Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

As Xiao Lan stepped out of Jiang Huangshi's courtyard, she hadn't gone more than a few steps when she saw Granny Qian hiding in the corner. Upon seeing her, Granny Qian quickly ran over and said, "Miss, Miss, I've been waiting for you for ages!"

Xiao Lan was anxious to find Jiang Xiuzhi, so she asked, "Granny Qian, is there something urgent?"

Looking around to make sure no one else was there, Granny Qian quickly said to Xiao Lan, "Miss Lan, about that house on the mountain, could you please not buy it?" Granny Qian then felt embarrassed and quickly added, "If it really can't be done, I'll refund you some more money. Is that alright?"

Xiao Lan laughed in anger: "Granny, do you think I'm young and easy to bully? If everyone were as treacherous as you, what would be the point of the Great Xia laws?" Xiao Lan was already angry because of the matter involving Jiang Yao and her daughter. Granny Qian had just walked right into her trap. She turned to Yue'er and said, "Yue'er, go report to the authorities and say that someone has defrauded you of money."

Upon hearing that the authorities were to be contacted, Granny Qian's legs went weak with fear. She quickly grabbed Yue'er, crying, "No, no, don't go!" She then knelt before Xiao Lan, pleading, "Miss Lan, please don't report this to the authorities! I was forced by the Second Madam. I truly had no choice but to break the contract. Please, please don't report this to the authorities! Waaah!" Granny Qian became increasingly aggrieved as she spoke, and before she could finish, she burst into tears.

Upon hearing that this was related to Jiang Yaoshi again, Xiao Lan waved her hand to Yue'er and asked Granny Qian, "Don't rush to cry. Tell me carefully what happened and how it's related to my aunt?"

Granny Qian wiped her face and said to Xiao Lan, "I had just gotten the silver from Miss and arrived at the kitchen when the Second Madam summoned me to the side hall. Miss was there too. The Second Madam immediately asked me if the house I was going to sell was in Phoenix Mountain. I didn't think much of it and told her the truth. The Second Madam immediately said she wanted to buy my house. I thought, Miss Lan, you said we can't let others know you bought the house. So I said the house had already been sold to a fellow villager, the money had been paid, and we were going to the government office to complete the deed tomorrow. Originally, the Second Madam was about to give up after hearing this, but Miss pulled her aside and said something. When the Second Madam came back, she gave me thirty-five taels of silver, saying the house was settled, and the extra five taels were to be compensated to the buyer. If there were still any objections, she told my fellow villager to come to the Jiang residence to reason with her. The Second Madam also said that if I couldn't even handle this small matter, I wouldn't be fit to be the head of the kitchen."

"Miss Lan, I kowtow to you. I'm so sorry. But I really have no other choice. Please, have mercy and spare my life!" Granny Qian said, kowtowing to Xiao Lan.

"Get up first. I don't know why my cousin and aunt suddenly became interested in the house in the mountains?" Xiao Lan sighed. Whatever the reason, if they hadn't angered Jiang Huangshi today, they would have given the land to her second aunt under normal circumstances. But the engagement was decided beforehand and reported later, which clearly shows that the Yao family was bullying the Jiang family.

"This servant might know a thing or two," Granny Qian said softly to Xiao Lan.

What do you know? Tell me.

"While I was waiting for the Second Madam in the side hall, I heard arguing coming from the main hall. I overheard that the Second Miss was getting engaged to Gu Sanlang. Gu Sanlang's eldest sister is married to the Li family at the east end of Shaxi Village, so I guess that house was bought for the Gu family. After all, that house is the most suitable for them." Seeing that Xiao Lan didn't mention reporting to the authorities, Granny Qian quickly told her what she knew, not caring about hiding the fact that she had overheard her mistress's conversation.

