Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot

The Miao King turned around while holding a birdcage, exuding a domineering presence: "Liu, Ba, Tian!"

Everyone: "..."

The Miao King was still the same Miao King, though now his left eye was covered with a brass eyepatch tied with a hairband.

Prince Jin was dumbfounded.

Lu Yuan, with his hands clasped behind his back, walked over to his cheap old man.

Lu Zhaoyan asked, "How did you convince him to dress up as a pirate?"

Lu Yuan smirked, "Oh, that..."

"Grandpa, put it on."

"What even is this? I'm not wearing it!"

"The Emperor Liang is heading toward the Crown Prince Mansion. I don't have a human skin mask suitable for you right now. If you don't wear this, how will you avoid being recognized?"

"So what if he recognizes me? You think I'd be scared of him?"

"This is his territory."

"Who do you think you're looking down on? Back when I charged through enemy ranks seven times over, your mother wasn't even born yet!"

"Are you talking about the time you poisoned Emperor Liang, only to accidentally ingest it yourself, and the two of you ended up bedridden for three days and three nights?"

The Miao King cleared his throat: "That was… uh…"

Lu Yuan said with exasperation, "Who tastes poison with their fingers to check the flavor? Luckily, Grandma swapped it out with croton herbs in advance."

The Miao King waved his hand dismissively: "A hero doesn't brag about past endeavors!"

Lu Yuan twitched his mouth. More like stupidity than heroism.

The Miao King said coldly, "In any case, I'm not going to act like a coward! If worse comes to worst, I'll fight to the death!"

"That's called stealth," Lu Yuan said earnestly. "Don't you think toying with him on his own turf is way more amusing than defeating him? Everyone knows the Miao King's martial arts are peerless. Winning by force is nothing to boast about, but tricking him—that's different. Or are you afraid you'll lose when it comes to brains?"

At this, Lu Zhaoyan didn't even know what to say anymore.

He took a deep breath and said, "Doesn't your conscience hurt when you trap your grandpa like this?"

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow: "And who spent an entire evening badmouthing our imperial grandfather behind his back, asking me to go report it to him?"

Lu Zhaoyan's face darkened: "You unfilial brat."

Steward Jia thought to himself, You two are perfect—one swindles his dad, the other tricks his grandfather. Neither of you can talk.

Emperor Liang had only met the Miao King a few times in their younger years.

And now, years later, with both men sporting beards and white hair, they looked nothing like the youths they once were.

Adding to this was the unsavory pirate disguise, so Emperor Liang didn't recognize the Miao King.

Prince Jin, however, knew the Miao King was staying at the Crown Prince Mansion. After his brief shock, he confirmed that the man indeed was the Miao King.

He smiled meaningfully: "Mr. Liu? I haven't seen you at the Crown Prince Mansion before. Your accent sounds a bit like someone from Miaojiang. Are you a guest from there? My dear brother really should have introduced such an important guest sooner."

Lu Zhaoyan strode forward with ease: "What accent from Miaojiang? Have you been to Miaojiang that often to recognize accents?"

Privately, Prince Jin really had snuck into Miaojiang several times.

His smile didn't waver, but his fingers clenched slightly tighter: "I merely asked in passing. Why are you so nervous, little brother?"

Lu Zhaoyan replied, "How amusing, elder brother. Do I look nervous to you?"

"Imperial Grandfather."

Lu Yuan bowed to Emperor Liang.

Emperor Liang nodded, "I heard your leg was injured."

Lu Yuan looked puzzled: "No, I'm perfectly fine."

Prince Jin chuckled: "Must've been a mistake. I thought I heard you were hurt."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Oh, so you came here to check on my injury? I almost thought you came specifically to visit my grandfather."

Lu Zhaoyan added, "Your grandfather only arrived last night. How could your elder uncle's intelligence network be that efficient? It's not like he's planted spies in our mansion, right, big brother?"

Prince Jin's smile froze a little: "You're quite the joker, little brother."

Emperor Liang scrutinized the Miao King, his suspicion growing. The more he looked, the more this person struck him as… peculiar.

"You're Yuan'er's grandfather?"

He asked.

The Miao King planted his hands on his hips: "As genuine as can be!"

Emperor Liang's tone turned serious: "Then why haven't you saluted me?"

The Miao King barked, "Salute you—" like hell!—

But then, remembering his mission, he stopped himself, "I'm just a simple country farmer. I don't know the city folk's ways."

Emperor Liang's eyes were sharp: "For a country farmer, your skills are impressive."

Lu Yuan quickly interjected: "My grandfather spent a few years on Witch Mountain in his youth, helping to repair the temple there."

Emperor Liang was familiar with the renovation of Witch Mountain.

The Goddess had recruited craftsmen from across the land, with many skilled workers coming from the southwest.

After restoring the old temple, the Goddess even had a new Prayer Hall built, a process that took three full years.

It was the only time Witch Mountain allowed a large number of outsiders to enter, and among them were many talented individuals who later became martial arts experts under the guidance of the Divine Woman Sect.

The Goddess's broad-mindedness had earned even Emperor Liang's admiration.

Lu Yuan shot a meaningful glance at the Miao King.

The Miao King pouted and clutched his thigh: "Oh, my old legs."