A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

Qin Yan changed into a light apricot-colored cheongsam and wore a milky-white long tassel shawl over her shoulders before heading to the governor's mansion.

She tied her hair up and wore a pearl comb; she also wore a diamond bracelet and earrings, which were given to her by Cheng Tianxun.

She was dressed up very formally, which was unusual for her, and she showed great respect to the warlord's wife.

Before the wedding, the warlord's wife learned that she had started a newspaper and nodded slightly: "Tell me if you have any difficulties. It's not easy to make something of yourself, so do it well."

She didn't tell Qin Yan to close the newspaper and become a wife and mother.

The governor's wife was in charge of the governor's office's foreign affairs. She was fluent in several foreign languages ​​and quite capable.

Of course, some mothers-in-law do the work themselves but expect their daughters-in-law to be idle rich ladies. Qin Yan didn't think it was a given that her mother-in-law supported her.

She was grateful to the warlord's wife.

Even though the warlord's wife was always cold to her, Qin Yan treated her with the utmost respect.

"Mom."

"Sit down." The warlord's wife remained as stern as ever. "I called you here today because there's something I want to tell you."

"Please speak," Qin Yan said, sitting upright.

"Your newspaper editor should stop criticizing the Du family. Tianxun assaulted someone, and you also shot Miss Du; you haven't lost this matter."

"The warlord is somewhat displeased and may be using your past mistakes as an example to teach Tianxun a lesson," said the warlord's wife.

Qin Yan: "Don't worry, Mom, I've already given the orders. I'll personally review the proofreading of the newspaper."

The warlord's wife nodded slightly.

He added, "Tianxun also beat up Chief of Staff Lan. If you have time, come with me to the Lan family. Let's pay them a visit."

Chief of Staff Lan suffered an undeserved misfortune.

Qin Yan hesitated.

The warlord's wife looked at her: "I never told anyone that you were Lan Changming's illegitimate daughter..."

Tell her not to be afraid of the Lan family.

Qin Yan looked up: "Mom, I am not Lan Changming's illegitimate daughter."

The warlord's wife didn't understand.

The warlord told his wife not to ask about Qin Yan's matter, as he was reluctant to discuss it with her in detail.

Qin Yan then told the warlord's wife what he had told Cheng Tianxun a few days earlier.

The warlord's wife listened, still expressionless, but remained silent for a long while: "There are truly many bizarre things. I am somewhat surprised that these people would bully a little girl of only a few years old. They are worse than beasts."

Qin Yan did not complain; his expression remained calm.

The warlord's wife added, "I thought you... since you're not allowed to go to the Lan family, you shouldn't go. Tianxun's kick was too light."

"Thank you, Mom, for understanding my difficulties."

The warlord's wife: "I'm not heartless."

He then asked, "Did Lan Changming only give you 20,000 silver dollars as dowry?"

"Yes."

"Next time I have the chance, I'll ask you for some more. Twenty thousand silver dollars is too little," the warlord's wife said.

As the two women were talking, a maid came in and whispered to the warlord's wife, "Madam Lan and Young Master Lan have arrived."

The warlord's wife said coldly, "Tell them I'm busy and send them back!"

"Madam, didn't you say you were going to visit the Lan family? Now that they're here..."

The warlord's wife glanced quietly at the maid.

The maid swallowed the rest of her words.

Qin Yan chatted with the warlord's wife for a few more minutes. Neither of them liked to engage in small talk; aside from discussing official business, they would talk about Cheng Tianxun.

There wasn't much to talk about.

Qin Yan knew nothing when asked by Cheng Tianxun.

The warlord's wife never asked about Cheng Tianxun's private affairs, such as whether Qin Yan was pregnant or whether Cheng Tianxun had taken a concubine; she had no interest in such matters at all.

After a few dry words, the conversation stalled.

"Mom, it's getting late, I'll head back now," Qin Yan said tactfully.

The warlord's wife nodded, stood up and went upstairs, leaving before Qin Yan could.

Her figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs before Qin Yan went out.

She spotted a car at the entrance of the Governor's Mansion.

