Meng Qingluan thought someone had accidentally bumped into her, so she frowned and moved closer to Chen Yan.
Just as he was about to continue looking for Li Zhanqi, his elbow was bumped again, this time even harder than before.
Meng Qingluan was furious.
This couldn't have been an accident, could it?
Is this deliberately picking a fight?
Meng Qingluan turned her head angrily, but immediately turned back when she saw the person.
— Li Zhanlan grinned, revealing eight large teeth in a perfect smile, looking at her with a smile that seemed to tremble more than flowers.
Meng Qingluan clenched her fists, resisting the urge to punch him.
Why is this person next to me?
Seeing that he was being ignored, Li Zhanlan, without any sense of propriety, moved closer and even started whispering in his ear.
Why are you ignoring me?
"..."
Meng Qingluan's eyes widened. Was this person's head alright?
Today is an important day to pray for the Emperor's well-being; he is his own father.
None of the officials dared to speak, but he, on the other hand, openly and honestly wentssiped with me.
Meng Qingluan pulled her ears in, pretending not to hear, and even pulled her shoulder closer to him inward.
Li Zhanlan, left standing to the side, relentlessly poked her shoulder.
Meng Qingluan turned her head impatiently and glared at him, silently mouthing: Get lost.
When Li Zhanlan saw her scolding him, he smiled even more brightly.
"Xiangxiang, you're so fierce," Li Zhanlan said in a low voice.
"..."
Li Zhanlan is now like the most annoying little brat in kindergarten. Not only does he not restrain himself, but he also raises his hand even more aggressively and pokes her face.
Just as he touched Meng Qingluan's face, before Meng Qingluan could even raise her hand to open it, a pair of large hands were placed in front of her face, precisely gripping Li Zhanlan's wrists.
The fabric was light blue with silver cloud patterns embroidered on it, and Meng Qingluan recognized the owner of those large hands at a glance.
Meng Qingluan subconsciously raised her hand to look around, and seeing that no one had noticed the commotion, she quickly grabbed Shen Yan's wrist.
He lowered his voice and said, "Let go, Chen Yan."
Shen Yan was very strong; Meng Qingluan could already see that Li Zhanlan's wrist had turned white from being twisted.
Li Zhanlan glanced down and chuckled softly, raising his voice slightly.
"What does Lord Shen mean by this? Are you going to take action in this setting?"
"..."
Li Zhanlan did not deliberately lower his voice, and the officials who were nearby turned around to check the situation.
Meng Qingluan felt a pang of anxiety, realizing that Li Zhanlan was deliberately provoking Shen Yan.
She turned her head and glared at him fiercely, shaking Chen Yan's wrist, her tone pleading.
"Chen Yan, let go! You're scaring me."
"..."
Seeing the anxiety in Meng Qingluan's eyes, Shen Yan loosened his grip on her wrist and withdrew his hand.
He still didn't turn around; the fierceness in his eyes remained, and his tone was icy.
“Li Zhanlan, pretending to be weak to deceive others is something only smart people do. If you really are a pig, then you are just imitating others poorly.”
When Li Zhanlan's true colors were revealed, he was not angry at all; instead, the smile on his lips deepened.
“That’s great!” Li Zhanlan stared straight at Meng Qingluan. “Xiangxiang is a little pig, and so am I.”
Meng Qingluan: "..."
Meng Qingluan sensed something was wrong, but before she could speak, a dark shadow flashed past her.
The sound of fists clashing filled my ears, and when I turned my head, the two were already fighting.
Not only did Li Zhanlan not take the hit, but he also grabbed Shen Yan's punch after receiving it and launched a counterattack.
The most dissolute prince and the most favored minister of the court actually fought each other on the occasion of praying for their common monarch. What a rare thing!
Before Meng Qingluan could think, she got up and tried to grab Chen Yan back. She had only taken one step when a pair of large hands grabbed her waist and lifted her up, placing her aside.
"You'll get accidentally injured if you go up there, so stay here."
