After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

After all the Empress Dowager's gifts were put into the treasury, the people in the palace finally left.

Fang Xiaoran then ordered Ziju and Qinglan to take stock of all the gifts and make a list.

These rewards are quite valuable, and should be carefully stored away unless absolutely necessary, for unforeseen circumstances.

With Danxi Pharmacy now in operation, Fang Xiaoran is not short of money, so there is no need to use these items for the time being.

"You're really something, young lady. We were terrified when we heard you were summoned by the Empress Dowager. The Third Miss even made sarcastic remarks, saying you wouldn't be coming back." Qinglan complained angrily, saying she had been sweating bullets at the time and was getting angrier the more she thought about it.

Ziju nodded in agreement, still shaken. "Yes, everyone thought you were in grave danger, but you miraculously escaped death."

Fang Xiaoran smiled dismissively, "That certainly disappointed them."

Fang Xiaoran knew all too well what they were thinking; Zhou Qin would definitely not swallow this insult and would continue to cause trouble later.

However, Fang Xiaoran didn't need to care about these things at all. The most important thing now was to expand the scale of Danxi Pharmacy. Since He Chunming had given her the position of head of the business, she would naturally live up to his trust.

Therefore, she has been secretly investigating shops in the bustling city center these days, preparing to take them over.

During this time, she also went to check on Zheng Mama's recovery. With the help of the Yi Shen Dan and some expensive tonics, Zheng Mama had recovered a lot and had already started working in the fields.

She adored Fang Xiaoran, and every time she came, she would chat with Fang Xiaoran for a long time. Gu Yuqing's small courtyard was usually deserted, quiet but also too desolate, and it would get a bit lonely over time.

This time, Gu Yuqing was not at home, so it was just Granny Zheng. She specially brought out the pastries she had made to entertain Fang Xiaoran. Although the pastries did not look very appealing, they tasted delicious. Fang Xiaoran had a rare appetite and ate a whole plate of them.

"If you like it, young lady, I'll make some honey pear blossom pastries next time. It's a secret recipe from my hometown. It's sweet but not greasy, and melts in your mouth. Young master especially likes it." Granny Zheng smiled and handed a cup of tea to Fang Xiaoran.

Fang Xiaoran was somewhat surprised, "Gu Yuqing likes it too?"

"Yes, the young master loves sweets the most, and he can't stand any spice at all, which is completely different from the madam," said Granny Zheng with a smile.

For some reason, once Granny Zheng started talking about Gu Yuqing, she couldn't stop, and even tried to tell Fang Xiaoran about Gu Yuqing's preferences.

Just as Fang Xiaoran was wondering what was going on, a burnt smell wafted from the kitchen. Granny Zheng immediately stood up and exclaimed, "Oh no! The chestnuts I roasted are burnt! Miss, please make yourself at home. I'll go clean them up first."

"Okay." Fang Xiaoran nodded and watched Zheng Mama leave. It was about time for her to go back too.

After leaving the courtyard, she walked towards the back gate of the Marquis's mansion. Ever since Gu Yuqing brought her to the mansion once, she had always walked through the back gate and had never even seen the front gate. It can only be said that this Second Young Master Gu is indeed a bit unconventional.

As Fang Xiaoran walked along the pebbly path, she felt a sharp gaze coming from behind her. She turned around abruptly, but saw nothing.

Is it an illusion?

No, she has keen senses and would never make such a mistake; the other party must be a master as well.

The Marquis's mansion is full of hidden talents, so it's normal for one or two experts to appear. But why are they targeting her? Is it because she's an outsider and they see her as a threat?

That shouldn't be the case. This is Gu Yuqing's territory. Do you think the people in the Marquis's mansion wouldn't know? Besides, this isn't her first time here. She's never encountered this before.

Thinking about it carefully, Gu Yuqing and Xiao Shitou were both there before, so could it be that the other party did not show up because of this?

Thinking of this, Fang Xiaoran quickened her pace, deciding to come here first.

As she quickened her pace, the gaze behind her caught up rapidly and drew ever closer. Sensing an unprecedented crisis, Fang Xiaoran gathered her strength in her palm and casually plucked a fallen leaf, but she did not make a move; instead, she waited.

This is, after all, the Marquis's residence. Regardless of the other party's true intentions, if she makes the first move, the situation will be completely different.

Strangely, the gaze that followed her only released a dangerous aura and did not attack her; the two remained locked in a stalemate.

It seemed they were just monitoring her. Fang Xiaoran felt relieved and quickly went to the back door. She stepped out, and the gaze disappeared the moment she left the back door.

After glancing back one last time to make sure no one was following, Fang Xiaoran nodded slightly to Wu Guicheng before getting into the carriage.

As soon as I lifted the carriage curtain, a strange voice came from inside.

"You're my brother's fiancée?"

Fang Xiaoran stopped abruptly and looked up. She saw a young man dressed in brocade robes with disheveled hair sitting in the carriage. He had delicate features and alluring eyes, and was playing with a short, jet-black blade in his hand.

Despite its strange appearance, this short blade is exceptionally sharp. Even though the other party had no intention of attacking, Fang Xiaoran still felt threatened. This threat came from the short blade, which shows how sharp it was.

"Who are you?" Fang Xiaoran frowned, surprised. When did this person get on the carriage? Had Wu Guicheng not noticed?

"What?" Wu Guicheng, who was about to drive away, immediately leaned out to ask when he heard Fang Xiaoran's voice. But the moment he leaned out, a powerful force came flying through the air. Fortunately, Fang Xiaoran intercepted it. A silver needle was caught in mid-air and held between her fingers.

Such a vicious hidden weapon is not something an ordinary person can wield; this person is no ordinary individual.

Seeing Fang Xiaoran easily catch the hidden weapon, the young man was not surprised at all. Instead, he curled his lips with interest and said, "Interesting. But my brother will probably be back soon. Let's play again next time."

After saying this, the young man's figure flashed out of the carriage like a ghost, and disappeared through the back door in an instant.

Wu Guicheng didn't even see the figure clearly, only felt a cold wind blow by. When he came to his senses, he realized that the strange boy who should have been in the car had disappeared.

"What a strange movement technique," Wu Guicheng thought to himself.

Fang Xiaoran's eyes turned slightly cold as she said coldly, "It is indeed strange. I have never seen such a figure before. It would be best to avoid coming to this Marquis's residence in the future."

Even she couldn't keep up with his speed; it's unimaginable how profound his skills must be. This kind of person is extremely dangerous; it's best to stay away and not provoke him.

Soon they returned to the North Residence. Fang Xiaoran had just sat down when Qinglan rushed over, her expression grave. "It's terrible, Miss! Madam has suddenly returned from Yuejiang to visit the Old Madam."

"Aunt? So what if she comes back? We'll just ignore her." Fang Xiaoran didn't care. She knew very little about this aunt, having only met her once when she was young, and had almost forgotten about her now.

Seeing that she showed no worry, Qinglan became even more anxious and said, "But your aunt said she wants to arrange marriages for you and several other girls."