Who said the heir would die out? The concubine is pregnant again!

Having seen through his thoughts, Yingzhu ultimately said nothing more.

Saying more would be pointless and might even bring trouble upon herself. While planning her revenge, Yingzhu also had to assess the situation and adapt accordingly, since her prerequisite for revenge was to protect herself first.

Princess Rui did not investigate further, but simply ordered Qiuhe to be driven out.

Qiuhe collapsed to the ground, feeling as if the sky had fallen!

"Your Highness, you said that as long as I tell the truth, you will be lenient with me. I don't want to leave the palace. I beg Your Highness to give me a chance to atone for my sins!"

Liang Yunqian raised an eyebrow slightly. "Your misdeeds should have been dealt with by the authorities. Simply expelling you from the manor and sparing you from jail is already a lenient punishment. Do you still dare to hope to stay? What use are you? To continue drugging me?"

Qiuhe wanted to plead again, but Liang Yunqian waved his hand impatiently, and Lian Chuan immediately ordered his men to drag her away.

In the end, only Qiuhe was punished, while Xu Fanglin escaped unscathed.

Xu Fanglin was still shaken; her legs were weak when she stood up.

She secretly rejoiced that the young master hadn't investigated further; if the matter of the hand warmer had been discovered, she would have been held responsible!

Liang Yunqian stood up first. Before leaving, he glanced at Shen Yingzhu, but saw her staring blankly in the direction Qiuhe had been dragged away, as if she was deep in thought.

He had other business to attend to outside the residence, so he didn't linger any longer.

Yingzhu was not yet fully recovered from her illness, so she asked Princess Rui for leave and went back to her room to rest.

On the way back, a voice called out from behind, "Yingzhu, please wait."

Yingzhu stopped, turned around, and bowed respectfully, waiting for Xu Fanglin to approach. Then, she followed her slowly, one step behind.

"I'm so sorry you had to suffer because of Qiuhe. I never thought she was this kind of person. She did something bad and then tried to frame you! If I had known she was a wolf in sheep's clothing, I shouldn't have let you serve me."

"The Crown Princess has treated Qiuhe so well, yet she actually took orders to throw dirty water at you. She's truly heartless!"

Yingzhu readily agreed, and Xu Fanglin's gaze shifted slightly.

"Oh? Is that so? Then who do you think is behind this?"

Yingzhu tilted her head slightly and lowered her voice, saying, "Who else could it be? Who was singing the loudest just now? Isn't it obvious that she kept urging the Princess to punish you?"

It's an open secret that she covets the young master, but she considers herself of noble status and is unwilling to be a concubine, so she's eyeing your position as the young master's consort!

"She probably bribed Qiuhe to put on this show, trying to make the Princess and the Prince misunderstand and dislike you!"

Xu Fanglin's phoenix eyes were deep and thoughtful, as if she were pondering her words.

Yingzhu stopped there, saying, "I was just talking nonsense, and I might be wrong. I have a cold and fever, so I don't want to get too close to the Crown Princess, lest I pass on my illness to you."

After saying this, she quickly took a few steps and left, leaving Xu Fanglin puzzled.

Back in her room, Yingzhu sat in front of her dressing table, staring blankly at herself in the mirror.

She suddenly felt that the face in the mirror was unfamiliar. It resembled her, yet it didn't.

Her eyes had lost their former naivety, timidity, and dullness; she had begun to learn to scheme. She didn't want to become that kind of person, but it was the only way to get revenge. If she didn't take precautions, she would be schemed against.

In her past life, she was naive and innocent, which is why the Xu family exploited her and used her as a tool by Xu Fanglin and Zhao Tangwei!

In order to survive, Yingzhu had to act decisively and use that malice to pave the way for herself.

With her goal firmly set, she stopped worrying and went to her tent to recuperate.

Liang Yunqian was out socializing and didn't return home until the evening.

When he returned to Tingsongyuan, he found no one inside. He then remembered that Yingzhu was recuperating today and wouldn't be coming over in the evening.

"Send these hawthorn milk balls to Shen Yingzhu's room."

At that time, Lian Chuan was still wondering who the young master bought it for.

The Crown Princess does like to eat this, but after today's incident, will the Crown Prince still bring her things?

The answer was now revealed, and Lian Chuan suddenly understood.

After only a moment's hesitation, Lian Chuan immediately clutched his abdomen.

