Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Inside the tranquil and elegant Wutong Residence, in a beautifully furnished private room, Xiao Lan and Yan Nanhui sat facing each other. The atmosphere between them was somewhat heavy, as if an invisible gloom hung over them.

Yan Nanhui frowned slightly, his deep eyes fixed on Xiao Lan opposite him, and slowly said, "Lanlan, I'm afraid today's matter cannot be resolved so easily. Ye Yuandong has dragged the Xiao family into this, and his intentions are probably not simple. If we are not careful, we may cause even greater trouble."

Xiao Lan listened quietly to Yan Nan's words, a hint of worry appearing on her beautiful face. She gently bit her lip, pondered for a moment, and then replied:

"I have already made thorough preparations and have decided to immediately write a letter to Yuzhou, imploring my father and mother to stand up for me and seek justice! That Ye family actually dares to presume to control my fate as the legitimate daughter with just a mere concubine—it's utterly delusional! Even if this matter is taken to the imperial palace, I will absolutely uphold truth and justice! Humph!" Xiao Lan had always been the kind of person who kept her emotions hidden, but for some reason, perhaps out of her complete trust in Yan Nan Hui, she no longer deliberately suppressed her feelings in front of him. Moreover, because she had never pretended or acted in front of Yan Nan Hui, she herself hadn't even realized that she was now increasingly fond of being in the same room with him, enjoying that rare tranquility and peace of mind.

"Actually, I do have a way to help you solve this problem." Yan Nan Hui stared intently at Xiao Lan. Xiao Lan looked at Yan Nan Hui, wondering why he seemed so expectant when he was supposed to be helping her. However, trusting him, she casually replied, "Does Your Highness have any good ideas? I'd like to hear them in detail."

Yan Nan looked at Xiao Lan anxiously and blurted out without hesitation, "Ye Yuandong isn't genuinely trying to get close to you with marriage in mind. In my opinion, you should hurry up and find a fiancé with a much higher status than him! That way, Ye Yuandong will definitely be afraid of him and won't dare to bother you anymore." After saying that, Yan Nan frowned slightly, seemingly very dissatisfied and worried about Ye Yuandong's behavior.

Xiao Lan gazed silently at the smug look on Yan Nan Hui's face, like a fox successfully catching a rabbit, and wondered what he was plotting. With her experience and insight from two lifetimes, if she couldn't even see the feelings Yan Nan Hui harbored for her, she would be incredibly foolish and self-deceiving.

However, what puzzled Xiao Lan most was that in her previous life, Yan Nanhui had always treated her with utmost politeness and courtesy, never revealing a trace of romantic affection. But in this life, such a drastic change had occurred; not only had he developed feelings for her, but he also seemed to regard her merely as one of his many confidantes. If this were indeed the case, it would be far from a good thing for Xiao Lan. After all, who would willingly become an insignificant presence in someone else's emotional world?

In his previous life, Yan Nan Hui had always been alone, never marrying. And since returning from the border, he had severed all ties with his former female companions. Perhaps this was due to health problems at the time. After all, seeing those beautiful and alluring women right before his eyes, yet only able to yearn for them, unable to reach them, must have only deepened Yan Nan Hui's frustration.

Thinking about all this, Xiao Lan couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. She pondered to herself, could Yan Nanhui only see her as one of his many confidantes? Or did he have feelings for her that were different? However, at this moment, she had no way of knowing the answer, and this uncertainty made her feel extremely conflicted and distressed.

"Then who do you think we should look for?" Xiao Lan asked in return.

"Me? I'm good-looking, rich, and most importantly, in this world, besides emperors and princes, who else can I find someone with a higher status?" Yan Nan had finally waited for his little rabbit to fall into the trap, and now he had to tighten the net.

"You? That's not appropriate. We're best buddies, and you actually want me to marry you? No, I mean, marry you." Xiao Lan had thought Yan Nan would recommend her, but she didn't expect him to be so direct.

"Lanlan, you're joking. I'm really not kidding! I genuinely just want to help you. Besides, among those who are truly kind to you, there aren't many as sincere and wealthy as me. And the most important thing is..." At this point, Yan Nan deliberately paused, then slowly leaned closer to Xiao Lan's fair ear and whispered, "I will always be as caring as ever for you."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan couldn't help but smile slightly, as beautiful and charming as a flower blooming in spring. Then, unexpectedly, she also moved closer to Yan Nanhui, gently placing her slender and delicate elbow on his broad and strong shoulder, and said in a sweet and coquettish voice, "Since that's the case, if you can grant me a small request, then I will gladly agree."

