Reborn to Become A Queen: The Real Heiress's Comeback

"Return to the Master, Manager Liu from Hengchang only offered her one hundred silver taels upon seeing her clothes, feeling something fishy, but the woman didn't mind the amount being too little."

Mu Yan sneered coldly, this wretched girl's greed is rarely matched in this world!

He glanced at the clothes and said coldly, "Take the clothes and throw them away, I don't want anything that girl has worn."

The man in black picked up the clothes to leave.

Mu Yan stood up, his purse from within his sleeves dropped to the floor.

Another man in black looked at the purse embroidered with strange beast patterns on the ground in panic, and nervously asked, "Master, do you still want this?"

Mu Yan's gaze fell on the purse, on the ugly duckling embroidered on it.

He pinched it with two fingers, disdainfully, and threw it mercilessly into a corner of the table.

"Leave it there, it wards off evil!"

Both men in black bowed and exited the room.

Mu Yan looked at the ugly duckling and muttered, "Quite bold, driven mad by poverty, aren't you!"

...

On another side, in the backyard of General Mansion, Zhan Lan, who was looking for clean clothes for Dugu Yan, suddenly sneezed twice.

"Someone must be cursing me!"

Zhan Lan moved his tired shoulders, feeling exceptionally weary today.

"Who dares to curse you, I'll teach them a lesson with a punch!" Dugu Yan said indignantly.

Zhan Lan poked Dugu Yan's forehead, "You, at such a young age, should not be constantly saying 'I'. Remember this is General Mansion; you have to be careful."

"Alright, I got it," Dugu Yan laughed and said.

Zhan Lan looked at Dugu Yan helplessly; the girl looked much prettier after cleaning up.

Her eyebrows were dark, and her features were good-looking.

Zhan Lan remembered that when Dugu Yan was sixteen or seventeen, she had a wild beauty that was quite aggressive.

Like a poppy blossom so radiant it's unforgettable.

"Whimper..."

Little Black, in a corner of the room, let out a whining sound.

Zhan Lan went over to bandage its wound and brought over a bowl of shredded chicken leg meat for it to eat.

Little Black had never eaten such delicious meat before, its tail wildly wagging; excitedly, it made whimpering purrs.

Little Black was a stray dog; if Zhan Lan and Zhan Heng hadn't saved it today, it might have died.

This too must be fate!

In a past life, Little Black rescued Qin Shuang and Zhan Heng from a fire, sadly, both had already suffocated from the smoke.

Fortunately, Little Black got their bodies out, not letting them turn to ashes, and they were ultimately laid to rest.

That day, Little Black went mad, eyes red as blood, howling like a wolf, and bit to death all those who had started the fire.

Some said Little Black was an offspring of a wolf that couldn't be kept and must be killed; in the end, Little Black was beaten to death with sticks and eaten by people.

The day Little Black died was a heavy snowfall, and it was said that wolves in the mountains outside Ding'an City howled for three days and nights.

There was a rumor that everyone who ate Little Black's meat got their necks bitten off by a pack of wolves, dying a miserable death on the spot.

Zhan Lan touched Little Black's head, her eyes complex, "Little Black, you were wronged today, sleep here for now, I'll build you a doghouse another day."

She remembered Little Black grew up very strong, with glossy black fur; she'd have to make a big and comfortable doghouse for him.

Little Black's eyes shone black and bright under the firelight.

Zhan Lan looked at Dugu Yan, who was already fast asleep on the bed, and then at Little Black, resting its head on a soft cushion.

She was grateful to the heavens for letting her live again; fortunately, in this life, she could make up for them.

Inside the exquisite box on the table were two ancient books sent by her mother Qin Shuang, recommended as gifts for greeting her future master.

Zhan Lan was joyful not because she saved Zhan Heng and Zhan Rui, but because her mother thought of her.

She carefully flipped through the ancient books, silently vowing to herself: one day, she would call the Madam "mother" and take back everything that belonged to her!

...

Early the next day, Zhan Lan got dressed and, donning a cyan-grey outfit, set out with Dugu Yan in the mansion's sedan chair.

