Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

No sooner had Yan Nanhui left than Wu Yuyu and Jiang Xiuzhi gracefully arrived. Xiao Lan smiled at Wu Yuyu and said softly, "Little Yu'er, I've dug a hot spring in the backyard! The water is clear and warm, very pleasant. How about this, I'll have Yue'er take you there for a soak, what do you say?"

Wu Yuyu, being exceptionally clever, instantly understood her cousin's intention—she must have some private matters to discuss with her mother alone. So, she obediently nodded and replied, "Okay, thank you, cousin! Mother, sister, I'll go soak in the hot spring now." With that, Wu Yuyu gracefully bowed to Jiang Xiuzhi and Xiao Lan, then turned and followed Yue'er, swaying gently downstairs towards the backyard. The two chatted and laughed along the way, soon arriving at the newly opened hot spring pool.

After Wu Yuyu's figure gradually disappeared into the distance, Xiao Lan and Jiang Xiuzhi finally met and began to talk to each other.

Xiao Lan was the first to break the silence. She parted her lips slightly and asked softly, "Aunt, do you know anything about the Ye family, the imperial merchants?"

Jiang Xiuzhi was quite surprised that her niece had summoned her so urgently and immediately brought up the Ye family's affairs, but she did not press for details. Instead, she readily replied, "Of course I know." After saying that, she cautiously glanced around.

Seeing this, Xiao Lan quickly reassured her, "Don't worry, Aunt. The walls of the second and third floors have been modified with special materials. Unless someone shouts loudly inside, it will be difficult for outsiders to hear anything."

After receiving Xiao Lan's assurance, Jiang Xiuzhi felt somewhat relieved and continued, "The Ye family rose to prominence in Xiwu Prefecture by relying on Consort Ye in the palace, and now they are well-known in the area." As she spoke, a hint of contempt flashed across her face.

Xiao Lan, who had been staring at Jiang Xiuzhi, took in her disdainful expression and said firmly, "No matter how the Ye family rose to power, they have now provoked me!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiuzhi's face turned deathly pale. Her eyes widened in terror, and she asked in a trembling voice, "Oh dear! What on earth is going on? The Ye family has never had any connections in official circles. At most, we only have some business dealings with you now. But I don't think this business has even officially opened yet. How did we get involved with you?"

At this moment, Jiang Xiuzhi was extremely anxious, and even a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. You see, because she frequently returned to Shaozhou to live, she had practically watched her niece, Xiao Lan, grow up. Moreover, Xiao Lan was not only her biological niece, but also considered by Jiang Xiuzhi as her own daughter, holding a position in her heart no different from that of her own flesh and blood. Therefore, when she heard that someone had offended Xiao Lan, she immediately became extremely anxious.

His eldest son, Ye Yuandong, was also a student at Minglu Academy. Back then, the boat I took on my return journey from Lingnan belonged to the Ye family. Yet, for some reason, I always felt as if they were deliberately waiting for my arrival.

At this moment, Xiao Lan took a sip of water, silently pondering how to phrase her words to tell Jiang Xiuzhi about this matter. After all, this was the Great Xia Dynasty! And she herself was an unmarried, sixteen-year-old young woman. If her words were too direct and frank, it seemed inappropriate for the reserve expected of someone her age. After swallowing her tea, she slowly began to speak, "Back then, I vaguely sensed his ulterior motives. Fortunately, I was accompanied by a group of strong bodyguards and several clever and obedient maids, so I figured he wouldn't dare to do anything too outrageous. Since then, whenever I saw him in the academy, I would stay as far away as possible, hoping we could coexist peacefully. But who could have predicted that this very morning, he would openly declare in front of everyone that he had gone to the Xiao Marquis's residence to propose marriage? What's even more unexpected is that even my grandfather's concubine has agreed to the marriage." Hearing this, Jiang Xiuzhi understood immediately. She slammed her hand on the table and shouted, "Who are you bullying? Your parents are still alive, and you dare to arrange a marriage for them with a concubine? Do you think our Jiang family has no one left?"

