Chapter 175 - Assassin
175 Assassin
When Lan You Nian stepped out of the room, An Yi and the others was already waiting outside. Seeing Lan You Nian, An Yi greeted her, “Wangfei!”
Lan You Nian nodded, then, “Medicinal baths are good. When you guys have time, carry on with the medicinal bath as soon as possible.” Then she headed over to the kitchen, instructing An Yi to go over to the medicinal room to bring over the herbs she need to the kitchen.
Lan You Nian made a bowl of medicinal porridge based on the required amount of herbal ingredients. As a matter of fact, she’s never made medicinal porridge. Every time her poison broke out in the Medical Valley, shifu and the senior brothers always made it for her. Outside, Lan Qu and Lan Wu made it for her. Having observed them many times, Lan You Nian has learned the skill more or less.
“Young miss!” Lan You Nian was watching over the medicinal porridge over the fire when Lan Ren suddenly appeared in Ming wangfu. Because of Lan You Nian, Ming wangfu’s shadow guards were familiar with Lan You Nian’s four subordinates. Lan Ren and the others were allowed to enter Ming wangfu, but they were only allowed entrance. Some areas were still out of bounds.
“What happened?” Lan You Nian’s eyes didn’t look away from the medicinal porridge on the fire but her tone was a little cold. If it wasn’t anything big, Lan Ren wouldn’t come to Ming wangfu to find her.
“Her Majesty summoned Princess Bai Lian into the imperial palace for tea. I fear she will pick troubles with Princess Bai Lian!” Lan Ren said. Since the farewell feast last time, young miss already reminded them to pay attention to Yue Bai Lian’s matters. The Empress will not give up so easily.
Lan You Nian nodded. She already foresaw the Empress will pick trouble with Bai Lian. There was no way the incident that happened last time had no connection to Bai Lian. According to the Empress’s temper, it would be strange if she didn’t pick on Bai Lian. However the Empress didn’t dare to touch Bai Lian. Bai Lian bore the status of Yue Country’s marriage alliance princess.
“An Er” Lan You Nian said to An Er outside, “Watch over the medicinal porridge and bring it over to Xuan after he wakes up!”
“Yes!” An Er looked at wangfei with distress. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to do these rather if wangye woke up and didn’t see wangfei, he will definitely lose his temper. At that time, he will be the misfortunate one. Ai, he has such a bitter life ah!
“Oh right, can you enter the palace at any time?” Lan You Nian asked. Every time she entered the palace, Lan You Nian was attending some kind of banquet or feast. Every time she was with Lan Jian Jun. It seemed normal official family’s women can’t enter the palace casually without summons.
“Answering wangfei, you can enter the palace at your will. This was clearly written out in His Majesty’s imperial decree!” An Er said. Even if there wasn’t an imperial decree, if wangfei wanted to enter the palace, it was doable too, not to mention His Majesty was pleased with wangfei.
“Oh, so it’s like this! Then when Xuan wakes up, tell him that I’m going to the palace to take a look!” Lan You Nian headed outside. As for that imperial decree, she didn’t even glance over it so Lan You Nian didn’t know when the Emperor passed this imperial decree, how many people’s eyes reddened (with jealousy). To enter the palace at will, beside a few of the wangye and Tutor He, there was no other woman given this honor. Lan You Nian became the first woman to enter the palace at her will.
“Wangfei, take An Yi with you!” An Yi stood in front of Lan You Nian. Wangye has yet to waken. As shadow guards, it was their duty to protect wangfei. If wangfei was wronged in any way, who knew how distressed wangye would be.
“En? Aren’t you shadow guards not allowed to enter the palace?” Lan You Nian asked in confusion. If it was Feng Yi Xuan, he can bring An Yi and the others in with his identity. If it wasn’t Feng Yi Xuan, no one was allowed to bring shadow guards into the palace. Sometimes when Lan You Nian brought people in, it was all due to Feng Yi Xuan’s interference.
