Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot-Chapter 397 - 367: Reunion_2

When their second aunt passed away, Wuyou and Changle were not yet three years old and barely remembered anything.

The second aunt naturally wouldn’t have allowed the two children to acknowledge a thief as their father, but once she was gone, the events that followed were no longer in her control.

Perhaps Gongsun Yanming, the Pavilion Master of the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, had considered killing the two of them to forever eliminate future troubles.

But in the end, he didn’t do it. Instead, he took the two children by his side and raised them, changing their surname and making them believe that he was their biological father.

"Did Gongsun Yanming treat you well?"

Meng Qianqian asked.

The young boy replied, "Of course Father treated us well."

The Miao King slapped him hard across the face. "You brat, your father’s surname is Shang! How many times have I told you? Gongsun the scoundrel and that old bastard Xun are cut from the same cloth. All they want is to use you, once you’re grown, to manipulate the old followers of the Shang family and get their hands on the Shang family’s war manuals!"

Meng Qianqian, hearing the boy tirelessly defend Gongsun Yanming, instead breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

The Miao King, shocked, asked, "Granddaughter-in-law, why are you smiling? Have you gone mad because of this brat? Just wait, I’ll beat him up and vent your anger."

Meng Qianqian shook her head with a smile. "Knowing that they haven’t suffered these past years puts my heart at ease."

No matter what Gongsun Yanming’s intentions were, as long as the children hadn’t been tormented in his care, that was better than anything else.

If they had grown up like Lu Yuan in the Prime Minister’s Mansion, enduring humiliation and burying their pride, that would have truly broken her heart.

Meng Qianqian arranged for the two children to stay in the adjacent courtyard, which Lu Yuan had originally used to handle political affairs. To better care for the twins, he relinquished the courtyard.

Shang Wuyou still distrusted the Governor Mansion and was unwilling to accept the servants Meng Qianqian had arranged. However, Ban Xia caught Shang Changle’s eye, so Shang Wuyou reluctantly agreed to let Ban Xia stay by his sister’s side.

Meng Qianqian realized that Wuyou’s weak spot was his sister.

She wasn’t sure about men, but with sisters, she had absolute confidence.

Tan’er, Bai Yuwei, Zhou Yanran, Rou’er, Xiao Ru... which one of them hadn’t been won over by her sweetness?

After settling the twins, Meng Qianqian saw the Miao King back to his courtyard.

The Miao King waved his hand. "I can go back by myself. The weather is freezing. Don’t just think about taking care of others—remember to take care of your own health. I heard that you also suffered a bout of cold illness before. Don’t allow yourself to get sick again."

Meng Qianqian’s heart warmed. "I’ll be careful."

"Ah."

The Miao King sighed heavily, his tone filled with gravity. "Don’t take the two children’s attitudes to heart. After all, they’ve been deceived by Gongsun Yanming for more than a decade. To accept the truth of ’acknowledging a thief as their father’ is surely no different from the sky crashing down for them."

"I observed them closely along the way. The two kids have good natures and understand reason. They just need a little time—don’t rush it."

The Miao King had his own considerations.

If the two were as incorrigible as Prime Minister Xun’s adopted sons, he wouldn’t have bothered bringing them back at all.

"The little girl is carefree and listens only to her brother. Think of a way to make that boy recognize Gongsun Yanming’s true face. The boy is sharp-witted. He wasn’t turned into a useless pawn by the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. If he were too easily trusting of others, he’d actually be a fool. Thinking about it that way, the boy is indeed a descendant of the Shang family, carrying a trace of their pride and intellect."

At this, the Miao King paused. "In truth, simply being alive is already the greatest blessing."

Meng Qianqian gazed steadily at the Miao King. "Grandfather."

The Miao King sighed deeply. "When I first heard about the boy’s whereabouts, I wanted nothing more than to bring him back immediately. But over the years, he refused to forgive us. I was angry, hurt, and regretful. I wanted to storm into the Capital City and beat him, to tell him it didn’t matter if he didn’t acknowledge me, but he had to acknowledge his mother, his grandmother... I even went to the Capital City secretly, standing far away from the Governor Mansion just to look at him."

"With just one glance, my thoughts changed. The fact that he was alive was already a blessing granted by the Heavenly God."

This was the first time the Miao King confided his feelings to Meng Qianqian. Usually playful and nonchalant, the Miao King was, after all, just a common man at heart.

He had lost his grandson, his daughter had gone mad, and the pain in his heart was no less than that of an ordinary person.

While others could show weakness or allow themselves to grieve, he could not.

Not only was he a father and a grandfather, but he was also the King of Miaojiang.

Meng Qianqian: "Grandfather..."

The Miao King patted her shoulder. "Child, I can see that your relationship with the Shang family is not as simple as it appears on the surface. You seem closer to those two kids than Chen Long is. What I’m telling you today comes from my experience: don’t force it, and don’t rush it."

"One day, they will understand who their true family is."

Meng Qianqian froze, caught off guard.

-

That night, when Lu Yuan returned from the Ministry of Rites and learned that the Miao King and the twins had safely returned to the mansion, he raised an eyebrow. "The old man does have some skills. No wonder Grandmother was drawn to him back in the day."

Meng Qianqian defended her grandfather immediately: "What do you mean by ’some skills’? His skills are extraordinary—Grandfather is amazing!"

Seeing her so overjoyed, Lu Yuan decided not to quibble with her for praising another man, even if that man was her own grandfather.

"So, did they accept you as their sister yet?"

He asked.

"Not yet."

Meng Qianqian recounted in detail the two children’s experiences growing up at the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion. "Do you think Gongsun Yanming and Prime Minister Xun were working together? One adopts sons, the other steals children."

Lu Yuan said, "The Thousand Mechanism Pavilion is cleverer than my foster father. To deceive them into believing they were his own blood—had it not been discovered early, the first thing those two kids might have done after leaving the Pavilion would be to kill you, their sister."

Meng Qianqian shuddered at the thought of nearly battling her own brother and sister. "The Thousand Mechanism Pavilion is truly cunning! Wait, what sister?"

Lu Yuan glanced at her nonchalantly: "You’ve sworn brotherhood with Chen Long. His brother and sister are naturally your brother and sister—you are their elder sister."

Meng Qianqian calmly replied, "Right, that makes sense."

Lu Yuan stood up. "I’m heading out."

Meng Qianqian asked, puzzled: "It’s so late, where are you going?"

Lu Yuan said, "To find the old man. The wedding is approaching fast—I need to ask him where his Dragon Slayer and Tiger Tamer pair have gone. Surely, they’re not expecting to substitute with a rooster and a hen to complete the wedding rites."

Meng Qianqian envisioned palace attendants holding down a pair of chickens to stand in for a Princess and a Prince Consort during the wedding ceremony, and her mouth twitched involuntarily.

Indeed, finding the Princess and Ji Li was more urgent than making Wuyou and Changle accept her as their elder sister.