"Oh? Does the dowager lady have any objections?"
Lan Miao looked at the Dowager Lady Wen, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes.
The Dowager Lady Wen stared fixedly at Lan Miao with her cloudy eyes. "You're now a concubine in the palace, yet you still care about the jade workshop business. Has the Marquis Mansion not treated you well over the years? Why do you have to take such drastic measures? What will the Marquis Mansion do in the future?"
"Mother, that's enough."
Hearing the dowager lady's words, Wen Yuanning felt somewhat ashamed. The veins on his forehead bulged, and his face flushed instantly.
He said to the dowager lady word by word with a solemn face, "The Marquis Mansion naturally has its own business. Stop owing favors to Her Highness. Her Highness has done enough for the Marquis Mansion. At least..."
He couldn't go on with the rest of the sentence.
At least Lan Miao didn't use the Emperor's power to directly kill them.
Anger suddenly flared up in him, and his face turned terribly gloomy. No one had ever seen him like this before. The dowager lady, not knowing whether she was angry or scared by him, nervously swallowed and gasped for breath.
Concubine Zhou quickly stepped forward to help the dowager lady catch her breath.
She was also worried that the dowager lady would faint again from anger, and then she would have to take care of her illness.
"Mother is just momentarily confused. Please don't blame her, Your Highness." Wen Yuanning tried his best to suppress the surging emotions and bowed to Lan Miao. "Your Highness, please rest assured. We'll do as I said just now."
Lan Miao calmly lowered her eyes. Wen Yuanning somewhat impressed her.
Indeed, he was never stupid. He just tended to act stupid when it came to her.
"I believe your promise. After all, today is the Dowager Lady Wen's birthday. I won't blame her."
"Thank you, Your Highness, for your understanding."
Wen Yuanning said in a deep voice.
Hearing their conversation, the Dowager Lady Wen got even angrier. Did Lan Miao plan to punish her? Her withered hand grabbed the collar of Concubine Zhou's clothes and gasped for breath, as if on the verge of fainting again.
This dowager lady was simply here to cause trouble.
Lan Miao stopped looking at the dowager lady and instead faced Wen Yuanning, saying slowly again, "Secondly, Lady You is dead, and the You family has fallen. I don't care that you've kept her death a secret, but you mustn't treat Qingzhi badly because of this."
Wen Yuanning was stunned. His eyes glazed over for a moment and then quickly returned to normal.
He was in a complete mess. He and Wen Hongxin had kept this news extremely secret. Even the dowager lady and Concubine Zhou didn't know about it. He was very curious about the cause of Lady You's death, but Wen Hongxin said it was nothing and forbade him from investigating. Could Lady You's death be related to the palace? It seemed that Wen Hongxin had really hidden a lot from him.
Hearing that Lady You was already dead, the dowager lady was stimulated and started coughing.
As she coughed, she spat out a mouthful of blood, which sprayed on Concubine Zhou's clothes, making Concubine Zhou let out a terrified scream.
"Dowager Lady, are you okay? Don't scare us."
Concubine Zhou was scared. If the dowager lady got sick again, the Marquis Mansion would have an additional expense for her illness and medicine. The already hard - pressed Marquis Mansion was now in even more trouble.
"Help mother go down. Don't go through the main hall. Make sure no one sees."
Wen Yuanning was anxious. Lan Miao obviously still had something to say, and he couldn't leave.
But if the guests outside saw the dowager lady being helped out while spitting blood, it would easily make people think that Lan Miao had done something to the dowager lady, which would be bad for Lan Miao's reputation.
"Okay, okay."
Concubine Zhou immediately called the maids and servants. They carefully helped the dowager lady away.
Lan Miao watched this scene coldly. After thinking carefully, the dowager lady's health was indeed getting worse. Was the fortune of the Marquis Mansion coming to an end?
After the dowager lady and the others left, only the people present remained in the hall.
