Reborn to Become A Queen: The Real Heiress's Comeback-Chapter 403 Do You Know What Favoritism Is?

Zhan Lan calmly said, "Li Sui, do you think I am a good person or a bad person?"

Li Sui always referred to her as General, and she liked it when he addressed her that way.

Li Sui looked at Zhan Lan with firm determination in his eyes and said, "General Zhan is a good person."

Zhan Lan continued, "If someone sent you to kill me, even if that person were your benefactor, what do you think their true intentions might be?"

Li Sui hastily replied, "He only sent me to abduct you..."

Zhan Lan let out a cold laugh, "You’re being used."

Ever since meeting Zhan Lan last time, Li Sui’s heart had been full of turmoil.

On one hand, Zhan Lan was a Great General who bled and fought for the country and its people.

On the other hand, Si Jun had indeed saved his life.

Faced with the gratitude of saving his life and the greater cause of the nation, he truly found himself in a dilemma.

He numbed himself, trying not to think about it, but now that Zhan Lan was here, his inner conflict had stirred once more.

Zhan Lan was unshakably certain that he had been her close friend in a past life, but Li Sui didn’t believe in supernatural notions of fate.

Still, the various signs were undeniable—there was no better way to explain why Zhan Lan understood him so well.

Zhan Lan, her gaze burning, looked at him. "Li Sui, I don’t need you to stand on my side right now, but let me remind you of one thing: if someone is trying to use you, you’d better think carefully about whether they have another agenda."

"Do you know who the person outside is?"

Li Sui shook his head, and Zhan Lan said, "He was once the Deputy General of the Brave Army, now the current Minister of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, Xiao Chen. He was also your close comrade on the battlefield in your past life."

Li Sui’s emotions surged. He’d always had dreams of joining the army, but family matters had delayed him. Now, the Brave General told him they had been comrades in a previous life—and the man outside the carriage was none other than Xiao Chen, the Brave Army’s Deputy General!

These revelations ignited a blazing fire in Li Sui’s previously calm heart.

If these things were true—what an extraordinary experience it must have been to fight alongside such remarkable people!

Xiao Chen lifted the curtain of the carriage and said, "Li Sui, in our past lives, you and I both served as Deputy Generals under General Zhan. I even know there’s a vulnerability in your swordsmanship—you still need to work harder on that."

Li Sui looked at Xiao Chen as if he were seeing a ghost. How did Xiao Chen know his swordsmanship had a weak point right now? If someone discovered it during a fight, it could lead to instant death.

Zhan Lan continued, "Li Sui, do you think that, with the abilities of Xiao Chen and me, if your only threat to us was to worry about, we couldn’t easily kill you here and now? No, Xiao Chen could do it alone. Yet we haven’t done so."

"Moreover, during the last time you abducted me, I could have ended your life with an arrow to your back—I didn’t do that either. Surely, you must believe us now."

Li Sui’s palms grew sweaty; his heart felt as though it were being seared by blazing flames, caught in an impossible predicament.

In his past life, he had been a General! A Deputy General!

The words spoken by two people who knew him so intimately unsettled Li Sui deeply. He couldn’t calm down. freēnovelkiss.com

The revelations shared by Zhan Lan and Xiao Chen shook him to his core. Zhan Lan was right—if Xiao Chen truly understood the flaw in his swordsmanship, it would be effortless for him to take Li Sui’s life.

Zhan Lan wouldn’t even need to act herself!

Furthermore, for individuals of Zhan Lan and Xiao Chen’s caliber, there was no need for them to go to such lengths just to tell him all this.

If they feared his threat, they could immediately strike him down—or simply destroy his family—why bother with such elaborate steps?

Li Sui spoke, "General Zhan, Mr. Xiao, please allow me some time to ponder this..."

Zhan Lan chuckled, "Very well. Once you’ve made up your mind, place a pot of flowers in front of your shop’s doorway, and my people will contact you."

Zhan Lan and Xiao Chen, although they already had evidence of Si Jun framing Li Sui, couldn’t act rashly yet. If those individuals were apprehended, Si Jun would undoubtedly be alerted.

Li Sui was already caught in the scheme, and Zhan Lan naturally wanted to protect him.

...

The Regent Prince Mansion.

After court, Mu Yan still had a pile of matters to handle and only returned from the palace at noon.

