The man before her was dressed in a fine blue brocade robe, half-reclining on the bed. His legs were covered by the quilt, completely hidden from view. His left side was framed by sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, with sharply defined features, and a pair of peach blossom eyes that curved upward at the corners.
On his right side, from his eye down to his cheek, was a burn scar, uneven and rough like tree bark. Coupled with his gaze filled with hatred, he appeared ferocious for a moment.
Those eyes were fixed on Lan Yan.
Lan Yan rubbed her head, her fingers touching something sticky. She looked and saw it was blood. Glancing around the floor, she spotted a blood-stained box beside her; it was the object that had struck her head.
She surveyed her surroundings. The ground was littered with disordered and broken ornaments, and the owner of the projectile was the man before her. This man was her target for this mission, Jun Yelan, the Third Prince of the Dynasty of Yan.
Jun Yelan was originally a gifted prodigy. At merely twelve years old, he was already the undisputed heir apparent to the throne. However, a great fire had destroyed everything, not only crushing his legs but also disfiguring his incomparably handsome face.
Afterward, he confined himself to the royal residence, refusing visitors.
This continued until two months ago when the Emperor decreed a marriage, bestowing upon him the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Lan's mansion.
However, her current identity was not the legitimate daughter, but an unfavored concubine’s daughter, forcefully presented by her stepmother and stepsister. The original owner of this body had been bullied since childhood, harboring resentment, which she had transferred to Jun Yelan, verbally abusing him with venom.
"Alas!" She couldn't help but sigh. This mission was going to be difficult.
Jun Yelan heard the sigh and looked up, a hint of sarcasm playing on his lips.
Lan Yan noticed this and stared directly at Jun Yelan. She rolled her eyes and called out, "Your Highness, are your hands tired from smashing things? Perhaps you should smash them again later?"
Jun Yelan's pupils widened slightly. This awakened Lan Yan seemed different. He looked at the mess on the floor, a surge of anger rising within him. If he hadn't been unable to walk, he wouldn't have had to resort to such foolish actions.
He angrily pounded his legs, but they remained unresponsive, fueling his hatred and rage.
Seeing Jun Yelan suddenly harming himself, Lan Yan cried out, "Your Highness! Your body belongs to you!"
Jun Yelan, however, laughed, a chillingly cold sound. "Coming from your lips, those words truly grate on my ears. You wish for my early death so you can remarry! Better to be a widow than to be by my side!"
He thought of his experiences over the years and his laughter became more frenzied. He began to cough violently, his beautiful, upturned eye corners reddening.
Seeing this, Lan Yan quickly poured a cup of water and brought it to the bedside. She handed the water to Jun Yelan and reached out, intending to pat his back.
She patted him gently, time and again. Jun Yelan's coughing subsided. For a moment, he calmed down, looking at the water in the cup, which reflected his hideous face.
He gripped the cup tightly and smashed it to the ground in fury, laughing coldly. "Lan Yan, do not approach me. I have nothing." He moved further into the bed, closed his eyes, and ignored Lan Yan.
In the past, people who approached him always had ulterior motives. But now, he didn't even have those kinds of people around him.
Lan Yan sighed again. She decided it was best to leave for now.
She walked to the door and sat on the steps, complaining to the system, "System, this mission is even harder than the last. He's like a shattered porcelain vase; we need to mend him first."
The system's soft, cute voice chirped, "Host, your idea is excellent. You can definitely do it. The target is currently in a sensitive state, please use your patience and love to influence him."
Seeing that the host was acting normally, it breathed a sigh of relief.
Lan Yan revealed her plan, "First, we need to create a good environment for him to cheer up. I've decided, starting from this very moment." She stood up and walked to the door, preparing to open it.
A stern-looking old wet nurse, dressed in vibrantly colored clothes, walked by in the corridor. Compared to her own rough attire as the Princess Consort, the difference was stark.
The old wet nurse held a plate with two rice bowls, each containing half a bowl of rice and a few green vegetables. Upon seeing Lan Yan, she gave a disdainful look, thinking, why should she treat a mere concubine’s daughter, who was forced upon them, with any respect!
She thrust the plate into Lan Yan's arms and said coldly, "This is today's meal." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Lan Yan: "…… Is the food in the royal residence this terrible?" As far as she knew, the Prince received a monthly stipend.
Wet Nurse Qin saw that Lan Yan dared to question her today, but still showed no pleasant expression. "Eat it or don't." She turned to leave, but Lan Yan grabbed the back of her collar.
"It’s really impossible to have a proper conversation." Lan Yan faced Wet Nurse Qin and shoved the bowl of rice in her arms directly into the wet nurse's mouth, splattering her face. "Since that's the case, you can eat it yourself then."
Wet Nurse Qin was startled and met Lan Yan's gaze. Why had it become somewhat frightening? She couldn't swallow and spat everything out. These dishes were worse than what the servants in the mansion ate, and she usually wouldn't eat them herself.
Seeing this, Lan Yan sneered, "Even you won't eat this, yet you bring it to the Prince and Princess Consort. It seems this royal residence needs to be tidied up!" Since she had arrived, she wouldn't allow anyone to bully Jun Yelan!
Wet Nurse Qin trembled and exclaimed, "The Prince is bedridden and doesn't go out, who knows if he's even alive! And you are just a woman forced upon him, what right do you have to manage us!"
These words made Lan Yan laugh. Truly, when the cat's away, the mice will play. The original owner of this body had been bullied so much in the Duke's mansion that she had developed a timid nature, not daring to confront anyone in the mansion, only daring to verbally abuse the immobile Jun Yelan.
She said, "I will tell you today that the Prince is alive, merely recuperating. From now on, all matters in the royal residence will be managed by me, because I am the Princess Consort."
With that, she grabbed Wet Nurse Qin by the collar and shouted, "Come, let's go tell the others." She might as well go to the kitchen and get some tonic for Jun Yelan.
At this moment, Jun Yelan inside the room heard all the commotion. He clenched his fists slightly, unable to believe that those words had come from Lan Yan. But why would she say that? Knowing that trying to appease him was useless.
He was filled with doubt and mocked himself, "She's merely trying to survive in the royal residence, what does it have to do with me!" This time, he didn't laugh out loud. He leaned against the bed, his eyes filled with loneliness.
He took a dagger from under his pillow, fiddled with it in his hand, and muttered the names of the people he wanted to kill, which sustained his will to live.
Meanwhile, Lan Yan arrived at the kitchen and reprimanded all the cooks. She gleefully left with some tonic. As she exited, she cast a cold glance at the subdued people on the ground and made a throat-slitting gesture.
The cooks immediately curled their necks, daring not to offend the Princess Consort any further. And at the very back, a glimmer of light flashed in the eyes of one of the cooks.
Lan Yan's mood instantly brightened from the smell of the food in her hands. She felt that Jun Yelan would also become happy. She pushed the door open and called out, "Jun Yelan, eat…"
However, she saw Jun Yelan holding a dagger in his hand. Her pupils contracted, and she cried out, "Calm down!"