Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

The next morning, Xiao Lan brought Yue'er to Zhenyuan Escort Agency. There they met Lin Dayou.

"Uncle Lin, I'm setting off for Minglu Academy tomorrow, and I've come today specifically to say goodbye."

“Good girl, your uncle doesn’t have much to give you, but here are two indentures. And the one hundred taels of silver you gave me last time.” Lin Dayou said, pushing the indentures and the one hundred taels of silver notes to Xiao Lan. “Your uncle is a rough old man, and you’re going to the capital to study. I racked my brains trying to think of a gift for you, but Zhang Biao reminded me, so I decided to buy these two maids for you.” Xiao Lan was about to refuse when Lin Dayou said, “You can’t refuse your uncle’s kindness. These two are twin sisters. Seventeen years ago, they were abandoned in the mountains right after they were born. Fortunately, they were found by the abbess of Emei and raised. Three years ago, the abbess fell seriously ill, and these two sisters sold themselves into servitude to prolong her life.”

“But Uncle Lin, this martial arts maid is quite expensive. I feel unworthy to accept it.” Xiao Lan knew that ordinary maids cost around fifty taels of silver, and those with other skills cost around eighty taels. However, ordinary martial arts maids would cost at least two or three hundred taels, and two maids considered to be from the legitimate Emei Sect would cost at least five hundred taels. Two of them would cost at least a thousand taels. Although she knew that Uncle Lin doted on her, this gift was too extravagant. But seeing Lin Dayou’s attitude, she couldn’t refuse. So she said, “Then I will accept it, but when I take care of you in your old age, you can’t refuse. Otherwise, I won’t accept it.” Lin Dayou had only married one wife, Lady Lü, in his life. One year, Lady Lü was pregnant and, thinking that the escort agency was full of men and wouldn’t be able to take care of her, she returned to her parents’ home to give birth. Who knew that when the child was seven months old, the Lü family’s house was destroyed by fire, and all eight members of the family, including the unborn child, perished. Lin Dayou never remarried after that. Not long after Xiao Lan's birth, Jiang Nihuang sent her to Shaozhou, so Lin Dayou treated her like his own daughter. He would send all sorts of good things to the Jiang family.

"Good, good, good. Uncle Lin will be counting on our Lan'er for the future."

"Oh, right, Uncle Lin has two more things to ask you,"

"My second aunt wanted to buy the land from Granny Qian and give it to her in-laws, but my maternal grandfather stopped her. I don't want this to cause trouble for my maternal grandparents' family, so I've already spoken with Granny Qian. She'll come to the escort agency to find you in the next few days and put the land in your name. That way, my aunt won't be able to say anything." Xiao Lan originally wanted to put the land deed in her own name, but after what happened with Jiang Yaoshi, she had to find someone else. If she put it in her own name, her second aunt would cause a huge uproar.

"That's easy," Lin Dayou readily agreed.

"Also, I have a friend named Cui Sumu, who is a doctor in the west of the city. I would like to trouble you, Uncle, to look after him. He should be returning to the capital in a month. Whatever the matter, just send someone to Minglu Academy."

"Alright, I'll give the order right away. Sit down for a while and have some snacks. I'll have someone bring those two servants over." With that, he walked into the courtyard, beckoned Li Yuan over, and gave him the instructions.

After Lin Dayou returned, he spoke with Xiao Lan for a while. About half an incense stick's time later, Li Yuan led in two girls. Xiao Lan sized them up; both were short and slender, and looked similar. Lin Dayou pointed to the girl in blue and said, "This is the elder sister, Dingding. Besides martial arts, she is also knowledgeable in some medicine." He then pointed to the girl in green and said, "This is the younger sister, Dangdang. She is most skilled in hidden weapons." He then addressed the two sisters, "This is your new mistress, Miss Lan, the eldest granddaughter of the Xiao Marquis's family." Dingding and Dangdang greeted Xiao Lan and stood behind her. Xiao Lan chatted with Lin Dayou for a while longer before getting up to take her leave. She went shopping with three maids. Luckily, there were many people, so they had help carry the things. The four of them shopped for a while, and when they were tired, they went to the largest restaurant in the city, Fengcai Tower. They found a private room, ordered some food, and asked the restaurant to pack some to take back to Jiang Huangshi later. While Xiao Lan was eating her snacks and waiting for her takeout, a few men next door, probably drunk, were talking loudly. One of them said, "Brother Gu, you're really something! You married that second young lady of the Jiang family. Now that you're successful, don't forget your brothers!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan realized that besides Jiang Zhuzhu, there was no other young lady from the Jiang family in Shaozhou City, and that the person she was to marry was surnamed Gu. So she gestured to the other three and continued listening.

