“It’s so late—going out isn’t safe, is it?”
Min Ruolan worried about Lan Shuang, and Xu Chahua also felt more secure while Lan Shuang was present.
“Yes, little sister, can’t it wait until tomorrow?”
“Enough. Shuang knows what she’s doing,” Grandmother Lan interrupted them, turning to Lan Shuang.
“Shuang, be careful.”
“Thank you, Grandmother,” Lan Shuang replied.
She returned to her room, changed into a black night outfit, covered her face, and quietly slipped out.
Inside, Min Ruolan worriedly said to Grandmother Lan, “Grandmother, Shuang is still a young lady. Staying out all night could ruin her reputation, and in the future…”
“Ruolan.”
Grandmother Lan cut her off. “You have to trust Shuang.”
“I just… I’m worried about her.”
Min Ruolan truly cared for Lan Shuang, which was why she worried; otherwise, she wouldn’t have meddled.
“What reputation do we even have now?”
Grandmother Lan gave a bitter smile. Nowadays, the officials in the capital avoided them entirely.
Hearing this, Min Ruolan froze, thinking of her own mother’s attitude and feeling conflicted.
Only Xu Chahua worried differently, muttering under her breath,
“But Grandmother, what will we do tonight?”
She was scared. Would the Emperor send someone to secretly assassinate them?
“He probably won’t make a big move. He wants us gone quietly, not to draw attention.”
Grandmother Lan’s words carried a sharp tone. She then told Xu Chahua,
“If you’re scared, come stay in my room tonight.”
“All right, all right!”
Xu Chahua agreed without hesitation. That night, she and Min Ruolan stayed with Grandmother Lan along with little Su’er.
Meanwhile, Lan Shuang had already reached outside the palace. Thinking of how despicable the Dog Emperor was made her furious.
But she was frustrated—guards were everywhere inside the palace, making it impossible to cause trouble for the Emperor easily.
Still, her anger simmered, even if she couldn’t lash out immediately.
Hiding within the palace, she couldn’t find an opportunity.
She lay on the roof of the Qinzhen Hall when she suddenly heard a familiar voice:
“Your Majesty.”
It was… Ji Yunqian!
“Minister Ji, I heard from Fifth Sister that you’re still concerned about Lady Lan?”
The Emperor was clearly venting on behalf of the Fifth Princess, his tone laced with a warning.
Ji Yunqian knelt, panicked. “Your Majesty, I am not.”
“Whether true or not, I’ll ask you one thing—have you thought it through?”
The Emperor’s words left Ji Yunqian unable to defend Lan Shuang, and he only said,
“Your Majesty, I do not dwell on Lady Lan; I only remember our childhood friendship.”
“Enough. Don’t try to hide it from me. If you want to take her, you must agree to one condition.”
The young Emperor, hot-blooded and impetuous, clearly understood Ji Yunqian’s feelings.
“Your Majesty, please command.”
Ji Yunqian trembled, listening intently.
The Emperor said, “The Lan family harbors dangerous intentions. I fear weeds left untended will sprout again in spring. The Lan men are all capable, and their abilities cannot be ignored.”
“The Emperor means…”
Ji Yunqian shrank back in fear, and the Emperor smiled.
“Lan Su’er.”
The hint was clear—even if Ji Yunqian wanted to marry Lan Shuang, first he had to deal with little Su’er.
Lan Shuang, watching from the rooftop, was furious beyond words—but she could sense the hidden guards everywhere; a rash move would get her caught.
The bastard!
Ji Yunqian understood. “Your Majesty, rest assured. I will handle it.”
The Emperor added a warning, “Just for fun. Don’t take it seriously. That Lady Lan is the daughter of a traitor. She must not bear a child.”
The Emperor’s words made Ji Yunqian break into a cold sweat, and he hastily promised compliance.
“I understand what I must do.”
Forgive me, Shuang’er. It’s not that I forbid you from bearing a child—I have my own circumstances I cannot control.
Seeing Ji Yunqian like this, the Emperor suddenly became curious.
“What charm does Lan Shuang have that even with Fifth Princess in your heart, you are still not satisfied?”
The Emperor had never seen Lan Shuang in her true form. She had already been engaged, and at banquets, she sat with the ladies of the court.
“She…”
Ji Yunqian spoke honestly, “Shuang’er is gentle and soft; she doesn’t have anything particularly outstanding. But she is considerate, obedient, treats me well, and is filial.”
Understood—he finds Fifth Princess not thoughtful enough.
“And what makes you confident that she would disregard her family for you?”
The Emperor asked directly, but Ji Yunqian was full of confidence.
“I hold a high place in Shuang’er’s heart. She simply cannot accept the matters of the Lan family at the moment. Once she understands, she will return to the Hou residence to find me.”
It seemed that the past Lan Shuang had treated him too well, so he never considered her own feelings.
Lan Shuang, on the rooftop, felt her mood sour.
Tch!
A mediocre man—your old Shuang feels nothing for you.
Frustrated, she rummaged through her space for medicine to give the Dog Emperor a lesson.
Blame her for being lazy after transmigrating; she was still using the old stock—just small, petty things.
Finally, Lan Shuang held a pill in her hand, a sly smile forming on her face.
She lifted a tile, letting the powdered medicine fall gently. Upstairs, the Emperor sneezed.
“Achoo…”
“Achoo…”
Ji Yunqian wasn’t spared either. Not that she felt guilty—he wasn’t exactly innocent either.
After Ji Yunqian left, Lan Shuang moved toward the inner palace to watch the show, curious to see the effect of her medicine.
About half an hour later, the Emperor arrived at the palace of the favored consort. Lan Shuang quietly hid in the shadows.
“You useless fool!”
Suddenly, the Emperor’s scolding echoed inside the hall. Soon after, the Grand Eunuch went in.
Then, a consort was carried out, crying all the way.
Tsk… couldn’t handle it herself, yet blames the woman’s looks.
After a while, another of the Emperor’s most favored consorts was brought in.
In less than half an hour, the sounds of things breaking echoed from the room.
Another consort was sent away.
This went on four or five times. Finally, the Emperor had to concede and summon the imperial physician.
Soon after, the sound of the physician begging for mercy echoed.
This kept the Emperor busy for quite some time. Lan Shuang clapped her hands in satisfaction and quietly left.
To avoid being discovered, she left via the Cold Palace, where few people were around.
But misfortune struck. Just as Lan Shuang exited, a black-clad figure dropped down before her.
Then the voices of the palace guards shouting rang out.
“Catch the assassin!”
Lan Shuang groaned internally.
Damn, what rotten luck!
The black-clad figure advanced toward her. Lan Shuang sprinted away.
For some reason, the figure ran in the same direction as her!
In the end, both of them were caught in the pursuit of the palace guards.
“Damn it!”
Lan Shuang cursed loudly. She shouldn’t have chosen to escape via the Cold Palace.
There were more than ten to twenty palace guards. She had just transmigrated, and the original body’s martial foundation relied entirely on instinct.
“Comrade, you’ve slowed me down. If we want to shake them off, we’ll have to cooperate!”
As Lan Shuang used her lightness skills, she spoke to the black-clad figure beside her.
Originally planning to escape separately, Pei Yanzhou paused slightly at the sound of her voice.
“Alright!”