Jun Yelan shifted his gaze, his perception of Lan Yan having changed somewhat today. Someone who could bring out her elder brother from the cold palace would not be a tyrannical empress.
This was a blessing for the common people, and for a moment, he felt it was his own good fortune too. He quickly clenched his fist, unable to forget his past grievances because of Lan Yan's actions today.
Seeing that Jun Yelan wasn't looking her way at all, Lan Yan felt a slight disappointment but quickly rallied. She had realized along her journey that the men in the harem had a difficult life, so she needed to take things slowly and try to understand Jun Yelan.
She saw the imperial physician arrive and told him to quickly attend to Lan Ting, before going out to sit on the steps herself.
A dishevelled man walked over, holding a sharpened bamboo strip. He looked at Lan Yan's profile and murmured, "It's the Empress, the Empress has come to favor me."
"No, the Empress despises me, and also despises my child." Hatred gathered in his eyes as he lunged towards Lan Yan.
Lan Yan turned her head, instinctively reaching out to grab the bamboo strip. However, the man's hatred was too intense, and the strip moved towards her. She couldn't help but cry out, "Guards!"
A person emerged from the doorway. She mistook him for Mei Dong and shouted, "Mei Dong, seize him!"
However, it was Jun Yelan. He grabbed the man by the back of his collar and dragged him back. As the man struggled, the bamboo strip scratched his hand.
His eyes turned cold, and he violently threw the man to the ground, stomping on the bamboo strip.
Lan Yan rushed over and looked at Jun Yelan, asking, "Are you alright?"
Jun Yelan shook his head, hiding his right hand behind his back. He had heard the commotion and seen Lan Yan being attacked, and had moved forward instinctively. Lan Yan had saved him, and now he had saved Lan Yan; they were even.
Lan Yan breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to the man on the ground and called out, "Mei Dong, take this person away. And you don't need to return for a while. Handle the people in the cold palace."
"Treat those who are sick, and care for the sick if there are none. Also, clean this place up, repair the leaks, and bring some food. I don't want such incidents to happen again!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Mei Dong increasingly felt that Lan Yan was becoming more like a true monarch. She was willing to obey Lan Yan's orders and led the palace maids behind her to begin their work.
Meanwhile, after the imperial physician finished examining him, Lan Ting was also taken to the newly arranged palace.
As the imperial physician was about to leave, Lan Yan called him aside.
"How is Jun Yelan's recovery coming along?"
The imperial physician reported, "Your Majesty, Young Master Jun's body is no longer in critical condition and he is able to attend to you."
Lan Yan: "..." Was that what she was asking! "Alright, you may leave." It seemed her efforts to change her image had not yet been successful. She left the cold palace, with Jun Yelan following behind.
She deliberately slowed her pace, walking alongside Jun Yelan. She didn't care what others thought, but she liked walking with Jun Yelan like this.
Jun Yelan naturally noticed this, becoming increasingly perplexed by Lan Yan.
Upon returning to the sleeping quarters, Lan Yan had to attend to official documents again. She saw Jun Yelan washing his hands, and there was blood in the water. "You're injured! Let me see quickly."
She directly grabbed Jun Yelan's hand and looked at the three bloodstains on his hand, a hint of concern flashing in her eyes. "Sit down, I'll apply medicine for you."
She rummaged through the wardrobe. "I remember the medicine the imperial physician gave last time, it hasn't been used up yet."
Jun Yelan sat at the table, watching Lan Yan's back. The concern in Lan Yan's eyes just now was not fake. His heart began to feel something unusual.
"Found it." Lan Yan came over with the medicine bottle and applied it to Jun Yelan's hand. She lowered her head and gently blew on it, murmuring, "It won't hurt if I blow on it. Don't let these beautiful hands get a scar."
The warm breath landed on Jun Yelan's hand, making the wound itch slightly, and his heart followed suit. He looked up, staring into Lan Yan's clear eyes.
He remembered the first time he met Lan Yan, she had also looked at him intently. Unlike other women, her eyes held admiration, not greed. Seeing Lan Yan's concern, he said, "It's just a small wound, it won't scar."
"That's good." Lan Yan put away the medicine and smiled, "I'll apply medicine for you every day from now on, you can't refuse me." She had finally found an opportunity for some intimate contact with Jun Yelan.
Jun Yelan looked at the smile on Lan Yan's lips and couldn't find it in himself to refuse, so he nodded. He saw Lan Yan's smile widen, as if this matter was very important to her.
He had a feeling that while he might not be important to others, he seemed to be to Lan Yan.
Lan Yan had already gotten up and returned to the desk. "Heavens, I have so much to read today." She had just wanted to take a walk with Jun Yelan, but then it was the princes in the harem, and then the cold palace; the day had passed.
Jun Yelan looked at Lan Yan's charming demeanor, a slight smile appearing on his lips, but it quickly vanished. He moved a chair over, sat beside Lan Yan, picked up a memorial, and said, "Matters of finance fall under the Ministry of Revenue."
Lan Yan's eyes immediately lit up. Jun Yelan was helping her! Her troubles vanished, and she picked up her brush to write down Jun Yelan's words, finishing one memorial.
After that, Jun Yelan read the memorials to her and offered suggestions. She would then think about them and write them down, and soon the memorials in her hands were almost finished.
Jun Yelan was reading a memorial, and when he didn't hear Lan Yan's response, he turned his head and saw that she had fallen asleep on the desk. He shook his head helplessly, looked at the last few memorials, and picked up his brush to mark them.
He was about to call Mei Dong to come and look after Lan Yan when he got up and found his sleeve being held by Lan Yan. He paused for a moment, looked at Lan Yan's unguarded sleeping face, and then picked her up by the waist.
He carried Lan Yan to the bed, withdrew his sleeve, gazed at Lan Yan for a moment, and then got up to leave. He increasingly felt that Lan Yan was not like an empress, but rather like any other woman, and always found ways to soften his heart.
Lan Yan slept soundly, completely unaware of the thoughts of the person by her bedside.
The next morning, before going to court, Lan Yan applied medicine to Jun Yelan. She said, "If you're bored in the palace, you can go find my elder brother. You're around the same age, and both men, so you should have common topics."
She truly didn't understand why the system had assigned her this identity; she simply had no time to increase his favorability. She walked out of the room and instructed the palace maids outside the hall, "Take good care of him."
The palace maids all knew that Jun Yelan was someone Lan Yan cherished, and none dared to be negligent.
Only then did Lan Yan go to court with a lighter heart, having to deal with those old foxes again. However, she thought that when she returned, seeing the beautiful man, all her anger would likely dissipate.
Jun Yelan watched Lan Yan's back disappear through the doorway, then withdrew his gaze. He picked up a book and, recalling Lan Yan's words from earlier, walked out of the hall towards Lan Ting's palace.
At this moment, Lan Yan was sitting on the dragon throne when Prime Minister Lin stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, the harem must not interfere with government affairs. Please punish Jun Yelan." She had received reliable information that the handwriting on the memorials belonged to Jun Yelan.