Yan Nan looked at his little white rabbit and smiled brightly, murmuring, "Okay, I'll agree to anything."

"Alright, a gentleman's word is as good as his bond." Xiao Lan smiled slyly. She hoped Yan Nan wouldn't be angry when he heard her conditions.

"Alright, go ahead and say it. As long as it's not too much, I'll give you my life if you want." Yan Nan Hui knew that Xiao Lan's conditions must be harsh when he heard her say that, but since his little white rabbit had finally agreed, he had to agree even if it meant taking his life.

"You should know that I am not the so-called well-educated, gentle, and virtuous lady that everyone imagines me to be. Someone as straightforward and unconventional as me is completely incompatible with the formalities and rules of the royal family. Therefore, for me, marrying into the royal family is by no means a good match. Actually, my ambition in life is very simple: to work hard to earn enough money and then find a beautiful place to enjoy my old age. So, we can arrange this marriage first, but we don't actually have to get married. After I have saved enough money, I will use the excuse that you have fallen in love with someone else and caused me great grief to leave the capital in sorrow. What do you think of this arrangement?" Xiao Lan spoke her true thoughts without reservation. She knew that any normal man would be displeased to hear such a request. Moreover, she knew that Yan Nanhui would encounter a change in fortune in a few years, resulting in physical injury. After a moment's thought, she added, "If you happen to meet a woman you like during this time, we can end this relationship early. At that time, we can simply find another reason to properly dissolve this engagement."

After speaking, Xiao Lan raised her head, her gaze fixed on Yan Nan Hui's deep, pool-like eyes, as if trying to see through them to his true thoughts. When Yan Nan Hui suggested she find a fiancé herself, Xiao Lan had already secretly considered this matter.

Nowadays, relying on the favor that Consort Ye receives in the palace, the Ye family has actually monopolized two-thirds of the imperial merchant procurement quota! You must know that this is an extremely huge fortune! There is even a saying circulating among the people that the Ye family's private treasury is comparable to half of the national treasury! Such astonishing wealth makes it impossible for ordinary people to intimidate the arrogant and domineering Ye Yuandong.

After much thought, perhaps only the princes could rival and suppress Ye Yuandong. However, at this moment, Xiao Lan knew nothing about Yan Zhenquan; as for Yan Jingtian, while he appeared gentle and refined on the surface, he was actually a cunning and scheming man; and Yan Linfeng was completely out of Xiao Lan's consideration. Betrothed to him? She might as well just marry Ye Yuandong! And then there were Yan Mobei and Yan Moyan—the former had no strong background to rely on, and the latter was practically an immature, calloused child!

Moreover, apart from Yan Nan Hui, her relationship with the other princes was merely superficial. If one of them were to become greedy for her money and relentlessly pursue her, wouldn't she end up as a pitiful woman being exploited? After weighing the pros and cons repeatedly, Xiao Lan realized that Yan Nan Hui seemed to be the most suitable candidate.

Besides, Yan Nanhui has many beautiful women. When he wants to break off the engagement someday, he won't even need to bother looking for a ready-made excuse!

Yan Nan looked at Xiao Lan's smug, rabbit-like smile and knew that if he didn't agree, this little girl wouldn't fall into his trap. So he pretended to be hesitant and said, "Lanlan, these conditions are a bit too harsh, aren't they? Besides, why should it be me who cheated? What if Lanlan heartlessly abandons her husband later?"

"No, I'm quite loyal to one person. Besides, the Fifth Prince has so many women; who knows what might happen to him? So it's more reasonable for the Fifth Prince to abandon me." Xiao Lan explained to Yan Nan Hui, but she didn't expect that Yan Nan Hui's expression would turn ugly after she finished speaking. Just as she was about to ask why, Yan Nan Hui said with a wronged look, "Lan Lan, outsiders can wrong me however they want, but why are you like them? I've never even held a girl's hand in my entire life."