Wen Yuanning gave Lan Miao an ashamed smile and sat back down.
"Please continue, Your Highness. Do you want to take Qingzhi into the palace?"
Hearing Wen Yuanning call her "Your Highness" so smoothly, Lan Miao was somewhat surprised. Originally, since Wen Hongxin didn't come and Wen Yuanning was here, she was worried that Wen Yuanning would say something embarrassing. Now it seemed that he had let go quickly, which made her feel a lot more at ease.
"Qingzhi is a young lady of the Marquis Mansion. Naturally, she should grow up in the Marquis Mansion. I'm just worried that you'll treat her badly because her mother is dead and the You family has fallen."
Lan Miao pursed her lips, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.
Although she was now Concubine Lan, she didn't dare to take Qingzhi into the palace casually. She knew very well about the situation in the palace. Even if the Emperor liked her very much, she couldn't guarantee a peaceful life in the palace for the rest of her life. Maybe there were already people in the palace feeling restless and coveting her position.
She couldn't take Qingzhi into the palace.
"Your Highness, please rest assured. We won't treat Qingzhi badly. She'll always be the legitimate young lady of the Marquis Mansion, just like Xue'er." Wen Yuanning stared at Lan Miao with a calm but somewhat sad look in his eyes. "If Your Highness doesn't trust the Marquis Mansion, please trust me. I'll fulfill Your Highness's entrustment."
He didn't use a respectful title, as if getting a little closer to Lan Miao.
Lan Miao averted her gaze and nodded slightly.
"I believe Third Master. During festivals, I'll also invite Qingzhi to the palace to get together. As long as she's well, I can rest assured."
Wen Yuanning gave a bitter smile. She still didn't trust him.
Indeed, he had never done anything good for her. Instead, he had always put her in danger. It was only natural that she didn't trust him.
"That's right. Your Highness is really kind to Qingzhi."
Wen Yuanning's tone was a bit envious.
He stared at Lan Miao's light - colored pupils and was slightly lost in thought.
Lan Miao casually placed the teacup on the table with a crisp sound. Wen Yuanning immediately came to his senses and lowered his head.
"I've finished what I wanted to say. Xue'er is still on the Marquis Mansion's family register, but she'll live with me in the palace. You have no objections to this, do you?"
"Of course not."
Wen Yuanning felt slightly relieved.
After all, Xue'er was his eldest brother's child. With Xue'er around, the relationship between Lan Miao and the Marquis Mansion could never be truly severed.
"Then I won't stay any longer. Yan Hong will stay and reconcile the accounts with Concubine Zhou in the mansion."
Saying this, Lan Miao stood up.
Yan Hong went to the side room to call Han Bi out. Coincidentally, at this moment, only she and Wen Yuanning were left in the hall.
As Lan Miao paced towards the door, Wen Yuanning couldn't help but take a couple of steps after her. He whispered in a voice so soft that it was barely audible behind her, his voice low, "You... was it voluntary?"
Lan Miao in front was suddenly shocked.
Fortunately, there was no one around, so no one heard.
Why was he sometimes clear - headed and sometimes muddled?
"Please take good care of yourself, Third Master."
Lan Miao nodded slightly, always looking straight ahead. She lifted the outer curtain of the hall and stepped out.
Wen Yuanning frowned tightly. It took him a long time to react to Lan Miao's meaning. After thinking for a long time, an indescribable anger welled up in his heart. She... was actually voluntary.
He had always thought that she truly loved his eldest brother.
So, was she also a vain and fickle person?
At this time, Han Bi and Yan Hong came out with Xue'er and Qingzhi. Wen Yuanning quickly regained his composure and stepped aside, watching them follow Lan Miao out of the corridor. Lan Miao held one child's hand in each hand, still smiling, and led them away.
That slender and graceful figure completely disappeared from his sight.
Wen Yuanning felt a dull pain in his heart, and then let out a bitter laugh. What on earth had he done in the past?