Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Under the close escort of a group of well-trained and serious-looking guards from the Xiao family, Xiao Lan walked lightly and slowly to Xiao Mu'an's side. Her charming face was filled with a joyful smile, and her pair of bright, watery eyes shone like the stars in the night sky.

"Brother, what brings you here? Where are Father and Mother?" Xiao Lan asked cheerfully, while playfully glancing to Xiao Mu'an's left and right, as if hoping to suddenly spot her parents from some corner.

Xiao Mu'an, meanwhile, stared at his younger sister in utter astonishment. He thought to himself, "It's only been a few days since we last met, and my usually obedient and adorable sister has quietly accomplished something so earth-shattering!" Recalling his mother's almost frantic excitement upon receiving Xiao Lan's message, even Xiao Mu'an couldn't help but be moved. That expression was exactly like his mother's boundless joy when she gave birth to his sister and when he himself passed the imperial examination!

Sometimes, even Xiao Mu'an himself couldn't help but sigh with admiration: his younger sister was truly amazing. She always managed to deliver a resounding slap to those who underestimated her or belittled her abilities, leaving them speechless and dumbfounded. And the amusing and vivid phrase "slap in the face" was actually taught to him by his sister herself!

Xiao Mu'an smiled and gently patted Xiao Lan's head, saying softly, "Mother has been feeling a little unwell lately, so she came by carriage. Father was worried about her, so he accompanied her all the way. As for me, I chose to ride a horse, so I arrived here a little faster."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan's heart tightened, and she hurriedly asked, "Why is Mother suddenly feeling unwell? She's always been in excellent health! If it weren't for something urgent, Brother wouldn't have said that." She knew that her mother, Jiang Nihuang, had always been strong and healthy; unless there were special circumstances, she would never be in this condition.

Xiao Mu'an paused for a moment, hesitated slightly, and then said tactfully, "Hmm... Mother seems to be planning to make you the older sister."

"What? Brother, are you serious?" Xiao Lan stared wide-eyed in astonishment, pondering to himself. Firstly, he had never had a younger brother or sister like this in his previous life; secondly, Jiang Nihuang was already thirty-nine years old, and if she gave birth now, she would probably be forty by the time the child was born. Leaving aside the fact that this might not be a big deal in modern society, this was, after all, the ancient Great Xia Dynasty, where medical standards were quite limited! Giving birth at such an age might not be a good thing for Jiang Nihuang. Thinking of this, Xiao Lan couldn't help but feel worried.

“I only found out about this after I got home! Originally, I planned to set off for Shaozhou immediately after delivering the goods, but this happened at this crucial moment, so I had no choice but to stay. As soon as I received your letter yesterday, I immediately had an idea and thought I should come to your Xiao family with my father and mother as soon as possible.” Xiao Mu’an explained the reason to Xiao Lan with a serious expression, and also told her in detail why she could not go to Shaozhou as planned.

Speaking of Xiao Mu'an, his father Xiao Daren and grandfather Xiao Zhenwei weren't particularly close, and because of this, his relationship with Xiao Zhenwei was naturally just average. However, fortunately, Xiao Mu'an was a boy, so every year on his birthday, Xiao Zhenwei would thoughtfully arrange for someone to send him a birthday gift.

However, as time went on, Xiao Mu'an was surprised to discover that Xiao Zhenwei had never given Xiao Lan any birthday gifts. This aroused Xiao Mu'an's pity, so from that moment on, he silently made a decision: to give all the things sent from Xiwu Prefecture every year to Xiao Lan.

Therefore, every time her brother Xiao Mu'an's birthday came around, Xiao Lan would receive a huge pile of gifts. These gifts were dazzling and overwhelming, including all kinds of exquisite jade pendants, high-quality writing implements, and precious calligraphy and paintings by some masters.

As time went on, Xiao Lan received more and more gifts, piling up like a mountain. Faced with so many items, she began to feel a bit overwhelmed. After much deliberation, the clever and resourceful Xiao Lan decided to carefully select the high-quality, valuable gifts for her beloved brother, Xiao Mu'an, and diligently save them. As for the remaining, relatively ordinary or less desirable gifts, she unhesitatingly exchanged them for money. In this way, Xiao Lan gradually accumulated her first small fortune.

However, there was one thing Xiao Mu'an never knew. That was that Xiao Zhenwei's failure to send Xiao Lan a birthday gift was not unintentional, but rather deliberate. To outsiders, Xiao Zhenwei's actions undoubtedly seemed somewhat sexist, but in reality, he had a deeper consideration and purpose in doing so.

It turned out that Xiao Zhenwei had already learned of the mysterious legend about the Phoenix Maiden. To cover this up and mislead those who also knew the legend, making them believe that the Phoenix Maiden wasn't Xiao Lan herself, he deliberately chose not to give her a gift on her birthday. After all, for a prestigious family like the Xiao family, if there truly was a preference for sons over daughters, how could they be so stingy with a little girl's birthday gift? Clearly, this was all a carefully orchestrated charade by Xiao Zhenwei to deceive others.

"It's been two months. During this time, my mother's condition has been a constant worry for the whole family. Fortunately, apart from a poor appetite, my mother is in good health, and even the doctor who came to treat her said that she is fine."

Seeing her younger sister's anxious expression, Xiao Mu'an quickly comforted her with heartache: "Don't worry, sister. Mother is still in good health, she just has a slightly poorer appetite lately." Hearing her brother's words, Xiao Lan's mind calmed down a little, but the worry in her eyes had not completely disappeared.

"How much longer until Mother and the others arrive?" Xiao Lan asked, glancing around. The crowd was growing larger and larger, and the guards who had been maintaining order were finding it increasingly difficult to keep up. Seeing this, she quickly asked her brother.

