Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Upon arriving at the hall, they found that Jiang Chunlai, Jiang Yanming, and Jiang Xiuzhi were already there, but only Jiang Chang'an and Jiang Yunbai from the second uncle's family were present. Seeing Xiao Lan helping Jiang Huangshi over, they quickly explained that Yaoshi was not feeling well today and Jiang Zhuzhu was taking care of her, so she couldn't come today.

After hearing this, Jiang Huangshi remained silent. Xiao Lan had no choice but to step forward and say, "Second Uncle, I'm leaving tomorrow and won't be able to visit Aunt. Please convey my wish for Aunt's speedy recovery."

After saying this, they all took their seats. Because of Jiang Zhuzhu's matter, everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and they didn't talk much during the meal. Afterwards, Xiao Lan and Yue'er carried the gifts from each family back to their own courtyard. When they arrived at the courtyard gate, they saw Dangdang waiting for them. Dangdang helped Xiao Lan with her things, and the three of them went inside. Dangdang said, "Miss, are we going to Lingnan tomorrow and then switch to waterways? My sister said that traveling by water is not as safe as traveling by land. I was thinking of asking you if we should borrow a few more people from the escort agency."

Xiao Lan had been struggling to figure out how to carry the box of jewels that Jiang Huangshi had given her earlier that day, but upon hearing this, she immediately asked Yue'er to come along. She instructed, "Take three hundred taels of silver and tell Uncle Lin that we're hiring these people. We've bought a lot this time, so let's hire eight. That way, we won't bring any of Jiang's servants on the ship. Tell Uncle Lin to charge us the agreed amount; if he doesn't, we don't need them."

"Yes, Miss," Yue'er replied, taking the silver notes and leaving with Dangdang.

Xiao Lan unpacked the bundles her second uncle had given her inside the house. Her eldest uncle and aunt had each given her a thousand taels of silver, presumably arranged beforehand. Her second uncle took out a bundle, saying it contained food prepared by Yao Shi and Jiang Zhuzhu, and also gave her three hundred taels of silver, presumably his own personal savings. Jiang Yunbai had given her a Duan inkstone and two wolf-hair brushes. Xiao Lan laughed, saying that her cousin was very generous, but she wondered if her second uncle knew that her cousin's gifts amounted to more than the silver notes he had given her.

Thinking that Yue'er and the others wouldn't be back for a while, and remembering the letters from Jiang Xiuzhi and Wu Yuyu that she hadn't received yet, she called Dingding over to head over. However, the two had only gone halfway when they ran into Jiang Xiuzhi, retrieved the letters, and then Yue'er and Dangdang returned. Xiao Lan told Yue'er to pack her things a little more before washing up and going to bed. Perhaps because they were about to return to the capital, Xiao Lan had a dream all night long. The worst part was that her dream was filled with Ye Lanyi.

The next day, Xiao Lan, still looking sleepy, went to the main courtyard to bid farewell to Jiang Chunlai and Jiang Huangshi. She then left the manor with three maids. At the gate, she saw Li Yuan leading several burly men loading carts. Xiao Lan had Yue'er move the box Jiang Huangshi had given her onto the cart. Other valuables and the items purchased this time were loaded into two carts, each escorted by bodyguards. The Dingdang sisters and the bodyguards walked behind. Yue'er and Xiao Lan rode in the carriage, while Li Yuan drove, leading the way.

And so, they arrived at the ferry crossing at dusk. Li Yuan found an inn and arranged for the group to rest. Then he went to find a boatman he knew. They planned to board a boat early the next morning and travel by water.

Knowing that she would be spending the next three days on the ship, Xiao Lan not only bathed and changed her clothes herself, but also had her three maids wash up.

The next morning, Xiao Lan changed into men's clothing and went outside when Li Yuan ran over: "Young Master, the ships we know won't be back for another three days. Today we'll have to share that one with someone else," he said, pointing to a three-story ship moored at the ferry dock. "The third floor of that ship has already been booked; we can only book the second floor. The captain needs to load cargo onto the first floor."

"It's alright, Uncle Li. You can arrange it." Xiao Lan knew that these large ships were actually more comfortable and faster than small boats. Since her group would be staying on one floor anyway, it didn't matter. She simply told Li Yuan to buy more food and water before boarding the ship.

The ship's second floor had six rooms. Li Yuan placed his valuables in the two middle rooms, while he and his seven bodyguards stayed in the two rooms closest to the stairs. Xiao Lan and her three maids were assigned to the two innermost rooms. The rooms were quite clean, as they seemed to be regularly cleaned. Xiao Lan, having not slept well the previous night, planned to take a nap after Yue'er and Dangdang had made her bed.