CHAPTER 697: CHAPTER 577: HIT THE JACKPOT, EVEN CONSORT JIANG LOOKS PLEASING NOW

When Emperor Liang battled the Three Rogues, he always ate them up entirely, leaving them only in their underpants, inadvertently boosting Emperor Liang’s confidence and giving him the illusion that he was a gambling god.

He thought to himself, if he could win against three old foxes, three women would be a piece of cake!

"Hu."

Princess Consort Chen pushed her tiles.

"Oh! I also have a Hu!"

Consort Jiang gracefully placed her hand of leaf cards on the table.

Meng Qianqian blinked: "I think I also..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Emperor Liang shot her a cold glare.

How dare you try to Hu!

Meng Qianqian lowered her head.

Consort Jiang snatched her tiles, glanced at them, and neatly placed them on the table: "Hu again!"

It could be said that she completely disregarded Emperor Liang’s face.

In the end, Emperor Liang lost everything he won from the Three Rogues, all of it went into the pockets of the three women.

For the first time in Little Dezi’s life, he saw a look of grievance on his emperor’s face.

On the contrary, Consort Jiang, for once, found the Dog Emperor to be somewhat tolerable.

"Your Majesty... Miss Yan and the Empress have left..."

Little Dezi risked his life to remind, "Shall I prepare dinner?"

Emperor Liang remained silent.

Little Dezi thought the emperor might be about to get angry.

After a while, he heard Emperor Liang complain: "A group of women, playing cards so brazenly?"

Little Dezi: "..."

After leaving the Diligent Governance Hall, Princess Consort Chen hosted and invited Meng Qianqian and Consort Jiang to her palace for a vegetarian meal.

"Princess Consort Chen, I have some matters to attend to at the Crown Prince Mansion. I’ll dine with you another day."

"Ahem, I also need to go back and check on Nie’er."

Princess Consort Chen said: "Nie’er is in my palace, together with Zhaozhao."

Consort Jiang held her stomach: "I have a stomachache."

Meng Qianqian supported her arm: "I’ll escort Consort Hui back to her palace for treatment."

The two of them quickly made their escape.

On their way, they ran into Lu Fengyin, who was coming out of Kunning Palace.

Lu Fengyin had just been reprimanded by Emperor Liang and was in quite a rage at Kunning Palace.

The maid told her that Meng Qianqian had been taken by the Emperor to the Diligent Governance Hall for punishment and hadn’t come out yet; she might even be dead!

She had come to watch Meng Qianqian’s misfortune.

"What are you doing here? Who allowed you to sneak out of the Diligent Governance Hall like this?"

She naturally assumed Meng Qianqian wasn’t let go by the Emperor.

She glanced at Consort Jiang beside her and snorted: "Does my Imperial Brother know that Consort Hui took a guilty maid out of the Diligent Governance Hall?"

Meng Qianqian didn’t want Consort Jiang to take the fall for her; she stepped forward, standing in front of Consort Jiang, blocking Lu Fengyin’s gaze, and said with calm composure: "His Majesty let me go."

Lu Fengyin’s brows furrowed: "How is that possible? Weren’t you being punished in the Diligent Governance Hall?"

Meng Qianqian replied: "The punishment is over."

Lu Fengyin looked her up and down: "What did my Imperial Brother punish you with?"

Meng Qianqian glanced at the winnings she was holding: "Uh... gold?"

Lu Fengyin was dumbfounded.

Meng Qianqian returned to the Crown Prince Mansion with her arms full of gold ingots and silver ingots.

"Sister!"

As soon as she entered, Tan’er rushed up excitedly, like a fledgling bird snuggling into its nest, nuzzling her head into Meng Qianqian’s shoulder.

Ban Xia was folding clothes, glanced back, and was speechless: "Tan’er, you’re growing younger, acting like a child again. You weren’t this clingy in the Capital City."

Tan’er stuck out her tongue: "Who’s in charge?"

The two little maids started bickering as soon as they met, having gone out shopping happily in the morning, now they were arguing again.

Meng Qianqian shook her head with a smile.

She held the box in one hand, her other hand hidden behind her back.

