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

Yingzhu thought about it carefully and realized that her words were inappropriate. "It seems that the young master has never really looked at me carefully. Every time, you don't have any tenderness and just start right away. You are not gentle at all."

The moment he raised his eyebrows, Liang Yunqian's gentle expression suddenly turned frosty.

"What makes you think you can expect me to be gentle with you?"

He always had such a cold face, never a smile. Yingzhu smiled self-deprecatingly, realizing that there was no point in her saying this.

"You have no feelings for me, so naturally you won't treat me gently. After all, your only goal is to have sex and have a child. My goal is also to get pregnant. As long as I get pregnant, that's all that matters. As for the process... your gaze is devoid of emotion, it's just lust, and it's not important."

At times, Liang Yunqian felt that she was timid and cowardly, but at other times she was clever and intelligent, and occasionally he felt that she was very clear-headed.

Her way of looking at people and things seemed different from ordinary people. He couldn't see through her, so he didn't say much, but just coldly lifted her skirt.

He hadn't really appreciated her before, because he had always harbored suspicions about her.

Their interactions were driven by a strong purpose, and his guarded nature prevented him from being too unrestrained.

Only now, recalling what she had said, did he take another look.

Her slender, well-proportioned, and fair-skinned figure was neither too thin nor too plump; her perfectly proportioned, soft lines were truly pleasing to the eye.

However, the bruises between his knees made his heart skip a beat, and he lost all interest in appreciating anything else.

He placed the ice wrapped in gauze on her knee, and the moment it touched her, Yingzhu couldn't help but hiss softly.

Liang Yunqian immediately looked up. "Does it hurt a lot?"

Yingzhu frowned and forced a smile, "It's alright, it doesn't hurt much, it's a little cold."

"After the injury, you need to apply ice for the first two days, and you can apply heat on the third day. Just bear with it for now; it will heal faster after applying ice."

He wrapped the brocade quilt around her, covering her completely, leaving only her small head, big eyes, and knees exposed.

He also wrapped her legs in a wool blanket so she wouldn't get cold.

Wrapped up like a dumpling, Yingzhu looked at Liang Yunqian, who was wearing only a thin nightgown, and couldn't help but ask, "Isn't Your Highness cold?"

"There's an underfloor heating system inside, so it's fine."

He held ice packs wrapped in gauze in both hands, applying them to her knees. Suddenly, Shen Yingzhu covered the back of his hands with hers.

"But your hands must be very cold from holding ice cubes the whole time, right?"

Liang Yunqian raised an eyebrow impatiently, "Do you think I'm that fragile? Can't I even endure the slightest hardship?"

"After all, you're a pampered young master! Everyone in the household would never want you to suffer."

"I went to war when I was sixteen and spent four years in the army. What hardships haven't I endured?"

She had heard about this, but she didn't quite understand the reason behind it. "But you are the heir apparent, of noble birth. There's no need for you to risk your life on the battlefield, is there?"

Liang Yunqian's hand paused slightly, a flicker of emotion flashing in his cold eyes.

"In the eyes of outsiders, I am the legitimate son of Prince Rui and should be the heir apparent. However, my mother passed away early, and I have no maternal support. My other brothers are all eager to seize the position of heir apparent. Therefore, I must go to the battlefield and make military achievements in order to keep my position as heir apparent."

"But you injured your leg in battle, and while treating it, someone tampered with the thunder vine, almost causing you to die without an heir. Don't you... regret it?"

Liang Yunqian had also thought about this question.

"If I hadn't had military merits, the position of heir apparent would have changed hands long ago, and I wouldn't have waited until now."

Yingzhu was forced into this conflict, and now it seems that Liang Yunqian is also in a difficult situation.

"But they're forcing you to have a child, saying that if no woman conceives within three months, they'll... they'll establish another heir. It's outrageous!"

"The royal family has always valued offspring. The crown prince will inherit the throne in the future, so he will naturally have the responsibility of continuing the family line. It is understandable that they would have such considerations, especially since..."

He trailed off, then changed the subject, "If it weren't for the crisis of the three-month deadline, how would you and that Taoist priest have had the opportunity to enter the Prince's residence and get close to me?"

The two had just been chatting amicably when, after only a few words, his suspicions arose again.

"This servant really doesn't know that Taoist priest, and we're not together."

