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

When the thought popped into her head, Yingzhu suddenly realized she was overthinking things.

This isn't a storybook; there aren't that many coincidences, like someone dying and coming back to life.

She dismissed her chaotic thoughts and continued on her way. After returning to Wenzhu Pavilion, Yingzhu saw someone bring her bird's nest.

"Who provided the bird's nest? There's no precedent for this."

"It was the Crown Prince who instructed us. He said that since you are pregnant, you should have bird's nest stewed every day to nourish yourself. Princess Rui also had the doctor make a list of dietary supplements to improve your diet! Everyone in the manor is paying close attention to your pregnancy."

Yingzhu raised her hand and gently stroked her belly, which was not yet swollen, so she could not feel the presence of the child.

Everything she has now is thanks to her child, and she should protect her child and strive to avoid a tragic death like in her previous life.

In this life, she is determined to live well, raise her child herself, and prevent Xu Fanglin's evil scheme from succeeding!

She didn't go to Tingsongyuan last night because she was worried that Liang Yunqian might cause trouble.

She was anxious all day, but he didn't say anything. It seemed he had tacitly agreed that she didn't need to serve him anymore since she was pregnant.

Although he was heartless, at least Yingzhu had changed her residence. If she had continued to live in Lanzhao Garden after becoming pregnant, as she had in her previous life, and was being monitored by Xu Fanglin, her life would have been even more unbearable.

Wenzhuxuan is very nice; it faces the sun and is well-ventilated, which she likes very much.

"I'm only getting this treatment because of my child."

"There's something I might have said that's a bit too much," Qingfeng said tentatively.

"You are pregnant, and the Crown Prince has agreed to take you as a concubine and give you a title. Shouldn't you take the initiative to see the Crown Prince and express your gratitude to him?"

If she continues to ignore him and doesn't see him, she fears that after a while, the Crown Prince will be seduced by other women. After all, there's still the Crown Prince's wife and Consort Zhou in the household! Who knows, the Princess Consort might even try to place more women around the Crown Prince in the future.

Qingfeng's words came from the bottom of his heart, and Yingzhu found them to be reasonable.

Yingzhu wasn't completely indifferent to Liang Yunqian's affection. Of course, she knew that only by being noticed by him could her life remain stable. If he neglected her, no one else would take her seriously in the future.

But to win his attention, she shouldn't just cling to him; she also needs to let him experience the feeling of being both close and distant.

A kite needs to be let out to fly.

"It's kind of you to think of me like this, but some things can't be rushed. In this deep mansion, it's hard to survive without fighting, but how to fight is also an art, and I know what I'm doing."

Qingfeng was afraid that Aunt Shen wouldn't understand the hardships of the household and would be content with her lot, only to be neglected or even murdered—wouldn't that be a pity? Fortunately, Aunt Shen said she was aware of the situation.

"I'm relieved that you understand. Please feel free to tell me what you need me to do."

Right now, Yingzhu doesn't have anything to do proactively; her strategy can be summed up in one word—wait.

Wait and see when Liang Yunqian loses his temper. If he doesn't react, it proves that she hasn't changed his opinion of her. Even if she actively clings to him, it's all in vain and he'll find it repulsive.

If he takes the initiative to come over, then there's hope, and Yingzhu can go with the flow and keep things going.

That evening, Yingzhu stayed at Wenzhuxuan, while Liang Yunqian attended a banquet outside the mansion.

Feeling frustrated, he drank a few more cups of wine. After the banquet, he returned home in a sedan chair. Feeling dizzy, he supported his forehead with his hand and closed his eyes to rest.

Liang Yunqian dozed off, feeling his mouth dry, and subconsciously called out.

"Shen Yingzhu... water."

After a long silence, he opened his eyes in a daze and was shocked to realize that he was sitting in a sedan chair, and there was no sign of Yingzhu at all.

He had only taken a short nap when he dreamed of her again, dreaming that she said she wanted to practice calligraphy.

He drank too quickly tonight. At first, he didn't feel anything, but now that the alcohol was kicking in, he felt unbearable and had a terrible headache. He could only continue to sit with his eyes closed.

Upon returning to the Prince's residence, the sedan chair bearers proceeded as usual to Tingsong Garden, but Lian Chuan waved his hand, signaling them to turn around and head towards Wenzhu Pavilion.

The sedan bearers in front, puzzled, asked in a low voice, "Didn't the young master give any orders?"

Lian Chuan covered his lips with his finger, signaling him to keep quiet.

"Just turn, I'll take care of it!"

Lian Chuan dared to act on his own because he had heard the young master call out Shen Yiniang's name on the way.

