Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

The next day, Xiao Lan reluctantly got up. After breakfast, she called Li Yuan: "Uncle Li, could you please go and tell the boatman that I feel better after taking my medicine and would like to visit Young Master Ye to thank him for arranging a doctor for me?" Xiao Lan had spent a long time lying in bed yesterday trying to come up with a solution, so she could only go see Ye Yuandong. This way, the boat could set sail as soon as possible, so as not to delay her own affairs.

Then he called over Dingdingdangdang and said, "You two will come with me to the third floor in a bit. The person upstairs is the eldest son of the Ye family, a royal merchant family in Xiwu Prefecture. He and I have never gotten along since childhood. I suppose you know what happened yesterday. Come upstairs with me in a bit, and remember to act according to the situation."

Upon hearing Xiao Lan's reply, Ye Yuandong was immediately delighted and told the boatman, "Quickly arrange for a few more people to go to the restaurants in town and buy plenty of food and drinks—make sure they're good quality, and remember she doesn't like spicy food. Also, buy some pastries; she loves red bean paste. And some fruit too..." Ye Yuandong was about to say something more, completely unaware of the boatman's embarrassed expression, when Yan Linfeng interrupted him, "My dear cousin, do you think this is the main prefecture of Xiwu? This is just a small town; you probably can't buy all that stuff."

Ye Yuandong thought about it and agreed. He then said to Boss Wang, "Then try your best to buy some, come back early, and then invite Young Master Xiao upstairs for lunch."

Upon receiving the order, Boss Wang hurriedly went down to arrange for his men to make the purchases, fearing that he might neglect his esteemed guest.

Inside the room, Ye Yuandong said, "Cousin, your trick worked so well! I was thinking that, given her temper, I probably wouldn't see her until we disembarked. But after just one night, she's willing to come see me. I'm so happy."

Yan Linfeng chuckled and said, "Cousin, although no one from the Ye family has entered officialdom, they are, after all, the largest imperial merchants in Jiangnan. They are a large and powerful family. I'm afraid your uncle might not be willing to let you marry the daughter of a fifth-rank minor city lord."

Ye Yuandong understood his cousin's meaning and replied, "Cousin, you may not know this, but she is the eldest granddaughter of Marquis Xiao, and her maternal grandfather was the retired Chief Minister Jiang. Both of them were important ministers during the late emperor's reign. Strictly speaking, I am not good enough for her."

"Oh," Yan Linfeng laughed, "I heard from my uncle that Yuan Dong could sort out accounts at the age of ten, and he is a business prodigy. Don't underestimate yourself." Just as Ye Yuan Dong was about to say something, he heard a servant report that the young master of the Xiao family was requesting an audience. It turned out that the boatman wanted to wait for the purchasing people to return before inviting Xiao Lan, but Xiao Lan couldn't wait and went straight up to the third floor with Ding Ding Dang to find Ye Yuan Dong.

Seeing this, Yan Linfeng thought that if he went out now, he would definitely run into Xiao Lan, so he took his teacup and went directly behind the screen to leave space for the two of them.

After Xiao Lan followed the servants into the room, she saw Ye Yuandong sitting upright at the round table. Xiao Lan first bowed and greeted him: Young Master Ye.

Ye Yuandong waved to the servant, and only spoke after the servant left, saying with a smile, "Sister Xiao, it's been a long time." He then poured Xiao Lan a cup of tea: "Your favorite Snow Mountain Silver Needle tea."

Xiao Lan took the tea and said, "Young Master Ye, it's inconvenient for me to wear women's clothing when I'm out and about. Please just call me Young Master Xiao."

"Didn't Sister Xiao call me Brother Ye when we were little? Why are you acting so distant now that we're all grown up?" Ye Yuandong sneered.

Xiao Lan cursed inwardly, "Brother Ye, calling you an idiot is more appropriate. The only time I called you Brother Ye when we were kids was because Ye Yuandong ambushed me after school. My older brother wasn't around then, and I only called him Brother Ye because I knew better than to fight a losing battle." It was a way to lower Ye Yuandong's guard so I could make a quick getaway.