Xiao Mu'an pointed to the right side of the Xiao Marquis's residence and replied, "They should have reached the intersection by now. However, they are not traveling with many people, and given the large crowds here, they are afraid of accidentally bumping into Mother, so the carriage has temporarily stopped at the intersection and dares not proceed rashly." Due to the dense crowd, even looking in the direction Xiao Mu'an pointed, Xiao Lan still could not see the long-awaited carriage.

After a moment's thought, Xiao Lan quickly turned to the two maids beside her and gave them instructions: "Dingding, go to the courtyard immediately and ask the Imperial Guards for support, and summon all the servants of the Xiao family here; Dangdang, lead the young master into the mansion to pay his respects to his grandfather." The two maids, upon receiving the orders, did not dare to delay and immediately prepared to split up and take action.

At that moment, how could Xiao Mu'an possibly leave? He stated without hesitation that he could not leave his sister and mother outside, resolutely declaring that he would stay. Seeing his firm attitude, Xiao Lan knew that further persuasion was useless, so she stopped insisting and let him go.

Before long, all the Imperial Guards arrived at the scene. Xiao Lan hurriedly stepped forward and explained the situation to Yue Jiangchuan, saying that her mother was weak and unable to move easily, and hoped that he could help to separate the crowd so that the carriage her mother was riding in could reach the gate of the Xiao Marquis's residence smoothly.

Upon hearing this, Yue Jiangchuan immediately began directing the Imperial Guards to action without hesitation. They quickly dispersed, forming a human wall that effectively separated the noisy crowd on both sides. Meanwhile, thanks to the Imperial Guards' assistance, Jiang Nihuang and Xiao Daren's carriage was able to proceed unimpeded directly to the gates of the Xiao Marquis's residence and come to a smooth stop.

After the carriage came to a stop, Xiao Lan and Xiao Mu'an didn't dare to delay and hurried forward. At this moment, Yue Jiangchuan inadvertently caught sight of a woman of unparalleled beauty slowly alighting from the carriage. This woman appeared to be around thirty years old, with a beautiful face and graceful bearing, and her appearance bore a striking resemblance to Xiao Lan, about six-tenths. Beside her, a tall and imposing man carefully supported her as she slowly stepped down from the carriage.

Just as Yue Jiangchuan was filled with suspicion, wondering who the beautiful woman and handsome man were, a figure suddenly flashed before his eyes. Upon closer inspection, he saw that Xiao Lan, who was usually dignified and elegant, was now rushing away like the wind, arriving in front of the two in the blink of an eye. Her face was filled with joy, and she cried out, "Father, Mother, I've missed you so much!" Before she finished speaking, Xiao Lan had already opened her arms and hugged the beautiful woman tightly.

Upon seeing this, Yue Jiangchuan couldn't help but think to himself: So these two are Miss Xiao's parents. It's truly unexpected; they look so young. Just as his thoughts were racing, he saw Xiao Daren, with a reproachful expression, looking at his beloved daughter who was embracing his wife, feigning displeasure and saying, "Hmph, Lan'er, why are you only thinking about your mother? Don't you think about your father at all?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan quickly released Jiang Nihuang and turned her gaze to Xiao Daren, responding coquettishly, "Oh dear, Father, don't be angry. Of course, your daughter is always thinking of you." With that, she quickly stepped forward, gently took Xiao Daren's arm, and shook it like a child.

Xiao Daren gazed at the graceful Xiao Lan with a smile, a surge of paternal love welling up within him. He recalled how his beloved daughter had displayed extraordinary intelligence and wit from a young age, her sweet words as honey-sweet as honey, making him want to cherish her even more. And it was precisely because of this that Xiao Lan had been deeply loved by Xiao Daren since childhood.

What delighted Xiao Daren even more was that Xiao Lan not only had a lovable personality, but her appearance also seemed to be a combination of the family's best genes. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the child's face bore a five-point resemblance to his deceased mother, Da Jin Shi, while the other six points were a spitting image of his beloved wife, Jiang Nihuang. It must be understood that Da Jin Shi and Jiang Nihuang were the most important people in Xiao Daren's life; one gave him warm maternal love, and the other accompanied him through thick and thin, sharing countless sweet and arduous experiences.

Because his youngest daughter, Xiao Lan, resembled both her deceased mother and beloved wife, she became Xiao Daren's absolute favorite shortly after her birth. Therefore, the little jealousy he had with Jiang Nihuang earlier wasn't entirely an act; it did contain some genuine emotion.

At this moment, Jiang Nihuang gently patted Xiao Daren's shoulder with a hint of coquettishness, laughing and scolding, "Alright, alright, look at you, you're such a doting father!" After saying that, she turned to Xiao Lan and Xiao Mu'an, gently instructing them, "Come on, children, come with me to pay your respects to your grandfather." With that, she reached out and took Xiao Lan's small hand, slowly walking towards the magnificent gate of the Xiao family.

Just then, Xiao Daren hurried to Jiang Nihuang's side and said with concern, "Madam, you are pregnant now, and your body is getting heavier and heavier. You must not walk so fast! What if something goes wrong?" As he spoke, he carefully supported Jiang Nihuang.

Meanwhile, the clever and adorable Xiao Lan, seeing this, quickly stepped forward, blinked her big, watery eyes, and asked Jiang Nihuang curiously, "Mother, my brother just told me that I'm going to be a big sister soon! Is that really true?" After asking this, she couldn't wait to reach out her little hand and gently stroke Jiang Nihuang's slightly protruding belly, as if she wanted to feel the presence of the new life.