A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, Lan Changming returned to Yicheng.

He took leave.

He heard that the old lady had been in the military hospital for half a month. The letter was delivered to him not by his wife, Du Jia, but by his son, Lan Xiu.

After returning to Nancheng, Lan Changming rushed to the military hospital without even going home.

The old lady was in very good spirits.

Just then, some relatives came to visit her, and the old lady was saying to them, "Find Muhe a good family, we'll go live abroad, and I'll go with her."

The relative then laughed and said, "You can even cross oceans?"

"I'm very strong."

Lan Changming entered and, seeing the scene, frowned slightly.

Lan Muhe was not present.

Several relatives saw him, noticed his displeased expression, exchanged a few polite words, and then got up to leave.

"Mom, where are you feeling unwell?" Lan Changming asked.

When the old lady saw her son, she was a little scared at first, but then she immediately perked up: "It's the same problem as last time, my chest hurts."

"What did the army doctor say?"

"You told me not to put up with this," the old lady said. "But how can I not put up with this? Ah Zheng won't listen and insists on going to the North City to find his young mistress."

"Mother, please don't get involved in this matter. Even if you were the grandmother, we parents wouldn't interfere in his private affairs," Lan Changming said.

The old woman clutched her chest: "He made me angry, and now you're making me angry too."

"Have you changed your mind?" Lan Changming asked.

The old woman's eyes darted around: "What do I have to change my mind about? You're all so unfilial, you don't even respect me anymore!"

Lan Changming: "..."

He went to ask the army doctor.

The military doctor said tactfully that the old lady's health was better than last time.

He added, "Our hospital is good at treating external injuries, but we might misdiagnose internal injuries. We should take the old lady to a Western hospital in Hong Kong for a checkup."

Lan Changming: "Is it that serious?"

The military doctor looked a little embarrassed: "Take a closer look, so you can rest assured."

Lan Changming was adept at reading between the lines, and he understood.

The old lady is fine; she's faking illness.

But the military doctor couldn't directly accuse her of faking illness, because she was quite old, and in a fit of rage, something bad could really happen to her, turning a healthy person into an ill one.

"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to take her to Gangcheng in a few days," Lan Changming said.

He chatted with the military doctor for a while before returning to the old lady's ward.

Lan Muhe is back; she went to buy small cakes for the old lady.

"Dad, when did you come back to the city? We didn't have New Year's Eve dinner while you were away," Lan Muhe said with a smile.

She added, "But Grandmother is fine, so don't worry."

Lan Changming nodded slightly.

The last time he talked to the old lady, she softened and was willing to go back to her hometown; the one who probably didn't want to go back was Lan Muhe.

Lan Changming smiled slightly: "Muhe, I feel much more at ease while I'm away, knowing you're taking care of your grandmother."

Lan Muhe's smile became even brighter: "You can rest assured."

Lan Changming sighed.

Lan Muhe looked at him, and the old lady's heart sank.

He said nothing more.

In the afternoon, while the old lady was resting, Lan Changming had a private chat with Lan Muhe.

He said, "The army doctor told me that your grandmother's condition is very bad, I'm afraid..."

"What are you afraid of?" Lan Muhe was startled.

She was terrified.

Lan Changming couldn't curse his own mother, so he couldn't continue: "I can't leave. The training mission in Yicheng is not over yet, and military orders are paramount."

But your grandmother should go to Hong Kong immediately to see the best Western hospital for a checkup. Muhe, would you be willing to go with her?

Lan Muhe's expression shifted slightly.

She was being somewhat tentative.

"Father, am I all alone?" she asked.

"I will also arrange for several people, including the steward and adjutant, to accompany you," Lan Changming said.

"Where are the brothers?"

"Except for your eldest brother, who only returned to China last year and is currently unemployed, the other two are both on duty," Lan Changming said.

He then suggested, "How about we have your uncle and aunt accompany them?"

Lan Muhe asked again, "Where's Mom?"

"Your mother is too busy, she has a lot on her plate," Lan Changming said. "I also have a concern: if your mother goes too, I'm afraid it will frighten your grandmother and make her think something terrible has happened."

Go tell your grandmother that you want to go to the port city to buy clothes and jewelry. I will give you 20,000 silver dollars, which you can use as you see fit.

