A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

Lan Changming sat alone in the outer study.

There was a knock on the door, and he snapped out of his reverie: "Come in."

It wasn't the adjutant who entered, but Lan Xiu and his wife, which surprised Lan Changming.

He frowned slightly: "Is something the matter?"

"Father, how is Grandmother?" Su Yuzhao asked with a smile.

Not wanting to show a bad attitude to his daughter-in-law, Lan Changming forced a smile and said, "It's nothing serious. You don't need to worry."

Lanxiu said, "Dad, how many cigarettes have you smoked in this short time? The room is almost fogged up."

Lan Changming's face darkened again.

When he's extremely annoyed, he can't stand hearing his children say stupid things.

Su Yuzhao hurriedly helped open the windows for ventilation.

The air was cold in the first month of the lunar calendar, and today it was cloudy and windy. Soon, the chill blew into the house, dispelling the smell of smoke.

Lan Changming's mind cleared up a bit.

Regret is useless now; he must find out what Qin Yan did in Yicheng as soon as possible and find a suitable excuse to arrest the Ye family men. He needs to gather all the evidence to give his wife, Du Jia, an explanation.

He also needs to make amends to Qin Yan by bringing her home.

As for her mother and Muhe, those are not the most important.

If we can successfully send Muhe to Hong Kong temporarily, we can say that she went to buy clothes, thus separating her from the old lady, which will make things much easier.

Both of these tasks require very reliable people to do them.

"When will your older brother be back?" Lan Changming asked Lan Xiu.

Lanxiu: "Father, I was just about to tell you about this: my eldest brother sent a telegram yesterday saying he won't be returning for the time being. He might be staying at his in-laws' house for a while."

"That's ridiculous. His father works for the Southern City Military Government. What is he in the Northern City? He'll be suspected sooner or later," Lan Changming said.

"Grandmother insisted that he divorce his sister-in-law, and his sister-in-law also made trouble for him. He finally made up his mind and agreed, but his sister-in-law didn't reply," Lanxiu said.

Su Yuzhao laughed and said, "Sister-in-law was just upset with brother. They have a very good relationship. How could they bear to separate?"

The eldest sister-in-law was afraid of the old lady and Lan Muhe.

She added, "My older brother didn't want a divorce. He only agreed to it to scare my sister-in-law. He made a divorce agreement, took a picture of it, and sent it to Beicheng. Then he tore it up."

Lan Zheng didn't want to linger on this matter; he wanted to take drastic measures and make his wife see his true feelings.

They had been married for many years without children, and their relationship had always been closer than that of other couples. How could they get divorced?

They are playing a game.

"Call him back, I need to talk to him," Lan Changming said.

Lanxiu: "Dad, you can entrust the family to me and my second brother. There's more than just my eldest brother in the family."

"What business do you two have?" Lan Changming asked.

"Regardless of my abilities, I have no ill intentions towards you or the family," Lanxiu said. "Father, would you like to talk about my sister?"

Lan Changming was getting impatient.

Lan Xiu continued, "Cheng Tianxun's young mistress is my sister Qinyan, isn't she? The one at home is a fake."

Su Yuzhao quickly gave him a meaningful look.

Just then, a cold wind blew in through the window and crept into Lan Changming's collar. He had taken off his thick outer coat in the study, as his sweater wasn't very warm.

He was so cold that he shivered.

He suddenly looked at Lanxiu.

Su Yuzhao, fearing her father-in-law would hit her, stepped forward and stopped Lanxiu: "Father, these are all just my wild guesses."

I whispered to Ah Xiu, "It was all just something we talked about privately. We didn't tell anyone else..."

"You know?" Lan Changming looked at her.

Su Yuzhao was taken aback.

She didn't expect her father-in-law to admit it.

"I...I guessed." She stammered, caught up in her excitement.

Fearing that her father-in-law would think she was useless, Su Yuzhao quickly composed herself: "Commander Zhao's daughter is my classmate. She said that Mrs. Cheng is your illegitimate daughter."

But Mrs. Cheng really looks too much like her mother. People in this world are very similar, and not everyone has as much of a resemblance to their mother; it wouldn't make sense if they weren't related by blood.

Su Yuzhao spoke fluently and calmly, telling Lan Changming everything she and Lan Xiu had been pondering, whispering, and probing about for so long.