Seeing Jiang Xiuzhi so angry, Xiao Lan's heart tightened, and she quickly tried to comfort her, "Aunt, please calm down. Don't upset yourself. Come, come, let me tell you something." As she spoke, she quickly stood up, gently took Jiang Xiuzhi's sleeve, and led her to a seat, carefully helping her to sit down. Then, Xiao Lan strode to the table, picked up the teapot, poured a cup of fragrant tea, and respectfully handed it to Jiang Xiuzhi with both hands, saying softly, "Aunt, please have some tea to soothe your throat and calm your nerves."

After Jiang Xiuzhi took the teacup, Xiao Lan continued, "Actually, this matter wasn't difficult to handle. There were several princes present at the time, and when they saw Ye Yuandong being so rude, they all spoke up for him and severely reprimanded him. It's just a pity that the incident happened in the lecture hall, and class was about to start, and there were a lot of people gathered around. It's definitely not enough to just have everyone verbally object! Originally, I specifically asked Yuyu to invite you here so that we could discuss a solution together. Fortunately, just now, the Fifth Prince came up with a foolproof and brilliant idea for me. However... this method might require you, Aunt, to put in a good word for me with my father and mother and mediate between them."

Jiang Xiuzhi frowned, full of doubt, and asked, "What kind of solution is it? Why do you need to talk to your father and mother to make peace?"

Xiao Lan explained anxiously, "Oh dear, Aunt, you don't know the truth. That despicable Fifth Prince actually went to the palace to ask the Emperor for a marriage decree! And the discussion was so rushed; I really had no other choice! So I beg you, Aunt, to do me a favor and write a letter to my mother and grandmother. In the letter, explain to them that all of this was done out of necessity. No matter what, I absolutely cannot marry that despicable and shameless man, Ye Yuandong!" At this point, Xiao Lan gritted her teeth.

She secretly thought to herself that Jiang Nihuang would be furious when she learned of the arranged marriage. But with this letter from her aunt, perhaps some of her anger could be shared. With this in mind, Xiao Lan looked at Jiang Xiuzhi expectantly, hoping she would grant her request.

"You've only been in the capital for a little over a month. How did you manage to win over the Fifth Prince and have him personally request the Emperor to grant you marriage? You know, I heard from your uncle that this Fifth Prince used to be a notorious womanizer! He's always been a womanizer, fickle and unfaithful. I don't know how he suddenly gained the Emperor's favor and appreciation recently, even entrusting him with the management of the Ministry of Rites. If he continues to have a constant stream of beautiful women around him, then you'll definitely be the one who suffers in the end, my Lanlan." Jiang Xiuzhi's face was full of worry, and she felt truly troubled. Not to mention that the Ye family brat dared to openly force her niece to marry him in broad daylight, such behavior was hardly that of a gentleman; as for the Fifth Prince himself, his notorious reputation was also obvious to everyone. Although she herself did not live in the capital often, Yan Nanhui's reputation as a dissolute playboy was already known throughout the streets and alleys, and even women and children knew about him.

Xiao Lan sighed softly, her heart filled with emotion. She finally deeply understood the hardships Yan Nanhui had endured, so she turned to Jiang Xiuzhi and began to explain with a serious expression.

"Aunt, you mustn't believe those rumors circulating outside! Take that sensational incident from two years ago, the one about him robbing a woman in the street. It's already been investigated and found out. It was a trap set by the then Prefect of the Capital and the Third Prince to frame him. His Majesty was also aware of it. Otherwise, think about it, why would His Majesty entrust such an important department as the Ministry of Rites to the Fifth Prince so confidently?" Xiao Lan paused slightly, as if she had thought of something.

Then she added, "Oh, right, speaking of this Third Prince, he's the son of Consort Ye, meaning he's Ye Yuandong's cousin. Humph, they're all bad people!" Xiao Lan frowned, a hint of disdain on her face.

