Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

After Xiao Lan and the others returned to Dingxiang Hutong, Xiao Mu'an was studying. Xiao Lan asked Yue'er to accompany Wu Yuyu to the courtyard to eat fruit, and then called Li Yuan in.

"Uncle Li, I estimate you'll have to stay in the capital for another two months," Xiao Lan said apologetically to Li Yuan.

Li Yuan hadn't expected Xiao Lan to call him in to discuss this, but since Xiao Mu'an had also come to the capital, Xiao Lan had written to Lin Dayou, informing him that she wanted Li Yuan to stay for a few more months. Lin Dayou had also sent a message to Li Yuan through someone. So Li Yuan said, "Miss, it's alright. The chief has already sent me a message. He will send you and the young master back to Yuzhou at the end of the year, and then I will go back to report."

Upon hearing his words, Xiao Lan immediately dropped the pretense and said frankly, "Uncle Li, since that's the case, then I'll be frank! I didn't mention money before because I knew you were only staying here for a little over a month. But now that you'll be staying in the capital for three or four months, I won't mention paying you a monthly allowance. Instead, I'll offer you one hundred taels of silver at once, as a small token of my and my brother's appreciation, so you can buy some wine and enjoy yourself." After saying this, she stared intently at Li Yuan, afraid that he might politely refuse.

As expected, Li Yuan looked hesitant, seemingly wanting to decline. Xiao Lan, quick-witted and nimble, immediately interrupted, saying urgently, "Uncle Li, I know this amount is rather meager compared to what you earn from escorting goods, but I am merely a poor scholar, truly short of funds. I hope you won't find it offensive." Before she finished speaking, she had already swiftly stuffed the purse containing the silver into Li Yuan's hand, her movements astounding.

Li Yuan was taken aback by Xiao Lan's actions, but then couldn't help but chuckle. He understood that this clever and quick-witted young lady was being so earnest and insistent on giving the gift so deliberately, so that he could accept this generous gift with a clear conscience.

“Miss, I’ve accepted the money. Thank you. Please feel free to ask if you need anything,” Li Yuan said.

Then, Xiao Lan frowned slightly, her expression becoming somewhat grave, and said to Uncle Li, "Uncle Li, there's no time to lose, so I'll get straight to the point. The elder brother of one of my close friends is desperately searching for a woman named Little White Rabbit. However, perhaps she's no longer called that. All we know is that she's from Jiangnan and is estimated to be around sixteen years old. As for her current whereabouts, we have no idea. But one thing is certain: this woman is extremely beautiful, a beauty that could shame the moon and put flowers to shame." Not only that, she was also well-read and literate, truly a woman of both beauty and talent! Because of this, I've always had a nagging worry, a feeling that such an outstanding woman could very well have been abducted and sold into brothels… Here are two hundred taels of silver, as your funds for the next two months of searching for this woman, Uncle Li. If this isn't enough, please come back for more. Also, Uncle Li, if you are fortunate enough to find any trace or clues of someone resembling this woman, please remember not to act rashly, but to report to me immediately, lest you alert them and ruin everything!”

In truth, Xiao Lan was well aware that she currently possessed very little information about the girl known as "Little White Rabbit." She had no portrait to refer to, knew nothing about her physical characteristics, and only knew of this cute nickname—which she might not even use anymore! Fortunately, however, due to some experiences in her past life, Xiao Lan had at least learned a few things. As far as she knew, this Little White Rabbit was a woman from Jiangnan, two years younger than Yan Nan Hui, and possessed an absolutely stunning and captivating beauty. Once, when Yan Nan Hui was drunk, Xiao Lan seized the opportunity to ask him what his beloved looked like, and Yan Nan Hui's answer was: beautiful and gorgeous. Moreover, there were rumors that this woman was exceptionally talented and knowledgeable.

Based on these limited clues, Xiao Lan began to investigate all eligible officials' wives at the time. After careful review and comparison, he still couldn't find a woman who fully met all the criteria. What was even stranger was that among women of the same age who married within six months before and after that period, he couldn't find anyone who matched her. Because of this, Xiao Lan couldn't help but feel suspicious and boldly speculated that perhaps this "little white rabbit" was not from a prestigious family or an official's residence, but rather a courtesan working in a brothel. After all, given Yan Nan Hui's noble status as a prince, if he were to fall in love with such a woman, it would indeed be difficult for him to formally marry her due to societal norms and his own social standing.

Having made this deduction, Xiao Lan secretly resolved to be a good person for the rest of her life, doing everything in her power to find this mysterious little white rabbit before anyone else. If she was lucky enough to find her, she would do everything she could to arrange a suitable new identity for her. Even if it was just to make her an illegitimate daughter of a collateral branch of the Jiang family, that would at least give her a chance to enter the prince's residence as a concubine. Thinking of this, a strong sense of mission welled up in Xiao Lan's heart, as if this matter had become an important task that she had to complete in her lifetime.

Li Yuan respectfully replied, "Please rest assured, Miss, I will do my utmost to find this woman as quickly as possible." His tone was firm and confident, as if he could already see success within reach.

Xiao Lan frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and finally couldn't help but speak again: "Uncle Li, to be honest, this matter was entrusted to me by a close friend. For both personal and practical reasons, I don't want anyone other than the two of us to know the inside story." She looked at Li Yuan with sincere and trusting eyes.

