Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Sure enough, just as Xiao Lan finished speaking, Yan Linfeng couldn't wait to say, "It is indeed that little Jin! She is your grandfather's second wife!"

Xiao Lan was secretly delighted, thinking, "Haha, I've finally heard you say that!" She quickly adjusted her expression, instantly adopting a pitiful, wronged look, and replied in a coquettish voice, "Your Majesty, Xiao Jinshi is merely my grandfather's concubine. Previously, she committed heinous crimes such as murdering a member of the Marquis's family and stealing money from the Marquis's household, and was already demoted to a maidservant and handed over to the authorities for legal punishment. I imagine she's currently suffering in exile." As she finished speaking, Xiao Lan bit her lip lightly and lowered her head slightly, as if she had truly suffered a great injustice.

Immediately afterward, Xiao Lan turned her head sharply, her gaze fixed on Yan Linfeng, and continued in a slightly questioning tone, "There is one more thing, Third Prince, you must give me an explanation! When has my Xiao Marquis's mansion ever had any dealings with the Ye family or entered into a marriage agreement? Furthermore, even if we were to discuss marriage, you should have consulted my grandfather—the dignified head of the Marquis's mansion—instead of approaching a mere concubine? Does a concubine really think she can make decisions for her own granddaughter?"

Yan Linfeng was stunned and speechless by Xiao Lan's sharp words, unable to think of any response. Xiao Lan, however, had no intention of letting it go. She raised her head slightly, her gaze piercing as she stared directly at Yan Linfeng, and continued, "Hmph! Could it be that the Ye family was behind that concubine's audacity in stealing from the Xiao family? It seems I'll have to have a word with my grandfather about this. I never imagined that a prestigious merchant family would collude with a concubine from another household to do such a despicable thing!"

Yan Linfeng, relentlessly taunted by Xiao Lan, inwardly groaned. He gritted his teeth, but still couldn't utter a single rebuttal. He cursed inwardly, "That incredibly foolish woman, Ye Lanyi, is as unreliable as ever! How could I have been so blinded by her lies and foolishly come to cause trouble for Xiao Lan? Now look what's happened, I'm completely trapped in this awkward predicament!"

However, with his father and everyone else watching, he couldn't afford to lose face like this. Thinking this, Yan Linfeng mustered his strength and hurriedly protested, "Don't spout nonsense! How would my uncle know that Lady Jin isn't Marquis Xiao's second wife? You know, she's someone Marquis Xiao dotes on and spoils!" Yan Linfeng's words, seemingly an attempt to exonerate his uncle, were actually a veiled attack on Marquis Xiao, implying that it was Marquis Xiao's excessive favoritism towards his concubines that led others to mistakenly believe Lady Jin was his second wife.

However, from the moment her grandfather, Xiao Zhenwei, handed over the reins of the Marquis's household management to her mother, Jiang Nihuang, Xiao Lan firmly believed that her grandfather had become family. In her heart, family members should support and protect each other, and she would never allow anyone to offend or slander them.

Faced with the Third Prince's questioning and accusations, Xiao Lan stepped forward and retorted righteously, "Third Prince, your words are truly biased! Back then, the reason the power of managing the household was given to that young Jin was entirely because she was my grandmother's distant cousin. At that time, my grandmother passed away prematurely, and my father was still young. My grandfather feared that others would not be able to take good care of him, so he specially promoted her to a concubine and gave her the power of managing the household. In fact, my grandfather could never forget my grandmother deep down and had no interest in remarrying. That's why he only took in this concubine to take care of my father. How could such a sincere, touching, and earth-shattering love between my grandparents be made so despicable in your mouth, Third Prince?" After saying this, Xiao Lan put on an air of knowing everything and continued, "Indeed, those with dark hearts see everything in the world as pitch black as ink!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Linfeng was instantly enraged and roared furiously, "Shut up! Stop talking nonsense! If your grandfather hadn't spoiled that little Jin, how could my uncle have misunderstood?"

Xiao Lan coldly watched Yan Linfeng, whose face was flushed with anger, but secretly she was overjoyed. She slightly raised her chin, looked directly into Yan Linfeng's eyes without fear, and even had a faint smile on her lips.

She parted her lips slightly and said, word by word, "Since ancient times, a principal wife has always been a principal wife, and a concubine has always been just a concubine. Could it be that just because His Majesty favors Consort Ye, she can make decisions for His Highness the Crown Prince, choosing concubines and arranging marriages for him without his consent? Or is it that Consort Ye and you, Third Prince, actually plotted this together?" At this point, Xiao Lan suddenly seemed to realize something and quickly covered her mouth with her hand, but the cunning in her eyes could not be concealed.

Then, feigning extreme fear, she continued in a trembling voice, "Oh dear! Did I say something wrong? Could it be... that you, Third Prince, and the Ye family truly harbor rebellious intentions and intend to usurp the throne?"

Xiao Lan's words were incredibly audacious, bordering on treason. However, she knew that if she didn't take a desperate gamble and burn her bridges, the only path awaiting her would be to be expelled from the palace, burdened with infamy. After all, Yan Linfeng's previous words had been far too ambiguous and easily misunderstood.

This Yan Linfeng is truly ruthless! If I can't explain things clearly and explicitly, then those who don't know the truth will surely mistakenly believe that after initially agreeing to the marriage with the Ye family, I changed my mind upon seeing Yan Nanhui's noble status and wealth, and instead threw myself into the arms of a prince. Not only that, but I also meticulously plotted to force the Ye family to pay compensation. If I don't deal with this matter firmly today, then from now on, I'm afraid I'll be burdened with that unbearable reputation. However, even at the great risk of offending others, I must fight Yan Linfeng to the death today! Hmph, since he dares to slander me as promiscuous, then I'll retaliate by accusing his Ye family of plotting a rebellion! Anyway, these words are just words; let's see who is more ruthless!

