Lan Yan finished dealing with the memorials and had lunch with Jun Yelan. Before they could eat, a commotion was heard from outside the hall.
Mei Dong, at the door, walked in and reported, "Your Majesty, those ministers are gathered outside the palace gates, requesting Your Majesty to agree to the marriage alliance."
Lan Yan's grip on her chopsticks tightened. These ministers were too idle. "Drive them away. This matter is not up for discussion." She would never send her elder brother to his death.
Mei Dong looked troubled. "This servant has tried to persuade them, but they refuse to leave. Some have even knelt down, saying that if Your Majesty does not agree, they will remain kneeling."
"Very well, they are forcing my hand, but I will not yield to them." Lan Yan waved Mei Dong away and raised her chopsticks, intending to continue eating, but the noise from outside was too jarring.
She couldn't help but stand up and look at Jun Yelan, who had also risen. She smiled and said, "Wait for me for a moment, I'll be right back." She turned and walked towards the door. These damned ministers.
Jun Yelan did not listen to Lan Yan's words and followed her. These ministers were all old foxes, and he worried that Lan Yan would not be able to handle them alone, so he felt more at ease following her.
Lan Yan walked straight to the door and looked at the kneeling ministers on the ground, saying coldly, "Didn't you say you wanted to see Us! We are here, what do you want to say!"
The ministers looked at each other, pushing the one at the front. The Minister of Rites was a disciple of Prime Minister Lin, and Prime Minister Lin had instructed her to come.
She performed a grand bow and cried sorrowfully, "Your Majesty, the border is restless, and our Yan Dynasty will never know peace. The two countries have been at war for hundreds of years, and it's only by chance that the Hao Kingdom is willing to relent."
"As long as Prince Ting marries over, everything will change for the better." She truly did not understand why the Empress was so reluctant to part with just a man.
Other ministers also kowtowed.
Lan Yan remained unmoved. "Everyone, since you have brought this matter up, let us discuss it properly. Hao Kingdom is so provocative; if we agree to the marriage alliance, we will be nurturing a tiger that will harm us in the future."
"When their appetite grows, they will eventually attack us. The reason we haven't been to war is because there are too many people like you. You read the classics of sages; I do not ask you to be saints, but at least do your proper work."
She looked at the Minister of Revenue. "Why is the national treasury always empty? Why are there not enough strong soldiers?"
The Ministers of Revenue and War both lowered their heads. They had indeed not performed their duties well.
Lan Yan felt a headache looking at these ministers. "In any case, I have already said in court this morning that this matter is settled. If you cannot understand, then continue to kneel here until you do, and then you may return."
The thought of these vexing situations made her lose her appetite. She decided to talk to the system properly about why her tasks were getting harder and why she had to deal with these matters!
After she left, the ministers fell into hesitation. Some felt that the Empress's words made sense, while others still chose to listen to Prime Minister Lin.
"Minister of Rites, should we leave or stay now?"
Before the Minister of Rites could answer, a voice rang out, "If I were you, I would not touch the Empress's reverse scale."
Upon seeing the person who arrived, the ministers cried out, "Greetings, Consort."
Jun Yelan's expression was cold, and he casually raised his hand, showing no regard for these ministers. He had seen everything just now and would not interfere with Lan Yan's actions as Empress, but he could not bear to see Lan Yan in such a state.
His anger towards the ministers was palpable at the moment, but he suppressed it when he thought of the important matters. "You are all pillars of the state. By forcing the Empress together like this, all that will be said of you will be ill repute."
"On this matter, the Empress is not wrong. Words are powerful; all ministers should think of their own futures, and also of your families. By the way, the Empress has been in a bad mood recently, and I cannot advise her on anything that might happen."
The ministers listened to Jun Yelan's calm conversation, but they all understood the threat. If even the Consort was unwilling to intervene, and they truly angered the Empress, their ending would not be good.
Some of them regretted not leaving earlier, while some had already risen and said, "Thank you, Consort. We have wronged the Empress. We beg the Empress for forgiveness!"
Jun Yelan looked up at the sky. "If you do not leave soon, the palace gates will be closed. By nightfall, the Imperial Guards here will be doubled, and anything that happens is unpredictable."
He stared coldly at these ministers and then left with a flick of his sleeve.
The ministers quickly hurried towards the palace gates.
Seeing that there was no one left outside the hall, the surrounding palace maids and Imperial Guards admired Jun Yelan. "He truly is the man favored by the Empress; this courage is not something ordinary people possess."
"I thought the Consort was just cold and indifferent, ignoring everyone and everything, but I didn't expect him to be so formidable."
"Yes, I am starting to envy the Empress now." The palace maids continued to discuss, and for a time, Jun Yelan's reputation spread throughout the palace.
At this moment, Lan Yan was in the hall, summoning the system. "Tell me, what identity have you chosen for me? Now I feel like I have two tasks. On one hand, saving Jun Yelan, and on the other, saving myself."
The system heard the anger in Lan Yan's voice and said calmly, "Host, as time goes on, the tasks will definitely become more difficult. I have looked at the subsequent worlds, and there are even tasks like starving and fleeing famine."
Lan Yan immediately clenched her fist, and then retracted it, thinking that she could not see the system. "System, if I complete this task, you must upgrade me." Otherwise, she was not doing this easily.
In the last world, she had to work as a maid, and in this world, as Empress, she also had to work and deal with these old foxes.
The system perfunctorily replied, "Alright, Host. Please continue to persevere. The rescue progress is steadily rising. The system is going offline." It quickly left, glancing at its hidden tasks, which were also nearing completion.
What could Lan Yan do? She had to continue. A knock sounded at the door, and she said, "Come in."
The door was pushed open, and she turned to see Jun Yelan, and in his hand, a plate of chicken drumsticks. "What a fragrant smell!"
Jun Yelan placed the chicken drumsticks in front of Lan Yan and said, "You haven't eaten anything. Eat now."
"Jun Yelan, you are the best. Those ministers are too much." A hint of moisture appeared in Lan Yan's eyes. He was indeed her target for the mission, better than anyone else.
She picked up a chicken drumstick and took a satisfying bite, then offered it to Jun Yelan's mouth. "Do you want to try too?"
Jun Yelan looked at the teeth marks on the chicken drumstick, his ears turning red, and shook his head.
Lan Yan ate it herself, finding the chicken drumstick tastier than usual. "Jun Yelan, at first, I didn't feel much about the position of Empress, but now I realize it's incredibly difficult."
"Actually, I'm not that formidable. I also have many emotions and want to escape."
"I know." Jun Yelan could see that Lan Yan had been persevering. He had once thought that an Empress only sought pleasure, but Lan Yan was never such a person; she was hardworking and down-to-earth.
He couldn't help but hold Lan Yan's other free hand and said, "From now on, I will accompany you and help you be a good Empress."