The baby cried hard again when he heard his mother shout at the top of his lungs. Qianfan immediately hushes his son and continues to feed him. He then gives soft little kisses to his little one's forehead.

"M-master...." Yu Yan stuttered.

"Are you sure my name is Wan Shen?" Qianfan asked bringing his gaze back to Yu Yan.

"Yes, m-aster." the servant shuddered. The face of his master is terrifying to see. A frown in displeasure is evident. Does he not like his name now? Yu Yan thought.

Qianfan massaged his temple. "Is His majesty you're talking about is Wang Kai Hui, the emperor of the Wang empire?"

"Yes, master."

Minutes of silence passed and the information he received still can't sink in. No wonder Yu Yan's name is familiar. He's transmigrated from the story he's reading, and the body he's possessing right now is the annoying minor character from the novel—Wan Shen.

Qianfan sighed. That would mean he's in the book and not in the past from their country. But why would his soul go to the story?

He scowled. This is just too shocking for him. He massaged his neck to relieve the tension and stress he gained from what was happening, and the second Qianfan closed his eyes to relax, he, again, opens them immediately.

Qianfan was alarmed when he realized that he's going to die again. Fate must be playing with him. He needs a plan to get out and avoid getting executed. He doesn't want to die. Not again. He's not going to leave his son alone.

"I'm sorry, I know I have a lot of questions. It's just that my head is not working very well because of what's happening these past few days. There's a lot going on in my mind." Qianfan gave an apologetic smile.

Yu Yan being the naive one believes in his words. "It's okay master, I understand. You don't need to apologize. Please rest a lot, young master is waiting for your full recovery." he reassured. Of all the people and masters Yu Yan deal with, his master is the only master who has said sorry to him. Not only a sorry but also a thank you which he never heard from others. That's why he promised himself that he will serve his master until he grows old and be loyal to him. His master is very humble and kind but he doesn't get why others hate him.

Qianfan arranged the fabric that was covering the body of his son before he replied to Yu Yan. "Thank you, you may leave. I'll take care of him." The servant bowed before leaving.

Qianfan rocked his arms gently while still feeding his son. The infant keeps sucking his pink bead like a hungry lion. Bet his son is really hungry and has been waiting to be fed since he passed out.

He stared at his son, wondering what had happened to him when Wan Shen got executed in the story. He knows that Yu Yan is taking care of him but he's powerless and doesn't have a strong connection. They will probably get bullied by other concubines and consorts especially his son or worse, the emperor will expel them from the palace and throw them far away from the empire. Those are the possible scenarios that can happen to them.

Qianfan brushed his hand to his baby's forehead. The little one seemed finished from breastfeeding and yawned afterward. Qianfan giggled and kissed his cheeks before setting him up on the bed. When his son has gotten to sleep, he stood up and went by a near mirror.

His brows cocked when he saw Wan Shen's physical features. What a beauty. Qianfan thought. Wan Shen's face and his are kind of similar. They kind of look alike but Wan Shen's face is young and screaming youth since he's 20 years old in the story. Unlike his face in his previous life, it's haggard and tired from all the bullshit he encountered.

Qianfan touched his hair. Just like Yu Yan, Wan Shen has long hair but in the colour black. It's like the colour of charcoal and the dark of midnight. It shows off and compliments his white skin.

Wan Shen's face is very feminine. He has hooded-cat-like eyes that made him look a little fierce and the colour is amber like the falling leaves of the maple tree in the autumn season. His nose is small but high pointed, and just like his son, their lips are similar but plumper.

No wonder he became a concubine even though he was a slave. After all, you can't be a concubine if you don't have the beauty. The palace is strict and critical in choosing concubines to serve the emperor.

Qianfan walked towards the opened window, he then saw the outside of the room he was staying in. The appearance of the garden is the first thing he noticed. It is somehow dead seeing that the flowers and some of the plants and trees are withered. There's a fish pond full of lilies. He bet it doesn't have a fish in it.

He marched outside of the room to see the place fully. It honestly looks abandoned. Almost haunted. From what he remembers from the story, Wan Shen's place is quite far from the place where the emperor and other concubines' staying. His place is located near the quarters of the servants and maids of the palace. Wan Shen is basically an outcast.

It's not shocking since he's not a normal concubine but a low-range concubine. The lowest of them all.

Qianfan sat on the bench near the pagoda tree. Yu Yan saw his master and brought a tea to serve Qianfan. While pouring the tea, Qianfan asked him. "When did I give birth to my son again? I lost count of how many days had past. There's so much going on." Qianfan massaged his temples feigning he was stressed.

Yu Yan got worried because he knows what his master's dealing with. "It's already the 12th day after you gave birth, master." Yu Yan replied.

In the story, Wan Shen gave birth on the 14th day of August in the year of the dragon. If 12 days had passed then it's the 26th of August. The execution happened two months after Wan Shen gave birth to his son. He has 1 month and 2 weeks left before the execution.

