Lan Xuan Yi was extremely busy as she hustled around the medical tent. The people living in the town have suffered for a very long time. Superficial wounds can be healed in a few days, but many people are suffering from diseases that cannot be cured within a few weeks. Lan Xuan Yi vowed to herself that she will help them to her best abilities and hence, she was incredibly busy. Paying house visits, housing those who do not have a home to return to in her medical tent, and tending to them without sleeping much every day. It was no wonder that the people view her as their goddess.
The medical tent has expanded to house people and its helpers. There is a tent that helpers brew their medicines, overseen and taught by Lan Xuan Yi herself. Lan Xuan Yi knows that she will not be able to help these people forever which is why she was not stingy with her knowledge. Her revenge requires her to return to the Imperial Harem and she knows in her heart, she will have to make the decision of betraying the Emperor when she returns. All these complicated matters, Lan Xuan Yi puts aside for now.
Currently, the Eighth Prince has informed the Lan Household about her situation and her father. Lord Lan would surely support the Seventh Prince. Xuan Yi is confident because she knows her father has always felt that the current Emperor is lacking compared to the Seventh Prince whom he has always supported before the injury.
After learning about his precious daughter's situation, Lord Lan immediately released a sigh of relief. Xue had returned to the Lan mansion after losing his mistress and reported everything to Lord Lan who erupted in anger and worry. His daughter was not only bullied in the palace but was also schemed against. Those evil women wanted his precious daughter's life! How can Lord Lan sit still after hearing that?
Lady Lan immediately fainted after hearing the news of her daughter being assassinated. There was not even a trace of her corpse and she lamented on her mistake to send her daughter into the palace. She had naively thought that being in the palace is the safest and with her maternal family's support, she would live a luxurious life. Who would have thought that this is the tragic ending for the precious daughter she doted and pampered on from the moment she landed onto this world?
Xue kneeled on the ground, not caring of the rain battering his back, and demanded Lord Lan to punish him severely for his mistake. Lord Lan knows, if Xue came back empty-handed, it does not mean that he did not do his best to search. It really meant he truly could not find her. Lord Lan collapsed onto his chair as he wept for his beloved daughter. He was about to order his secret guards to search the entire empire when the Eighth Prince's men arrived.
After explaining the situation to Lord Lan, the head of the secret guards handed over a written letter which was personally written by Lan Xuan Yi, detailing all of those that she has seen and experienced in the town outside the capital and asked her father to make his own decision as well. Lord Lan frowned as he processed what his daughter wrote to him about the living conditions of the world outside the capital. He knows what his daughter is saying is the truth and he has also bought this topic up in court countless times, but the Emperor only said that he will think about it, he will consider some measures to help those people. The Emperor is too focused on stabilizing his position and did not care about his people. Lord Lan thank the secret guards for delivering the news and asked them to pass his thanks to their master.
With the Eighth Prince and Seventh Prince making their moves, Lord Lan knows where his loyalty lays. Not just based on how the Emperor took care of his daughter but the way he handled court matters; Lord Lan knew the Emperor is lacking. If the Seventh Prince were to take the throne, the people will live better lives and as a subject of the kingdom, it is his duty to help the kingdom grow to become stronger.
Xue followed those secret guards back to his mistress under the orders of Lord Lan while Lord Lan stormed into the palace, demanding to see his daughter. The Empress Dowager had returned with the Imperial harem and everyone has been given the order to shut their mouths in matters regarding Imperial Consort Lan. Nobody dared to utter a single word about her, and the guards did not dare to say much to Lord Lan. Seeing that the guards refused to even notify his arrival, Lord Lan decided to go straight to the Emperor's study hall and demand an explanation.
"My left-prime minister, what brings you here today?" The Emperor sweated a little as he sees the black-faced Lord Lan storming into his study hall.
"I wished to see my daughter, but the guards did not even notify her of my arrival and demanded that this minister should leave. This minister truly cannot swallow such an insult. I am the left-prime minister and my daughter is Imperial Consort Lan, just a mere guard dares to obstruct a father asking for his daughter?" The Emperor almost stumbled when he heard what Lord Lan said.
"Lord Lan wishes to see Imperial Consort Lan?" The Emperor asked.
"Yes. Do blame this minister for being a worrywart but this minister has matters to discuss with Imperial Consort Lan. This concerns matter regarding this minister's tea farm and Imperial Consort Lan's personal tea leaves. Imperial Consort Lan has told this minister that after the temple visit with Empress Dowager, she would invite this minister into her Cloud Palace to have a discussion. However, it has been days since she has returned and since this matter is urgent, this minister decided to come without an invitation." Lord Lan had already thought of what to say before entering the palace. He wanted to test the Emperor one last time before he decides if he should stay loyal to the current Emperor who is lacking in so many aspects.
