"When I was a child, I was sent to the Shang Family as a hostage. Back then, I didn’t understand the aning of being a hostage and thought my birth parents didn’t want anymore. But I still missed them and wanted them back."
A dying man’s words are often kind.
If he wasn’t near death, so things would have remained buried in his heart for a lifeti. Chen Long wouldn’t have said them aloud.
"At that ti, the court governed in divided states, and the Shang Family was one of the feudal lords with the authority to decide the fate of hostages. Soone suggested sending to the Capital City, but I didn’t want to leave—I didn’t want to be far from my parents. But there was nothing I could do. Coincidentally, the Shang Family was hosting a birthday banquet. The Shang Family’s little miss was having her grab-object ceremony. I ca up with a plan, sared honey on my palm, and secretly fed the baby two mouthfuls. She was clever and rembered imdiately. When the ceremony started, she ignored everything else and crawled straight toward , hugging my hand. And so, I stayed at the Shang Family."
"Oh, continue."
Lu Yuan replied nonchalantly.
Chen Long wasn’t sure if he was speaking for Lu Yuan’s ears or for his own.
"I pretended to be very fond of her, but I would secretly bully her instead. I’d knock over her bowl of rice and then tell the servants she did it herself. I’d steal her candies, and I’d hide her little drum."
"But she didn’t seem to understand what anger was. When I knocked over her bowl, she’d bring another one and let knock it over. When I stole her candies, she’d bring countless more. When I hid her little drum, she’d give all her little drums."
Lu Yuan snorted, "What a stupid little girl!"
Chen Long reminisced, "Later, my father broke his promise and rebelled. The Shang Family’s subordinates wanted to kill , but she cried and refused to let anyone take away. She was the one who chose to be her elder brother."
"Who was she?"
Lu Yuan raised his eyebrow in inquiry.
Chen Long glanced at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan placed his hands behind his head, "You’re dying anyway; I can’t tell a soul."
Chen Long hesitated for a mont before saying, "Shang General’s daughter, Shang Jiu."
Lu Yuan: "Oh."
Chen Long: "She’s also the heir to the Thousand chanism Pavilion."
Lu Yuan: "Hmm?"
-
Governor Mansion.
ng Qianqian held a howling wolf pup and boarded an inconspicuous carriage.
Tan’er darted up after her.
Just as the carriage was about to depart, Bai Yuwei climbed in.
"What’s N here for?"
Tan’er asked.
People are changed by their surroundings, and having spent a long ti with Tan’er, Bai Yuwei had picked up so of her mannerisms.
For instance, the way she crossed her arms.
Bai Yuwei said, "Whatever you guys are doing, I’m going too."
Tan’er wiggled her finger, "The Pri Minister’s Mansion isn’t a place for N to go, you know! Super dangerous!"
Bai Yuwei scoffed, "As if I didn’t contribute the last few tis. Without , would she have defeated Xun Qi? Would she have caught Xun Yu? Besides, I used to live in the Pri Minister’s Mansion. Have you? Do you know it as well as I do?"
Tan’er looked at ng Qianqian, "Big Sister."
ng Qianqian’s lips curved slightly, "Since little sister is willing to help, all the better."
Bai Yuwei raised her eyebrows smugly, "Hear that? Hear that?"
Tan’er clenched her fists, her arms flailing behind her. She shouted at Bai Yuwei, "Heard ya, I ain’t deaf!"
Bai Yuwei covered her ears, "You’re so noisy!"
Tan’er leaned closer, "I’m gonna shout! Gonna shout!"
Unable to endure her any longer, Bai Yuwei moved to sit on the other side of ng Qianqian, "Sister-in-law, can’t you calm her down?"
Just for this one word "sister-in-law," ng Qianqian decided to intervene. "Tan’er."
Tan’er looked skyward, "Got ittt."
Following the location given by Lu Yuan, the carriage stopped two li east of the Pri Minister’s Mansion at a small winery.
The three changed into maid outfits from the Pri Minister’s Mansion and carried the wolf pup to its western side.
This was the area with the weakest defense in the mansion. With the Miao King causing a ruckus inside and distracting everyone, the three smoothly infiltrated the premises.
The wolf pup landed and imdiately sniffed its way toward Luo San’s courtyard.
It was too small and a little scruffy-looking. At first glance, people might think it was a stray dog.
"The people at the mansion are getting lazier and lazier. They don’t even catch the stray dogs anymore."
Lian’er tossed it a bone.
But the wolf pup just sniffed and walked away without a backward glance.
Lian’er suddenly found her al unappetizing, "Even dogs won’t eat this—what kind of garbage is this?"
The wolf pup left the courtyard and kept sniffing around.
"Will it work?"
From behind a tree, Bai Yuwei whispered questioningly.
Tan’er asserted, "Last ti it followed us so far, and it was raining then too!"
Bai Yuwei remained skeptical, "Should’ve gotten Grandfather to leave his Hunting Eagle behind. A hunting eagle definitely wouldn’t lose the trail."
Hunting eagles did have their advantages, but hidden chambers weren’t places they excelled at.
ng Qianqian’s gaze followed the wolf pup, "It’s moving, follow it!"
The three discreetly followed the wolf pup.
Whenever things aren’t supposed to go wrong, they inevitably do.
"Grandson—where are you—"
"Miao King, you’ve searched several tis already. With this many people following, and both Great General Han and Assistant Minister Lord here, it’s not like everyone’s a spy for my mansion!"
It was the Miao King and Xun Qi.
"Who said several tis? It was just one or two! The mansion is huge—what’s wrong with searching thoroughly? Besides, weren’t you all saying no one’s missing your grandson, huh—soone’s there!"
The Miao King decisively leapt behind a fake mountain.
Eight eyes t.
The four: "..."
"Found them?"
Great General Han stepped forward.
"Ah—it’s just a..."
The Miao King picked up the wolf pup, blocking the fake mountain, and said to General Han, "A dog."
"A dog?"
General Han suspiciously eyed the scruffy little wolf pup.
The Miao King maintained an earnest expression, "A dog, yes."
The wolf pup bared its teeth and barked indignantly, "Woof!"
"..."
It was truly the descendant of the steward Cen’s dog for a few days.
"No one there, keep moving!"
The Miao King let the wolf pup go and subtly nudged it back behind the fake mountain.
ng Qianqian imdiately picked it up.
The wolf pup squird uncomfortably, "w—"
ng Qianqian quickly covered its mouth.
The group paused, their gaze shifting oddly toward the fake mountain.
The Miao King, hands on his hips, suddenly let out a cry, "ow—"
Having grown used to the King’s eccentricities, the group shook their heads, resigned yet unconcerned.
ng Qianqian and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
Bai Yuwei tapped the wolf pup’s little nose, "You’re a wolf, why are you owing and barking?"
Tan’er remarked, "If it howled like a wolf, wouldn’t that scare people even more?"
Bai Yuwei was left montarily speechless.
The wolf pup stopped moving and began circling the fake mountain.
"Could it be here?"
ng Qianqian murmured.
"It’s moving!"
Tan’er shouted.
The wolf pup darted off like an arrow.
Tan’er huffed, "Finally rembered it’s a wolf now?"
Thankfully, all three had Qinggong skills; otherwise, they’d lose track of it.
Yet unexpectedly, the wolf pup led them straight to the Pri Minister’s Mansion’s small ancestral shrine, where ancestor morial tablets were placed.
Bai Yuwei rubbed her arm, "So eerie, it’s unsettling."
The wolf pup weaved through the shrine and reached a storeroom behind it, inside which was a lone coffin.
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