Since Zuo Baixuan's plan has failed, should we simply tell her our own plan?
Luan Yenan stroked Zuo Baixuan's disheveled hair and gathered it together.
Half-asleep, Zuo Baixuan slowly opened her eyes and saw Luan Yenan's face. She first said softly, "Good morning, Sister Nan."
But the dryness and hoarseness in her throat immediately reminded Zuo Baixuan of what had happened last night. The aches and pains in her body spoke volumes about how outrageous the seemingly gentle woman before her had been the previous night.
She was so embarrassed that she immediately hid under the covers.
Luan Yenan looked at her with regret and said, "Xuan'er is too lazy to get out of bed and missed the chance to watch the sunrise."
Zuo Baixuan rolled her eyes and accused Luan Yenan.
But feeling refreshed, she hesitated for a moment. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the copper basin beside her and realized what might have happened, her face flushing with even more embarrassment.
She bit her lip, wondering how to stop Luan Ye Nan from looking at her with that obvious smile. After a moment, she adopted the air of a spoiled princess and said, "This princess is thirsty, I want some water!"
"Yes, Your Highness." Luan Yenan smiled naturally, got up and stepped out of the phoenix carriage, then blew her whistle to summon the hidden sentries.
Zuo Baixuan covered her face with the blanket.
In the past, when Luan Yenan called her "Princess," she would only get angry, because the respectful term "Princess" seemed to indicate an insurmountable boundary between the two of them.
Now that boundary has been broken, hearing the word "princess" always feels a bit strange.
Some details flashed through her mind.
That wicked Nan sister, in order to keep herself awake, always calls me "princess," "princess," and talks to me about all sorts of nonsense.
But did this person evade several questions by downplaying the important ones?
Hmph, he neither said he "liked" me nor gave me an answer for bringing him back.
When Luan Yenan returned with water and breakfast, she saw Zuo Baixuan had tidied up the bedding and was sitting cross-legged on the ground, her face still puffed up with anger, looking like she was about to scold her at any moment.
"What's wrong? Who made you angry?" Luan Yenan asked with a knowing smile.
She was surrounded by her hidden sentries; who else could get close to her?
It couldn't be that the horses, who were still catching up on sleep, made the princess angry.
Zuo Baixuan sat upright with the demeanor of a princess, looking at Luan Yenan with great seriousness and asked, "Luan Yenan, let me ask you, why didn't you help me escape last night?"
Luan Yenan's smile remained unchanged, but a hint of decisiveness flashed in his eyes: "Princess, we are still very close to the capital, it is not the right time yet."
"So what? If we go any further, we'll reach the Northern Gao Kingdom, the territory of Prince Dan. Then we'll have even less chance of escaping!" Thinking of the way Prince Dan looked at her yesterday, Zuo Baixuan felt disgusted and wanted Luan Yenan to hold her and look at her a few more times to wash away those gazes.
But she held back, determined to get an answer from Luan Yenan first before discussing anything else.
Luan Yenan put down the breakfast and handed the water to Zuo Baixuan first.
He watched her drink half a cup before speaking: "We should wait until we reach the border before making any plans. There's no need to be afraid of that Prince Dan. Why should we fear his cowardly appearance yesterday?"
Zuo Baixuan sensed confidence in Luan Yenan's words, but she was still worried: "With Sister Nan's abilities, dealing with that guy is naturally no problem. But that's because he only has his personal guards by his side right now, and he's afraid of the marriage alliance failing, so he doesn't dare to act rashly. Once we reach the border, a large army will definitely come to pick us up, and he will definitely cause trouble then."
"What if I said I didn't intend to kill him once he saw the main force?" The chilling killing intent in Luan Yenan's eyes almost pierced through the carriage.
From the moment she met Prince Dan, she was prepared to make her move. If it weren't for the greater good that required waiting for the right opportunity, she could have done it last night.
"Sister Nan?" Zuo Baixuan's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly realized that Luan Ye Nan was indeed not as simple as she seemed on the surface.
Luan Yenan reached out his hand to Zuo Baixuan: "Don't worry, Xuan'er, you're part of my plan. After this is over, we'll find a real paradise to live in seclusion and plant a whole yard full of flowers and plants."
After Luan Yenan finished speaking, he took out several brocade pouches and wooden boxes from his bosom.
“These are all seeds of your favorite plants and flowers from Penglai Palace. During the days of the marriage alliance, your mind was not on this place, so I went to the capital to procure them for you.”
Zuo Baixuan accepted the brocade pouch and wooden box, her heart filled with warmth.
It turns out that Sister Nan kept running out of the palace those days, not just because she was busy with her own affairs, but also because she was thinking of her.
"Silly girl." Luan Yenan pulled Zuo Baixuan into his arms.
She always had him in her heart.
From the age of ten, the light in her eyes, besides the tasks she was responsible for, was the sight of this five-year-old glutinous rice ball growing into a graceful little rabbit.
Once Luan Yenan is relieved of his heavy responsibilities, he can leave with the little rabbit.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-08-09 21:52:37 and 2022-08-10 20:36:53!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the rocket: 77 Not Grumpy Y1;
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Luo Xiao (1);
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Weifeng (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 98 Crazy Maid X Arrogant Princess 6
After a simple breakfast, the family entourage set off for their next destination.
After having breakfast, Zuo Baixuan sat peacefully on the phoenix carriage.
When Luan Yenan wanted to go down and accompany him for a while, she didn't stop him; on the contrary, she nodded repeatedly as if she couldn't be happier.