He wouldn't readily believe her, but it was the only way at the moment, and he had to try.

"Whether you are naturally fertile or not will be clear in two months."

"Actually, this kind of thing doesn't just depend on the woman; it also depends on whether the man is capable..."

Yingzhu muttered something under her breath, but he heard her!

Liang Yunqian's dark eyes narrowed slightly. "You mean, I'm not good enough?"

Noticing his voice rising, Yingzhu immediately changed her tune, "Young Master is amazing! This servant is sure to get pregnant!"

How can you be so certain?

Because she was pregnant in her past life! So there shouldn't be any problem in this life, but of course she still has to be careful to prevent any mishaps.

But she couldn't mention her past life, so she said, "Because I dreamed of a snake. The elders say that if you dream of a snake, you will soon get pregnant."

"Another superstition? What else do you know besides that?"

Living among ordinary people, Yingzhu had seen far too many people praying to gods and Buddhas.

At first, she didn't understand why people would believe in an ethereal god, but after witnessing much suffering in the world, she finally understood the feelings of those helpless people.

"Not all superstitions are unacceptable. Some so-called beliefs are actually giving oneself hope and courage to keep living..."

The smile that spilled from the corner of her lips was tinged with bitterness.

Liang Yunqian fell silent, his gaze distant as if he too were recalling the past, and he stopped arguing.

After applying the ice for 15 minutes, Liang Yunqian removed the ice and put down her dress.

The atmosphere inside the tent was tense; he didn't speak, and neither did she.

However, after lying down, she was restless, her hands constantly groping around him.

Liang Yunqian frowned. "Looking for what?"

Only when she touched his two hands did Yingzhu grasp them, just as she had guessed.

"Your hands must be very cold from holding ice for so long. Let me warm them up for you."

She actually cares about this?

"I'm a grown man, not as fragile as you think."

Liang Yunqian didn't mind, but her small hand held his large hand tightly, trying to transfer her warmth to him through the lines of her palm.

She insisted on warming his hands, so Liang Yunqian didn't refuse. However, he soon regretted it.

To make it easier for him to warm his hands, Yingzhu stayed nestled in his arms, very close to him. She even turned to face him, and with each breath, he could clearly perceive the shape of the snow-capped mountain!

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, she seemed to move even closer to him.

He, who had been calm, started to get agitated again. "You... stay away from me!"

"But your hands aren't warm yet!"

"My hands aren't even warm, but my heart is already ablaze. If you don't mind a second time, then let's continue."

The two of them were together to have a child, so he didn't need to restrain himself. However, because she was injured, though not seriously, she needed to rest, so he stopped abusing her.

But she was restless and kept fidgeting, which ignited his desire.

In the dim candlelight, his bright eyes lingered on her beautiful face, finally settling on her rosy lips.

Noticing his presumptuous gaze, Yingzhu realized something was wrong and immediately released his hand, backing away.

"You'd better keep warm yourself!"

She didn't want to do something good that backfired and hurt herself.

She tried to stay away from him as much as possible. Liang Yunqian got out of the tent and washed his face, which gradually extinguished the flame in his heart.

Nothing happened that night, and Yingzhu got up early the next day as usual.

She rode in a palanquin from Tingsong Garden to Deshan Hall, but encountered Xu Fanglin on the way.

After Liang Yunqian gave the order, Xu Fanglin also had to go copy the scriptures, but she was walking. When she caught sight of Shen Yingzhu sitting in the palanquin, Xu Fanglin's expression darkened.

Xu Fanglin did not speak, but lowered her phoenix eyes, coughed lightly with her handkerchief covering her face, and the hairpin hanging diagonally in her hair swayed back and forth, just like her troubled emotions at the moment.

If the mistress is unhappy, the maid must stand up for her. Understanding this, Xia Guo immediately raised her voice and scoffed:

"Stop! Shen Yingzhu, don't you know the rules? You're not a concubine, what right do you have to ride in a carriage? Besides, when paying respects to the Princess Consort, one walks to show sincerity. Even the Crown Princess doesn't ride in a carriage, what gives you the right to put on airs?"

Yingzhu had to follow the rules to gain a foothold in the Prince's mansion, but sometimes Liang Yunqian gave her special privileges, which she should exercise. This was the reason why she was so eager to win his favor.