The Jun Estate's main gate was tightly shut, which only fueled Yan Ming's arrogance. He called out to the servants behind him, "Go smash that door open for me. I want to see how the people of Jun Estate turn into turtles hiding in their shells!"
With a wave of his hand, the servants surged forward. Just as they were about to push the door, it suddenly swung open. These servants, caught off guard, tumbled to the ground.
The one who opened the door was Wu Ming. He incapacitated the servants with a single move, then respectfully looked at the person behind him and asked, "Miss Lan, how should these people be dealt with?"
Lan Yan coldly replied, "Drag them aside. Don't dirty the Jun Estate's grounds."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wu Ming dragged the servants away, leaving only Yan Ming alone.
Yan Ming watched his servants being beaten and trembled all over, his face contorted in a tight frown. "Lan Yan, this is in broad daylight! Do you have any regard for the law!"
"Heh," Lan Yan scoffed. "And who was it that started the trouble first!" She took a step forward, meeting Yan Ming's gaze directly, her eyes filled with mockery.
"Yan Ming, this is the Jun Estate. As long as my husband has not been held accountable, he is still the Director of the Eastern Depot. Although these Eastern Depot members cannot carry out their duties currently, guarding the Jun Estate is more than enough."
She raised her head, and a group of people emerged from both sides of the estate, dressed in Eastern Depot uniforms, tightly surrounding the entrance.
Yan Ming's pupils contracted slightly. This Jun Yelan had already been imprisoned, yet these Eastern Depot members still followed his orders. Hatred flared in his eyes as he glared at Lan Yan through gritted teeth.
"They dare not touch me. I am here. What can you do to me!"
Lan Yan smiled, "But I have more than just Eastern Depot members by my side." With Jun Yelan targeted, she wouldn't use the Eastern Depot members, but there were other ways.
She crossed her arms and casually looked at Wu Ming beside her, asking, "Wu Ming, are you done?"
Wu Ming looked at the bruised and battered servants before him, then turned to walk towards Lan Yan. "Miss Lan, these people will not trouble you again." After his beating, these individuals wouldn't be able to get out of bed for at least a month.
Lan Yan nodded. "Wu Ming, this Young Master Yan wishes to spar with you. You should give him a lasting impression."
"Yes, Miss Lan." Wu Ming drew the dagger from his waist and walked step by step towards Yan Ming.
Fear flickered in Yan Ming's eyes, and he quickly retreated, shouting, "Don't come any closer! I am the son of Deputy Minister Yan!" But Wu Ming was an assassin and never cared for such things.
He retreated fearfully, accelerating his pace, only to violently collide with the stone lion at the entrance with the back of his head, causing him to grimace in pain. "Your Jun Estate is full of arrogant and overbearing brutes."
Lan Yan casually picked up a rolling pin and threw it towards Yan Ming's forehead. "Get lost."
Yan Ming's forehead immediately swelled. He clutched his forehead, crying out, "It hurts so much!" With his forehead and the back of his head both aching, he had no intention of dealing with Lan Yan and quickly backed away.
As he left, the servants who had struggled to get up followed him.
"Lan Yan, you just wait! Once Jun Yelan is out of power, I'll be the first one to deal with you." As he finished speaking, a pebble struck his mouth. Unable to say more, he fled quickly.
Lan Yan watched Yan Ming's retreating back, clapped her hands, and said with a smile, "Excellent, everyone has worked hard. Piping hot delicacies will be served shortly." She thanked the Eastern Depot members, having already asked Hui Niang to prepare food.
"Madam, we have not worked hard. This is what we should do," the Eastern Depot members called out. They were well aware of the Director's ruthlessness and were determined to complete their mission of protecting the Madam.
Lan Yan smiled. "Then thank you for continuing to guard the gate." Looking at these Eastern Depot members, she couldn't help but think of Jun Yelan. She turned and walked into the estate.
She had previously explored every corner of this estate, hoping to encounter Jun Yelan. But today, no matter how she walked, she couldn't find him. She looked in the direction of the palace and murmured, "I wonder how he is doing?"
Hui Niang and Wu Ming, who had been following behind, saw Lan Yan's demeanor and did not disturb her. They both understood the sorrow in Lan Yan's heart.
Lan Yan turned back and smiled at them. "Sister Hui, let's make some new pastries." To their surprise, she led the way to the kitchen and began kneading the flour.
Hui Niang helped beside her, puzzled. "Little Lan, are we really making pastries?"
"Of course," Lan Yan replied with a smile. "I've already calculated the estate's accounts for the past five years. Now that spring has arrived, it's the season for peach blossom pastries. We can also make some fruit juice."
Seeing the smile on Lan Yan's face, Hui Niang felt reassured and helped. She assisted in grinding the petals into a paste and handed it to Lan Yan.
Lan Yan then mixed the prepared peaches with the flour, using molds to create flower-shaped pastries. Finally, she placed them in a steamer and waited.
Smelling the aroma, Jun Xiao Yao arrived, climbed onto Lan Yan's lap, and said with a smile, "Sister Lan, what you've made smells so good. I could smell it from the courtyard."
Lan Yan smiled. "You can eat it soon."
"Mhm." Jun Xiao Yao took out a small packet from behind and said with a smile, "Sister Lan, here's something for you to eat."
"What is it?" Lan Yan took it and found it was filled with candies. Her eyes instantly welled up. In the past, Jun Yelan would always bring her a bag of candy whenever he returned.
Jun Xiao Yao quickly hugged Lan Yan's neck and said softly, "Sister Lan, don't be sad. Xiao Yao is here to accompany you." She had seen her brother before, and he had told her to give Sister Lan a packet of candy every day.
She assumed her brother was worried Sister Lan would be upset and wanted to cheer her up.
Lan Yan was amused and ruffled Jun Xiao Yao's head. "I'm not sad; I'm happy. I cry when I'm happy too." Seeing Jun Xiao Yao's confused expression, she didn't explain further and peeled a candy, feeding it to Jun Xiao Yao.
Then she ate one herself, and her heart instantly felt sweet.
Jun Xiao Yao didn't understand, but she listened to her brother and stayed by Sister Lan's side.
After Lan Yan's peach blossom pastries were cooked, she first placed one in a special food container and distributed the rest to Hui Niang and the others. "You all eat slowly. I'm going back to my room now."
"Little Lan, go back and rest well. Don't think about anything for now," Hui Niang said.
Lan Yan nodded, smiling as she placed the pastries in Hui Niang's hands. "Don't worry, I still have a lot of things to do." After returning to her room, she continued sewing clothes, preparing to make an outfit.
This way, when Jun Yelan returned, he could wear it immediately and also taste her newly developed pastries. "So, Jun Yelan, if you don't come back soon, I'll be truly angry."
There was no response in the room, only the flickering candlelight on the table.
Meanwhile, a secret agent from the Eastern Depot left Lan Yan's room and went to the palace to report to Jun Yelan, who was playing chess.
Jun Yelan's hand, which was holding a chess piece, paused. A slight curve formed on his lips. "My Yan'er is always so wonderful. Since the Yan family people are so restless, let's act preemptively."
His eyes darkened. He placed the black chess piece he was holding onto the board, stood up, and walked out.