Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Xiao Lan returned to the courtyard and saw that the embroidery thread had been retrieved, and Jasmine had prepared the Menstrual Cream Soup and placed it on the table. Xiao Lan glanced at the bowl of Menstrual Cream Soup, then looked at Jasmine and said, "You've worked hard. Go and rest for now. I'll call you if I need anything." Xiao Lan was always considerate of her servants and never treated them like slaves. So Jasmine didn't feel any resentment, but she looked at the bowl of Menstrual Cream Soup with reluctance, then bowed and left.

Xiao Lan turned to look at Yueji and said, "Let me see the thread that my aunt prepared." Yueji immediately presented the prepared thread and diagram. Xiao Lan took it, compared it with the diagram, and shook her head.

Rose immediately stepped forward and asked, "Miss, is there something wrong? I compared it and had my maternal aunt check it before I dared to take it back."

Xiao Lan smiled and said softly, "It's nothing. I'm just not entirely satisfied with two of the feather colors. I'll change them at my aunt's later." Then, she casually touched the basin containing the Moon Essence Soup. Moon Essence Soup requires high-quality fish maw, white lotus seeds, coconut milk, red dates, and longan, which are simmered over low heat. Although the Lingnan region produces fish maw and longan, it's rare to find even one pound of fish maw from a thousand-pound fish. Not to mention that the ingredients prepared for Xiao Lan by her maternal grandparents are all top-grade and extremely rare. Xiao Lan has always been considerate of her servants and sometimes shares her food with the maids, which has fostered a large appetite in some of them. Jasmine always makes enough for two or three people when she makes tonics, so that if the young lady can't finish it, she can share it with her. And whenever she makes extra, she always says, "Miss, please eat more. You've become so thin lately, it breaks my heart."

Xiao Lan couldn't say anything then, only instructing her not to stew so much next time. So, Jasmine stewed less than one person's worth each time. After this happened a few times, Jasmine gradually increased the amount of tonic she stewed each time. Later, Xiao Lan got tired of saying anything; since there wasn't much, she just shared it with the maids, as long as it wasn't wasted. In her past life, Xiao Lan had seen through Jasmine's little scheme, but she thought it was just a small amount of money. However, what she shouldn't have done was poison herself in her past life, then pretended to be kind and went with her brother to get the antidote, then deliberately hindered her brother, almost causing his death. When that plan failed, she feigned losing her virginity in a bandit's den and threatened suicide in the Xiao family, trying to force them to submit. In the end, Xiao Jiang Nihuang took her in as her goddaughter, thus calming the situation. Xiao Lan, having taken the antidote too late, suffered a devastating blow to her health. Her hands and feet became icy cold every winter, and it even affected her ability to have children. Her brother, Xiao Mu'an, who should have been a top scholar, was also severely injured during the retrieval of the medicine. His health might have improved with time, delaying his chance to take the imperial examinations by a few years. Unfortunately, in saving the ungrateful Jasmine, he couldn't dodge her sword, leaving a large scar on his face reaching his brow bone. This disfigurement prevented him from participating in the imperial examinations, making it impossible for him to become a top scholar. He couldn't abandon his literary pursuits for martial arts, as neither his health nor his time allowed. Relying on his previous achievements, he could at most obtain a ninth-rank official position, but his career advancement would be limited. This incident caused him great distress for a long time. Meanwhile, Jasmine, through her supposed act of saving her master, adopted the Xiao surname and married Cui Jiuhan, Xiao Mu'an's classmate. The following year, Cui Jiuhan ranked third in the imperial examinations, becoming the third-ranked scholar. It wasn't until Xiao Lan's death that she discovered the truth. It turned out that the poisoning wasn't intended to harm her, but rather to lure her brother to a bandit's den, where she planned to cause his accidental death. However, her brother was incredibly lucky and survived, but he was ineligible for the imperial examinations. The beneficiary was Cui Jiuhan, whose literary talent was inferior to her brother's at the time. If her brother had participated, he certainly wouldn't have been able to pass the exams and would have been ineligible to meet the emperor. He would have had to accept the Ministry of Revenue's arrangement and start as a low-ranking official. Moreover, Cui Jiuhan was born out of wedlock, so his family certainly wouldn't have poured resources into his upbringing. Therefore, he approached Jasmine, promising to redeem her from her servitude and marry her as his principal wife. Jasmine had already offered herself to Xiao Mu'an, but Xiao Mu'an genuinely didn't like her and, out of consideration for his sister's reputation, didn't make a fuss. Therefore, Xiao Lan didn't suspect Jasmine. After everything was investigated, Cui Jiuhan was now the Vice Minister Cui, and Jasmine had become the Vice Minister's wife. So, Xiao Lan asked someone to send a letter to the Emperor's younger brother, Yan Nanhui, her former classmate. She didn't ask him to save her, but only wanted Cui Jiuhan and Jasmine dead. A few days later, news came that the Vice Minister Cui's family had been attacked by bandits while on a spring outing. All four family members were killed, and the Vice Minister's wife had been violated before her death; her death was extremely gruesome. At the time, many people guessed that it was because Xiao Lan had fallen out of power, and her enemies were retaliating against those who had suppressed her. No one expected that the one who did it was actually the Empress's former classmate and friend, the Emperor's younger brother, the纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled and dissolute young man) Prince Ping'an, Yan Nanhui.

