Cui Si immediately understood and quickly took out a square box from a nearby brocade box. When opened, it was filled with gold and silver jewelry.
Apparently, this was most of Concubine Mei's savings since she entered the palace.
"This is just a small token of my appreciation. I hope you won't mind, young master," Concubine Mei said with a smile.
Lan Tian had never seen so many gold and silver treasures in his life. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond. After hesitating for a while, he said with some difficulty, "Your Ladyship, I can't accept these gifts without doing anything. You should keep them for yourself. I think you have a lot of expenses to cover in the palace. Keep them for your own use."
Concubine Mei covered her lips and laughed. "Young Master Lan, you're really an interesting person. Don't worry. Just accept them. Since I can give them to you, I've surely left enough money for my daily expenses and bribes in the palace."
Seeing that Concubine Mei looked like she wouldn't take no for an answer, Lan Tian was afraid she might cause some trouble. Moreover, in order to complete his mission smoothly after going to Nanhe, he thought it over and finally accepted the jewelry.
Concubine Mei was overjoyed. She said to Lan Tian, "Young Master Lan is truly a man of wisdom."
What is a man of wisdom? One who knows the times...
Lan Tian just gave a faint smile at Concubine Mei's words and didn't say anything else.
Although, judging from the current situation in the harem, helping Concubine Mei couldn't really be considered a wise move. But in Concubine Mei's mind, only those who stood by her side were true men of wisdom.
Lan Tian gave a faint laugh. "Maybe. I have to go out tomorrow, so I won't disturb Your Ladyship's rest. Farewell."
With that, he turned around and left.
Watching Lan Tian's departing figure, Cui Si said to Concubine Mei uneasily, "Your Ladyship, aren't you worried that he'll take the benefits but do nothing?"
Concubine Mei sneered. "Do you think it's so easy to take my things? They all bear the mark of the imperial palace. If he behaves himself, I'll let it go. But if he doesn't, don't blame me for being ruthless."
They had a good plan, but they overlooked another possibility.
Late at night, Lan Tian took a little detour on the palace path. After making sure no one was following him, he didn't go back to his room to rest directly but went to the imperial study.
Sure enough, the imperial study was still brightly lit at this time. The emperor and the queen were still dealing with memorials.
Before Lan Tian even reached the door, he was stopped by the imperial guards. "Who are you? Why are you still wandering around in the palace at this late hour?"
This batch of imperial guards was obviously not the same group as in the morning. They had never seen Lan Tian before, so naturally they didn't know his identity. If it weren't for Lan Tian's politeness, they would have arrested him as an assassin long ago.
Lan Tian saw Fang Xi in the distance and said to the imperial guards beside him, "I'm here to find Eunuch Fang Xi."
The imperial guards looked at each other. Thinking that a person who appeared in the palace at this late hour must have an unusual identity, they hesitated for a while. Finally, they decided that one of them would stay to guard the door while the other would go in to report.
When Fang Xi heard that someone was looking for him, he thought it was one of the concubines in the harem. He had even thought up the lines to refuse. But when he came out and saw that it was Lan Tian, a look of confusion immediately appeared on his face.
"Young Master Lan, it's so late. What are you...?"
Lan Tian bowed to Fang Xi and said, "Eunuch Fang Xi, I have something important to report to the emperor and the queen. It's about the flood."
Originally, Fang Xi didn't want to bother with his matter. But when he heard it was related to the flood, knowing that it was a matter of great importance, he led Lan Tian into the courtyard.
However, he didn't forget the rules. After entering the courtyard, he didn't lead Lan Tian in directly but asked Lan Tian to wait in the courtyard while he went in to report.
When Su Wan'er heard that Lan Tian was coming, a look of surprise flashed in her eyes.
Si Junlin said beside her, "An hour ago, the palace maid said that Lan Tian was going to rest. If he comes at this time, there must be something important."
Su Wan'er nodded. She also had the same doubt in her heart. Then she turned to Fang Xi and said, "Summon him in."
Fang Xi replied and left. Soon, Lan Tian was led in.
Su Wan'er asked Fang Xi to wait outside. After Fang Xi left, Su Wan'er turned to Lan Tian and asked, "Alright, now you can tell me why you came to find me in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
Su Wan'er didn't think he came just to chat with her.
After bowing to Su Wan'er, Lan Tian put the jewelry box on Su Wan'er's desk. "Just now, I met Concubine Mei."
Su Wan'er and Si Junlin looked at each other. Their guess was right. As long as they knew that Lan Tian was going to take their place, both Concubine Mei and the Rong family would be restless.
Su Wan'er gave him a calm look, with a look of "indifference" in her eyes. "Since Concubine Mei gave them to you, just keep them. Why did you bring them here?"
"I, Lan Tian, may not understand the great principles in the palace, but I still know what loyalty and chivalry are. Since I've chosen to stand by the emperor and the queen, I'll never defect to anyone else. Even if the other party offers me a lot of benefits, I won't care." He paused for a moment and continued, "Another reason I brought these things here is that I don't want the emperor and the queen to misunderstand me. In the future, there will be many things that need your cooperation, Your Majesty."
Su Wan'er played with the jewelry in the box and a faint smile appeared on her lips. "Alright, we won't doubt you. You can keep these too. There's no need to take them out. Consider them as extra income for your help this time."
Lan Tian waved his hand. "Forget it. I'm not interested in these things. If Your Majesty really wants to give me some extra reward, it's better to convert them into silver. That would be more practical."
Su Wan'er turned to Si Junlin. "Queen, how much do you think we should give?"
Si Junlin understood from Su Wan'er's look that she wanted to see his attitude. Or maybe she simply didn't know how much these jewels were worth in total.
Anyway, as a husband, he should stand up when his wife needed help.
"These jewels were bestowed by the emperor. If they are sold, once discovered, the seller will be sentenced to death," Si Junlin said slowly.
Cold sweat immediately broke out on Lan Tian's back.