He Lan Tianxia

Murong Junlan was truly exasperated at this point. What did it matter if the Emperor blamed him? Everyone knew that aside from important court matters, the Empress Dowager had the final say in the affairs of the inner palace. He ignored her completely, remaining seated and refusing to move. No way he was going to fetch anyone.

Not accepting? It doesn't matter. The Empress Dowager instructed the guards around her, "Bring the two brides into the Prince's residence."

"Wait. Grandmother, we do not yet know who Lan'er will marry. Lan'er does not agree to let people of unknown background into my Prince's mansion."

"Don't worry, Lan'er, your grandmother isn't one to act rashly," the Empress Dowager laughed. "Any woman who catches my eye is of good character and appearance. One is Xia Muyao, the daughter of the Marquis of Anle. She has been well-read since childhood, and is elegant, dignified, generous, and virtuous—a perfect match for Lan'er. Then there's Jin Chuchu, the daughter of Prime Minister Jin. Although she's a bit willful, she and Lan'er have been childhood sweethearts, inseparable since they were little. Aren't you satisfied, Lan'er?"

Murong Junlan inwardly groaned. His grandmother's plans might not be so perfect after all—one quiet, one lively, both to marry into the family. He quickly said, "Grandmother, while both women are excellent, arranging for Lan'er to marry two wives at once will only make me a laughingstock. Where will I put my face then?"

"It's common for men to have multiple wives and concubines, so Lan'er doesn't need to worry about that. Since that's the case, let's skip the ceremony and go straight to the bridal chamber. Someone, take the two brides to the prince's bedroom."

Oh dear, the usually extravagant Empress Dowager is behaving unpredictably this time! What to do? Murong Junlan watched the two brides, their red veils covering their faces, walk past him, utterly helpless. So, feigning composure, he thought, "You two go in, I'm not going in. Let's see who can do what to whom!"

The Empress Dowager was an extremely intelligent woman; how could she not see through his little scheme? So she said, "Lan'er, I'm tired of sitting and would like to take a walk in the courtyard. Will you keep me company?"

“Alright, the air in the courtyard is fresh. It’s good for Grandmother to go for a walk.” Murong Junlan didn’t know how much he wanted to go out, but he was afraid that Grandmother would force him to go back to his bedroom. Now that Grandmother wanted to go out herself, he couldn’t be happier, so he obediently accompanied Grandmother to the courtyard for a walk. But he regretted it after only a few steps.

"Lan'er, I heard that you have built a beautiful Yan Garden. I would like to go and take a look." The Empress Dowager was clearly after the women of Yan Garden.

“Grandmother, Yan Garden was built by Lan’er for her future princess. It’s not yet occupied and is a bit deserted. It’s better not to go.”

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm very brave." The Empress Dowager stubbornly continued forward.

Just then, a sharp cry of an eagle rang out in the sky, and it swooped down towards the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was terrified and recoiled. Murong Junlan could have used his Silver Ring Illusion technique to freeze the eagle, but he didn't. He hoped the eagle would frighten the Empress Dowager away, but fearing for her safety, he gently pushed the eagle aside with a palm strike.

“Grandmother, this eagle is extremely fierce. It would be bad if it got hurt. Let’s go somewhere else,” Murong Junlan said, seizing the opportunity.

"Guards, shoot the eagle down!" the Empress Dowager roared in exasperation. But no one moved. The archers stood motionless, as if they hadn't heard her.

"Guards, kill the eagle for me! I will reward you handsomely!" But no one moved. Who dared to? That was the prince's eagle; to move it was to risk their own lives. The Empress Dowager wanted to enter the Yan Garden, but the eagle flew straight over again, frightening her so much that she retreated repeatedly. The Empress Dowager said angrily, "Such a grand prince's mansion, yet it can't even handle an eagle."

"Grandmother, it would be best to move your presence elsewhere."

"Hmph." Even though the Empress Dowager didn't want to leave, she had no choice but to turn around and go back inside. Back inside, staring at each other was incredibly boring. What to do? Suddenly, the Empress Dowager asked, "Lan'er, are there any cricket fighting games here?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Get me a few rounds of this game to play."

