Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Qi Shu kept her lips tightly shut and did not utter another word. However, at this moment, Madam Xiao stepped forward and said earnestly to her father-in-law, "Father-in-law, although this eldest sister-in-law is not your biological daughter, Liangliang is indeed your own grandson!"

At that moment, a flood of memories flashed through Xiao Zhenwei's mind. He couldn't help but recall that although Xiao Jinshi's behavior was improper and violated traditional feminine virtues, he had personally witnessed Xiao Dayi and Xiao Li'an being born. Especially Xiao Dayi, whose appearance bore a striking resemblance to his own, so he was undoubtedly his own flesh and blood. Even if some doubts remained in his heart, no matter how bad the situation, how could he bear to let his descendants suffer? Thinking of this, he spoke softly, "Lanlan, quickly tell your aunt and your brother to get up."

Unexpectedly, Xiao Lan burst out laughing upon hearing this, her laughter clear and tinged with sarcasm. A slight smile played on her lips as she replied, "Grandfather, don't be so quick to speak. There's more than just one 'bastard' of unknown origin in our family!"

Upon hearing Xiao Lan's words, the entire hall erupted in an uproar. Everyone present was dumbfounded and utterly astonished! Their gazes turned to Xiao Lan, their faces filled with disbelief.

Xiao Lan's face was ashen, her eyes fixed firmly on Ding Ding beside her, and she slowly ordered, "Quickly go and fetch another bowl of water."

However, at that moment, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Madam Jin instantly lost control of her emotions. Her face flushed crimson, her eyes widened as if they were about to bulge out, and her once pretty face was now twisted and ferocious with rage. Pointing her finger at Xiao Lan, she screamed at her in a fit of rage, "You're just spouting nonsense! Da Yi is clearly the Marquis's own flesh and blood. Qi Zheng was already dead back then, how could you frame me like this without any basis?"

Seeing this, Xiao Zhenwei, standing to the side, frowned slightly. He remained silent for a moment, then pondered that what Xiao Jin had said made sense. After all, he often looked at his youngest son, Dayi, and felt that the boy bore a striking resemblance to himself; his eyebrows, eyes, and nose all seemed to resemble his younger self. Thinking this, he quickly advised, "Lanlan, perhaps there's really no need to investigate this further. In my opinion, your uncle does indeed look very much like me." He nodded unconsciously, indicating his agreement.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Lan seemed to be in a completely isolated space, utterly oblivious to the reactions of those around her—whether surprised, angry, or fearful. A faint smile played on her lips, as if nothing in the world could affect her in the slightest. Then, she gently raised her hand and casually waved to Dingding beside her, signaling her to quickly fetch some water.

After Dingding hurriedly left to carry out her orders, Xiao Lan didn't even glance at anyone else. She walked with firm, elegant steps, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, directly towards Xiao Chengliang's location. With each step she took closer, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Everyone held their breath, their eyes glued to the scene about to unfold.

In the blink of an eye, before anyone could react, two crisp slaps echoed throughout the room. Looking closer, they saw that Xiao Lan had mercilessly raised her hand and slapped Xiao Chengliang's once handsome face hard across the cheek, delivering two resounding blows with both hands!

This sudden turn of events stunned everyone present. For a moment, there was complete silence; you could probably hear a pin drop. Xiao Chengliang, who had been hit, stared wide-eyed in disbelief. His cheek instantly became swollen and red, and a burning pain shot through his face, nearly causing him to faint.

However, Xiao Lan showed no remorse or leniency whatsoever for her actions. She slowly turned around, facing the terrified Xiao Jinshi standing not far away, her eyes revealing a chilling coldness. Then, in a voice almost devoid of emotion, she said, "Now, can you shut your mouth? If you continue to be so ungrateful and incessantly chatter, then don't blame me for being merciless and continuing to slap him until you obediently quiet down!"

Just then, seeing Xiao Lan slap Xiao Chengliang hard, Madam Xiao rushed forward anxiously, blocking Xiao Lan's path without hesitation, and said righteously, "No matter what, even if he is not a true member of the Marquis's family, you personally promised that you would never harm him in the slightest! Miss Xiao, you will become a prince's consort in the future, you must keep your promise and do what you say!"

Meanwhile, despite Xiao Zhenwei's resentment and dissatisfaction towards Xiao Jinshi, Xiao Chengliang was still his grandson! So he couldn't suppress his anxiety and hurriedly spoke up to stop him, saying, "Lanlan, even if he has made a thousand mistakes, he is still your own brother! Your behavior is simply inappropriate!"

Hearing this, Xiao Lan felt a chill run down her spine. It turned out that Marquis Xiao Zhenwei was still as extremely biased towards male descendants and disdainful of women as he had been in her previous life. However, none of this mattered to Xiao Lan now, because all she valued was the immense wealth and powerful influence of the Marquis's mansion. As for the old Marquis, maintaining a facade of harmony was enough for him.

Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed across Xiao Lan's beautiful face. She parted her lips slightly and said, "Hmph! I don't have that kind of lowly thing born of a prostitute as my brother." After saying that, she turned around abruptly, staring at Xiao Houshi with piercing eyes, and continued coldly, "I only promised before that I wouldn't harm your own children, but as for those bastards who aren't your own, I can do whatever I want with them!"

Xiao Lan's words struck like a thunderbolt, leaving Xiao Zhenwei and Madam Xiao speechless and utterly shocked. They never imagined that the usually gentle and docile Xiao Lan would utter such ruthless and heartless words. Meanwhile, Madam Jin, standing nearby, quickly realized what was happening. She inwardly cried out in alarm, her face turning deathly pale, muttering repeatedly, "It's over, it's all over..."

