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

Yingzhu chuckled awkwardly, "Wenzhu Pavilion was the residence you chose for me, and it's also part of the Prince's estate. It's your territory, so of course you can come. I'm just a little surprised that you would come here when you're sober?"

He suddenly remembered what she had said last night, that everyone in the mansion was talking about it.

After a moment of silence, Liang Yunqian solemnly declared.

"I never said I wouldn't come to see you after you got pregnant. These are just rumors, don't take them seriously."

So the mistakes of the past life should not be repeated, right?

"Then you can come here often in the future, and I won't have to go to Tingsongyuan. I don't want to walk at night. It's so cold in the middle of winter, and the wind is howling. It's scary."

Her voice was gentle and without much variation, yet it made Liang Yunqian's heart skip a beat.

As he pondered her first words, Liang Yunqian's eyes flickered slightly.

"Are you really looking forward to my arrival?"

She paused for only a moment before a smile curved her lips. "Of course! It's my honor that Your Highness could come."

These words sounded agreeable, but he couldn't deceive himself.

Based on his understanding of Shen Yingzhu, he knew she wouldn't say something like that.

His fingers slowly traced her lips. "Your lips... are so sweet."

"Isn't this what the Crown Prince wants? You always say I speak unpleasantly, so I have to be sweeter."

"Changed too fast, it's not normal. Either he needs something, or..." Liang Yunqian's knuckles slowly fell from her lips, landing on her heart.

"You're feeling guilty."

His gaze was fixed on her as he spoke, and Yingzhu felt there was something more to his words, but she was afraid she was overthinking it. Her bright eyes darted around...

"Since you rewarded me with five hundred taels of silver, I'm naturally happy and will fawn over you!"

Yingzhu believed her explanation was reasonable, but he remained expressionless, staring intently into her eyes, as if trying to discern something from them.

"Ever since you entered, Young Master, you've had a somber face. What's troubling you? You can tell me, but I'm very tight-lipped and will absolutely not let anyone know!"

Yingzhu raised her finger to swear an oath, actually trying to liven up the atmosphere, but Liang Yunqian lowered his eyes and poured himself a cup of tea.

"Nothing much. What have you been busy with today? Embroidery?"

As they were talking, Liang Yunqian glanced at her and noticed that her embroidery progress was not much different from yesterday, so it seemed that she hadn't touched the needle and thread much today.

Yingzhu noticed the changes in his eyes. After a moment's thought, she guessed that Liang Yunqian was testing her to see if she would admit to meeting Song Xingzhou.

Perhaps he was unaware of their chance encounter in the back garden, or perhaps he had already heard about it and was trying to gauge her reaction.

If she hides it, she might get away with it today, but what about the future?

The Prince's mansion was very large, with five or six hundred rooms. Some people might not see him even once a year. But the mansion was also very small, and she met him today.

Liang Yunqian is so smart and suspicious that Yingzhu won't be able to keep it a secret for long. She might even end up being accused of deliberately concealing something.

After weighing the pros and cons, Yingzhu said calmly, "My neck hurts from bending over to embroider. I didn't do any work today. I took Amber out for a walk to warm up. Amber was so well-behaved, sitting on the swing with me!"

However, I encountered a strange thing today. I saw the new fourth young master. He looks a lot like Song Xingzhou, but his eyes were covered, so I couldn't see his eyes and didn't know if they were similar.

Yingzhu spoke in an unusually calm tone, as if she were just chatting casually.

This reaction was exactly what Liang Yunqian had expected.

"Wouldn't you be pleasantly surprised to see someone who resembles Song Xingzhou?"

"There are many similar people in this world. I won't be surprised, I'll only be terrified. It's like seeing a ghost in broad daylight! People can't come back to life. It must just be a coincidence."

Yingzhu remained nonchalant, but Liang Yunqian's dark eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment's hesitation, he said:

"What if Song Xingzhou didn't die, and he really was Song Xingzhou?"

Meeting his probing gaze, Yingzhu couldn't help but think of a certain possibility.

"You've met him? He said he was Song Xingzhou?"

I mean, hypothetically.

Liang Yunqian avoided the main point and did not give a direct answer, so Yingzhu dared not hesitate for a moment.

"Even if it really is him, so what? I am already your concubine, and the concubine-acceptance banquet is about to be held, so Fourth Master will be my brother-in-law."

Song Xingzhou and I broke off our engagement long ago and have no further connection. It doesn't matter what his status is.

Yingzhu thought she had answered cautiously, but Liang Yunqian's brows remained furrowed and did not relax.

"You've been engaged to him for so long, and you still care so much about his wood carvings. It's impossible that you don't have any feelings for him."

But now that you know he might still be alive, your reaction is strangely calm, which is abnormal.

Yingzhu sighed inwardly, realizing she hadn't been wrong. Liang Yunqian was indeed a suspicious man; no matter how cautious she was, he remained skeptical.

"If he were alive, I would certainly be happy for him, but we are no longer on the same path."

If the Fourth Prince is indeed him, I will naturally keep my distance from him; the Young Master need not worry.

As the conversation progressed, Yingzhu lost patience.

Just as she was about to turn around, he suddenly blocked her way, embraced her from behind, and his large hand climbed up to the snowy mountain peak, landing on her heart, continuously feeling her heartbeat.

The rapid and unsteady movements are clearly abnormal.

"Actually, the moment you saw him, your heart was already in turmoil, wasn't it? You were afraid I would investigate, so you pretended to be calm? The more you try to pretend, the easier it is for you to give yourself away."

Yingzhu suddenly felt exhausted. She had already made her stance clear, so why was he still holding onto it?

"I was just annoyed. I was annoyed that you kept asking so many questions, and when I explained, you wouldn't believe me and kept making wild guesses. People's hearts also race when they're agitated, is that something to make a fuss about?"

Is it that Liang Yunqian doesn't believe her? Or is it that she feels guilty?

"I want to believe you too, but your eyes are so shifty. You just don't realize it and mistakenly think you're pretending very well."

Does she have it? Is he trying to trick her?

Yingzhu secretly warned herself not to lose her composure; she had to stay calm!

"Then may I ask Your Highness, how should I behave to be considered normal? Should I weep bitterly, go to the Fourth Master, ask him to take off the ribbon, and ask him if he is Song Xingzhou? Ask him why he is still alive?"

What if it's not? Wouldn't that lead to misunderstandings? How embarrassing! I could never do something like that.

"You don't need to ramble on; just show your true reaction, and I'll make my own judgment."

Exhausted, Yingzhu let out a long sigh and decided to stop pretending, pouring out her heart.

"Okay, then I'll tell you my true thoughts: The first time I saw Fourth Master, I was very confused. He looks too much like Song Xingzhou. Is Song Xingzhou still alive?"

But I wasn't happy, because I quickly thought of you. My second thought was—I'm doomed! Knowing the Crown Prince's suspicious nature, he'll definitely find fault with me again.

As it turns out, I was right; you were indeed stirring up trouble again!

She bombarded Liang Yunqian like a firecracker, leaving him with a gloomy expression.

"Shen Yingzhu! Is this how you talk to me?"

"Was my attitude bad just now? You wouldn't listen to my kind explanations and insisted on telling me the truth. This is what I really think. Are you satisfied now?"

Yingzhu struggled to break free from his grasp, but he suddenly grabbed her narrow shoulders, forcing her to turn around and face him, questioning her in a cold voice.

"So what? You want the fourth brother to be Song Xingzhou? You want him to still be alive?"