"What?" Xiao Lan was shocked after hearing Yan Nan Hui's words. Something was wrong. In her past life, everyone in the capital knew Yan Nan Hui frequented brothels. Although he didn't have any particularly close female friends, could someone who frequented such places be innocent? And later, she heard he liked a woman named Little White Rabbit, but no one had ever seen her. Then, before her wedding, she bumped into him once and asked him why he didn't bring her to his residence since he liked her. Even if she couldn't be his principal wife, a concubine or a high-ranking concubine would be fine. He seemed to have said that Little White Rabbit was married, and if she hadn't, he would have only married her as his principal wife. At that time, she felt quite sorry for their love. Could it be that in this life, Yan Nan Hui hadn't met that Little White Rabbit yet? Whatever, even though Yan Nan Hui was stubborn now, she would have someone inquire about it when she had time. There was a woman named Little White Rabbit in that brothel; anyone with that name must have come from a brothel. She could just spend some money to support Yan Nan Hui for now. When I am ready to leave the capital, I will let the White Rabbit and Yan Nan meet again, so that the two lovers can be together.

So Xiao Lan composed herself and said, "That's probably because the rumors in the capital were so convincing that they fooled me too. But as for you saying you've never held a girl's hand, I feel like you're being a bit dishonest. You're a prince, after all, and you're over twenty. Isn't it normal for you to have held a girl's hand before?"

As soon as Xiao Lan finished speaking, Yan Nanhui immediately grabbed Xiao Lan's hand and kissed it. Xiao Lan was stunned by his actions and said, "What are you doing?" She tried to pull her hand back, but Yan Nanhui's grip was too strong, and she couldn't pull it back no matter what she did.

At this moment, Yan Nanhui spoke up: "Now we've held hands, and not only that, we've kissed your little hand. Does Lanlan have any other doubts? Your husband can answer them for you."

"Yan Nan Hui, we're still discussing this, we're not engaged yet, what kind of husband are you?" Xiao Lan muttered, thinking that this lecherous man truly lived up to his name. But at least Yan Nan Hui agreed, and she could just give him the little white rabbit when she was about to leave.

"I'll go back to the palace soon and tell my mother to ask my father to issue an imperial decree for our marriage." Yan Nan didn't answer the question, but in order to prevent the little white rabbit he had finally managed to catch from running away, he was prepared to go to the palace immediately to ask for the imperial decree for our marriage.

"Is there still a need for an imperial decree? Shouldn't we wait until I've finished discussing this with my father and mother before requesting an imperial decree?" Xiao Lan hadn't expected Yan Nan to be so efficient. The two of them had just finished discussing things, and now he was already requesting an imperial decree for a marriage? And if the emperor were to grant a marriage, wouldn't it be difficult to divide the property later? So she said, "There's no need to request an imperial decree for a marriage. Why don't we ask Consort Tong to issue an oral edict?"

"Of course not! You forgot Ye Yuandong's surname is Ye, the Ye of Consort Ye. If he goes and asks for a marriage decree, you'll have no room for maneuver." Yan Nan Hui wouldn't give Xiao Lan a chance to back out. So he added, "That Ye Yuandong doesn't seem to genuinely like you. I doubt anyone would use the reputation of their beloved woman to force her to marry them. I'm different. I'll give you plenty of freedom. I'll go to the palace to ask for an imperial decree later. If anything changes, remember not to trust anyone. Wait for me to come back and tell you everything." Yan Nan Hui looked at Xiao Lan. Ever since he learned that Xiao Lan was the granddaughter of Marquis Xiao, he knew that Xiao Lan had become a hot commodity in the eyes of the princes, and everyone wanted to snatch her away. So he didn't know if there would be any resistance when he went to the palace to ask for a decree. But no matter what, he had to get the decree. Otherwise, whoever asked for her hand in marriage would have ulterior motives. So regardless of whether Lan Lan liked him or not, he had to keep her under his control for now. Even if the little white rabbit still ran away in the future, it was better than being used as a tool for profit by those trash.

“Alright, since it’s an engagement by agreement, I will give you my utmost trust, just like when we do business together. Don’t worry.” Xiao Lan said to Yan Nan Hui. Yan Nan Hui looked at Xiao Lan’s faint smile and suddenly felt much more at ease. So, unusually, he didn’t listen to Xiao Lan’s words, touched her hair, and said, “I’ll go first, wait for me.” After saying that, he walked outside. Xiao Lan watched Yan Nan Hui’s back, and for some reason, she suddenly felt the same way she did when she sent Yan Nan back to the battlefield back then. However, in her previous life, when Yan Nan returned to the border, she had just gotten married not long ago, so it was inconvenient for her to come out to see him off. She watched him go from the city wall. But in this life, she didn’t have to. Although it was an engagement by agreement, she could now stand openly by his side.