"Didn't His Majesty's men tell you anything before you came out?" Lan Miao's voice was calm.
She wasn't angry about Lan Xin's rudeness. She just wanted to know if His Majesty had said something to Lan Xin during her detention.
Lan Xin fell silent, as if an invisible hand had clamped her throat.
She clearly remembered what the palace servants had said before releasing her from that dark and damp dungeon. She owed her release to Lan Miao's plea to His Majesty, and she knew that His Majesty had left her fate in Lan Miao's hands.
But as soon as she came out, seeing her mother and Lan Miao sipping tea leisurely, she felt extremely resentful.
Wasn't His Majesty supposed to have taken a fancy to her?
Why had it suddenly changed to Lan Miao?
Had she been mistaken from the very beginning?
The fact that she was inferior to a widow with a child was a hundred times more painful than death itself.
Lan Xin's expression changed several times. Finally, she burst into sobs.
Qin was anxious. She was afraid that Lan Xin would offend Lan Miao and really lose her life. Since the last time she came to plead for Lan Xin and was turned away by Lan Miao, she had truly been a bit afraid of this once - looked - down - upon concubine daughter.
In the past, no matter how well Lan Miao carved jade or how much gold and silver she earned, Qin had thought it was nothing but a petty skill, not fit for the grand stage.
But if Lan Miao had caught His Majesty's eye, it would be a different story.
So the last time, on one hand, Qin wanted to plead for mercy, and on the other hand, she couldn't help but belittle Lan Miao. Lan Miao's cold attitude had filled her with fear, a deep - seated fear.
She didn't dare to ask about the relationship between Lan Miao and His Majesty, yet she was eager to know how far their relationship had gone, just to have a clear idea and not accidentally lose her life by offending Lan Miao.
Fortunately, Lan Miao was kind - hearted after all. It was thanks to Lan Miao that Lan Xin had been released.
"Xin'er, don't be stupid. It's your elder sister who saved you. Hurry up and kowtow to your sister. Stop talking nonsense." Qin pulled the sobbing Lan Xin, knelt on the ground, and pressed her head down. Lan Xin's eyes were red from crying, and she was dirty all over, but she just refused to kowtow.
Watching their tug - of - war, Lan Miao guessed what was on their minds. Instead of feeling pleased, she remained calm.
She gently put down the teacup in her hand.
"Stop. Sit down."
"I didn't ask you to kneel and kowtow. I just want to ask Lan Xin something. Just tell the truth."
Hearing this, Qin felt relieved and quickly pulled Lan Xin to sit down.
It seemed that Lan Miao was more magnanimous than she had thought. She had really offended her last time.
Lan Xin was still sobbing. After hearing Lan Miao's words, she didn't dare to talk back.
"Lan Xin, you came to the Marquis's Mansion before and said that His Majesty had taken a fancy to you. Did you make it up, or did someone tell you this?" Lan Miao asked softly.
Hearing Lan Miao's question, Qin felt a jolt in her heart.
She turned to look at Lan Xin in disbelief, her neck stiff as if it had been forcibly twisted. "You... What did you say? How could His Majesty take a fancy to you? Just look at yourself! Why would His Majesty like you?"
These words made Lan Xin even more aggrieved.
She buried her head and cried loudly. "It was you who said so. It was you and Father. You said Father was going to send me into the palace. It was..."
At this point, Lan Xin felt too embarrassed to continue. She buried her head even lower.
"It was Mo Cao who heard it. You suddenly went to the Marquis's Mansion to look for Lan Miao. I asked Mo Cao to find out why you wanted to bring Lan Miao back. Mo Cao said that you wanted someone from the family to enter the palace. Who else could it be but me?"
Lan Xin blurted out the whole thing in one breath. After she said it, she realized something was wrong.
Who else could it be but her? There was also... Lan Miao in the mansion.
Suddenly, Lan Xin had an epiphany and felt even more humiliated and ashamed. It was all Mo Cao's fault. She would punish Mo Cao severely when she got back.
"You stupid girl. You even eavesdropped, and you got it wrong. I'll beat that bitch Mo Cao to death when I get back..." Qin had lost all her dignity and grace today. Her face was flushed with anger, and she stared at Lan Xin in disbelief, wishing she could poke a hole in her head with her finger and pour out the water inside.
"No... Just punish Mo Cao. Don't kill her."
Now Lan Xin also knew what a ridiculous joke she had made. She hated Mo Cao to the core, but she still couldn't bring herself to kill her.
Qin's proper eyebrows were all twisted with anger.
She wrung her fingers and kept poking Lan Xin's head, truly hating that she couldn't turn her into a useful person.
Watching their bickering, Lan Miao couldn't help but find it funny. So it was such a small misunderstanding. Lan Xin was really simple - minded. But when she heard Lan Xin say that Mo Cao couldn't be killed, she thought more highly of Lan Xin.
She wasn't completely bad.
Qin was still arguing with Lan Xin. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly saw Lan Miao sizing them up intently. This look was exactly the same as the one when Lan Miao had dragged her out that day, and she couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.
"What on earth did you do to offend His Majesty, and what happened between you and His Majesty that led to you being thrown into the dungeon?" Lan Miao asked sharply.
Lan Xin's sobbing subsided a bit. Qin also looked at her in confusion.
Lan Xin didn't dare to meet Lan Miao's eyes and was reluctant to tell the whole story of that night. She lowered her voice. "I thought you had spoken ill of me in the palace, which made His Majesty dislike me. That night, I happened to encounter His Majesty's motorcade, so I tried to talk to him. My words angered His Majesty, so I was thrown into the dungeon."
"..."
Qin was utterly speechless.
"How could you be so... stupid? How dare you stop His Majesty's motorcade in public?"
Just thinking about Lan Xin's stupid act, Qin almost fainted. Lan Xin was lucky not to have been killed on the spot. Being thrown into the dungeon was already a mercy.
But Lan Miao still felt that something was amiss.
"Is that all? Nothing else happened? Then what did His Majesty's men tell you before you came out of the dungeon?"
Her long eyelashes fluttered over her eyes, and her light - colored pupils stared directly into Lan Xin's.
Lan Xin shrank back and shook her head.
"His Majesty's men only said that they were leaving me in your hands. I can't say anything else that I'm not supposed to."
Qin was completely confused.
But Lan Miao understood.
His Majesty must have told her not to say certain things. As for what they were, Lan Miao would probably have to get the answer from His Majesty himself. There was no point in asking Lan Xin anymore.
"I see. Go back to the mansion with your mother. You're not allowed to go out before you get married." Although Lan Miao's tone was calm, every word carried a sense of determination that made people not dare to question her.
Lan Xin pouted. Qin thought she was going to talk back again and quickly covered her mouth.
Qin had to compose herself and answer on Lan Xin's behalf.
"Don't worry. I'll never let her go out and cause trouble again. I'll also tell everyone in the mansion not to breathe a word of this."
"That's good. After this incident, Lan Xin definitely can't stay in Luojing anymore. When you're choosing a husband for her, Mother, try to pick someone from a place far away from Luojing. The farther, the better."
Lan Miao said it casually.
Lan Xin felt bad, but she didn't dare to talk back anymore.
She was really scared this time.