“It’s true shadow guards can’t enter the palace but An Yi is wangfei’s head of guards so has imperial permission to enter the palace,” An Er explained. Though they were shadow guards, they were also public guards as well. Their positions in the shadows or in public were interchangeable.
“En, alright!” Lan you Nian nodded for Lan Ren to return then took An Yi with her to the imperial palace.
Perhaps because Yue Bai Lian dawdled a little long, or Lan You Nian’s carriage was too fast, the two’s carriage encountered each other in front of the palace gates. Lan You Nian got off her carriage and saw Yue Bai Lian who similarly got off the carriage. The two smiled at one another.
Yue Bai Lian was moved by Lan You Nian’s protectiveness and worry. Lan You Nian purely felt this bestie was very good.
“How come Nian’er is here?” Yue Bai Lian asked though in her heart she already knew the answer but still wanted to ask if it was exactly as she thought.
“I feared you couldn’t handle it yourself so I came to back you up!” Lan You Nian said as she and Yue Bai Lian walked into the palace. Though Lan You Nian can enter the palace in Ming wangfu’s carriage, Lan You Nian knew Feng Yi Xuan’s carriage didn’t allow for any woman beside herself to enter.
“I’m not afraid. I have the greatest back stage behind me!” Maybe because she really did suppress the feelings in her heart into the deepest part of herself, Yue Bai Lian looked to be in a good mood. Her interaction with Lan You Nian was filled with friendship between friends.
In regards to Yue Bai Lian’s change, Lan You Nian was happy for her. She really thought well of Yue Bai Lian, nor did she wish to see her immerse herself in the problem she created. More or less, she felt a little guilty.
“Princess Bai Lian please follow this servant!” a palace maid came over to Yue Bai Lian and prepared to lead Yue Bai Lian into the Empress’s palace. Lan You Nian knew this palace maid to be the Empress An Qian Mei’s personal maidservant.
“Since I’m also in the palace, I should also visit Her Majesty!” Lan You Nian then went with Yue Bai Lian. Seeing this, the palace maid was troubled but with Lan You Nian’s identity right there, as well as the Emperor was extremely fond of this future daughter in law, the palace maid didn’t dare say anything, only lowered her head to lead the way.
Meanwhile, An Yi who was following them most definitely will follow. An Yi came into the palace to protect wangfei. When they entered the Empress’s palace, An Yi could only stand outside. As an outside man, An Yi can’t enter a consort’s palace.
“Wangfei” An Yi hesitated, not that he was worried something would happen to wangfei, since he was well aware of wangfei’s abilities, he was worried if wangfei will suffer any grievances,. No one was allowed to bully Ming wangfu’s wangfei.
Lan You Nian smiled. Towards An Yi and the other’s respect and protectiveness towards her, Lan You Nian felt it. From the start, it might have been because of Feng Yi Xuan, but now Lan You Nian can tell they really regarded her as their wangfei.
Seeing wangfei’s smile, An Yi was reassured but thought it was best if he sent news to fourth wangye in the palace…
~
Everywhere in the Empress’s palace was a show of luxury. There were snow white stone carvings on both sides of the road as well as a pool of water from where drifted clear sounds of water. Faintly one can see the swimming koi. Lan You Nian and Yue Bai Lian followed the palace maid into the luxurious grand hall.
Empress An Qian Mei sat in the center of the grand hall, her expression haughty. Red lips, small mouth, skin that was tender as suet due to the recent matters showed signs of age, her eyes flashed with fierce light. Wearing a purple short shirt, matched with a hundred pleated skirt, with an overcoat of embroidered purple flowers and half sleeved, her hair combed into a chaotian hairstyle, with pearl and jade cloud coronet and a pink peony inserted in it. If it wasn’t for the Empress’s air, she can be considered a national beauty, bringing out the best in her features.
Lan You Nian and Yue Bai Lian curtsied at the same time, “Greetings to Your Majesty!” Because Lan You Nian was permitted to forgo the ceremony of kneeling, so no matter who she was seeing, there was no need for her to be too ceremonious in greeting so seeing this, the Empress frowned but didn’t say anything. She looked at the palace maid that brought Lan You Nian in. She probably didn’t know why Lan You Nian would appear at this time.