The man called Brother Gu also spoke up: "Don't worry, my mother-in-law said that after the wedding, she will send me to Minglu Academy in the capital. Once I make something of myself, I will definitely take all the brothers to live a life of luxury."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan understood immediately; the man next door was Gu Sanlang, who was about to marry her cousin.

Then one of them said, "Brother Gu, I've heard that the Minglu Academy in the capital has extremely high requirements and is far from our Shaozhou City. Why do you want to study there?"

Before Gu Sanlang could speak, another person spoke up first: "Brother Qin, you don't know this, Brother Gu's sister-in-law is at Minglu Academy, and Brother Gu went there to take care of her." Then they heard a group of men next door laughing lewdly.

"I'm going to tear their mouths off!" Yue'er said, heading towards the door. Xiao Lan didn't have time to stop her, and Dingding pulled her back just as Yue'er opened the door to the private room. Xiao Lan looked at her new maid and secretly praised her. She scolded Yue'er: "Come back." Seeing her mistress say this, Yue'er obediently stood back behind Xiao Lan.

At this moment, Xiao Lan lost interest in the food on the table, got up, went downstairs to get the packaged pastries, and then, with her maid, got into the carriage and headed back home.

Inside the carriage, Yue'er was still indignant and said to Xiao Lan, "Miss, why are you so good-tempered? You should have let me tear those bastards' mouths apart. It's pointless for them to talk about you like that." Xiao Lan was both annoyed and amused by the girl's angry expression. She noticed Dingding sitting to the side, head down and silent.

Then she asked: Dingding, if you were Yue'er today, what would you do?

Dingding looked up at Xiao Lan and asked, "Miss, do you want to hear the truth?"

Xiao Lan looked at her and said, "Since you've come with me, I want to hear the truth."

“If Miss were a chivalrous person, she would just go up and beat him up if she saw this. But Miss is a daughter of a wealthy family, and her reputation is very important. If she sees something like this, she should avoid it openly, but secretly…” Dingding hesitated for a moment before Dangdang interrupted, “Whether Miss wants him to become mute or crippled, we’ll all avenge her, and we’ll do it without anyone knowing.” As soon as Dangdang finished speaking, she saw her sister glare at her.

"Oh," Xiao Lan looked at her two newly acquired maids and suddenly felt quite pleased. After spending half a day with them, Xiao Lan had come to understand their personalities. Dingding, though not talkative, was methodical and mature. Dangdang, on the other hand, was lively and guileless, and had become familiar with Yue'er in just half a day. When they went shopping, the two chattered away like two sparrows, making quite a scene.

"I don't want anything from them. Being my maids means you don't have to do such dangerous things. When we get to the capital, unless absolutely necessary, don't let anyone know you know martial arts."

"Yes, Miss," the two replied quickly.

Upon arriving at the Jiang residence, Xiao Lan asked Yue'er to settle the two sisters, Dingdang and Xiao Lan, before going back to her room to change her clothes. She then took the food box and Yue'er to Jiang Huangshi's courtyard.

He entered the house, greeted Madam Jiang, and opened the food box, saying, "I was thinking of you, Grandmother. I didn't eat much yesterday, so I went to Fengcai Restaurant today to get some of your favorite shrimp dumplings and radish cakes, and also bought some of their signature dishes. Grandmother, please try some." After saying this, he arranged the food and handed chopsticks to Madam Jiang.

After Jiang Huangshi finished eating, Xiao Lan said to her, "Grandmother, when I was waiting for food at Fengcai Tower today, I saw that it was Gu Sanlang next door drinking with a group of people. I don't know if they were drunk, but they said a lot of nonsense. I was so embarrassed that I left quickly."

What did he say?

"Gu Sanlang said that his aunt promised to send him to Minglu Academy after the wedding. When others asked him why he would go there, he, he, he actually said he would be spending time with his sister-in-law. Luckily, this is Shaozhou. If this were in the capital, and the officials heard this, my second uncle would probably lose his official hat." Jiang Chang'an was ill and could not participate in the palace examination, but he had passed the county-level examination and, because of his father and father-in-law's connections, he was a county magistrate of the eighth rank.

"This is outrageous! Your second uncle will be ruined by those two women sooner or later."