Upon arriving at the Yunyin Academy, Zhan Lan stepped out of the sedan chair.

Master and servant met with the Qingfeng Scholar as promised.

After the disciple initiation ceremony, the Qingfeng Scholar looked at his two newly accepted disciples with great satisfaction.

Zhan Lan was poised and dignified, an embodiment of confidence; Si Jun was a standout talent, brimming with ability.

"Master, this is our token of respect for becoming your disciples, though not very valuable, it represents our heartfelt sincerity."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan presented the box, and the Qingfeng Scholar opened it, his eyes lighting up as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

"Ah, these ancient books from my disciple are rare, indeed rare!"

Si Jun also presented his gift with a smile, calligraphy and paintings from the renowned Huaiyang Hermit and Bai Canglan, which naturally also delighted the Great Scholar very much.

"My disciples, your calligraphy and paintings have truly touched my heart. Apart from attending daily classes at the academy, come to me for lessons on the first and fifteenth of every month."

Once all the arrangements were made, Zhan Lan and Si Jun bowed respectfully and watched as the Qingfeng Scholar and the two Attendant Students left with the calligraphy, paintings, and ancient books.

"Please follow me." An Attendant Student who had been waiting motioned for Zhan Lan and Si Jun to follow.

They looked at each other, and Si Jun gave a slight smile, gesturing modestly, "After you, Junior Sister."

For the first time in their lives, they were so close to each other. Zhan Lan's hands trembled; she was afraid she couldn't control herself from grabbing Si Jun by the throat and strangling him.

Thus, she took two steps back and distanced herself: "After you, Young Marquis."

Si Jun no longer insisted and walked ahead.

He felt a sense of strangeness in his heart: although Zhan Lan was talented, as an adopted daughter of the General Mansion, she should be eager to establish a connection with him.

After all, his public identity was that of a Young Marquis.

If Zhan Lan could address him as Senior Brother, she might gain higher esteem in the eyes of others.

But Zhan Lan didn't, and it seemed she didn't want to get too close to him, maintaining a distance and politeness.

Amidst the chirping of birds, the trio crossed a bamboo forest and circled around two artificial hills, inhaling the scent of flowers on their way to the classroom.

This was the classroom at Yunyin Academy designated for the children of officials.

The teachers here were scholars second only to the Qingfeng Scholar; ordinary people, even if wealthy, couldn't afford to hire them.

Si Jun and Zhan Lan arrived at the classroom one after the other.

The teacher had not yet arrived; the Attendant Student led them to their respective seats.

Since Si Jun and Zhan Lan were disciples of the Great Scholar, their seats were in the front row, sitting opposite each other.

A few steps away were the seats of other nobility's children.

Glancing to the side, Zhan Lan saw Zhan Xuerou sitting to the left and behind her, Zhan Liluo and Bai Lu, while to the right sat Wang Qingchen and other aristocratic peers.

There was also a woman wearing a veil, staring at her with venom in her eyes.

Bai Lu said mockingly beside her, "Isn't it enviable how some people have such doggone luck?"

"But you can't always rely on luck, can you? Sooner or later, the truth comes out, just a sack of weeds inside!"

Cui Ying would usually have chimed in to make Zhan Lan uncomfortable.

But after being publicly reprimanded by Zhan Lan the day before, not many in Ding'an City were aware of the incident.

Cui Ying, wearing the veil, dared not openly agree with Bai Lu's words and simply nodded perfunctorily.

Zhan Lan ignored them and withdrew her gaze.

During the class, Zhan Lan realized why it was important to study; no matter how much she had self-learned in her previous life, she had not truly accessed such a vast expanse of knowledge.

In terms of martial strength, she was unafraid, but when it came to cunning and strategy, she felt she was not yet sufficient.

After the class, Zhan Lan packed her book bag and walked out with Dugu Yan, but Bai Lu blocked their way, taunting:

"Zhan Lan, are you in such a hurry to go back and cook? After all, when living under someone else's roof, you must perform well!"