He had been by the Crown Prince's side for many years and understood the Crown Prince's thoughts very well. Even if the Crown Prince didn't say it, Lian Chuan could guess what was going on.

However, he generally does not act on his own initiative, because the Crown Prince trusts him, and he should be completely loyal to the Crown Prince and obey his every command.

However, this time was different. The young master refused to go there on his own initiative, and it was obvious that he was thinking about Aunt Shen. That's why Lian Chuan decided to take a gamble.

The sedan chair stopped outside Wenzhu Pavilion, and Lianchuan helped him out of the sedan chair.

Qingfeng was wondering if the young master would come over tonight when she heard a noise outside. She immediately opened the door to greet him and, together with Lianchuan, helped the young master into the house.

At that time, Yingzhu had finished washing up and was sitting on the couch embroidering a handkerchief.

Upon spotting Liang Yunqian, Yingzhu was somewhat surprised. "What happened? How much did the young master drink? Doesn't he not drink?"

"We didn't drink alcohol while we were trying to conceive. The young master sometimes drinks a little, but he always knows his limits and doesn't drink too much. I don't know why, but he got drunk tonight."

Lian Chuan helped the prince into the tent, but the prince refused to enter. Instead, he pushed Lian Chuan away and sat down at the table.

"I'm not drunk!"

That's what everyone who's had too much to drink says. Yingzhu sat down next to him and poured him a cup of tea.

"Yes, you're not drunk, you're perfectly sober! Have a cup of tea!"

Liang Yunqian took the drink and drank a couple of sips, then raised his eyebrows to scrutinize Shen Yingzhu, his dark eyes unfathomable.

"So you finally decided to come? Weren't you going to refuse?"

"..." His sentence was so disjointed; he was probably still dazed. Yingzhu couldn't help but remind him.

"Your Highness, this is Wenzhu Pavilion, not Tingsong Garden. I didn't go there; you came here on your own."

Looking around, Liang Yunqian realized that it was indeed not his house.

He slowly turned his head to look at Lian Chuan, "Who gave you permission to bring me here?"

Lian Chuan explained without batting an eye, "You called out Aunt Shen's name in the sedan chair, and I thought you had something to say to her, so I brought you here."

He was talking in his sleep; he wasn't coming to Shen Yingzhu's place!

But how could he say that? He couldn't very well say that he dreamed about Shen Yingzhu, could he?

Seeing that Liang Yunqian remained silent and his expression was not good, Yingzhu tried to smooth things over.

"Perhaps it's windy at night, and Lian Chuan might have misheard. Now that we're inside, Your Highness, please rest here! It's windy on winter nights, so be careful not to catch a cold if you walk around."

Yingzhu instructed Qingfeng to prepare hot water, and then waved to Lianchuan, signaling him to leave and not to worry about it anymore.

The prince did not speak, and Lian Chuan dared not move, remaining standing there.

Liang Yunqian scoffed, "Lian Chuan acted on his own initiative; fine him a month's salary!"

Lian Chuan accepted the punishment and took his leave. Qing Feng also went out to prepare water. After the two had walked a distance, Qing Feng sighed:

"You've always been clever and often praised by the Crown Prince, so how could you make a mistake today?"

Lian Chuan, despite being punished, wasn't disappointed. Instead, he tilted his head and smiled, "Whether it's right or wrong is still unknown. Just you wait and see!"

Even if she is reprimanded and blamed, Lian Chuan will not mind as long as the prince gets what he wants.

Qingfeng stood there stunned for a moment before belatedly realizing Lianchuan's true intentions.

It turns out that he hadn't misunderstood, but was deliberately pretending to be stupid!

Qingfeng couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, "Great! You're really amazing!"

Lian Chuan covered his lips with his finger, signaling her to keep quiet, "You're not allowed to tell the Crown Prince about me!"

"You're overthinking it. I serve Consort Shen, and naturally I hope she can see the young master more often. I'm more than grateful to you, why would I complain?"

Lian Chuan smiled smugly and gracefully withdrew from public life.

Inside the room, Liang Yunqian kept rubbing his forehead and frowning, seemingly very uncomfortable. Even after drinking tea, he did not feel better.

Yingzhu got up and came behind him to massage his head.

"Why are you drinking so much all of a sudden? Is there something to celebrate? Or something bothering you?"

After a long silence, Liang Yunqian finally said in a deep voice:

Have you heard the rumors about the illegitimate child?

"I heard from them that the young master has met the new young master?"

Liang Yunqian looked up at her. "You didn't see him?"

Whether it was Yingzhu's imagination or not, she always felt that the way he looked at her was meaningful.