The Great Liang Dynasty (not based on real history; this story is purely fictional)
From inside the red bridal canopy came the sounds of a man and a woman—enough to make one blush and seethe with anger.
“Your Highness, please don’t be upset. Father said the Lan family will soon be confiscated and ruined. Lan Shuang grew up with me after all—between being divorced or becoming a concubine, I let her choose.”
“Ji-lang is still soft-hearted. I am of noble status—I don’t wish to share a husband with anyone.”
“My princess, I swear I’ll only have you. Wouldn’t it be fine to keep her to serve you?”
“…”
Lan Shuang had barely opened her eyes when those indecent sounds rang in her ears. She weakly steadied herself against the pillar beside her—then felt as if lightning had struck her.
Heavens above!
She, a dignified inheritor of traditional Chinese medicine, had actually transmigrated into a bride abandoned on her wedding night—whose natal family was about to be confiscated as well.
And inside the room were her newly wedded scumbag husband Ji Yunqian, and the Fifth Princess.
The two of them clearly assumed that if she wanted to cling to life, she would obediently accept becoming a concubine—letting them fool around while she stood by to serve.
The original owner of the body had been furious to death.
Lan Shuang: …
She laughed in anger. A rotten cucumber—whoever wants him can have him!
She swiftly tore up the divorce letter on the ground and wrote a new one, leaving it behind.
She was the one divorcing Ji Yunqian!
Taking advantage of the empty surroundings, Lan Shuang pulled out a bottle of medicinal powder from the portable space she carried.
She gently parted the gauze curtain and glanced inside—tsk, blinding to the eyes!
But the original owner’s grudges still had to be repaid.
Then she’d grant them the no-descendants-forever powder!
With one scatter of the dust, the two wouldn’t be able to move for a full day and night—and after their moment of pleasure, they’d never be able to share a bed again.
The original body had belonged to the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhen-guo. Her father was the great general who stabilized the nation—like father, like daughter; her martial arts were naturally superb, though she had always hidden them well, so no one knew.
After taking over this body, Lan Shuang seemed able to use lightness kung fu too, moving through the marquis’s estate as though an empty place.
Her dowry certainly couldn’t be left to that dog of a man!
In her previous life, after inheriting her master’s legacy, Lan Shuang had obtained an ancestral medicinal space that could store items.
She hurried to the small courtyard’s storeroom. The shameless Fifth Princess had clearly prepared early to steal the groom—her dowry was packed and ready.
Forty or fifty camphorwood chests and all kinds of wedding goods—Lan Shuang didn’t even look, sweeping everything straight into her space. Then she found the storehouse holding her dowry.
The Duke of Zhen-guo’s household had doted on their legitimate daughter: from silks, jewels, jade pieces, paintings and calligraphy above, to chamber pots, tables, chairs, and stools below—everything had been prepared in full.
Enough for a woman to live comfortably in her husband’s home for a lifetime. Ji Yunqian didn’t deserve it!
Even Lan Shuang felt envious.
Oh—no need to envy it anymore. From now on, it was all hers. With a grand sweep of her hand, she took everything.
Thinking of how the marquis’s household had tacitly approved Ji Yunqian’s scummy behavior, Lan Shuang was still furious and made another trip to their main treasury.
Good grief—the marquis must have been a massive corrupt official. Gold and silver ornaments, jade, paintings, and ancient books were piled beyond counting.
There were even over twenty chests of gold ingots—she’d struck it rich!
She even found plenty of evidence of embezzlement in the marquis’s private vault. Naturally, that all had to be kept carefully.
The small kitchen couldn’t be spared either—grain was precious in ancient times.
When she thought about families being confiscated and the men exiled, she thought of the newly enthroned emperor. The Duke of Zhen-guo’s household had always stayed neutral, yet the new emperor resorted to despicable means just to seize military power.
No—she couldn’t let the national treasury go either!
Lan Shuang changed into pitch-black clothes, put on a face covering, and with a tap of her toes headed for the palace.
At this moment the palace was brightly lit. Civil and military officials knelt below, while the dog emperor put on a show of dignity.
