The Emperor's Favorite: The Useless and Crazy Concubine Who Conquers the World

She knew that Xu Qing's threats were meaningless to her because she would never give in to intimidation from others.

Seeing that Lan Yunyan was unmoved, Xu Qing became even more furious.

At this moment, Lan Zhiyan appeared at the perfect moment. She approached slowly with light steps, a confused and innocent expression on her face, her eyes blinking, as if she was unfamiliar and curious about everything around her.

"Xiaoqing, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Lan Zhiyan's voice was soft and concerned, as if she really knew nothing about what had happened before.

Xu Qing's anger subsided a little when she saw Lan Zhiyan. She knew that Lan Zhiyan and Lan Yunyan didn't have a good relationship, so perhaps she could get some support or comfort from her.

So she took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and began to tell what had just happened.

"Zhiyan, you don't know, Lan Yunyan actually dared to..." Xu Qing's words were full of anger and dissatisfaction. She exaggerated what had just happened and tried to get Lan Zhiyan to stand on her side.

As Lan Zhiyan listened to Xu Qing's story, a barely perceptible sneer flashed across her eyes.

On the surface, she pretended to be sympathetic and angry, but in her heart she was thinking about how to use this opportunity to suppress Lan Yunyan and make Lan Yunyan's position in the family even more embarrassing.

"Xiaoqing, you are so pitiful. How could Lan Yunyan do this to you? Don't worry, I will definitely seek justice for you!"

Lan Zhiyan said this indignantly, as if she really was Xu Qing's solid backing.

Shen Qingfeng slowly walked down from the second floor. His voice was calm and authoritative as he made a suggestion: "How about this? Let Miss Lan Wu and Miss Xu have a duel. Whoever wins gets the final say. How about that?"

Xu Qing perked up immediately after hearing this. She looked at Lan Yunyan provocatively and said, "Let's compete. Who's afraid of who?"

Lan Yunyan remained calm. She knew that this competition was inevitable, so she asked, "Then what shall we compete in?"

Shen Qingfeng smiled slightly and proposed an unexpected contest: "Let's have a stone gambling competition. Whoever cuts the best stone wins."

Gambling on stones is an activity that requires great vision and luck. Picking out valuable gemstones from a vast array of stones requires not only extensive knowledge and experience, but also keen intuition and judgment.

When Xu Qing heard about gambling on stones, a hint of pride flashed in her eyes. She considered herself quite talented in gambling on stones, having won many of her family's gambling activities.

So, she said confidently, "Okay, let's have a game of gambling on stones. Lan Yunyan, you're doomed to lose!"

Lan Yunyan said nothing, but just glanced at Xu Qing indifferently.

Shen Qingfeng suggested: "I know there is a gambling stone field nearby. Let's go there to compete. There are abundant raw stones there, and it's more fair."

"Okay." Lan Yunyan and Xu Qing agreed at the same time. They had no objection to this proposal.

So, the three of them headed to the gambling stone field. When they arrived, they found it bustling with people, all diligently selecting rough stones, hoping to find the gem that would make them rich overnight.

Shen Qingfeng took Lan Yunyan and Xu Qing through the crowd and came to the innermost counter.

The shopkeeper greeted them warmly upon seeing them, and asked with a broad smile, "What can the three gentlemen do for you? We have rough stones of various qualities, and we guarantee that you will be satisfied."

Shen Qingfeng smiled slightly and said, "We are here today to gamble on stones. I wonder if the shopkeeper has any rough stones suitable for a competition?"

The shopkeeper immediately understood their intention. He nodded quickly and said, "Yes, yes, yes. We have a new batch of high-quality rough stones. You three guests can choose any of them. If you want to compete in gambling on stones, we have a special competition area here."

The shopkeeper then led them to a relatively quiet area where some uncut stones were displayed. Lan Yunyan and Xu Qing began to carefully select them.

Shen Qingfeng stood aside, observing them quietly.

After a while, Xu Qing confidently selected a rough stone. She walked over to the cutter and handed the rough stone to him, a proud smile on her face.

"Master, you have to cut it carefully. I have some top-quality raw stones here." Xu Qing said, her tone full of anticipation and confidence.

The master didn't care much at first. He took the raw stone, put it on the cutter and started cutting.

However, as the cutting went deeper, the star fragments inside gradually came out, and the master's eyes lit up.

"It's actually a Star Shatter!" the master exclaimed in surprise, his voice filled with shock and delight. You know, a Star Shatter is an extremely rare gem, only seen once in a thousand years, and its value is inestimable.

The master's movements became more cautious, for he was afraid that he would accidentally damage the precious piece of star fragment.

People around also gathered around, they were shocked and talked about how rare and precious this piece of star was.

"A broken star, a star that is hard to come by in a thousand years, was actually opened by the eldest daughter of the Xu family!" someone exclaimed.

Xu Qing smiled smugly when she heard these words. She looked at Lan Yunyan with a look of provocation and pride in her eyes.

However, Lan Yunyan's expression did not change much. She just stood there quietly, observing everything.

Next, it was Lan Yunyan's turn to select the raw stones.

"Master, you have to use your mental power to sense. The one with the biggest fluctuation is the rarer the raw stone." Mengli in the space reminded.

Lan Yunyan selected an inconspicuous piece of raw stone based on the guidance of her mental power.

People were not optimistic about Lan Yunyan. They felt that after Xu Qing opened the Star Shattered Stone that was rare in a thousand years, it was unlikely that Lan Yunyan would open any decent gems again.

However, Lan Yunyan was not in a hurry. She walked up to another cutting master and said with a smile, "Master, please help me open it."