After rebirth, I became a treacherous minister Black Moonlight

Chapter 718

"It's you?"

Lu Yuan glanced at him and asked, "What are you doing sneaking around in the middle of the night?"

Meng Lang muttered, "Who's being sneaky? It's just that it's too late, and I wanted to hear if you were asleep or not, and whether I should wake you up. My older sister has such a bad temper when she wakes up, I'm afraid I'll anger her and she'll beat me up!"

Lu Yuan snorted, "You do have some self-awareness."

Meng Qianqian's voice came from inside the house: "Where's my brother?"

Meng Lang said, "I don't know. He left early this morning and hasn't come back yet. He's been leaving early and coming back late lately. I don't know what he's busy with."

Meng Qianqian walked out, wearing a robe, and asked, "So you're completely useless?"

Meng Lang exploded: "Who said that? I'm very useful, okay? Otherwise, why would my master have taken me along?"

Meng Qianqian said expressionlessly, "Doing laundry, cooking, and odd jobs, well, they are indeed somewhat useful."

Meng Lang: "..."

In late July, the western part of the city was filled with the deep chill of autumn in the mornings and evenings, and was much cooler than Beijing.

Lu Yuan glanced at Meng Qianqian's thin clothes and said to Meng Lang, "Come in and talk."

Meng Lang entered the house and tactfully closed the door behind him.

The three sat around the table.

Meng Lang poured himself a cup of tea: "I heard from the shopkeeper that quite a few of you have come. Who exactly are you?"

Meng Qianqian said, "This is not your business. Tell me what you found out in Xicheng."

Meng Lang pouted and muttered resentfully, "Chen Long says so, and you say so too. Aren't you tired of carrying so many secrets?"

Lu Yuan said, "With Chenlong gone, no one can deal with you?"

Meng Lang immediately backed down.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you."

He said helplessly, "Aymuran and her envoys have returned to Loulan. On their trip to the capital, they not only lost several generals, but also Tuohetai. The ministers and the people blamed Aymuran for the loss, and her reputation in the court and among the people has been damaged."

Meng Qianqian asked, "What was the King of Loulan's reaction?"

Meng Lang drank a large cup of tea: "The King of Loulan is quite lenient towards this queen. He not only forgave her sins but also suppressed all dissenting voices. Even though he is seriously ill, he is still working hard for the queen. A few days ago, he even forced himself to attend court."

Upon hearing this, Meng Qianqian and Lu Yuan couldn't help but look at each other and exchange a knowing glance.

"You think so too?"

Meng Qianqian said.

Meng Lang was taken aback.

Why do you think that?
What do you think?

What just happened?
Am I deaf or am I suffering from amnesia?!
Lu Yuan ignored Meng Lang's stunned expression and hummed in agreement: "I'm afraid our information about the King of Loulan is wrong. It's not true that the King of Loulan is terminally ill; at least he's not to the point of being unable to stay at home as rumored."

Meng Qianqian nodded: "The King of Loulan and Ayimulan... are only superficially united."

King Loulan and Ayimuran were husband and wife in name, but in reality, they each harbored ambitions and wanted to become the prophesied kings of the Western Regions.

Aymulan was such a strong woman that she stood up to the King of Loulan in the court, which must have made the King of Loulan resentful.

Now that Amushan has died in Youzhou, he might as well go with the flow and use the Great Zhou court and the Governor's Office to weaken Ayimuran's power.

This move is quite clever.

Lu Yuan gave a sneer that seemed to say something insincerely: "Things are getting interesting."

Meng Qianqian calmly said, "Yes, there can only be one king of the Western Regions. What could be more gratifying than turning them into enemies?"

In the case of the extermination of the Shang clan, neither the King of Loulan nor Ayimuran could escape responsibility.

The real challenge lies in their unity of purpose.

It's best to fight amongst ourselves until both sides are severely injured.

Of course, there is another possibility.

They will join forces against external threats first. This is not impossible.

Events can change in an instant, and no one can predict what unexpected things might happen next.

Meng Qianqian asked suspiciously, "Do you think... the King of Loulan is faking illness?"

Lu Yuan tapped the table lightly with her fingertips: "You suspect that he did this on purpose to deal with Aymulan?"

Meng Qianqian nodded: "One Ayimuran is not enough, but if we include the other nine feudal lords, it is worth a try."

“After he fell seriously ill, the other feudal lords became restless and engaged in open and covert struggles. He only needed to wait until they were all fighting to the death before he wiped them all out in one fell swoop. If I were him, this would be a good idea.”

Lu Yuan's eyes flashed with deep thought: "It's a good idea, but it's a bit too hasty."

Meng Qianqian's eyes were deep and unfathomable: "Some things don't necessarily have to wait until you've made perfect preparations before you carry them out, because often by the time you're fully prepared, either the enemy is also fully prepared, or the opportunity has already been missed."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Meng Xiaojiu, where did you learn all these grand principles from?"

Meng Qianqian said without any modesty, "I'm self-taught."

Lu Yuan's lips curled into a smile.

Meng Lang drank his water, his eyes darting around as he watched the two of them.

If you two want to talk business, then talk business. Stop showing off your love all the time, okay?

I'm already stuffed from eating tonight!
“I know where my brother went.”

Meng Qianqian said.

Lu Yuan asked meaningfully, with a hint of appreciation, "Oh?"

Meng Qianqian's cheeks flushed slightly under his intense gaze. Her eyes flickered, but she said calmly, "He must have also discovered that the King of Loulan's illness was a hoax. Do you think he might have gone to sneak into the Loulan royal palace at night?"

Only Meng Lang failed to notice the subtle ambiguity between the two. He was startled: "No way? Is he out of his mind? He's the former crown prince of Loulan. The people in the palace who want to kill him could line up from Loulan to the capital! He's like a lamb entering a tiger's den! Is he really that stupid?"

At this point, he suddenly thought of something, stretched out a hand, and said with a serious expression, "Wait, if he dies, does that mean I've graduated and am the next Chenlong Guardian?"

"Who did you say died?"

Chen Long's cold voice suddenly rang out behind him.

Meng Lang was jolted awake.

The sky is falling! ! !
"elder brother!"

Meng Qianqian stood up.

The coldness in Chenlong's eyes faded: "Still not asleep so late."

Meng Qianqian shook her head slightly, indicating that she wasn't sleepy: "I slept for a long time in the carriage. By the way, where did you go? You didn't really go to the Loulan Royal Palace, did you?"

Chenlong said, "I was planning to go, but I met someone on the way and came back."

"Who?"

"Snake (巳)".

Clang!

The sound of a door being pushed open loudly came from the room two doors down.

Immediately afterwards, Yao Qingluan appeared hurriedly at the door of the side room.

She was slightly out of breath, composed herself, and said calmly, "I... need to speak with Tiger Guard."

Meng Qianqian asked, "Now?"

Yao Qingluan glanced at them and said seriously, "It's not a very important matter. Since the Tiger Guards are busy, we can talk about it tomorrow."

She turned and left, looking somewhat forlorn.

She stood in the corridor for a long time, until the cold wind seeped into her bones and her hands and feet were icy cold, before she lowered her head and went back to her room.

Only after she closed the door did the snake emerge from the darkness.

　I finally made it to the second update! Whew!
　　(End of this chapter)