"Oh," Xiao Lan exclaimed, even more curious. She asked, "Isn't the Gu family from Jinzhou City? Why would they buy property here? Even if they were going to buy, there's no need to buy in the mountains. Houses in Shaxi Village shouldn't be much more expensive. What else do you know? Tell me the truth." Judging from Granny Qian's words, Xiao Lan suspected there was more to the Gu family's purchase of the mountain house. Granny Qian, a shrewd old fox, interrupted her with a threat: "If you're hiding anything, I'll take you to the authorities."

"This servant will certainly tell you everything I know," said Granny Qian, and then told Xiao Lan everything she knew about the Gu family.

"The Gu family originally came from Jinzhou City. Gu's mother had two daughters and one son. Gu Sanlang's real name was Gu Peiyi, and he was the third son in the family, so everyone called him Gu Sanlang. Gu Peiyi's biological father was in poor health when he was young, and he passed away before Gu Peiyi was born, so Gu Peiyi was a posthumous child. The eldest daughter of the Gu family married into the Li family three years ago, and not long after, Gu Sanlang came here to study. Later, Gu's mother's family also came and rented a place in Shaxi Village. However, Gu's mother did not come alone, but with her younger brother-in-law. Later, rumors started circulating in the village. Even Old Man Li once said when he was drunk that the Gu family came to seek refuge, but we don't know the specifics. I guess the Gu family wanted to buy a house on the mountain, partly to find peace and quiet. Moreover, there is plenty of land on the mountain, and they don't have to pay land taxes; the grain they grow is all their own."

"So that's how it is. Here's what we'll do: come with me to my aunt's house and talk to her about how you sold the land to a fellow villager, but my aunt threatened to cancel it. See what the elders say. If they're willing to grant my aunt's wish, then you can take the thirty-five taels and give the thirty taels I paid earlier to Yue'er when no one's around."

When Granny Qian heard that Xiao Lan was willing to agree, she was overjoyed and quickly agreed, going with Xiao Lan to Jiang Xiuzhi's courtyard.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, Xiao Lan asked Yue'er and Granny Qian to wait in the outer courtyard while she went in first.

Upon entering the inner courtyard, one sees Wu Yuyu learning needlework from Jiang Xiuzhi.

Xiao Lan sat down and waited for Qiaozhu to lead the servants away. Then she told Jiang Xiuzhi that her maternal grandfather and eldest uncle had come to dinner with cold faces, and her maternal grandmother hadn't gone to eat, but had been smashing things in her own yard. She had just managed to calm them down when she came here to talk to her aunt.

"What happened? I've never seen my grandmother lose her temper before, why did she throw things this time?"

Wu Yuyu asked, "Don't tell me you haven't seen it before; I've never even seen your grandmother throw things." Jiang Xiuzhi was also puzzled: "Lanlan, what exactly happened?"

"It is said that my cousin Zhuzhu and a young man named Gu Sanlang have fallen for each other. My second uncle's family came to the old house today to discuss the engagement with my maternal grandfather. However, my maternal grandfather disagreed because the young man Gu Sanlang was too young and not a good match. As a result, my second aunt had no choice but to tell the truth: the engagement had been arranged long ago by the Yao family."

"What? The Yao family is going to turn the world upside down!" Jiang Xiuzhi was also furious.

"Sister, that Gu Sanlang is so young, why doesn't Grandfather agree?" Wu Yuyu was spoiled by Jiang Xiuzhi since she was a child and did not realize how hurtful the Yao family's actions were.

“How old is she? Two years older than you.” Xiao Lan said, pointing to Wu Yuyu.

"What?!" Wu Yuyu and Jiang Xiuzhi were both stunned when they heard the age. Jiang Zhuzhu was already twenty-two years old, while Gu Sanlang was only sixteen. The age difference was too big.

