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

Taking advantage of his moment of relaxation, Yingzhu was finally able to catch her breath. "It's all because the young master bullied me. I can't even recover yet."

"You are ordered to continue the family line, and I will comply. However, you should not resort to underhanded tactics. I hate being schemed against!"

"It is the servant who was tricked. That little eunuch knew the young master's rules, yet he still asked the servant to deliver the clothes. Who knows what he was up to?"

As expected, nothing good came of it. Not only did the young master misunderstand me as having ulterior motives, but I also tripped and fell, getting my clothes wet. These were my new clothes! After being soaked in this hot spring, they're all wrinkled. How am I supposed to wear them now?!

Yingzhu looked at her clothes with heartache in her eyes.

Her attention didn't seem to be on him, so Liang Yunqian suddenly nudged her shoulder.

"If you can't wear it anymore, just get a new one. Focus on that."

He intruded into her territory without warning, catching Yingzhu off guard and causing her to make a strange sound.

Later, she couldn't tell whether it was pleasure or protest...

In a daze, a gentle breeze swept by, bringing a touch of coolness, and she fell once again into his raging inferno.

And she was consumed by his flames...

The moonlight shone brightly, and Yingzhu lost track of time. She couldn't remember when she had fainted, and when she woke up, she found herself lying in a wooden house.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the wooden house, bathing the bamboo-lined interior. The Prince's Mansion was a quiet and secluded place, filled with lush greenery, simple and elegant.

Yingzhu's memories were fragmented and scattered. After a long while, she vaguely recalled the scene of herself hanging in Liang Yunqian's arms.

That scene made Yingzhu blush, and she secretly marveled at Liang Yunqian's amazing arm strength, which kept her from falling for so long!

As she was lost in thought, Qiuhe came over with clothes and a kettle, giving her a disdainful look.

"You really have a lot of tricks up your sleeve, even using hot springs as bait. Where did you learn all these seductive moves from?"

Yingzhu sat up lazily, smoothing her messy black hair. "I learned it from the Fire Avoidance Diagram. Are you interested? I'll lend it to you to take a look?"

"Pah! I'm not as despicable as you, throwing away all your dignity to seduce the prince."

Yingzhu found these words utterly ridiculous. "What's the point of worrying about face when it comes to having a child?"

"You should at least have some sense of propriety and shame! How could you do that kind of thing in a hot spring? It's so embarrassing!"

Yingzhu gave a soft "hmm" and smiled nonchalantly, "Then where do you think it should be? I'll try it with the young master tonight."

Qiuhe had hoped to see her angry and embarrassed, but to her surprise, she didn't care at all and even joked around.

Qiuhe's punch landed on cotton, making her face turn red with anger, and she couldn't speak for a long time.

She casually tossed the clothes to Yingzhu, who unfolded them, tried them on, and found the sleeves were clearly too short.

"This garment is the wrong size."

"You didn't bring many clothes with you when you came to the manor. The one you wore the other day got soaked in the snow, and the new clothes you wore yesterday were soaked in the hot spring and are all wrinkled. You really have nothing to change into."

I kindly gave you my clothes; I'm not as tall as you, so it's normal for them to be a bit short. You should be grateful you have something to wear, so stop being so picky.

It's as if Yingzhu doesn't know what's good for her.

When she first entered the manor, the Princess Consort of Rui bestowed upon her some fabric, but Xu Fanglin withheld it, saying she wanted to have someone make clothes for her, and so far no one has taken her measurements.

Even so, she had more than just those two pieces of clothing in her room.

"I still have an old garment in my trunk. Even if it's not brand new, at least it's clean and tidy, and it won't be too short. I have to see the Princess today, and if I dress like this, wouldn't I be embarrassing her?"

Yingzhu asked her to go get it, but Qiuhe leaned against the door, looking at her fingernails with her hand behind her back, without moving.

"We're all maids. You don't have the status of a concubine, so you're not much more noble than me. Don't put on airs in front of me and make a fool of yourself! If you're so capable, get the young master to fetch your clothes! What kind of skill is it to bully me?"

Qiuhe kept rambling on and on, clearly not listening to her.

Just as she was about to continue her teasing, she suddenly heard footsteps outside the wooden house.

Qiuhe turned her head and saw two maids walk in. "Miss Shen, the young master has sent us to bring you six sets of dresses. Please choose one and try it on."

This sudden scene left Qiuhe speechless. "Why would the young master send her so many new clothes for no reason?"

The maid shook her head. "I only carry out my duties and dare not ask any questions."

Yingzhu was stunned for a moment, but after a brief thought, she understood.

"I fell into the hot spring last night and my clothes were torn. I casually mentioned it, and the young master took it to heart and sent me new clothes. But one set would have sufficed; was it really necessary to send so many?"

"The young master said he didn't know the young lady's favorite colors and styles, so he sent over a few more for you to choose from."

Qiuhe felt that the maid's voice was unusually loud, so loud that it hurt her ears.

Feeling embarrassed, Qiuhe quietly left. Yingzhu knew that she was going to complain to Xu Fanglin.

Let her be! The bigger the fuss she makes, the more likely Xu Fanglin is to lose her composure and do things she shouldn't.

Because she was going to see the princess, Yingzhu couldn't dress too brightly. Scarlet was definitely out of the question. In the end, she chose a pink top and blue bottom, with rabbit fur embroidered around the collar and cuffs. It was fresh, elegant, and not eye-catching.

After changing and washing up, Yingzhu went to Deshan Hall.

As she expected, Xu Fanglin was also there.

Princess Rui, seated at the head of the table, exuded elegance and grace. She looked at Yingzhu, who was curtsying, and nodded with a smile.

"That Taoist priest is indeed a highly accomplished person. Yun Qian forbids women from serving him in bed, yet you have caught his eye. It's truly a blessing from heaven; there's hope for offspring!"

"This is my good fortune, and I will serve the young master with all my heart."

Yingzhu greeted them with a smile, while Princess Rui glanced at Qiao Mama and gave her a meaningful look.

With a knowing smile, Granny Qiao reminded her, "Now that you are the young master's concubine, why don't you offer Her Highness the Princess a cup of tea?"

Yingzhu glanced at Xu Fanglin beside her, and hesitated.

"I've heard that only concubines are qualified to serve tea to Your Highness, so this servant would never dare to be presumptuous."

Xu Fanglin immediately declared, "Mother, Yingzhu is merely a concubine and has not yet borne any children. Let's skip the tea ceremony to avoid breaking the rules."

Princess Rui's crescent-shaped eyebrows suddenly furrowed. "She has already slept with Yun Qian, and she will be pregnant sooner or later. It is only right to give her a title."

"Let's wait until she gives birth. She's not pregnant yet, and if we give her a formal title, people will gossip. I'm only thinking of her; I don't want her to be under too much pressure."

Despite Xu Fanglin's repeated attempts to stop her, Princess Rui slowly turned her head and asked, "Yingzhu, would you be willing to become Yunqian's concubine?"

Princess Rui is the mistress of the Prince's mansion. Whether or not she is given a title is entirely up to her.

She came to ask Yingzhu for her opinion, seemingly to respect her thoughts, but was it actually a test?

Xu Fanglin had already refused on her behalf. If Yingzhu were to openly say that she wanted to be a concubine, it would be tantamount to slapping Xu Fanglin in the face.

But if he said he didn't want to be a concubine, he would offend the princess.

No matter how Yingzhu answers, it seems she is wrong.

After a moment's thought, Yingzhu had a flash of inspiration.