Incident

"Has the master's carriage arrived at the door?"

Xu Lanxin waited at the dining table. Usually, by this time, they would have already eaten dinner and gone for a walk in the garden to digest their food.

"Madam, would you like the food to be heated up?"

Xu Lanxin waved her hand, indicating that it was not necessary.

"We've already heated it up once, let's wait until he gets back to discuss it!"

Cen Yan has been very busy these days and is rarely seen. Sometimes he doesn't even come home for dinner.

But today, for some reason, I feel uneasy and have no idea what to do.

"Go and see if Father has returned either."

Half an hour later, Xiao Xi rushed back.

"Madam, the old madam and the people from the second and third branches are all in the main hall, and now even the old matriarch is here."

What? Xu Lanxin jumped up, paced back and forth a few steps, and finally headed for the door.

As soon as we entered the main hall, we heard the sounds of arguing coming from inside.

"Mother, you knew he was a remnant of a disgraced official, a man who deserved to die, so why did you let my elder brother mix him into our offspring? Now look what's happened, we're all just waiting to die here!"

He is my third uncle, a man who is only interested in profit, and whose character is comparable to that of my third aunt.

"Shut up!"

Grandmother looked towards the door, somewhat restrained, and told her third uncle to shut up.

My third uncle glared at me, clearly annoyed.

"Xin'er, don't be afraid, come here quickly."

Xu Lanxin walked over, meeting everyone's gaze.

He rested on his grandmother's lap.

A warm, slightly trembling hand brushed against her head, and the old grandmother's eyes were filled with regret, her eyes moistening.

"Good child, the Cen family has wronged you."

The old nanny behind Grandmother handed her something.

A divorce agreement?

"What does Grandmother mean by this?"

Before she could answer, her third uncle jumped out from the side.

"Mother, this is the ungrateful wretch my Cen family raised! He knows to send a divorce decree to a wife he hasn't been married for long. Our Cen family has fed him for twenty-seven years!"

Now, they want to drag our entire Cen family down with them.

The teacup shattered on the floor with a 'bang'.

"Shut up!"

Grandmother slammed her hand on the table in anger.

“Zijin is a good person. He requested to leave the clan early on and is no longer a member of the Cen family.”

After she finished speaking, her tears finally fell.

My third uncle also lost his arrogance for a while.

The crowd fell silent, but were jolted awake by the news brought by a servant who suddenly burst in.

"It's terrible! The area is surrounded by the Imperial Guards."

My third uncle, who had been standing upright in shock, suddenly became weak and slumped back into his chair.

He kept muttering to himself, "It's over."

Grandmother quickly stuffed the divorce papers into Xu Lanxin's hands.

"Xin'er, hurry, leave quickly, every one of us who can leave is a good one."

"Grandmother, I'm not leaving. I already knew about Zijin's matter."

Xu Lanxin's mind was in turmoil, and she didn't know what to do.

"I'm going to stay and wait for him to come back."

Seeing that she didn't move, the old lady acquiesced. And so, everyone sat in the main hall until dawn, without receiving any news.

The room was filled with the acrid smell of extinguished candles, which made it seem even more desolate, as if it were a dead end.

The maidservants laid out breakfast on the table in an orderly fashion.

But everyone was slumped over, no one willing to even glance at the delicious food in front of them.

The sound of orderly footsteps came from outside the door, unlike those of the servants in the house.

Everyone looked at the newcomer with hopeful eyes.

A man resembling a member of the Imperial Guard walked ahead and entered the house first. The moment he opened his eyes, a handsome face with chiseled features came into view, exuding a cold and aloof aura. His noble and exquisite clothing, unlike that of the Southern Kingdom, made him appear even more mysterious.

Wait a minute, who else could the person next to the mysterious man be but Lin Yun'an?

What is their relationship? And why are they here?

Just as she was wondering, the mysterious man smiled and beckoned to her.

"Xin'er, come here."

The voice was so familiar, it sounded like Ye Lanyi's voice.

A purple figure emerged from behind them.

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, I'm so glad to finally see you."

The Prince of Yan'an rushed excitedly to her, sat down beside her, and looked her up and down.

She felt like he was weighing pork on a scale.

"I never expected this, sister-in-law! You've been keeping this a secret for a long time!"

Lan Xin was completely bewildered. What was going on?