"Aunt, you must have been startled too. When I heard Grandmother say it, I didn't know what to say," Xiao Lan said, picking up a lychee from the table, peeling it, and eating it. After finishing, she continued, "Aunt, I'm leaving the day after tomorrow. The academy's exams start in ten days. Grandmother asked me to tell you to have the farewell banquet early tomorrow evening. My sister's leg isn't fully healed yet, so it's fine if she doesn't come. It's only a month before you all return to the capital. But judging from the situation today, I don't know how this will end well. If things get out of hand in the main courtyard, my second uncle is afraid of his wife, so he probably won't have a say. Grandmother and my eldest uncle are men, and they can't easily argue with women. What if my aunt and cousin act unreasonably? I don't know if my grandmother can handle it alone."

"Lanlan, I'm a little worried. I want to go see your maternal grandmother. You stay in my courtyard with Yu'er for a while, and I'll talk to you when I get back." Jiang Xiuzhi knew that although married women shouldn't interfere in their natal family's affairs, if Yao Shi and Jiang Zhuzhu really acted up, her second brother wasn't someone who could handle things. What if he angered her mother to the point of injury? It would be better for her to overstep her bounds. At worst, she could just come back less often in the future.

Xiao Lan knew Jiang Xiuzhi would definitely go back, so she quickly pulled her to sit down: "Aunt, don't worry, there's something else I need to tell you. You can still make it before you leave." Xiao Lan then recounted how Yao and her daughter had forced Granny Qian and others to return the money and resell the land to the Gu family. This included how Jiang Zhuzhu had instigated Yao to threaten Granny Qian with the job of kitchen manager, and how Granny Qian had heard rumors about the Gu family.

"I only knew that your aunt came from a wealthy family and was arrogant, but I never imagined she was this kind of person. And what kind of family is the Gu family that Jiang Zhuzhu married?" Jiang Xiuzhi said indignantly.

“Aunt, I just saw Granny Qian crying sadly in the corner. I suppose she had no choice. On one hand, she's the head mistress's daughter-in-law, and on the other hand, she's her fellow villager. But both morally and logically, she should keep her word. That's why I brought her here to see what to do.” Xiao Lan had already spoken with Granny Qian on the way here. If this matter was resolved, she would have Granny Qian transfer the land deed to Lin Dayou. That way, even if Jiang Zhuzhu and Yao Shi found out in the future, they wouldn't be able to cause her any trouble.

“If you hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t have thought of it. Now that your maternal grandmother is the head of the Jiang family, when did it become her place as a second daughter-in-law and young lady to interfere in the fate of the old nanny? Come on, I’ll take Granny Qian to the hospital right now, so your maternal grandparents can see what this daughter-in-law has been up to behind the scenes.” Jiang Xiuzhi was truly worried about how she, a married woman, could interfere in her natal family’s affairs; it was all rather improper. But with Granny Qian’s affair, she finally had a reason to go. After saying this, she turned to Xiao Lan and Wu Yuyu and said, “You two stay here in the courtyard; I’ll be back in a bit.” Then she walked out.

Seeing this, Xiao Lan quickly said to Wu Yuyu, "Wait for me a moment, I have a few words to tell Granny Qian."

He chased after them and went to the outer courtyard with Jiang Xiuzhi and Qiaozhu.

“Aunt, let Yue’er go with you. Tell her I was worried Grandmother didn’t eat enough at noon, so I asked Yue’er to bring some pastries. You only take Aunt Qiaozhu with you. In case anything happens, Yue’er can come back and inform us.” After saying that, she turned to Granny Qian and said, “My aunt saw you crying in the corner and learned that my aunt forced you to return the buyer’s money and resell the property to the Gu family. She felt that you were unwilling to break your promise and had the magnanimity of the Jiang family, so she took you to Grandmother to decide this matter. After all, Grandmother is the head of the household, and no one can move a nanny’s position without her approval.”

Granny Qian quickly thanked her and led Jiang Xiuzhi and her group to the kitchen to get some pastries that Jiang Huangshi liked before heading to the main courtyard. After they left, Xiao Lan turned back to her courtyard and started chatting with Wu Yuyu.