Meng Qianqian experienced for the first time the inconveniences brought by being unfamiliar with the area.
No matter how financially strained the Lu Family was, they were still aristocrats of the Capital City. Putting aside the elderly master's contributions to the Supreme Emperor, Lu Xingzhou held a position in the Ministry of Industry, and Lu Lingxiao had just achieved military honors. For a small merchant girl, alone and without connections in the Capital, to leave the Lu Family unscathed was near impossible.
"Little Nine, survive..."
In the dead of night, Meng Qianqian was startled awake by yet another nightmare. Beads of sweat rolled down her temples, soaking her black hair.
"Hah, plenty of women want to climb into my bed. Someone desperate to call me 'Father'? You're the first."
Lu Yuan's leisurely tone drifted into her ears, sending a chill down her spine.
Meng Qianqian hurriedly released his purple sleeve and calmly sat up. She glanced at him and said, "Does the Grand Commander so love barging into ladies' chambers?"
"I go wherever I wish!"
Decency, morality, ethics—none of these applied to the Grand Commander!
Lu Yuan lounged lazily against a tiger-skin chair, his long legs crossed, resting on an exquisitely crafted footstool.
Haitang Courtyard certainly didn't possess such luxurious rosewood furniture.
Meng Qianqian caught sight of the brazier nearby, noting that the ordinary silver charcoal had been replaced by premium red vermilion charcoal, the kind only used by the nobles of the Imperial Palace.
He truly knew how to enjoy life.
Lu Yuan flipped a page in his book and scoffed, "Do you women only read this nonsense?"
She didn't particularly enjoy reading novels herself; it was something she did solely to entertain the elderly lady.
Meng Qianqian replied, "This humble woman lacks grand ambitions, making a fool of herself before the Grand Commander."
Lu Yuan turned another page. "Who is Little Nine?"
Meng Qianqian said, "In my family, I am the ninth child."
From the basket came an angry little cry.
Only then did Meng Qianqian notice the small, demanding little creature within.
She couldn't be blamed; the Grand Commander's dominating presence had entirely overshadowed everything else.
Meng Qianqian pulled the little one out of the basket.
The child flinched, and Meng Qianqian, sensing trouble, swiftly extended the child outward.
The little one sneezed hard!
Lu Yuan set aside the book he used to shield his face, a flicker of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
Meng Qianqian blinked innocently.
The baby, its nose bubbling with snot, appeared utterly clueless.
Meng Qianqian quickly fed the child milk and wiped its nose clean.
The baby's appetite wasn't affected at all; it drank greedily, soon sweating profusely and turning rosy-cheeked.
Meng Qianqian suddenly asked, "What's your daughter's name?"
Lu Yuan responded indifferently, "Baozhu."
The baby seemed to understand the sarcasm from Lu Yuan and cried out fiercely, "Wah!"
The Grand Commander chuckled. "You're the one who caught the pig yourself."
Others might grab abacuses, gold, silver, or brushes—but when she crawled during the grabbing ceremony, she headed straight for the kitchen to snatch a roasted piglet.
Meng Qianqian thought for a moment and seriously said, "Are you trying to eat meat? You're too young to eat meat."
The child opened its mouth, proudly showing off its tiny budding teeth.
Meng Qianqian said, "Even with teeth, you can't eat meat yet."
The baby whimpered reluctantly, "Wah."
Just as Meng Qianqian was convinced that Lu Yuan wouldn't bother sharing the baby's real name, Lu Yuan casually flipped another page and said nonchalantly, "Bao Shu, nickname Zhaozhao."
Bao Shu, now full and satisfied, played with her little toes before falling asleep.
Meng Qianqian glanced at Lu Yuan without revealing her emotions.
Lu Yuan had only a few pages left in his book. Without looking up, he remarked in a bland tone, "You've been sneaking glances at me all night. If there's something to say, just say it outright."
This man was far too perceptive—whether it was discovering her in the alley earlier, or now, seeing right through her.
In any case, she had no better option. She might as well take her chances.
Meng Qianqian spoke composedly, "This humble woman wishes to propose a trade with the Grand Commander."
