Qinghong was escorted out of the manor by the soldiers. Before leaving, Shilan sent Zhuer with enough money for her to buy a house.

Yue Zhan was annoyed by her loose tongue and ordered his men to confiscate everything in her room. Today, when she left the manor, Qinghong had nothing but a few shabby clothes she had brought with her. Fortunately, the world is still relatively lenient towards women. Shi Lan gave her a lot of money. With this money, as long as she is willing to be self-reliant, with her shrewish and domineering nature, she still has a bright future.

Qinghong accepted the gift without refusing or expressing gratitude, taking it as a matter of course. This left Zhu'er feeling resentful when she returned and complained to Shi Lan.

Shi Lan propped her head up with one hand, tilted her head to look at the beads, and had a faint smile on her lips.

Perhaps Zhu'er herself didn't realize that since the day she bravely broke through the encirclement to bring Yue Zhan as her savior, her attitude had changed significantly. In the past, although she was very considerate, there was always a hint of aloofness in her expression, unlike the relaxed and carefree attitude she had today.

Dou'er came in carrying a bowl of medicine, stood straight in front of Shi Lan, and handed it to her.

Shi Lan frowned, turned her head away and said, "Leave it there, we'll drink it later."

Dou'er pursed her lips, held the medicine bowl, and remained silent, her arm held straight up without moving.

Shi Lan looked up at her, and Dou'er remained unchanged under her gaze, like a wooden stake.

Shi Lan couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she shook her head helplessly. Ever since Yue Zhan discovered that she had secretly poured medicine, she had given Dou'er a strict order that she must watch her take the medicine without blinking. Dou'er was stubborn and dutifully obeyed the order, making sure to watch her finish drinking it before she stopped.

Shi Lan sighed softly, inwardly blaming herself for being too careless. She could only pick up the bowl and, with the tragic heroism of a warrior cutting off his own arm, tilt her head back and drink it all.

Dou'er then placed the small cakes mixed with jujube paste on the table and quietly withdrew.

Shi Lan picked up a piece with a bitter face and slowly bit into it. The sweet and glutinous taste gradually overshadowed the bitterness, and only then did Shi Lan feel like listening to Zhu'er continue talking.

She was now talking about Qinghong asking about the Grand Commander's reaction after she left that day.

Shi Lan asked, "What did you say?"

Zhu'er tilted her head back with great air and said, "I told her that my wife and the Grand Commander are doing well. They even went out to admire the moon for a while after dinner before resting."

After saying that, she covered her mouth and chuckled.

Dou'er turned to look at her, a little dazed, seemingly not understanding why she was laughing.

Shi Lan grinned, raised her hand and pointed at her, scolding, "Nonsense, don't do that again."

Pearl nodded in agreement, but her expression showed that she didn't take it to heart.

Shi Lan shook her head and said nothing more.

Anyway, there are few women in this mansion, and as a mere maid, she won't see any distinguished guests, so let her be casual; nothing serious will happen.

Inside, there was constant chatter, and at the door came a steward who was impatient to deal with him but had no choice but to get up and greet him.

The steward came to ask about making seasonal clothes. According to the rules, she could make one set of ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and one set of Hu clothing. In the past, the manor would always issue them when the seasons changed. After Shi Lan understood the purpose of the visit, she said that she would follow the steward's arrangements.

The manager smiled and agreed, but hesitated and refused to leave.

Seeing this, Shi Lan smiled slightly, "Manager, please speak frankly. I am not sensible, and I do not understand your veiled words."

The steward chuckled awkwardly and stepped forward obsequiously, saying, "I was blind to your greatness before and was very disrespectful to you. I am grateful that you are so magnanimous as to not hold it against me, but I feel uneasy. Therefore, I am offering you two bolts of Qingling gauze, which would be excellent for making shawls or dresses."

Shi Lan knew nothing about these materials and turned to look at Zhu'er.

Pearl's eyes widened, and a clear look of surprise appeared on her face.

Seeing her like this, even if Shi Lan didn't know the value of the gauze, she could guess that it was quite expensive. She quickly declined, saying, "We are all in the same mansion, so there's no need for you to be so polite, Steward. Forget about the gauze, but I appreciate your kind gesture."

Shi Lan spoke humbly and tactfully, which surprised the manager but also relieved him.

Earlier, rumors were rife in the manor that Hongniang had offended this person, resulting in Alang's fury. If it weren't for this person stopping him, the arrogant and domineering Hongniang would probably be dead. He was away from the manor a few days ago due to family matters. When he returned and heard about this, he was terrified. You see, he had previously reduced her allowance. Back then, he noticed that Alang hadn't seen her for a long time, and she stayed in her room all day, so he thought she was weak and easy to bully. He never expected that this person was waiting here. When she did act, it was swift and decisive.

“Madam, you should keep it. Although this gauze is rare, it’s only because our place is remote and it takes a long time to transport it by carriage. So it’s naturally rarer. In fact, it’s not even worth as much as a piece of brocade,” the steward said with a smile as he stepped back. “I’ll send someone to deliver it later. Madam, please remember to keep it. The gauze is sensitive to sunlight, so please store it carefully.”

Seeing his expression, Shi Lan knew that if she didn't accept the money, the man probably wouldn't feel at ease, so she nodded and said, "Then thank you very much, Steward."

The manager waved his hand and went out the door.

Before long, servants brought over several bolts of brocade in shades of crimson and dark red with subtle patterns, beneath which lay two bolts of silk gauze, as thin as cicada wings yet as green as jade.

"Is this the Qingling Silk?" Shi Lan pulled out a piece and looked out the window. It was clear and bright, and she could feel a coolness even before she put it on.

Pearl carefully touched it and explained, "It is said that there is a kind of silkworm that grows on snowy mountains and only eats mulberry leaves grown by mulberry trees irrigated by snow water. Once it leaves its homeland, it would rather starve to death than eat anything. The people there think that this silkworm has a spirit, so they call it the Qingling silkworm. The silk it spins is spun into this kind of yarn."

After Zhu'er finished speaking, her expression was somewhat inscrutable, as if she were sighing, or perhaps agreeing.

In an instant, Shi Lan thought of how Zhu'er looked when she died. She didn't seem to be panicked or flustered. She just hugged the Turkic soldier and shouted for the original owner to run.

Shi Lan felt a tightness in her chest. Perhaps from the very beginning of the Anxi turmoil, she had already harbored the will to die. Even though she knew that following the original owner of the body would allow her to move to another place and continue living, she still chose to stay on the land that gave her birth and nurtured her, even if it meant death.

Are there millions of other Anxi people who share her thoughts?

Thinking of the original owner's wish, Shi Lan sighed softly. Zhu'er looked up at her, but the hazy veil made it impossible for her to see Shi Lan's expression. However, she could sense that Shi Lan's mood had suddenly become very bad.

"My wife, what's wrong?"

Throwing aside the silk gauze, Shi Lan shook her head weakly, slowly walked to the edge of the bed, and slumped down softly.

Zhu'er panicked. Forgetting to straighten her clothes, she rushed to the bedside, reached out and touched Shi Lan's forehead.

Shi Lan stirred, buried her face in the pillow, and said in a muffled voice, "I want to sleep for a while. You can all leave."

Pearl blinked, unsure which sentence she had said wrong, and turned to look at Bean.

Dou'er stood there blankly, looking dazed, it was unclear whether she had heard their conversation.

Zhu'er sighed, and though her hair was still styled in a maid's bun, she waved to Dou'er like an adult and walked out. (To be continued.)