Luan Yenan found it amusing and, without any hesitation, reached out and pinched Zuo Baixuan's fair and smooth face as a form of punishment.
Zuo Baixuan's cheeks quickly flushed red, and she gave a disgruntled snort, pushing Luan Yenan away. Before the coachman and palace maids outside the curtain could notice, she quickly suppressed her happy smile.
After Luan Ye went south, he sat alone on the phoenix carriage and looked down at himself.
The spotless white gauze dress was what Sister Nan changed into last night.
She covered her face with her sleeve and chuckled for a while.
I don't know where my luck came from, but everything from last night until now feels like a dream. I just revealed my feelings like that and got a response.
Zuo Baixuan leaned against the window frame, feeling unusually at ease listening to Luan Yenan talking to the palace maids outside.
Whatever Luan Yenan's future plans are, or whatever daring things he wants to do, she is willing to accompany him.
Being able to be together like this, even for just a day or an hour, is a blessing.
Although she was interrupted when she said this to Sister Nan, you can't blame her for being pessimistic.
Because in her life, apart from meeting Luan Yenan, which can be considered lucky, everything else always seems to choose the most miserable path at the crossroads of fate.
She also wanted to fight against fate, to stand shoulder to shoulder with Luan Yenan, and walk towards a happy future.
Luan Yenan stepped down from the phoenix carriage and walked to the side of the accompanying palace maid: "Has anything happened today?"
"The Prince of Dan is acting strangely. Yesterday, he kept trying to get close to the carriage, but today he's been behaving himself, staying with his personal guards," the palace maid reported.
That's normal.
Having been terrified by Luan Yenan last night, Prince Dan will not easily come here again for the sake of his reputation.
His personal guards had no reason to approach him.
"The groom said yesterday that we'll arrive in Yizhou today," Luan Yenan said.
The palace maid looked at her and shook her head slightly.
Luan Yenan stared at her for a moment, then continued to instruct, "The princess said this morning she wanted to take a bath, so remember to prepare accordingly."
The palace maid bowed and said, "Yes."
While they were still talking, rhythmic commands began to be heard not far away.
Before long, the marching column changed direction.
A soldier ran over quickly.
Luan Yenan turned to look at him: "What's all this noise about?"
The soldier's sergeant ordered him to relay the order, but only said that he should convey the message to the princess, without mentioning whether he could tell the princess's maids.
But when the soldier looked up at Luan Yenan, he was startled by her gaze.
He was just a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy who had just been conscripted into the army. He panicked at the mere sight of Luan Yenan and hurriedly replied, "The scouts report that the rebels are gathering in Yicheng, which is probably not safe. Therefore, the general has ordered a change of route towards Qingquan Prefecture. The general has already sent a message by carrier pigeon to the governor of Qingquan Prefecture, Huo Lin, asking him to send troops to escort them."
Luan Yenan gave the little palace maid a wink, then jumped onto the phoenix carriage without responding.
A young palace maid stepped forward and handed a piece of dry rations to the soldier: "Thank you for your hard work. If there is any news later, please make a few more trips. The princess cares a lot."
The young soldier, seeing the exquisite pastries he had never seen before, so different from their crudely made biscuits, happily agreed.
Luan Yenan pushed open the curtain and entered the carriage.
Zuo Baixuan looked at her with a worried expression, clearly having overheard the conversation outside the car: "Sister Nan, will it be dangerous to change routes?"
Luan Yenan knew what Zuo Baixuan was worried about, so she reached out and pulled the girl into her arms: "Xuan'er, the reason I didn't want to tell you before wasn't because I didn't trust you, but because I was afraid you would worry, just like now. Don't worry, everything is under control."
Upon hearing this answer, Zuo Baixuan immediately understood Luan Yenan's true identity.
She tugged at Luan Yenan's collar, looked up in surprise, and asked in a low voice, "Sister Nan, you...you're really a rebel?"
Luan Yenan didn't want to hide anything and told the truth: "We never call ourselves rebels. We are the insurgents, and we have been for more than ten years."
Zuo Baixuan found it unbelievable and remained silent for a moment.
If that's the case, it makes sense that Luan Yenan was already quite skilled in martial arts before his mother sent him to learn martial arts when he was ten years old, and that he often climbed over the wall to run out of the palace when he got a little older.
Seeing Zuo Baixuan in a daze, Luan Yenan thought she had misunderstood something and decided to explain first: "Your mother was not injured by the rebels."
Before her death, the late imperial concubine fell ill when she was attacked by villains on her way back from a visit to her family. She received treatment for a long time, but it triggered her old ailment. The imperial physicians were helpless, and she eventually passed away.
Emperor Li sent people to investigate those villains, and the results brought back indicated that they were rebels.
Luan Yenan stole the concealed weapon from the imperial physician; it was exquisitely crafted. The rebel army had limited funds and could not possibly possess such a weapon.
Luan Yenan didn't say anything at the time because of her status. Now she only hopes that Zuo Baixuan won't misunderstand.
Zuo Baixuan shook her head slightly: "Mother... Mother and I have never doubted you."
Although the late Empress Consort didn't say anything at the time, Zuo Baixuan could tell from the sad expression on her mother's face that it wasn't the work of the rebels.
The initial visit to his family home was actually a trap set by the heartless Emperor Li. In order to remove any obstacles and have less gossip around him while indulging in debauchery, he took action against the former imperial concubine, who was not yet empress but held real power.
Zuo Baixuan doesn't even want to call her "Mother Consort" anymore.