Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Six imposing Imperial Guards in full armor escorted the trembling servant, marching in with measured, powerful steps into the magnificent Marquis's mansion. Xiao Lan, her face ashen, turned without hesitation and returned to the exquisitely decorated carriage.

Time passed slowly, and after about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a slight noise came from the gate of the Marquis's residence. Immediately afterwards, a group of people filed out. Leading the way was a woman over fifty years old, dressed in luxurious clothes and possessing an elegant demeanor; this was none other than Xiao Jinshi. Following behind Xiao Jinshi was Xiao Dayi's wife, Xiao Houshi. She was meek and submissive. Further back, one could see Xiao Jing'an, who had been divorced and returned home, along with her two daughters—Xiao Shu and Xiao Lanlan.

At this moment, Madam Jin stood steadily in front of the Marquis's mansion, a hint of displeasure on her face. She gently scolded the carriage, "Xiao Lan, you child, since you were going home, why didn't you inform us? Such a hasty trip would have allowed me to have the servants prepare a sumptuous meal to entertain you! Besides, how long has it been since you last visited me and your grandfather? You finally came back, but with such a commotion and shouting for battle, what kind of behavior is this!"

After listening quietly to Xiao Jin's words, Xiao Lan thought to herself: No wonder her usually intelligent father had fallen for this stepmother's schemes! At the same time, she suddenly realized why her mother, who possessed solid evidence, hadn't taken action against her. It turned out that this Xiao Jin was a complete and utter scheming woman!

Even though she had already sent the Imperial Guards to forcibly remove her, she was able to act as if nothing had happened, shamelessly putting on that hypocritical and kind act.

However, Xiao Lan was not one to be easily fooled. Faced with Xiao Jin's feigned concern, she was not fooled at all. Her eyebrows furrowed and her almond eyes widened as she angrily shouted, "Insolence!" Before the words were even finished, she reached out without hesitation, signaling Dingdingdang beside her to quickly step forward and help her out of the carriage.

After Xiao Lan steadily alighted from the carriage, she first slightly adjusted her skirt, then straightened her posture and stared intently at Xiao Jinshi and the group behind her, saying sternly, "Xiao Jinshi, as a mere concubine of the Marquis's mansion, where do you get the audacity to call me 'child'? Not only that, but instead of paying your respects, you blame my only legitimate granddaughter for not sending a visiting card before returning to her own residence, and even for having to inform you. Do you really not know why I have come today? Let me tell you, I have returned to teach you a lesson for being such a lowly servant who dares to deceive her superiors!"

Xiao Lan glared angrily at Xiao Jinshi, her eyes seemingly spitting fire. She gritted her teeth and said, "Hmph! You woman, don't think I don't know what you're thinking!" As she spoke, she suddenly glared, her sharp gaze like a sword piercing straight at Xiao Jinshi.

Xiao Jin was startled by Xiao Lan's hateful gaze, her heart trembling slightly. However, she quickly regained her composure, adopting a wronged expression, and said coquettishly, "Lanlan, I know your father has always been resentful about your grandfather marrying me. After all, since I became your grandfather's second wife, I've given birth to your second aunt and uncle, taking away some of your grandfather's affection for you. But even so, I am still your father's stepmother, and his distant cousin. No matter what, you shouldn't criticize me like this in front of so many children, should you?" As she spoke, Xiao Jin took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and gently wiped the corner of her eye, making a pitiful and heartbroken appearance.

Seeing this, Xiao Jing'an, who was standing to the side, quickly stepped forward to help, saying, "Oh dear, Lanlan, how can you be so disrespectful? Look how angry you've made your grandmother! It must be because your mother hasn't taught you how to respect your elders properly." Before she finished speaking, Xiao Lan suddenly rushed in front of Xiao Jing'an, raised her hand, and slapped her hard across the face without hesitation. Two crisp "slap" sounds rang out, and two bright red handprints instantly appeared on Xiao Jing'an's face.

At that very moment, the sudden sound was like a thunderclap ripped through the sky, piercing straight into everyone's eardrums. This enormous sound seemed to carry an invisible force, instantly gripping the heartstrings of everyone present, filling them with terror and turning their faces deathly pale.

At this moment, Xiao Jing'an's second daughter, Xiao Lanlan, was terrified and turned pale. However, she quickly regained her senses, her eyes wide with anger, and she lunged at Xiao Lan with a ferocious expression, seemingly wanting to teach the woman in front of her a lesson for making her lose face.

However, just as Xiao Lanlan was about to approach Xiao Lan, two figures appeared in front of her with lightning speed. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Dingding and Dangdang who stepped forward, blocking Xiao Lanlan's path and standing firmly on their ground, like two insurmountable mountains.

At the same time, Yue Jiangchuan shouted, "Protect the Crown Princess!" With his command, numerous Imperial Guards responded in unison. In an instant, their sharp longswords were drawn, their cold light flashing, sending chills down one's spine. Their perfectly synchronized movements and chilling aura caused even the onlookers to gasp and retreat in fear at the astonishing display.

At this moment, Xiao Lan's face was as cold as ice, her eyes coldly fixed on the furious Xiao Lanlan in front of her. She coldly said, "Guards, this vile woman dared to assassinate me in the street. Immediately cripple her hands as a warning to others!"

Before Xiao Lan could finish speaking, and before Xiao Jin and the others could even speak to stop her, Dangdang and Dingding appeared beside Xiao Lanlan like ghosts. Then, two crisp sounds of bones breaking rang out, and Xiao Lanlan's arms were snapped.

