The next morning, Lan Yan woke to find herself lying in bed, completely free of sleepiness. She sat up and, seeing Jun Ye Lan beside her unharmed, breathed a sigh of relief.
Had she developed a habit of sleepwalking recently?
Seeing Jun Ye Lan awaken, she asked, "Your Highness, how did I end up in your bed last night?"
Jun Ye Lan looked at Lan Yan's bewildered expression and smiled faintly, "I don't know either. There were only the two of us in this room."
It was over. She really had been sleepwalking! Lan Yan instantly blamed herself, feeling too embarrassed to look at Jun Ye Lan. Her sleepwalking hadn't led her out of the house, but rather to take advantage of Jun Ye Lan. She found the thought astonishing.
She said, "Your Highness, I estimate I didn't sleep well, or perhaps I was disoriented, to have done something like this."
Jun Ye Lan nodded, "From now on, you will sleep in the bed and be sure to rest well. The floor is not suitable for you."
"Ah! Then Your Highness will have to sleep on the floor."
Jun Ye Lan had initially intended to share the bed with Lan Yan, but seeing her reaction, he decided against voicing it. "I am a man, it's no trouble." Seeing that Lan Yan still wanted to say something, he continued, "This matter is settled."
From the beginning, he had disagreed with Lan Yan sleeping on the floor.
Lan Yan had no choice but to nod and went to get dressed.
Behind her, Jun Ye Lan's lips curved upwards slightly.
Meanwhile, Madam Liu had rushed to Madam Li's courtyard early that morning and stopped the person in front of her. "The Second Madam of the Duke of Lan's manor is merely a concubine, and her child is also a庶女 (shu nǚ - illegitimate daughter). It truly wasn't easy for her to attain the position of Third Royal Consort."
Madam Li looked coldly at the person before her. She had heard from people within the manor yesterday that the woman forced upon the Prince by the palace was the one. This person had come to cause trouble for her daughter.
"That is because my daughter is capable!"
Madam Liu smiled, "If it weren't for the marriage of convenience, she would truly not have this qualification. If His Majesty were to know about this, one wonders how the Royal Consort would be dealt with. After all, the Third Prince, no matter what, was once a favored son of His Majesty."
Hearing these words, Madam Li's eyes welled up with anger. "My daughter is now the Third Royal Consort, and that cannot be changed. Furthermore, the matter of the marriage of convenience should be borne by the Duke of Lan's manor."
She herself came from a scholarly family. If not for the decline of her family, why would she have become a concubine? She would not let her own daughter suffer the same fate!
Seeing that Madam Li possessed some intelligence, Madam Liu smiled, "That is indeed the case, but who can say for sure what will happen in this world? The Noble Consort is favored by His Majesty in the palace. My ability to come to the Prince's manor this time was all orchestrated by the Noble Consort."
"If you wish for your daughter to have future prosperity and wealth, then do as Noble Consort wishes. Even if something were to happen to the Third Prince, you and your daughter can rely on the Noble Consort to live a good life."
She looked at the hesitation appearing in Madam Li's eyes and revealed a triumphant smile.
Then, she walked to the corridor and slipped a handful of silver to a maidservant in the manor, saying, "Don't refuse at first; it's not a difficult matter. I just have some old stories about the Royal Consort to tell you."
The maidservant trembled all over. She had been punished last time for spilling water in front of the Royal Consort, and her back still bore the scar.
Madam Liu then pulled the maidservant to sit on the corridor and whispered, "I heard that the Royal Consort is a wicked woman. She even verbally abused the Prince before. Moreover, she was captured by human traffickers last time. Who knows what she went through; she's no longer pure."
"So, what I'm telling you is the truth. You just need to tell others."
The maidservant looked at the silver in her hand, her mind filled with hesitation.
Meanwhile, turning the corner, Xia Lian turned and left, heading for Lan Yan's room to inform her of the situation.
Lan Yan clicked her tongue, "Indeed, some people are just asking for trouble. Xia Lian, let's enact a counter-plan. Go and tell everyone in the manor that no matter what Madam Liu says to them, they should just listen and accept it."
The moment Madam Liu believed she had succeeded would be the moment of counterattack. She had no intention of dealing with this person repeatedly!
Xia Lian nodded and went off to carry out her task.
Jun Ye Lan, also in the room, looked at Lan Yan's cunning eyes and asked, "Can I help?"
"Of course, Your Highness is the most crucial piece," Lan Yan narrowed her eyes and smiled. She leaned close to Jun Ye Lan's ear and whispered for a long time.
Jun Ye Lan nodded, understanding Lan Yan's intention.
An hour later, Madam Liu walked along the covered walkway, listening to the maids behind her discussing the Royal Consort, growing increasingly pleased. Everywhere she went, she could hear these discussions, indicating that the day the Royal Consort was driven out of the manor was not far off.
However, after she left, the discussing voices ceased, and they obediently returned to their work.
Madam Liu, holding a bowl of porridge, adjusted her collar and called out at the room's entrance, "Your Highness, I have brought something for you." After speaking, she moved to step into the room.
"Stop," Jun Ye Lan called out coldly. He looked at the book in his hand and said, "From now on, wherever I am, you must stay ten feet away from me. I dislike the scent of you."
Madam Liu's mouth twitched, and she tightened her grip on the porridge bowl. She took a few steps back and said, "Your Highness, I just heard that everyone in the manor dislikes the Royal Consort, and I came specifically to tell you."
"The Royal Consort is not what you think."
Jun Ye Lan was about to retort again, but he looked at Lan Yan, who was leisurely calculating accounts beside him, and remembered the plan they had discussed. He shouted towards the door, "I will investigate this matter."
"Your Highness, with so many people speaking, there's no need for an investigation. I am worried that the Royal Consort's reputation will affect Your Highness. Your Highness must see the Royal Consort's true nature clearly," Madam Liu said with an appearance of great concern.
Jun Ye Lan frowned, clenching his fist to suppress the urge to strike Madam Liu. He rebuked, "I do not need you to manage my affairs. I am already aware of this matter. You may leave."
Seeing Jun Ye Lan's anger, Madam Liu had no choice but to leave. At the same time, she rejoiced inwardly, believing that a rift had finally formed between the Prince and the Royal Consort.
Once the outside quieted down, Jun Ye Lan turned and fixed his gaze on Lan Yan, "She has fallen for it."
Lan Yan put down her ledger and smiled, "Your Highness is still the most impressive. The rest of the matter, please leave it to me." She walked out of the room, followed by Xia Lian, heading for the front hall.
Meanwhile, Madam Liu, who had just left, was brought back and stood before Lan Yan. She knew the Royal Consort would seek retribution and cried pitifully, "Royal Consort, what are you doing?"
Lan Yan tapped on the table and sneered, "You know what you've done, don't you!"
A hint of triumph flashed in Madam Liu's eyes before being concealed. She cried, "Royal Consort, I am truly wronged."
"Hmph," Lan Yan stated directly, "Before you arrived, the manor was perfectly fine. After you came, unfavorable rumors began circulating throughout the manor. Do you dare say this has nothing to do with you!"
Madam Liu responded, "Royal Consort, I truly don't know. Besides, I have also heard those rumors and feel that what they say is not without reason. Moreover, your own mother has come out to testify; there's no falsehood to this matter, is there?"
"Royal Consort, perhaps now you should reflect on yourself."
Lan Yan curled her lips, clapped her hands, and Madam Li, along with the maidservants, walked in from outside, all staring at Madam Liu.