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

She had been waiting for this for years, and tonight it would finally come true!

Zhou Zisu was overjoyed, but Liang Yunqian stood up.

"It's getting late, I should head back. You should get some rest."

Zhou Zisu's smile froze. Since he wouldn't take the bait, she had no choice but to express her opinion first.

"Yunqian, I heard you've recovered and are no longer averse to women. Shouldn't we consummate our marriage tonight?"

When Princess Rui said it was Zhou Zisu's idea, he didn't quite believe it, thinking that Princess Rui was behind it.

Zhou Zisu's words have confirmed that she did indeed have this intention.

Liang Yunqian's eyes instantly turned cold. "You won't give Ningxue Dew unless we consummate our marriage? What do you take consummating our marriage for? An exchange of benefits?"

Zhou Zisu's cheeks flushed slightly. "It wasn't my intention, it was my master..."

"But by doing this, you're essentially agreeing with his idea. Have you considered that if I agree tonight, it means I'm consummating our marriage for Ning Xuelu's sake? Is that what you want?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Zhou Zisu was slightly taken aback. "There's no need to be so clear about some things, is there? I was your concubine to begin with, so consummating our marriage is only natural."

"But I mind!"

He is able to stand here unharmed thanks in no small part to Zhou Zisu.

"I am very grateful to you for healing my bruises, but the way to repay your kindness does not necessarily have to be through marriage."

I told you then that my situation might prevent us from consummating our marriage and would ruin your life, but you insisted that we were too close and that you wanted a formal title.

I gave you the title you wanted, but you used the Snow Dew as a condition to force me to consummate our marriage. How am I supposed to feel about that? I can only feel that you are threatening me!

The Prince Rui's mansion is a place of deceit and treachery, where people are often scheming against each other. And yet you... you're also plotting against me?

The hint of disappointment in Liang Yunqian's eyes stung Zhou Zisu.

"Yunqian, you've misunderstood. I didn't scheme against you. It's my master who said I chose the wrong person, that you refused to consummate our marriage and didn't like me. I wanted to prove to him that I hadn't made the wrong choice, so I resorted to this desperate measure."

As she spoke, Zhou Zisu's voice trembled with a hint of tears.

Liang Yunqian, however, remained unmoved. "This is the path you chose yourself. I told you of the consequences, but you insisted on becoming a concubine. Who can you blame?"

He did indeed warn her that being his concubine might mean living a life of widowhood.

At the time, Zhou Zisu was not afraid. She believed that her medical skills were superb and she could definitely cure him. She also thought that over time, they would develop feelings for each other and one day she would be able to win his heart and the two of them would have the opportunity to consummate their marriage.

As it turned out, she was right.

"The thunder vine has been discovered, and you've consummated your marriage with Shen Yingzhu, proving you're no longer averse to women. So why is it that Shen Yingzhu can, but I can't?"

If no woman could get close to him, Zhou Zisu had nothing to say; at least it proved that it wasn't that he didn't like her, but that he was simply ill.

But now he is willing to be close to Shen Yingzhu, yet he is unwilling to consummate their marriage, which makes her feel very embarrassed!

This question stumped Liang Yunqian: Why could Shen Yingzhu do it?

After pondering for a long time, Liang Yunqian still couldn't find the answer deep in his heart. Finally, he said in a deep voice.

"Perhaps it's because she was chosen by the Taoist priest to be a woman who would have a good pregnancy, and her birth chart is compatible with mine."

These words struck Zhou Zisu as truly ironic. "But you never believed in fortune-telling before, and neither did I. It's utter nonsense!"

He genuinely didn't believe it, but he couldn't offer a reasonable explanation.

"Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant, but don't even think about using Snow Dew to negotiate!"

After solemnly stating his position, Liang Yunqian coldly turned and left.

She had prepared so meticulously for tonight, even having the bed curtains changed to red, yet he refused to consummate the marriage with her…

Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, Zhou Zisu slumped onto the stool, a wave of sadness washing over her. "Meixin, did I really do something wrong? Why won't he consummate our marriage? Is it because Shen Yingzhu is prettier than me?"

"So what if she's beautiful? She's just a lowly maid with no special skills. Unlike you, who knows medicine, heals the sick and saves lives, and is respected by everyone."

"But what good is it if I'm the best? Yunqian still refuses to consummate our marriage... Why is that?"

Zhou Zisu burst into tears, soaking her handkerchief.

Mei Xin speculated to herself, "This servant thinks that the young master doesn't dislike you; he feels threatened by you, which is why he has become rebellious. From now on, you should not mention Ning Xue Lu again, and wait patiently for things to naturally fall into place."

"Is that really the reason?" Mei Xin's words successfully stopped Zhou Zisu's crying.

"So that means Yunqian actually has feelings for me, but because I set conditions, he misunderstood me, which led to his rejection and refusal to consummate the marriage?"

"That must be it! Don't be impatient, wait for the right opportunity."

Maybe so! Maybe she was just too impatient.

Zhou Zisu could only console herself, not to be discouraged. If Shen Yingzhu could do it, then she would definitely have a chance...

Thinking this way, she felt much better.

After Liang Yunqian left Xiuxuexuan, he returned to Tingsongyuan and saw Shen Yingzhu and Amber, one human and one cat, sleeping on the couch, looking very relaxed and carefree.

"You certainly know how to enjoy yourself."

The sudden sound startled Yingzhu awake. She opened her eyes groggily and saw Liang Yunqian's figure suddenly appear in the room. She rubbed her eyes in confusion, thinking she was dreaming.

After a moment, she came to her senses and remembered what Qingfeng had said, which made her wonder.

"Young Master? Weren't you at Xiuxue Pavilion tonight? Why did you suddenly return?"

"I'm just going out for a meal. I'll be back when I'm done."

Liang Yunqian sat down, glancing at the teacup. Yingzhu sat up and poured him a cup of tea.

As she served tea, she muttered under her breath, "Weren't we supposed to consummate our marriage? Is it over already?"

"..." Liang Yunqian slowly turned his head and glanced at her. "Whether I'm fast or slow, don't you know?"

That's very ambiguous! Yingzhu's pretty face turned bright red...