Leaving the Ministry of Punishment, Lan Yan saw Lan Ting waiting at the door, his face filled with deep worry. "Brother, why are you here?"
Lan Ting stepped forward, letting out a sigh of relief. "I've been waiting for you to return to the palace all day. When I learned you hadn't, I went to find Mei Dong. Upon hearing you had an accident outside the palace, I followed. Thankfully, you're alright."
He then took Lan Yan's arm. "I heard you were injured at the hunting grounds. Are you alright?"
Lan Yan pointed to Jun Ye Lan beside her. "Brother, you've mistaken. Jun Ye Lan was the one injured."
Jun Ye Lan's expression had softened somewhat by now, as he looked at Lan Ting.
"So it is the Side Consort. Thank you for saving my Imperial Sister." A hint of a smile appeared in Lan Ting's eyes. He had been worried earlier that Jun Ye Lan was too cold and would be unable to reciprocate his Imperial Sister's feelings. Now it seemed both had feelings for each other.
He said, "Imperial Sister, I just saw many citizens releasing lanterns at the entrance. You and the Side Consort have survived a calamity; why not release a lantern for peace and safety?"
He also pulled Mei Dong away. "Imperial Sister, I'll borrow Mei Dong for a while."
Mei Dong understood immediately and quickly left.
Only Lan Yan and Jun Ye Lan remained. She lowered her head and realized she was still holding Jun Ye Lan's hand, quickly releasing it. "Jun Ye Lan, I didn't mean to."
She worried Jun Ye Lan might think she was being forward, but Jun Ye Lan remained expressionless, seemingly unbothered.
Jun Ye Lan withdrew his hand and said, "Since Prince Ting suggested it, let's go to where they are releasing lanterns." He walked forward.
Lan Yan followed, finding Jun Ye Lan's behavior strange today. Why was he suddenly so proactive? She reached out and patted Jun Ye Lan's shoulder, asking, "Jun Ye Lan, did something happen?"
Jun Ye Lan stopped walking, and Lan Yan, following closely, bumped into him forcefully.
"Ouch, my nose!" Lan Yan touched her nose, certain it had turned red.
Jun Ye Lan turned his head, looking at Lan Yan's wronged expression. A flicker of self-reproach crossed his eyes. He saw osmanthus cakes being sold nearby, bought a portion, and offered it to Lan Yan. "I'm sorry about just now."
"For the sake of the osmanthus cakes, I won't hold it against you." Lan Yan was already stuffing osmanthus cakes into her mouth, completely forgetting the pain in her nose.
Jun Ye Lan smiled helplessly, suddenly finding Lan Yan's simplicity to be a good thing. Having spent time with Lan Yan recently, he realized she never shirked responsibility and always found ways to solve problems, yet in front of him, she always smiled like this.
The flutter in his heart grew even stronger.
Lan Yan looked ahead and saw the lantern stall, approaching the vendor.
The vendor smiled. "Miss, you can write words on the lantern and then release it. The lantern will carry your wishes into the sky."
"Okay." Lan Yan picked up the brush and looked at Jun Ye Lan beside her, asking, "Jun Ye Lan, what are you going to write?"
"I don't know." Jun Ye Lan truly had no idea.
Lan Yan could only respond, "Alright." She rested the end of the brush on her chin, contemplating what words to write.
Jun Ye Lan continued to watch Lan Yan, noticing that when she thought, she would puff out her cheeks and her eyelashes would tremble slightly. His feelings took a peculiar turn, and he turned his head to swiftly write his message on the lantern.
Lan Yan also finished writing, and they simultaneously released their lanterns. She clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and thought, "Although I don't believe in these things, I came here for the people around me."
"So, I want to send all my good luck to him, so that he may have peace and prosperity for the rest of his life."
Jun Ye Lan looked at the smile on Lan Yan's lips and thought to himself, "If there truly are deities in this world, please grant the woman beside me her heart's desires."
He entrusted his wish to Lan Yan.
