Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

The old lady hadn't made any arrangements for her, so she could only wait, since her indenture was still in her hands!

Tao'er glanced at everyone; they were all immersed in grief and fear.

Because no one knows what awaits them tomorrow, and there is no news coming in from the outside.

Besides them, only a few guards who were unwilling to leave remained in the mansion.

Ah Yan nestled in the First Madam's arms, his beautiful phoenix eyes filled with fear and unease.

The old lady knew everyone was tired, so she waved her hand and said, "Go back to your rooms and rest!"

"Worrying and being anxious won't help. Just get some rest so you'll be energetic tomorrow. Maybe they'll all be back by then."

"Mother, let my second sister-in-law take the children back to rest. Also, let Tao'er take Ayan back to the house to rest!"

I will stay and take care of you.

The First Madam glanced at the people in the room and said.

"Sister-in-law, why don't you take Ayan and the other children back to the house to rest?"

Tao'er and I will stay and take care of Mother.

The second wife shook her head and said.

She figured the old lady must have other plans for keeping Tao'er, so she let Tao'er stay as well.

After all, she had taken care of her mother for a long time, so she could ask for advice if there was anything she didn't do properly.

Another advantage is that two people can take turns caring for the child.

Ayan is the only grandson of the Xiao family, and her sister-in-law is her mother, so she cannot overwork.

"Mother, I want to stay here with Grandmother. I don't want to go back inside."

Xiao Mingyue spoke up.

Xiao Qingyu, who hadn't spoken until now, also spoke up, "I want to stay here with my cousin to keep Grandma company too."

"Nonsense, you should all go back to sleep."

Suyun, Jinxiu, you two take the children and hurry back to your rooms.

With everyone crammed into this room, how am I supposed to rest?

You don't need to take care of me here. Tao'er and Ayan can stay here with me.

The old lady spoke too quickly and began to cough violently.

"Mother, please don't be angry, we will listen to you."

Tao'er, thank you for taking good care of Mother.

Ah Yan, don't make Grandmother angry. Be a good girl and listen to your sister Tao'er.

The First Madam knew the Old Madam's temper and dared not provoke her again.

Actually, the old lady said that only to comfort the second and third wives, and in fact, she was sending them away.

Tao'er respectfully replied, "Madam, Second Madam, please rest assured, this servant will take good care of the Old Madam."

I have two bags of things here for you; you might need them in the future.

"Wait for me a moment."

She turned and went to the side room next to the old lady. Because she had won the old lady's favor and the young master's affection, the old lady arranged for her to live next door so that it would be convenient to take care of her.

So she later moved from the servants' dormitory to the old lady's side room.

The first and second wives were puzzled, but they still waited there and did not leave immediately.

Tao'er came out of the house soon after entering, carrying three cloth bags in her hands.

The cloth bag was filled with powders for repelling mosquitoes and snakes, as well as for treating bruises and sprains. She put the snake and insect repellent powder into the embroidered sachet.

But she didn't embroider it; she begged Chun Tao to embroider it because she didn't know how.

The medicine for sprains and bruises was stored in a porcelain bottle, which actually contained anti-inflammatory powder and hemostatic powder.

Each bottle had a label attached.

She also put some compressed biscuits inside, which looked like clay. Even if the soldiers found it, they wouldn't know what it was.

But she slipped a note into her purse with an explanation.

This is all she can do to help them.

Tao'er handed them the cloth bag and said with a smile, "These are all useful things. You can keep the pouch with you. It contains herbs to repel snakes and insects."

The medicine bottle is full of good stuff; you might need it later.

"This servant may be leaving the Prime Minister's residence soon. Consider this a small token of my appreciation."

Tao'er hoped that these things could bring them a little help.

The first and second wives would often give her some silver as a reward, as well as some silver coins.

The first and second wives did not find it offensive and accepted it readily, including the one originally prepared for the third wife.

The two ladies couldn't take her things for nothing, so they each gave her two gifts.

The first wife gave her a gilded bracelet, while the second wife gave her a pair of jade-green earrings.

Tao'er didn't refuse and thanked them all, accepting their gifts.

The two then took their belongings, bowed to the old lady, and left.

