Outside, the wind and rain raged, while inside, candlelight flickered.

As Lan Linxue listened to her mother-in-law's account, her eyes were somewhat dazed, as if she herself were in that scene.

"The young lady has fallen under Lan Shanyang's spell, completely bewitched, and is determined to be with him!"

At this point, Granny Qin sighed helplessly, "To be honest, if Lan Shanyang had remained a prince, becoming a prince in the future would have been a good choice. At least our young lady could have lived a happy life as she pleased. However, just as the two of them were preparing to get married, the former crown prince fell ill. Several princes became candidates for crown prince, and the struggle for the throne began in earnest."

"Lan Shanyang didn't like being the Crown Prince. That's true, but as you know, there are some things a Crown Prince can't simply decide whether he wants them or not. Even if Lan Shanyang didn't want it, the people behind him still did. So, soon, people kept coming to urge him to return to the capital, and eventually even an imperial edict came to urgently recall him. Lan Shanyang had no choice but to return to the capital. But just three days before his return, he married the eldest young lady without informing the world or requesting an imperial edict."

"I returned to the capital with them at that time. The situation in the capital was already very tense, and several princes were on the verge of rebellion. But after Lan Shanyang returned, he was indeed very capable. He quickly persuaded several ministers and swiftly stripped the princes of their power. At the same time, with the support and help of the young lady, he quickly became the best candidate for crown prince. Three months later, Lan Shanyang became crown prince, and the young lady officially became crown princess."

"These are all very ordinary things, so why did they escalate to that extent?"

Lan Linxue was very familiar with the affairs of the royal family. He didn't think that some people who had already been completely suppressed could cause any more trouble! No matter how many twists and turns this story might have, it would never escalate to the point of arguing and exterminating the entire clan!

Granny Qin's eyes showed a pained expression, and she said in a hoarse voice, "This seems to be a very happy situation! Lan Shanyang is indeed better to the young lady than anyone else! The couple is very loving, and a year later they had a little prince."

I remember when the young lady was giving birth, the Crown Prince, for some reason, just wouldn't come out. The young lady screamed in pain for two days, and on the third day, she was so exhausted she didn't even have the strength to cry. Lan Shanyang was initially held back outside, but eventually rushed to her side, repeatedly saying she didn't want the baby! But how could she just give up like that? The young lady risked her life to give birth to the little prince. Lan Shanyang held her tightly, refusing to look at his son, saying he was a cursed child who had brought misfortune upon his wife, and he didn't want to see him!

At this point, Granny Qin smiled slightly, looked at Lan Linxue, took his hand in hers, and said with a smile, "The Crown Prince was different from other children from birth. His eyes are more beautiful than other children's, and his skin is so fair and tender, without any wrinkles. He is indescribably handsome!"

Upon hearing this, Lan Linxue lowered her head slightly and asked, "Does my mother like me?"

"I love him! Of course I love him! What mother wouldn't love her son! The young lady adores the Crown Prince! She can't bear to be apart from him for even a moment. The young lady said that this will be her only son, and Lan Shanyang said that she would never have any more children so that the young lady wouldn't suffer. Therefore, in the young lady's eyes, the Crown Prince is the object of all her love and affection."

Later, with the guidance of the young lady, Lan Shanyang gradually began to like and play with her son. The Crown Prince's residence was truly lively and happy back then; every day was filled with interesting things.

Thinking of all this, Granny Qin couldn't help but sigh, "What a pity, too much happiness is just a curse."

Lan Linxue didn't want to interrupt Granny Qin's memories at all; he felt that the two of them had already returned to the stormy past together.

Although Lan Shanyang became the crown prince, the power behind him was never truly secure. Two years later, the emperor passed away, and he smoothly ascended the throne. Those powerful figures behind him began to stir, starting with the harem. All those former officials began desperately placing their daughters into the harem. Lan Shanyang was very unhappy, but his eldest daughter advised him that he had to accept it no matter what, otherwise he would soon give others leverage against him, and his support as the new emperor would be unstable. Lan Shanyang had no choice but to compromise! But little did he know that this was the beginning of a disaster.

Those ministers were interfering in the inner palace and quickly establishing their own factions and power groups in the court. Although Lan Shanyang supported them on both sides, his foundation was far too weak at that time. He had never considered becoming emperor, so he had never cultivated any power base. Therefore, he could only comply. It was the young lady in the palace who helped him maintain balance.

Even so, a problem arose a year later. None of the concubines who entered the palace had become pregnant! Apart from the Crown Prince, there was no one else in the palace. This was a very serious problem of power politics. Those women would stop at nothing to obtain an imperial heir. But the eldest daughter managed to avert all the risks. This, however, earned her countless grudges.

Finally, after another six months, these people began to take action.

I had already returned home by then, but the young lady said there were never enough people at home and asked me to go with her to take care of things. She didn't need anyone around her either. I knew what the young lady meant; people always brought up the Empress's family. So, to avoid leaving any negative impressions, the young lady sent me back.

That year, a major disaster struck the entire country; from south to north, not a single place was spared. Lan Shanyang's Ministry of Revenue had no money left for disaster relief, and it seemed the disaster victims were on the verge of rebellion. In the end, it was the money the young lady obtained from the Qin family that helped the court avert the crisis.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!