Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Xiao Lan and Xiao Mu'an were eager to reach Shaozhou as quickly as possible, so they rode at full speed with the Imperial Guards, not daring to stop for a moment. The sound of hooves echoed along the road, raising clouds of dust.

It wasn't until dusk, when the setting sun painted the sky crimson, that they finally arrived at the Jiang family's gate in Shaozhou. Before even dismounting, Xiao Lan spotted Jiang Huangshi standing at the gate to greet them. However, when she saw Jiang Huangshi's face clearly, tears instantly welled up in her eyes, almost spilling over.

Although Jiang Huangshi was a woman from the north, she was unusually petite and delicate. But what Xiao Lan saw at this moment was that Jiang Huangshi had lost at least a lot of weight compared to two months ago! Her once round face was now thin and sunken, with high cheekbones; her bright eyes had also lost their former luster and appeared dull and lifeless.

Xiao Mu'an, standing nearby, also noticed his grandmother's haggard appearance and felt a pang of anxiety. He clearly remembered that the last time they met, his grandmother, while not exactly plump, was at least energetic and had a rosy complexion. But the woman before him was completely different.

"Grandmother, how did you become so thin? Who made you so sad and upset? Lanlan will go and settle accounts with him right away, and I will definitely get justice for you!" As Xiao Lan spoke, she quickly stepped forward and hugged Jiang Huangshi tightly, as if she was afraid that if she let go, her grandmother would disappear.

“My dear child, Lan’er, Grandma is really alright. It’s just that since autumn started, my appetite hasn’t been very good, and I’ve been eating less than usual, so I look a little thinner,” Jiang Huangshi explained to Xiao Lan with a gentle and kind smile. However, at that moment, Yu Mama, who was standing next to Jiang Huangshi, seemed to want to say something, but before she could speak, Jiang Huangshi glared at her fiercely. Seeing this, Yu Mama could only silently lower her head, not daring to say another word.

However, none of this escaped Xiao Lan's keen observation. Despite Jiang Huangshi's best efforts to conceal it, Xiao Lan still noticed something amiss. So, she casually chatted with Jiang Huangshi about everyday matters for a while, then made an excuse, saying, "Grandmother, I'd like to visit Uncle Lin. You should rest well first. By the way, could you please ask Granny Yu to escort me out?" Jiang Huangshi, naturally, didn't think much of it and agreed.

And so, Granny Yu led Xiao Lan and Xiao Mu'an out of the courtyard. Once outside, Xiao Lan suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Granny Yu with a serious expression. She asked softly, "Granny, to be honest, I noticed something was wrong. I've only been gone for two months, how could Grandmother have become so thin? Is there some hidden reason? Please tell me the truth!"

"My dear girl, you have no idea what's going on! The Yao family is utterly wicked, especially that Yao Zhuzhu, she's evil to the core! Back then, after Yao Shi divorced our second master, she was supposed to obediently return to her Yao family, as agreed. But she defied expectations and ran off with Yao Zhuzhu to her new husband, the Gu family. And it was clearly stated that after the divorce, Yao Zhuzhu would change her surname to Yao and have no further connection with our Jiang family. Who would have thought that her son-in-law, Gu Sanlang, would be so shameless, with a face as thick as a city wall, constantly running to our Jiang family. The old lady has already clearly told..." Knowing it had nothing to do with them, they ordered him not to enter. But that fellow, completely disregarding all that, stood at the door and refused to leave. As a result, the neighbors gathered to watch the spectacle, making our Jiang family the laughingstock of the neighborhood. I've been holding back my anger for a long time, wanting to confide in someone. And here I am, young lady. I know in my heart that our granddaughter has been clever and quick-witted since childhood; perhaps she really has a way to help our old lady vent her anger and teach those shameless Yao mother and daughter a lesson! " As Granny Yu spoke, she stamped her feet angrily, her face contorted with rage.

"Granny, do you know where Yao Zhuzhu is now? Once I find her, I will definitely settle this matter! Humph, how dare she bully my grandmother, Xiao Lan's grandmother! She must be tired of living. She must know what it feels like to pay a terrible price for this!" Xiao Lan's eyebrows furrowed, her almond eyes widened, and she spoke these words fiercely, exuding a chilling aura.

“Miss, this old servant knows. I’ve heard they’re currently living in Shaxi Town, but I don’t know exactly which household they’re staying in. But don’t worry, Miss, this old servant will go and investigate later and will definitely find out the truth.” Seeing that Xiao Lan was willing to help resolve the matter, Granny Yu hurriedly agreed, her tone full of flattery.

“Very well then, Granny, I’ll go visit Uncle Lin first, and meet you again when I return.” With that, Xiao Lan turned and walked towards the carriage parked to the side. She gracefully and lightly lifted her skirt and boarded the carriage, followed closely by Xiao Mu’an. The coachman cracked his whip, the horse neighed, and the carriage slowly moved forward, galloping towards the Zhenyuan Escort Agency.

Before long, the carriage carrying Xiao Lan and the others arrived at the entrance of Zhenyuan Escort Agency. However, to everyone's surprise, even before entering, they could see a large crowd gathered outside the agency, completely blocking the entrance.

Xiao Mu'an strode forward, grabbed one of the men's sleeves, and asked anxiously, "Brother, what exactly happened in here?"

The man who had been pulled aside sized up Xiao Mu'an. Seeing that he was dressed in a snow-white robe, with a tall and upright figure and refined demeanor, he immediately recognized him as a well-read scholar, not someone from a security escort agency. He guessed Xiao Mu'an was simply looking for a bodyguard to help transport goods. Without much thought, the man replied directly, "I don't know the specifics, but I heard that a young man got into a dispute with our head镖师 (chief escort) for some reason, and then they started fighting. Hey! You know what, that kid's skills are quite impressive. This fight has been going on for quite a while now, and we still haven't decided who's better."