"Imperial Consort Lan is ill and bedridden. When she is better, I'll notify the left-prime minister to enter the palace." The Emperor thought hard about what excuse to say when such a situation would arise. If he were to say Imperial Consort Lan is sick, then nobody can truly fault him for not letting them meet her.
"Her Highness is ill to the point where she is bedridden? Your Highness, this lowly minister begs you to allow me to see my daughter!" Lord Lan kneeled and kowtowed deeply, worry apparent on his face.
The Emperor widened his eyes as he remembered that Lord Lan is an extremely doting father. If he were to say that she is ill, of course, he would want to visit her.
"This cannot do. Imperial Consort Lan is suffering from an infectious disease. If my left prime minister were to be infected, that would not be good." The Emperor hurriedly rejected Lord Lan's request.
"My poor daughter is suffering, how can this minister not visit her and reassure her?" Lord Lan did not raise from his position and begged the Emperor once more.
"This minister begs the Emperor for a chance to visit Imperial Consort Lan."
The Emperor shook his head, repeating that it is no good. Lord Lan begged for more than an hour and the Emperor continuously rejected his request without giving an inch. As the Emperor continues to reject him, Lord Lan's heart began to grow colder.
Lord Lan knows that the Emperor is lying to him because he does not wish to lose the Lan house's support. He is the left prime minister and his house has a long-standing history of aiding the previous emperors in the kingdom's history. His Lan house has earned the respect of the other nobles and with the support of the Lan house, the Emperor would have the support of all the other nobles that follows the Lan house. The Emperor would rather lie to a poor father who is worried about his daughter to retain his support than to tell him the truth.
This is when Lord Lan made his decision. The moment he returned home, he wrote a letter and sent a secret guard to deliver it to the Seventh Prince, notifying him of the Lan House's stance. Caressing the silk pouch made personally by his daughter, Lord Lan mentally prepares himself to have a little meeting with the heads of other noble houses.
It is time for a change.
Currently, the Seventh Prince is approaching Lan Xuan Yi in the medical tent. He slowly approached so as to not frighten her but remembered that she is no longer how she is used to be, he knows that she would have sensed his presence at this distance.
Just as expected, Lan Xuan Yi stopped what she was doing and turned around to face him. With her new senses and powers, she could feel the presence of an unknown man standing behind her, but she could not identify him. Turning around, she saw the Seventh Prince and quickly kneeled.
"Xuan Yi greets your highness, Duke Fei."
The Seventh Prince frowned and gestured her to quickly stand up. "Lan Xuan Yi, do this Prince a favor and not address me by that title."
"I understand, Seventh Prince ." Lan Xuan Yi gave a small smile before asking him.
"Why is the Seventh Prince here?"
"This Prince was curious about how the gentle Imperial Consort Lan has changed ever since being reborn." The Seventh Prince eyed her from head to toe before giving a small smile.
"It seems like this Prince's concerns are unnecessary, you seemed to have adapted well."
"Indeed, I have," Lan Xuan Yi agreed. Thinking of Imperial Consort Su, Lan Xuan Yi's eyes turned deadly, filled with hatred and killing intent.
The Seventh Prince was taken aback by the sharp gaze from Lan Xuan Yi. Who would have thought that the Noble Lady who was bullied and unfavoured by all could give off such a frightening aura? A smirk appeared on the seventh Prince's lips as he looked at Lan Xuan Yi in approval.
"I shall take my leave since I have affirmed what I was curious about personally. If you need anything, do inform me since we are relatives." The Seventh Prince said before he left the medical tent and headed towards the tent his brother is in.
Lan Xuan Yi nodded in response before sending the Seventh Prince off at the entrance of the medical tent. She then returns to the tent and was immediately swarmed by the people.
"Was that the Seventh Prince?"
"What is the Seventh Prince doing here?"
"I heard the Seventh Prince injured his arm, but his arm looks fine?"
Lan Xuan Yi glanced at everyone, smirking internally. Putting a worried face, Lan Xuan Yi looked truly troubled.
"I was not supposed to say anything, but I cannot ignore the rules and not greet his Highness when he is right in front of me," Xuan Yi fidgeted nervously.
The people surrounding her nodded together as they waited with bated breath for Xuan Yi to spill what is going on.
"Actually, I am his cousin. The man that is always with me is the Eighth Prince," Xuan Yi whispered hesitantly.
Everyone reeled in shock at the sudden turn of events. The kind man they had always treated as a friend is of royal blood and they have been so rude towards a Prince. Will they get beheaded?
Seeing everyone's reaction, Lan Xuan Yi quickly began to explain.
