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

He lowered his gaze and saw the person in his arms with her cherry lips tightly pursed, the slightly downturned lip line seemingly carrying a hint of displeasure.

Are you jealous?

Yingzhu stared wide-eyed in shock, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"You jest. How could a mere concubine like me be jealous of Aunt Zhou? Regardless of who you came back for, you've saved me from this predicament, and I'm eternally grateful."

"I didn't do anything. You were clever enough to realize there was something wrong with the bottle, and that's how you saved yourself."

At first, Yingzhu did suspect that Aunt Zhou or Baolan had deliberately tried to harm her. Later, the more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong, but she had no clue or evidence, so she didn't say anything more.

Yingzhu wanted to go back and sort things out first, so as not to say the wrong thing and cause trouble.

He carried him the whole way, and his breathing was still relatively steady. Yingzhu looked up and saw that beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead.

He must be tired after walking so far.

Three years ago, he was seriously injured and had to use a wheelchair. Although his leg was later healed by Zhou Zisu, he still needs to be careful not to put too much force on it in order to avoid a relapse of the old injury.

But if you tell him directly that his leg is not normal and ask him to rest, he definitely won't stop, and might even get upset, thinking that she underestimated him.

But if he were to carry her that far, Yingzhu wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility if something happened.

A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, and Yingzhu's bright eyes lit up as she cried out, "I'm so tired! There's a pavilion over there, shall we go and rest for a while?"

Liang Yunqian slowly turned his head. "You're in my arms, you don't need to walk a single step. I haven't even said I'm tired, yet you're complaining?"

"Your Highness, you've worked hard, but this position nestled in your arms isn't comfortable for me. Let me go over there and rest for a while!"

After her repeated requests, Liang Yunqian thought for a moment and guessed that she was probably worried about his old leg injury and was trying to give him a way out.

The distance was indeed not short, but he could manage it, after all, Yingzhu wasn't that heavy.

However, she kept insisting on seeing the scenery, so Liang Yunqian didn't go against her wishes and carried her to the pavilion.

This scene caught the eye of the green-clad man not far away, and his eyes lit up.

"The sun's rising in the west! Third Brother is actually holding a woman! Who is she?"

"Replying to Fifth Master, that is the young master's concubine, Miss Shen Yingzhu. I heard that she was chosen by the Taoist priest to be a pregnant woman, and she has only been serving him for half a month."

The two were talking in the pavilion, and Fifth Young Master Liang Yunshan did not come closer to disturb them.

He returned to pay his respects to his mother, Consort Li, and recounted the scene he had witnessed on the way, sighing with admiration:

"Everyone says that Third Brother is not interested in women, but today I saw him embracing a young lady. It seems he has finally come to his senses."

Consort Li was already troubled by this matter, and seeing her son's playful appearance only made her angrier.

"Yunqian has become enlightened and is willing to have sex with women, so he will soon have children. Once his woman is pregnant, your father will not change the heir apparent, and you will have no chance. How can you still be laughing?"

"What's so great about being a prince? I don't care!" Liang Yunshan lifted his robe, crossed his legs, and sat down in the armchair.

"My third brother has to go to court before dawn and handle political affairs every day. He's so busy that he has no time to play. Unlike me, he's so carefree."

Consort Li was exasperated. "A real man shouldn't just be playing around! Once you become the heir apparent and inherit the throne, you can be a carefree prince, but right now you must fight to the very end!"

Liang Yunshan picked up a candied fruit from the porcelain jar, put it in her mouth, and found it to be sweet and sour, quite delicious.

"Hasn't Your Highness already found out? It's the problem with the thunder vine. Third Brother himself is fine. He hasn't truly died without an heir, so the position of heir can't be changed. Mother, please stop making trouble!"

"The Emperor and the Prince only gave Yunqian three months. There are still two and a half months left. If Shen Yingzhu doesn't get pregnant, they will strip Yunqian of his title as heir. So you still have hope."

When her mother said this, her expression was sinister, and Liang Yunshan immediately had a bad feeling.

"Whether or not you can conceive is up to fate, Mother, you'd better not interfere. The Princess is extremely concerned about having children, and if anything goes wrong, she will definitely investigate thoroughly. Don't cause trouble!"

"You are also a descendant of Prince Rui, and you are capable. Why can't we compete? Yun Qian is unlucky and has difficulty conceiving. His so-called good fertility may not be true. This is your good opportunity!"

Liang Yunshan gets extremely annoyed whenever these topics are brought up.

"It's a pity that my son has no ambition and only wants to eat, drink and have fun. I don't care whether my third brother can get that Miss Shen pregnant, but he finally consummated his marriage with the woman, so Tang Wei should have given up on him now, right?"

I need to tell Tang Wei about this, so she knows that Third Brother has been with another woman!

While Consort Li was scheming to vie for the position of heir apparent, he was actually thinking about women.

"How many times have I warned you? Don't get too close to Zhao Tangwei. She's the princess's niece, and the person she likes is Yun Qian. Stop thinking about her!"

"Third Brother is already married and now has a concubine. Tang Wei will eventually give up on him. I still have a chance."

Before Consort Li could finish speaking, her son had already run off to find Zhao Tangwei. Consort Li was so angry that her head ached, and she sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Granny Bai came over to massage and soothe her, saying, "Your Highness, please calm down. Fifth Master is still young and doesn't understand how to fight for power. Please don't take it to heart."

