Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Meanwhile, Xiao Lan, holding the crucial IOU, returned to Chunfeng Tower in a grand procession under the strict protection of numerous imposing and well-trained Imperial Guards. As soon as he stepped through the gate, he went straight to Yue Jiangchuan without hesitation, quickly handing him the IOU and solemnly saying, "Commander Yue, take a look at this IOU! The vast majority of the money involved belongs to His Majesty, so in my opinion, it is most appropriate and foolproof to entrust it to you for safekeeping."

Xiao Lan, with her keen eye, noticed that Yue Jiangchuan seemed to be hesitant, and quickly explained further: "You don't understand, Commander Yue. In a few days, the Ye family will definitely try to send someone to plead with my grandfather. Knowing my grandfather as I do, he probably won't be able to handle this situation. If anyone asks about the whereabouts of this IOU, I can only tell them the truth: it's with you. After all, my grandfather is a man who values ​​his reputation highly. Even if he's dissatisfied, he probably wouldn't be too embarrassed to directly ask you for it. Besides, think about the arrogance and actions of the Ye family today. Anyone with eyes can see that they have absolutely no intention of repaying the money! They might even rack their brains and resort to any means to steal or rob me. Therefore, to ensure the safety of this IOU, keeping it with you is undoubtedly the best course of action!"

Seeing that Xiao Lan had put things this way, Yue Jiangchuan didn't dare to be negligent in the slightest and quickly reached out to take the IOU. His movements were extremely gentle and careful, as if he were holding not an ordinary piece of paper, but a rare treasure. Then, he very slowly put the IOU into his pocket, and gently pressed it a few times to make sure it was properly placed.

After doing all this, Yue Jiangchuan looked at Xiao Lan solemnly and said, "Miss Xiao, please rest assured, I, Yue, guarantee with my life that I will protect this IOU with my life! If anything goes wrong, I, Yue, am willing to offer my head as a reward!"

However, Xiao Lan smiled slightly and replied softly, "Commander Yue, you really know how to joke. Why risk your life? With your unparalleled martial arts skills, if you were unwilling to hand it over, I'm afraid there would be very few people in this world who could take this IOU from you."

Her words, seemingly praising Yue Jiangchuan's martial arts skills, actually contained a hidden meaning. They implied that if the IOU were lost or otherwise lost, Yue Jiangchuan would be held responsible. Although Xiao Lan knew Yue Jiangchuan was loyal to Yan Zhen, she didn't believe he was as devoted to her. Therefore, she deliberately said these words to put him in a difficult position.

Yue Jiangchuan was no fool; after a moment's thought, he understood the deeper meaning behind Xiao Lan's words. Helpless, he could only shake his head with a wry smile, then bow to Xiao Lan, indicating that he would take his leave to arrange related matters.

Xiao Lan had been dealing with the Ye family for a long time, engaging in a battle of wits and courage, and was exhausted both physically and mentally. She parted her lips slightly and instructed her maid, Dingding, "Dingding, quickly go and prepare hot water. I wish to take a bath to relieve my fatigue." Dingding respectfully responded and turned to carry out the order.

However, not long after, Dingding hurriedly returned. She looked slightly flustered and walked up to Xiao Lan, saying softly, "Miss, I was a little careless and forgot to tell you something important." Xiao Lan raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity rising in her heart. What could have made the usually composed Dingding so flustered? She nodded gently, signaling Dingding to tell her what had happened.

Dingding took a deep breath, composed herself, and then lowered her voice to tell Xiao Lan what had happened. It turned out that while gathering information yesterday, Dingding had heard three rather astonishing things. First, the servants of the Xiao Marquis's residence were whispering that the reason the Xiao family couldn't inherit the title was because Xiao Lan's father, Xiao Daren, had offended the late emperor. Therefore, the old Marquis Xiao had to reluctantly relinquish his son's hereditary title to protect him. Second, the two daughters of the Jin family had actually married into the Xiao family together; the younger Jin was not a second wife but entered as a secondary wife. Third, and even more astonishingly, the Emperor had originally intended to bestow a marriage upon the Xiao family's granddaughter, but for some reason, Xiao Lan ended up impersonating her!

Xiao Lan frowned slightly, and after listening with a puzzled look, she couldn't help but ask, "The first two points were made up because our Xiao family wasn't in Xiwu Prefecture at the time, but the imperial decree for the marriage has already been sent to the Xiao Marquis's residence! How could there be any problems?"

However, unexpectedly, just as Xiao Lan finished asking the question, Dingding, who was standing to the side, immediately showed an indignant look and shouted impatiently, "Who says it isn't true! But Miss, you don't know, your aunt who was born out of wedlock was ruthlessly divorced by her husband's family and returned to the Xiao Marquis's mansion in disgrace."

Hearing this, Xiao Lan was still completely confused, blinking her big eyes as she asked, "Then what does this have to do with my marriage?" Clearly, Xiao Lan couldn't understand how the return of a woman born out of wedlock and now an abandoned wife could possibly affect her marriage.

Seeing this, Dingding knew that her naive friend hadn't fully grasped the mystery, so she stopped being coy and explained directly, "That's the problem! When she returned to the Marquis's mansion this time, she brought two daughters with her. What's even more puzzling is that, for some reason, both daughters have changed their surname to our Xiao family. What's particularly important is that her second daughter is only half a year younger than you. She used to be called Mou Lan, but now that she's changed her surname to Xiao, her name is Xiao Lan, the 'Lan' in 'orchid'."

After hearing this, Xiao Lan suddenly let out a cold laugh, a laugh that seemed to pierce the heart. How could Xiao Zhenwei not know about this? His own father was his biological son! And his own grandmother was his lawfully wedded wife. Yet now, all of this had changed so drastically because of a mere Jin Shi.

