Before Lan Shuang could answer, the old madam spoke first.
“Right now, we’re a thorn in everyone’s side in the capital.
Whether you go or not is your decision. Grandmother won’t object either way.”
“Grandmother, where are the things?”
Lan Shuang was indeed tempted. In both her past and present lives, her greatest love was money.
Knowing there was wealth to be had but choosing not to take it would make her unbearably restless.
“They’re in my courtyard at the Duke of Zhen’s residence,” Old Madam Lan replied.
Holding Lan Shuang’s hand, her gaze grew complicated.
“Shuang’er, your eldest sister-in-law may be straightforward, but Su’er can’t do without her.
Your second sister-in-law falls apart and only knows how to cry when something happens—she’s not someone we can rely on. All the men of the family are in the northern lands.
At this point, you’re the only one Grandmother can think of.
Our family is made up of the elderly, the weak, the pregnant, and the young—we still have to survive.”
“Grandmother, I’ll go.”
Lan Shuang broke into a bright smile.
“My mother secretly hired tutors to teach me medicine and martial arts. I’ll be as careful as I can.”
“Good. Truly worthy of my Lan family!”
The old madam’s gaze toward Lan Shuang grew even fonder.
“Shuang’er, wealth is an external thing.
Life comes first. If there’s danger, protect yourself above all else.”
“Don’t worry, Grandmother. I know what I’m doing.”
Lan Shuang loved treasure-hunting most of all. After leaving the old madam’s room, she saw Lan Su squatting pitifully at the doorway of the main hall.
Min Ruolan, meanwhile, was bent over picking vegetables from the small kitchen garden. Raised in luxury since childhood, she couldn’t tell weeds from vegetables.
The basket was filled with both, yet she proudly said to Lan Su,
“Su-ge’er, wait a bit longer. Mother will cook for you soon.”
“Eldest Sister-in-law… are you sure everything you picked is vegetables?”
Lan Shuang couldn’t help rubbing her forehead. She walked over and tossed the weeds out of the basket.
“These are weeds. Only the rest are vegetables.”
“Uh…”
Min Ruolan was covered in black lines.
“They all looked about the same to me.”
“I’ll do it,” Lan Shuang said.
She went into the kitchen and, while Min Ruolan was coaxing Su-ge’er, took some rice out of her space.
She didn’t take much. When Min Ruolan came in, Lan Shuang feigned surprise and said,
“It seems Second Sister-in-law’s aunt left behind a sack of rice. Perfect—we can steam it to eat.”
“They weren’t good people anyway. Might as well eat it,” Min Ruolan said.
Coming from a wealthy family, Min Ruolan didn’t realize that farming households could barely afford rice at all, so she easily believed Lan Shuang’s words.
“I’ll help.”
She eagerly squatted down to start the fire, but after fumbling for a long time, she didn’t even manage a spark.
Lan Shuang: ……
“Eldest Sister-in-law, you need a flint.”
Seeing how easily Lan Shuang lit the fire, Min Ruolan felt utterly useless.
“Shuang’er, how is it that you seem to know everything?”
“Eldest Sister-in-law, did you forget? Before I was eight, I lived with my parents—it was all taught by my mother.”
Lan Shuang wasn’t lying. When the original owner of this body was eight, her grandmother feared she wouldn’t find a good marriage in the future and brought her back to the capital.
That was how she became childhood sweethearts—and betrothed—with the scumbag Ji Yunqian.
“Good thing you know all this. Otherwise, our whole family would be completely lost,” Min Ruolan said.
Her impression of Lan Shuang changed. She asked Lan Shuang to teach her, and Lan Shuang helplessly guided her step by step. Fortunately, Min Ruolan was clever and learned quickly.
With a wry smile, Min Ruolan said,
“Besides this, I’ll have to learn more things in the future. I can’t let Su-ge’er go hungry.”
“Don’t worry, Eldest Sister-in-law. This is only temporary.
Our Lan family is innocent—there will come a day when we rise again.”
Lan Shuang was full of confidence, and Min Ruolan was as well.
“That, I believe too.”
Lan Shuang finished steaming the rice and stir-fried a plate of greens. Feeling sorry for three-year-old Su-ge’er, she also steamed an egg custard just for him.
When the food was set on the table, Su-ge’er refused to eat.
“Thank you for your kindness, Auntie…”
“…But Great-Grandmother is the elder. This egg custard should be for Great-Grandmother to eat.”