"Xin'er, come here."

The man waved again, and Xu Lanxin walked up to him with a puzzled look in her eyes, trying to speak.

"Big...Big brother?"

The man ruffled her hair.

"Good boy, come out with me first."

"I... I want to wait for Cen Yan."

Lin Yun'an, standing to the side, anxiously spoke first:

“Cousin, come out with us first, then we’ll figure something out. If you want to help your husband, it’s more convenient to be outside. If you’re stuck here, it’s not convenient for us to come in whenever we want.”

Xu Lanxin nodded and then gestured to greet the others.

She returned to her grandmother's side, knelt down, and held her grandmother's hand.

"Grandmother, I'll go out with my cousin first and try to find a way to save Cen Yan."

The old grandmother looked around at the group and nodded.

"Go, but make sure you're safe first, no matter what."

Finally, they left the Cen residence and boarded the carriage with Ye Lan.

"This servant greets the young princess."

The maidservant standing to the side curtsied and gestured for her to get into the carriage.

What's with this "little princess" thing? I can't figure her out.

As soon as she entered the carriage, three pairs of eyes turned to look at her, leaving her somewhat bewildered.

"Brother, what's going on? Why do they all call me Little Princess?"

Ye Lan smiled, handed her some food, and then spoke softly:

“Xin’er, you are originally the little princess of the Prince of Jin’s Mansion in the Yu Kingdom. It’s just that your mother, my little aunt, was lost when she was young and was adopted by the Lin family.”

The State of Yu? That superpower?

"That's right, just what you think."

"How did you find me, brother?"

According to Ye Lanyi, the first time they met was because she looked a lot like his aunt, so he had Yue Ru infiltrate her side and find the jade pendant representing the Prince of Jin's mansion, which allowed him to confirm her identity.

After she understood, she looked towards Yan'an.

"Yan'an, what's the current situation with Cen Yan? What exactly happened?"

The Prince of Yan'an became serious and began to speak in detail.

Yesterday, in court, Cen Yan accused the Xiao family father and son of treason and embezzlement of tax revenue. After presenting the evidence, he openly proposed to reopen the old case of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, which angered the emperor so much that he suffered a heart attack and ordered him to kneel outside the palace.

Cen Yan is now imprisoned, and Ye Lan will reveal her identity and come to the Cen residence to bail her out.

Yes, if we overturn the verdict, wouldn't that be slapping the late emperor in the face?

"Will I lose my head?"

Yan'an shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.

"My brother-in-law is just a civil official, a junior minister in the Court of Judicial Review. He is not enough to shake the interests of the Southern Kingdom unless he has a bargaining chip that the emperor has no choice but to consider."

Lin Yun'an analyzed the pros and cons.

Xu Lanxin quickly grasped the implications and smiled, saying:

"Who said there isn't?"

Cen Yan was a young general who became famous in one battle ten years ago. He won the battle and kept the barbarian country from launching large-scale invasions for many years, only daring to scratch the border.

Seeing everyone looking at her with confusion, Xu Lanxin explained:

"I wonder if you still remember the 'Jade-Faced' General from ten years ago. He wore a white jade mask and retired from the martial world after winning a battle. Even the imperial court could not find him."

"Sister-in-law, you wouldn't be thinking that Zijin is the 'Jade-Faced' General, would you?!"

Yan'an didn't feel much excitement; instead, there was a hint of worry in his eyes.

"You have no idea how angry the emperor was about what happened back then. He was furious in court, questioning why this person and his cavalry could disappear so completely. He was terrified because this person had rebelled silently!"

"Aren't you just making Zijin die even faster!"

*Slap!* Xu Lanxin slapped him on the head. This unlucky kid, can't he just talk properly?

"Big brother, brother, my good brother."

Xu Lanxin tugged at Ye Lan's sleeve, acting coquettishly.

"explain!"

"Brother, you said Yu is a great power, right? Could you give the Man Kingdom a mission to attack the Southern Kingdom? I'll provide the food and supplies, and I'll contribute all my savings to support them."

Ye Lan smiled helplessly and poked her forehead.

"Alright! I'll send you to the barbarian kingdom for a political marriage. I'll go back and inform the Emperor, and also send the wedding invitation to Cen Yan. I wonder if he'll be able to attend your wedding banquet?"

Seriously?! Are you kidding me?