However, at this moment, she had not yet married into the royal family. Even if she were to become a prince's consort in the future, it would be a pipe dream to shake the immense power of the Xiao Marquis's mansion. After all, in ancient Chinese society, the concept of filial piety was as heavy as Mount Tai, enough to make one feel suffocated. Let alone in the Great Xia Dynasty, even in modern society, she would likely find it difficult to accomplish anything in such a situation.

However, simply watching things unfold without doing anything would be completely out of character for Xiao Lan. She composed herself slightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "Dingding, go find Uncle Yuan immediately, and remember to bring our guards. Tonight, under the cover of darkness, launch a secret operation to arrest all those gossipy, troublemaking individuals and send them to the Prefect's Mansion. Also, notify the Imperial Guards to send some men to assist us in the interrogation. Remember, we must get to the bottom of this by today. First, discuss the specific action plan and personnel arrangements with Uncle Yuan. Later, I will personally explain the situation to Commander Yue and ask him to send his men to wait for you at the Prefect's Mansion after dinner."

Xiao Lan pondered to herself that this matter needed to be properly resolved; the other trivial matters were negotiable. "Hmph! You, Little Jin, actually dared to try and have your granddaughter impersonate a prince's consort! You're utterly audacious! Since that's the case, don't blame me for disregarding past relationships. Anyway, my grandfather, Xiao Zhenwei, always likes to feign ignorance, so I'll play along. Let's treat this as Little Jin's mistake of deceiving everyone and her superiors. You see, as the eldest granddaughter of a marquis and the future prince's consort, punishing a lowly concubine is entirely justified, both morally and logically."

In reality, Xiao Jinshi's current position in the Marquis's household is rather awkward. Originally, if she could have married into the Xiao family as the principal wife, as a daughter of the Jin family, she would at least be the legitimate matriarch of the Xiao family. However, fate played a cruel trick on her; she entered the Xiao family as a concubine before being elevated to the rank of lady. Furthermore, due to Marquis Xiao Zhenwei's frequent promotions and transfers in his official career, he was never able to formally grant Xiao Jinshi the title and status she deserved, leaving her in this awkward and illegitimate situation.

Now, this young Lady Jin, back when Xiao Daren was still a child, relied on her beauty and cunning to act arrogantly and domineeringly in the Xiao Marquis's mansion. At that time, she naively believed she had become the true mistress of the Xiao Marquis's mansion. Because of this, her concubine certificate, kept at the mansion's office years ago, was never cancelled.

Time flies, and before long, Jiang Nihuang married into the Xiao family. This exceptionally intelligent and shrewd woman quickly discovered the incriminating evidence left behind by Xiao Jinshi. Therefore, shortly after the marriage, Jiang Nihuang secretly went to the former government office and, through meticulous planning, obtained over a dozen documents confirming Xiao Jinshi's status as a concubine. Furthermore, this crucial evidence was carefully placed in Yuzhou, Shaozhou, and other locations, with even a copy held by Xiao Lan. Jiang Nihuang's elaborate scheme was simply to await the perfect opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to Xiao Jinshi.

As for Xiao Lan, she initially had no intention of personally dealing with Xiao Jin Shi. In her view, Xiao Jin Shi owed her father the most, and it was more appropriate for her parents to avenge this debt. However, as the saying goes, things don't always go as planned. Xiao Jin Shi seemed completely unrestrained, continuing to act as she pleased and constantly challenging everyone's limits. Ultimately, Xiao Lan could no longer tolerate it and resolutely decided to use her current power and influence to deliver a fatal blow to Xiao Jin Shi without mercy.

First, Xiao Lan would cleverly reveal the true identity of Consort Xiao Jin, leaving her with no way to hide or deny it. Next, she would frame Xiao Jin for "offending the Crown Prince's consort." In this way, even if Xiao Lan's grandfather wanted to elevate Xiao Jin's status again and make her his second wife, he would likely have to think it over carefully. After all, if he offended the royal family and still insisted on elevating Xiao Jin, it would inevitably raise suspicions of disrespect towards the imperial family. Thus, Xiao Jin would be completely trapped in a desperate situation.

Therefore, Xiao Lan decided to put her bathing aside for the time being. She knew that the most urgent task was to properly plan her actions for tonight. After all, every step required careful planning to ensure everything went smoothly.

"Yes, Miss! I'll take care of it right away." Dingding agreed and then turned to leave, hurrying out to find Li Yuan so that they could discuss the relevant matters together.

At this moment, Xiao Lan turned to Dangdang beside her and softly instructed, "Dangdang, please make a trip and invite Commander Yue to the tea room for a chat. Remember to tell him that I have specially prepared local fragrant tea from Xiwu Prefecture and would like to invite him to taste it together." Dangdang nodded in acknowledgment of the task and then quickly left the room, heading towards Commander Yue's location.

When Yue Jiangchuan rushed to the tea room, he immediately saw Xiao Lan had changed into a light blue-green dress. She sat gracefully before the tea table, focused and skilled in the tea-rinsing process. Her hands deftly manipulated the tea utensils, each movement fluid and natural, as if she and the utensils were one. Such skill would likely make even the most renowned tea masters in the capital envious.

Yue Jiangchuan couldn't help but admire her inwardly. He then stepped forward, clasped his hands, and bowed to Xiao Lan, saying, "Miss Xiao, I heard that you came here specifically to see me. May I ask what brings you here?" Xiao Lan raised her head upon hearing this, smiled sweetly, and gently pointed to the seat opposite her with her jade-like hand, saying softly, "Commander Yue, please take a seat. The tea will be served in a moment."