Just then, Dingding hurried in again, carrying a bowl of water. She carefully avoided everyone's gaze, giving Xiao Lan a slight nod, indicating that everything was ready. Xiao Lan nodded knowingly, her face remaining expressionless. Then, she pointed at Xiao Chengliang standing not far away and shouted sternly to the Imperial Guards beside her, "You lot, quickly hold him down firmly! No slackening allowed!" At the same time, she turned to the Prefect's men and gave an unceremonious order, "And you, quickly drag this woman away! Don't let her interfere with my business!"

Just as everyone had exhausted themselves to forcibly separate Lady Xiao and Xiao Chengliang, Xiao Lan, wielding a sharp blade, slashed at Xiao Chengliang's palm without hesitation. A scream rang out, "Ah!" Xiao Chengliang cried out in pain. All eyes were instantly drawn to him; they watched in horror as blood gushed from Xiao Chengliang's injured hand, like an unstoppable flood.

Xiao Lan's face showed disgust as she forcefully shook her hands, trying to remove the bloodstains. Once the blood had lessened slightly, she carefully dripped a few drops of bright red blood into a delicate porcelain bowl. Then, she slightly tilted her head and winked at Dingding beside her. Dingding understood immediately, quickly taking the bowl of blood and walking briskly towards Xiao Zhenwei.

Seeing this, Xiao Zhenwei didn't hesitate at all. He also picked up a sharp knife and lightly cut his wrist, creating a thin, long wound. Then, he quickly dripped the blood into a bowl. However, unexpectedly, despite the passing of time, the two drops of blood in the bowl remained completely separate, like strangers.

Xiao Zhenwei frowned, turning to look at Xiao Lan with a puzzled expression. Xiao Lan didn't say anything, but simply gestured to Dingding to bring the bowl back to her. Once Dingding brought the bowl, Xiao Lan turned expressionlessly to Xiao Houshi and coldly said, "Drip your blood. After you've dripped it, you'll understand everything." Before she finished speaking, without giving Xiao Houshi a chance to react, she abruptly grabbed Xiao Houshi's hand and, in the same manner, made a small cut on it. Instantly, bright red blood flowed from the wound. Xiao Lan then dripped this blood into the bowl and carefully placed the bowl on the tray Dingding was carrying.

At that moment, Xiao Zhenwei, Liu Pengfei, and Yue Jiangchuan also gathered around, staring intently at the porcelain bowl containing three drops of blood, secretly wondering what astonishing scene would unfold next.

Just then, Prefect Liu broke the silence. His eyes widened in astonishment as he exclaimed, "My God, it hasn't melted at all!" He immediately realized his mistake, that he shouldn't have so bluntly voiced his thoughts. He hastily covered his mouth with his right hand, afraid of saying anything more inappropriate.

Xiao Lan, standing to the side, naturally understood that what Prefect Liu said reflected the same questions on the minds of everyone present. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and then slowly explained, "Please do not panic, everyone. This child is not the biological son of Lady Xiao. If he were truly Lady Xiao's biological child, even if his blood did not mix with Lord Xiao's, it should still be compatible with Lady Xiao's blood." After speaking, Xiao Lan turned to look at Lady Xiao.

At this moment, Lady Xiao Hou had released her grip on Xiao Chengliang, her face as pale as paper. She stared intently at Xiao Lan, her eyes filled with fear and unease, and her voice trembled as she questioned Xiao Lan, "What exactly happened? You must know the reason, tell me the truth!"

Xiao Lan glanced at Madam Xiao, then looked at Xiao Zhenwei and asked, "Grandfather, may I speak of this? After all, it's a family scandal..."

Before Xiao Lan could finish speaking, Xiao Zhenwei angrily said, "At a time like this, what's with all this talk about family scandals? What do you know? Speak up!"

“Then I’ll tell you,” Xiao Lan said, glancing at Xiao Zhenwei before recounting the whole story amidst the expectant gazes of the surrounding crowd.

Back then, although Xiao Dayi was about to marry the noblewoman Xiao Hou, he couldn't shake his old habit of philandering. Before the wedding even took place, he became involved with a courtesan in a brothel. This courtesan was shrewd; knowing Xiao Dayi was the son of a marquis, she was naturally happy to spend her days with him.

As Xiao Dayi's wedding date approached, the courtesan somehow obtained a secret medicine and secretly used it, soon becoming pregnant. Meanwhile, Xiao Houshi had just married into the Xiao family when Xiao Zhenwei strictly ordered Xiao Dayi to sever all ties with the women outside and restricted his movements.

Thus, during that period, Xiao Dayi had no choice but to spend every night in Xiao Houshi's room. Coincidentally, not long after, Xiao Houshi also became pregnant. Seeing that his daughter-in-law was pregnant, Xiao Zhenwei could no longer strictly control Xiao Dayi.

Who would have thought that this loosening of restraints would have such a devastating effect! Xiao Dayi reconnected with the courtesan in the blink of an eye, and even more surprisingly, he learned that she was also pregnant. It must be known that women in brothels possess extraordinary skills. Even while pregnant, the courtesan still managed to completely control and subdue Xiao Dayi.

Meanwhile, Lady Xiao, heavily pregnant, focused solely on the movements of her unborn child and her own health, completely unaware of the subtle changes in Xiao Dayi's condition. Days passed in this manner, and her due date drew ever closer.