Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Chapter 106 Hou Xianglan's Surrender

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Xiao Lan and Yan Nan hurriedly boarded a beautifully decorated carriage and sped off towards Xiwu Prefecture. The wheels rolled, kicking up a trail of dust, which seemed to carry their anxious hearts with them.

Meanwhile, Xiao Mu'an chose to stay in Shaozhou to accompany Jiang Huangshi. He sat quietly on a stone bench in the courtyard, gazing into the distance, pondering various matters.

Just the day before, Xiao Lan had been shocked to learn that her second uncle had left Shaozhou due to unforeseen circumstances. However, what worried her even more was that she knew she had to tell her uncle as soon as possible about the fact that Jiang Yunbai was not Jiang Chang'an's biological son. After careful consideration, Xiao Lan first told Xiao Mu'an the whole truth, and then carefully wrote a letter for Jiang Chang'an, instructing her brother to personally deliver it to her second uncle.

Xiao Lan remained uneasy about the matter. She had a vague feeling that the child's appearance was no accident, but rather something the Yao family had deliberately arranged for Yao Shi. Moreover, judging from various signs, the Yao family did not seem to have good intentions. Thinking of this, Xiao Lan frowned and looked anxiously at the sky, hoping that her uncle would soon learn the truth and make a wise decision.

Jiang Huangshi gently escorted Xiao Lan to the door, her eyes filled with love and reluctance. Xiao Lan gazed at her maternal grandmother's face, etched with the marks of time, and a wave of sorrow welled up in her heart. Unable to hold back any longer, she turned and quickly walked back to Jiang Huangshi's side, embracing her tightly.

After a long while, Xiao Lan finally released her arms, looked up at Xiao Mu'an beside her, and softly instructed, "Brother, you must take good care of Grandmother while I'm away these few days. You should also invite several skilled doctors to check on her pulse regularly. Grandmother's sudden and drastic weight loss is truly an ominous sign!" At this point, Xiao Lan couldn't help but frown slightly, pondering to herself.

Others might not know the reason, but Xiao Lan, having transmigrated from another world, knew it perfectly well. In her opinion, this drastic weight loss, if not due to a mental problem, was very likely similar to diabetes in modern society. However, Xiao Lan then thought that this diabetes was probably not recent, but rather something that had already existed in Jiang Huangshi's body. If a skilled doctor could identify the root cause of Jiang Huangshi's illness and administer appropriate traditional Chinese medicine, the condition could likely be effectively controlled.

As Xiao Lan and his entourage's carriage gradually drove away, until it turned the street corner and completely disappeared from sight, Jiang Huangshi, carefully supported by Xiao Mu'an, slowly made her way towards her own courtyard. The grandmother and granddaughter remained silent the entire way, only the soft rustling of their clothes in the breeze seemed to whisper of their sorrowful parting…

Inside the spacious and exquisite carriage, Xiao Lan and Yan Nanhui sat facing each other. Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, casting golden rays that illuminated the interior.

Xiao Lan turned slightly to the side, her gaze fixed intently on Yan Nan Hui, and began to recount in detail her experiences in Xiwu Prefecture. From the initial unfamiliarity and discomfort upon arriving in Xiwu Prefecture to her gradual adaptation and the series of actions she took, she recounted every detail without reservation. At the same time, she explained to Yan Nan Hui her meticulously planned future, including how to deal with potential difficulties and challenges, and the goals she hoped to achieve. However, during her narration, Xiao Lan deliberately concealed a crucial matter—the trick she had used during the blood test to prove kinship between Xiao Chengliang and Xiao Zhenwei.

For Xiao Lan, while this incident helped her achieve some of her goals, it was ultimately not a virtuous act. She knew that such behavior was not worth publicizing and might even provoke resentment or suspicion from others. Therefore, despite her complete trust in Yan Nanhui, she decided to keep this secret buried deep in her heart and not reveal a single detail to him.