“I never knew General Lan was a lackey of the Crown Prince. The Lan family is truly hateful. Come—issue my decree…”
She was still some distance away, but Lan Shuang’s hearing was sharp. Since she had just arrived in this world, she knew the dog emperor must have shadow guards protecting him, so she couldn’t act rashly.
Thus, she quickly went to the national treasury. The new emperor had only just taken the throne, and the treasury was rather empty—but Lan Shuang showed no mercy.
Gold, silver, jade, coral ornaments, ancient books, silks and brocades…
She even made a trip to the empress’s palace. The empress was Ji Yunqian’s own elder sister—they were on the same side. Gold and silver jewelry, vases, jade pieces, pearls…
Even the empress’s gold-and-jade headdresses were completely cleared out by Lan Shuang. There were even ancient beauty formulas used by imperial consorts—take them, take them all!
Lan Shuang was ruthless as a passing goose plucking every feather, not leaving even a single grain of rice behind. When she thought of the Imperial Medical Institute, her heart stirred.
There must be plenty of medicinal ingredients in the palace.
She acted at once, turning toward the institute. Sure enough, its private stores held many treasures—ginseng, deer antler, bird’s nest, dendrobium…
Clear it out, clear it all out—leave nothing behind.
Before leaving, she didn’t even spare the imperial kitchens. All kinds of delicacies, fruits, and pastries were countless in number—she’d enjoy a taste of the emperor’s lifestyle herself.
Just as she was busy, voices of the imperial guards suddenly rang out from outside.
“Quick—there’s been a theft in the palace!”
Lan Shuang halted, not daring to linger any longer, and quickly left the palace. At this moment, officials had already gone to confiscate the Duke of Zhen-guo’s estate.
She rushed back without stopping, first emptying the main storehouse, then one by one clearing out the smaller family treasuries.
The grain in the small kitchens was plentiful too—leaving it would only benefit the dog emperor, so she kept none of it.
Compared to the marquis’s residence and the national treasury, the Duke’s estate was far more modest—clearly, preparing her dowry had drained them dry.
For a moment, Lan Shuang felt touched. It seemed the original owner’s family truly doted on her.
Originally planning to flee far away, she changed clothes and doubled back, entering through the front gate instead. By now, the imperial guards were already rummaging wildly through the estate.
The masters of the Duke’s household were in chaos—crying, shouting, panicking, each one at a complete loss.
“What should we do…”
“Mother, I’m scared.”
“Sù-ge’er, don’t be afraid—Mother is here.”
“Grandmother, I wonder how my husband is… will they—”
“…”
“The eldest young lady is back!”
A servant spotted Lan Shuang and cried out in shock. All the family members standing in the courtyard froze.
At the front was the original owner’s grandmother, Old Madam Lan. She stiffened her face and scolded:
“Lan Shuang, you’ve already married—what are you doing coming back?! Hurry back to the marquis’s estate!”
“Yes, officer—Lan Shuang is already a married woman and shouldn’t be included among those being confiscated.”
Standing beside the grandmother was Lan Shuang’s eldest sister-in-law, Madam Min. Even facing the family’s confiscation, she wasn’t overly flustered, forcing herself to stay strong.
The second sister-in-law, Madam Xu, gently held her belly, tears falling like broken beads as she wept in mournful misery.
“Grandmother, sisters-in-law—since I’ve benefited from the Lan family’s protection, I should share both hardship and fortune with you.”
Her parents, the Duke of Zhen-guo, along with her eldest and second brothers, were still stationed at the border. The dog emperor surely wouldn’t treat them kindly.
Now the entire household was made up of frail women. If Lan Shuang abandoned them, these people likely wouldn’t survive.
“You’re being foolish!”
Old Madam Lan had always doted on Lan Shuang, and she shook her head frantically.
“Shuang’er, you belong to the marquis’s household now. Listen to your grandmother—go back quickly.”
Following them, she would only be humiliated and abused by the noble ladies of the capital; life would be extremely hard.
Ji Yunqian and Shuang’er had grown up together and shared many years of affection—surely he would treat her well.
“Shuang’er, your grandmother is doing this for your sake. Even if your mother were home, she’d send you back to your husband’s family.”
Madam Min, with her forceful temperament, gently pushed Lan Shuang, trying to drive her away.
Lan Shuang spread her hands helplessly.
“But Ji Yunqian wants to divorce me.”