After Lan Yan returned to the palace, the first thing she did was sleep, and no one was allowed to disturb her. She hadn't rested at all in the past two days at the Jun Manor, which showed how difficult it was for Jun Yelan to be there previously.
She felt she needed to treat Jun Yelan better and entered dreamland with this thought.
Jun Yelan, meanwhile, stayed by the desk, finishing the memorials that Lan Yan hadn't dealt with, and instructed others not to enter. He glanced at Lan Yan's sleeping face, a hint of softness appearing in his eyes, and picked up his brush to make annotations.
The next day, Lan Yan woke up early and yawned as she walked to the desk. She remembered she still had memorials to attend to and resisted the urge to sleep in. To her surprise, the memorials were already neatly sorted.
She looked around. She and Jun Yelan were the only ones in the room. It must have been Jun Yelan. The corners of her mouth curved upwards as she prepared to thank him, but she ran into Mei Dong.
"Empress, you're going to be late for the morning court," Mei Dong reported, taking the memorials from the table.
Lan Yan reluctantly looked towards the adjacent room before turning to leave.
She arrived at the court and addressed the ministers below, as usual, "If you have something to say, say it quickly. If not, withdraw."
The Minister of Rites stepped forward and reported, "Reporting to the Empress, the envoy from the Hao Kingdom has arrived and is waiting to see you."
"What?" Lan Yan frowned. How did she not know about this! "When did he arrive?"
The Minister of Rites continued, "Empress, this matter was arranged by Prime Minister Lin, but after his recuperation at home, it was put aside. Due to constant border conflicts, the Hao Kingdom specifically sent someone to discuss the matter with the Empress."
Hearing Prime Minister Lin's name, Lan Yan felt it wouldn't be anything good. However, relations between countries were important, and she had to deal with it now. "Summon him."
"Yes, Empress." Someone outside the hall announced, and an envoy entered, wearing clothes with fur on the cuffs and collar, and a furry hat on his head.
He looked at Lan Yan without any other gesture.
The other ministers saw this and shouted, "When you see the Empress, why don't you pay respects!"
The envoy snorted and ignored them, saying, "I only bow to my own nation's ruler."
Lan Yan smiled. This was a provocation. "Esteemed envoy, look around you. You are already standing in the court of the Yan Dynasty. Do you have any other choices!"
"Since you are so fond of bowing to your nation's ruler, I will kindly send you back and tell her how rude your envoy was. By the way, you have many neighboring countries, and I will send people to visit them and ask them to pay attention to your envoy."
She understood the principle of not harming envoys between countries, but it didn't mean there were no other ways to deal with him. "Oh, and if your ruler instructed you to do this, it just so happens that I have old accounts to settle with your Hao Kingdom."
The ministers also stared at the envoy, almost surrounding him. They shared honor and disgrace with the Empress.
The envoy immediately lost his previous confidence and obediently paid his respects. Everyone said the Empress was a good-for-nothing, only indulging in male beauty. Now it seemed to be a rumor. He needed to stay alive to report back to his ruler.
Lan Yan nodded with satisfaction. Little brat, couldn't she even deal with a small fry? "Speak, what is the purpose of your visit this time."
Facing Lan Yan's imposing aura, the envoy wiped his forehead and said, "I am here to propose marriage on behalf of my ruler."
"I am not interested in people from the Hao Kingdom," Lan Yan said, not being foolish. Relations between the two countries were tense, and the people of Hao were not simple.
The envoy hesitated, "Not for the Empress, our ruler heard that Prince Ting is still unmarried and wishes to propose marriage. Our ruler also guarantees that after marrying Prince Ting, he will not take any new consorts within three years."
Lan Yan's expression turned dark. It turned out the ruler of Hao had taken a liking to her elder brother. "To my knowledge, your ruler already has a harem. I will not send my elder brother to suffer."
"This matter is not up for discussion!"
The envoy had not expected to be refused immediately and was at a loss. He stood there helplessly, and Lan Yan's gaze had him taken away.
The ministers looked at each other. Someone spoke, "Empress, there have always been minor skirmishes between the two countries. If a marriage alliance could be formed, it would be a good thing. Moreover, Prince Ting is still in the palace and is a suitable candidate."
"Minister of Rites, I recall you have a young son still at home. Why don't you go for the marriage alliance?" Lan Yan said coldly.
The Minister of Rites immediately shut his mouth. Such marriage alliances were dangerous places, and he would never send his son there.
Lan Yan sneered and shouted, "Dismissed." She left directly, leaving the ministers behind.
Among the ministers were people loyal to Prime Minister Lin, who were ordered to make the Empress agree to this request. "What do we do now?"
"We can only inform Prime Minister Lin first." They shook their heads and sighed.
After dismissing the court, Lan Yan did not return to her chambers but walked in the garden. She was furious and stomped on the pebbles under her feet, which somewhat eased her anger.
"These ministers never do anything proper, and now they want to send my elder brother for a marriage alliance. They must be dreaming!" It had taken her so much effort to bring Lan Ting out of the cold palace, and it wasn't for him to be sacrificed.
As she voiced these thoughts, she felt much better and headed towards her chambers.
The palace maids saw Lan Yan's displeased expression and stood on the path, not daring to speak. It seemed the Empress was very angry today, and perhaps only the Consort could appease her.
At this moment, Jun Yelan stood by the desk, on which lay a piece of drawing paper. He had promised Lan Yan at the Jun Manor that he would paint a picture for her. As he picked up his brush, he heard hurried footsteps outside the door.
It was a palace maid from within the chambers who reported, "Consort, the Empress was greatly angered at court today. Sister Mei Dong asked me to inform you." After saying this, she quickly left, fearing she might encounter the Empress.
Jun Yelan's eyes darkened, and he stopped writing. He brewed a pot of tea, took a plate of osmanthus cakes, and sat down at the desk, looking towards the door.
Footsteps sounded again at the door, and Lan Yan rushed in, gulping down a cup of tea and exclaiming, "These ministers are too infuriating." She sat down, eating a osmanthus cake, and was about to continue speaking when she noticed that today's cakes were exceptionally delicious.
Jun Yelan, opposite her, saw her pause and poured another cup of tea, afraid Lan Yan would choke. "Don't rush, speak slowly."
Lan Yan's mood calmed a little. After finishing an osmanthus cake, she continued, "Jun Yelan, you would have been angry too if you were at court today."
"I've already heard about Prince Ting's matter. As long as you don't agree, they can't do anything," Jun Yelan said, looking into Lan Yan's eyes.
Lan Yan nodded. Jun Yelan was right. Her anger subsided a bit, and she smiled, "Jun Yelan, you're the one with the solutions. I know what to do now."
She looked at the half-eaten plate and pushed it towards Jun Yelan. "You eat it, I'll go deal with the memorials." Although the ministers had made her angry, the common people had not.
Jun Yelan watched Lan Yan sit down, and a faint smile played on his lips. She was truly someone who did as she said. He propped his head on one hand and turned to gaze at Lan Yan, now looking peaceful.