Thinking of this, Xiao Lan's fingers inadvertently slipped onto the soup bowl. She said to Yueji, "This soup is a bit cold, and it's such a big bowl; it doesn't look appetizing to me. You and Yue'er should share it." (After drinking...)

Yueji happily said, "Thank you, Miss. You're so kind." She then picked up a bowl and spoon and began to drink. Xiao Lan pretended not to see that she deliberately scooped all the fish maw into the bowl, thinking to herself that she was indeed short-sighted. She usually shared her food with the maids around her. Although she couldn't guarantee that they would eat the same thing every meal, they would at least have a meal with her every few days. These maids had been with her since they were young and should have been well-cared for, but she didn't know when they had developed such inappropriate thoughts.

After finishing the soup, Yueji thanked him and left. Xiao Lan looked at Yue'er and asked, "Is there anything you want to ask?"

"Miss, I feel that you are a little different today. You are doing the same things as usual. I don't know how to describe it," Yue'er murmured to Xiao Lan.

“My aunt isn’t good at needlework; my cousin is. If you really want to check the colors, you should ask my cousin, not my aunt,” Xiao Lan said, looking at Yue’er. “No matter how much my aunt spoils me, she’s still my elder. She’s already checked it, and whether it’s good or bad, I can’t say anything more. Besides, even if the colors are wrong, my aunt has already said one thing: if we pursue it further, it won’t be Yueji’s fault, but my disrespect for her elders.” Xiao Lan said with a smile.

"How come I never noticed before that this rose has so many ulterior motives? Miss has always treated us so well, how come she's the only one who's harboring so many schemes?"

Looking at Yue'er's puffed-up face, Xiao Lan thought to herself that it wasn't just her who was cunning, but rather that she was the only one who was naive. However, this girl had a straightforward temper, so it was best to be frank with her.

"It's not just her who's being cunning. Haven't you noticed that ever since I stayed at my maternal grandparents' house these past six months, the amount of soup Jasmine makes for me has been increasing day by day? I can never finish it all, and she ends up eating most of it. And I have a bold guess," Xiao Lan said, beckoning Yue'er closer to whisper something in her ear. Yue'er's face turned pale and then flushed. She nodded, saying, "Yes, Miss. This servant understands."

Xiao Lan knew it would be difficult for this girl to understand these things so suddenly, but fortunately, this girl was a loyal servant. In her previous life, she had suffered less in the harem because of her. It was this bond between master and servant that led her to find a pretext to send her out of the palace and set her free when she learned of the trouble before her death.