Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

In the afternoon, sunlight streamed through the half-closed windows of the lecture hall, illuminating Xiao Lan's slightly thin face. She stared blankly ahead, her thoughts drifting far away. She was pondering what kind of generous reward the Emperor would bestow upon Yan Nan this time. After all, his contribution of the charcoal pencil method was a significant achievement.

Just then, Xiao Lan suddenly felt a slight movement beside her, as if someone had gently sat down in the seat next to her. She instinctively turned her head, and a familiar yet repulsive face instantly came into view—it was Ye Yuandong! Why was this guy so persistent! Although Ye Yuandong was quite handsome with regular features, for some reason, Xiao Lan had felt out of place with him since childhood, finding fault with him no matter what. Now, seeing him appear uninvited, her annoyance intensified.

Xiao Lan frowned slightly and snapped at Ye Yuandong without any politeness, "Brother Ye, you must be sitting in the wrong place! This isn't a place for you!" However, Ye Yuandong seemed oblivious to Xiao Lan's harsh and hostile words, his face still bearing that enigmatic smile. He replied softly, "Brother Xiao, please don't be angry. The princes have all been summoned by His Majesty, and I happen to have some questions I'd like to ask you, so I've taken the liberty of bothering you. I hope you'll forgive me." It was as if Ye Yuandong was possessed by some strange force. Despite Xiao Lan's cold and unfriendly attitude towards him, he was like a moth drawn to a flame, the more he was ignored, the more determined he became, willingly offering his warm face to her cold backside each time. Even after hearing Xiao Lan's merciless rebuke, he showed no anger whatsoever and still smiled and agreed.

Looking at the shameless man before her, Xiao Lan felt a headache coming on. After all, living in this feudal era, women had a low status and couldn't possibly lay a hand on men like in modern society. Moreover, there were no concepts of indecent assault or sexual harassment here. If a man refused to marry a woman after physical intimacy, she had no choice but to hang herself or drown herself. Thinking of this, Xiao Lan, though burning with rage, could only suppress it. She turned around, pointed to Lin Yuxuan and Li Wei sitting behind her, and said slowly, "If we're talking about academic matters, Lin and Li are far superior to me. You might as well go and ask them." She then gestured for Ye Yuandong to proceed, while inwardly cursing, "Get as far away from me as possible!"

At this moment, seeing that Xiao Lan was getting annoyed by this person, Lin Yuxuan stepped forward and spoke up, "Brother Ye, if you really have any questions that need to be answered, you can discuss and exchange ideas with me and Brother Li. How about this, Brother Ye, why don't you just sit over here?" As he spoke, Lin Yuxuan pointed to the seat that originally belonged to the Crown Prince.

However, Ye Yuandong waved his hands repeatedly in refusal, saying hurriedly, "No, no! That is His Highness the Crown Prince's noble throne. How dare I presume to sit there? Absolutely not!"

Xiao Lan's eyes widened in anger as she stared intently at Ye Yuandong, her voice sharp as she said, "That's the Crown Prince's golden throne! And isn't the seat you're sitting in the Fifth Prince's reserved seat? We're all princes, so why are you treating us differently? Do you really think the Fifth Prince is inferior to the Crown Prince? Or perhaps, who instigated you to sow discord among the princes?" As she spoke, Xiao Lan's gaze grew even colder, as if it could pierce through one's soul.

At this moment, Xiao Lan grew increasingly furious, thinking to herself: These guys surnamed Ye are all so annoying! Just seeing them makes me feel uncomfortable all over. I really wish I could conjure up a powerful bomb and blast those three nasty devils to smithereens! Unfortunately, in my previous life, I studied humanities. Although I knew that making bombs required saltpeter, I knew nothing about the specific proportions and composition of the other ingredients. Sigh, if I had known I would have this kind of transmigration, I would have definitely studied more chemistry books back then. After all, being able to create powerful weapons with your own hands is definitely a remarkable skill!

Ye Lanyi glanced over in what appeared to be a casual glance, but in reality, her gaze never left that spot for a moment. It was all part of her meticulously planned scheme; Ye Yuandong had only gone that way at her urging.

For the past few days, Ye Lanyi had been secretly observing the interactions between Ye Yuandong and Xiao Lan. She keenly sensed a peculiar emotion in Ye Yuandong's gaze towards Xiao Lan—an indescribable yet palpable feeling. Therefore, she decided to seize this opportunity to use Ye Yuandong to achieve her own goals.

Today, Yan Linfeng happened to be out on business and not present. Ye Lanyi was secretly delighted, feeling this was a perfect opportunity. She quickly found Ye Yuandong and, with her silver tongue, persuaded him to take this chance to get closer to Xiao Lan. She knew that if she could bring this marriage together, Xiao Lan would become her brother's wife in the future. And once that happened, with her methods and status, she was confident that she could replace Xiao Lan as Yan Linfeng's legal wife.

The thought of becoming empress, enjoying endless wealth and honor, while Xiao Lan would have to kneel and bow respectfully before her, filled Ye Lanyi with an irrepressible excitement. She was intoxicated by the feeling, as if she could already see a bright future beckoning her. At this moment, a smug smile radiated from her face, and her eyes gleamed with greed.

Xiao Lan had no intention of showing any leniency towards the siblings. She stared sharply at Ye Yuandong and demanded in a firm tone, "Are you going back or not? Let me tell you, if you don't go back, when the Fifth Prince returns, you can expect to be punished for disrespect! Then, let's see who can save you!"