Tan’er, with a mischievous glint, asked: "Sister, what are you hiding in your hand?"

Meng Qianqian took out two skewers of candied haws: "One for you and one for Ban Xia."

Ban Xia said: "Miss, this servant doesn’t eat this."

Tan’er took both skewers in her hand: "You don’t eat, I do!"

Ban Xia opened her mouth and walked up, retrieving one skewer of candied haws: "Miss bought it for me!"

Tan’er: "Bleh, bleh, bleh"

Ban Xia glared at her: "Didn’t you say the candied haws in the Southwest aren’t as good as those in the Capital City? Why are you eating it then?"

Tan’er confidently explained: "Having some is better than having none! I eat one skewer in the Southwest, and I’ll make up for it with two skewers when I get back to the Capital City!"

Ban Xia asked: "How many skewers do you need to make up now?"

Tan’er tilted her head, counting on her fingers.

She couldn’t keep track, so she gave up: "A hundred skewers!"

"I think you should just go sell candied haws."

After speaking, Ban Xia took the box from Meng Qianqian’s hand, "Miss, it’s so heavy, what’s inside?"

More than the candied haws, Ban Xia cared about the items Meng Qianqian brought back.

Because she had to organize them.

Meng Qianqian said: "Money."

"Hmm?"

Ban Xia opened the box, her eyes widened instantly, "Miss, where did you get so many...ingots?"

Meng Qianqian replied with a casual tone: "Won them playing cards."

She looked around and asked, "I didn’t see Prince Changsun, where did he go?"

Ban Xia replied quizzically: "Strange, I haven’t seen Lord since I came back."

Tan’er slurped a candied haw: "Went out with the Twelve Guards!"

Meng Qianqian nodded, murmuring: "Most likely to track down the whereabouts of the Black Armor Army."

The exposure of the Miao King’s identity did nothing to spur Gongsun Yanming and Jin Prince Mansion into action, beyond whispering a few words before the Emperor; they didn’t make a big fuss in court.

Beneath the calm surface of the lake, undercurrents were always hidden.

The arrival of Lu Fengyin was certainly not as simple as helping Gongsun Yanming excuse a crime.

She could sense a storm brewing in the Imperial City.

They must find the Black Armor Army as soon as possible.

-

Thousand Mechanism Pavilion.

Gongsun Yanming stayed at Mingxin Hall until dusk fell.

Gongsun Yu hurried inside: "Elder brother, haven’t you gone to see sister-in-law?"

Gongsun Yanming replied: "I’ll go in a bit."

Gongsun Yu hesitated for a moment, speaking earnestly: "Elder brother, sister-in-law has had a stroke, bedridden, you should visit her more often."

Gongsun Yanming put away a sealed letter: "Where is the information I asked you to find out?"

Gongsun Yu sighed: "Elder brother, I’ve had people watching the Eldest Princess’s subordinates all along, but I’ve discovered they haven’t gone anywhere. She said she was about to acquire the Black Armor Army, could it be just boasting? Now that the Emperor is bewitched as such, she hasn’t mentioned entering the capital to request royal service—"

Gongsun Yanming replied indifferently: "If her people don’t go, then you go. You personally make a trip to her fief, find out the whereabouts of the Black Armor Army."

Gongsun Yu asked: "After finding it out, then what?"

Gongsun Yanming looked into the endless night: "The Black Armor Army cannot fall into the hands of the Crown Prince Mansion."

Gongsun Yu furrowed his brows: "What do you mean by that, elder brother? Could it be... the Crown Prince Mansion is also looking for the Black Armor Army?"

Gongsun Yanming paused: "Almost certainly."

Gongsun Yu recollected for a moment: "That makes sense, the Crown Prince Mansion has been too calm these past two days, unusually so. The Imperial Grandson always adored that girl, unwilling to let her suffer the slightest grievance. The fact that she tore into the First Princess today, and he didn’t cause a scene, implies he already left the Imperial City... As expected, elder brother, you are perceptive."

Gongsun Yanming said seriously: "The Black Armor Army can be given to the Eldest Princess, but must under no circumstances benefit the Crown Prince Mansion!"