She smiled and said, "Young Master Ye, you flatter me. I was young and ignorant. Later, my elder brother told me not to call others 'brother,' since my mother only gave birth to my brother and me. But thank you still, Young Master Ye, for helping me find a doctor to treat my seasickness." Xiao Lan cursed inwardly, but still looked at Ye Yuandong with a smile on her face.

"How about I call you Lanlan or Sister Lan?" Ye Yuandong asked persistently.

"I'm sorry, only my family can call me Lanlan. Mr. Ye, please call me Miss Xiao, or Xiao Lan is also fine." Xiao Lan thought to herself that she had never seen such a shameless person. The key was that she couldn't afford to turn against him now.

“Alright, then I’ll call you Xiao Lan. If you really want to thank me for getting you a doctor, could you please stop calling me Young Master Ye?” Ye Yuandong thought he was clever, but little did he know that Xiao Lan would immediately reply, “Yes, Young Master Ye.” Upon hearing this, not only was Ye Yuandong speechless, but Yan Linfeng behind the screen almost spat out the tea in his mouth.

"Young Master Ye won't do either, let's find someone else," Ye Yuandong continued to demand.

"Okay, but I thanked you for calling a doctor for me earlier, so this time I need to give you a reason to change my tune." Xiao Lan suddenly had a good idea to lure the other party into a trap.

"Then what do you want?" Ye Yuandong asked without hesitation.

"Then let's set sail, all the way to the capital without stopping. If Young Master Ye agrees, I can immediately change my mind." Xiao Lan wore a sweet smile, but in her heart, she cursed Ye Yuandong's ancestors for eighteen generations.

I've sent my greetings to everyone.

"Alright, Qingyan, have the boatman set sail. Don't stop before we reach the capital," Ye Yuandong loudly instructed his attendant. Then, he looked at Xiao Lan with a mocking smile, thinking, "Wait till you call me brother!" Xiao Lan happily replied, "Okay, thank you, Boss Ye."

"Pfft!" Yan Linfeng, who was behind the screen, finally couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of tea. However, it was not appropriate to hide behind the screen any longer, so he picked up his teacup and came out, cupping his hands to Xiao Lan: "Young Master Xiao, I was abrupt just now, please forgive me."

Looking at Yan Linfeng's infuriatingly handsome face, Xiao Lan felt no pleasure in it, but she restrained the urge to stab him. She coldly said, "Young master, next time you eavesdrop, you'd better hide better, or it will be awkward for everyone." After saying that, she turned to Ye Yuandong and said, "Since Mr. Ye has guests, I won't bother you any longer." She was about to get up and leave when Ye Yuandong immediately grabbed her and said urgently, "Young Master Xiao, please don't be angry. I have already ordered lunch to be prepared. Please do me the honor of attending."

Xiao Lan subtly withdrew her hand from Ye Yuandong's grasp and said, "Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Ye. However, I need to take medicine these next two days, and the doctor specifically instructed me to pay attention to my diet."

After Xiao Lan finished speaking, Yan Linfeng suddenly looked at her with a smile on his lips.

Xiao Lan didn't even look at him, and said to Ye Yuandong, "Boss Ye, farewell."

"Alright, Young Master Xiao, take care." Ye Yuandong knew Xiao Lan's temperament. She looked cute and innocent, but unfortunately, she was stubborn. If he forced her to stay, it would only end in a quarrel like before. So he stood up and saw Xiao Lan to the door.

Turning around and entering the house, he saw his cousin looking at him with a mocking smile. He felt annoyed, but dared not say anything. He could only shake his head and sit down to drink tea.

Xiao Lan, accompanied by two maids, went to a secluded spot and whispered, "Hurry up and leave, stay away from those two lunatics. They're disgusting to look at. Tell Yue'er we're skipping lunch."