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

Before Yingzhu could react, Liang Yunqian suddenly scooped her up in his arms!

In her past life, she was drugged by Xu Fanglin and gossiped about behind her back by everyone in the household. Fortunately, in this life, she used a little trick and finally managed to win the opportunity to consummate her marriage without relying on drugs!

The text in the fire-avoidance painting overlaps with her alluring demeanor tonight, her clothes soaked in snow, her eyes sparkling.

The shadows cast behind the screen, like a gust of wind, brushed past the small flame in Liang Yunqian's heart, instantly igniting it into a raging fire!

As the temperature rose in the boudoir, Yingzhu, unlike her previous life when she was reserved and shy, took the initiative to reach out and put her arm around Liang Yunqian's broad shoulders.

She was no longer afraid, and relaxed to sense his strength, intentionally or unintentionally brushing her fingers over his powerful muscles.

At this moment, Yingzhu's dazed expression with her eyes closed was almost identical to that of the woman in the book.

Liang Yunqian's voice was hoarse and deep, "Now you should know why the woman in the painting has that expression?"

A blush crept onto Yingzhu's delicate face. "I thought she was injured, but it turns out it wasn't an injury, but rather..."

She stopped herself before she could finish speaking, but Liang Yunqian pressed her again, "What is it?"

Yingzhu blushed. "There's also a strange feeling, like words from the book the young master was reading, something about immortals, something about death..."

She deliberately didn't use complete words, leaving room for his imagination.

As expected, Liang Yunqian's anger only intensified after hearing her ambiguous words, like a torrential downpour constantly eroding her remaining rationality...

Yingzhu couldn't remember the time afterward and fainted in a daze. When she regained consciousness, it was already broad daylight.

Yingzhu slowly got up, and with the slightest movement, she felt as if her bones were falling apart.

Recalling the unspeakable scenes of last night, Yingzhu secretly scoffed at Liang Yunqian, who seemed aloof but was surprisingly ruthless once he was moved by love.

She was getting dressed when Qiuhe swaggered in like a gust of wind.

Upon noticing the scattered clothes and unsightly books in the tent, Qiuhe curled her lip and scoffed.

"You've risen to prominence overnight, quite the schemer! The Crown Princess requests your presence; come with me! Don't keep her waiting."

As soon as Qiuhe finished speaking, another nanny entered the room, smiling and congratulating her, "Congratulations, Miss Shen, on becoming the Crown Prince's concubine. Please, Miss Shen, go and serve tea to Her Highness the Princess."

Yingzhu recognized this old woman, Qiao, as she was a servant of Princess Rui.

In her previous life, the day after she and Liang Yunqian consummated their marriage, it was also Granny Qiao who came to invite her.

Yingzhu believed that Princess Rui was the mistress of the royal residence and could not be disobeyed, so she foolishly followed Granny Qiao.

Later, Yingzhu learned that only concubines were qualified to serve tea to the princess; there was no precedent for this for maids.

Just because she served tea to the princess first, Xu Fanglin concluded that she had ambitions to rise in rank and seize the princess's favor!

When Yingzhu returned to serve tea, Xu Fanglin deliberately knocked over the teacup.

The hot tea scalded Yingzhu's two fingers, causing blisters that were excruciatingly painful!

Xu Fanglin refused to give her the medication, citing her need to prepare for pregnancy. Yingzhu's hands became ulcerated and sore, to the point that the bone was visible, causing her unbearable pain!

At that time, Liang Yunqian misunderstood that she had drugged him and didn't care about her. Yingzhu could only swallow her anger and suffer in silence.

With her past life's experiences vividly before her eyes, in order not to give Xu Fanglin anything to gossip about in this life, Yingzhu made an excuse:

"My appearance is not presentable. If I go to see the Princess, it will be an eyesore. Please make an exception, Granny Qiao. I will go back to change and dress before I go to pay my respects to Her Highness the Princess."

Yingzhu answered cautiously. Granny Qiao glanced at Qiuhe, but ultimately did not make things difficult for Yingzhu and left first.

Upon returning to Lanzhao Courtyard, Yingzhu curtsied.

Xu Fanglin, who was leaning against the couch, slowly sat up. Her phoenix eyes swept over Yingzhu, and the smile on her red lips was sinister.

"The Crown Prince allowed you to stay overnight last night; it seems he is quite satisfied with you."

Meeting Xu Fanglin's suspicious gaze, Yingzhu guessed that she was doubting the hand warmer. Xu Fanglin must have been very disappointed that she wasn't kicked out by Liang Yunqian last night.

Yingzhu's deer-like eyes flickered slightly, and she covered her face with her handkerchief and wept.

"The Crown Prince kept me here not because he liked me, but... to punish me. He said I had a strange fragrance on me, so he drugged me. He also found something in the incense burner and called me a vixen."

He only forced himself on me for the sake of having an heir, and afterwards he punished me by making me kneel. I knelt for three hours, and my knees turned purple.

