"Since someone wants to kill you, how did you survive?" the eldest princess asked hesitantly. If the Empress Mother truly wanted to kill her, she might not have escaped.
"I sought refuge with Xiao Man," Lan Qin said without concealment. "Xiao Man doesn't have much influence in Lan Yue, but in Yusheng, she can do as she pleases. Even Prime Minister Yao suffered greatly at her hands when she was in Yusheng. As long as she wished, she could protect me safely."
"Prime Minister Yao suffered at Xiao Man's hands?" The eldest princess was somewhat incredulous. Who was Prime Minister Yao? cunning and ruthless, to suffer at Xiao Man's hands?
"Yes, I don't know the specific reason. I only know that Prime Minister Yao offended Xiao Man and was pursued by her. Prime Minister Yao was in a particularly sorry state then, severely wounded, and hiding everywhere from Xiao Man. It was I who helped her, and only then did she narrowly escape with her life."
The eldest princess slowly processed the information Lan Qin had given her. The excellent abilities Xiao Man had displayed in Yusheng had greatly impressed the Empress, which was why she had sent Yao Ran to bring Xiao Man back. However, Xiao Man refused, and Yao Ran attempted to force her, resulting in Xiao Man injuring him?
"Why did Xiao Man agree to return to Lan Yue?"
"General Xiao was attacked, and the killer has not yet been found," Lan Qin said, glancing at the eldest princess. "The Empress's orders to Prime Minister Yao and me were to kill Xiao Zhen by any means necessary."
When the third princess appeared, the eldest princess felt a chill down her spine. She had always believed she was a high-ranking princess, highly trusted by the Empress. However, Xiao Man's arrival made her realize that in the Empress's eyes, she was merely a pawn. The power she thought was hers was easily taken away by the Empress. In the end, she was nothing, and had nothing!
"Your Highness, are you alright?" The consort, seeing the eldest princess looking unhappy, quickly stepped forward to massage her shoulders and neck. "Are the current political affairs very troublesome?"
The eldest princess shook her head. "Yun Jing, who do you think I am?"
"You are the princess most trusted by the Emperor," Yun Jing said with a smile. "You are also the princess most relied upon by the Emperor."
Upon hearing this, the eldest princess sneered continuously. "If I am the princess most trusted and relied upon by the Emperor, why did the Imperial Daughter become someone else and not me?"
Consort Yun Jing fell silent. The Empress had no children. It was originally thought that one of the five princesses would be the future empress of Lan Yue. Little did they know that Empress Yue Xian's daughter was still alive and had been brought back by the current Empress.
"Princess, we are not without opportunities," the consort comforted her. "Have you forgotten how the current Empress obtained the throne?"
The eldest princess paused. "Naturally, by killing her own sister and seizing it!"
"Yes, she seized it by killing her own sister. The current Imperial Daughter is the child of her own sister!" the consort said persuasively. "If the Imperial Daughter gains power, who will be the first person she won't let go?"
"Naturally, the Empress!"
"Exactly! Therefore, the Empress would never let her become the future emperor of Lan Yue, for it would be tantamount to seeking her own destruction!"
The eldest princess turned to look at the consort. "Then why do you think the Empress brought her back?"
"An enemy must naturally be kept under close watch. Otherwise, if the enemy grows to a point where she can no longer control her, wouldn't that be dangerous?"
The eldest princess shook her head. "Yun Jing, you are too naive. She is not afraid of Xiao Man growing to a point where she cannot control her. She is afraid of me growing to a point where she cannot control me. She brought Xiao Man back to warn me and, at the same time, to take away some of my power, thereby weakening me."
The consort looked somewhat surprised. "Eldest Princess, could you be overthinking it?"
"It's not that I'm overthinking it, but rather that I've grown too quickly, making the Empress feel threatened," the eldest princess said with a sigh. "Do you know? To bring Xiao Man back, she ordered someone to kill Xiao Zhen, forcing Xiao Man to return to Lan Yue."
"Then wouldn't the Imperial Daughter hate the Empress to the bone?"
"Yes, Xiao Man must hate her to the bone!" the eldest princess said with a sigh. If she didn't resist, she would surely meet an ill end. Given the Empress's ruthless nature, once she lost her usefulness, she would eventually die at the Empress's hands. And she didn't want to die.
"Eldest Princess, since that is the case, why don't we sit back and reap the benefits?" the consort whispered. "The Imperial Daughter has status but lacks strength. Why doesn't the eldest princess borrow her strength and let her seek revenge? When they are both weakened, the princess can then reap the benefits."
Wen Mohan finally returned. Seeing Xiao Man returning from court, she immediately went to greet her.
"I heard you went to court for the past two days. Are you used to it?" Wen Mohan asked as she took the cloak from Xiao Man's hands and hung it on a rack.
"It's alright. A bunch of ministers there saying incomprehensible nonsense, enough to make one sleepy. Have you had dinner?"
"No, we'll eat together when you get back."
"Yinzhu, serve the meal."
"Yes, Mistress."
Xiao Man washed her hands and sat at the table with Wen Mohan. "Take more hidden guards when you go out. This is not Yusheng."
Wen Mohan's eyes twinkled with a smile. "Man'er, are you worried about me?"
"In Lan Yue, almost everyone is my enemy. If they cannot harm me, they might target you. How can I not worry?"
Wen Mohan served Xiao Man a dish. "Man'er, don't worry. I know what I'm doing and will definitely not drag you down. For the past two days, I've been contacting the old subordinates of the Wen family and also sent a letter of peace to Father and Mother, so they won't worry."
"It was my oversight. After such a major event, I haven't even sent them a word," Xiao Man said apologetically. "I promised them I would take good care of you, but instead, I've caused you to be displaced along with me. I feel somewhat ashamed of them."
"You haven't wronged anyone," Wen Mohan said gently. "By the way, this is some information I've recently gathered, which might be useful to you."
Wen Mohan handed the information she had gathered to Xiao Man. "This Lan Yue has quite a few well-kept secrets."
Xiao Man took it and opened it, then chuckled. "Have you been wandering the streets these past few days?"
Wen Mohan smiled. "To obtain unknown information, one must go to places where all sorts of people gather. Only in such places can one get the desired information. Moreover, as the Imperial Daughter, your every move is closely watched, and you cannot act carelessly. I am different. The people of Lan Yue look down on men, and even more so on a delicate man like me, so they won't pay particular attention to my every move, making it convenient for me to act."
"Who says they don't pay attention? Don't you remember the incident at Tian Bao Lou? They went there specifically for you."
Wen Mohan pursed her lips and smiled faintly. "Then you must guard me well, don't let anyone snatch me away."