Since it was still early, the carriage moved slowly along the road, sometimes stopping to admire the scenery, and sometimes pausing due to road conditions. They continued in this stop-and-go manner until late afternoon, when they finally arrived at the Xiao family residence.

As soon as Xiao Lan stepped off the carriage, she saw Xiao Zhenwei, Xiao Daren, and Jiang Nihuang already waiting in front of the mansion. All three wore eager smiles, especially Jiang Nihuang, whose slightly protruding belly made her appear even more gentle and graceful.

Xiao Lan knew perfectly well that this grand welcome wasn't directed at her, but rather a formality to greet the distinguished guest, Yan Nan Hui. Sure enough, as soon as Yan Nan Hui settled in, Xiao Zhenwei and the others stepped forward to offer their greetings. Yan Nan Hui quickly returned the greetings with a humble and polite demeanor. He then strode forward, again greeting the elders, and gestured to his attendants to present the prepared gifts to Jiang Nihuang's maid. He smiled and said, "Madam Xiao, I have long heard of your pregnancy, and have specially prepared this small gift to express my sincere wishes. It contains a century-old ginseng and some nourishing medicines, hoping to help you with your pregnancy. I hope you will not find it offensive."

In fact, these things had been prepared long ago. At that time, Consort Tong, upon learning that Yan Nan Hui was about to travel to Jiangnan, specifically instructed him to pay a visit to her future father-in-law's family on his way. Originally, Yan Nan Hui planned to take the extremely rare and precious purple ginseng from his own residence as a gift, but Consort Tong had considered things carefully. She thought to herself that there would be a series of important matters to handle later, such as the betrothal ceremony, and if she presented such a precious and rare item at the beginning, it might frighten Xiao Lan's parents.

However, Consort Tong worried that doing so might give the impression that her son didn't value the marriage. Therefore, after careful consideration, she decisively replaced the 500-year-old ginseng Yan Nan Hui had prepared with an even rarer 800-year-old wild ginseng. Not only that, she also carefully selected some equally rare tonics for Yan Nan Hui. In addition, Consort Tong went to great lengths to prepare gifts for Xiao Da Ren and his son Xiao Zhen Wei. She prepared a priceless painting by a famous artist for Xiao Da Ren, and a bottle of top-quality wine from the distant Western Regions for Xiao Zhen Wei. When Xiao Zhen Wei received this generous gift, he was overjoyed and extremely happy. He excitedly pulled Yan Nan Hui aside, insisting that he stay for dinner. As night fell, Xiao Zhen Wei, as if showing off a treasure, excitedly brought out the bottle of wine Yan Nan Hui had given him, sharing his joy with everyone.

At dinner time, the table was laden with sumptuous dishes, their aroma filling the air. Xiao Zhenwei rose with a smile, carrying an exquisite wine pot, and began to pour a small cup of fine wine for each person present. When it was Xiao Lan's turn, she gently waved her hand, indicating that she only wanted a small sip. Everyone raised their glasses and drank heartily, the atmosphere harmonious and joyful.

After everyone had finished their drinks, Xiao Lan lowered her voice slightly and asked the Fifth Prince beside her, "Fifth Prince, do you think that if I were to try making some of this wine to sell, would anyone in the capital be willing to buy it?" Her eyes revealed a hint of anticipation and curiosity.

Upon hearing this, Yan Nanhui's eyes flashed with surprise. He looked at Xiao Lan with interest and asked, "Lanlan, I didn't expect you to have such skills? But we don't have grapes where we live. I wonder if they are produced in the Jiangnan region?" It should be known that at that time, only the Persian region knew how to make wine, making it incredibly precious. Not only were ordinary people unable to taste it, but even members of the royal family were not fortunate enough to enjoy it.