Though only three years old, Su-ge’er had been raised exceptionally well by Min Ruolan. Even Lan Shuang—who had never raised a child herself—was completely melted by him.
“Su-ge’er, you eat it,” Old Madam Lan said, deeply moved. “Great-Grandmother doesn’t like egg custard.”
“I don’t want to eat alone!”
Su-ge’er picked up his spoon and scooped a spoonful of egg custard into everyone’s bowls—Great-Grandmother’s, his mother’s, his second aunt’s… even Lan Shuang, his aunt, got a share.
“Mother should listen to Su-ge’er,” Min Ruolan said. “Your health is weak, and Second Sister-in-law is pregnant.”
She felt nothing but pride—her Su-ge’er was truly wonderful.
Lan Shuang’s expression softened. “Su-ge’er is a filial, good child.”
“Thank you for taking care of everything, Shuang’er,” Xu Chahua said quietly.
Though she cried easily and lacked decisiveness, she knew very well who treated her kindly.
“We’re all family—there’s no need to be so polite,” Lan Shuang replied.
“After we eat, I need to go out for a bit.
I’ll have to trouble Eldest Sister-in-law to watch over the house. Don’t open the door easily.”
Lan Shuang was worried that Xu Chahua’s uncle and aunt might not give up so easily. Min Ruolan nodded at once.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful. You should be careful too.”
Neither Min Ruolan nor Xu Chahua asked where Lan Shuang was going, sparing her the trouble of making excuses.
After the meal, Lan Shuang headed toward the capital.
The dog emperor’s people were lurking in the shadows. Lan Shuang entered the city and went straight into the bustling West Street.
She ducked into a clothing shop and, using the excuse of changing outfits, performed a perfect shell-game escape—changing her appearance and walking out right under their noses.
Wearing a veiled hat, she circled around several times before finally making her way to the Duke of Zhen’s residence.
The estate was now deserted. The main gates were tightly shut, and there seemed to be people keeping watch in the shadows.
It took Lan Shuang some effort to sneak into Old Madam Lan’s courtyard.
Following the old madam’s instructions, she gently shifted an inconspicuous wall painting.
Then she pressed hard.
The old madam’s bed slowly slid aside on its own, revealing a staircase leading down to an underground chamber—wide enough for one person to pass through.
When Lan Shuang jumped inside, the mechanism automatically closed again. Holding a kerosene lamp, she slowly descended the steps.
The Lan family had served the imperial clan for generations. Old Madam Lan had long anticipated this day and had prepared an escape route in advance.
Lan Shuang couldn’t help but admire the old madam—especially when she saw two chests of gold ingots and two chests of silver inside the secret chamber, along with several silver notes.
There was also a chest of jewelry, calligraphy and paintings, military manuals, and books.
These were more than enough to help the Lan family weather this crisis.
With a wave of her hand, Lan Shuang swept everything into her storage space.
Although her grandmother had only told her to take what was urgently needed—and planned to move the rest little by little later—Lan Shuang didn’t dare gamble.
What if the dog emperor’s people found it?
She couldn’t let such treasures fall into others’ hands. Better to strike first!
After successfully securing everything, Lan Shuang emerged from the secret chamber to find that night had already fallen.
She faintly heard lively noises coming from the neighboring marquis’s estate.
Thinking of her own handiwork, Lan Shuang couldn’t resist hopping over to watch the fun.
“Your Highness, even if you’re fond of Yunqian, you shouldn’t harm his body like this.”
It was the matriarch of the marquis’s household—Ji Yunqian’s mother—who seemed to be reprimanding the Fifth Princess.
“What do you mean by that, Mother?”
The Fifth Princess was furious. “Believe it or not, I did not harm Yunqian!”
“If you hadn’t kept pestering him, how could he have nearly injured his very foundation?”
Madam Ji secretly cursed the princess for being shameless—her son had nearly suffered because of her.
Lan Shuang found it dull. Lying on the rooftop, she could faintly hear Ji Yunqian’s painful howls.
Tsk…
That was her carefully developed ‘treasure’—not something just anyone could handle.
At that moment, the Fifth Princess and Ji Yunqian were lying side by side on the bed, both looking far from well.
“Qian’er, Mother will go prepare some medicinal soup for you,” Madam Ji said.
After she left, the Fifth Princess finally turned to Ji Yunqian and asked with concern:
“Husband… are you feeling any better?”