Once you arrive in the port city, carefully negotiate with the steward and arrange for your grandmother to see a doctor. Enjoy your time here for a few more days, and remember to send me a telegram if anything comes up.

Lan Muhe smiled and said, "Father, don't worry, I will take good care of Grandmother."

Lan Changming nodded.

Lan Muhe then asked, "Which manager should we send with us?"

Lan Changming saw that she was wary of everything, and that the old lady was her shield. He was afraid that if the arrangements were not made properly, it would alert her.

He now has to worry about the old lady's life.

"Which manager do you think is reliable?" Lan Changming asked her.

Lan Muhe pondered, "Sun Hui?"

"Alright, Steward Sun will go with you then," Lan Changming said.

Lan Muhe nodded.

Lan Changming went home.

He entered the outer study, his brow furrowed.

Lan Zheng went to Beicheng at this critical juncture. But even without him, the old lady's trust in Lan Muhe surpassed that in Lan Changming.

Regardless of whether Lan Muhe harbored ill intentions, Lan Changming had to assume that her taking the old lady to the military hospital during the Lunar New Year was a way of getting out of the Lan family's control.

If it's true, the old lady is bewitched, so we can't force her; if it's false, Lan Muhe is innocent, and Lan Changming's speculation might cost her her life.

Lan Changming's first thought was to suspect Lan Muhe.

"Bloodline truly possesses a terrifying magic," Lan Changming thought.

He doted on Lan Muhe. He had cherished her for over twenty years; she was his precious daughter, and he thought of her in everything he did. Even if he saw a pretty flower while out and about, he would want to pick it and bring it back for his daughter.

The moment Qin Yan came to his door, Lan Changming couldn't accept it.

But as time went on, he accepted it.

His thoughts changed little by little: first he felt sorry for Qin Yan and Mu He; then he felt that Mu He was not actually pitiful, because she had taken over Qin Yan's life.

Later, all he wanted to do was send Lan Muhe back to her hometown in Yicheng.

As for her marriage, if she is willing to accept his arrangements, he will find her a husband. If she does not accept, then he will leave her to fend for herself.

Now that he suspects Lan Muhe of "kidnapping" the old lady, Lan Changming immediately offers her 20,000 silver dollars to sever all ties with her.

Using the excuse of going to the port city, I cleverly separated her from the old lady when we set off.

If she harms the old lady, Lan Changming will take her life.

If it were his own daughter, no matter how rebellious she was, Lan Changming would never have thought of this.

Lan Changming stood up and paced around the study.

He thought of his own daughter after seeing Lan Muhe.

During this period, Lan Changming was training his troops at his post in Yicheng. Since it was nearby, his personal guards went into the city to gather information for him.

According to relatives of the Ye family, the first wife, Mrs. Ye, had poor health in the past. Her eldest daughter got married at the age of fourteen; she also had a younger son.

Mrs. Ye also has a daughter, whose name, Ye Zhishu, was provided by Qin Yan herself, according to Lan Changming's adjutant.

But Ye's relatives did not know this name.

"There seems to be a young lady, the second or third, who is always in poor health and sick all year round."

"I think that's her name when she was in school. But she attended the most rigorous church girls' school, and my daughter couldn't handle the hardship and refused to go, so I don't know her."

When Lan Changming pieced these events together, he discovered one thing: the Ye family knew the whole truth.

They deliberately kept it from Lan Changming and his wife, wanting to secure a future for their daughter; yet they dared not kill Qin Yan, fearing that the Lan family would fight them to the death.

Therefore, they kept Qin Yan as a pet, but also hid her away in their mansion; the only opportunity for her to go out was to study.

Qin Yan is very well-mannered, but he is a bit cold.

When Lan Changming heard this news, he felt hatred.

He wanted to figure out completely why there was no free time for training troops in remote areas.

He didn't know who to entrust it to.

Lan Zheng's young mistress is going through a divorce, and Lan Zheng himself is very busy; his second and third sons are not very capable, so when he leaves them, they immediately tell Du Jia.

Lan Changming didn't intentionally hide it from Du Jia; he was afraid Du Jia wouldn't be able to accept it.

He needed to edit and cut things down slowly before talking to Du Jia.

"I should have spoken up when Qin Yan came to me." Lan Changming had regretted it countless times.

Initially, his reluctance to part with his "daughter" Lan Muhe prevailed, leading to the current situation.

He deserves to die.