"The current Emperor is very busy and did not have time to concern himself with matters regarding areas outside the capital so the Seventh Prince and the Eighth Prince could not sit back and do nothing while watching the people suffer. That is why we came up with this plan to help the people outside the capital. We truly meant no harm," a few drops of tears slipped down Xuan Yi's face as she pleaded with the people around her.
Seeing a crying beauty, everyone's heart softened and reason returned to their minds.
"Sorry, we were all scared of being executed for treating a Prince like…" one of the people surrounding Xuan Yi gave her an awkward smile as he tried to talk in an extremely polite tone.
"The Seventh and Eighth Prince listens to the common people and treats you as friends. If the Eighth Prince wanted to execute you for your behavior, he would have done so earlier on. He likes being treated like this so everyone need not worry." Lan Xuan Yi laughed at their concerns, reassuring them that they will not be executed.
"But I heard the Eighth Prince disappeared?" One of the helpers suddenly asked as she remembered the incident with the Eighth Prince years back.
"The Eighth Prince was schemed against and managed to keep his life but if he goes back, he will only be serving himself on the chopping board for those people to kill him again. Therefore, the Eighth Prince did not return to the Imperial Palace." Lan Xuan Yi stuck to the story agreed by their plans and swayed the opinions of the people in the medical tent.
"What about the Seventh Prince's arm?"
"I healed it; it was a broken bone, so it needed quite a time for it to recover fully." Lan Xuan Yi lied easily without batting an eyelash.
Seeing that there are no more questions, Lan Xuan Yi proceeded to tell them not to spread this around and continued with her work.
The people working in the medical tent are mostly women and women do one thing best.
Gossip.
After a day, Lan Xuan Yi could see that almost everyone in town knows about their identities. Even the people passing by their town to enter the capital knows about this story. Along with the kind deeds of the Seventh and Eighth Prince, everyone was focused on the part of the story where it details a beautiful young lady who knows medicine is helping the common people. They also say that there is no illness or wound she cannot heal. It was a big exaggeration, but Xuan Yi did not try to correct it. Rumors grow as it passes on from lips to lips and there is no way to stop it once it has started. Besides, it is not necessarily a bad thing either. With this reputation, it will gain the attention of the people from high places which is what they want.
The people are also concerned about another point in the story. The Emperor is too busy to concern himself with the matters of people's well-being. While only the rich, educated, and nobles can enter the capital, those people have families outside too. Hearing the story reminded them of the poor living conditions they suffered before moving into the capital. This made nobles secretly send their servants to send funds to the Seventh Prince's mansion as thanks and they also hope that the Seventh Prince would take care of the people living outside the capital.
This matter reached the Imperial Court as the ministers were discussing this story that is being passed around everywhere.
The Emperor was furious, but he cannot show it because the story was true, but it glossed over the details. He cannot stand up and say that he was indeed busy, but he was busy with stabilizing his power and support of his ministers, busy with the matters of the Harem and not with court matters.
That would be throwing his dignity into the drain.
"This minister thinks that since the Eighth Prince has returned, he should report back to the capital and pay his respects to the Emperor. This is basic rules," the right prime minister knows how to make the Emperor feel good about himself and said what the Emperor wants to hear.
Furthermore, Imperial Consort Su has informed him that Imperial Consort Lan has died and she is the only candidate for the position of Empress. This made the right prime minister gleeful and even more greedy. He needs to show the Emperor that he will support the Emperor in court and his daughter will support him from the Harem. This way, the Emperor will trust them more and rely on them more and one day, his daughter will sit on the Empress throne alongside the Emperor. He will become the father-in-law of the Emperor.
"Indeed, this minister asks for the Emperor to send for the Eighth Prince to return to the capital." The right-prime minister's fraction immediately followed their leader's suit and pleaded for the Emperor to send the Eighth Prince back to the capital.
As the right-prime minister expected, the Emperor was happy and wanted to do exactly that. Seeing that arrogant imperial brother kneel before him would make him feel incredibly happy and relieve some of the stress he was having because of the missing Imperial Consort Lan.
But he cannot show it so openly. Frowning a little, he asked what the left-prime minister has to say about this. Left-prime minister Lan did not look good. He was looking pale and his eyes were swollen red as though he cried the entire night. It was as if he has given up on life.
"This minister has nothing to say," left-prime minister Lan saluted as he said lifelessly.
The Emperor knows exactly why the left-prime minister is so dispirited. He has thought long and hard how to settle this matter regarding the missing Imperial Consort Lan and could only come up with one plan.
"Emperor! Something bad has happened in the Imperial Harem!"
A eunuch ran into morning court and kneeled before the Emperor. The Emperor stood up, frowning as he asked in a harsh tone.
"What happened for you to show such imprudence in front of all the ministers?"
"The Cloud Palace that Imperial Consort Lan was residing in is on fire!"