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The night was serene.
In the inn, relieved of her burdens, Wei Yunlan slept soundly beside Madam Gao.
In the capital, at the Marquis of Jinyang’s residence.
In Qifeng Courtyard, where the eldest son and his new wife resided, Xue Linglong tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
“What are you tossing about for? Why aren’t you sleeping yet?”
“Chen Feng, I…”
Xue Linglong was filled with grievances she wanted to express, but as soon as she started, she heard the steady rhythm of breathing beside her again.
This man had actually fallen asleep again after turning his head!
Now Xue Linglong was completely unable to sleep. She got out of bed and sat in front of her dressing table, opening the secret compartment in the drawer.
Looking at the stack of banknotes she had brought with her when she got married, which had already thinned by two-tenths in just a few days, she felt even more frustrated.
How could things have turned out like this!
Before she married into the Marquis’s residence, both Chen Feng and the Marchioness had been incredibly generous to her. Why were they both using the excuse of the treasury being robbed to say they didn’t have any money, forcing her, the new bride, to pay out of her own pocket to fill the family’s coffers?
She had thought being the one who manages the house was a good position!
If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have taken the responsibility of managing the household finances!
Unfortunately, there was no medicine in the world, and her mother-in-law, Qin Shi, was even more cunning than a monkey. She used illness as an excuse to prevent Xue Linglong from returning the household management tokens.
Whenever Xue Linglong mentioned that the public funds were insufficient, Qin Shi would use the treasury robbery to block her, subtly hinting that it was related to her natal family.
She could only relinquish the management rights of the Marquis’s residence if she found the missing items.
That was ridiculous. Where could she find them?
She couldn’t possibly believe that her natal family had actually stolen so many things!
If her brother was truly capable of that, would he need her to come up with ideas to earn money and obtain a title?
The treasury robbery at the Marquis’s residence was undoubtedly fishy. It was likely a play they had staged themselves. She couldn’t just sit back and be a scapegoat!
She needed to increase income and cut expenses, a two-pronged approach.
Cutting expenses meant reducing the food, clothing, and daily expenses of all the servants in the Marquis’s residence, except for her own Qifeng Courtyard.
As for increasing income…
Xue Linglong’s eyes flickered. When Wei Yunlan left the Marquis’s residence, she didn’t take anything with her except a small bag. Zhufeng Courtyard had been sealed off ever since, and no one had been there. It was likely that Wei Yunlan’s dowry was still sealed in the courtyard. It was said that it included many treasures from the original Celestial Master’s Mansion, which were rare outside.
Now that the Wei family had been stripped of their property and exiled, and Wei Yunlan had left with them, this dowry was naturally impossible to claim back.
It should be considered public property, for her to use!
In a desolate palace, Sixth Agent avoided the patrolling guards and entered the study, kneeling on one knee before the man wearing a four-clawed dragon robe.
“Master, there’s news from the Marquis of Jinyang’s residence.”
“Oh?” The man raised an eyebrow. “Have they found those missing items?”
“No, they haven’t been found yet.” Not only had the Marquis of Jinyang’s residence not found them, but their own Tianshu Pavilion’s secret department had also not found any clues.
However, the Sixth Agent wasn’t reporting about that. “Master, the new wife of the Marquis of Jinyang’s eldest son, Madam Xue, just asked the former companion maid of Miss Wei for the key to Miss Wei’s private treasury. There’s something else that’s a bit strange. The items in Miss Wei’s private treasury appear normal on the surface, but the boxes and chests are empty. It seems they were emptied before our people started keeping a close eye on the Marquis of Jinyang’s residence.”
A flicker of surprise crossed the man’s eyes, followed by a realization.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, as if deep in thought. After a moment, he instructed the Sixth Agent, “Since that’s the case, before Madam Xue goes in, set it on fire. Sixth Agent, you handle this personally, don’t let anyone else touch it.”
“Yes, Master.” The Sixth Agent bowed and retreated.
The night was deep. Xue Linglong placed the key under her pillow and lay back down beside Chen Feng.
She had just felt a little sleepy when she heard shouts from outside.
“Fire! There’s a fire!”
“Not good, Zhufeng Courtyard is on fire!”
After the Sixth Agent left, the man who had changed from his dragon robe into regular clothes quietly departed the palace under the escort of the shadow guards.
Upon reaching the top of Wangyue Pavilion, his subordinates, who had been waiting there, all bowed in greeting.
“Please rise.” The man warmly helped the oldest among them to his feet.
“You’ve all come here today because I presume the First Agent has already informed you of the news.”
In front of the man, all those present, led by the old man, nodded with troubled expressions.
The old man asked, “Your Highness, have you truly decided to leave?”
The man’s expression was serious as he nodded solemnly. “I have made up my mind. You all need not worry about me. To break is to establish; leaving now may well be for a better future.”
A look of reluctance flashed in the old man’s eyes, but he acknowledged that this was indeed the best choice at present.
“Since Your Highness has made a decision, I will no longer persuade you otherwise.”
“Today, let us use tea in place of wine, to see you off.”
After some exchanges, the man ordered Feng Ping to escort everyone away.
Only he remained atop Wangyue Pavilion, along with the shadow guards concealed in the darkness.
The previously dispatched Sixth Agent returned from the Marquis of Jinyang’s residence.
“Master, everything has been taken care of.”
The man slightly nodded, leaning against the carved railing and gazing northward.
Inside the solemn Xuanwu Gate, flickering firelight could be seen.
Just before leaving the capital, this last hidden danger would be eradicated.
Perhaps it was due to having just experienced a life-and-death struggle.
Wei Yunlan slept exceptionally deeply, and in her hazy state, she seemed to dream of scenes from her dimensional space.
In the dream, the land in the space appeared even more expensive than when she collected supplies during the day. The ground was no longer barren but covered in lush vegetation.
A stream flowed out from the misty distance, nourishing this patch of land. On the green grass, a black dog with a shiny coat, as majestic as the legendary Hound of Heaven, ran about.
Suddenly, the black dog dashed toward the mist, its tail wagging incessantly.
An ethereal old man emerged from the fog, bending down to rub the dog’s glossy fur, making its tail wag even more joyfully.
Seeing that figure, Wei Yunlan was utterly shocked.
Could it be her maternal grandfather?
Was it true that thoughts during the day could manifest in dreams at night? Had her repeated musings before sleep summoned him into her dream?
“Lan’er, wake up, it’s time to set off.”
Madam Gao gently patted the blanket. Wei Yunlan stirred awake, quickly changed her clothes, and stepped outside, still reflecting on her recent dream.
Taking advantage of the moment before departure, she sank her consciousness into space.
Inside, everything appeared as usual, starkly different from her dream, lacking any signs of greenery.
Suddenly, she noticed a new patch of white mist in the center of the barren land.
Focusing her gaze, she discerned that the hazy mist enveloped something dark and indistinct.
Recalling the dream’s scene, Wei Yunlan’s heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that the mist contained the black dog that had been wagging its tail around her maternal grandfather?