He needs to set out his escape plan without getting caught. But first, he needs to know where are the exits and the place they need to hide while running away. The palace has a lot of guards and it's impossible to escape without getting caught by them. He doesn't want to rush things and do something at the drop of a hat.

He finished his tea and went to his room, Yu Yan followed after cleaning. He searched every drawer to find a piece of paper to draw the blueprint for their escape.

Qianfan faced his servant. "We need to run away from here." He said in a serious tone making Yu Yan gulp.

"M-master....i-i don't think that's a good idea." Yu Yan is scared of what his master's planning.

"We can't stay here longer, Yu Yan. You know that I'm going to be executed if I'm proven guilty." he reasoned out. He held both of Yu Yan's shoulders. "I need you to help me."

"Master, if we run away it will only make you guilty that you really did it." he rebuked. "And the young master is the first child and son of His majesty. He'll have the power and right to succeed the throne."

Qianfan knew that. He might receive an imperial decree as an imperial noble consort or even an empress as he birthed the first son of the emperor. But he knows it won't happen. Aside from that, he's under investigation, he also has a low background. It might cause an uproar among the imperial court, the people from the empire, and other civil servants.

"We aren't sure Yu Yan. Lixue has the highest position in the harem as a noble consort and we know that His Majesty took a liking to him. He might even become the empress. The emperor still gives a final say for choosing who's going to inherit the throne." Qianfan let out a deep sigh as he freed Yu Yan's shoulders. "This is the only way that I can think of." He then walked towards the bed where his son is sleeping peacefully.

He sat near him and gives him a loving gaze. "I can't leave my son, Yu Yan. He's the only family I have by blood. I don't want him to grow up without the love of a parent. I don't want him to be like me." A melancholy appearance was visible on Qianfan's face. He can't help but be emotional. The emperor will most likely ignore his son. Now that he has a child he always hoped for, it's his responsibility to guide and protect his son. He can't do it if he dies once again.

Yu Yan clasped his hands. "Then why don't you tell them the truth, master?"

Qianfan looked back. "What truth?" he furrowed.

"Master, why are you acting like you don't know it?" Yu Yan cries in despair. "Why don't you tell them that His majesty forcefully dragged you to his bed chamber." He peeved. "Although you followed him when he was going out but it was never you who drugged him! And he forced you to copulate! You never took advantage of His majesty." before Yu Yan can stop his tears, it's already falling from his eyes. He can't forget that night when his master kept shouting 'stop' to His majesty. He can't do anything but wait outside as he's only a servant and powerless. It was early in the morning when his master came out from the chamber, looking like a wet kitten, shivering from cold, and a fragile vase as if it were about to break.

Qianfan was baffled and stared from nowhere after hearing Yu Yan's anecdotes. The book didn't mention it. It only stated that Wan Shen drugged the emperor and took advantage of him. Was he framed?

Thereby, Wan Shen is innocent but he died bearing the crime of others. Qianfan felt bad. He bad-mouthed Wan Shen a lot, saying "he deserves to die" for drugging the emperor when in fact Wan Shen never wished it to happen.

A pang of pain hits Qianfan. That was so unfair. He collects himself before answering Yu Yan. "Do you think they will believe me? They will only call me a delusional low range concubine. You know how the emperor resent me." he ruefully smiled.

In the novel, Wan Shen tried to prove his innocence and begged for mercy but he was still executed. But the book didn't tell how Wan Shen tried to prove his innocence—how he freed himself from any question of guilt, what kind of alibis he told them, and how he demonstrates what happened. There are a lot of holes in the story.

Yu Yan's heart hurts. It hurts for his master. His master doesn't deserve any of this! They can't win this fight as they're not favoured by the majority and they're in a very disadvantaged situation.

Yu Yan kept in silence for a minute. No one will believe in his master. If his master dies, he and the young master will be left alone. The only solution is to escape.

He made up his mind and answered Qianfan. "I'll help you, master." he said.

Qianfan smiled in enthusiasm. "Tomorrow, I want us to stroll around the palace to look for the exits that we will use for our escape." he then turns around to where his baby's sleeping. "But then, no one will look after my son." he added."

"Li Yen will look after to young master." Yu Yan chortled.

Qianfan showed a rusty smile. Who the fuck is Li Yen?! The book didn't mention a name called Li Yen!

"Then tell him to go to our room early in the morning." Qianfan said.

Yu Yan squints his eyes. "Li Yen is she, master." he replied.

Qianfan paused. "Ohhhh.. Y-yeah.. I'm sorry, I forgot. Hehe." he reasoned out. "Uhm, I need to rest now. I still need to rest since I haven't fully recovered yet." He added and immediately tucked himself in the bed with his son beside him. Yu Yan gave a dazed smile before bowing and closing the window and door when he left.

Qianfan sought and then faced his son who was still in deep sleep. He is now Wan Shen and the mother of the little creature beside him. This is his life now. His second life. He needs to accept it and live as Wan Shen and to survive this hell hole he's in.

AHSTHAN