Reborn to be replaced, remarried to the royal palace to raise children and train husband

Gu Qinlan sighed softly, "It's OK. There wasn't much food left in the warehouse. I was worried that the people would be dissatisfied and suspicious of me after the food ran out, but now it seems that I can put this worry aside for the time being."

Hongye made a dry joke: "This can be regarded as a blessing in disguise."

Gu Qinlan sighed and said worriedly: "I just don't know what the future will be like."

If the imperial court fails to quickly dispatch troops to suppress these refugees, the entire Jin Dynasty will be on the brink of destruction, and the first to suffer will be these wealthy families.

Gu Qinlan immediately ordered Hongye to find Sang Qian.

"Greetings, madam. What instructions do you have?"

Sang Qian stayed up all night guarding Prince Duan's Mansion. At this moment, his eyes were red and he looked exhausted.

Gu Qinlan nodded slightly and said, "You can see that the situation is becoming more and more critical. If the imperial court still does not take action, I am afraid we will not be able to hold on. Therefore, we must respond as soon as possible."

Sang Qian looked serious and agreed, "Madam is right. We can still hold on for now, but if the defenses of the entire city are breached, Prince Duan's Mansion will become the target of public criticism. Therefore, we do need to plan ahead."

Gu Qinlan looked at him and said sincerely, "I am a layman in military affairs, and you have fought on the battlefield with the prince, so you should have some experience in this. Do you have any good suggestions?"

Sang Qian had served Gu Qinlan for a long time and knew that she was good at discovering talents and listening to the opinions of her subordinates, so he boldly expressed his opinion: "I think we should have two plans. On the one hand, we should strengthen the defense capabilities of the mansion. It is far from enough to rely solely on manpower defense. We have limited manpower and it is difficult to maintain a long-term defense. Therefore, we should set up some traps and hidden weapons in the mansion. Once someone breaks in, these traps and hidden weapons can make them suffer and buy us precious time."

"On the other hand, we should dig a secret passage leading out of the city in case of emergency. Once the defense is breached, we can evacuate through the secret passage, thus ensuring the safety of everyone in the mansion."

After listening to Sang Qian's suggestion, Gu Qinlan pondered for a moment, then said: "We can implement the first point. There are still many usable items in the armory in the mansion. You can use them at will."

"As for the second point, it is a little unrealistic. We are currently short of manpower. Prince Duan's Mansion is located in the center of the city. If we want to dig a secret passage, the manpower and material resources required are too huge."

Sang Qian pursed his lips and fell into deep silence. No one could deny this scene.

Even in normal times, if one wanted to dig such a secret passage, one would have to look for experts who were proficient in this field. Moreover, the current situation was even more special.

Relying on the maids and servants of Prince Duan's Mansion, it would take at least half a year to dig an underground passage that stretches for several miles while ensuring that it does not deviate from the direction.

Can Prince Duan’s Mansion really hold out for that long?

Just when Gu Qinlan was troubled by this, Princess Duan unexpectedly appeared, and her voice broke the silence: "Secret passage? We already have one in our house."

Princess Duan’s words stunned both Gu Qinlan and Sang Qian for a moment.

"Is there really a secret passage in our mansion?"

Princess Duan nodded slightly, with a hint of nostalgia in her tone: "It does exist, and it has been many years. However, I only knew this secret before your grandmother passed away. Before she died, she specifically instructed that this matter must not be revealed to other family members unless facing an emergency of life and death. This is a rule passed down from generation to generation in the Zheng family, and only the grandmother who is the head of the family is qualified to know."

As she spoke, Princess Duan glanced at Sang Qian unconsciously and asked uneasily, "Does this count as leaking a secret?"

Gu Qinlan smiled slightly and comforted her, "Don't worry, mother. Sang Qian is the prince's confidant, and we are at a critical moment of life and death. This is not considered a leak."

She speculated that this secret passage in Prince Duan's Mansion was most likely an escape route prepared by successive family heads for the women and children in the family.

After all, the Zheng family has served in the army for generations and has killed countless warriors from enemy countries. The dangers faced by the women of the Zheng family are no less than those faced by the men on the battlefield.

"Mother, can you take me to see that secret passage?"

After all, the tunnel is so old that it is very likely to have collapsed and needs to be cleaned up in time. Otherwise, if refugees really break in, they will be trapped in the tunnel and unable to escape, which will also be a road of no return.

Princess Duan nodded, a little worried: "Of course, but I only know the existence of the secret passage, but I have never explored it myself, so I know nothing about the situation inside. Is there any danger?"

Gu Qinlan comforted him, "It's okay, I'll bring more people with me."

However, Princess Duan pulled her aside and whispered, "Qinlan, come here, I have something to tell you."

Gu Qinlan thought that Princess Duan was worried about Sang Qian, however, Princess Duan started talking about things that had nothing to do with it.

"Qin Lan, I know you are a sensible and reasonable child. You have been wronged in your marriage with Ding Lian, and I can understand the resentment in your heart. Don't worry, when that boy comes back, I will definitely stand by your side."

Gu Qinlan was confused and didn't understand what was going on.

"Mother, the prince has no complaints and does not feel that he has been wronged."

Princess Duan glanced at her and said earnestly, "You still say no, but you always call him the prince. This clearly shows that you don't regard him as your husband."

Princess Duan was a little depressed and continued, "Qin Lan, I know you are unhappy. I have also been through this age and understand the feeling. I will not force you to change your name. You and I are of the same mind."

Gu Qinlan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Mother, I really don't have those complicated feelings towards... my husband. Let's put this matter aside for now. I'm going to take a look at the secret passage. We can talk about this topic again after the current crisis is resolved, okay?"

Princess Duan agreed repeatedly: "Okay, I'll listen to you. We'll raise the issue whenever you say so."

Looking at Princess Duan's eager and flattering look, Gu Qinlan felt both amused and helpless.

However, now was not really the right time to discuss this issue, and she decided to put the subject aside for now.

The entrance to the secret passage of Prince Duan's Mansion is hidden under the altar for ancestral tablets in the ancestral hall.

This discovery shocked Gu Qinlan. However, after thinking about it, she felt that this arrangement was extremely reasonable.

In conventional thinking, people who design secret passages often place the entrance in a place that is closest to them and where they feel most at ease, so that they can quickly hide in it if they encounter danger. However, the secret passage in Prince Duan's mansion has a different design concept. It is not for a specific person, but to ensure the safety of everyone in the mansion.