Consort Li wearily pinched the bridge of her nose. "My son is so disappointing, that's why I've been putting in so much effort to plan for him. Who would have thought that Shen Yingzhu would ruin everything! Keep a close eye on Deshan Hall to prevent any further mishaps."

Granny Bai agreed and said she would make the arrangements immediately.

Meanwhile, Yingzhu had already been escorted back to her room by Liang Yunqian.

Liang Yunqian invited a doctor for her, but he still had to go out of the mansion on business, so he didn't linger and left first.

After Dr. Xue arrived, he prescribed medicine to reduce the swelling. Qingfeng took the medicine, but Xia Guo, who barged in, snatched it away!

"The Crown Princess instructed that Miss Shen is trying to conceive, and these anti-swelling and analgesic medicines have the effect of promoting blood circulation, so they are not suitable for those trying to conceive."

Qingfeng felt that the Crown Princess was making a mountain out of a molehill. "After the matter of the Thunder Vine was investigated, Miss Shen only served the Emperor twice. She may not be pregnant at the moment."

"That's hard to say. Isn't she prone to getting pregnant? Who knows, she might get pregnant on the first try? If something goes wrong because of this drug, can you afford to take responsibility?"

In fact, the medicine prescribed by Doctor Xue was usable, but since the Crown Princess had spoken, Doctor Xue did not want to take responsibility, so he took the ointment back to avoid trouble.

Yingzhu knew perfectly well that Xu Fanglin was deliberately making things difficult for her.

"Medicine is not an option, but applying some ice will do."

"It's the dead of winter, not summer. There's no ice in any of the rooms, and the storeroom is locked up tight. Where am I supposed to find ice for you?"

"Kneeling as punishment isn't a serious injury; I'll be fine in a couple of days. Don't make a fuss and cause trouble for the Crown Princess!"

After coldly uttering those words, Xia Guo turned and left.

Liang Yunqian had left the manor, and with no one to help her, Yingzhu could only lie down and rest for the time being, waiting for an opportunity to ask for ice.

While resting, Yingzhu was still pondering the strangeness of Ningxue Dew. Who was the person who switched the medicine behind the scenes? Who was that person targeting?

After pondering for too long, Yingzhu felt a headache coming on. Coupled with not sleeping well the night before, she fell asleep with her worries on her mind.

She lay in bed all day without moving much. When she got out of her tent for dinner in the evening, she felt that her injuries had lessened a bit, but it still hurt after walking a few steps.

Fortunately, Liang Yunqian had specifically told her before leaving during the day that her knees were uncomfortable and that she didn't need to go to Tingsongyuan in the evening, but should rest well, so Yingzhu didn't have to go back and forth.

However, after finishing her dinner, just as she was about to wash up, Granny Chen came over.

"Are you feeling better, Miss? Her Highness the Princess instructed me to bring you some tonics. Her Highness said that you have been wronged, but you still have to serve the Prince tonight, since you have already been delayed for so many days."

First she developed a rash, then a cold and fever, and for ten days out of the last two weeks I couldn't serve you in bed. I dare not delay again. This little injury is nothing to worry about; it won't affect our intimacy. Once you're pregnant, you can rest and enjoy yourself!"

Granny Chen explained the pros and cons to her. Yingzhu knew that the current situation was very urgent. If she delayed for even one more day and failed to conceive this month, her pressure would be even greater!

She was willing to serve the emperor, but she didn't want to travel such a long distance and suffer unnecessarily.

"Then I'll trouble you, Granny, to go and tell the young master to come to my place."

Looking around her little house, Granny Chen covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Your little hut is too simple, lacking everything, and incomplete in its furnishings. It only has charcoal and no underfloor heating. How could the young master, so noble and precious, possibly stay overnight in a servant's room like this?"

Although Yingzhu didn't know Liang Yunqian well, she was certain that he was not a pretentious person.

"The young master has practiced martial arts since childhood, and he continued to practice after his leg injury recovered. He is strong and healthy, not as weak as you think, nanny."

"Even if the young master is not particular, he cannot have intercourse in your room. The Taoist priest has calculated that the best place to conceive is in Tingsong Garden. In order to get pregnant as soon as possible, young lady, you should go to Tingsong Garden!"

When Granny Chen brought up the Taoist priest, what could Yingzhu say?

She herself was chosen by the Taoist priest to be a woman with good fertility, so how could she refute these theories of fate and feng shui?

But Tingsongyuan is not close to here. If we walk there like this, today's rest will be for nothing.

Qingfeng, unable to bear it any longer, spoke up, "If you want Miss Shen to serve the emperor while injured, shouldn't you at least prepare a palanquin?"

Granny Chen lowered her voice and said, "Her Highness the Princess also has this plan, but Miss Shen lives in Lan Zhao Garden. If she were to be brought here openly in a palanquin, the Crown Prince's wife would be displeased if she saw it."

No matter how unhappy Xu Fanglin was, she dared not go against the wishes of the Princess Consort Rui.

Princess Rui's move was clearly meant to intimidate Yingzhu, warning her that if she didn't surrender, her days in the Prince's mansion would not be easy!

Just as the stalemate was at hand, Lian Chuan's voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"This servant is acting on the orders of the Crown Prince to invite Miss Shen to ride in a carriage to Tingsong Garden."

His voice was exceptionally loud, which excited Yingzhu. Liang Yunqian had anticipated that the Princess Consort Rui would make things difficult for her, which was why he sent the carriage over.