The palace maid quietly came over to the Empress and leaned into her ear, quietly explaining why Lan You Nian was here. Hearing the reason, the Empress felt even more irritated. It was like every time she encountered this girl, nothing went the way it should. This girl was now Feng Yi Xuan’s future wife, the Empress hated she couldn’t kill Lan You Nian.
After Lan You Nian curtsied, she stood off to the side. Yue Bai Lian was the same. In fact deep in her bones Yue Bai Lian had her own pride as well as the superiority as an imperial family’s princes. Yue Bai Lian didn’t wait for the Empress to say something before she stood beside Lan You Nian.
“Princess Bai Lian’s probably hasn’t finished learning etiquette. Seeing this empress, you give such perfunctory greeting?” The Empress snapped. She knew she couldn’t kill off Yue Bai Lian but that didn’t mean she couldn’t punish Yue Bai Lian to vent her anger. This method was common in the imperial palace. As the Empress, she was skilled in this.
Yue Bai Lian glanced at Lan You Nian, her gaze was blatantly complaining the Empress this old witch was finding trouble out of nothing. However Yue Bai Lian still lowered her head in reply, “This princess is still Yue country’s princess, not Feng country’s citizen. May I ask where did this princess showed error in etiquette?”
“Impudent!” The Empress’s face changed seeing Yue Bai Lian’s attitude, slamming her hand on the low solid wood table. The hall resounded with “slam”, the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs all fell to their knees in horror, only Lan You Nian and Yue Bai Lian remained unmoving.
“Though you aren’t my Feng country’s citizen now, but with your current position of marriage alliance princess coming over to my Feng country, it won’t be long before you are my Feng country’s citizen. Which rule says you don’t greet this empress properly?” The Empress accused Yue Bai Lian, “Someone, teach Princess Bai Lian the rules of etiquette, so that she won’t offend the Emperor when she marries into our imperial family!”
Several sturdy looking palace maids slowly walked over to Yue Bai Lian. Lan You Nian suddenly pulled Yue Bai Lian behind her, then stared down the Empress up above, “Your Majesty is really putting on airs. Princess Bai Lian represents Yue country and Feng country’s diplomatic relations. Does Your Majesty want to incite a war between the two countries?”
“Miss Lan has a really sharp tongue!” The Empress’s gaze on Lan You Nian seemed to contain poisoned arrows, as if she wanted Lan You Nian to be shot through the heart with a million arrows, “When does this empress need a puny little official’s young miss to chip in your opinion? Slap!”
Lan You Nian stared at the Empress, her eyes vibrant with cold brilliance. The soft pink lips that seemed to be moistened by cherry flowers tugged up a degree, harmlessly staring at the palace maids approaching her. Just as the palace maid was whipping out a hand to slap her, Lan You Nian reached out her pure white hands to shatter the palace maid’s neck, death on the spot!
Lan You Nian’s decisive action made the people in the Empress’s palace all stunned speechless. when have they seen a girl so nonchalantly off a person? Especially since this girl appeared so beautiful and harmless, as if murdering someone was a very ordinary matter.
LAn You Nian sneered at the dead palace maid. This palace maid was the very same one who led Feng Yi Xuan over to Feng Guan Lian’s wing. Because she had her hands full with Feng Yi Xuan’s medicinal bath, this has been put aside for a time. These people wanted to harm Feng Yi Xuan, how can she let them go? Even that Feng Guan Lian she won’t let go of!
The Empress was scared by Lan You Nian’s ruthlessness. In that instant Lan You Nian killed the person, she seemed to have seen the shadow of Feng Yi Xuan. These two people were similarly brutal and merciless!
“Daring!” The Empress was slightly fearful. She was really afraid Lan You Nian would similarly snap her neck in two. The Empress shouted to the people outside, “There’s assassins! Let the guards come in! Take down the assassins! Quick!”