Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Xiao Lan, holding Dingding's hand with her left hand and Dangdang's hand with her right, walked briskly into Lingnan Fengcai Tower. As soon as she entered, her bright eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, and she soon spotted Xiao Mu'an, Yue Jiangchuan, and Luo You in a corner.

She smiled and walked towards them, greeted the three men, briefly explained the situation, and then they all got up and returned to the ship. Back on board, the crew began to bustle about methodically, packing their belongings, checking equipment, and ensuring everything was ready.

Once everyone had finished their preparations, Yue Jiangchuan stood at the bow of the ship and issued a commanding order: "Set sail! Destination—Xiwu Prefecture!" With this command, the massive ship slowly left the port and sailed into the distance under the cover of night.

The next morning, sunlight shone through the clouds onto the sea, making it sparkle. After a delicious breakfast, Xiao Lan felt a little indigestion, so she decided to take a walk in the ship's corridor to get some exercise.

As she strolled leisurely, she suddenly heard soft footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw Xiao Mu'an walking towards her. He looked serious and, as he approached, lowered his voice and said to Xiao Lan, "Lanlan, yesterday during our meal, I overheard a secret about His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan's heart tightened, and she asked with a puzzled look, "What secret news is it? Tell me quickly."

Xiao Lan knew her brother had never been interested in gossip, so her curiosity only grew. She urged impatiently, "Brother, stop being so mysterious! What exactly did Minister Luo mutter?"

Xiao Mu'an frowned slightly, gazing into the distance, and slowly said, "Yesterday, Vice Minister Luo asked Commander Yue if there were any interesting places to visit in Jiangnan. Commander Yue replied that he had been serving His Majesty for many years and had always been to Yuzhou. This was not a particularly important matter, but a sentence that Vice Minister Luo muttered quietly afterward caught my attention."

At this point, Xiao Mu'an paused, then looked at his expectant sister and continued, "Minister Luo muttered to himself, 'Everyone is returning to Xiwu Prefecture, but we've never heard of His Majesty bringing the Imperial Concubine Ye along. This makes me think of the various rumors about Imperial Concubine Ye, and perhaps most of them are inaccurate. After all, seeing is believing, and hearing is deceiving. Moreover, we've already incurred the enmity of the Ye family, so we must be cautious. Therefore, taking advantage of this return to Yu Prefecture, I must investigate thoroughly to see if I can find any clues or leads.'"

Xiao Lan knew perfectly well that someone as intelligent as Xiao Mu'an had probably already guessed the key to the matter—the emperor must have someone he was fond of residing in Yuzhou. After all, since the emperor ascended the throne, he had visited Jiangnan several times, yet he had shown a particular fondness for Yuzhou. It should be noted that Yuzhou was neither the hometown of the late emperor and empress, nor did it have any connection to the imperial family. More importantly, compared to other prosperous and wealthy areas in Jiangnan, Yuzhou was hardly outstanding, making it truly difficult to understand why the emperor was so fond of this place.

The only connection that can be found is with Consort Ye. Rumor has it that she was from Xiwu Prefecture, and that the emperor met her in Yuzhou. However, what's puzzling is that although the emperor frequently visited Yuzhou, he never brought Consort Ye with him to Jiangnan. This makes the matter even more perplexing.

Faced with such a complex situation, Xiao Mu'an racked his brains but couldn't fully grasp the reasons. Just then, Xiao Lan, who had been silent all along, seemed to suddenly understand. She looked at Xiao Mu'an with a serious expression and said, "Brother, I know you have doubts about this matter and want to find out the truth. But please listen to my advice: don't continue investigating, and don't try to dig deeper into who His Majesty's beloved is. Otherwise, in the end, it will only be our own family that will be implicated and harmed!"

Xiao Mu'an stared at Xiao Lan, his face full of doubt, and said, "Lanlan, don't worry about this. I will investigate carefully and secretly, and I will definitely not let it affect you or your parents."

Xiao Lan raised her delicate eyebrows, a sly smile playing on her lips as she replied, "Brother, you're supposed to be a renowned talent in Yuzhou! In all these years, have you ever seen a woman in Yuzhou who can compare to Mother's beauty?" As soon as she finished speaking, she stared intently into Xiao Mu'an's eyes, as if trying to see through his deep gaze to his innermost thoughts.

Then, Xiao Lan took a deep breath and continued, "And, brother, you don't know this, but when His Majesty brought Consort Ye back to the palace, it was exactly the year that Father and Mother got married!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Mu'an stood frozen in shock, as if struck by lightning. He simply couldn't believe that the emperor's so-called "white moonlight" could very well be his mother! This sudden news was like a bombshell, instantly turning his once calm heart upside down. Although some doubts remained, he couldn't help but ask, "Lanlan, this is no small matter. Are you really sure? We absolutely mustn't make wild guesses!"

"Absolutely! But in my opinion, Dad probably doesn't know anything about this at all. You know, Dad is notoriously jealous. If he knew, he'd probably be making a huge fuss! So, brother, when you get home, you must pretend you know nothing about this. Don't give anything away!" Xiao Lan solemnly instructed Xiao Mu'an again. She knew that her brother was quite good in other aspects, but he could be a little lacking in social skills when dealing with interpersonal relationships.

"Don't worry, Lan'er, I know what I'm doing. I definitely won't mention this matter at all when we get back." Although Xiao Mu'an was a bit slow on the uptake in this regard, his love for his younger sister was obvious to all. He would obediently do whatever Xiao Lan said.

The brother and sister chatted for a while longer, their laughter filling the air. Just then, someone came to inform Xiao Lan, "Miss, the ship will arrive at the outer port of Xiwu Prefecture in about two hours."

