Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Xiao Lan hurried to the main hall of the courtyard. Her maternal grandparents and eldest uncle hadn't arrived yet. Only her second uncle's family was sitting at the table. She greeted them and then took her seat. She thought to herself, "My second uncle's family doesn't usually come to the Jiang family's ancestral home for meals. Today, even my cousins ​​are here. It seems like a farewell banquet. But even if it's because I'm leaving, they should be having a farewell banquet tomorrow. Besides, farewell banquets are usually held in the evening. If my second uncle's family were here for a farewell banquet, my grandparents would have sent someone to inform me."

Just as Xiao Lan was wondering what was going on, her second uncle spoke up: "Lanlan, I heard from your eldest uncle that you're planning to go to the capital the day after tomorrow."

"Yes, Second Uncle, the academy entrance exam is approaching, and I was just planning to go to your house later to invite you and Aunt to a farewell dinner tomorrow. I didn't expect Grandmother to arrange it for us."

Xiao Lan also wanted to know why her second uncle's whole family had come today, and what's more, the whole family looked rather grim, especially her aunt and cousin. So she pretended to be confused and explained to Jiang Chang'an.

“Today was not arranged by your maternal grandmother,” Jiang Chang’an said with a troubled expression, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Seeing Jiang Chang'an's awkward expression, Madam Jiang Yao interrupted, saying, "We're not here for a farewell banquet today, but to discuss your sister Zhuzhu's marriage with your maternal grandfather."

Jiang Zhuzhu was six years older than Xiao Lan. In the Great Xia Kingdom, it was normal for girls to be engaged by the age of seventeen or eighteen, and the wedding ceremony would take place within a year or two. When Jiang Zhuzhu was six, her maternal grandfather, Mr. Yao, arranged for her to marry Mu Yu, the grandson of the Mu family, a family they had a long-standing friendship with. Mu Yu and Jiang Zhuzhu were the same age and could be considered childhood sweethearts. The two families arranged the betrothal when Jiang Zhuzhu turned eighteen and their marriage was confirmed. They planned to hold the wedding the following year, but things didn't go as planned. Three months before the wedding, Mu Yu and his classmates went boating on the lake to compose poetry, but they were caught in a sudden downpour, and the pleasure boat capsized. Because the rain was too heavy, no one dared to go out to rescue anyone. As a result, of the more than thirty people on the boat, only two boatmen managed to swim ashore; the rest disappeared without a trace. After the rain stopped, the government sent people to search for three days, and they only managed to recover fourteen bodies. The Mu family went to identify them, but Mu Yu's body was not among them. Because the lake was connected to an underground river, the bodies of the others must have been washed away by the underground river. Before retiring to his hometown, the patriarch of the Mu family was a second-rank minister, and Mu Yu's father was a third-rank vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Mu Yu was also the eldest son. Therefore, the Mu family sent people to search the surrounding area for a long time, but they couldn't find the body. After a year of fruitless searching, the Mu family sent a letter of annulment to the Yao family, stating that they did not want to delay Jiang Zhuzhu's life. What was originally a marriage that everyone envied was thus ruined. Although the engagement was annulled, Jiang Zhuzhu was still dragged into her twenties. In Daxia, if she married too early, her children would be running around. In addition, Mu Yu died unjustly before the wedding, and his body could not be found. Jiang Zhuzhu was also burdened with the reputation of being a jinx to her husband, so even though the Jiang family offered a generous dowry, no one dared to consider marrying Jiang Zhuzhu. Any decent family with a decent income was unwilling to marry her, and Jiang Zhuzhu herself had a high opinion of herself and was unwilling to become a second wife or remarriage. From then on, Jiang Zhuzhu's marriage became a worry for the Jiang family.

"Then I'll congratulate you, cousin." After saying this, Xiao Lan was also puzzled. In her previous life, Jiang Zhuzhu had been looking for a husband for several years without success. Later, because Xiao Lan had become a high-ranking official, and Jiang Zhuzhu had the status of being the Empress's cousin, plus she was older and her standards had lowered somewhat. In the end, she married the only son of the Lingnan royal family as his second wife. However, her cousin had never liked to be close to the Jiang family since childhood, and in her previous life, Wu Yuyu's leg had already become lame. So, she hadn't paid much attention to Jiang Zhuzhu in her previous life. She didn't know the specifics. But it probably didn't work out. Otherwise, there should have been some word about it by now.

However, Xiao Lan was curious but did not intend to ask any questions. After offering a polite congratulation, she remained silent.

It was then that Jiang Yaoshi spoke up, continuing, "To say that this marriage between Gu Sanlang and my Zhuzhu is a blessing from Buddha, a predestined fate." She then stared intently at Xiao Lan.

