Reborn to Become A Queen: The Real Heiress's Comeback
Chapter 567: The person chosen by Lan’er is definitely the best!

Chapter 567: Chapter 567: The person chosen by Lan’er is definitely the best!

Zhan Lan’s eyes carried a hint of amusement, "I’m happy."

Mu Yan looked directly into her eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, "I heard you delivered over three million taels of silver to the treasury. How should your husband thank you?"

"You found out so quickly?" Zhan Lan raised an eyebrow, noticing that Mu Yan couldn’t be kept in the dark about anything.

Mu Yan nodded, "Yes, though I’m still unclear where you got the silver from. The construction of the navy requires significant funds, Lan’er helped greatly."

Zhan Lan squinted her eyes, "Lady Guoyue was executed according to the law, her estate converted to fifty thousand taels of silver, Xu Chun was exiled, his parents exiled with him, their estate also yielded sixty thousand taels of silver."

"Adding the estate of the four great families including the Chen Family, amounting to two hundred thousand taels of silver, it totals three hundred and ten thousand taels, that’s how it came about."

She gained a lot from her outing today.

The palace is quite dull; I should venture out more often in the future.

Mu Yan watched her recount the recent happenings with excitement in her expression. Actually, he knew everything, but he enjoyed seeing Zhan Lan passionately narrating how she punished the wicked.

He also enjoyed seeing the childlike side of Zhan Lan.

"If you enjoy it, go ahead and deal with them." Mu Yan held her hand and gazed into her bright eyes, "But the news I received is that you contributed three hundred sixty thousand taels of silver, did Lan’er put in an extra fifty thousand taels herself?"

Zhan Lan’s lips twitched, thinking if she had used her own silver to cover the treasury’s shortfall, it seemed Mu Yan still didn’t quite understand her!

Could she do such unprofitable business? Impossible!

She always felt that if a person lacked silver, they wouldn’t have the confidence for anything.

Thus, when she was Prince Zhenbei, her fiefdom included a gold mine, usually covered up under the guise of transporting stone materials, but not revealing the true location of the gold mine to anyone.

She wouldn’t touch that gold mine unless absolutely necessary.

She recalled how the extra fifty thousand taels of silver came about.

"Oh, right, Zhao Xianzheng, the Capital Governor, accepted a bribe of fifty thousand taels. I executed your Capital Governor, so you’ll need to appoint a new one!"

Mu Yan raised his sword-like eyebrows, "Lan’er, I’ve always postponed dealing with Zhao Xianzheng; you did well in setting an example by killing the chicken to scare the monkey. You should choose the next Capital Governor."

"You don’t have an appropriate candidate?" Zhan Lan stepped off Mu Yan’s lap, walked around the table, and sat across from him, resting her chin on her hand while looking at him.

Mu Yan gave a slight smile, "Indeed, I don’t."

Zhan Lan’s eyelashes gently trembled, "Then I’ll wait until after the New Year to see."

Mu Yan reached out to hold her hand, "Lan’er, with national affairs so busy recently, I have neglected you."

"You don’t have to think that way, I’m not the kind of woman who sits idly in the deep palace. Is it about Eastern Wei?"

Mu Yan stroked Zhan Lan’s soft hair, "Nothing escapes Lan’er, after Western Rong was annihilated, our borders joined with Eastern Wei, and Eastern Wei constantly provokes us. Our Dayu has enjoyed peace with the people for three years, not wanting another war, so the matters with Eastern Wei must be negotiated. Who do you think could take up this task, Lan’er?"

Zhan Lan curved her lips, "You’ve surely chosen someone already. Write down the candidates without me peeking. Once you’re done, I’ll mention who I have in mind."

She wanted to see if there was tacit understanding between her and Mu Yan.

Mu Yan, with a smile in his eyes, watched Zhan Lan close her eyes; he wrote down three names on the xuan paper with a brush pen.

After writing, Mu Yan gently tapped her forehead, "Take a guess."

Zhan Lan opened her eyes and rolled them slightly, "Grand Scholar Lu Zhong?"

Mu Yan nodded with a smile.

"And Wang Qingchen?"

Mu Yan nodded again.

Zhan Lan continued with a laugh, "The third one, could it be Imperial Censor Zhong Xuanliang?"

Mu Yan shook his head.

Zhan Lan rested her chin on her hand, "Then it’s either your father-in-law or your brother-in-law?"

Mu Yan nodded, "Smart Lan’er, yes, it’s Zhan Hui."

Zhan Lan smiled and tilted her head, asking Mu Yan, "Can we add one more person?"

"Of course, who would Lan’er like to add?" Mu Yan pushed the xuan paper aside on the table.

Zhan Lan flashed a light smile, "Minister of Public Works Huang Gun!"

Mu Yan shook his head in amusement, "Lan’er is not going to negotiate, they want to drive the envoys of Eastern Wei away."

"Is it bad?" Zhan Lan leaned forward slightly, her eyes peeling upwards.

"As you command, Empress. Whoever Lan’er chooses is surely the best!" Mu Yan couldn’t hide the smile in his eyes.

...

The next day, Zhan Lan returned to the General Mansion.

The Empress’s return to her maiden home had the servants kneeling at the door to welcome her before the phoenix carriage even arrived.

Zhan Beicang and Qin Shuang respectfully waited outside the door for Zhan Lan, and as she stepped off the phoenix carriage to stand before them, Zhan Beicang showed full respect while Qin Shuang, full of smiles, was about to kneel.

Zhan Lan quickly stepped forward and supported them both.

She didn’t want the change in her status to cause estrangement and formality among her family.

Zhan Rui and Zhan Heng stood behind Zhan Beicang, unable to conceal their excitement.

Zhan Lan patted Zhan Rui’s head.

Zhan Rui smiled sweetly at Zhan Lan, while Zhan Heng had grown quite strong due to his diligent practice.

Zhan Lan looked towards her big brother Zhan Hui beside Qin Shuang and the equally excited Chu Yin.

"It’s very cold, let’s quickly go inside the mansion!"

"Yes, Empress!" Chu Yin displayed a little pride on his face.

"You all may rise too!" Zhan Lan raised her hand toward the group of servants.

"Yes, Empress!"

The General Mansion’s servants felt honored because their eldest Miss became the Empress.

Zhan Lan hooked her arm with Chu Yin’s as they walked inside.

Chu Yin whispered, "Come find me in a while!"

Zhan Lan nodded in agreement.

During the family meal, Zhan Lan noticed her father and mother showed her a little more respect.

The carefree Zhan Rui spoke while eating, "It would be wonderful if grandfather were here."

The words dropped into the still lake, instantly stirring a ripple.

The feeling of missing someone exploded within each person’s heart, stirring a tumultuous wave.

Zhan Lan directed a servant, "Go fetch two pairs of bowls and chopsticks!"

"Yes, Miss... I apologize for the mistake, Empress!"

The little maid trembled from nervousness, but Zhan Lan waved dismissively.

She addressed Housekeeper Zeng, who was standing respectfully, "Housekeeper Zeng, from now on, in the Zhan Family, just call me Miss or Lady. Wherever I go, I’m still the Zhan Family’s daughter."

"Yes, Eldest Miss!" Housekeeper Zeng’s tense posture instantly relaxed significantly.

Their eldest Miss remained unpretentious as always, fortunate for the servants.

"Thank you, Eldest Miss!" The little maid felt relieved.

Zhan Lan noticed Qin Shuang visibly relaxed too.

It seemed to the Zhan Family that the identity of the Empress was both an honor and a pressure.