The concubine, a former cannon fodder, becomes pregnant, and the childless prince spoils her rotten.

Granny Li was somewhat tempted to atone for her mistake, fearing that Feng Yao would hold her responsible for not catching Lin Zhizhi.

"We must plan this carefully and not be as hasty as before. We don't even know who rescued Lin Zhizhi yet. If the person who helped her is someone even you, Consort, cannot afford to offend, then we..." Liu Gulan said with a worried expression.

These words immediately enraged Feng Yao, who coldly replied, "Besides the people in the palace, is there anyone else I can't afford to offend? Go ahead and do whatever you want; I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong."

Liu Gulan's face immediately lit up with a smile. "I think Granny Li's method is acceptable. Since it's going to be spread, the concubine should call more people over. However, the whispers of the concubines in each household might not be enough; there will still need to be some influential people to help out."

Was she genuinely offering advice to Feng Yao? Every word she uttered revolved around trying to build connections with Feng Yao's network.

Granny Li snorted coldly, her expression unfriendly.

Feng Yao clearly understood Liu Gulan's thoughts; she had only helped with some tasks, yet she wanted to reap the benefits.

She said somewhat impatiently, "I know what you're thinking. As long as you do a good job for me, you'll get your share of the benefits."

Lin Zhizhi, who was pondering what to do after returning, spoke up: "The Imperial Concubine is unwilling to help, presumably because these two cannot appear in public. We cannot say that we were rescued by them when we return, but Feng Yao and Liu Gu have already been captured."

"Why would Young Master Liu travel with his concubine?" Xu Jie felt this was inappropriate. "It's not right for a lone man and woman to be captured in a bandit's den."

"Mother has reminded me that Liu Gu is actually a woman, and she would never appear as a woman at this moment."

Lin Zhizhi's eyes lit up. Liu Gulan's goal was to pursue an official career. After transmigrating into the book, she had been disguised as a man, and her biggest fear was being discovered as a woman.

Liu Gulan will definitely not show herself; perhaps we can find a flaw in her identity.

It's likely that Feng Yao would bribe those bandits to conceal Liu Gulan's identity.

But how can so many people all have the same story?

But this will only affect Liu Gulan; it won't do much harm to Feng Yao.

She will next face a barrage of accusations from Feng Yao, who will certainly not give her a chance to defend herself easily.

"I wonder if the Imperial Consort will continue to help us for the sake of the child." Lin Zhizhi gently stroked her abdomen, still feeling lingering fear. She then realized that her clothes were soaked with cold sweat and clung to her body, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"The Imperial Concubine won't openly help you, but she will intervene." Seeing Lin Zhizhi's distraught state, Xu Jie comforted her.

Ultimately, how she overcomes the current difficulties depends on herself.

Lin Zhizhi knew Feng Yao's methods in her previous life. She was not an easy person to deal with, as she was able to enjoy the Prince's favor all the time.

They dared to risk their lives to collude with bandits, probably intending to destroy the evidence. Fortunately, the bandits never managed to distinguish who their target was.

When they returned to the capital, the coachman had not yet sent the news back.

The guards and the driver dropped them off near the capital and then vanished before their very eyes.

"I'll take Fang Qiao back first. My daughter will wait for my news. I'll come back after the coachman returns home." Xu Jie was really worried. It wasn't safe for Lin Zhizhi to be alone outside the city.

As luck would have it, Cheng Huilan walked slowly over with Lin Shangya.

Lin Zhizhi didn't want them to see Fang Qiao, so she shielded her mother and whispered, "Mother, you go first, leave it to me."

Xu Jie wanted to say something more, but she already knew that her brother and sister-in-law's family were extremely wicked, and that contacting them would only lead to her being harmed.

Feeling the force from Lin Zhizhi pushing her away, Fang Qiao had no choice but to take her back first.

He left only one instruction: "Be careful."

From a distance, Cheng Huilan and Lin Shangya couldn't really see who the person in front of them was, and they didn't care much at first.

They had been living a hard life during this time, and Cheng Huilan's relatives were still resentful that they had failed to get help from them before.

Now that they've come begging for help, and they're asking for lodging but not getting any money, naturally they won't be given a friendly welcome.

Not to mention the daily chores of laundry, cooking, and cleaning, Cheng Huilan and her family had to walk back and forth to buy anything they needed.

Since it cost a copper coin to ride in the oxcart, the relatives were unwilling to give Cheng Huilan any money out of their own pockets.

Watching them carry large and small bags, walking like turtles, the already hot weather made them even more exhausted and covered in sweat.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that Lin Shangya had lost a lot of weight, but her eyes were still bright and clear, showing a kind of resilience, indicating that she had not given up on her original intentions.

At this moment, her aunt and she also saw Lin Zhizhi standing there, and both of them looked surprised.

"I didn't expect to run into you here. Why aren't you serving your master at home? What are you doing out here?" Cheng Huilan asked, her expression indifferent.

Lin Shangya stepped forward with a friendly expression, "It's been a long time since we last met. Do you still blame your older sister? What happened before was my fault. I was confused and believed the concubine's lies, which hurt the friendship between us sisters."

Lin Shangya reached out to shove the item into Lin Zhizhi's hand, but Lin Zhizhi pulled her hand away, her face showing an expression that seemed to say, "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Lin Shangya was filled with bitterness. Seeing Lin Zhizhi was like seeing a lifeline, and once she grasped it, she refused to let go.

At this moment, she said very enthusiastically, "Since we're already here, and it's not far from our home, why don't you come with us, little sister?"

Cheng Huilan, standing to the side, did not want Lin Zhizhi to see her predicament, after all, the person in front of her was no longer the soft-hearted and easy-going girl she used to be.

Seeing that Lin Zhizhi was becoming more voluptuous and more beautiful, she felt a surge of resentment.

She felt that Lin Shangya was really disappointing. If she could win the prince's favor, why would her family have to suffer there?

Having been worn down by this period of time, she no longer had the energy to pretend to be a kind aunt. She watched as Lin Shangya and Lin Zhizhi were struggling, and the things she had just bought were about to fall to the ground.

Cheng Huilan then scolded her harshly, "Be careful! These are all valuable items. How will we explain if you break them when we get back?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Shangya shrank back and clung even tighter to Lin Zhizhi.

"Mother, I haven't seen Zhizhi for so long, and I miss her terribly. Please let her come back with me. It's a pity her face is so swollen, but it doesn't diminish Zhizhi's pretty face at all. Second Aunt will definitely like her." Lin Shangya pleaded, as if she was afraid that Lin Zhizhi would run away.

Lin Zhizhi had been held captive for a while, and now she was held captive by Lin Shangya. Even a clay figure would be provoked to anger.

He forcefully shook off Lin Shangya's hand, "What are you doing?"

Lin Shangya was stunned for a moment, and she also got angry. She felt that Lin Zhizhi was ungrateful and turned on her so easily.