Just then, Ye Lanyi, who had been standing to the side, finally couldn't contain her dissatisfaction. She frowned slightly, stepped forward, and said, "Miss Xiao, Young Master Ye only wanted to ask you some questions about his studies. Why are you being so aggressive? We're all acquaintances; we can talk things over." After saying that, she gently bit her lip, seemingly feeling a little wronged and helpless at Xiao Lanyi's domineering attitude.

"Miss Ye, you are mistaken!" Xiao Lan turned her head slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips, her gaze lingering on Ye Lanyi. At first glance, everyone would think the smile was gentle and approachable, but anyone who knew Xiao Lan well could tell at a glance that she was already angry.

Xiao Lan raised an eyebrow slightly and said in a calm and unhurried tone, "First of all, please address me as Xiao Xueyou. After all, our relationship is limited to that of classmates. Usually, those who call me 'Miss' are either the matrons in the house or the maids who serve me personally. Do you perhaps want to join them?" After saying that, Xiao Lan looked directly at Ye Lanyi, and her smile became even brighter.

Hearing this, Ye Lanyi's pretty face turned red with anger, her chest heaving violently, and she retorted in a delicate voice, "You... I am the eldest daughter of the Ye family, and even more so, the niece of the Imperial Concubine! How dare you speak to me like that!"

However, Xiao Lan remained unmoved by Ye Lanyi's angry accusations, instead laughing even more unrestrainedly. She casually replied, "Why wouldn't I dare? So what if you're from the so-called Imperial Merchant Ye family? You're just the illegitimate daughter of a son of the Ye family. As for being the niece of the Imperial Concubine, wait until you actually become an Imperial Concubine before you say such things!" With that, Xiao Lan glanced contemptuously at Ye Lanyi, then turned away, leaving Ye Lanyi trembling with rage.

"Now, regarding this matter, when we talked about the Ye family, the person you mentioned called Ye Xueyou must be the only young master of the Ye family. And he is your cousin! It's quite interesting that this Ye Xueyou calls his cousin Xueyou, and then refers to Xueyou as 'Miss.' Such absurd and rude behavior—please don't say that Consort Ye specifically hired someone to teach you."

Xiao Lan knew perfectly well that Ye Lanyi's greatest taboo was her status as a concubine's daughter, especially since this incident involved Consort Ye. Seeing Ye Lanyi growing increasingly distressed, Xiao Lan secretly thought that she truly had no feelings for Yan Linfeng and didn't want to continue fighting with Ye Lanyi. However, if Ye Lanyi insisted on seeking trouble and provoking her, then she wouldn't hesitate to be ruthless.

At this moment, Ye Lanyi was filled with extreme resentment, secretly cursing in her heart: "How could I not have noticed in my past life that this vile woman was so sharp-tongued? Her gentle and virtuous demeanor in the past must have been a facade, and this is her true face now! Hmph, if Yan Linfeng could see her true colors, he probably wouldn't be so fond of her anymore." Thinking of this, Ye Lanyi suddenly felt relieved and turned to Ye Yuandong, saying: "Cousin, come back quickly. Since this Xueyou Xiao doesn't like you sitting over there, then come back and sit here."

Ye Yuandong slowly turned his gaze to Xiao Lan, his eyes filled with complex emotions. However, when their eyes met, he was surprised to find that the other woman didn't even glance at him, as if he didn't exist at all.

A sense of loss and resentment welled up in Ye Yuandong's heart, but he did not back down. He leaned slightly closer to Xiao Lan and said firmly in a low voice, "Sister Lan, no matter what, I will not give up pursuing you easily!" After saying this, Ye Yuandong straightened up, turned around, and silently returned to his seat.

Perhaps feeling humiliated by Xiao Lan's earlier disregard, Ye Yuandong, after sitting down, stopped initiating conversation with Ye Lanyi beside him as usual. He simply picked up a book quietly, pretending to read intently, trying to mask his inner awkwardness and unease.

Meanwhile, Ye Lanyi, sitting to the side, kept her head down, seemingly engrossed in her book. But if anyone else could see her eyes, they would be shocked by the fierce light they revealed. That look was not something an ordinary seventeen-year-old girl could possess; it was filled with indifference, decisiveness, and an indescribable, deep-seated hatred that sent chills down one's spine.

Night fell quietly, and the moonlight spilled into the room like water. Xiao Lan was sitting at the table, diligently organizing her course materials and various items needed to open the shop. She was focused and meticulous, completely unaware of the passage of time.

Just then, the door was gently pushed open, and a series of crisp footsteps sounded. Dingding hurriedly entered the room, her face beaming with excitement, and said, "Miss, the Fifth Prince is back! He asked me to invite you to the courtyard."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan was overjoyed. She immediately realized that Yan Nan would bring her many good things this time. Thinking of this, she didn't hesitate to put down what she was doing, quickly put on a warm cloak, then nimbly slipped on her shoes and socks, and dashed out like a happy little deer.

When Xiao Lan arrived at the courtyard, the sight before her made her eyes widen in astonishment. In the center of the courtyard were boxes of various sizes, numbering no less than twenty! Some of these boxes were delicate and small, while others were large and heavy, all exuding an aura of mystery.

Xiao Lan gazed at the boxes with delight, her eyes eagerly searching for the Fifth Prince, Yan Nan Hui. Soon, she spotted him standing not far away, smiling at her. Xiao Lan quickly stepped forward, approached Yan Nan Hui, and curtsied slightly, saying, "Greetings, Fifth Prince." She was about to perform the proper hand gesture of respect when she finished speaking.

However, Yan Nanhui quickly grabbed her arm, stopping her movement. He smiled gently and said, "Oh dear, there are no outsiders here, why are you bowing like that? Don't be so reserved." As he spoke, Yan Nanhui affectionately reached out and patted Xiao Lan's head.