"Ah..." Accompanied by a heart-wrenching scream, Xiao Lanlan collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, the excruciating pain causing her to faint instantly.

Faced with such a tragic scene, Xiao Lan remained unmoved. Instead, she stood tall and spoke righteously and loudly: "My mother was personally appointed a Lady of the Imperial Decree by the late Emperor. Xiao Jing'an, not to mention that you are merely a concubine's daughter, and moreover, you are now a discarded woman who has been kicked out of your husband's family. How dare you speak ill of a Lady of the Imperial Decree? Don't you know the enormity of your crime? Someone as ignorant and arrogant as you, even if you had many heads, would probably not be enough to behead you!"

After speaking, Xiao Lan stared coldly at Xiao Jing'an, her gaze seemingly able to pierce through one's soul. Then, in a completely emotionless tone, she said coldly, "Guards! Drag this person away and detain her temporarily. In a while, escort her to the Prefect's residence. Please, Prefect, handle this matter impartially according to the law."

Just then, Lady Xiao, who had been silent all along, slowly stepped forward. She bowed respectfully to Xiao Lan and then said softly, "Fifth Prince's Consort, I am Lady Xiao. I implore you to be lenient and, considering that my sister-in-law is also a blood relative of the Marquis, please punish her leniently. After all, she is, in name only, your aunt."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan frowned slightly and carefully examined the woman before her, Lady Xiao. Seeing that her demeanor was reasonably proper and polite, she didn't press the matter further, but instead replied calmly, "The Fifth Prince and I are not yet formally married. This trip is only because His Majesty was worried that I might encounter mistreatment and humiliation from those with ill intentions while traveling south alone. Therefore, he specifically ordered officials along the route to treat me with the respect due to a princess consort. Furthermore, regarding the 'aunt' you mentioned, my grandmother only had my father; she had no other children. Therefore, this so-called 'aunt' is probably purely fabricated."

“Young Miss, you must know that even though my mother-in-law is only the Marquis’s second wife, she can still be considered his wife! Therefore, it is perfectly proper for you to call Xiao Jing’an ‘Aunt’, both in terms of common sense and in terms of law.” As a woman from a prominent family, even when arguing with someone, Xiao Hou’s words showed no sign of being unreasonable or throwing a tantrum. Instead, she appeared calm and unhurried.

Seeing her courteous attitude, Xiao Lan naturally didn't want a direct confrontation. She smiled slightly and said gently, "The Hou family has always been a prestigious clan, and I'm sure they are very familiar with the laws of our dynasty. In that case, why don't you take a look at this?" With that, Xiao Lan reached into her robes and gently pulled out a household registration certificate. Then, she gestured to her maid, Dingding, who understood and stepped forward, holding the certificate high in both hands, displaying it to Xiao Hou Shi and the surrounding onlookers.

At the same time, Xiao Lan cleared her throat and began to explain to everyone: "As you all may not know, our Great Xia Dynasty has clear regulations. To elevate a concubine to the status of a secondary wife, one must not only go to her place of origin to remove her original slave status, but also obtain the cancellation of the relevant documents made when the concubine was taken from the local government. However, this Xiao Jin only removed her slave status; as for the concubine document, it was never destroyed. Therefore, according to this, she is at most a concubine of slightly higher status, and cannot be considered my grandfather's true wife, much less qualified to be the head mistress of the Marquis's mansion!"

Xiao Lan's words were like a thunderclap, leaving everyone stunned. Not only was Lady Xiao Hou speechless, but even Lady Jin's face turned deathly pale, large beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. Back then, she had managed all the affairs of the Marquis's mansion, believing herself to be intimately familiar with all the rules and procedures. Who could have imagined that she would make such a grave mistake on such a crucial matter!

She only remembered that, as was customary, she had removed the slaves' status so that they could regain their freedom. However, she had completely forgotten the crucial step of destroying the original documents for marrying a concubine when promoting her to the status of a secondary wife. Only now, after Xiao Lan's reminder, did she realize the seriousness of the problem as if waking from a dream.

In a panic, Madam Jin hurriedly cried out, "The Marquis made me his second wife a long time ago. I suppose the relevant documents were simply forgotten somewhere and not destroyed. I will definitely instruct the servants to find them and take care of them properly in the next few days. Please rest assured."

However, after she finished speaking, she realized that the atmosphere around her had become extremely strange. Xiao Lan was staring at her with a cold, mocking gaze, as if she had already seen through her inner panic and guilt; while her daughter-in-law, Xiao Houshi, was also looking at her with an indescribable expression, her eyes filled with shock, disappointment, and a hint of anger.

The young woman, surnamed Jin, was deathly pale, her body trembling slightly, her eyes filled with terror. She opened her mouth, wanting to explain herself, but found herself speechless.

"Hmph! Such an important matter as destroying the concubine's documents requires the head of the household to personally go to the local government office to handle it. With your abilities, how could my grandfather have entrusted the Marquis's mansion to you? It was only because his only legitimate son, my father, was still young, and he was worried that the servants would not serve him properly. Also, considering that you are my grandmother's cousin, he gave you this opportunity. But I never expected that you would be so audacious as to deceive your superiors and even persecute my father! Now, I have found conclusive evidence. Guards! Seize her immediately and escort her to the Prefect's mansion!" Xiao Lan shouted angrily, her eyes wide with fury.