“Outrageous!”
Madam Min flared with anger, then couldn’t help glancing worriedly at her brother-in-law, her eyes full of pity.
At this moment, Lan Shan stood frozen, as if unable to believe it.
“Xiao Tao… is this Ru-yan’s decision?”
His throat felt dry and hoarse, his eyes aching with restrained tears—this hurt even more than being beaten with boards.
“My lady is kind-hearted. It was my master’s decision.”
Xiao Tao was Zhou Ruyan’s personal maid. She frowned slightly—why was Third Young Master Lan so clueless?
Even if it were the young lady’s idea, she couldn’t say it outright and tarnish her reputation.
“Very well.”
Old Madam Lan suddenly spoke quietly, her tone full of helplessness. “Now that the Lan family are all commoners, we truly are not worthy of a minister’s daughter.”
“Old Madam truly understands reason.”
Now even a mere maid dared to put on airs before them. Everyone was furious, but still managed to hold it in.
Lan Shan’s throat burned as he paused before saying, “Yes—I shouldn’t drag your young lady down.
Please tell her that from today onward our marriages have nothing to do with each other. I wish her happiness.”
“And I hope Miss Zhou never regrets it!”
Lan Shuang snatched the marriage contract from Xiao Tao’s hands and tore it into shreds before everyone.
Lan Shan stared blankly at the scraps fluttering through the air—it felt as though snow had fallen inside his heart, chilling him to the bone.
In a narrow alley not far away, a man disguised as a carriage driver lifted his gaze in surprise.
“This Miss Lan has backbone.”
“Today was her wedding day. Young Lord Ji wanted her to become a concubine—she refused and returned to the duke’s residence.”
Another person whispered at his ear. The “driver” chuckled softly.
“As expected of General Lan’s daughter.”
With that, he drove off the carriage carrying coffins, seemingly in a hurry. No one paid them any attention.
“My lady naturally won’t regret it. Miss Lan is now a commoner—she’d better curb that bad temper.”
Xiao Tao cast Lan Shuang a scornful glance, climbed onto the Zhou family carriage, and left arrogantly.
“The Zhou family is eager to cut ties with us—they wouldn’t even wait a single night!”
Madam Min, hot-tempered by nature, was so angry she could barely control her expression—then suddenly paused.
“The new emperor has ascended the throne. There’s going to be a grand consort selection.”
Realization dawned on her—driving another knife into Lan Shan’s heart. He didn’t want to believe that gentle girl would be like this, so he defended her softly.
“Ru-yan is from the Zhou family. She has no choice.”
“Third Brother is now just a commoner—if Zhou Ruyan enters the palace, she’d certainly be made a consort.”
Madam Min wasn’t blaming Zhou Ruyan. As a woman herself, she understood the weight of family—she only lamented how fickle people could be, how rare true affection was.
“Mind your words!”
Old Madam Lan cut her off. Having been shrewd her whole life, she knew what mustn’t be said aloud. Everyone fell silent.
“Grandmother… it’s late at night. Where should we go?”
Madam Xu wiped her tears and asked softly. Old Madam Lan, strong all her life, now felt overwhelmed.
The Lan family had produced generations of loyal men—countless had died wrapped in horsehide on the battlefield. Yet her line was thin; she had only the Duke of Zhen-guo as a son.
Now they didn’t even have a place to stay—anyone who saw them avoided them like the plague.
“The estates and shops have all been confiscated. We’ve nowhere to go.”
“Grandmother, I remember there’s a ruined temple at the street corner. We can make do for one night.”
Lan Shuang had dug that out of the original owner’s memories with difficulty. Their group consisted of the elderly, the weak, the pregnant, and the injured.
They couldn’t travel far—and even if they still had estates, they wouldn’t dare stay there, or the dog emperor would show up immediately to seize them.
“Alright. We’ll listen to Shuang’er.”
Old Madam Lan suddenly seemed to have aged ten years. Her graying hair under the moonlight made her look all the more pitiful.
Fortunately, Commander Liu had once served alongside General Lan, so he left them a wooden handcart.
Lan Shuang forcibly pushed Lan Shan onto it. He protested awkwardly, “Shuang’er, I can walk.”
“Get some rest. Second Sister-in-law, you get on too.”
Lan Shuang arranged things properly, but Madam Xu refused. “Shuang’er, I can walk myself—it’ll take too much effort for you to push.”
Lan Shuang didn’t force her. Luckily, the ruined temple wasn’t far, and they soon arrived.
Inside the broken temple were quite a few homeless beggar children, who immediately eyed them warily.
“Don’t panic—we’re just staying the night!”
Lan Shuang smiled gently at them. She had thought she’d need to talk them into it, but unexpectedly one of the children recognized them.
“It’s the lady who gave out porridge—they’re good people!”
“Come in, madam. You can stay inside.”
Several beggar children shyly shrank into the corners to make space for them. Madam Min sighed.
“Father was right—people should do more good deeds. It helps when it matters most.”
“Too bad good people don’t get good endings…”
Lan Shan muttered again. Old Madam Lan shot him a look.
“Shan-ge’er, mind your words.”
“Third Brother—the emperor’s people are watching us.”
Lan Shuang lowered her voice to warn him. She had long sensed someone lurking in the shadows.
She had said it—there was no way the dog emperor would let them off so easily.
“I understand.”
Lan Shan lowered his head. Though resentment churned inside him, thinking of the whole family, he finally kept quiet.
Just then, Madam Xu suddenly pressed her belly and cried out softly, “It hurts…”
“Second Sister-in-law, you’re only six months along—it’s not time yet!”
Madam Min panicked. If anything happened to Madam Xu and her child, how would she explain it to her second brother?
“She must have been frightened—quick, we need to get a doctor!”
“Second Sister-in-law, give me your hand!”
Lan Shuang stepped forward, clasped Madam Xu’s wrist, and carefully took her pulse, leaving the anxious crowd baffled.
“Shuang’er, when did you learn pulse diagnosis?”
Madam Min was so anxious she was nearly foaming at the mouth. “We should still take her to find a physician first.”
“Shuang’er, don’t fool around—I’ll go get a doctor.”
Lan Shan struggled to rise from the ground. The man who had just looked half-dead now seemed more alert because of his sister-in-law’s condition.
“It’s nothing—just shock.”
Lan Shuang’s voice was gentle. Meeting Old Madam Lan’s probing gaze, she lowered her eyes and said softly:
“Mother secretly hired tutors for me. I learned a bit of medicine.”
Old Madam Lan had always felt that women shouldn’t be coarse like generals’ wives, and had strictly restrained the original owner since childhood.
But the original owner had secretly learned martial arts with Madam Lan’s approval.
Hearing this, Old Madam Lan fell silent. Lan Shan exclaimed, “How did I not know?”
“You’ve got a big mouth—if you knew, the whole household would’ve known.”
Lan Shuang’s remark drew faint smiles from everyone despite their dire situation.
She took out the silver needles hidden at her waist and inserted a few into Madam Xu. The woman who had been clutching her stomach cried out in surprise:
“Little Sister is amazing—it really doesn’t hurt anymore!”
“Is it really that miraculous?”
Madam Min still found it hard to believe. This younger sister was usually quiet and uninterested in the refined arts like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—could her medical skills really be so good?
“Eldest Sister-in-law, it’s true.”
Madam Xu spoke and almost burst into tears again. “Thank goodness Little Sister is so capable. If anything had happened… I wouldn’t know how to explain it to Yong-ge.”