Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

When they finally arrived at the General's Mansion, they saw the tall, imposing vermilion gates slowly open. Xiao Mu'an carefully helped Wu De, who was delirious whether from drunkenness or drowsiness, down from the carriage.

Wu De leaned limply against Xiao Mu'an, muttering incoherently. It took Xiao Mu'an a great deal of effort to steady his swaying body, and he slowly and laboriously walked towards the door.

Upon arriving at the gate, the steward and a group of servants who had been waiting for a long time hurriedly came forward to greet him. Xiao Mu'an handed Wu De over to the steward with a sigh of relief, and then together with the servants, carried him into the mansion.

At the same time, Jiang Xiuzhi, standing to the side, smiled and waved to Xiao Lan. Then, she took Xiao Lan's hand and turned to lead Xiao Mu'an and Wu Yuyu towards her courtyard. Along the way, the path was lined with shady trees and blooming flowers, and a gentle breeze caressed their faces, bringing a touch of coolness.

After sitting down, Xiao Mu'an took out the silver note that Wu De had given him and handed it to Jiang Xiuzhi: "Aunt, Uncle insisted on giving it to me in the carriage just now. He must have been drunk. When Uncle wakes up, Aunt should return it to him."

Jiang Xiuzhi wanted to accept it, but remembering what her mother, Huang, had said to her before she left Shaozhou, she pushed it back. She said, "Since it's from your uncle, you should take it. He said at the dinner table that he wanted to prepare more things for you. Since he gave you the money, you should take it."

“But this would cost a thousand taels of silver. I’m afraid my uncle will turn around and…” Xiao Mu’an was too embarrassed to say it, fearing that Wu De would regret arguing with Jiang Xiuzhi again once he sobered up.

Jiang Xiuzhi laughed and said, "You're afraid your uncle will cause trouble for me when he sobers up, right? It's alright, just take what he gave you. Your aunt will show you in the storeroom later. I remember someone gave your uncle a set of Duan inkstones before, but he's a rough old man and doesn't need them anyway, so they're perfect for you." Then she looked at Wu Yuyu and said, "Take your older brother and sister to your courtyard to pack some valuables to take to the academy. I'm going to the storeroom." With that, she left with her head maid.

Wu Yuyu happily pulled Xiao Lan towards her courtyard. Xiao Mu'an watched his younger sister being led away by his cousin, shook his head with a smile, and followed.

Jiang Xiuzhi, accompanied by her maid, first went to the General's Mansion's storeroom, then to the Wu De Private Treasury where she found the Duan inkstone, and took some other items. At this moment, her maid Qiaozhu asked, "Madam, why did you take so many things today? Are they all for the young master and young lady?" It was no wonder Qiaozhu asked this; although Jiang Xiuzhi treated Xiao Lan and Xiao Mu'an better than her other children from her maternal family, there was always a give and take, and she had never seen anything like this before. Previously, when Jiang Xiuzhi married into the Wu family, she brought a nanny with her. Later, the nanny grew old, and five years ago, Jiang Huangshi selected Qiaozhu from the Jiang family to serve Jiang Xiuzhi. Qiaozhu was a servant born into the Jiang family, so Jiang Xiuzhi trusted her completely.

"Before I left, my mother summoned me and spoke with me for two hours. The Jiang family has now split up. My eldest brother has responsibilities to the Wang family and will inherit the position of family head in the future. With the Wang and Jiang families both burdened, he probably won't have time to take care of me. My second brother's family is also embroiled in a lot of lawsuits, so he can't be relied on either. Only my third sister is there. My sister has always been decisive since she was little. If she weren't a girl, she might have become a high-ranking official. Moreover, Mu An is about to take the imperial examination, and with his knowledge, he is bound to pass with flying colors. Lan Lan has also entered Minglu Academy and will probably stay in the capital in the future. I have no sons, which is a major drawback. So in the future, Yu'er can only rely on her two cousins. I can still give them some things now, but if they become successful in the future, these things might not even be worth their attention." In fact, to put it bluntly, Madam Jiang and Jiang Dechun felt that Wu De was unreliable and wanted to leave a way out for Jiang Xiuzhi. Jiang Yanming and Jiang Chang'an were both far away in Shaozhou, while only Xiao Mu'an and Xiao Lan were in the capital. Jiang Xiuzhi already had a good relationship with her two nephews. Madam Jiang Huang instructed Jiang Xiuzhi for a long time to spend more time with Xiao Mu'an and Xiao Lan, so that if anything happened in the future, the Xiao siblings could help her.

