Jun Yelan looked coldly at Xi Chen and said, "Your Highness, this is the imperial harem of the Yan Dynasty, not your Hao Kingdom. If you make a mistake, of course I will punish you."
"Although you are a guest, you cannot be too presumptuous, or you will not be allowed to stay in this palace." He knew Xi Chen's hidden intentions and would absolutely not let him succeed.
Lan Yan could only be his, and his alone.
Xi Chen bit his lip. Jun Yelan was retaliating against him. He shouted, "Jun Yelan, the Empress is still young. She will like others in the future. How long can your appearance attract her?"
"She won't," Jun Yelan replied calmly. If he had doubted before, he now believed Lan Yan. "Prince Xi Chen, stop wasting your efforts. You are destined not to be a member of her harem."
He leaned close to Xi Chen's ear and sneered, "As long as I am here."
Xi Chen's pupils trembled slightly. He watched Jun Yelan walk away from him. This person was too detestable. If he saw Lan Yan, he would definitely lodge a complaint, letting Lan Yan know that Jun Yelan was not a good person.
Jun Yelan saw Xi Chen's eyes rolling, guessing his thoughts, but Xi Chen would have to be able to see Lan Yan first. He left with a slight smile, heading to where Lan Yan would finish her court session.
Today, Lan Yan had discussed peace talks with various ministers in court, and a preliminary framework had been formed. She walked out of the palace hall with light steps and saw Jun Yelan's upright figure.
She couldn't help but smile, trotted over, and called out, "Jun Yelan, why are you here today? Is something wrong?"
Jun Yelan saw Lan Yan's slightly furrowed brow and wanted to reach out, but considering the number of people, he only held her hand. "Nothing, I just wanted to wait for you today."
"Okay." Lan Yan nodded, shifted her hand, and gripped Jun Yelan's hand more firmly.
Jun Yelan's lips curved upwards. He didn't say much, and walked slowly with Lan Yan to the garden.
At this time, the garden was in full bloom, with vibrant colors everywhere. Lan Yan glanced around briefly, then walked towards the pavilion in the center and sat down to eat pastries.
Jun Yelan sat opposite her, watching her leisurely. He occasionally glanced behind Lan Yan, subtly gesturing to the palace maids there, stopping the arriving Xi Chen.
Lan Yan, seeing Jun Yelan always looking behind her, curiously tried to turn her head, but Jun Yelan held her chin.
"Yan'er, am I not good-looking? You keep looking elsewhere." When Jun Yelan smiled, his phoenix eyes became even more captivating.
Lan Yan was a bit mesmerized. She instinctively shook her head. "I'm eating." She picked up the pastries a little flusteredly, constantly looking at Jun Yelan, completely forgetting about what was happening behind her.
Jun Yelan smiled triumphantly and signaled the palace maids to take Xi Chen back. "Have some water."
Lan Yan took the teacup and drank too much, needing to go to the latrine. On her way back, she heard two palace maids discussing in low voices and listened attentively.
"The secondary consort is too much. Prince Xi Chen is our honored guest, yet he was made to kneel."
"And he's been restricting his movements, not letting him see the Empress. I think he's just jealous, afraid the Empress will be snatched away. After all, Prince Xi Chen's appearance is also exceptional."
"It's a pity the Empress has such a jealous secondary consort."
Lan Yan's eyes darkened. Throughout history, there had never been a lack of gossips, but these were about Jun Yelan. She stepped out and said coldly, "The secondary consort's command is my command. What, do you have objections?"
The palace maids were stunned and immediately dared not speak. There were other palace maids around them, and they were all looking this way.
Lan Yan called for Mei Dong. "This matter is handed over to you. Punish these two severely, as a warning to others. This palace needs to be quiet." She worried that external officials would use these palace servants to cause trouble within the palace.
The palace maids knew Mei Dong's methods. They all slumped to the ground, not even having time to cry out for mercy before being taken away. They were acting on Prime Minister Lin's orders and dared not disobey.
When Lan Yan returned to the garden, she saw Jun Yelan with a heavy expression and asked about it.
Jun Yelan, who had been alone in the garden, had also heard those voices. He didn't care about the words, only about Lan Yan. "You heard all that, didn't you? What they said is true."
His eyes were fixed on Lan Yan, a hint of worry flashing within them.
Lan Yan took Jun Yelan's tense hand and smiled, "Of course I know." From the very beginning, she knew what kind of person Jun Yelan was. "If you didn't blame Xi Chen, I would be worried."
After all, she couldn't be by Jun Yelan's side at all times, and this also meant that Jun Yelan cared about her.
Jun Yelan relaxed completely, his eyes filled with joy. He brought Lan Yan's hand to his lips and gave it a light kiss. "It's getting late, let's go."
He wanted to give Lan Yan a surprise tonight.
Lan Yan looked up at the sky. The sky was still bright. She followed Jun Yelan, puzzled, and when they reached the room, Jun Yelan scooped her up by the waist.
She was startled and met Jun Yelan's smile, hugging his neck as calmly as she could.
Jun Yelan smiled and said, "Don't be afraid." He placed Lan Yan on the bed and sat on the edge. He held Lan Yan's hand tightly and said slowly, "Yan'er, I am also just an ordinary person. I get jealous too."
"I know you are the Empress and should have three thousand consorts, but I selfishly don't want you to be like that. This palace is very cold, it was the place I hated the most before, but now I am willing to stay by your side, because your side is warm."
Lan Yan listened to these words, feeling the sincerity in Jun Yelan's speech. She cupped Jun Yelan's chin and replied, "It's the same for me. Jun Yelan, I was originally very afraid of being this Empress. Fortunately, with you by my side, I can do all this well."
"I once told you that this harem would only have you. Now I say it again, Lan Yan will only have Jun Yelan by her side for the rest of her life."
"Yan'er." Jun Yelan's heart trembled slightly. He placed his hand on the back of Lan Yan's hand and squeezed it gently. He leaned down and moved closer to Lan Yan's lips.
Lan Yan's cheeks flushed red, and she closed her eyes.
At this moment, there was a violent knock on the door. "Empress, something bad has happened, there's a fire."
"What!" Lan Yan got up and opened the door to see Mei Dong, who looked anxious. Something had happened again.
Mei Dong shouted, "We don't know what happened, but Prince Xi Chen's residence caught fire. It's already burned more than half, and they are still fighting the fire."
Lan Yan frowned. How could there be a fire? "Wait, where is he? If something happens to him in the palace, this peace talk will be in trouble."
Mei Dong shook her head. "Your servant doesn't know either."
"Hurry and see." Lan Yan took a step, then saw Jun Yelan following her and nodding at her. She hurried over, and what met her eyes was the burned palace, with black smoke still rising into the sky.
Jun Yelan, being a martial artist, heard a cry for help from inside and looked at a corner of the palace. "Yan'er, there's someone inside, I'm going to save them." His thought was the same as Lan Yan's just now.