"There's something even worse, Yue'er, tell me," Xiao Lan had heard Yue'er mention it on the way here, but because it involved Jiang Zhuzhu's reputation, Yue'er didn't dare say it in the carriage in front of the Dingdang sisters. Instead, she waited until no one was around and quietly told Xiao Lan.

"Reporting to the old lady, when Miss went downstairs she found that she had left her purse in the private room, so she ordered me to go back and get it. But I overheard that Gu Sanlang talking to someone about the second young lady, saying, 'She's here, she's here.'" Yue'er was, after all, an unmarried girl who had grown up with Xiao Lan since childhood. She was embarrassed to say this to Xiao Lan, but she was too embarrassed to say it to Madam Jiang.

"What is it? Tell me quickly!" Jiang Huangshi knew from Yue'er's expression that it wasn't good news, but she still had to hear it all before making a decision.

"He said Miss Zhuzhu is very seductive in bed, and that she has a red mole on her inner thigh. He said it so many times, that maybe Miss Zhuzhu is already carrying his Gu family's child." Yue'er had no choice but to close her eyes and say it.

After hearing Yue'er's words, Madam Jiang almost fainted. Xiao Lan, seeing her grandmother's pale face, quickly went to pat her back and offer her water. Once Madam Jiang had calmed down, she said, "Such a wretched child has come into our lives. What a misfortune for our family, what a misfortune for our family."

He turned to Xiao Lan and said, "Don't spread these words anymore, keep them to yourself."

"Yes, Grandmother, I would never tell a fourth person this. But I heard it today and thought I should tell you, so that you and Grandfather wouldn't be kept in the dark. Besides, they were talking so loudly in the restaurant." Xiao Lan knew that this concerned Jiang Zhuzhu's reputation and couldn't be spread any further. She just didn't know how many people hadn't heard those people talking so recklessly in the restaurant.

"Good child, don't meddle in such dirty business. Your cousin is useless and can't blame anyone else. Let's finish our family dinner tonight, and you should set off tomorrow."

Jiang Huangshi planned to enjoy the family dinner in peace today, and deal with her second son's family tomorrow after Xiao Lan left. She didn't want those two women to spoil her precious granddaughter's mood.

"Yes, Grandmother." Xiao Lan had said what she needed to say, and there was nothing more she could do about it, so she replied.

"Granny Gui, go and get my box," Jiang Huangshi called out. After Granny Gui brought the box over, Jiang Huangshi handed Xiao Lan a key.

"Go open it, this is from my maternal grandmother, take it." Xiao Lan unlocked the box. The first layer contained a pair of gold hairpins with auspicious patterns, the second layer held a pair of jadeite bracelets. Judging by their quality, they were worth at least ten thousand taels of gold. The third layer contained various gemstones, about a hundred in total. The fourth layer held some jadeite rings, earrings, and several pairs of gold bracelets. This box of jewelry alone was worth at least ten thousand taels of gold. Xiao Lan was stunned. Even wealthy families didn't usually give so much jewelry when their daughters married. In her previous life, her maternal grandfather suddenly met with misfortune, and these things disappeared without a trace.

"Grandmother, these all seem to be your dowry, why are you giving them to me?" Xiao Lan grew up with Madam Jiang Huang and knew that Madam Jiang Huang's dowry contained many good things. When Xiao Lan was little, whenever she thought of Jiang Nihuang, Madam Jiang Huang would take out all the gems to coax her to play with.

"This is something I specially left for you. You've seen the situation at your second uncle's house. Your maternal grandfather has already written to Yuzhou, and your mother will probably be here in a few days. Your maternal grandfather and I are getting old, and there are some things we can't take with us in the future, so let's divide them up. But this box is my dowry, which I specially left for you. Take it with you when you go to the capital this time." After Jiang Huangshi finished speaking, Xiao Lan hugged her, her eyes welling up with tears. Whether in her past life or this life, Jiang Huangshi had always been the best person to Xiao Lan, always wanting to give her the best of everything. Xiao Lan secretly vowed that in her past life she hadn't been able to protect the Jiang family, but in this life, she would protect her maternal grandparents no matter what. "Grandmother, you mustn't say that. You and Grandfather must live to be a hundred years old."

Jiang Huangshi locked the box for Xiao Lan, handed the key to Xiao Lan, and then asked Granny Gui to accompany Yue'er to deliver the box to Xiao Lan's room.

Then Xiao Lan helped Jiang Huangshi walk towards the main hall of the courtyard. No matter how sad she felt, she had to finish this farewell banquet today.