Jun Yelan turned his head, unwilling to believe these words came from Lan Yan's mouth.
Seeing Jun Yelan's reaction, Lan Yan thought that there was still plenty of time and no need to rush. She was about to ask Jun Yelan how he was feeling when Mei Dong's voice came from outside the door.
Mei Dong was holding a tray with several memorial documents on it and looked at Lan Yan. "Your Majesty, these are the memorials that need to be processed today."
"So many!" Lan Yan exclaimed again, thinking how difficult it was to be an empress. She drooped her head, letting Mei Dong place the tray on the desk, and walked over to examine them.
Mei Dong said, "Your Majesty, this is only a portion of them."
Lan Yan was stunned. She couldn't even understand one of them, let alone the several trays of memorials. She was the empress now, and processing memorials was her responsibility. She waved her hand, dismissing Mei Dong.
She sat down, took a deep breath, and tried to open the first memorial.
Jun Yelan sat on the bed, and from his position, he could see Lan Yan's desk clearly. He saw Lan Yan's distressed yet serious expression and felt confused.
Rumor had it that Lan Yan ignored state affairs and didn't care about the people's lives. Was she putting on a show for him today? With this thought, he let out a cold snort and shifted his gaze.
Lan Yan picked up a brush and murmured, "This minister's memorial is all about other ministers and their private lives. As empress, do I even need to manage something like marriage?"
She couldn't bring herself to write anything and set it aside. She picked up another one. "This one is about building a palace! Rejected. The national treasury is empty." She wrote "rejected" and then looked down, realizing her handwriting was a bit messy.
These words reached Jun Yelan's ears, and he was slightly taken aback. Even if she were just acting for him, it wouldn't change a person's habits. He hadn't expected Lan Yan to reject the palace construction or to complain about troublesome ministers.
He couldn't help but turn his head to look at Lan Yan's face.
Lan Yan had already read several memorials and came across one about the flood in Anzhou. Her face became serious, and she murmured, "A flood. We need to send someone to handle this matter, and allocate funds from the treasury for disaster relief."
"This person must not only be competent but also incorruptible. The money cannot be sent directly from the Ministry of Revenue; it will be siphoned off layer by layer. What should be done?" She propped her chin with one hand and picked up the brush with the other.
Jun Yelan had already known about this matter. However, as a man and already within the palace, he couldn't do anything. But now, this opportunity was presented to him. Seeing Lan Yan's distress, he thought he was acting for the people, not for Lan Yan.
He spoke, "Your Majesty, Shen Qian, the Minister of Works, is an upright official and has been researching flood control. To protect the funds, you can send the Imperial Guards to escort them, divided into batches. One batch can accompany Master Shen."
After speaking, he looked up and saw Lan Yan staring at him, her eyes particularly bright. He was somewhat taken aback.
Lan Yan then broke into a smile and exclaimed, "Jun Yelan, I think your method is brilliant. I must write it down quickly so I don't forget it later."
She put down her brush and wrote these words behind the memorial, then placed it aside with satisfaction. Finally, it was resolved!
Jun Yelan looked at Lan Yan's evident joy and was momentarily perplexed. It seemed she genuinely cared for the people, but was simply inexperienced.
From then on, whenever Lan Yan encountered something she didn't understand, he would offer a few pointers.
Gradually, the processed memorials piled higher and higher. Lan Yan tossed the last one aside and couldn't help but yawn. Just as she was about to get up and sleep, Mei Dong appeared at the door again with another tray, groaning, "Not again!"
She slumped onto the desk, looking exhausted, her eyelids drooping. She waved her hand and said, "I'll rest for a moment, and then I'll process them immediately."
Before she could finish her sentence, steady breathing could be heard from the desk.
Jun Yelan remained seated, gazing at Lan Yan's peaceful sleeping face, a few ink stains smudged on her cheek. This appearance made him feel that Lan Yan wasn't an empress, but just a young girl.
He shook his head gently, trying to dismiss such thoughts. "Jun Yelan, she is the empress, the one who forced herself into the palace to serve me!"
He stopped looking at Lan Yan and lay down.
In his drowsy state, he opened his eyes several times and saw Lan Yan still slumped at the desk. He then called out towards the door, summoning Mei Dong.
Lan Yan was led to the adjacent room by Mei Dong and slept comfortably in a bed.
When Mei Dong came out, her eyes were full of concern. Her empress had never suffered like this before. She stood at the door and bowed to Jun Yelan. "Thank you for looking after Her Majesty, Young Master Jun."
There was no response from the room. Jun Yelan woke up several times during the night, and hearing the normal breathing from the next room, he finally fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Lan Yan woke up and stretched her neck and wrists, feeling a slight ache. As expected, staying up late was too taxing! She walked out of the room and saw Jun Yelan leaning against the window, holding a book.
Seeing a beautiful figure by the window so early in the morning, she felt delighted, her lips curling into a smile. She greeted him, "Good morning. You're not feeling well, why aren't you sleeping in more?"
Jun Yelan's finger paused while turning a page. "This is my habit. I'm used to waking with the sun and reading for an hour before breakfast."
"Oh." Lan Yan didn't like to interfere with others' thoughts and nodded. After tidying herself up, she opened the door and saw Mei Dong standing at the entrance with a tray, this time holding a Mianliu (ceremonial headdress).
"Mei Dong, what is this for now?"
Mei Dong reported, "Your Majesty, it is time for you to attend court. You haven't attended a court session this month yet."
More than half of the month had passed, but the original owner had never attended. Lan Yan pressed her forehead, realizing the task was not easy. She turned her head and met Jun Yelan's gaze by the window. Based on last night's interaction, she definitely couldn't refuse.
"Get me ready quickly. Let's go."
Mei Dong had only asked her daily duties, but today, the empress agreed. She was surprised but proceeded to help Lan Yan get ready.
Lan Yan wore casual clothes yesterday, but today she donned her court attire and the Mianliu. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was a proper empress. As she walked out, she turned back and waved to Jun Yelan. "Wait for me to return."
Jun Yelan glanced at her, then continued to flip through the pages of his book, but his expression seemed a little better than before.
Meanwhile, inside the court hall, a middle-aged woman in purple official robes stood at the front. Her face was fierce, and her eyes were filled with anger.
"Our empress is becoming more and more presumptuous. Not only does she skip court, but she also wants to abolish the harem and dote solely on that man from the Jun family!" Why couldn't such an advantage fall to her son? It benefited the Jun family!
A minister in red official robes beside her exclaimed, "Prime Minister Lin, we were hoping Her Majesty would give birth to an heir soon so that we could nurture the Crown Princess. Now, the empress doesn't even want the harem, and I also heard that Jun Yelan is not in good health."
"Alas, what can be done now?"
Other ministers also wore troubled expressions, feeling that there was no hope for the days ahead.
Prime Minister Lin declared, "There is only one way now. We will all go to find the empress and offer her our counsel. At this time, she won't be coming."
However, a voice announced from the hall, "The empress has arrived."