After a moment's thought, Xiao Lan, as if having made up her mind, spoke again: "There's one more thing, Aunt, you must understand. Even if the Fifth Prince has many women he admires, if one day he really makes me unhappy or dissatisfied, it will be easier for me to leave. After all, this way, it won't bring too much trouble and distress to our family. However, this discussion of the marriage was indeed a bit rushed. Once the imperial decree is issued, Aunt, you must remember to talk to my mother properly and tell her that this matter was approved by you. Otherwise, knowing my mother's temperament, she will definitely come to the capital to settle accounts with me without saying a word, and might even give me a good beating!" After saying this, Xiao Lan couldn't help but playfully stick out her tongue, as if she had already foreseen the possible consequences. Xiao Lan thought about her mother's fighting power and was somewhat afraid. Moreover, although she had transmigrated into this world, Jiang Nihuang and the others did not know this and treated her very well. Therefore, Xiao Lan regarded them as her parents and relatives from the bottom of her heart. If possible, it would be best not to upset her parents. If Jiang Xiuzhi was willing to write a letter, Jiang Nihuang would probably not be angry for Jiang Xiuzhi's sake.

“I can say that there is really no other way. If we were to discuss this letter with your parents, it would take at least half a month for them to come and go, and who knows how the news would spread. But the Ye family is too audacious. They want to arrange a marriage for you by finding a concubine of the old Marquis Xiao. I also need to have a good talk with your mother about this. It’s too much of a bully.”

The two carefully checked each other's statements again to ensure there were no omissions or contradictions. After some discussion, they finally decided that as soon as night fell and they returned home, Jiang Xiuzhi would immediately write letters to Yuzhou and Shaozhou respectively. At the same time, Xiao Lan would also write a separate letter to convey relevant information.

Just then, Jiang Xiuzhi suddenly spoke again: "Lanlan, after you resolve this matter, there's something important I want to tell you. Even if you don't come to see me today, I plan to go to the academy to find you tomorrow!" After saying this, she fixed her gaze on Xiao Lan, her expression becoming somewhat serious and solemn.

Then, Jiang Xiuzhi took a deep breath and slowly continued, "Lanlan, I never believed in those so-called gods and ghosts before. But do you know what? That strange dream you had before actually came true!" As she said this, Jiang Xiuzhi's voice trembled slightly, as if she was very surprised and incredulous about this fact.

"What?" Xiao Lan was shocked. The dream had come true, meaning Qin Rong had appeared. But considering the timing, it shouldn't be that soon that she had an affair with Wu De. Moreover, if Wu De had touched Qin Rong, Jiang Xiuzhi wouldn't have spoken to her so kindly. So she asked, "Has that Qin family girl appeared?"

Jiang Xiuzhi's lips curled into a cold smile as she said sarcastically, "Isn't that exactly it? At first, I naively thought it was just a coincidence that our surnames were the same. However, later I became more cautious and specifically sent someone to carefully inquire about the details of all the cooks in our mansion's kitchen. What I found was astonishing! Sure enough, there really was a cook who looked exactly like the one in your dream. It's said that this cook had ruined her reputation by taking in men, and having nowhere else to turn, she had to come to our General's mansion to find work. Strangely enough, she'd only been here for less than two months when the General exceptionally promoted her to become his personal cook! And then…?" I found an excuse to send my personal maid to learn cooking from her, but after observing her, I discovered that her cooking skills were utterly mediocre and unremarkable. I really can't understand what special things she added to the dishes she made for your uncle to win his favor. Fortunately, I acted quickly and found a pretext to send her to the estate. And recently, I've also specifically arranged for someone to keep a close eye on your uncle. Unfortunately, firstly, I currently have no concrete evidence to prove she's guilty; secondly, having someone watch your uncle all the time isn't a long-term solution. Sigh… thinking about all this, I'm still a little worried.”