Suddenly, everything became quiet, with only the water still flowing gently.

Shi Lan looked at the stunned crowd, then turned her gaze to the woman who had just been pulled out of the water. "Why don't we ask her to explain things to everyone?"

In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on the woman, who was still coughing in a daze. Shi Jiami couldn't hold back any longer, grabbed her, and then shoved her away with disgust: "Why did you say that Nineteenth Sister shouldn't have come back? You..."

Shi Jiami was well-read, and he couldn't bring himself to utter those vulgar words.

Shi Jialuo and the woman he called aunt also stared at her intently. Since it concerned the family's offspring, she was just a second wife who had married into the family, and a vicious woman who hadn't produced a single offspring since Cen Niang. Everyone felt there was no need to give her face and would wait until she changed her clothes before asking.

"What exactly happened?" Shi Jialuo glared at her, as if she would be punished according to clan law if she didn't give a proper explanation.

The woman looked around in a daze. Seeing her like this, Cen Niang became anxious and quickly whispered, "Lan Niang said you said she shouldn't have come back. Did you say that or not? Or did you speak vaguely and she misunderstood?"

Shi Jiami glared at his daughter and scolded, "You don't need to make excuses for her. Whether she said it or not, I will sever all ties with her."

Cen Niang's face immediately turned pale, and her body began to sway.

Shi Jiami sneered, "Has your mother done enough outrageous things over the years? I thought you were quite clever, but I didn't expect you to be so muddle-headed. The Wang family has long said that they only want a bloodline of Yunniang to be the head wife. Do you think that because Lanniang has disappeared and the Wang family has no other choice, and your mother is Yunniang's sister, the Wang family will settle for second best?" He looked at Cen Niang with disdain and said, "The Wang family has already sent me a letter that the marriage is off, and I have made other plans for your marriage."

Cen Niang trembled all over at Shi Jiami's words. If it weren't for the maid supporting her, she would have almost fallen to the ground.

“No way,” she shook her head in disbelief, muttering to herself.

Shi Jiami glanced at her. Although he felt a little reluctant and heartbroken, he knew it was better to give up on some of his hopes as soon as possible.

Shi Lan couldn't be bothered with the grudges and feuds of those big families. She was already too busy with her own affairs. As for this kind of thing that was beyond her mission and involved hiding things, she decided to let it go. Shi Lan grabbed Yue Zhan and was about to leave.

Yue Zhan remained as steady as a pine tree, watching everyone without moving. He hadn't expected Shi Lan's background to have such a story. If he didn't strike first, Shi Lan might end up with someone else. Although he felt that no one in this area would dare to compete with him, judging from Shi Jiami's tone, the Wang family was also quite powerful. Yue Zhan didn't want to take the risk.

“I thought the Shi family was sincere in recognizing their kinship, but I never expected someone to dare to treat Lan Niang so disrespectfully. Since you claim to be her relatives, I will have a matchmaker witness the formal betrothal ceremony, including the three letters and six rites. All matters will be completed today. Tonight is the wedding day of Yue Zhan and Shi Lan. From now on, she will be a second-rank lady. From this day forward, anyone who dares to offend my lady will face the consequences of my three-foot-long sword.”

Yue Zhan drew his longsword with a 'whoosh' and casually twirled it. The woman beside him, soaking wet, stared blankly at the strands of hair fluttering in front of her. She paused for a moment, then suddenly felt a chill on her neck.

She reached out and touched it, only to find that the strands of hair that had fallen onto her chest and scattered in the water had somehow broken off at ear level.

The woman gasped, rolled her eyes, and fainted.

Shi Lan was also confused; she was bewildered by Yue Zhan's series of unexpected plot twists.

What's going on? How did she suddenly get married? Isn't it said that courtesans can't be deregistered? Yue Zhan's explanation was that she was originally an unregistered person. Granny Sun wasn't a legitimate courtesan, so if the master wanted to register her, they would naturally have to go to the government office to register her.

Anxi is Yue Zhan's territory, and Yue Zhan is not afraid that anyone in the manor will dare to run away, so he didn't bother with that. Now that he has found her family, the Shi family has a clean family background, and by using the Shi family's name, she can rightfully become his wife.

Yue Zhan proudly instructed his subordinates to deliver the betrothal gifts to the Shi family. As for other formalities such as setting the date and asking for the bride's name, they were just going through the motions. The wedding ceremony would be held soon, and the so-called setting the date was just asking for the time.

Shi Lan sat in the room like a puppet, being manipulated by Zhu'er. Dou'er stood dumbly to the side, moving only when Zhu'er told her to. Although she was a bit wooden, she was still quite useful.

As the sun gradually set, Shi Lan was finally dressed and helped into a sedan chair. Yue Zhan, riding a tall horse, led a large entourage and escorted Shi Lan around the town before returning to their encampment.

Shi Lan was sent back inside, while Yue Zhan was escorted by soldiers to the front to drink.

The room was quiet. Shi Lan stroked the hem of her simple bright red dress, feeling that everything had happened too fast. She hadn't even had time to react before she was inexplicably married.

As the night deepened, Shi Lan grew tired and took off her heavy new clothes, changing into a light and casual ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). She propped her elbows up and waited for Yue Zhan to return.

When the candles had burned down to almost half their length, Yue Zhan staggered in.

Shi Lan hurriedly stepped forward to help him change his clothes, and Yue Zhan looked at Shi Lan and chuckled foolishly.

Shi Lan pulled off his waist buckle and helped him change his clothes. Yue Zhan gently put his arm around her waist, lowered his head, and softly rested his head on her shoulder, murmuring, "Now it's all right, you're finally mine."

Shi Lan moved her shoulders, and Yue Zhan swayed along with her in a daze.

Shi Lan hung his outer robe to one side, helped him onto the bed, and then squatted down to watch him.

Yue Zhan closed his eyes, his lips slightly pursed, and he exhaled the smell of alcohol.

Shi Lan's heart stirred slightly, and suddenly there was no more appropriate time than this. She gently patted Yue Zhan's cheek, and when he opened his eyes slightly and looked at her with a dazed expression, she asked him, "When I fainted, how did you wake me up?"

Yue Zhan rolled over groggily, spread his arms and legs, and mumbled, "I don't know. I was just thinking that if you died, I wouldn't live either, and then you woke up..."

He dragged out the last word before drifting off to sleep again.

Shi Lan stared at him speechlessly. What kind of threatening tactic was this? If he died, Anxi might fall, and her mission would fail. No wonder she hadn't returned to her space; it seemed her mission wouldn't be completed anytime soon.

After dawn, the wedding, which had been nothing short of a farce, was completed, and the army continued its march to Shule.

Yue Zhan continued to handle military affairs as usual, while Shi Lan stayed indoors. The weather was already quite cold, and Shi Lan was weak. She drank the herbal soup prepared by Han Nushi every day to regulate her body. Days passed by like this, and just when Shi Lan thought everything was going in a good direction, news of the Turkic invasion came.

Yue Zhan had no choice but to lead his troops into battle immediately, while Shi Lan, being a woman, must have stayed behind to guard the rear.

Shi Lan knew the inside story. In the original owner's memories, he disappeared while fighting against the enemy. In addition, she had divined that he would suffer a bloody disaster this time. How could Shi Lan sit still? But if she went with him, Yue Zhan would definitely refuse. Shi Lan had no choice but to disguise herself as a soldier and carefully follow behind the group. (To be continued.)