Lu Yuan turned a page, his tone still flat. "Don't think that feeding my daughter a few times gives you the right to negotiate with me."
Meng Qianqian said directly, "Beiliang spies have infiltrated the Capital City."
"But the Jinyi Guard hasn't uncovered their whereabouts, and they never will."
Lu Yuan finally showed a hint of interest, closing his book, his captivating phoenix-shaped eyes fixed upon her.
His gaze carried not only a hint of amusement but also a chilling, boundless killing intent.
Meng Qianqian met his eyes head-on. "The Beiliang spies are hiding in Wanhuaflou."
Lu Yuan's lips curved slightly. "Did Lu Lingxiao tell you this?"
Meng Qianqian said with an unflinching expression, "Overheard it by chance. He's uncertain and doesn't dare investigate, but I thought, the Grand Commander surely would. After all, there's no place under heaven the Jinyi Guard wouldn't dare enter on behalf of the Grand Commander."
"Do you know the consequences of deceiving me?"
"This humble woman does not dare."
"I haven't agreed to your trade, yet you tell me this. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you and deny the arrangement?"
"The Grand Commander may not be a good man, but he is certainly no petty one."
Lu Yuan chuckled meaningfully. "What do you want?"
In the next few days, heavy snow blanketed the Capital City. Meng Qianqian stayed at Haitang Courtyard under the guise of recovering from illness, diligently managing the household accounts.
She no longer indulged the people in the estate—cutting down on extravagances, stopping the elderly lady's supply of bird's nest, and curbing several other excessive expenses.
The old matriarch was livid, demanding that Meng Qianqian come for a scolding, but Meng Qianqian refused.
One advantage of the snow was that the elderly lady wouldn't risk slipping and falling by coming to Haitang Courtyard herself.
The matriarch considered having Lu Lingxiao discipline his wife, but alas, Lu Lingxiao was absent.
At Wanhuaflou in the Capital City, the Jinyi Guard captured three Beiliang spies on the spot, while two others managed to escape.
Lu Lingxiao, who had once infiltrated Beiliang and was familiar with their methods of disguise, was busy aiding the court in catching spies, leaving him absent from the residence for several days.
The matriarch, seething with anger and lacking an outlet, had sores break out around her mouth.
Finally, when the snow eased, the matriarch's relatives arrived.
"Madam, the matriarch requests your presence."
Ban Xia entered the room to inform her.
Meng Qianqian had just finished reviewing the last of the chaotic records, marking the errors with a vermilion brush.
"Madam, shall we go?" Nanny Li asked worriedly. "I hear the Zhao family has arrived. No doubt they're here to take advantage again."
The matriarch had long fed and indulged her family, their behavior so shameless it even disgusted Nanny Li.
Meng Qianqian closed the account ledger and remarked, "Good, it's time to settle the accounts."
After exploiting her for years, it was time they paid every cent back!
The visitors from the Zhao Family included the matriarch's sister-in-law and grandnephew.
As Meng Qianqian approached the door, she overheard Zhao Old Madam crying and pleading, "Elder Sister... You must help Heng... He's your own grandnephew... Please save him..."
The Second Madam sneered, "Of all people, he picked a fight with the Commander of the Imperial Guard. What can we possibly do?"
Zhao Old Madam replied, "What about asking Xiao to plead for mercy?"
The matriarch said, "Xiao... Xiao isn't home these days."
Not home? Clearly, they lacked a connection with the Jinyi Guard to intervene!
Zhao Old Madam sobbed, "Heng drank too much... He didn't intentionally harass her... Besides, he didn't know the girl was the Lord Commander's sister... If we pay twenty thousand silver, this will be resolved... Otherwise, they'll kill Heng..."
The Second Madam paled. "Twenty thousand silver? Where would the Lu Family get that kind of money!"
Zhao Old Madam said, "Didn't the Meng girl have money? Just ask her for it!"
Meng Qianqian lifted the curtain and entered. "Great Aunt, not only do I lack that much silver, but even if I had it, I wouldn't use it to fill the Zhao Family's bottomless pit, would I?"