"My lord, on the way back, I started to have a stomachache and couldn't bear it any longer. I'll go out for a bit and come back to do my errand. Please forgive me."

When he comes back, he'll be covered in stench. How will he bring food then?

After hesitating for a moment, Liang Yunqian finally walked out alone.

The candlelight in that room seemed particularly dim in the winter. When Liang Yunqian entered, he saw Shen Yingzhu sitting by the curtain, embroidering a handkerchief.

She moved the candle to the head of the bed so that she could see more clearly by the light. She was wrapped tightly in a quilt, looking comfortable and cozy.

"It's so late, aren't you asleep yet?"

"Young Master?" Yingzhu looked up, her eyes wide with surprise. "I slept too long during the day and couldn't sleep at night, so I was doing embroidery to pass the time. It's getting windy outside, what brings you here?"

The winter night wind carried a chill, which clung to his cloak.

Liang Yunqian untied his cloak and hung it on a clothes rack to the side, his voice calm.

"Since you're ill, you probably don't have much of an appetite. I happened to pass by Yuan's shop on my way out of the mansion, so I brought some hawthorn milk balls with me."

Yingzhu took the porcelain jar from Liang Yunqian, and the moment she touched his hand, she hissed softly from the cold.

"Your hands are so cold! My hot water bottle is warm, please let me borrow it to warm them up."

She handed him the hot water bottle from the quilt, and Liang Yunqian took it without hesitation, feeling the warmth instantly spread to his palm.

Yingzhu opened the jar, tasted one, and savored it carefully.

"These hawthorn milk balls are sweet and sour, and indeed very delicious. Thank you for the gift, Your Highness."

She spoke words of praise, but she only ate two and then stopped. Did she really like them, or was she just being perfunctory?

"If you like it, why not eat more?"

Looking at the beautiful porcelain jar, Yingzhu's mind was filled with the image of her mother.

"Don't eat too much. Save some for later and take it back to my mother to try. She loves sweet and sour food."

When her mother was mentioned, Yingzhu's eyes cleared of their gloom and shone with a bright light.

Liang Yunqian placed his hand on the hot water bottle, his fingertips touching the thread on the velvet fabric. Looking down, he noticed a cat embroidered on the fabric.

"Did you embroider this?"

"This is my mother's calico cat. I miss it very much, so I embroidered it into a pattern."

Liang Yunqian suddenly remembered that Yingzhu had mentioned wanting to visit her mother at her parents' home. He hadn't agreed then because of the mention of her ex-fiancé. Now that she was bringing up family matters again, Liang Yunqian hesitated for a moment before speaking up:

"Once you have fully recovered, I will grant you one day to go home and visit your family."

Upon hearing this, Yingzhu's dim eyes instantly lit up!

"Really? This servant can go back? Young Master, you must keep your word!"

"I, the Crown Prince, always keep my word!"

His words were not convincing to Yingzhu. "Young Master, you'd better not make such boastful claims."

"What makes you say that? Have I ever broken my promise to you?"

Yingzhu hesitated, her curled eyelashes trembling slightly.

"Forget it, it's all in the past. There's no point in bringing it up. If you get angry, I'll be the one who suffers."

Some people keep things a secret, and Liang Yunqian simply doesn't respond, but Shen Yingzhu's suspense is something he can't ignore.

"Speak frankly, and you will be forgiven."

Having received his promise, Yingzhu finally spoke frankly, "The young master said he would investigate thoroughly, find the real culprit, and give me an explanation, but today the investigation has come to nothing..."

After she finished speaking, she secretly observed Liang Yunqian's reaction. She saw that his brows furrowed slightly, and his dark eyes were as deep as a still pool. She could not see any ripples, but there was an undercurrent of turmoil.

Judging from his expression, he doesn't seem willing to explain anything.

"If Your Highness doesn't wish to discuss this, then so be it. You have your reasons, and this servant has no right to inquire."

Yingzhu covered the porcelain bottle and placed the hawthorn milk ball on the small table next to it.

"This servant is a little sleepy and would like to rest. Please leave, Your Highness!"

Her attitude returned to indifference, and she didn't press the matter further. Liang Yunqian could have remained silent, but seeing the dimness in her eyes, he couldn't help but wonder how Yingzhu viewed him.

Do you think he went back on his word and broke his promise?

Does she think he's protecting Xu Fanglin?