The car window rolled down, and I could vaguely see a young man and a middle-aged woman in the back seat; they were the Lan family that the maid had mentioned earlier.

They looked at Qin Yan.

Qin Yan saw the young man get out of the car, then she got into her own car, started the engine, and drove away.

Dust billowed up, blurring the rearview mirror, but Qin Yan drove off without looking to the side.

Lan Zheng, the eldest son of the Lan family, was covered in car exhaust fumes.

"Mother, shall we go back? Or shall we continue to wait for the warlord?" Lan Zheng asked Madam Du Jia as he sat back in the car.

Madam Lan was somewhat annoyed: "This is outrageous! The Governor's wife won't see us, and that young mistress has been utterly rude. Doesn't the Governor give us an explanation?"

He added, "You have a personal relationship with Cheng Tianxun. He beat your father and your uncle without any mercy; his young mistress injured your cousin..."

Lan Zheng was speechless.

Mrs. Lan was still dissatisfied.

Lan Zheng has just returned to China, and he has recently heard some things.

"Mom, let's go back," Lan Zheng said again.

Mrs. Lan did not insist further.

On the way back, Lan Zheng asked her, "Mom, do you know who Tianxun's young mistress is? Did you attend her wedding banquet?"

"She's gone. Her background is unclear. Some say she's the illegitimate daughter of Governor Qin of Guangzhou, and that the Qin family gave her gifts at her wedding, and that she herself also has the surname Qin; others say she's the illegitimate daughter of the Luo family of Hong Kong," said Madam Lan.

Lan Zheng: "Which Luo family? Is it the Luo family from the Hongmen's headquarters in Hong Kong?"

"Yes."

"...Whose house is it anyway?"

"Some people say she is the illegitimate daughter of the Ling family, the richest family in Guangzhou's Thirteen Factories. Photos of her with Mr. and Mrs. Ling have been circulating," Mrs. Lan said. "In short, she is either rich or powerful, and has a strong backing. Otherwise, Cheng Tianxun would not have married her."

She disliked socializing, and the warlord's wife was even more aloof and cold. She hadn't seen either of them, mother-in-law or daughter-in-law, for a year, and had no way of inquiring about them.

Lan Zheng hesitated for a while before saying, "Mom, she looks a bit like you."

"She does resemble Zhuo Jun somewhat," Madam Lan said.

Du Zhuojun is her niece, and nieces resemble their aunts.

It was probably because the young mistress resembled Du Zhuojun that Cheng Tianxun was willing to marry her.

"Mom, does she look like Muhe?" Lan Zheng suddenly asked.

When Madam Lan heard the name "Mu He," she felt a little annoyed.

She disliked Lan Muhe very much.

Her biological youngest daughter had been raised by her mother-in-law since childhood and wasn't very close to Madam Lan. Madam Lan disapproved of her behavior and mannerisms.

But she couldn't tell anyone.

That's my own daughter, how can I hate her? Even animals know to protect their offspring.

this is not right.

Whenever Madam Lan felt a surge of resentment towards her daughter, she would immediately suppress it after reflecting on how immoral it was.

"No!" Her voice was a little stiff. "Muhe looked like me when she was little, but she looks more and more like your father as she grows up."

She had a deep and loving relationship with her husband, and she didn't dislike him; she didn't even hate her mother-in-law.

Why don't you like Lan Muhe?

She must be sick to be acting this way towards Lan Muhe.

"...It seems like many families have illegitimate children. Mom, does Dad have one?"

Madam Lan chuckled, "That's not the case. Your father knows what he's doing."

Then he asked, "What did you hear?"

His tone was relaxed, and he wasn't suspicious.

Lan Zheng shook his head.

Cheng Tianxun's words, "your sister Qin Yan," made Lan Zheng think. His sister, Lan Muhe, was nicknamed Qin Yan—wasn't that too much of a coincidence?

I vaguely heard someone in the army say that Cheng Tianxun married the daughter of Chief of Staff Lan.

He caught a glimpse of the young mistress from afar, and she did resemble his mother somewhat.

What exactly happened?