Just then, Xiao Lan stepped down from the carriage and walked gracefully towards them. Upon seeing this, Xiao Mu'an quickly ordered his men to disperse the crowd gathered at the entrance to watch the commotion, clearing a space for them. He then stepped inside first, followed closely by Xiao Lan and her maids.

As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, they saw a figure in blue and a figure in purple locked in fierce combat. Upon closer inspection, the one in blue was undoubtedly Lin Dayou, while the figure in purple... Xiao Mu'an stared at him for a moment, thinking to himself: Why does this person look so familiar? It's as if I've seen him somewhere before.

Just then, Xiao Lan shouted anxiously, "Yan Nan Hui, stop! Uncle Lin, please stop too!" Her voice was clear and loud, as if it could pierce through the clouds.

As soon as Xiao Lan finished speaking, the two figures who had been locked in a fierce battle separated as swiftly as lightning. They each leaped back a few steps, landing steadily, their gazes still fixed on each other, seemingly still unable to completely quell their anger.

Seeing that the two had finally separated, Xiao Lan hurriedly rushed forward. She first ran quickly to Lin Dayou's side, looked him over, and found that he was unharmed, which made her breathe a sigh of relief. However, without hesitation, she immediately turned around and ran towards Yan Nanhui.

Seeing this, Lin Dayou instinctively reached out to stop Xiao Lan, but his movements seemed to freeze, appearing somewhat stiff and comical. It turned out that Xiao Lan turned around so quickly that he didn't have time to retract his outstretched hand.

Meanwhile, Yan Nan Hui saw Xiao Lan running towards him, and his face instantly lit up with an ecstatic smile. Without hesitation, he strode forward to meet Xiao Lan. Before Xiao Lan could even see if Yan Nan Hui was injured, he suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace.

Yan Nan hugged Xiao Lan tightly with his broad, warm chest, as if afraid she would disappear if he let go. Then, he gently lowered his head, softly pressing the tip of his nose against the strands of hair on Xiao Lan's head, slowly stroking them, and whispered, "Lan Lan..."

At this moment, Yan Nan felt the whole world quiet down, and only he and Xiao Lan existed. The thrilling fight just now, the noisy environment around him, and all his troubles and worries vanished in an instant. Because at this moment, he was holding the person he had been thinking about day and night in his arms—Xiao Lan.

At first, Yan Nan even doubted that what he was seeing was just a beautiful illusion. But when he smelled the familiar and alluring fragrance emanating from Xiao Lan, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally calmed down. Then, he slowly loosened his grip on Xiao Lan's arms, gently grasped her slender arms, lowered his head slightly, and gazed at Xiao Lan with deep affection.

"Lanlan, what are you doing here? Did you miss me?" Yan Nan asked softly, his eyes full of tenderness and affection.

Just as Xiao Lan was about to respond, she suddenly heard a low cough beside her: "Cough cough..." Yan Nan Hui looked over at the sound and was startled to see Xiao Mu An standing quietly beside them. Yan Nan Hui and Xiao Lan exchanged a glance, then hurriedly loosened their clasped hands.

"Young Master Xiao!" Yan Nan Hui bowed to Xiao Mu An first and greeted him softly. Xiao Mu An did not dare to be negligent and quickly bowed back, saying, "Fifth Prince!" Normally, as a prince, Yan Nan Hui held a high position and Xiao Mu An should have greeted him first. However, Xiao Mu An was Yan Nan Hui's brother-in-law, and Yan Nan Hui was holding Xiao Mu An's younger sister at the moment, so he seemed somewhat lacking in confidence both in terms of etiquette and reason.

Meanwhile, after Yan Nanhui and Xiao Mu'an finished exchanging greetings, Xiao Lan immediately turned to Yan Nanhui, her face showing concern as she asked, "Why did you clash with my uncle?" Although her words were directed at Yan Nanhui, her gaze unconsciously swept over Lin Dayou's face. Recalling how she had only been concerned with checking on Lin Dayou before rushing straight to Yan Nanhui, Xiao Lan couldn't help but feel a little guilty, and her pretty face flushed slightly.

At the same time, Yan Nan, upon hearing Xiao Lan's question, instantly snapped out of his daze and realized that the slightly embarrassed man before him was the uncle Xiao Lan had mentioned—Lin Dayou. He quickly walked up to Lin Dayou, clasped his hands in a gesture of apology, and said, "Uncle Lin, I was very rude just now. I hope you will be magnanimous and not take offense!"

After a thorough questioning, Xiao Lan finally understood the whole story. It turned out that Yan Nanhui had his eye on the excellent geographical location of Shaxi Town. He was determined to use the land Xiao Lan had previously purchased to build a large-scale saltworks. Although the land Xiao Lan bought was located halfway up a mountain, Shaxi Town was the closest place to the sea! Furthermore, simply enclosing the entrance to the mountain would effectively prevent others from freely accessing it. Besides, Xiao Lan's land was so vast that it would be difficult to find such a prime location anywhere else in Shaozhou or even the wider region.

The reason Yan Nanhui came here is quite interesting. At the time, he was only focused on finalizing the land purchase as quickly as possible and didn't even have time to inquire about the seller's identity from the intermediary. Thus, in a daze, he was led to the escort agency. Coincidentally, at that time, Xiao Lan proposed a comprehensive reform of the agency, and Lin Dayou immediately ordered his men to remove the old signboard and prepare to replace it with a brand new one. As a result, Yan Nanhui only heard a few words from the introducer, learning that the owner of the place was a boss surnamed Lin.