Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

"Going back to Xiwu Prefecture together?" Xiao Mu'an was surprised to hear Xiao Lan say that she hoped he could set off with her first thing tomorrow morning. An indescribable joy welled up in his heart. He suddenly felt that his sister, who was always so enigmatic and mysterious like a hidden gem, had returned! Sure enough, this girl was still as impulsive as ever, putting her thoughts into action immediately.

Xiao Lan looked at Xiao Mu'an earnestly and continued, "Brother, don't be so quick to refuse. This time we're secretly going to Xiwu Prefecture by imperial decree. The reason I gave my superiors was that there was an emergency at home that I needed to rush back to handle. In that case, wouldn't it seem strange if you, as my elder brother, didn't come with me? Besides, there are many people responsible for protecting us on this trip, which is a good opportunity to meet that troublesome Cui Jiuhan. After all, he's been scheming against us from the shadows all along, while we've always been on the defensive. What if he pulls some other treacherous trick just before the palace examination?" "That would catch us off guard! Therefore, I think only by dispelling his unrealistic ideas as soon as possible can we truly focus on what's to come." At this point, Xiao Lan paused slightly, observing the change in Xiao Mu'an's expression, before continuing her analysis: "Brother, think about it. If we let Cui Jiuhan continue to sabotage us in secret, it will not only affect our performance in the palace examination, but it might also negatively impact our family's reputation. Therefore, taking the initiative this time is absolutely essential! So, brother, don't you think my idea makes sense now?"

"So, what does Lanlan plan to do once she arrives in Xiwu Prefecture?" Although Xiao Lan's return to Xiwu Prefecture with her brother was due to a sudden imperial decree, Xiao Mu'an knew very well that his clever and quick-witted sister had already carefully considered her options. Xiao Lan narrowed her eyes slightly, a gentle smile playing on her lips, and replied calmly, "Brother, don't be hasty. Let me explain. When we first arrive in Xiwu Prefecture, we might as well reveal my noble status as the future Crown Princess and give them a taste of my power, intimidating them a bit. If that still doesn't work, humph! Then we'll give them a taste of their own medicine and repay them tenfold for all the tricks they tried to use against you!" With that, a confident and composed smile appeared on her face.

Immediately afterward, Xiao Lan paused slightly, turned to Xiao Mu'an, and softly instructed, "Brother, there's no time to lose. You should start packing your things quickly. We're currently in the north of the city, and tomorrow we need to meet up with the others outside the south gate. So, to avoid delaying our journey, we need to get up early tomorrow. As for what to bring, there's no need for large bags; just bring some everyday clothes. If we need anything else along the way, we can buy it later." At this point, Xiao Lan seemed to suddenly remember something, her gaze falling on Xiao Mu'an again, and she blinked, asking, "By the way, brother, when we travel tomorrow, are you planning to ride in the same carriage as me, or will you make other arrangements and ride alone?" Xiao Lan secretly pondered the question; it was actually quite simple. The gifts to give to Jiang Nihuang were numerous, already filling half a carriage! If Xiao Mu'an were willing to travel with me, I'd probably need to prepare two carriages. One would be used specifically to carry the dazzling array of gifts, while the other would be reserved for me and Xiao Mu'an, so we could have a comfortable place to rest during the journey.

However, if Xiao Mu'an wanted to use a carriage by himself, he would have to quickly give the order to rent another one! After all, they were to depart early tomorrow morning, and waiting until then to rent a carriage would definitely waste a lot of precious time. Therefore, to ensure the trip proceeded smoothly and without wasting a single second, it was best to get this matter settled tonight. With this in mind, Xiao Lan made a decisive decision to immediately arrange for people to handle the carriage rental.

“Then let’s share a carriage with Lanlan. That way, we’ll have company along the way,” Xiao Mu’an thought. This seven- or eight-day journey would be incredibly boring if he were alone in the carriage the whole time! It would be much better to share a carriage with his sister, Xiao Lan, so they could chat and keep each other company. However, his words also stirred something in Xiao Lan’s heart. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Brother, what do you think about us taking the waterway to Xiwu Prefecture after we pass Jizhou? Firstly, we can travel day and night by water, and it would only take about four days to reach our destination; secondly, the waterway would actually avoid natural disasters, making it much safer than the land route!” Xiao Lan blurted out her thoughts, then stared intently at Xiao Mu’an, her eyes revealing a hint of anticipation. After all, in her previous life, Xiao Mu’an had met with an accident during the Lunar New Year this year, and Xiao Lan wasn’t entirely familiar with his past travel habits.

"Then reaching our destination sooner would be the best thing," Xiao Mu'an agreed with a smile. Indeed, if he hadn't traveled all the way from Shaozhou to the capital, he would definitely have chosen to travel by boat, since boats are much faster than other means of transportation—not just a little bit faster!

Upon seeing Xiao Mu'an nod in agreement, Xiao Lan immediately busied herself, quickly and meticulously arranging all the details of the itinerary with Dingding, and swiftly packing a few light and valuable belongings. With everything prepared, the two dared not delay, hurriedly going to bed to rest, hoping to be as refreshed as possible so they could set off for the city early the next day.

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten and the dawn's rays had not yet fully pierced through the darkness, Xiao Lan had already opened her eyes. Although she hadn't slept well the night before, her mind was preoccupied with the need to set off early, which had kept her from sleeping soundly all night.

After scrambling out of bed, Xiao Lan first gently called to Ding Ding, instructing her to move her packed luggage and belongings onto the carriage and set them away properly. She then quickly began her morning routine: dressing, washing up… Considering the long journey ahead, Xiao Lan didn't spend too much time or energy on grooming. She simply asked someone to help her put on an elegant floral crown, then donned a red and white short-sleeved shirt and skirt. Once dressed, she hurried out of the courtyard gate.

