Helpless, Shi Lan returned to her residence to tidy herself up before following the white-faced eunuch who had come to invite people to the Jiang Kingdom's palace.

The Jiang Kingdom was relatively weak militarily, but due to its skillful management, its treasury had become quite prosperous over the years. However, as King Jiang grew older, his interest in luxury intensified. To cater to his tastes, the palace maids and eunuchs filled the entire palace with rare stones collected from all over the country, and combined them with clusters of fresh flowers to create a unique landscape where every step revealed a new scene and every place was adorned with blooming flowers.

Shi Lan walked quietly with her eyes downcast, noticing out of the corner of her eye the palace maids coming and going, all dressed in fine clothes and wearing elaborate and gorgeous costumes.

Seeing this, Shi Lan's mind wandered. King Jiang's extravagant spending, regardless of cost, wouldn't be enough even with a mountain of gold. No wonder he frantically added more beauties to his harem when he learned that King Zhao was willing to send troops to help attack Liang.

Little did he know that a man like King Zhao, who loved martial prowess, might love beautiful women, but he loved even more the sense of accomplishment from conquering other countries and expanding his territory.

The eunuch walked half a step ahead of Shi Lan, who followed quietly for a while, faintly hearing the woman's soft laughter and chatter.

Knowing that they had arrived at the Shengxia Palace on the Dragon Boat Festival, Shi Lan slowed her pace slightly, allowing her previously rapid breathing to calm down considerably.

As they drew closer, the laughter they had just heard became clearer. When the eunuch went inside to report, Shi Lan heard a silence fall over the room, followed by an arrogant female voice saying, "Let her in."

The moment the voice reached her ears, waves of resentment, burning like fire, surged through Shi Lan's chest.

Shi Lan knew that this was the original owner's resentment towards Duan Yang. She raised her hand to press her chest, and after making sure that she would not show any unusual emotions on her face, she slowly walked in.

Before they could even exchange greetings upon entering, a charming female voice immediately rang out: "Is this the eldest daughter of Prefect Shi?"

Although the voice was lively and charming, the words were tinged with sarcasm and disdain.

Shi Lan remained calm and composed, lowering her eyes as she stepped forward, as if she hadn't heard anything. Facing the person in the main seat, she straightened her clothes and bowed, saying, "Shi Lan greets Princess Duanyang."

Princess Duanyang sat upright on the high couch, looking down at Shi Lan with a critical gaze.

Her delicate and beautiful features were no less stunning than her fair skin. Her jet-black hair was thick and full, and her slender waist swayed like a willow in the wind. Her white dress further accentuated her aloofness and elegance, setting her apart from others.

"She's an absolute beauty," Duan Yang secretly remarked, his wariness of Shi Lan growing considerably, and a somber expression creeping onto his face.

"Ah Lan, there's no need for such formalities."

Shi Lan straightened her bent waist and stood gracefully to one side with her hands clasped.

Princess Duanyang glanced at the few noble ladies in the hall who had fallen silent because of Shi Lan's arrival, then turned her gaze to the noble lady who had just been humiliated by Shi Lan and said, "Arui, now that Prefect Shi has been promoted to Grand Counselor, don't call him by the wrong title again in the future."

"Yes, thank you for reminding me, Princess," the charming voice rang out again, but this time it was filled with respect and flattery.

Shi Lan looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the noblewoman named A Rui was not very old. She had an oval face and her eyebrows and eyes were not particularly beautiful, but her skin was excellent. When the sunlight shone through, it seemed to give her face a faint glow.

Shi Lan frowned slightly. The original owner never left the mansion and had no interaction with other noble ladies. Why did this A Rui embarrass her as soon as they met?

Shi Lan silently made her own plans, but the girl named A Rui couldn't stand it.

With a flicker of her eyes, Arui looked at Shi Lan, who stood as still as a wooden stake. "Shi Lan, I heard that you were unwilling to marry far away and even went on a hunger strike for three days because of it. Is that true?"

Shi Lan smiled slightly. The only people who would dare to reveal something so closely that she wanted to keep quiet were Zhou Shi, who disliked her in the Shi family, and the siblings.

Arui and Shiyao are about the same age and both come from noble families, so they inevitably have interactions. It is estimated that Shiyao has been gossiping about her behind her back, saying bad things about her, which has made Arui have a very bad impression of her, and that's why she provoked her.

“Ah Rui, watch your words! To receive His Majesty’s favor and be allowed to serve Princess Duanyang, Ah Lan is overjoyed. How could she do something as foolish as a hunger strike?” Shi Lan’s tone was friendly, but her face showed an expression of “I’m not going to hold it against you because you’re young.”

Arui felt a lump in her throat, remembering what Shi Yao had said about Shi Lan looking down on going to Zhao to be a concubine. Looking at Shi Lan's face full of gratitude and joy, she couldn't tell for a moment who was telling the truth.

Seeing the hesitation on her face, Shi Lan immediately began to flatter her, "Ever since I learned that I could accompany the princess, I sought help from my cousin. Jiang and Zhao are thousands of miles apart, and I was worried that the princess might suffer from acclimatization problems, which would affect her health. During this time, I have been learning the methods of recuperation from my cousin, so that I can take better care of the princess in the future." As she spoke, Shi Lan bowed to Duan Yang again, "I hope the princess will not find my humble efforts despicable."

As soon as Shi Lan finished speaking, Duan Yang got up, walked over to Shi Lan, bent down and helped her up, saying with emotion, "Ah Lan, you're so thoughtful."

Shi Lan stood up with her help, her rosy lips slightly pursed, and her fair and jade-like cheeks flushed. "I'm glad the princess doesn't mind."

Duan Yang, who always held her head high with pride, lowered it slightly and carefully examined Shi Lan, who was slightly shorter than her, with her bright eyes. Seeing this beauty, whose appearance was no less than her own, standing calmly and gently beside her, Duan Yang felt a sense of goodwill.

As a princess, she grew up in luxury, surrounded by servants and living a life of ease. Yet, even such a wealthy person had no right to control her own life. When she reached a certain age, she could only obey the emperor's orders and marry into the distant Zhao Kingdom.

No one comforted her when she first learned that she was to be married off to a distant place, and no one cared how she would live after leaving the place where she had lived since childhood.

But suddenly, someone told her that he was secretly caring for her and working hard every day so that he could take better care of her after marrying far away. Duan Yang's heart softened.

Shi Lan looked at the hem of her skirt, her heart pounding. Could Duan Yang be suspicious of something?

Ji Lang is a high-ranking shaman. Since Duan Yang knows that she is in the Ji family, she can't hide the fact that she is practicing witchcraft. Now she can only attribute it to medical skills. Anyway, she can cure external injuries and common illnesses if she is willing to expend some of her essence and blood.

Shi Lan was lost in thought when a soft hand gently pulled her up.

Shi Lan followed the arm and saw Duan Yang's gentle eyes. "Since you think of me so much, how could I possibly dislike you?" As she spoke, Duan Yang led Shi Lan to her couch. A palace maid who knew what was going on placed the couch next to the princess's table.

Shi Lan sat down with Duan Yang, and the expressions of the noble ladies beside her changed simultaneously. Duan Yang, who was always arrogant and never paid attention to anyone, was now so close to Shi Lan, which caught everyone present off guard. Especially A Rui, who was also one of the concubines who was about to be married off to a distant place, panicked completely at this moment.

Shi Lan glanced indifferently at A Rui, whose face was deathly pale and who was swaying precariously, before her gentle and quiet eyes silently turned to the table in front of her.