Yingzhu wasn't lying; this was the consequence of her foolishly bringing a hand warmer to see Liang Yunqian in her past life!

She was forced to kneel all night by Liang Yunqian, which left her with a chronic knee injury that kept her awake at night on rainy days due to the pain.

Xu Fanglin said that she was pregnant and could not use the plaster, so Yingzhu could only endure it.

Fortunately, Yingzhu switched the hand warmer in time, thus avoiding being misunderstood and punished by Liang Yunqian.

But she had to keep the truth from her in order to make Xu Fanglin lower his guard against her.

With tears streaming down her face, Yingzhu lifted a corner of her skirt, revealing a bruise on her knee!

This was caused by Liang Yunqian making her change positions last night. Although it was only for a short while, Yingzhu's delicate skin left a mark, which she could use to fool Xu Fanglin.

Xu Fanglin was skeptical. "When the young master greeted the princess this morning, he didn't mention the incense burner. Besides, I had this incense burner prepared; how could there be anything in it?"

Yingzhu's eyes shifted slightly as she continued to sob, "Originally, the young master wanted to take me to see the princess, but he remembered that I was someone you brought into the manor, and out of consideration for your reputation, he didn't make it public."

"Princess Consort, I'm innocent! I didn't drug her, but I don't know where this strange fragrance came from!"

Qiuhe's eyes narrowed. "Yesterday, you went to Tingsong Garden alone with a hand warmer. Who knows, you might have secretly drugged it to seduce the young master and then slandered me and the young master's wife!"

"Yingzhu is my sister, she's not that kind of person, there must be something fishy going on. Yingzhu, think again, who else did you see after you took a bath?"

The master and servant acted in unison, trying to mislead her. Yingzhu went along with it, pretending to understand.

"Yesterday, Granny Li removed my clothes and lingered on me for a long time. Perhaps she's the one who poisoned me!"

Xu Fanglin covered her lips with her finger, signaling her to be quiet.

"Granny Li is the Princess's person, so you can't say such things carelessly. Since the Prince isn't going to pursue the matter, you can just pretend you don't know anything about it."

Yingzhu nodded hastily, pretending to believe her story.

Xu Fanglin was quite relieved. The matter of the incense burner drug had been accomplished. From now on, Liang Yunqian would definitely despise Yingzhu and would not be able to develop feelings for her!

Qiuhe's red lips pursed slightly. "Princess Consort, actually, the Prince did not wrongly punish Yingzhu. This morning, when I entered Tingsong Garden, I found a fire-avoidance diagram in the tent!"

How could something so shameful be displayed openly? She actually watched it with the prince; just like her mistress, she's a wanton slut!

Yingzhu's gentle gaze suddenly sharpened, and she immediately swung her hand at Qiuhe!

Caught off guard, Qiuhe felt a burning pain in her cheeks. She stiffened her neck and cried out in protest.

"I am the Crown Princess's head maid! How dare you hit me? You clearly don't respect the Crown Princess! Crown Princess, you must stand up for me!"

Xu's father deceived his superiors and refused to reveal the truth that Yingzhu's mother was his first wife.

Yingzhu entered Prince Rui's mansion as a maid, and Xu Fanglin's confidants all regarded Yingzhu as his mistress.

In this life, Yingzhu will definitely clear her mother's name and help her escape from suffering!

However, before establishing a firm foothold, the mother's true identity cannot be revealed.

"My father has kept my mother's matter a secret all along, yet Qiuhe has openly brought it up. What are her intentions? Does she want to ruin my father's reputation and hinder his official career? She is clearly trying to harm the Xu family and make things difficult for the Crown Princess!"

"Even if Qiuhe is at fault, it is my responsibility to discipline her. You are just a maid who served the young master for one night, do you really think you are the master? You have no right to punish servants, kneel behind the screen!"

Xu Fanglin was nitpicking, and Yingzhu could have retorted, but her ears were extremely sensitive, and she could faintly hear steady footsteps coming from outside.

Once she recognized the person, Yingzhu stopped arguing and obediently went behind the screen, lifting her skirt and kneeling down.

A moment later, a tall figure was cast into the doorway by the sunlight.

Xu Fanglin's phoenix eyes widened slightly, secretly relieved that she had the foresight to have Yingzhu kneel behind the screen so that even if the young master came over, he wouldn't see Yingzhu being punished by kneeling.

"Greetings to the Crown Prince."

Xu Fanglin stood up to greet him, and Liang Yunqian responded indifferently. He took a long stride and carried the embroidered tiger cat into the house.

This cat is too clingy; Liang Yunqian takes it everywhere he goes. Xu Fanglin doesn't find it cute at all; she just thinks it's an eyesore.

"Young Master, let's go inside and talk!"

Although there was a screen to block the view, Xu Fanglin was still worried, so he led the person into the inner room.

Yingzhu naturally understood Xu Fanglin's thoughts. If she spoke, it would seem too deliberate, but if she just knelt there, she would be the one suffering.

She had to remain calm and make Liang Yunqian notice her behind the screen!