Zhao Lan narrowed her phoenix eyes and continued speaking.
"Although the situation is escalating, it is still manageable. However, if the court does not provide disaster relief, I fear that refugees and bandits from all over the southwest will flow into Longxi, and our base will be destroyed."
Zhao Yan nervously grabbed Zhao Lan's hand and said urgently, "Sister, you must go and tell the Emperor about this right away!"
"What's the point of talking to him? He only cares about his own enjoyment; he has no interest in the world."
Mentioning Qin Yu, that tyrannical and incompetent ruler who disregarded the lives of ordinary people, Zhao Lan snorted coldly, secretly feeling worried again.
His father's task for him was to seduce the tyrannical emperor and persuade him to issue a decree for disaster relief to quell the disaster in the southwest.
"I'll go change my clothes first." Zhao Lan took off her eunuch robe, stood up, and entered her boudoir.
Zhao Yan's mind was filled with the images her sister had described: people eating clay, exchanging children to eat, and countless people starving to death.
Whenever she thinks about these things, she can't help but feel a pang of heartache, and her mood plummets to rock bottom.
When Zhao Lan came over after changing her clothes, she saw that Zhao Lan was in low spirits and immediately sighed.
She sat down beside Zhao Yan, took her hand, and comforted her, "Silly girl, you're kind-hearted. I shouldn't have talked to you about these things..."
Zhao Lan had only spoken halfway through her comforting words when her gaze swept over her, and she froze.
She hurriedly rolled up Zhao Yan's sleeves and instantly gasped.
There were quite a few red marks on it!
What happened to your arm?
Zhao Lan asked, her expression shifting between light and dark.
Zhao Yan blushed slightly and tried to withdraw her hand.
These unspeakable marks were left on her body by her sister's husband.
She had only cried out that she couldn't hold on any longer when Qin Yu pulled both of her hands behind her back. When he let go, they were completely disheveled.
"It's okay, sister, you just bumped into something by accident."
"This isn't a bump, get up quickly so your sister can give you a proper check-up."
Zhao Lan pulled Zhao Yan to her feet, and before Zhao Yan could react, she tore open the front of Zhao Yan's clothes.
It was covered in red marks, even on the snow-white, towering parts.
Zhao Yan's face turned even redder. She hurriedly tugged at her collar, lowered her head, and said shyly:
"Sister, I'm fine."
"You silly girl, were you bullied by that tyrannical emperor?"
Zhao Lan stared at her with angry, red eyes.
Zhao Yan blushed and gritted her teeth in denial, "No, no..."
She didn't even dare to look Zhao Lan in the eye.
For some reason, besides feeling shy, she also felt guilty when she saw her sister.
"What's going on! What happened to the bloodstained undergarment I gave you? Didn't you use it? With that, that tyrant shouldn't have acted recklessly."
Zhao Lan suddenly thought of something and asked with a frown.
Zhao Yanfang's heart trembled, and she quickly said:
"I used it, sister, don't worry too much. The Emperor really didn't do anything to me. It's just... just some physical pain. It was nothing more than a scratch on his itch."
"real?"
After her sister confirmed it repeatedly, Zhao Lan was mostly convinced, but she still had some doubts.
After all, that tyrannical emperor was so licentious, and she was still worried that her sister would be humiliated.
"Oh dear, sister, why don't you believe me?!"
Zhao Yan pouted coquettishly, "Besides, with undergarments on, the Emperor would find it unlucky, so how could he possibly do anything inappropriate?"
As she said this, a faint blush rose to her cheeks.
Zhao Lan also agreed that this made sense.
She didn't press the matter further.
However, seeing the red marks on her younger sister's body still broke her heart.
"Now that I'm back, I'll have Ziyan send you away right away. You should also come here less often in the future. Don't come here unless I ask you to, so you won't suffer like this again."
"No..." Zhao Yan instinctively refused.
But she quickly covered her mouth, and when she saw Zhao Lan's astonished gaze, she instantly felt her face burning hot.
"Sister, it's alright. I should dedicate myself to the family. And as long as I can help you, I'll be happy too."
Zhao Yan lowered her head and stammered an explanation.
Zhao Lan felt a warmth in her heart and reached out to rub her little sister's obedient head.
Although her younger sister looks delicate and frail, she is more sensible than she imagined.
She couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.
"We'll talk about the rest later, but you have to leave now, otherwise we'll be exposed if someone sees us together."
"Um……"
Zhao Yan nodded gently, and Zhao Lan immediately called Zi Yan back, asking her to quickly escort her younger sister out of the palace.
A moment later, when Zi Yan returned, Zhao Lan was sitting wearily on the edge of the bed and asked coldly.
"Has anything happened in the palace recently?"
Zi Yan pondered for a moment: "There was something today that caused quite a stir."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Lan frowned and asked.
"What ridiculous thing has that foolish ruler done this time?"
That was her first reaction.
And just as she expected...
Zi Yan sighed and reported, "Today, His Majesty left the palace incognito to visit a brothel. He happened to stumble upon a brothel's opening ceremony for the top courtesan. His Majesty fought with the son of Ma Shangtao, the Vice Minister of War, over the title of courtesan..."
After saying that, Zi Yan secretly looked up at Zhao Lan's expression.
Zhao Lan's expression at this moment was extremely interesting, her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment.
"A king of a nation actually went to fight with a minister's son over a prostitute? And even got into a fight over her?"
Zhao Lan looked speechless.
In other places, she would just treat this as a joke.
But if it were Qin Yu...
She suddenly felt that everything made sense.
Throughout history, among all the great emperors of all dynasties, perhaps only the tyrannical Qin Yu was capable of doing such a thing.
It's absolutely hilarious!
"And then what happened? What was the outcome?" Zhao Lan asked with a sigh.
"It is said that Ma Shangtao personally rushed to the scene and, in order to appease the Emperor's wrath, personally crippled Young Master Ma's legs."
"This is utterly absurd! With such a tyrannical ruler, who would serve him?"
Zhao Lan was speechless. She shook her head and said.
"Never mind, the most urgent matter is disaster relief. Has His Majesty returned to the palace yet?"
Zi Yan shook her head.
"It should be soon..."
Zhao Lan let out a long sigh and frowned.
"In that case, you should go to the Imperial Study and wait there. Once the Emperor returns to the palace, invite him here as soon as possible."
"yes."
Zi Yan nodded and withdrew.
After Zi Yan left, Zhao Lan also began to make preparations.
...
On the other side.
Qin Yu hummed a little tune as he received greetings along the way, finally returning to the Imperial Study.
As soon as I entered the hall, I heard someone kneeling down.
"This servant greets Your Majesty."
Zi Yan said respectfully.
Qin Yu glanced at her, frowned, and asked, "Why aren't you serving the Empress in the palace? What are you doing here?"
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