As soon as he stepped into his home, he saw Bai Chen.

Bai Chen stood downstairs, watching Mu Yan approach from afar. He greeted him with a laugh, "Big Brother, you’ve been working day and night—this Princely Heir’s heart aches for you."

Mu Yan snorted coldly, entered the house first, and Bai Chen followed him inside.

"What brings you here to see this Prince?"

Bai Chen raised his brow and said, "Big Brother, you truly are incredible—there’s nothing you haven’t figured out!"

Mu Yan ignored him, and Bai Chen spoke up, "My mother kicked me out of the house. I might need to stay at your mansion for a while."

Mu Yan replied with a steely expression, "No."

Bai Chen clutched at his chest dramatically and said, "Big Brother, have some pity on me! My mother is forcing me—if I don’t agree to marry Zhong Xuanliang’s daughter, Zhong Lianyi, she won’t let me back home for a single day!"

Mu Yan’s face carried a subtle smile as he responded, "The daughter of Imperial Censor Zhong Xuanliang isn’t bad. She’s likely as stubborn as her father—if she sets her sights on you, it’ll be for life. That’s good news!"

"Ah, my dear Big Brother, I beg you—your mansion is so big, and I truly have nowhere else to go. My silver notes were confiscated by my mother; otherwise, I’d be wandering the streets!"

Mu Yan sprinkled some water onto an orchid and said, "What does that have to do with this Prince."

Bai Chen, frustrated, slumped into a chair. "Big Brother, you’re completely heartless—ever since you married Sister-in-law, you’ve stopped caring about your brother’s wellbeing."

Mu Yan glanced at the orchid, thinking of his Lan’er, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a slight smile. "Do you even understand the meaning of favoritism? If you want me to favor you, show me you’re worthy of it."

Bai Chen stared at the orchid and threatened, "Big Brother, if you don’t agree, don’t think I won’t uproot all your orchids!"

Mu Yan turned his eyes sharply toward him, his gaze icy, "You wouldn’t dare! This orchid was planted by Lan’er herself—if even one leaf goes missing, this Prince will hold you accountable."

Bai Chen put on a contrite expression and pleaded, "Big Brother, I swear, I wouldn’t be coming to you if I weren’t at my wit’s end. My mother is searching for me all over the city. The only safe place I have to hide is here—and I absolutely don’t want to marry that Miss Zhong!"

Seeing Bai Chen’s distressed expression, Mu Yan tapped his head lightly and said, "You brought this upon yourself with your incessant flirtations. Now you face the consequences."

Bai Chen raised his right hand with three fingers extended and said, "Big Brother, I’m innocent! Although I’ve frequently wandered among the flowers, I’ve never let a single leaf stick to me. All I’ve done is chat some sweet words, teasing a young lady or two."

Bai Chen’s face turned red as he added, "In fact, this Princely Heir is still clean... a virgin."

Hearing Bai Chen’s words, Liu Xi, who had just come over to pour tea, accidentally dropped the teacup onto the ground with a loud crash.

Bai Chen lifted his gaze to meet Liu Xi’s, and for a fleeting moment, their eyes locked. Liu Xi’s heart instantly started to race. Panicking, she crouched down to pick up the shattered teacup and apologized, "Forgive me, Prince—it was an accident."

Mu Yan seemed unfazed and said, "No harm done."

He was always indulgent toward Lan’er’s personal maid, Liu Xi, especially since she was not prone to mistakes.

Mu Yan saw Bai Chen dart like an arrow toward Liu Xi, who was busy collecting the fractured pieces of the teacup.

Startled by Bai Chen’s sudden move, Liu Xi clumsily cut her finger while trying to gather the shards. She reached for a cloth to staunch the blood.

But before she could, Bai Chen seized her hand and pressed his shirt against her injury to stem the bleeding.

Bai Chen, worry etched across his face, said, "Why are you so careless?"

Blushing, Liu Xi retracted her hand sheepishly.

Mu Yan observed the scene and instantly understood what was happening. He had never seen Bai Chen display such a tense expression before.

Mu Yan said to Bai Chen, "Help Miss Liu Xi bandage her wound. This Prince has other matters to attend to."

With those words, Mu Yan left for his study, leaving Bai Chen and Liu Xi alone together.