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

Liang Yunqian's tone was unfriendly, and Princess Rui disliked his attitude, but for the sake of the overall situation, she had to patiently explain the pros and cons to him.

"The reason I'm asking you to consummate your marriage with Shen Yingzhu is so that you can have a child as soon as possible. Otherwise, the position of heir will change hands in just over two months!"

The matter of Ningxuelu is not due to my selfishness, but solely for my daughter's sake. It's because your father wants to keep her in the capital, using her for a marriage alliance to win over his ministers, rather than sending her away for a political marriage!

You think I'm using you as a pawn? Then isn't my daughter a pawn for your father too? Royal family members' marriages are never their own choice; you should understand that. I'm only thinking of your future!

As she spoke, Princess Rui's eyes reddened, and she looked heartbroken.

Liang Yunqian watched coldly, his eyes showing no emotion.

"Because you have no son, you pin your hopes on me. Ostensibly, you want to protect my position as heir apparent, but in reality, you want to protect your position as the principal wife! It's all for your own benefit, so don't try to portray yourself as so noble!"

In the past, even if Liang Yunqian harbored resentment towards her, he would keep it to himself.

Since his injury, his temperament has become increasingly eccentric. When he's unhappy, he'll blurt out anything without any regard for her feelings.

"You call me mother, and I have long regarded you as my own son. We, mother and son, should be of one mind. Since you were able to consummate your marriage with Shen Yingzhu, it proves that you are a normal man and there is no problem with you."

"Then you can consummate your marriage with Zisu! She's beautiful, and she's also Doctor Wu's apprentice. You won't lose out. Having another woman increases your chances of getting pregnant."

Liang Yunqian picked up the wine cup, but only rubbed the rim of the cup without drinking it.

"Was this Zisu's idea, or yours?"

"Zisu said it was her master's idea. I thought it made sense, so I agreed. Yunqian, you are a good child who considers the big picture. I think you should understand better than me why your father kept your sister."

No one consulted his opinion; the decision was made just like that, using family ties and the greater good to suppress his opinions.

Liang Yunqian raised his head and took a sip of wine, without saying anything more.

He neither agreed nor refused, but I don't know what he was thinking.

Princess Rui has already explained the pros and cons to him, and he should be aware of them.

Back at Lan Zhao Yuan, Yingzhu hadn't left since returning from De Shan Tang; she had spent the entire day resting in her room.

With Liang Yunqian's order, she was able to obtain the ice and continue applying the cold compress.

But he also instructed that after applying cold compresses for one more day, the day after tomorrow, hot compresses with eggs should be used instead.

It seems he's been injured so many times that he's become experienced.

Fortunately, her injury was minor, and she recovered after a few applications of the ointment.

During dinner that evening, Qingfeng sighed and said, "It seems that Her Highness the Princess Consort took Aunt Zhou's words to heart. She invited the Prince over at noon, presumably to discuss this with him."

I heard that Consort Zhou invited the young master to dinner tonight, and he went to Xiuxue Pavilion.

Yingzhu put down her spoon and couldn't help but let her mind wander.

"He's going to have a meal, and he'll likely stay overnight. Does that mean I don't need to go to Tingsong Garden tonight?"

"That's hard to say. The young master has dined with Consort Zhou before, but he has never stayed overnight."

"But this time, the princess is pressuring him to get the Snow Condensation Dew, so he'll probably consummate his marriage with Concubine Zhou, right?"

Zhou Zisu had made it very clear during the day that she would not hand over the second bottle of Ningxue Dew until they consummated their marriage.

Princess Rui must have told Liang Yunqian all of this. Now that he went to Xiuxuexuan, he should understand the significance of his trip.

It was precisely because of this consideration that Yingzhu felt she shouldn't have to serve Liang Yunqian tonight.

She had anticipated this situation, so she wasn't surprised.

Qingfeng felt it was inappropriate, "But the young master didn't send anyone to say that you're not allowed to go to Tingsong Garden. In my opinion, you should still go! At least you won't give anyone cause for gossip."

Yingzhu thought about it carefully and felt that what she said made sense. Anyway, now that there was a carriage, it wouldn't hurt for her to go.