Li Yuan naturally understood that wealthy families often had secrets they didn't want others to know, so he quickly nodded in agreement: "Don't worry, Miss, I will keep my mouth shut and will never let this secret leak out in the slightest. Apart from you, Miss, there will never be a third person who knows about this!" He made his promise solemnly, and his serious and earnest appearance made people trust him without a doubt.

Xiao Lan felt relieved, knowing that the people Lin Dayou was training were not ordinary, so she could relax.

Not long after Li Yuan left, Xiao Lan gently took out the important contract that she needed to sign with Madam Cui the next day from the drawer. She carefully unfolded it, the yellowed paper seeming to carry a huge responsibility and expectations.

Xiao Lan narrowed her eyes slightly, carefully examining the contract word by word. She dared not overlook a single clause or detail. Time passed slowly, and the room was so quiet that only her soft breathing and the occasional rustling of pages could be heard.

After carefully checking the contract repeatedly to ensure there were no problems, Xiao Lan breathed a sigh of relief. She gently folded it again, carefully placed it into an exquisite wooden box, and sealed it tightly. Having done this, Xiao Lan looked up at Dingding, who was standing beside her, and said, "I still have some things to write. Go and keep watch at the door for me, don't let anyone in and disturb me."

Dingding nodded obediently and replied, "Yes, Miss, don't worry!" Actually, Dingding had been following Xiao Lan around for some time and was already very familiar with her young mistress's habits. Whenever Xiao Lan said not to be disturbed, it meant she was handling some confidential matters or had special arrangements. So this time was no exception. Knowing her great responsibility, Dingding quickly went to the door and stood there, guarding the entrance to the room like a loyal sentinel.

Xiao Lan sat quietly at the antique desk, her thoughts surging like a tide, gradually returning to that distant era—the modern world before her time travel.

In that bustling metropolis, Xiao Lan was born into a warm and harmonious middle-class family. Her parents were both elite executives in the business world, successful in their careers and with substantial incomes. As the only child in the family, Xiao Lan was endlessly pampered by her parents from a young age.

However, fate seems to always play tricks on people. Due to busy work schedules and other reasons, Xiao Lan's mother did not give birth to her precious daughter until she was over thirty years old. Perhaps because of this, Xiao Lan was physically weak from a young age and could not run, play, or jump freely like other children her age. As a result, most of the time, she could only stay obediently at home.

Those long periods of staying at home were not just accompanied by illness and the bitter taste of medicine for young Xiao Lan. In addition to frequent doctor visits and taking various medications on time, her time was also filled with a variety of colorful activities such as playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, and painting. After all, learning talents such as playing musical instruments and painting does not require too much physical exertion; one can begin to practice simply by sitting quietly.

As fate would have it, Xiao Lan possessed an innate and profound interest in music, along with an exceptionally gifted aptitude for it. She seemed to have a natural affinity for exquisite musical instruments. Whether it was the elegant violin or the refined piano, Xiao Lan could master them with ease and successfully obtain the relevant certifications. Moreover, thanks to her astonishing learning speed and extraordinary diligence, it wasn't long before her mother hired a seasoned guzheng teacher for her. Thus, in her previous life, at the tender age of six, Xiao Lan was already capable of playing breathtakingly beautiful melodies.

However, these memories weren't the main point. Xiao Lan kept thinking about how, back in her modern life, she was prone to colds and fevers from a young age, so she took more medicine than rice. The first character she learned to read was her own name, and the second was the characters on the medicine box. So, which medicine should she research first? Xiao Lan thought that colds and fevers were common illnesses, so the dosage should be high. What was the formula for Xiao Chai Hu Tang again? Xiao Lan thought for a moment and wrote it down on a piece of paper: Bupleurum, Astragalus, Pinellia ternata, Codonopsis pilosula, Ginger, Licorice, Jujube, and it seemed to also contain sucrose and stevioside. She definitely didn't have those two ingredients, but it was probably just a matter of taste. At worst, she could ask Cui Sumu to increase the amount of licorice; that should work.

Then Xiao Lan thought of another recipe and wrote down: mint, fermented black soybeans, platycodon root, honeysuckle. As Xiao Lan thought of more and more, she quickly wrote twenty or thirty sheets, but she only took out three of them, folded them and put them on her person. She put the rest in a locked box, planning to take them to Wutong Residence the next day and lock them in her room on the fourth floor.

When Wutong Residence was being renovated, the construction workers ingeniously partitioned off half a floor from the fourth floor. This half-floor was completely different from the other floors; it had its own dedicated staircase and was entirely self-contained. Subsequently, this half-floor was cleverly divided again, transforming into two independent and exquisite suites. One of them belonged to Xiao Lan, while the other was Yan Nanhui's residence.

This unique design arrangement actually stemmed from Yan Nanhui's strong insistence. At the time, Xiao Lan was worried about the security of her residence in Dingxiang Hutong. Just then, Wutongju underwent renovations, and she readily accepted this special layout, using it as her private storage. There, she carefully stored all the precious jewelry her grandmother had given her.

Time passed quickly, and later Yan Nanhui transferred all the treasures bestowed upon him by the emperor to Xiao Lan. These gifts were so numerous and varied that one of the suites was soon filled to the brim, with no room for any more items.

After carefully tidying her clothes and makeup, Xiao Lan took light steps, preparing to go to the courtyard to find Wu Yuyu. However, just as she stepped out of the room, her gaze inadvertently swept across the courtyard, and she was surprised to find someone standing there. The person was dressed in a magnificent purple robe that fluttered in the wind, his figure as upright as a pine tree, his face exceptionally handsome—who else could it be but Yan Nan Hui?