Lan Changming got up, looked out the window, and called to his adjutant.

Su Yuzhao and Lan Xiu thought they were going to be thrown out, but Lan Changming only told his adjutant, "Keep an eye on what's in front and behind us, and don't let anyone eavesdrop on our conversation."

After the adjutant left, Lan Changming closed the window, turned on the light, and then began to speak with the two of them.

"You guessed right," he told Su Yuzhao.

Su Yuzhao and Lan Xiu heard a buzzing sound in their ears.

Guessing is one thing, actually hearing it is another.

Lan Changming told his son and daughter-in-law about the matter in detail.

"...That's all I know," he said finally.

Lanxiu was furious: "Father, how could you keep such a big thing from me?"

Su Yuzhao: "Don't blame your father. Under those circumstances, anyone would find it hard to believe."

Su Yuzhao could understand Lan Changming's momentary hesitation and emotional conflict, as she was also a mother herself.

But Qin Yan was too decisive; the warlord's wife and Cheng Tianxun were also efficient in their work.

If someone had made a fuss, giving Lan Changming an outlet for his emotions and slowing things down, the situation might not be what it is today.

When faced with someone who acts swiftly and decisively, a moment's hesitation can cause you to miss out on everything.

"I'm short-handed right now." Lan Changming felt that his daughter-in-law was more intelligent, so he decided to speak to her. "First, I need to send Mu He away."

She refuses to go to Yicheng; she's become wary now. However, she promised to go to Gangcheng. But she needs a trustworthy steward to escort her, and she wants to take her grandmother with her.

"Grandmother can't go with her!" Lanxiu said.

"Your grandmother was a muddle-headed person," Lan Changming said.

"She's not stupid, and she wouldn't replace my sister!"

Lan Changming frowned.

Lanxiu shut up, no longer daring to complain about her grandmother.

"I need someone to help me leave my grandmother behind before I leave. Muhe will leave first, and we'll see how she fares before we decide how to settle her," Lan Changming said.

Just then, the military doctor mentioned sending the old lady to the port city, and Lan Changming came up with this idea on the spot.

"Just lock her up and see what she can do!" Lanxiu said.

Can't even handle a mere Lan Muhe?

"No, her name should be Ye Muhe. Does she even deserve to share my surname?" Lan Xiu said again.

He was completely emotional and had no ideas whatsoever.

Lan Changming wanted to kick him, knowing he was incapable of handling important tasks.

"Grandmother will ask. Her matter involves Grandmother. Grandmother is not in good health," Su Yuzhao said.

It was said to Lan Changming, and also to Lan Xiu.

She demonstrated her insight and gained Lan Changming's trust.

She wasn't stating the truth, but rather expressing Lan Changming's current concerns. The only one in the family with this concern was Lan Changming.

He was very filial to his mother, fearing that something might happen to her; he still had some affection for Lan Muhe, and it would hurt him when he had to part with her.

Su Yuzhao understood him.

"Father, you're right. Sending her to the port city for a while will separate her from Grandmother. I can take care of that," Su Yuzhao said.

This is not only to give the grandmother some breathing room, but also to give Lan Changming some breathing room.

Su Yuzhao then asked, "Father, is there anything else?"

Lan Changming just said "first," but he had more to say.

"I need someone to go to Yicheng, investigate the Ye family discreetly, and bring that man from the Ye family back. We can't break the law, and we can't involve too many people," Lan Changming said.

The Ye family is a large clan with some influence in the area.

The men of the Ye family hold minor official positions, but they also have business dealings behind the scenes.

Lan Changming and his subordinate, Governor Cheng, did not have absolute power in this area and could not arrest people at will.

We must not resort to kidnapping, which would allow the Ye family to report the matter to the authorities and escalate the situation.

If this gets out of hand, it will eventually lead to Lan Changming.

"I'm going!" Lanxiu exclaimed.

Lan Changming frowned.

"You can't manage alone," Su Yuzhao said. "Father, if you trust me, leave Grandmother's affairs to Second Sister-in-law, and A-Xiu and I will go to Yicheng."

"Your second sister-in-law?"

"Of all the family members, Muhe is least wary of her second sister-in-law," Su Yuzhao said.

Lan Changming really wanted to say, wasn't it because she was a cowardly and useless person?