Chapter 95: The Koi Becomes a Calamity Star

Di Zian became anxious. “Father, I don’t care about compatible fates; I just want us to be of one heart.”

The Tyrant Emperor’s face darkened.

He was well aware of Di Zian’s unfortunate fate.

Honestly, such a fate within the royal family was highly disadvantageous to Di Zian.

The Tyrant Emperor also hoped to alter Di Zian’s fate.

“Big brother’s beloved had her fortune stolen.”

“Her fate was swapped; the koi turned into a calamity star, and the calamity star into a koi. Ha ha ha.”

The little protagonist was quite ruthless.

That Lan Jinjing was someone close to the little protagonist.

Ah Bao climbed onto the desk, seated herself, and cracked open a wrinkled walnut with the jade seal. She carefully peeled out the kernel and popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly.

She had four baby teeth now.

Two on the top and two on the bottom.

Eating walnuts was a bit of a challenge.

But she couldn’t resist; they were brain food and delicious.

The Tyrant Emperor and Di Zian both sneaked a glance at Ah Bao.

Ah Bao looked up, grinned at the two, and showed her little milk teeth, her eyes curved into crescent moons.

“Papa, what’s wrong with big brother?”

Her speech was becoming more and more fluent, haha.

Di Zian quickly picked Ah Bao up. “Father, I just remembered I have something to do. I’ll take my sister and go.”

The Tyrant Emperor frowned. This matter of An’er’s fate could only be resolved with Ah Bao’s help.

The Tyrant Emperor picked up his vermillion brush and resumed reviewing the memorials.

Looking at the memorial in front of him, it mentioned the urgent need for supplies in Lingnan due to an epidemic, but the state treasury was empty??

“Summon the Right Prime Minister to the palace.”

…

Di Zian left the palace in a hurry, carrying Ah Bao on his back.

Ah Bao lay on Di Zian’s back. “Big brother, charge—”

“We’re almost at the Lan residence.”

“Is big brother going to see his future sister-in-law?”

Di Zian stumbled and nearly fell.

They weren’t even close to that point, so where did this ‘future sister-in-law’ come from?

“Big brother likes… her.” Ah Bao peeked over Di Zian’s head and saw Lan Yixuan and her group returning to the Lan residence.

Di Zian quickly hid with Ah Bao.

Ah Bao tilted her little head and took a bite of her lollipop.

It wasn’t until Lan Yixuan and her group entered the Lan residence that Di Zian finally looked away. “Ahem.”

“Big brother, go get the detergent…” Ah Bao cheered Di Zian on.

Di Zian felt quite embarrassed. “Sister, do you think she likes me?”

Ah Bao blinked, trying to understand.

Was big brother afraid Sister Lan didn’t like him?

“Sister, do you know why I told Mother Concubine that I didn’t choose anyone at the Concubine selection banquet?”

Ah Bao shook her head, her head bobbing like a rattle drum.

Why hide it if he had chosen?

If you like someone, just admit it. What’s wrong with that?

“If she were forced to become a Concubine, with her personality, she’d probably run away, right? And she wouldn’t be happy either.”

Di Zian had a great affection for Lan Yixuan, whether it was fate or something else.

He had only met Lan Yixuan once in the palace kitchen, but she was constantly on his mind.

The Lan Yixuan he met was very much like his true self—free and unrestrained.

At today’s Concubine selection banquet, Lan Yixuan had groggily slapped him. In her eyes, he saw unfamiliarity and calmness.

He was certain that Lan Yixuan didn’t like him at all.

She even treated him like a passerby.

Even though she pretended to be panicked at the time, her true emotions didn’t escape him.

She was the one who was just going through the motions.

So, he had deliberately left with a stern face.

He didn’t want Lan Yixuan to misunderstand or feel any burden.

“I want to find someone who truly shares my heart. I think she wants the same.”

“Big brother’s path to pursuing his love will be tough.”

“The worthless father favors the little thief Lan, haha.”

“But if big brother doesn’t help Sister Lan, she might be beaten to death.”

Di Zian was shocked.

Who would dare harm his future wife?

…

At the Right Prime Minister’s residence.

As soon as Lan Jinjing entered the main hall, she told Mrs. Yang all about the Concubine selection today.

‘Bang!’ Mrs. Yang slapped the table and stood up. “This is outrageous! Yixuan, do you want to bring ruin upon the entire Right Prime Minister’s residence? You… you actually slapped the Seventh Prince! What were you thinking?”

Lan Moxiu, sitting nearby, interjected, “Mother, perhaps Yixuan didn’t do it on purpose…”

“Will the royal family listen to that? This was the Concubine selection banquet, not child’s play. Even if the Seventh Prince doesn’t hold a grudge, will Concubine De or the Emperor let this slide?”

“An unmarried young lady openly slapped the Seventh Prince at the selection banquet. Have you lost your mind?” Mrs. Yang clutched her chest in anger, glaring fiercely at Lan Yixuan. “I knew you were a disaster from the start. We should never have brought you back.

Ever since you entered our residence a year ago, we haven’t had a moment of peace.

The Emperor has just summoned your father to the palace. He’ll surely hold him accountable for this. Our entire household is ruined because of you.”

Lan Yixuan stood alone in the center of the hall, her expression calm despite Mrs. Yang’s finger pointing in her face. “Mother, am I not your biological daughter? If you didn’t care about me, why bring me into the family a year ago?”

“Sister, you can’t say that. Even if you are the true daughter of the Prime Minister’s residence, Mother hasn’t spent much time with you over the years. You lack any real bond. Now, you keep causing trouble repeatedly. Even if Mother cared for you, your actions would still break her heart,” said Lan Yixuan’s sister.

Lan Yixuan found it laughable.

As the true daughter of the Prime Minister’s household, she was still less important than a fake daughter.

In her mother’s heart, she had only one daughter, and that was Lan Jinjing.

Even without a blood relation, Lan Jinjing was the one she raised, and she trusted Lan Jinjing far more than her own flesh and blood.

“Xuan’er, did you hear your sister? She’s teaching you how to behave. Why don’t you learn from her?”

“Learn what? Learn to steal someone else’s place? Learn to use any means necessary?”

‘Smack!’

Mrs. Yang slapped Lan Yixuan across the face.

“Mother!”

Lan Moxiu wheeled himself forward.

Lan Yixuan tilted her head slightly, standing there, composed and unyielding.

“The honor of this household is all thanks to your sister. She’s the good fortune of our family.

Even though she isn’t my biological daughter, we’ve treated her as one all these years. She’s obedient and sensible, and she’s done many things for your father and me in secret.

But you? From the moment you returned to this household, you’ve brought nothing but disaster!”

Mrs. Yang, enraged, exclaimed, “We locked you up for a year, and you still haven’t learned your lesson. Today, you went to the selection banquet and caused a scene. Xuan’er, what have we ever done to deserve such treatment from you? Were you born just to torment us?”

“If you only wanted my sister, then why bother bringing me back when you learned I was living in the countryside?” Lan Yixuan fought back her tears, refusing to let them fall.

The first time she met her mother, she wasn’t like this.

She had held her hand, expressed concern, and said that they had mistakenly swapped babies at birth. It was their carelessness as parents, and they owed her an apology.

She had returned with them.

But everything had changed.

So-called ‘family affection’ was just for show in front of others.

Her mother never truly liked her.