Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Chapter 104 Shaozhou Night Market

Inside the spacious and ornate carriage, a somber and oppressive atmosphere permeated the air. Yan Nan's deep eyes revealed a hint of concern as he stared intently at Xiao Lan, who sat quietly beside him. At this moment, Xiao Lan's head was bowed, her beautiful face shrouded in melancholy; the radiant, vibrant, and lively spirit she once possessed had vanished.

Yan Nan turned his head and looked at Xiao Mu'an, who was sitting opposite him. He frowned slightly and asked with a puzzled expression, "Brother Mu'an, what's wrong with Lanlan? When we returned from the Gu family just now, I noticed that she seemed to be in a bad mood and looked sullen."

Upon hearing Yan Nanhui's question, Xiao Mu'an first sighed softly, then a helpless expression appeared on his face. He slowly shook his head and said softly, "Fifth Prince, this matter is truly a long story. Back then, Madam Yao treated my younger sister very well. No matter what rare and precious items the family acquired, as long as they could be shared with her own daughter, she would definitely prepare the same portion for Lan'er without hesitation. Therefore, Lan'er went to the Gu family today for this reason, and had no intention of deliberately making things difficult for the mother and daughter."

Yan Nanhui's brows furrowed, his face contorted with rage, as he roared indignantly, "Even if that's the case, so what? They actually made our beautiful, kind, gentle, and lovely Lanlan so unhappy, that's their unforgivable crime! What's even more intolerable is that your former aunt, who is utterly shameless, dared to commit such a disgraceful act as getting pregnant out of wedlock! It's simply morally corrupt and a disgrace to the family! Someone like her should be put in a pig cage and sunk to the bottom of the water to teach her a lesson, that would be a severe punishment for her!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Yan Nanhui cautiously stole a glance at Xiao Lan beside him. She saw her delicate brows furrowed, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears, her pretty face filled with sorrow and grievance. Yan Nanhui felt a surge of pity, and at the same time, he secretly pondered how to make this charming beauty before him stop crying and start smiling.

He racked his brains, pondering for a long time, but his mind was a jumbled mess, and he couldn't make sense of it. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't come up with a brilliant idea that could immediately turn Xiao Lan's sorrow into joy. Helpless, Yan Nanhui could only continue to echo her, endlessly listing all of Yao's faults, hoping that this would alleviate some of Xiao Lan's inner pain, even if it was just to slightly soothe her bad mood.

Just as everyone's attention was focused on Xiao Mu'an, eagerly awaiting his response, an unexpected scene unfolded—Xiao Lan broke the brief silence by opening her lips first.

She spoke slowly in her clear yet slightly heavy voice, "To be honest, the fact that she became pregnant out of wedlock isn't the real reason I dislike her from the bottom of my heart. You see, how can you put all the blame on the woman when something like this happens? After all, it's a mistake made by both of them! Yet in the end, the woman has to silently bear all the bitterness and blame. Alas... this is undoubtedly the most tragic and lamentable thing for a woman!"

Yan Nanhui, who had been watching Xiao Lan closely, was overjoyed to see that she had finally opened up. He quickly pressed on, asking, "In that case, does that mean Lanlan no longer harbors any anger towards them?"

Xiao Lan slowly and gently shook her head, the movement heavy and weak. Her face became extremely solemn, as if shrouded in a thick layer of dark clouds. After a moment, she finally spoke, "Actually, the reason I feel so angry and resentful is not just because Yao was already pregnant before the marriage. What's more crucial, and what's even more infuriating, is that she clearly knows in her heart that she's already carrying another man's child, yet she insists on pinning this messy debt on my poor, innocent second uncle!"

Xiao Lan became increasingly agitated as she spoke, her voice rising several decibels involuntarily, her eyes flashing with fury: "And do you know what? All these years have passed, and not only has she shown no remorse whatsoever, she has become even more ruthless, using all sorts of disgusting, despicable, and shameless methods to torment my grandmother! Not only that, she has also been insatiably exploiting my second uncle for money, she's simply a shameless bloodsucker! How can one not hate those two people to the core for such a series of extremely vile acts?"

At this point, Xiao Lan suddenly stopped. Her brows furrowed tightly, her lips trembling slightly, as if she wanted to continue, but couldn't find the right words to accurately describe the complex and indescribable feelings deep within her. So, she could only lower her head and mutter softly to herself, so softly that no one could understand what she was saying…

"Alright, Lanlan, let's not be angry anymore!" Yan Nan Hui completely ignored Xiao Mu An, who was standing to the side like a 1000-watt light bulb, and said directly, "You can rest assured. I will definitely not tell anyone about what happened today, not even my father and mother!" Before he finished speaking, Yan Nan Hui raised three fingers high without hesitation and solemnly swore an oath.

Seeing his expression, Xiao Lan suddenly seemed to have a flash of inspiration and snapped back to her senses. She quickly reached out and grabbed Yan Nan Hui's arm tightly, saying anxiously, "Oh dear, why can't you tell His Majesty and Consort Tong? You've come all the way from the North to our South, it must have been so difficult for you! Of course, you should go back and report everything you've seen and heard here to them!"

Yan Nan frowned slightly, her face showing difficulty as she explained, "But this matter is hardly something to be proud of. If it gets out, it might damage the Jiang family's reputation." Her words were full of worry and concern.