Xiao Lan didn't want to continue discussing Jiang Zhuzhu's marriage, but since Jiang Yaoshi was her elder, she couldn't refuse her since the matter had already been brought up. So she had no choice but to ask: What kind of fate makes Aunt value this so much?

Upon seeing Xiao Lan respond, Jiang Yaoshi immediately grabbed Xiao Lan's hand and began to recount the story. In short, a few months ago, Jiang Zhuzhu went to a nearby temple to offer incense, but accidentally got separated from her maid and sprained her ankle. Just when she was at her wit's end, she met Gu Sanlang, who helped her down the mountain and found her family. Jiang Zhuzhu was grateful for Gu Sanlang's help and would occasionally bring him pastries to visit. Before long, the two developed feelings for each other. Xiao Lan listened inwardly, thinking to herself, "Isn't this just a clichéd plot from a storybook? How can a sprained ankle lead to a relationship just because someone helps you up? The customs of the Great Xia are open; even helping someone up doesn't guarantee physical intimacy."

Despite his complaints, he said, "That really is fate."

She lowered her head, fiddling with the hem of her clothes, not wanting to continue. But Madam Yao seemed not to notice, and continued asking herself:

Lanlan, I heard from Yunbai that you know that Young Master Lan?

Xiao Lan was taken aback when suddenly asked about Young Master Lan. She recalled how, when she gave Jiang Yunbai the poetry collection, Jiang Yunbai had pressed her about why she possessed the priceless collection of Young Master Lan's poems. To avoid revealing her identity as Young Master Lan, Xiao Lan had lied, claiming she had helped him before and thus had some connection with him. Therefore, she had several copies of the poetry collection given to her by Young Master Lan.

I just don't understand why Madam Jiang Yao brought up Young Master Lan when she was just bringing up Jiang Zhuzhu's marriage.

Unsure of Jiang Yao's purpose, Xiao Lan cautiously replied: "We've met a few times."

After replying, she glared fiercely at Jiang Yunbai, who felt a chill run down his spine after being glared at by his sister, who was two years younger than him.

Upon hearing that her husband's niece actually knew the renowned Young Master Lan, Madam Jiang Yao quickly said, "Gu Sanlang is a good boy. He is well-read and talented, but his family background is somewhat humble. His aunt would like him to study at Minglu Academy, but unfortunately, his family's social standing is insufficient. I wonder if Lanlan could ask Young Master Lan to write a letter of recommendation for him?"

At this moment, Jiang Zhuzhu, who had been silent all along, also spoke up: If Sanlang can enter Minglu Academy and become classmates with my sister, he can also help take care of her. In the future, when Mu An arrives in the capital, Sanlang, as his brother-in-law, will also take good care of him.

As soon as Jiang Zhuzhu finished speaking, Xiao Lan thought to herself, "How come I never realized in my past life that my proud and arrogant older sister knew tea ceremony? She made me ask Young Master Lan for a recommendation letter, but who would refuse a recommendation letter from him? That letter is worth a fortune! These two are really bold." Instead of asking for a favor, they kept saying that Gu Sanlang could take care of them. Their grandfather was a marquis, their maternal grandfather was a third-rank official, their father was a fifth-rank city lord, and their uncle was a fourth-rank general in the capital. Each of them was powerful enough on their own. Why would Gu Sanlang, an outsider who wasn't even married to their cousin, need to take care of them? They didn't seem to lack servants. If it weren't for their second uncle's sake, Xiao Lan would have retorted. His face instantly turned expressionless, and he said coldly, "Young Master Lan loves to travel and explore the mountains and rivers. I don't know where he is right now. If Young Master Gu can wait, I will definitely ask him if he is willing to write this letter when I meet him."

After saying this, she refused to continue the conversation. Jiang Zhuzhu wanted to say something to Xiao Lan, but before she could speak, Jiang Chang'an glared at her and shut her up. She turned her head and snorted to show her dissatisfaction, but Xiao Lan was too lazy to argue with her and pretended not to hear.

Not long after, Jiang Chunlai arrived with Jiang Yanming, his face ashen. Without waiting for everyone to greet him, he said coldly, "Let's eat."

While the maids were serving the dishes, Xiao Lan whispered to Jiang Yanming: "Uncle, why haven't I seen my maternal grandmother?"

Jiang Yanming glanced at Jiang Chang'an's family, then at his own father, and said gently, "Your maternal grandmother is not feeling well, so she won't be coming over for the meal."

At this moment, Jiang Chunlai turned around, his previous cold expression gone, and said to Xiao Lan with affection: "Good child, after you finish eating, go and see your maternal grandmother. Your maternal grandmother and your eldest uncle have something to say to your second uncle."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan understood immediately. She quickly agreed and then silently ate her meal. After eating about half full, she bid farewell to her maternal grandfather and led Yue'er to Jiang Huangshi's room.