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

Liang Yunqian glanced at Shen Yingzhu, already understanding the situation.

"Shen Yingzhu can bewitch your mind and control you to do bad things? She forced you to give gifts to Gao Hengzhi? She forced you to complain to the Princess about plotting against her brother?"

Liang Yunqian's few questions left Xu Fanglin speechless. Yingzhu found it all quite ridiculous, but she still had to put on a sad and indignant expression.

"Who on earth is gossiping behind my back, causing the Crown Princess to misunderstand me to this extent?"

Xu Fanglin's eyes were filled with panic, her phoenix eyes were bloodshot, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

"That's because... because I care about the Crown Prince! I would have been happy if Yingzhu could consummate the marriage with the Crown Prince, since there would be hope for offspring."

But ever since she became your concubine, the prince only has eyes for her, always protecting her and neglecting me, which has caused me to be ridiculed by the people in the mansion.

They all say I'm just a figurehead as the Crown Prince's wife, and that Yingzhu is the Crown Prince's favorite. I was blinded by jealousy and did something foolish. If only the Crown Prince had paid a little more attention to me, I wouldn't be in this situation.

Yingzhu watched coldly as Xu Fanglin tearfully recounted her ordeal, shifting all the blame onto Yingzhu in an attempt to gain Liang Yunqian's sympathy and soften his heart.

After she finished her performance, Yingzhu lowered her eyes sadly.

"Your Highness, you misunderstand. The Crown Prince doesn't like me. He just wants a child. Once you are pregnant, he will no longer let me serve you, and you will have plenty of opportunities to spend time with him."

"I am of lowly status, merely a concubine, and pose no threat. You need not listen to those rumors."

Yingzhu deliberately emphasized the term "concubine," her words carrying a sense of self-deprecation, which was meant for Liang Yunqian's ears.

Liang Yunqian has already punished Xu Fanglin, so she shouldn't speak ill of others anymore, lest Liang Yunqian suspect her intentions.

Xu Fanglin reacted quickly, immediately echoing Yingzhu's words:

"Yingzhu is right. I was misled by someone with ulterior motives, which is why I misunderstood her. I will definitely be more vigilant in the future and will no longer listen to rumors or make things difficult for Yingzhu. I beg Your Highness to rescind your order and give me a chance to make amends."

Just now, Yingzhu made excuses for Xu Fanglin, simply to gain a reputation for being kind-hearted.

She dared to say that because she was certain that Liang Yunqian would not really let Xu Fanglin off the hook!

Just as Yingzhu had expected, Liang Yunqian glanced at Xu Fanglin, his eyes showing no sign of warming up.

"Your consistent approach is to punish mistakes and handle them fairly. How can you be lenient with yourself but strict with others?"

Xu Fanglin wanted to persuade him further, but Liang Yunqian impatiently waved her away, ordering her to leave.

Helpless, Xu Fanglin had no choice but to give up and go back to think of a solution.

Before leaving, she glared fiercely at Shen Yingzhu, her eyes filled with a hatred that wished she could tear her to pieces.

Yingzhu enjoyed seeing Xu Fanglin's resentful gaze—she clearly hated her, yet dared not retaliate.

Who told Xu Fanglin to be so greedy, taking advantage of her to have a child and then trying to kill her and keep the baby?

Then she should be prepared for retaliation!

After she left, Yingzhu sighed and put her hands together, saying, "Thank you, Bodhisattva, for your protection. May Songyan have a smooth journey and not be framed."

She was muttering to herself with her eyes closed when she suddenly heard Lian Chuan say:

"Miss Shen should thank the young master. It was the young master who sent people to follow him, which led to the discovery of the problem and timely intervention. Otherwise, your brother would have been harmed by Master Gao."

After his reminder, Yingzhu realized that she had overlooked her greatest benefactor.

"Yes! This is all thanks to Your Highness, I am extremely grateful!"

This time she was smarter and stopped saying she had nothing to repay him with, lest he ask her to show her sincerity again.

Liang Yunqian, tall and elegant, stood up from his seat. With a wave of his hand, Lian Chuan, understanding the gesture, retreated.

He walked step by step toward Shen Yingzhu, his gaze fixed on her with a sharp intensity.

"I don't mind if you use me to achieve your goals, but the condition is that you can't fabricate things out of thin air. That's the bottom line!"

So he saw through it all? He knew she was using his power to deal with Xu Fanglin?

But he didn't say it outright; he only warned her that Yingzhu should know when to stop and wouldn't push her luck.

"A person of lowly status can only find a powerful patron to protect themselves and their family. And Your Highness is my patron. I will always remember your teachings. I will only seek to protect myself and will never harm anyone!"

Yingzhu answered sincerely, her doe eyes sparkling, without a trace of guilt.

He slowly raised his index finger and pressed it between her rosy lips.

"Don't make any promises to me. I only look at what a person does. I don't like empty words."

Yingzhu wholeheartedly agreed, "That would be perfect. I just hope that the young master won't be misled by others' words and misunderstand me in the future."

Is she referring to the time Qiuhe slandered her?

Feeling guilty, Liang Yunqian touched the bridge of his nose. "I already apologized to you for what happened last time and even gave you a jade pendant as compensation. Why are you holding a grudge like this?"

Yingzhu flicked her index finger slightly, "This isn't called holding a grudge, it's called... learning from a lesson!"

That was indeed his fault; he shouldn't have listened to Qiuhe's accusations. Undeniably, Liang Yunqian changed the subject.

"Who told you that I wouldn't see you again after you got pregnant?"

He was like this in his past life. Although she has tried very hard to change his opinion of her in this life, Liang Yunqian's heart is as hard as stone. She has to be prepared for both possibilities.

"That's what the nanny said. Once I become pregnant and my body becomes inconvenient, I will no longer be able to serve the young master. You will no longer see me, and other women will naturally serve you then."

Her chin was slightly tucked in as she spoke, and there was a hint of sigh in her voice. Was it regret? Or was she deliberately putting on an act for him?

Shen Yingzhu was so intelligent that he only believed five-tenths of what she said.

"Are you saying this to make sure I deny it? Don't try to guess what I'm thinking!"

"The nanny said that a concubine is just a maid and should not have feelings for her master. I am just aware of my own limitations and have kept the nanny's teachings in mind. How did that become speculation and probing?"

"You're so suspicious. Think what you want; I have a clear conscience."

Her pouting lips revealed her dissatisfaction, and her coquettish tone was completely undisguised.

"You're the first person to dare complain and criticize in front of me. Your temper is getting worse and worse, and you're always so unforgiving!"

Liang Yunqian lightly touched her lips with his index finger, causing her heart to tremble slightly. She subconsciously grabbed his finger.

Liang Yunqian hissed softly in pain, "What...why are you yelling at people?"

"Don't blame me, it was the young master who provoked me first. You have no idea, that touch just now felt so numb and uncomfortable..."

A blush crept onto Yingzhu's jade-like face, her curled eyelashes half-drooping, concealing the shyness in her eyes.

Those slightly pursed red lips uttered a few ambiguous words, yet they were like a spring breeze, igniting the wildfire in his heart...

He took two more steps closer, closing the distance between them. Her upturned, watery eyes were still blank, while he had already leaned down and approached, his high, straight nose seemingly unintentionally brushing against her delicate nose.

"It's too painful to talk about..."