Expelled from the Duke's mansion, the fake heiress is richer than a country.

"Young Master Yan, is this your formal proposal to me?"

Faced with Yu Wanran's mocking smile, Yan Cheng'an blushed and was at a loss for what to do.

"It's not formal, but before I formally propose, I need to ask your opinion, Ranran. I'm not afraid of being embarrassed in public, but this world is ultimately harsher on women, and I don't want to damage your reputation!"

He was considerate and thoughtful, possessing a gentleness and responsibility rarely seen in ordinary men. This made Yu Wanran's expression soften involuntarily.

"Young Master Yan, I am deeply grateful for your high regard. But I once swore an oath that anyone who asks for my hand in marriage must do two things. Can you do them?"

"What two things?"

Yan Cheng'an was overjoyed! Generally speaking, if someone is willing to make demands, it means that the other party has already considered him. He knew that Ranran wasn't entirely indifferent to him.

"Don't just say two, I'd agree to two hundred!"

He was so excited that his wound reopened. However, the joy completely overshadowed the pain, and he felt nothing at all.

"First, I don't want to be confined to the inner quarters. After marriage, I will continue my business, and even go overseas to trade!"

"No problem! Ranran, you and I are thinking the same thing!"

Yan Cheng'an clenched his fists excitedly.

"My greatest dream, Yan Cheng'an, is to one day travel all over the world. If I have the chance, I'd even like to go overseas to see the customs and traditions there, which I've heard are completely different from ours."

To have a loved one by your side, living in perfect harmony, spending the rest of your life traveling throughout the beautiful landscapes of Dazhao, and incidentally making a fortune along the way—what could be more blissful!

Yu Wanran looked directly into his eyes.

The other person's joy was genuine, overflowing from their eyes. For a moment, her heart pounded violently. It was as if weary geese had finally found a nest to rest in the vast mountains and forests.

She unconsciously lowered her voice.

"Secondly, I do not accept that you have concubines, not even maids!"

She and Xiao Yao were victims of this system of wives and concubines. Even if they were born innocent, they were the ones who ultimately suffered the consequences.

Xiao Yao may seem to be doing better than her now, but lacking sixteen years of education, the ignorance of the villagers clashes with the ideology of the powerful, and her life is actually ruined!

"What a coincidence!"

Yan Cheng'an was pleasantly surprised and took her hand, pulling her towards him.

"Our Yan family has an ancestral rule: a man may only take a concubine if he is over thirty and has no offspring! Before that, let alone a concubine, he is not even allowed to have a maidservant?"

"As for those born after thirty..."

He held Yu Wanran's hand tightly.

"Ranran, even if you don't bear me a son or daughter, I won't go looking for other women!"

“I have an older brother at home! My sister-in-law gave birth to two sons for him, and they’re very robust. The Yan family doesn’t need me at all, so I won’t contribute any more of my meager strength to the family.”

"I swear, I will never betray you in this life! If I do, you can kill me with one blow!"

As he spoke, he forcefully pulled Yu Wanran's hand to his forehead.

Yu Wanran felt the warm, soft fur in her palm and couldn't resist giving it a quick stroke. Her face flushed red, and she whispered, "Can you guarantee you'll do these two things..."

She shrank back, meeting his starry eyes, and made up her mind to suppress her shyness.

"I promise you that once you return, you will send someone to propose marriage to me..."

Yan Cheng'an may not be the person she loves most right now, but he is the person most suitable for her.

"Ha ha!"

The door was suddenly pushed open.

Gao Huaien entered the cabin laughing heartily.

"Although we don't want to bother you two, the ship has arrived at the other side's dock, and we urgently need Miss Yu to represent us in negotiating with the Zhan people."

Yu Wanran abruptly pulled her hand back.

Yan Cheng'an glared at the silly girl who was laughing foolishly and had forgotten to explain herself. He got up, lowered his head, and hurriedly walked out of the cabin.

For the next month or so, the search fleet tirelessly traveled at sea.

Yu Wanran bribed local officials with a large sum of money to obtain a temporary permit to travel in the waters surrounding Champa.

Using money and her fluent Zham language, she communicated with the locals. Finally, their sincerity and perseverance moved those in the know.

An old village chief from a fishing village, through an introduction, sold them ten fire corals for five hundred taels of silver per cluster.

By carefully preserving these hard-won, life-saving medicinal herbs, the fleet was finally able to return home victoriously.

On the return journey, the coastal towns of Dazhao took the initiative to supply the fleet with additional provisions, and none dared to cause any trouble.

News of the Crown Prince's serious illness and the dispatch of a fleet to seek medicine across thousands of miles of sea had spread throughout the Great Zhao Dynasty. The Empress was determined to perish if the mission failed, and with everyone watching, even the Second Prince's faction dared not make a move.

The moment the fleet approached the dock, the Imperial Guards surrounded it.

Yu Wanran and others personally carried ten fire corals, and under the protection of the Imperial Guards, delivered the medicinal herbs directly to the East Palace.

All the imperial physicians were present, awaiting orders. As soon as Huo Shanhu arrived, they immediately set to work, preparing the Ice Jade Antidote Pill according to ancient texts.

With rare medicinal herbs and everything in place, if something still goes wrong, none of the imperial physicians and their families will escape.

The Emperor and Empress personally oversaw the imperial physicians' treatment of the Crown Prince with antidote.

As meritorious officials, Yu Wanran, Yan Cheng'an, and Xiang Gang were also invited to rest in a side hall of the East Palace. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the medicine was faulty, and they were all implicated by the enraged Emperor and Empress…

Having reached this point, Yu Wanran was no longer afraid.

She even made arrangements for her funeral!

This rebirth was worth it!

Confined to the Eastern Palace, she calmly ate and drank as usual. She even managed to cultivate a relationship with Yan Cheng'an, with whom she had made a promise…

That night, good news came from the Crown Prince's palace: the Crown Prince, who had not had a good night's sleep for many years, finally slept soundly until dawn!

On the third day, the sores on the prince's body stopped oozing foul-smelling pus and instead turned into traces of fresh blood.

Ten days later, the prince's wound healed, and he ate two bowls of rice with a great appetite!

Half a month later, the crown prince was able to sit up from the bed with the help of palace maids.

A month later, the prince was able to walk slowly by himself while holding onto the wall.

The Empress wept with joy, and the mother and son embraced and wept bitterly. Even the Emperor couldn't help but hug his son, whom he had lost and found again, and wiped away tears.

With a pearl, why would you need fish eyes!

The time for a complete reckoning has come.

On the day the Crown Prince was able to walk out of his palace on his own, the Empress, along with civil and military officials, presented the Emperor with a flood of memorials, like snowflakes, from the court to the inner palace.

The Emperor enumerated the crimes committed by the Consort and the Second Prince's faction over the years, including forming cliques for personal gain, controlling the court, selling official positions, and persecuting loyal officials. Faced with a barrage of witness testimonies and evidence, the Emperor was furious.

On that day, the Imperial Concubine was demoted to commoner status and banished to the Cold Palace. The Second Prince was stripped of his title and imprisoned.

The common people spread the news and celebrated. Officials who had followed the Second Prince for many years were brought down one after another.

The Imperial Concubine and the Second Prince committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Every day, the execution grounds in the capital were filled with heads rolling, and the administration of Dazhao seemed to have become much more efficient overnight.

It was about two months later when Yu Wanran and the others left the East Palace and were invited to the Golden Palace, where the Emperor and Empress personally rewarded them.