A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, there was no new news in the press.

Du Zhuojun's newspaper was finally published, but she changed the front page headline to current events and did not continue to use the newspaper to criticize Qin Yan.

Qin Yan finished reading it and didn't think she had stopped; she probably just changed her approach to continue smearing her.

You can't silence the public's opinions.

Qin Yan wouldn't waste his time on futile efforts.

After having breakfast, she and Cheng Tianxun went to the Xiang family to pay New Year's greetings.

The warlord and his wife have arrived.

An elderly man sat in the living room. His hair and beard were all white, but his skin was dark, his back was straight, and his voice was loud and clear.

Qin Yan knew that this was Cheng Tianxun's maternal grandfather.

He looked to be in his early sixties, but if you calculate his age carefully, he should be over seventy.

"Tianxun." The maternal grandfather looked at his grandson and was very happy, raising his voice a few decibels.

Cheng Tianxun and Qin Yan entered side by side. He heard his maternal grandfather call him and wanted to quicken his pace, but worried that Qin Yan wouldn't be able to keep up, so he could only respond from afar, "Grandpa!"

Grandfather Xiang Shichang looked the young couple over and was very satisfied: "They are a perfect match."

Then he asked Qin Yan what his name was and what he did now.

Qin Yan answered questions politely and respectfully.

The maternal grandfather was even more pleased and had someone give them both red envelopes.

Governor Cheng remarked from the side, "This outfit is quite fitting for the occasion."

Qin Yan and Cheng Tianxun wore the clothes that the warlord's wife had sent them yesterday. Qin Yan also wore red gloves.

The lady replied, "The governor gave me some pointers yesterday, so I sent someone out to procure the supplies and deliver them to them."

In front of the Xiang family, Governor Cheng couldn't afford to lose his temper. He nodded like a kind father: "People should dress festively for the New Year."

The Xiang family's lunch was very lively.

Grandfather adored Xiang Linchuan, ruffling his hair, which almost made Xiang Linchuan yell, "You've messed it up!"

"You're such a grown man, always busy with that other thing. It's time you got married," said the eldest patriarch of the Xiang family.

He was the eldest uncle, and once he spoke, not only did Xiang Linchuan not dare to object, but even his parents didn't dare to refute him.

"Get him a wife. Someone like Qin Yan would be perfect," my grandfather said with a smile.

At their first meeting, perhaps it was because they clicked, or perhaps it was because the warlord's wife spoke well of Qin Yan beforehand, but the maternal grandfather was particularly fond of Qin Yan.

"He wants to find someone like Qin Yan? He'd be lucky if he couldn't even compare to a single hair of Qin Yan's," Cheng Tianxun said. "Only a man like me can find someone like Qin Yan."

Xiang Linchuan: "..."

Grandfather laughed, and everyone laughed along, filling the room with joyful laughter.

Xiang Cenyan is the adopted son of his maternal uncle. His maternal uncle has several daughters but no sons, and Xiang Cenyan is his heir.

Therefore, the eldest uncle was very strict with Xiang Cenyan.

In such an occasion, Xiang Cenyan sat upright and meticulously, controlling even the slightest expression.

Although everyone was smiling, the authority of the maternal grandfather and the eldest uncle was too great, making even Xiang Linchuan and Lin Zi nervous.

After the meal, the younger generation all ran off.

Xiang Linzi was very loyal; she even took Qin Yan with her when she left.

Cheng Tianxun, on the other hand, had something to say to his maternal grandfather, so he stayed behind.

"Sister-in-law, I heard someone say that Du Zhuojun and Mrs. Du talked about you at the mahjong table yesterday," Xiang Linzi said.

She is well-informed.

Not only do they know the inside story, but they also know exactly who said it and where it came from.

"So you're saying I'm Lan Changming's illegitimate daughter?" Qin Yan asked.

"You've heard about it too?" Lin Zi was very angry. "She's just trying to smear you. But there were several gossipy ladies at the card table at the time, so this will probably spread."

It was already a setback for Du Zhuojun that she didn't appear on the front page of the New Year's Day news; Qin Yan couldn't stop her from gossiping to others.

After Xiang Linzi finished speaking, Xiang Linchuan leaned closer, seemingly wanting to ask a question: "Sister-in-law, you..."