In Wu Yuyu's quiet and elegant courtyard, sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows. Xiao Mu'an, dressed in pristine white, stood tall and straight in the center of the courtyard. Knowing the difference between men and women, he refrained from entering his sister Wu Yuyu's boudoir without permission. So, he gracefully sat down at the stone table, gently picked up the teapot, and poured himself a steaming cup of fragrant tea.

At this moment, soft sounds came from inside the room. Xiao Lan and Wu Yuyu were busily packing Wu Yuyu's belongings. They carefully folded each piece of clothing neatly and placed it into the bag. Wu Yuyu would occasionally pick up some small and exquisite ornaments, examine them carefully, and then gently wrap them up and put them in her bag. Xiao Lan, on the other hand, helped organize books, stationery, and other items. The two chatted quietly as they packed, their clear, bell-like laughter occasionally ringing out.

Wu Yuyu asked gossipily, "Sister, how come we ended up in the same courtyard as that Fifth Prince? Weren't we supposed to choose our own courtyards?"

"This year, because all the princes are coming to Minglu Academy, there's a shortage of dormitory supervisors. In the past, as long as you paid the supervisor's fee, you could live in a courtyard by yourself. This year, it's basically full. I was thinking that instead of sharing with other people I don't know well, I might as well live with him," Xiao Lan said casually while helping Wu Yuyu pack her things.

"Sister, isn't this your first time in the capital? How did you get to know the Fifth Prince?" Wu Yuyu wasn't good at studying, but she was quite clever when it came to other things.

Xiao Lan thought for a long time. Since her family would find out about her business dealings eventually anyway, she confessed, "Do you know that there used to be a Tongfuju restaurant on Yong'an Street?"

"I know, that inn is quite famous, but what does it have to do with the Fifth Prince?" Wu Yuyu thought to herself, why is her sister giving such an irrelevant answer? Even if Tongfu Inn belongs to the Fifth Prince, did her sister meet him while staying at the inn? And then they became friends after a fight? The problem is, her sister can't fight.

Just as Wu Yuyu was imagining things about Xiao Lan and Yan Nan, Xiao Lan explained, "But now that place is called Wutong Residence, and it is indeed the Fifth Prince's property. I've taken a liking to it and plan to open a health center there. The Fifth Prince will provide the land, and I'll provide the money and technology. We'll open it together. So to be precise, we're not just friends and classmates, but also business partners. We'll be making money together in the future. That's why I agreed when he said he wanted a room. The main thing is that you won't be in the capital at the time. If you find it inconvenient, I can partition off another door for you in the courtyard, okay?"

Xiao Lan pondered to herself: Although her younger sister was still young, she was already fifteen years old. According to the customs of the Great Xia Kingdom, she would be of marriageable age in two years. In her future business dealings, she would inevitably have dealings with many men, and if she were too concerned with the rules of propriety between men and women, it would likely cause many inconveniences to her business. However, if this affected her sister's marriage, it would truly be a loss! After all, her greatest wish after being reborn and successfully healing Wu Yuyu's leg was that she would find a suitable husband and live a happy and fulfilling life, and not repeat the mistakes of her previous life.

"I'm fine, but sister, you'll be of marriageable age next year, won't you be worried?" Wu Yuyu had never thought much of such things before. But hearing the adults talking about Jiang Zhuzhu's situation touched her somewhat.

"It's alright. The academy has co-ed sections, and they're classmates anyway. Besides, he's a prince. Who would dare to gossip like that?" Xiao Lan said seriously. In her past life, she knew that Great Xia was ancient, different from now. So she always followed the rules. But in her past life, she didn't have a good ending either. So in this life, she had already made up her mind. She wouldn't marry, nor would she bow to worldly conventions. As long as she was happy and her family was safe, that was enough.