Upon hearing this news, Xiao Lan secretly calculated the time. After the boat docked, Li Yuan and Dingding quickly found horses and a spacious, comfortable carriage. With everything ready, Xiao Mu'an, accompanied by thirty well-trained guards and the generous gifts Xiao Lan had specially selected for Jiang Nihuang, set off for Yuzhou in a grand procession.

Under the close escort of Yue Jiangchuan and Luo You, Xiao Lan headed towards the Xiwuzhou post station. Before boarding the carriage, Xiao Lan inquired about the situation from Luo You and learned that ten thousand troops could be assembled that night. Originally, Xiao Lan thought that five thousand troops would be enough, but Luo You and Yue Jiangchuan both strongly urged her to bring more men. Seeing this, Xiao Lan secretly pondered that the Ye family was probably not as simple as she had initially thought.

To avoid attracting attention, Xiao Lan and her group of one hundred people entered the city in three batches. Finally, they arrived at Chunfeng Tower, the largest restaurant in Xiwu Prefecture.

Xiao Lan, Yue Jiangchuan, Luo You, and several others sat around the table. After a short rest, Xiao Lan broke the silence first, saying, "Minister Luo, in my opinion, we should go to the Ye family tomorrow morning to read the imperial edict. To prevent the news from leaking out, there's no need to report to the government office today. Furthermore, I would like to trouble you, Minister Luo, to properly arrange for men to surround the Ye family tomorrow once the troops have assembled. This way, we can ensure that I will not be disturbed when reading the imperial edict."

"Surrounding Consort Ye's maternal family like this might be inappropriate, wouldn't it?" Luo You frowned, a troubled expression on his face. He had come to discuss this with Xiao Lan primarily because of her promise to help him recover the more than 200,000 taels of silver. However, the idea of ​​besieging Consort Ye's family made him quite hesitant. Although the empress's family was not supposed to interfere in politics, who could guarantee that Consort Ye wouldn't harbor resentment? If one day she was in a bad mood and secretly sabotaged or used underhanded tactics against the women in his household, he would truly be unable to handle it!

Despite Luo You's concerns, Xiao Lan remained relaxed, still smiling, and said, "Lord Luo, please don't worry. Since His Majesty has entrusted me with this important task and sent me to read the imperial edict, I will naturally bear all the possible problems on my own."

At this moment, Yue Jiangchuan, who had been standing silently to the side, finally couldn't help but look at Xiao Lan and slowly said, "Miss Xiao, in my opinion, wouldn't it be too reckless to surround the Ye family so rashly tomorrow? Shouldn't we reconsider to avoid causing unnecessary trouble..."

Looking at the puzzled expressions on the two men's faces, Xiao Lan frowned slightly and pondered for a moment before slowly explaining, "You two may only be concerned that surrounding the Ye family would cause them to lose face in front of others, and might even damage the reputation of Consort Ye in the palace. However, the fact that a woman from the Ye family dared to so blatantly impersonate Young Master Lan is truly astonishing! You must know that Young Master Lan is a model figure revered by scholars and writers throughout the land! Moreover, if word of this imitation of someone else's handwriting to swindle money reaches the ears of the literati of Xiwu Prefecture, do you think they might be furious enough to storm the Ye family and vandalize it? Not to mention the financial loss, which is a minor matter, but if someone is accidentally killed in the process, the consequences would be unimaginable! Therefore, in my opinion, should we surround the Ye family or not?"

After Xiao Lan finished speaking, Yue Jiangchuan and Luo You exchanged bewildered glances. Then, Luo You suddenly slapped his thigh and exclaimed excitedly, "Oh my, Miss Xiao, I never imagined you possessed such profound strategies! You are truly a master among masters!" He then gave Xiao Lan a thumbs-up and nodded repeatedly in admiration.

Xiao Lan's lips curled slightly upward, but she remained silent, waiting quietly. After a moment, Yue Jiangchuan said directly with a serious expression, "Miss Xiao, I am unaware of the arrangements for the others. However, we, the Imperial Guards, bear heavy responsibilities, and our only duty here is to ensure your personal safety. Beyond that, we are afraid we cannot provide any further assistance."

Hearing this, Xiao Lan nodded gently and replied with a smile, "Commander Yue, you flatter me. With all of you Imperial Guards protecting me, I already feel very safe. So, I will have to trouble you all tomorrow. Please stay by my side at all times to ensure my safety." After saying this, she bowed gracefully to Commander Yue once again. Immediately afterward, Xiao Lan turned her gaze to Luo You beside her and slowly said, "Minister Luo, I hope you can accompany me tomorrow. Once we arrive at our destination, please consider whether the ten thousand troops should be divided into three or two concentric circles to surround the Ye residence. Remember, it is imperative to ensure complete sealing off the area, not even allowing a fly to get in! Of course, more importantly, we must not let anyone slip out, to prevent any leaks that could cause unnecessary chaos and speculation." As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Lan elegantly raised her teacup, gesturing to the two of them, "Today, I will offer this cup of tea in place of wine to you both. May we successfully complete this task tomorrow and finish early."

Xiao Lan pondered to herself that the Ye family could not possibly produce such a huge sum of money so quickly. Therefore, after the imperial edict was read tomorrow, she would definitely negotiate the compensation matter properly and force the Ye family to sign an IOU. At the same time, she would give them half a month to raise the necessary funds. During this gap, she could return to Yuzhou and make a trip to Shaozhou on the way. After everything was settled, she would return to Xiwuzhou to collect the debt from the Ye family. In this way, the timing would be perfect and flawless.