"I am not Lan Changming's illegitimate daughter," Qin Yan said.

After a pause, Qin Yan added, "I took 20,000 silver dollars from Lan Changming back then. I shouldn't go around talking about my affairs with his family."

Xiang Linzi and Xiang Linchuan looked at each other in bewilderment.

Qin Yan patted Xiang Linzi's hand: "A hero's origins don't matter. I'm the young marshal's wife now. I can use that status to intimidate people."

Xiang Linzi: "Sister-in-law, you think so fast!"

The news of Du Zhuojun's slander against Qin Yan spread very quickly.

Mrs. Du went around telling everyone.

During the first month of the lunar calendar, everyone is very free. Every household holds a spring banquet, inviting guests and drinking everywhere, which leads to even wider gossip.

The secrets of the Cheng family spread even faster.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, a family's Spring Festival banquet was attended by 70% of the wives of military officers from the military government. Some of them had a grudge against the Lan family and took the opportunity to make things difficult for Mrs. Lan, Du Jia.

"Madam Lan, I heard from your sister-in-law that Chief of Staff Lan has an illegitimate daughter who married the Second Young Marshal? Have you heard about this?"

Du Jia smiled and said, "Du Rongfei is my father's adopted son. In the end, we have no blood relation and are not of one mind. It's natural that Mrs. Du would like to gossip about me."

He added, "If the second young mistress of the Cheng family is truly of my blood, I am willing to provide an additional dowry. She founded the Vernacular Times and is quite prestigious; the second young marshal of the Cheng family is now in charge of the army."

"Having such a daughter is an honor for the Lan family. The ancestral graves have been well maintained over the years; this is also a result of our accumulated good deeds."

Her attitude remained unchanged.

Because she showed no signs of distress and said many polite and eloquent things, the onlookers were quite embarrassed.

She defused all the provocations.

Du Rongfei's wife soon heard about it and was furious.

"Du Jia pretends to be virtuous and magnanimous, but she's taking the opportunity to kick us while we're down. What adopted son? The master has adopted him, so he's his own son." Mrs. Du was furious.

She personally went to the Lan family's house in the late afternoon.

She spoke sarcastically to Du Jia for quite a while.

Lan Changming was training troops in Yicheng, and all the children at home had gone out, leaving Du Jia all alone.

She remained calm throughout.

"With a family business like ours, what's a daughter born out of wedlock? Sister-in-law, you're being so petty. What do you mean by daughter born out of wedlock? Just say illegitimate daughter. Doesn't my brother have enough illegitimate daughters and sons?" Du Jia said.

She added, "Sister-in-law, you've set a good example; I'll learn from you. I'm also tolerant of my husband's bloodline."

Mrs. Du choked half to death.

She said coldly, "With so much money in your hands, why would you put up with this kind of treatment?"

"Many children bring many blessings." When my eldest brother took a courtesan as his concubine, my father disagreed, but my sister-in-law still pleaded for him, saying that she was pregnant.

"Our branch of the family is most in need of children. Children are lucky stars; otherwise, how could we possibly keep this enormous fortune?" Du Jia said.

This incident deeply hurt Mrs. Du.

Of all the frustrating and infuriating things in Mrs. Du's life, the "geisha" incident definitely ranks in the top three.

She clearly came to see Du Jia make a fool of himself, but before she could even make a move, Du Jia silenced her.

She even wanted Du Jia to scold Madam Cheng a few times, and then take it to the warlord's wife to sow discord and bring misfortune upon the Lan family.

Despite being humiliated like this, Du Jia remained calm and even launched a vicious attack on Mrs. Du.

"You've really done something terrible!" Mrs. Du exclaimed, her hands trembling with anger. "I'll see what kind of retribution you'll receive in the future!"

Du Jia's expression also changed: "Sister-in-law, I've been treating you well, what's the meaning of your sudden outburst of insults?"

"You clearly know that courtesan..."

Mrs. Du burst into tears as she spoke, and began to throw a tantrum at Du Jia.

Du Jia turned and went upstairs.

She had her confidant send Mrs. Du back and tell Du Rongfei everything Mrs. Du had said that day.