"Then it's alright. By the way, sister, weren't you going to do business with my mother? How did it turn into partnering with the Fifth Prince? You know how happy my mother was when she told me about it on the way here. She was constantly calculating which money could be used, and she made me write it down for her whenever she thought of something." Wu Yuyu thought about how excited her mother was. If she knew that her cousin had been replaced, she would regret it to death.

"It's alright. The Fifth Prince and I run a health spa, while your mother runs a different business. It doesn't conflict with anything. Besides, businesses require a lot of investment. We'll have to see how much your mother invests, and then we'll give her shares based on her investment," Xiao Lan explained to Wu Yuyu. She had no intention of abandoning the Jiang family and starting her own business. Making money was one thing, but another was wanting her family to live a better life. So, she decided that whatever business she did, she would set aside a portion for the Jiang and Xiao families. The Jiang family's share would naturally go to her maternal grandmother, and the Xiao family's share would definitely go to her mother. Moreover, her mother had asked her brother to bring silver this time, which would also be converted into shares in the Xiao family of Yuzhou. It was like preparing a "dowry" for her brother. Thinking of this, Xiao Lan smiled. She figured if her brother knew she was preparing such a dowry for him, he would definitely scold her.

"That's great! My mother is so eager to do business with you! She talks about how profitable this business is every day, saying that if it succeeds, we'll make a fortune. She keeps telling me that once we make a lot of money, she can prepare a generous dowry for me, hahaha..." As soon as Wu Yuyu saw her sister, she poured out her heart like a floodgate had opened. It seemed that only in front of her sister Lan could she speak so freely and without restraint.

"Then I'll work hard with my aunt to earn more money and prepare a bigger dowry for my little Yu'er," Xiao Lan said with a playful smile.

"Ugh, my sister always teases me." After Wu Yuyu finished speaking, the two sisters laughed and joked around for a while.

After all the items were packed, Wu Yuyu called over her maid and whispered, "Move all these things into the carriage." However, not long after, the maid rushed back and reported, "Miss, the carriage is simply too full!" Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan and the other two were startled and quickly went to the front of the General's Mansion to check the situation.

Upon arriving at the carriage, they were astonished to find that the once spacious interior was now crammed with three enormous chests, upon which were piled haphazardly a great deal of colorful fabric. Some of the fabric was as smooth and lustrous as silk, while others were as magnificent and dazzling as brocade—clearly valuable treasures. Due to the sheer volume of items, some fabric had even slipped off the edges of the chests and spilled onto the floor.

Wu Yuyu asked the butler beside her, "Uncle Nie, why is there so much stuff packed here?"

Steward Nie bowed to Wu Yuyu and the other two and said, "This was prepared by Madam, who said it was for the young master and young lady of the Xiao family. When you young masters and ladies leave, you can take the General's Mansion's carriage."

"What's going on?" Xiao Lan whispered to Xiao Mu'an, "Why did Aunt give us so much stuff? What did you do, brother?"

Xiao Mu'an was also a little confused. He had carefully examined the pile of silver notes Wu De had given him in the courtyard; it amounted to 1,800 taels. That was already quite a sum, but then his aunt had given him and his sister a whole bunch of other things. He was completely baffled. So he said, "I don't know either. Let's ask Auntie later."

The three of them worked together to cramm Wu Yuyu's pile of miscellaneous belongings into the already cramped and crowded carriage. After much effort, they finally completed this arduous task. Then, the group hurried towards Jiang Xiuzhi's courtyard.

As they stepped into the courtyard, they immediately saw Jiang Xiuzhi sitting leisurely in the center, gently holding a steaming cup of fragrant tea, savoring it with relish. At the same time, she was also methodically directing the numerous servants to busily move various items.

Just then, Jiang Xiuzhi keenly sensed the arrival of the three. She quickly put down her teacup, stood up with a smile to greet them, and enthusiastically called out, "Oh my! Mu An, Lan Lan, and my lovely little Yu'er, you've finally arrived! Come, come, come over here and sit down to rest your feet, and try some of the fine tea I just had someone fetch from your uncle's private storeroom! Come and try it, how does it taste?"