"Stop spouting nonsense! How could my mother's family harbor such despicable thoughts? You're simply spouting blatant lies!" As expected, Yan Linfeng was thoroughly enraged by Xiao Lan's merciless words. After all, the two had spent time together in their previous lives, and Xiao Lan knew Yan Linfeng's temperament intimately. Regardless of what Yan Linfeng might be thinking in private, anyone who dared to openly discuss these matters would surely cause him to lose face and become enraged.

As expected, Xiao Lan's words not only made the Emperor and Empress's faces turn gloomy, but Yan Linfeng also jumped up in a fit of rage, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on!

However, after Xiao Lan finished speaking, she suddenly realized, as if waking from a dream, that she had inadvertently dragged her future mother-in-law into this mess. After all, Consort Tong was now a legitimate Consort, or to put it bluntly, just one of the Emperor's concubines. But Xiao Lan had no time to worry about that now. She secretly thought that the most urgent matter was to find a way to properly handle this thorny issue. As for apologizing to Consort Tong, that could be arranged later.

So, Xiao Lan slowly turned around, looking directly at Yan Zhen, and said softly, "Your Majesty, regarding the matter of the Third Prince's cousin impersonating me, which caused the Ye family to pay compensation and harmed the girl the Third Prince cherished, this was truly not my intention! How could someone falsely accuse someone of such immoral conduct as to dare to have someone impersonate my 'Young Master Lan'? Furthermore, Consort Ye actually colluded with a relative of my grandfather's concubine to steal from my ancestral home." "The valuables in the house have still not been returned to me! Shouldn't the Third Prince give me a reasonable explanation? You must know that my grandfather clearly stated that the Xiao family's ancestral home would be my dowry when I married. Even ordinary wealthy families would not covet their daughter-in-law's dowry, let alone the imperial family! Moreover, upon closer examination, Consort Tong is my future mother-in-law. Regardless of social status, just logically speaking, how could Consort Ye possibly reach for my dowry?"

Xiao Lan grew increasingly aggrieved as she spoke, her eyes reddening and her voice trembling slightly, presenting a pitiful appearance. Everyone present understood immediately. It turned out that the incident stemmed from the Third Prince and Consort Ye feeling wronged and harboring resentment. They had taken advantage of the Lantern Festival banquet to cause trouble, attempting to tarnish Princess Lan's reputation. Such behavior truly revealed their questionable character.

Just then, the princess consort, who had previously been quite close to Xiao Lan, quietly leaned close to Princess Tai'an's ear and whispered something. Although others couldn't hear what they were saying, Princess Tai'an's increasingly serious expression indicated that what they were saying was certainly no small matter.

Princess Tai'an suddenly stood up. She first bowed slightly to the emperor, then spoke directly without any hesitation: "Your Majesty, this should have been a private family matter, and I really shouldn't have interfered. However, look at your son! He's truly incompetent! Not only was he in the wrong first, but now he dares to falsely accuse the princess you personally arranged the marriage with. Such behavior is a blatant slap in your face!"

It's important to know that Princess Tai'an was Yan Zhen's elder sister, born of the same parents. Back then, Yan Zhen's ability to overcome opposition and successfully ascend to the coveted throne of Crown Prince owed much to his sister's contributions. At that time, Princess Tai'an resolutely married the renowned General Qin, leveraging her husband's family's influence and her own wisdom and strategy to pave the way for Yan Zhen's success in the court intrigues. Therefore, Yan Zhen has always held his sister in deep respect and gratitude.

At this moment, Princess Tai'an's evaluation of Yan Linfeng caused Yan Zhen to fall into deep thought, beginning to re-examine this child he had once doted on so much. In the past, he had always considered this son to be gentle, respectful, and humble, like a well-mannered gentleman. However, to his utter surprise, Yan Linfeng would now, simply because of the Ye family matter, disregard the occasion and quarrel so fiercely with his future sister-in-law.

Thinking of this, Yan Zhen's face darkened, and he immediately spoke without hesitation, "The Third Prince's illness has not yet fully healed. It would be best for him to return to his residence immediately to recuperate. He is not to leave without being summoned." His words were extremely blunt, practically a blatant accusation that Yan Linfeng was ill. As soon as he finished speaking, Eunuch Fang immediately understood and waved for his men to forcibly remove Yan Linfeng from the area. Poor Yan Linfeng didn't even have time to utter a word of protest before being dragged away like a sack of potatoes, unable to continue participating in what was originally a lively banquet.

Xiao Lan watched helplessly as Yan Lingfeng, surrounded by guards, walked further and further away until he disappeared from sight. She breathed a slight sigh of relief, but her face remained respectful and humble as she slowly turned to face Emperor Yan Zhen. She bowed slightly and said earnestly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your discerning judgment and for clearing my name."

After expressing her gratitude, Xiao Lan gracefully walked towards her seat. However, just as everyone's attention was focused elsewhere, she subtly turned her head in a moment when no one was looking. Her gaze first fell on the Princess Consort, and the corners of her mouth slightly turned up, revealing a barely perceptible smile. This smile seemed to contain a thousand words, expressing both gratitude for the Princess Consort's help and a tacit understanding between them. Then, her gaze shifted to Princess Tai'an, and her smile deepened. The gratitude in her eyes was as warm and gentle as the spring sun, prompting Princess Tai'an to smile in response.