Meng Qingluan steadied herself and only saw Li Zhanjue's retreating figure as he rushed forward. She stood still, looking ahead.
Shen Yan almost pinned Li Zhanlan to the ground and beat him. During the fight, Li Zhanjue tried to break up the fight but was punched in the process.
Meng Qingluan was terrified, but felt a little relieved, at least she hadn't been beaten up.
After a while, the officials realized what was happening and pulled the two apart.
Li Zhanlan had a few drops of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and his eye was slapped several times. His once spotless clothes were now covered with several footprints.
Li Zhanjue, who was trying to break up the fight, also took several punches to the face, no less than Li Zhanlan.
Meng Qingluan suspected that Shen Yan was using his position to settle personal scores and retaliate.
Shen Yan's lip was also cut, from the first blow Li Zhanlan struck in retaliation.
"Outrageous! How dare you two fight like this on such an important occasion! Do you even have any respect for the Emperor?"
As soon as Meng Qingluan stood next to Shen Yan, she heard the woman's angry voice.
Turning my head, I saw a woman with a gloomy face: she was dressed in gorgeous clothes, walked with a calm demeanor, and her brows were filled with anger, exuding an innate sense of pressure.
When Meng Qingluan saw the dazzling golden phoenix crown on her head, she knew her identity—the current empress.
The Empress's sharp gaze fell on her, but Meng Qingluan glanced back at her and looked away.
Li Zhanlan patted the dust off his clothes. "I'm sorry, Mother, I couldn't resist wanting to have a little sparring."
"Shut up!" The Empress glared at him, then looked at Shen Yan. "Lord Shen, I thought you were a composed person. It's one thing for the Seventh Prince to be young and ignorant, but I never expected you to fight him in such an important setting."
Shen Yan shielded Meng Qingluan behind him, remaining neither humble nor arrogant.
"I will go to Your Majesty to apologize for what happened today, but it is more important to pray for Your Majesty's well-being now."
"..."
The Empress frowned slightly, gave one last look, and then turned back to her seat.
The prayers continued, but the ministers kept glancing at them with barely perceptible eyes.
Seeing the wound on his lip, Meng Qingluan could only wipe away the dried blood on their way to pray outside the temple.
"It hurts a little."
Taking the opportunity, Shen Yan acted coquettishly. The sunlight made his head look fluffy, like a wounded, spoiled puppy.
Meng Qingluan glared at him, suppressing the urge to slap him. Instead of softening her blow, she actually increased the force of her slap.
"It hurts? You still feel pain? You went up and hit someone when it hurt, and now you know it hurts?"
Chen Yan sniffled, looking pitiful, "Since you've already hit me, Luan Luan, please be gentle with me."
Meng Qingluan unfolded her handkerchief to show him, "It won't be light. Your blood has dried at the corner of your mouth. If you want it to be lighter, just spit some saliva to wet it."
Chen Yan: "..."
Shen Yan grimaced, and it took him a long time to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth clean.
Soon they arrived outside the temple. The empress led the princes in devout worship beside the prayer altar, while the concubines stood to the side and the officials stood behind the altar.
The blessing ceremony was quick, and we will be staying overnight at Baoxiang Temple.
Normally, non-important officials would not be required to stay, but Chen Yan, as a fourth-rank civil official, was specially ordered by the emperor to stay overnight at Baoxiang Temple.
After dinner, Shen Yan went out to discuss something with Li Zhanjue.
Meng Qingluan also knew that no matter how much the two disliked each other, they were in the same boat.
Besides, Shen Yan has already confessed his feelings to her, so she can't very well restrict him from doing serious things, can she?
Without trying to stop him, Meng Qingluan waved him away and sat in her bedroom eating the roasted rice that she had secretly bought for her with US dollars.
While she was eating, there was a knock on her door.
Yingbang opened the door, and a palace maid dressed in court attire entered the room and bowed to Meng Qingluan.
"Greetings, Madam. Our mistress invites you."
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