Having vented her anger, Shi Lan began to focus on her pregnancy. For several months, she stayed at home and refused to go out. Liu sent people to invite her several times, but Shi Lan turned them away each time. Shi Luan had not seen Shi Lan for a long time, and seeing that he was worried about his sister, Liu had no choice but to visit her in person.

When Liu arrived at Shi Lan's place, the two exchanged a few pleasantries. Liu then took out the pregnancy-preserving ointment that the Liu family had given as an apology, saying that the Liu family had asked her to act as an intermediary and that Shi Lan should not take it to heart.

Shi Lan then remembered Li Chunni. After Liu left, she sent the old woman who served her to inquire about Li Chunni's situation. Before long, Shi Lan heard about Li Chunni's recent situation.

This concubine is now living worse than even the lowest-ranking maid. She was a little better a while ago, only having to fetch water for the whole household, wash clothes for everyone, and be ordered around by those cunning maids and servants to do chores. Life was hard, but not too difficult.

But perhaps she was just unlucky, because three days ago she injured her leg while working. Li Chunni was arrogant and domineering when she was in power, and she hadn't accumulated any connections at all since she entered the mansion. Now that her master was deliberately making things difficult for her, the servants in the mansion naturally wouldn't cause any trouble, so no one had found a doctor to treat her yet.

The servant who told the old woman about it said that he could hear her pitiful cries every night, which were extremely eerie.

After hearing this, Shi Lan smiled slightly. It was for the best; at least she would share the same fate, only this time she wouldn't be so lucky as to starve to death. In this lukewarm weather, watching her wound slowly fester and rot must have been incredibly difficult.

Before winter was over, spring arrived. Shi Lan gave birth to a healthy, chubby son just as the forsythia was in bloom. Li Tiezhu was overjoyed and held a grand banquet for the baby's third-day celebration. The Liu family was naturally among the invited guests.

That day, Madam Han was tidying her fine clothes in front of the mirror, preparing to leave at the appointed time, when a maidservant with her hair in a bun hurriedly came to report, "It seems that Aunt Chun is not going to make it."

Madam Han raised her hand to adjust the gold hairpin hidden in her temples, muttered "bad luck" impatiently, and ordered the steward to wrap her up in a mat. Then she boarded the carriage and hurried off to attend the joyous baby shower.

After drifting away from this body, Shi Lan felt somewhat lost and looked at the space in front of her, where a thin mist was drifting, without saying a word for a long time.

Not far away, Mingxiao saw her absent-minded look and subconsciously glanced to the empty right side. He realized that Haoze was no longer there, and couldn't help but mutter to himself that he was being pretentious. He clearly cared a lot, but when she came, he hid and disappeared.

"You did a great job on this mission. The person who made the wish is very grateful to you. To thank you for helping her give birth to her child and finding her family, she asked me to deliver a blessing to you."

Mingxiao's words immediately made Shi Lan cast aside her lingering emotions, and reason returned. "A blessing? What use is that to me?"

Mingxiao raised her front paw, and a golden light, like a ripple of water, enveloped her before dissipating like smoke. "This blessing can increase one's fortune. Most people who can be reborn or travel to another world have extremely high fortune."

Shi Lan nodded in understanding, then moved her body. Apart from the warmth she had felt earlier, she felt nothing else.

Mingxiao glanced at Shi Lan, who was frowning and suspicious, and with a flick of his claws, the stone placed in Shi Lan's palm slowly floated towards a stone platform not far away. There were a few more stones on the platform, which Shi Lan had brought back from her previous mission.

"Should we continue or take a break?"

Shi Lan frowned slightly. After completing several tasks in a row, she was a little tired, but not physically tired, but mentally tired. However, she knew that she could not slack off in order to survive. Only by working hard could she live longer.

"No, I'd better continue with the mission."

Mingxiao paused for a moment, but still waved his claws at her request. Soon, a familiar dizziness washed over her, and Shi Lan obediently closed her eyes and entered the world below.

"Girl, girl."

Shi Lan frowned, rubbing her forehead which was throbbing with pain, and opened her eyes.

A woman of average appearance, around forty years old, gently patted her shoulder and looked at her with affection.

Shi Lan moved slightly, but a sharp pain in her head made her groan involuntarily. Her body, which had been trying to get up, stiffened and she fell back down.

The woman quickly took a wooden pillow and placed it behind her, then gently helped her lean against it, trying her best not to make her too uncomfortable.

"Is the young lady feeling any better?"

"Much better," Shi Lan nodded slightly, looking at the woman in front of her, a sudden pang of sorrow welled up in her chest.

"That's good," the woman said, her eyes slightly moist, a relieved smile on her lips. Then, as if thinking of something, she sighed again. "Young lady, you should try to think more positively. The king has already issued a decree regarding Teng Shi's matter. The master is only concerned with his own position now and would never think of the young lady's grievances. You are only making yourself suffer for nothing."

Shi Lan frowned. She knew nothing about what the woman was saying, so she decided to send her away first and then receive the original owner's memories.

I'm hungry.

Upon hearing Shi Lan say she was hungry, the woman's face immediately lit up with joy. She turned and walked outside, saying, "Please wait a moment, young lady, I'll make some food right away."

Shi Lan nodded listlessly, closed her eyes to rest, and only when there was no sound in her ears did she feel relieved and begin to accept the original owner's memories.

This was an era of five states standing side by side: Liang, Jiang, Yue, Zhao, and Wei. Among them, Zhao was the strongest. King Zhao was in his prime and loved martial arts. Under his leadership, almost the entire nation was mobilized for war. Yue was slightly weaker, but its academic atmosphere was thriving, and six or seven out of ten of the schemers from other states came from there. Liang was located in a remote area, and although its population was small, its people were all exceptionally fierce and not to be underestimated. Jiang and Wei were slightly weaker and located at the border of the other three states. Facing the powerful states that were eyeing them covetously, they inevitably acted with some hesitation.

The original owner, Shi Lan, was born in the Jiang Kingdom. Her mother, Ji, was from a prominent family. However, she died shortly after giving birth to her. Her father then married another woman from the Zhou family, a noble clan, and they had a son and a daughter, named Shi Lang and Shi Yao, respectively.

When the original owner was sixteen years old, the Queen of Zhao died. To show his sincerity as a vassal, King Jiang presented his most beloved Princess Duanyang. King Zhao had long heard of Princess Duanyang's great beauty. He was overjoyed to receive the letter from King Jiang and said that since they had become relatives by marriage, if Liang ever offended them again, Zhao would send elite troops to help Jiang.

King Jiang was overjoyed, and Princess Duanyang's dowry was immediately upgraded, with two more concubines added accordingly. The original owner of this body was unlucky enough to be included in that large list.

Upon hearing this news, the original owner only said that she would never become a concubine before fainting to the ground. After waking up, she refused to eat. Instigated by Zhou, Shi's father came over and coldly warned her that if she was willful, he would kill A-Ping, who had taken care of her since childhood.