Lan Yan worried about Jun Yelan, but he insisted, so she finally agreed. She sent someone to fetch the wet clothes, handing them to Jun Yelan and admonishing, "Be careful, prioritize yourself."
She meant this not just for the mission, but genuinely for Jun Yelan's well-being.
Jun Yelan nodded. Seeing Lan Yan frown, he smiled reassuringly, "Yan'er, I'll be fine. I still have to spend the rest of my life with you."
With that, he draped the wet cloth over himself, covering his mouth and nose, found a path not yet engulfed by flames, and charged in.
Lan Yan gripped her hands tightly at the doorway, her fingernails leaving crescent-shaped marks on the back of her hands. She watched Jun Yelan enter the palace, and through the thick smoke, she couldn't discern the specific situation.
Time slowly passed, her heart tightening with each moment. It wasn't until she saw Jun Yelan supporting Xi Chen, emerging from the palace gates unharmed, that her eyes welled up with tears as she called out, "Yelan."
Jun Yelan flashed a smile at Lan Yan, tossed Xi Chen aside, and caught the person rushing towards him.
Lan Yan looked up, seeing that Jun Yelan was unharmed, and finally felt truly at ease. "Yelan, you've worked hard to save him. Go back and rest. Leave the rest to me."
She would thoroughly investigate this matter and not let the arsonist disrupt the peaceful life she and Jun Yelan had finally found.
Jun Yelan nodded. Staying here any longer would only distract Lan Yan.
At that moment, Xi Chen coughed twice and scrambled up from the ground, covered in soot. Seeing Lan Yan, he rushed towards her as if seeing a loved one, exclaiming, "I almost died just now."
He hugged a stiff chest, then looked up and, seeing it was Jun Yelan, quickly recoiled. Goosebumps erupted all over him. He turned and saw Lan Yan behind Jun Yelan, shouting, "Forget it, you ungrateful pair."
Jun Yelan shielded Lan Yan completely behind him and said coldly, "Prince Xi Chen, you have quite a few enemies." He saw Xi Chen's expression change and guessed that someone in the Yan Dynasty was colluding with Xi Chen.
Without revealing his thoughts, he turned and instructed Lan Yan before leaving.
Lan Yan turned to Xi Chen, "How did the fire start?"
Startled by the question, Xi Chen pointed at himself, "Lan Yan, what do you mean, suspecting me? No matter how foolish I am, I wouldn't set fire to myself. I actually have a suspect in mind; someone deliberately started the fire, it should be Prime Minister Lin."
He couldn't think of anyone else who hated him so much.
Jun Yelan, despite his dislike for him, wouldn't kill him, as Jun Yelan cared more about Lan Yan's situation.
Lan Yan's gaze deepened. After the previous battle, she had already harbored suspicions. However, too many things had happened recently, causing her to forget about it for a while.
Now that she thought about it, it was indeed strange. "Do you have any evidence?"
Xi Chen shook his head, "I gave him the letters myself. He's cautious; he burned them after reading them. If you need it, I can testify."
"Your word won't be believed by the courtiers." Lan Yan knew her officials too well; they would only lash out at Xi Chen and frame Prime Minister Lin. She needed to think of a proper plan.
She called for Mei Dong, "Arrange a new, safe place for Xi Chen. This must not happen again tonight."
Mei Dong replied, "Yes, Your Majesty." She finally arranged for Xi Chen to stay in Lan Ting's palace.
Xi Chen wanted to say more, but Lan Yan had already left, looking regretful.
After Lan Yan returned, Jun Yelan had changed his clothes and told her all his suspicions about Prime Minister Lin.
After speaking, Jun Yelan was very calm and produced the letters he had found at Minister Jun's residence. "What happened at the Jun residence before also had his hand in it. It seems he has been plotting all of this for a long time."
Lan Yan was immediately enraged. Truly an old fox. "Since I changed, he couldn't control me and became disloyal. He first arranged the hunting event, blamed it on the Hao Kingdom, then colluded with the Hao Kingdom to provoke war, and now he's disrupting the peace talks."
"I can't keep her any longer. Guards, go to the Lin family, confiscate their property, and bring Prime Minister Lin to me."
The imperial guards at the door moved out, rushing towards the Lin residence.
Lan Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Prime Minister Lin was apprehended, things should be fine from now on. Fearing that delays would cause trouble, she decided to review the peace talk conditions tonight and send Xi Chen away as soon as possible.
Jun Yelan understood Lan Yan's thoughts and sat with her, helping her organize. "The Hao Kingdom's warhorses are excellent. You can establish a horse farm at the border to specifically breed these warhorses."
"Also, when the soldiers are not fighting, they can reclaim wasteland. This will not only save some military expenses but also promote border stability."
Lan Yan had read about this in later books, and now that Jun Yelan brought it up, she felt he was incredibly quick-witted. "Good, we will proceed as you suggested."
She wrote down these arrangements on paper, looking at her now steady handwriting with great satisfaction. She had been practicing imitating Jun Yelan's calligraphy frequently these days and had made significant progress.
Jun Yelan glanced down and recognized his handwriting, a smile curving his lips. "Yan'er, if you want to learn, just ask me to teach you." He unfolded a blank sheet of paper and held Lan Yan's writing hand from behind, guiding her as she traced the strokes.
Lan Yan's initial focus was on the paper, but it gradually shifted as she turned her head to look at Jun Yelan. She felt a deep connection with him now, and a little intimacy should be fine, right?
Mustering her courage, she lowered her head and pecked him on the corner of his mouth before quickly pulling away.
Jun Yelan was momentarily stunned. Realizing what had happened, he put down the brush and wrapped his arm around Lan Yan's waist. His eyes filled with a deep smile, and he leaned close to her ear, chuckling, "Yan'er, let's continue what we were doing earlier."
Lan Yan was still savoring the moment when her lips were sealed, her breath stolen away. She was on the verge of swooning when Jun Yelan released her, allowing her to lean into his embrace.
Jun Yelan wore a look of contentment and did nothing further, letting Lan Yan rest properly, as she had to attend court the next morning.
However, in the middle of the night, the imperial guards returned. Mei Dong, leading them, reported, "Your Majesty, something has happened. Prime Minister Lin has escaped."
Lan Yan immediately lost all sleepiness. This was like letting a tiger return to the mountains. "Search the entire city for her whereabouts. We must find her as soon as possible. Also, investigate Prime Minister Lin thoroughly; she must have a backup plan."
Such a cunning person couldn't possibly be without contingency measures.
Mei Dong quickly went to execute the order.
Jun Yelan, standing nearby, frowned, recalling the previous Empress's situation, which had ultimately led to her forced abdication. Prime Minister Lin was a veteran official of two dynasties and commanded her own troops; she might try to repeat history.
He shouted, "Yan'er, quickly close the palace gates and let no one in."
Lan Yan looked at Jun Yelan's anxious demeanor and naturally ordered her people to comply. A sliver of unease began to grow within her.
At that moment, at the palace entrance, Prime Minister Lin rode a horse, followed by her private army. She looked at the tightly shut palace gates and raged, "Lan Yan, you cruel Empress, you are unfit to be our ruler."
"Today, we will purge the corrupt officials around you." All her efforts could not be in vain!