Whether Liang Yunqian comes back or not is his business. The bedding in Tingsongyuan is softer and warmer, and there's even underfloor heating, making it more comfortable than her room.

Thinking of this, Yingzhu stopped worrying. After finishing her dinner and washing up, she took a carriage to Tingsong Garden.

Liang Yunqian was not in the room at this time; only Amber was taking a nap.

As soon as Yingzhu opened the jar, Amber immediately woke up, opened her cat mouth, yawned widely, stretched, and then came over.

This time, finally no one intercepted Amber halfway and called her away.

Yingzhu could monopolize Amber all by herself, scratching its chin and head, while Amber purred contentedly, squinting its eyes as she stroked it.

Then she picked up the peacock feather cat toy and played with Amber.

She was just playing with the cat, but she got tired of it herself. While resting, Yingzhu glanced at the small table she often sat on and noticed a calligraphy copybook with the character "人" (person) written on it, along with a line of smaller characters:

Write two pages.

Last night she begged Liang Yunqian to teach her how to write the strokes, but he didn't agree at the time, so this is the task he assigned her today?

He finally agreed to teach her, but she couldn't smile.

This Liang Yunqian has already gone to have babies with other beauties, yet he still makes her practice writing the character "人" (person)? Isn't he deliberately trying to embarrass her?

Suddenly, she lost all interest in being diligent and had no enthusiasm for practicing calligraphy.

Since she's not coming back tonight anyway, she doesn't need to put on an act anymore, so she might as well enjoy herself.

She moved the amber nest to the tatami room, and then lay on the tatami, leisurely stroking it.

"Amber, you're so lucky! No hatred, no pressure, no goals. You eat, drink, sleep in late every day, and when you're bored, you groom yourself and bask in the sun. How carefree your life is! I want to be a cat in my next life, but..."

She didn't say what she was going to say aloud, but kept it to herself.

She will wait until she avenges the Xu family in this life, and in the next life she will be free of all attachments and be a cat again.

Amber couldn't understand her words, and just kept licking her fur. When she got tired, she would curl up in her nest to rest. Yingzhu stroked her for a while, and when she got tired too, she unconsciously closed her eyes.

The news quickly reached Lan Zhaoyuan, and Xia Guo felt increasingly aggrieved upon hearing it.

"Even if the Crown Prince has recovered, if he is to consummate his marriage, he should first consummate it with you, the Crown Princess. Yet the Princess Consort is biased towards Consort Zhou, arranging for her to consummate the marriage with the Crown Prince. This is outrageous!"

"It's all because the princess wants Ningxue Dew. She needs something from someone, so naturally she'll go along with Zhou Zisu."

Xu Fanglin's reaction was relatively calm: "I don't care for such favoritism! Our young master is rebellious by nature and hates being threatened."

Zhou Zisu's use of Ningxue Dew to threaten him into consummating their marriage was unwise. The prince wouldn't like her because of it; he would only harbor resentment. Her move was too hasty.

Xu Fanglin was waiting to see what would happen; she also wanted to know whether Liang Yunqian would stay overnight at Xiuxuexuan.

Inside Xiuxue Pavilion, Zhou Zisu was pouring wine for Liang Yunqian, but Liang Yunqian reached out and took the wine cup away.

"Avoid alcohol when trying to conceive."

Her hand, holding the wine pot, paused slightly, then a smile instantly spread across her face. "Then let's have tea!"

Zhou Zisu changed the teapot and attentively poured him tea and served him food. Liang Yunqian ate his meal but didn't say much. He kept a somber face and didn't smile.

Having known him for so many years, she knew that was just his personality, so she didn't pay much attention to it.

As she washed her hands after the meal, Zhou Zisu looked at him with a shy smile and her eyes sparkled with desire.

Mei Xin came over to bring water. "Young Master, the hot water is ready. Please wash up and go to bed."

The handkerchief wrapped around Zhou Zisu's fingertips again and again. She lowered her head shyly and secretly observed Liang Yunqian's reaction.

If he agrees to wash up here, then tonight will be their wedding night...