
The Miao King slung the sword onto his shoulder: "I’ll go back eventually!"
But I need to deal with your troubles first! Otherwise, how am I supposed to explain myself to Xian’er?
He planned to take down this bunch of scoundrels, then return to Miaojiang to make a big show of it to Xian’er!
"Oh, we were just talking about him, and now here he is!"
The Miao King turned his head, smiling as he greeted the passing Pri Minister Xun.
At Pri Minister Xun’s side was a civil servant unfamiliar to the Miao King.
The civil servant sneered, "You’re rely relying on the Imperial Sword to cheat; what’s there to be proud of?"
The Miao King wasn’t angry but instead laughed heartily, "Speaking of cheating, I’d say Pri Minister Xun is the founding master of that trade! Pri Minister Xun, is my grandson-in-law’s essay still serving you well?"
The civil servant was utterly bewildered.
Lu Yuan was a complete fool with not a shred of literary talent—he wrote essays?
Pri Minister Xun replied calmly, "We’re leaving."
"As you wish."
The civil servant hurriedly followed.
The Miao King reached out to call after them, "Hey—don’t leave now! I’m not finished yet! By the way, has your son’s injury healed?"
Pri Minister Xun paused on the palace steps, gazing solemnly straight ahead: "Thanks to the Miao King."
The Miao King stared at the back of Pri Minister Xun’s head with a cheerful grin, "It was a small matter, hardly worth ntioning. If your son likes, I’d be more than happy to gift him another one!"
Without another word, Pri Minister Xun turned and left, not even glancing back.
The civil servant personally saw Pri Minister Xun onto the carriage, bowing respectfully, "Farewell, Pri Minister."
The carriage driver from the Pri Minister’s Mansion lowered the curtain.
As the carriage departed from the Imperial Palace, Pri Minister Xun gently placed his hand on the table and crushed the edge of it in a single grip.
-
Today, ng Qianqian had errands to run. First, Yun Xiyao’s promised robes for Liu Qingyun had been finished—she needed to pick them up from Yanyu Pavilion. Second, ng Qianqian had made dicine pills and ointnt for Liu Changsheng.
Liu Changsheng had suffered from a debilitating illness in childhood that left him disabled, and she had been trying various ways to treat him.
Liu Qingyun also wanted to visit ng Qianqian’s teahouse, so she brought Bao Shu along and got onto the carriage.
Bao Shu hadn’t been out for days and was so excited that she squealed and shouted all the way there.
Under Liu Changsheng’s managent, the teahouse’s reputation had soared, becoming the talk of the Capital City. These days, whenever people ntioned matchmaking, they imdiately thought of Juxian Pavilion.
Not only were the teas selling like hotcakes, but the costics were also in short supply.
Looking at the teahouse bustling with custors, Liu Qingyun asked in a tone of feigned indifference, "So this is the teahouse you opened?"
ng Qianqian nodded, "Mother, what do you think?"
"diocre."
Liu Qingyun stepped off the carriage with Bao Shu in her arms.
Bao Shu imdiately spotted Liu Changsheng and, twisting her tiny backside, broke away and darted into the crowd.
Her little arms and short legs couldn’t even reach the top of the counter, yet she wasn’t afraid of being trampled.
"Treasure Piggy!"
Tan’er pouted and chased after her.
Bao Shu was searching everywhere for Liu Changsheng.
Every private room she passed, she would poke her head in for a look.
She was incredibly adorable and unusually clever. Noblewon and daughters of prominent families she passed couldn’t help but be amused by her.
"Oh, isn’t this the little owner of Juxian Pavilion? Here alone? Where’s your mother?"
A familiar custor recognized her and waved at her with a smile.
Bao Shu shyly covered her face and ran off, her cuteness irresistible.
Suddenly, she bumped into the leg of a young woman.
Her forehead thudded painfully, and she plopped onto the ground with a soft thud.
The woman crouched down and gently touched her forehead with a smile, "Little sister, did you hurt yourself?"
Bao Shu shook her head.
Her eyes fixated on the bracelet the woman wore—a beautiful hand-woven piece of red thread strung with several colorful shells that sparkled like treasure.
Following her gaze, the woman glanced at her bracelet, took it off, and offered it to Bao Shu, "Do you like it, little sister? It’s yours."
Bao Shu shook her little hands seriously, "I can’t accept it."
The woman smiled warmly, "It’s fine. If it’s from , you can take it."
With that, she gently placed the bracelet into Bao Shu’s hands and walked off, her graceful figure like a gentle breeze leaving no trace behind.
"Who was that?"
Tan’er frowned with caution, then vaulted upstairs in two quick moves, landing on one knee in the corridor.
Aside from a faint lingering fragrance in the air, only Bao Shu stood there clutching the bracelet in a daze.
Seeing Bao Shu was unhard, Tan’er let out a sigh of relief and muttered suspiciously, "Just now, there was a really dangerous aura!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)