After the door closed, the old lady collapsed, completely exhausted.

I was just clinging to my last breath to keep things going.

"Tao'er, do you know why I didn't send you away?"

The old lady called her to her bedside and asked her, her voice weak and feeble.

Tao'er shook her head. "Madam, I don't know. Is there something you want to say to me?"

"Tao'er, I can tell... you're a good child..."

The Prime Minister's residence is in such a state now; it's likely that it will... cease to exist tomorrow...

Yan-ge'er... I'm entrusting him to you...

"Madam...please don't say that, you'll get better soon."

Tao'er's throat tightened, and she could only utter some comforting but powerless words.

She knew the old lady was nearing her end, and she must have known something.

After all, the old lady came from a prestigious family and understood many things very well.

"The Prime Minister's residence... is about to face a great calamity..."

I've already made some backup plans...

It was in the package...

The old lady pulled a cloth bag from under her pillow. "Inside... there are some banknotes and land deeds..."

And keepsakes from my maternal family...

You take Yan Ge'er away...

I cannot let the Xiao family line die out…

Take Yan Ge'er to... Youzhou...

Peach, you must promise me…

The old lady was already having trouble breathing.

Tao'er nodded quickly, fearing that the old lady might pass away at any moment.

She gently helped the old lady soothe her chest to make her feel more comfortable.

When the old lady saw that she had agreed, she smiled kindly and then took out a set of keys and put them in her hand.

"Tao'er, here is the key to the storeroom. While there's still time, go and choose a set of headdress and jewelry. Consider it your dowry from this old woman."

Let Yan'er stay here with me.

Tao'er looked at the key in her hand; the old lady had actually given her the key to the storeroom.

Then she wouldn't stand on ceremony; it might be the old lady's way of compensating her for entrusting her with the care of her child.

"Thank you, Madam."

Tao'er didn't refuse, knowing she might need the money in the future.

For example, the young master needs money for his studies, including writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, as well as for social obligations, food, drink, and other necessities.

Anyway, if she doesn't take it, the things in the storeroom will be left to the imperial guards who confiscate property in the future.

She might as well put everything into her spatial storage; she couldn't let go of the food and other things either.

Another reason the old lady might have had was that she wanted to say something to the young master that was inconvenient for her to know, and she certainly didn't want to know anyway.

So she sensibly took the keys and left, telling the young master and the old lady to have a good talk before she left.

Ayan was very obedient at this moment, without his usual willfulness, and nodded in agreement.

Knowing that his grandmother was in poor health, he wanted to take good care of her.

Seeing that Xiao Yan agreed, Tao'er turned around and pushed open the door to leave.

She quickly went to the storeroom. She was already very familiar with the Prime Minister's residence and knew every place inside and out.

So she quickly arrived at the storeroom, opened it, took out a miniature high-powered flashlight from her spatial storage, and shone it around. There were quite a few good things in the storeroom.

There were antiques and calligraphy, as well as some silver coins, such as gold ingots and gold leaves and silver coins.

There were several pieces of jewelry, including agate, pearls, jade, and bracelets, as well as several sets of headdresses.

Tao'er's mouth was crooked with a smile; she hadn't expected the old lady to be so rich.

In fact, the Prime Minister was an honest and upright official and did not have much money. The main reason was that the old lady had a generous dowry and was good at managing it. She opened many shops and made a fortune.

That's how they managed to accumulate this money and wealth.

Today she didn't hold back. With a wave of her hand, she sent everything into her space, leaving only a little bit of silver.

We can't leave nothing behind, otherwise the Imperial Guards will become suspicious.

After doing all that, she closed the boxes, locked the door, and went back to the warehouse.

He put all the rice, flour, and cooking oil into his space, leaving only some coarse grains.

Then he went to the kitchen and put all the chickens, ducks and sheep that hadn't been slaughtered into his space.

I just don't know if the space can hold living things.

She hadn't tried it either, but she couldn't care less.

After all that fuss, I was worried about the young master and the old lady, thinking they should have finished their private conversation by now.

She quickly returned to the old lady's courtyard.

I had just reached the door when I heard Ayan crying very sadly.

Tao'er's heart skipped a beat...

Could it be...?