After Xiao Lanhua married her childhood sweetheart, she went to her brother's former fiefdom and stayed there for a few years. After Huo Qitian was born, Long'er called the two of them back.

“A war between Da’an and Da’an is inevitable. Mingzhu currently holds real power in Da’an, and Li Jian won’t let me personally lead the army. If a war breaks out, you and Xiao Lanyi may have to go to the front lines.”

Xiao Lanhua is much darker and thinner than when she was in the harem.

Life on the frontier is not about living a life of ease and comfort; it's about real fighting.

The woman smiled and nodded, saying:

"Xiao Lanhua, a military general of the Great Yan, is at Your Majesty's command at any time."

When Xiao Lanhua married her childhood sweetheart, his parents were somewhat unhappy and afraid.

The fact that the late emperor's woman married into their family in such a grand and ostentatious manner was quite unsettling.

How could someone marry a concubine?

If you marry a former imperial concubine now, will you start a rebellion the next second?

Huo Xiaolong is not like the late emperor; he was a man who dared to fight and kill.

But they dared not object. Xiao Lanhua was second only to the emperor in the harem, and even the empress dowager dared not do anything to her because of her brother.

The harshest punishment I've ever received is being grounded, but even though it's called a grounding, people can still go wherever they want, right?

Now that she's married into our family, I wonder if the maids here will be able to serve her well.

"Mother, I will return to the border after I marry Lanhua. Please take good care of yourselves at home. Your son is unfilial and cannot bring his wife to accompany you. Please put in a good word for me with Father."

Xue Cheng's biological father didn't want his son to go to the battlefield, which is only natural; who would want their son to risk their life for something so dangerous?

But Madam Xue thought about it and realized that the border was very safe now. The Dragon Princess of Great Yan had ascended the throne and beheaded Huang Ranhu. Was there any emperor more frightening than this?

Moreover, when Madam Xue heard that Xiao Lanhua was not in the mansion, she almost burst out laughing.

It's good that she's not in the mansion. She's the one who calls the shots here. She's really afraid of this daughter-in-law.

She herself was a woman with some martial arts skills, and had fought alongside her husband on the battlefield in her youth, but she was no match for Xiao Lanhua.

Her husband was Xiao Lanhua's father's subordinate, so she couldn't let her daughter-in-law suffer any injustice.

Most importantly, Madam Xue herself has a somewhat competitive personality, so this time, she won't have to worry about it.

Upon hearing this, Xue Cheng vaguely thought he saw his own mother smile.

No matter how hard I try, I can't suppress the corners of my mouth from turning down.

The man was a little incredulous. Usually, his parents would be heartbroken if he went to war, so why was he doing this today? Instead, he kept trying to suppress a laugh.

"Ah, alright, don't worry, my son. After you go to the frontier, take good care of Lanhua. Then tomorrow, go with your father to Marshal Xiao's grave and kowtow. You have to show some sincerity when you marry someone's daughter, understand?"

"..."

My mother, who wasn't very happy just a couple of days ago, suddenly became like this. My parents have said this to me more than once.

“Lanhua is already the emperor’s woman. This is a dead end. My son, you should stop waiting.”

Later, Huo Xiaolong ascended the throne, and Xiao Lanhua left the palace. His parents spoke to him again.

"You want to marry the late emperor's woman now, and do it openly and legitimately. The current emperor has a bad temper. I don't know how suspicious she is. If she is, she will definitely think, 'If you dare to marry the imperial concubine today, will you dare to rebel and become emperor tomorrow? Then your whole family will be in danger.'"

Then, Huo Xiaolong followed Ruyi over to see the two get engaged, and he was happier than anyone else.

Moreover, seeing how Ruyi, as his sister-in-law, spoke so disrespectfully to the current emperor, the Xue family elders were finally relieved.

Xue Cheng hummed in agreement, feeling that he couldn't understand what his mother was thinking.

Xiao Lanhua had been looking forward to this wedding for over a decade.

The woman sat on the edge of the bed. It was still in the palace, except now the palace was her maternal home.

Xiao Lanhua is the kind of woman who is so beautiful that she is arrogant and domineering. She is not as bright as Chunying, nor as lively as Huo Xiaolong when he is not angry.

The eyebrows are slightly raised, and the corners of the eyes also lift up.

Looking at the phoenix coronet and embroidered robe not far from her, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Oh dear, our bride-to-be is secretly laughing to herself."

The person who came was Consort Wen, who came with Consort Wei to add to her dowry. These two have been fighting in the palace for too long. Consort Wen didn't even knock when she entered the door, she just pushed it open and came in.

"Have you forgotten all the proper etiquette? You don't even greet people when you come in."

"I was just worried that you would be lonely by yourself, so I made sure to keep Sister Wei company. You've taken my kindness for granted."

The two started arguing again. Wei Shuyi sat down properly, placed a box on the bed, and opened it for Xiao Lanhua to see.

“This is a dowry, something I gave you. I know you don’t lack gold, silver and valuables, so I embroidered a veil for you.”

Xiao Lanhua was also working hard in bed; the embroidery she was doing was giving her a headache.

"This is for you, the belt."

Consort Wen also opened the box to show her.

When a woman gets married, she usually needs to embroider her own waistband and head covering.

But Xiao Lanhua clearly wouldn't do it. After all, they were sisters who had lived in the palace for so long, and they really didn't want Xiao Lanhua to go out wearing a veil like Cen Ang's. It would be too embarrassing if word got out; people would wonder, "Is this the quality you two are after entering the palace?"

If even the Imperial Concubine is like this, then wouldn't the others be even less presentable?

To put it nicely, Aunt Cen said it was a gift from the prince and the emperor. What is this? Why don't you ask the emperor to embroider a couple of stitches for you?

Xiao Lanhua's eyes lit up as she looked at the two of them, beaming with joy.

"Thank you so much, sisters, you've really come to my rescue."

"Xiao Lanhua".

Consort Wen suddenly called out.

The woman sat next to Xiao Lanhua, her expression somewhat serious.

"You have to live well, for the sake of all of us, live well."

She already has a son, so finding another one is probably impossible.

It's not a problem with the son. Consort Wen's son was the eighth prince of the late emperor. Huo Xiaolong was already very generous in sparing their lives after ascending the throne.

If Consort Wen marries and encounters a bad man, he will inevitably use her and her son against her.

Therefore, she cannot get married.

Furthermore, the palace, this four-sided confinement, has trapped them in the prime of their lives. Now, if they want to find someone to have a romantic relationship with, the situation has changed.

If it's not as sincere as it used to be, then what's the point of continuing this relationship?

Xiao Lanhua was a little embarrassed, as this was the first time Consort Wen's blessing had been so direct.

She turned her head to look at Wei Shuyi, who was usually dignified and quiet, and nodded to her.

"You're lucky, someone has been waiting for you all along."

"With your brother and sister-in-law by your side to support you, Lanhua, live well for the sake of these sisters in the palace and make up for all the debts we owed you while we were in prison."

Outside, the late emperor's concubines, who had not yet left the palace, brought gifts they had made to congratulate Xiao Lanhua.

"We sisters have come to congratulate General Xiao."

"Finally, it's General Xiao."

Yes, I finally became a general, instead of the concubine I didn't want to be.

Xiao Lanhua got what she wanted.