"Alright, let's head back." Lan Yan lowered her hands, a smile on her face as she looked at the person beside her. She and Jun Ye Lan slowly walked back.
The two met up with Mei Dong and the others, got into the carriage, and headed towards the palace.
Just then, Xi Chen finally emerged from the Ministry of Punishment, looking back fiercely. "I will definitely tear this place down later." He removed the hairpin from his hair and the veil from his face, revealing a clean, youthful face.
He looked towards the alley beside him, where someone was hidden. He walked over and asked angrily, "What is it?"
"Prince Xi Chen, Prime Minister Lin requests your presence."
Xi Chen exclaimed, "This old woman is finally willing to see me. Lead the way." He had been lurking in Yan Dynasty for so long precisely to complete the task arranged by his Imperial Sister and to cooperate with Prime Minister Lin.
He soon arrived at Prime Minister Lin's mansion, looking at the decorations with disdain and averting his gaze.
Prime Minister Lin walked out from inside, looking at the young man before him and bowing. "Prince Xi Chen. I am a person of Yan Dynasty, and I was unwilling to cooperate with you. However, the Empress is truly too much, and I have no choice."
"Not only did she confine me, but she also crippled my son."
Xi Chen thought of Lan Yan's appearance before, clenching his teeth. "She is indeed quite excessive. She didn't even give me food."
"What?" Prime Minister Lin saw Xi Chen's angry expression and realized he must have misheard. "Prince Xi Chen, does the Lord of Hao Kingdom have any plans? The current Empress has become clever and is difficult to deal with."
"That's because you're foolish!" Xi Chen took out a secret letter from his怀, "This is from my Imperial Sister. You only need to act according to what's written here. After Lan Yan is captured, I'll starve her for a day too."
He left in a huff.
Prime Minister Lin watched Xi Chen's retreating back, feeling angry yet helpless. It couldn't be helped; she needed him now. She looked at the letter in her hand and murmured, "Lan Yan, since you are unwilling to listen to me, I will have to find someone else."
However, there was a problem now: Jun Ye Lan, who was by Lan Yan's side, was too intelligent and could not be kept. She instructed a servant, "Go and tell Minister Jun that she needs to handle her son properly, or it will be a mutual destruction."
She intended to make a move before Lan Yan could give birth to an heir, so Jun Ye Lan could not remain by Lan Yan's side.
The servant went to Minister Jun's residence and delivered Prime Minister Lin's message, which happened to coincide with Minister Jun's own plans.
At this moment, Lan Yan was leaning peacefully against Jun Ye Lan's shoulder, fast asleep. She had been in prison for a day and had reprimanded Minister Jun and his group, leaving her utterly exhausted.
Jun Ye Lan brought a blanket to cover Lan Yan and sat upright.
Lan Ting, standing nearby, saw this scene and suppressed a smile. He lowered his voice. "Side Consort, I couldn't say some things earlier with Imperial Sister present. But the worries you had before should all be resolved now, shouldn't they?"
Jun Ye Lan looked at Lan Ting with some confusion.
"We are both men, and I can naturally see your concerns." Lan Ting smiled. "When I saw you before, I always felt you had reservations about Imperial Sister. But seeing you two today, I don't feel that at all."
Jun Ye Lan paused and looked at Lan Yan's sleeping face.
Lan Ting continued, "Side Consort, sometimes you shouldn't let a single leaf blind you. We are both men, but our desires differ. Imperial Sister, though a female sovereign, is the same." The carriage stopped. "I'll leave Imperial Sister in your care. Mei Dong, let's go."
He got out of the carriage first, followed by Mei Dong.
Jun Ye Lan remained in the carriage for a long time, reaching out to put his arm around Lan Yan's shoulder. He knew he had come to trust Lan Yan, and furthermore, had developed inappropriate feelings for her.
"Lan Yan, if you betray me, I will not betray you." He picked up Lan Yan and stepped off the carriage.
Lan Yan slept soundly, and a system prompt sounded in her mind.