Xiao Lan smiled slightly and nodded confidently, saying, "There should be some in Jiangnan, but the quantity is probably not very large. Moreover, if we want to cultivate grapes on a large scale for winemaking, we would need to wait at least three years. However, besides wine, I also know how to make many other kinds of alcoholic beverages. Before we return to the capital, we can buy some fresh fruits to take back, and I will personally cook some wine for you." As she finished speaking, her face was filled with joy.

He was completely unaware that wine was so scarce, expensive, and practically unavailable! Grapes might not be widely cultivated in the south yet, but buying a hundred or two hundred catties to take back to the north shouldn't be a problem. After turning these grapes into fine wine, they could be kept as a membership gift for his Wutong Residence. After all, without a deposit of 500,000 taels of silver, one couldn't expect to receive such a generous gift. In this way, he could likely make a fortune.

However, Xiao Lan was completely unaware of this. In the short few days she was away from home, Jiang Xiuzhi had already collected millions of taels of silver on her behalf. Moreover, many of these people only chose the lowest recharge amount, indicating that if Wutongju performed well after its official opening, they would further increase their investment. As for what happened next, Xiao Lan was even borrowed by the emperor because of the huge sum of money she had collected. Of course, these are all stories for later.

Meanwhile, after finishing his lunch, Yan Nanhui first chatted with his future father-in-law and grandfather for a while. Then, when Xiao Zhenwei warmly invited him to stay at his home, Yan Nanhui politely declined, saying that it was inconvenient to trouble him. Immediately afterwards, he went straight to the prefectural governor's mansion.

Yan Nanhui's sudden visit threw the prefect into a flurry of activity. The entire prefectural government was also thrown into a frenzy by the arrival of this distinguished guest.

At this moment, Xiao Lan, Jiang Nihuang, and Hou Xianglan were sitting together. Today, all the managers had presented their detailed accounts from the past ten years. The people Hou Xianglan and Jiang Nihuang had entrusted with this task had conducted a full day of random checks but hadn't detected anything amiss. Furthermore, in the past few days, they had tirelessly organized and sorted through the various documents and materials previously prepared by the managers. A preliminary estimate suggested that processing all the accounts and related materials would likely take another five or six days.

Xiao Lan listened patiently to Hou Xianglan's detailed report. After a moment's thought, she said slowly, "Madam Hou, during my trip to Shaozhou, I've already found a way for you. Even if the situation is dire, at least the Hou family can regain its former status as a prestigious imperial merchant; or I can secure you a lucrative position, guaranteeing the Hou family's meteoric rise! Therefore, we must expedite our audit process. In a short while, I will personally teach you how to create spreadsheets. Once you learn it, your efficiency in accounting will increase by at least three or four times, or even up to five times!"

"Make a table?" Hou Xianglan looked at Xiao Lan with a puzzled expression, clearly unfamiliar with this new term, but she still nodded obediently, indicating her willingness to follow Xiao Lan's instructions. So, Xiao Lan began to patiently teach Hou Xianglan how to make the most basic table—listing expenses and income separately.

Xiao Lan explained everything in great detail, demonstrating each step clearly and meticulously. Hou Xianglan listened intently, her eyes glued to Xiao Lan's movements, afraid of missing a single detail. After much effort, Hou Xianglan finally mastered the skill.

Excited, Hou Xianglan decided to try it herself. She quickly picked up a pen and carefully filled out the form according to the method she had learned. In no time, a simple and clear income and expenditure table appeared before her. Seeing her own work, Hou Xianglan exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! It really works! Miss Xiao, how do you know so much!"

Hearing Hou Xianglan's praise, Xiao Lan smiled slightly, then her expression turned serious, and she fixed her gaze on Hou Xianglan, saying, "This is nothing. However, Madam Hou, there is something I feel I need to make clear to you beforehand. I, Xiao Lan, am not exactly a gentleman, but some things I like to clarify in advance to avoid unnecessary trouble later."

Upon seeing this, Hou Xianglan immediately realized that what she was about to say might be of great importance. She quickly straightened up and sat up straight, responding solemnly, "Please speak, Miss Xiao."