Remarrying Chun Yuan

Chapter 449 Conflict

Lin Mengyu pursed her lips. Although she was unwilling to admit it, upon closer reflection, what Liu Yuechu said didn't seem to make any mistakes. She really was like that.

"I don't think she's like Lu Bingyang, but more like my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law's strong and assertive personality can make my father-in-law furious but helpless. I really like her resilience."

Lin Mengyu looked at Liu Yuechu and said, "She is a fine steel sword, and you are a thin needle. Compared to her, you are perhaps more piercing."

"Why are you picking on me all of a sudden? I was just inviting you to dinner." Liu Yuechu really didn't know what to say, but what could she do? She was her best friend.

"So I'm really lucky to have such good people around me," Lin Mengyu said with a smile.

Huang Wanwan bluntly pointed out, "It's not that you're lucky, but that you have a discerning eye. You saw through Yue Niang's unfathomable nature at a glance."

"Aren't you the same?" Lin Mengyu was always quick to speak. "You met her later than me, but now you're closer to her than I am. You're already close enough to be Liu's sister-in-law!"

"You brat, I'll pinch your cheek!"

"Then I'll have Lu Bingyang beat up your man to avenge me..."

The two of them were playfully bickering, acting more like unmarried girls than married women.

Liu Yuechu quite enjoyed the comfort of the three of them behind closed doors, completely free from the constraints of status and rules, relaxed and carefree – this was her favorite state.

However, this state of affairs did not last long before it was broken by Song Liu'er who arrived in a hurry.

Seeing his anxious face and the fine layer of sweat on his forehead, Liu Yuechu's good mood vanished instantly. "Could it be that the palace is starting to cause trouble?"

The Crown Princess said something inexplicable to her a few days ago. Is she starting to pick a fight now?

Song Liu'er shook her head. "It wasn't the palace; the problem was with the timber used in the wood carving competition."

"You said that the top ten best-scoring rosewood and huanghuali wood pieces would be awarded in the second round of the competition, but that old man wants them now."

"He got into a fight with the timber official in the royal gardens, and they even came to blows. Now he's been arrested by the Imperial Household Department."

……

Song Liu'er's words were simple, but Liu Yuechu sensed that the truth might be even more serious.

Who doesn't know that Song Ziwen was specially invited by her to keep things under control? No one would care if someone like him took away all the timber in the royal garden, let alone a little bit.

The key point is that he used force, and perhaps he used a lot of force.

They were all skilled carvers, possessing immense strength in their hands. Most of the palace officials were eunuchs, so how could they possibly keep an eye on him…

"What are the extent of the injuries?" she asked directly, getting to the most crucial point.

“One seriously injured, three moderately injured, and five slightly injured…” Song Liu’er’s voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, “The key is that the one who was seriously injured was someone from Consort Yu’s palace.”

Consort Yu had been holding back her anger and frustration over the carving competition, and now that she had a chance to vent her anger on Liu Yuechu, she naturally wouldn't let it pass.

Moreover, it was Song Ziwen who made the first move. Even if His Majesty knew about it, he would still disqualify Song Ziwen from participating in the conference for the sake of appearances.

But what if Song Ziwen doesn't participate? What about the celestial statue that Liu Yuechu promised Yuwen Chan? What about the military supplies that can't be raised?

If these matters are not handled properly, how could Emperor Qi Xiao not hold Liu Yuechu accountable? Even if he didn't want to hold her accountable, there were still so many court officials watching.

Moreover, this is a very delicate time. Everyone assumes that the Chu Emperor's arrival in Daqi is for Yuan Cuo, but no one knows for sure whether it is. Only by causing trouble can we test everyone's true intentions.

The reason why Consort Yu dared to be so bold was that she wanted to test Emperor Qi Xiao's attitude towards Yuan Cuo, and she was also very certain that Qin Muyan had joined forces with Emperor Chu...

Therefore, she forced Emperor Qi Xiao and Liu Yuechu to fall out over the carving competition, which gave Emperor Chu the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

"I knew I couldn't avoid it, but I never expected it would be about Song Ziwen."

Liu Yuechu quickly sorted out the logic and temporarily understood Yu Fei's intentions.

But since the matter involved T.V. Soong, she couldn't possibly stay out of it. "You two don't need to come with me. I'll go alone..."

She didn't know what would happen, and she couldn't possibly involve Huang Wanwan and Lin Mengyu.

Lin Mengyu was going home to report to her mother-in-law, but Huang Wanwan still wanted to go with her. "Should we tell Yuan Cuo about this? Let's hear his opinion?"

"Well... the Duke is discussing the Huaizhou mine matter at the Ministry of War in a very secretive and anxious manner, so there's no way to disturb him. Moreover, the Court of State Ceremonial is also waiting for him, saying that the Yuwen Clan Leader and the King of Yan are still waiting to discuss Chu's countermeasures."

Song Liu'er quickly relayed what she had to say.

If he could find Yuan Cuo, he wouldn't have rushed to see Liu Yuechu. Yuan Cuo had already given instructions that if a problem could be solved by him, then one should not bother the lady.

After all, Liu Yuechu has devoted most of her time and energy to her child, and she is already quite exhausted from juggling multiple roles.

"Forget it, I'll go myself. If I really can't solve it, then I'll go find him. You all go home and wait for news. If Yuan Cuo is done with his work, please tell him for me."

Liu Yuechu still sent Huang Wanwan back. This wasn't something to be proud of, so she shouldn't go and get scolded along with them.

Huang Wanwan could only nod and see Liu Yuechu and Song Liu'er off before she hurriedly went to find Liu Musheng.

However, Liu Musheng was not at home at the time; he accompanied Yuan Cuo to the Ministry of War.

Huang Wanwan could only sigh helplessly, wondering why everything had come together at once.

Liu Yuechu and Song Liu'er hurriedly arrived at the royal garden, which was no longer shaded by green trees and resembled an abandoned lumberyard. Next to it was the temporary living quarters for the sculptors.

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, still talking about what had just happened.

Everyone was startled to see Liu Yuechu suddenly appear, and then quickly cupped their hands in greeting.

Liu Yuechu nodded slightly as a greeting, but her heart was still with Song Ziwen.

She only hoped that the people from the Imperial Household Department wouldn't hurt him carelessly, especially his priceless hands.

Moreover, Liu Yuechu was already prepared. Whoever dared to make things difficult for her at this time, no matter who they were, she would not let them off easily.

"Madam Liu, what brings you here?" Xu Xianglan was quite surprised to see her.

Although her disguise as a man was exposed, she still dressed as a scholar for the convenience of attending the conference.

Liu Yuechu was also stunned for a moment when she saw her. She had been so busy lately that she had completely forgotten about Xu Xianglan.

“I don’t have time to chat with you alone right now. After you finish attending the carving competition, come to my residence to find me,” Liu Yuechu said.