Chapter 92: The Tyrant Wants to Eat Melon

“Sister, what are you holding?”

Ah Bao handed it over, “Poop…”

[“Poop paper.”]

Di Zian noticed there were names on it, and a bad feeling crept over him, “Sister, where did you get this? Could it be… my concubine selection roster?”

The more he looked, the more it seemed so. He recognized the seal on it.

It really was!

Di Zian unfolded the crumpled paper, but only half was left. The other half…

Di Zian glanced back at the flower bed, “Oh no! Sister, did you use my concubine selection roster as toilet paper?”

Ah Bao giggled, completely unaware of what a concubine selection roster was. She had just grabbed a piece of paper when she left the Imperial Study and stuffed it into her little pocket.

“What are you two doing?” The tyrant emerged.

Seeing the paper in Di Zian’s hand, he immediately understood, “Seventh son, that roster…”

“Father, sister used the roster as toilet paper.”

The tyrant: “…”

Hold it in!

Hold it in!

“Hahaha, my dear daughter,” the tyrant quickly scooped Ah Bao up.

Noticing Di Zian’s dark expression, he coughed, “Uh, Seventh son, why were you looking for the roster? Isn’t the concubine selection in a few days?”

Di Zian hesitated. He wanted to see if the name ‘Lan Yixuan’ was on it.

But he definitely couldn’t tell Father that.

What if her name wasn’t on it?

[“My brother is probably checking if that girl’s name is on the list.”]

A girl?

The tyrant wanted to gossip.

The Seventh son has someone in mind?

Who?

Which family’s girl?

[“Hehe, my brother is in a hurry!”]

Who is it, Ah Bao?

The tyrant was dying to ask.

[“Brother, hmm, this concubine selection banquet is going to be rough for you.”]

Di Zian felt a chill.

Rough?

How could selecting a concubine… be rough?

Di Zian hesitated, wondering if he could skip this concubine selection altogether.

But seeing the look on the tyrant’s face, Di Zian felt dejected. Forget it, there’s no turning back now; he’ll have to face it head-on.

…

…

At the Prime Minister’s Residence.

“Oh, isn’t that Lan Yixuan?” In the pavilion, three girls gathered.

Lan Jinjing and two other officials’ daughters.

“Jinjing, wasn’t your sister grounded? Has she been released?” The one speaking was Chu Lan’er, whose father was a fourth-rank official, the Censor.

Lan Jinjing smiled gently, “I’m not sure. I’ve been busy these past few days and haven’t paid attention to it.”

“This Lan Yixuan, she’s just a country bumpkin with Lan family blood. Every move she makes is so unsophisticated, like a village girl! Do you think she’s on the Concubine selection list?” Fang Silian blinked as she asked. She was the daughter of the Minister of Works, also a fourth-rank official.

But none of them could compare to the Right Prime Minister, who was a second-rank official.

Lan Jinjing, Chu Lan’er, and Fang Silian were best friends, having grown up together.

Ever since the Lan family found Lan Yixuan, the three of them had completely ostracized her.

Especially Chu Lan’er and Fang Silian, who couldn’t resist mocking Lan Yixuan whenever they visited Lan Jinjing at the Lan Residence.

In their eyes, Lan Yixuan was a jinx, a bringer of bad luck!

Anyone who got close to her would suffer!

So they kept their distance from her.

Lan Jinjing nodded, “Sister is the rightful daughter of the Lan family, so she’ll definitely be on the list. As for me…”

Fang Silian giggled, “You will be on it for sure. I asked my brother, and although Lan Yixuan is the true daughter of the Right Prime Minister, do outsiders recognize her?”

“No way.

When it comes to the daughter of the Right Prime Minister’s household, everyone knows it’s you, Lan Jinjing. As for Lan Yixuan, who even cares about her?”

Lan Yixuan sat on the steps in front of her room, playing with small stones in her hand.

Fang Silian was laughing happily when suddenly a sharp pain shot through her knee, almost causing her to stumble out of the pavilion.

Glaring at Lan Yixuan, she marched over, “Lan Yixuan, was it you who threw that stone just now? How dare you hit me?”

Fang Silian stared at her, as if she wanted to swallow Lan Yixuan whole.

Lan Yixuan lazily lifted her gaze, “You were about to trip on your own, why blame me? I don’t even know martial arts, how could I have thrown a stone this far?”

Her face, free of makeup, carried a slight smile, leaving Fang Silian momentarily dazed.

Lan Yixuan… seems prettier than the three of us.

No way!

Fang Silian frowned. A country bumpkin, how pretty could she be? This face has probably never had any powder applied to it since childhood, just a plain old yellow-faced woman! Hmph!

“Alright, Silian, this is still the Prime Minister’s residence, keep your temper in check. No matter what, Lan Yixuan is still the Prime Minister’s daughter. If the Prime Minister or Madam Prime Minister sees us, it won’t be good for us,” Chu Lan’er tugged on Fang Silian’s sleeve, pulling her back.

Fang Silian snorted, “What Prime Minister’s daughter? She’s just fooling herself. Does anyone in the entire residence acknowledge her? Even her own mother, the Madam Prime Minister, doesn’t pay her any attention.

I seriously doubt if she’s some random person who wandered in from a corner somewhere, claiming to be the Prime Minister’s daughter. What a joke.”

“Silian, watch your words,” Chu Lan’er quickly tried to stop Fang Silian.

“Yeah, Silian, don’t say that. Yixuan is my sister. For my sake, let it go,” Lan Jinjing said with a slight smile, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes.

What Fang Silian said was exactly what she was thinking.

She wished she could stomp Lan Yixuan underfoot and make her leave the Prime Minister’s residence forever.

“Pah!” Lan Yixuan, with a blade of grass in her mouth, spat it out. She patted her clothes and stood up, brushing off the dust.

Fang Silian couldn’t stand Lan Yixuan’s nonchalant attitude, “Lan Yixuan, where do you get this arrogance from? Do you really think you can be chosen as a princess Concubine? You might as well look in a mirror and see what you really are.”

A flash of anger crossed Lan Yixuan’s eyes, but it quickly faded when she noticed a young man sitting in a wheelchair not far away.

“Oh, I see. You want to be the Seventh Prince’s Concubine.”

“You!”

Lan Yixuan continued in a calm tone, “You two are so close to my sister, but all three of you want to be princess Concubines. Yet, there’s only one position available. If it were me, I wouldn’t compete with my sister; I would just withdraw and let her have it. What do you think?”

Fang Silian and Chu Lan’er exchanged a nervous glance, a hint of panic flickering in their eyes.

Lan Yixuan blinked and chuckled, “Ah, but what if your so-called ‘best friends’ end up betraying you for their own gain? In the face of personal interest, what does friendship matter? It’s all just nonsense!”

With that, Lan Yixuan walked away casually.

Left behind, Lan Jinjing looked at the other two. “I think my sister has a point. You two should withdraw.”

Fang Silian and Chu Lan’er were immediately thrown into a panic.

“Wha… what…”

Lan Jinjing smirked. A princess Concubine?

If she were chosen, she’d be set for life.

She couldn’t control what others did, but she could control Fang Silian and Chu Lan’er. With two fewer competitors, her chances of being chosen would increase significantly.