Unexpectedly, when she stepped out of the courtyard, she found that Xiao Mu'an had been waiting there for a long time.

Xiao Lan hurriedly ran over, reaching out to tightly grasp Xiao Mu'an's strong arm, and said sweetly, "Brother, why are you up so early today? I was planning to wake you up myself!" Xiao Mu'an was still dressed in a snow-white robe, looking as ethereal as a celestial being descended to earth. He smiled slightly, gently stroking Xiao Lan's soft hair with his right hand, and replied softly, "Silly girl, we still have to rush to meet the people His Majesty sent. So, we need to hurry and finish moving our luggage as soon as possible before setting off. As for breakfast, we can just buy something on the way."

Hearing her brother's arrangement, Xiao Lan nodded obediently in agreement. She then turned to Xiao Mu'an, blinking her bright, watery eyes, and asked, "Brother, I don't have many things to move. How's yours? Is it all packed?" She then looked around and noticed that Xiao Mu'an didn't seem to be carrying any large luggage. So she quickly urged, "Brother, since I'm almost done packing, hurry up and put your luggage up so we can leave the city sooner!" However, to Xiao Lan's surprise, Xiao Mu'an smiled and said, "Haha, don't worry, sister. My luggage is already all on the carriage. Now we're just waiting for you to arrive so we can set off immediately."

Then, the brother and sister finally realized that they had both been waiting for each other in vain. They couldn't help but look at each other and smile, a smile that contained both helplessness and the warmth and tacit understanding of kinship. Afterwards, the two boarded the carriage together.

Inside the spacious and comfortable carriage, Xiao Lan and Xiao Mu sat quietly. Li Yuan was driving, while Dingding sat outside. Occasionally, Dingding would help Li Yuan urge the carriage along, adding a lot of fun to the journey. As for Dangdang, she was responsible for driving another carriage full of gifts and luggage, following closely behind.

The carriage swayed along at a leisurely pace, as if time itself had slowed down and become tranquil. When they passed a pastry shop, Xiao Lan suddenly called out to Dingding and instructed her to get out and pack up all the pastries that had been made that day. Dingding quickly disembarked and soon completed the task, carefully placing the packed pastries onto the carriage behind.

Seeing his sister's actions, Xiao Mu'an asked with a puzzled look, "Lanlan, why did you buy so many pastries? Our journey to Xiwu Prefecture is long, these pastries will probably spoil before we even arrive." Facing her brother's question, Xiao Lan smiled slightly and patiently explained, "Brother, these pastries aren't for Father and Mother! They're for the ship. We'll definitely need to buy food after we arrive in Jizhou, but most of what we can bring are dry rations, which are really monotonous and bland. So I bought some pastries to bring along, to improve everyone's meals and give them a change of pace! That way, everyone will have more motivation to keep sailing day and night. If we had more time, I might even buy some fresh fruits to bring on board." After saying this, Xiao Lan winked playfully at Xiao Mu'an.

Just then, Li Yuan, who was driving the carriage outside, suddenly spoke up: "Miss Lan, why don't you go to Jizhou to buy these fruits and melons? You know, a large part of the grain and fruits supplied to the capital come from Jizhou! If we relied solely on these small villages around the capital for supplies, the people of the capital would probably be starving long ago!"

Listening to Li Yuan's words, Xiao Lan pondered them silently, finding his words quite reasonable. She then raised her voice and replied loudly, "Yes, Uncle Li, you're right! Where exactly in Jizhou can we buy fresh fruits and vegetables in bulk? We can go and buy some on our way. I've already discussed it with my brother; we plan to switch to waterways starting from Jizhou. However, finding suitable boats will take quite a while! So, we need to buy as many fruits and vegetables as possible to take on the boat. By the way, we need to find a large boat that can hold over a hundred people, since His Majesty's group, plus the people brought by Minister Luo, will number about fifty. Adding our own group, a small boat definitely won't be able to accommodate everyone!"

Upon hearing Xiao Lan's words, Li Yuan quickly handed the whip in his hand to Dingding, then strode to the carriage door and cautiously approached the curtain, saying, "Miss, if we're talking about ships that can accommodate hundreds of people, then the only ones are the luxurious cruise ships used by the royal family, the large cargo ships, and the warships used by the military!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan frowned deeply, a dilemma forming in her mind. That was His Majesty the Emperor's pleasure boat! While she might be able to borrow it with her silver tongue, wouldn't that completely expose the truth that she wasn't rushing to Xiwu Prefecture for a family emergency? After all, if someone truly had an urgent matter to attend to, why would they bring a group of Imperial Guards and a hundred or so men with them? Not to mention the extremely poor living conditions on those cargo ships, even finding a separate room for herself and Xiao Mu'an to rest and sleep would be a problem, let alone arranging accommodations for Luo You and the numerous Imperial Guards.

Thinking of this, Xiao Lan hurriedly called out to Uncle Li beside her, "Uncle Li, hurry up! Let's get out of the city first. Once we're outside, we can discuss how to deal with our current predicament." At this moment, Xiao Lan had already made up her mind that if even Luo You was helpless, then she could only have her thirty men from Jizhou follow behind on other ships. In any case, there shouldn't be too much danger on this waterway, and if anything unexpected happened along the way, these thirty men hidden in the shadows could protect their safety in time. When they were almost at Xiwu Prefecture, she would immediately have Luo You mobilize troops to come and meet them.