However, Xiao Lan disagreed. She shook her head and retorted, "If we're really going to talk about it, it's the Yao family's reputation that should be damaged! Our Jiang family has been nothing more than kind, innocent, and pitiful people who have been deceived. How could we possibly ruin our own reputation because of this?" As she spoke, Xiao Lan's eyes reddened and her voice choked slightly as she recounted all the ways her family had been bullied.

"Then I'll go back and tell Father and Mother that the Yao family is shameless!" Yan Nanhui chuckled to himself upon hearing his charming and adorable fiancée speak so angrily. He secretly resolved to tell his father, Emperor Yan Zhen, and his mother, Consort Tong Yinyin, everything that happened when he returned to the palace. However, just then, Xiao Lan seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly added, "Oh dear, remember to tell your father as if you're just a kid going out to play and excitedly telling him about the interesting things that happened. Don't make it too formal."

Hearing this, Yan Nan Hui was stunned and asked with a puzzled look, "Why? The Yao family has gone too far. Shouldn't we take this opportunity to have my father punish them severely?" He really couldn't understand why Xiao Lan would make such a request. Could it be that she still had some attachment to the Yao family and couldn't bear to see them completely destroyed? Thinking of this, Yan Nan Hui's brows furrowed slightly, and he stared intently at the person in front of him, trying to find a clue in her expression.

"Whether or not to punish them is not a decision for a mere prince like you. All we need to do is inform His Majesty of this matter. As for how to handle it afterward, that is naturally a matter for His Majesty to consider, and it has nothing to do with us! Besides, it seems that the Yao family members have all pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince. If you insist that His Majesty punish the Yao family, what if someone takes the opportunity to accuse you of targeting the Crown Prince's faction and harboring treacherous intentions? How would you deal with that then? However, if you merely mention this matter while dining and chatting with the Consort and His Majesty, then it is simply you, as a son, recounting what you have seen and heard during your travels. Then, the father learns about the misdeeds of a certain minister through the fragments of his son's words and punishes him accordingly. In this way, the whole matter has absolutely nothing to do with the child who is telling his parents about everyday matters."

After listening intently to Xiao Lan's words, Yan Nanhui instantly grasped their deeper meaning and replied, "Brilliant! Now that you've explained it, I understand completely. Don't worry, in the future, I will wait until Father Emperor comes to Mother Consort's palace for a meal and then casually bring it up during our conversation. Let's just treat it as some lighthearted gossip for them."

Xiao Lan smiled gently as she gazed tenderly at Yan Nan Hui, her heart filled with contentment. Although this life was different from her previous one, and they no longer drank and talked every night like before, Yan Nan Hui always understood her whenever she spoke, as if they shared an innate tacit understanding.

This tacit understanding was a precious emotion she had never cultivated in her past life, even after spending many years with Yan Linfeng. Recalling her past life, no matter how hard she tried to understand Yan Linfeng, the two could never achieve a spiritual connection. But now, having only known Yan Nan for a short time, she already possessed such a profound understanding, which made Xiao Lan marvel at the wondrous arrangement of fate.

Lost in memories of her past life, Xiao Lan was completely unaware of the situation at hand. Just moments before, in an attempt to stop Yan Nan from making his vow, she had grabbed his hand in desperation. However, now, the hand she had been holding had turned around and was tightly gripping her small hand, enveloping it firmly in both of his large hands.

Xiao Lan was lost in her own thoughts, completely unaware that Yan Nan Hui had quietly taken her delicate hand. However, this scene did not escape the eyes of Xiao Mu An, who was sitting quietly to the side. This Fifth Prince, in other aspects, was not bad, but he had one troublesome habit—he always liked to take advantage of his younger sister. Look at him now, even though she was sitting right next to him, he dared to be so blatant and touch her inappropriately! It was hard to imagine how recklessly this guy would act if she wasn't around.

Thinking of this, Xiao Mu'an coughed softly, trying to subtly signal Yan Nan Hui to let go of his sister's hand. Unexpectedly, Yan Nan Hui seemed to suddenly switch into a feigned ignorance mode, completely ignoring Xiao Mu'an's murderous gaze as if it didn't exist.

Seeing Yan Nan Hui's shamelessness, Xiao Mu An finally couldn't contain his anger and said directly, "Fifth Prince, could you please release my sister's hand? You and my little sister are not yet married; such behavior is probably inappropriate." He thought that after hearing these words, Yan Nan Hui would be somewhat embarrassed or ashamed, but to his surprise, Yan Nan Hui only showed a slight reluctance and then slowly released his grip on Xiao Lan's hand. Even more unexpectedly, the one who ended up blushing and looking extremely embarrassed was not Yan Nan Hui, but Xiao Mu An, who had just spoken up for justice! At this moment, he looked more like the frivolous and dissolute person than Yan Nan Hui.

Xiao Lan took a deep breath, trying to gather her chaotic thoughts, and focused her gaze on the two men before her. Although they remained silent, an invisible force seemed to be subtly vying between them. She gently shook her head, a faint smile playing on her lips, and said, "Brother, and Nan Hui, why don't we go for a walk together?"

Seeing that neither of them objected, Xiao Lan was delighted and took the lead in walking downstairs. Xiao Mu'an and Nan Hui followed closely behind, and the group quickly blended into the bustling night market of Shaozhou.