Murong Junlan immediately ordered someone to bring over several crickets, so the Empress Dowager spent the whole day at the Prince's residence watching cricket fighting. After dinner, Murong Junlan couldn't help but ask, "Is Empress Dowager staying overnight at the Prince's residence?"

"No, I'll return to the manor immediately after Lan'er's wedding night." After saying this, the Empress Dowager ordered someone to bring a stool and sit in front of Murong Junlan's bedroom. Her posture was as if she would sit there if he dared not obey her.

Murong Junlan had a headache. His grandmother was determined today. He thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Grandmother, you don't trust Lan'er? Very well, Lan'er will go to the bridal chamber now." With that, Murong Junlan pushed open the door and went inside. A moment later, the door reopened, and Murong Junlan, having already removed his robes, tentatively asked, "Grandmother, would you like to come inside and witness this yourself?"

"Shameless!" The Empress Dowager's face turned red with anger. "I'll just listen to you."

"Lan'er, it would be better if Grandmother came inside to witness this." As she spoke, Murong Junlan pretended to insist on helping Grandmother into the room.

"Don't be so presumptuous!" The Empress Dowager glared fiercely at Murong Junlan. Murong Junlan took advantage of the mechanism to close the door. In fact, Murong Junlan did this because he was afraid that the Empress Dowager might suddenly have a change of heart and ruin his plans.

However, the view inside the door was not pleasant. Two brides, their heads covered with red veils, were tied together. Murong Junlan ripped off the red veils and said coldly, "Shout as loudly as you can, until I am satisfied. If either of you dares to make even the slightest sound that would displease the Empress Dowager, don't even think about leaving this room."

Xia Muyao was so frightened that she was about to speak when Jin Chuchu interrupted, "Brother Murong, let me go! We've been childhood sweethearts since we were little."

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Fine, don't shout, but then don't blame me for being impolite." Murong Junlan knocked on the window, and Jiang He immediately shoved a bag in. Murong Junlan pulled out several rats tied with rope from the bag and tied them not far from the two women's feet. The two women screamed in fright. The screams made the Empress Dowager at the door beam with joy. She stayed for a full hour before tossing out the words, "Who says forced love isn't sweet?" before satisfied and returning to the palace.

Having finally seen off the old ancestor, Murong Junlan was indeed exhausted. He ordered Jiang He to throw the two bound together into a side room, had the blankets changed, and then went to bed to rest. Suddenly, a bright light shone into the room. "My beloved concubine?" Murong Junlan was wide awake. He jumped up, dressed, and went straight to Yan Garden.

The woman in Yan Garden was polishing a glass lock, muttering something under her breath. Murong Junlan listened intently, and heard her say, "Old monk, why aren't you coming to take me away? Murong Junlan got married today, and he married two wives at once! If I had known he was such a womanizer, I wouldn't have come. Womanizer, perverted bastard, womanizer, perverted bastard..."

"Are you insulting me?" Murong Junlan accidentally stepped on a turtle on the ground and realized that there were turtles all over the ground. So he casually waved his hand and threw all the turtles into the jar.

"So what if I'm insulting you?" The woman seemed oblivious to his presence but continued, "You have such a handsome appearance, but you're just a wolf in sheep's clothing."

"My beloved concubine, are you jealous of me?"

"Huh, when did you come in?" The woman finally noticed Murong Junlan. "Weren't you in the bridal chamber? What are you doing here?"

"If my beloved consort longs for me to return to our bridal chamber, I may take her with me," Murong Junlan said shamelessly. With that, he promptly scooped the woman up and carried her towards his bedchamber. The woman cursed him as shameless as they walked, but he pretended not to hear.

The woman was slightly surprised to find the bedroom empty. She stared at Murong Junlan's face as if afraid he was lying, "Where is your queen?"

"I'm holding her right now." Murong Junlan placed the woman on the bed and said in a serious tone, "My beloved consort, now we can consummate our marriage."

Upon hearing this, the woman was so frightened that she scrambled to hide in the corner of the bed and warned, "Murong Junlan, you can't do anything reckless."

Murong Junlan laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying himself.