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

Prince Rui actually postponed the Crown Prince's concubine-taking banquet for the sake of an illegitimate child?

Although Princess Rui was not Liang Yunqian's biological mother, she was his nominal legal mother. This decision was tantamount to slapping Princess Rui in the face!

What's even more infuriating is that this wasn't something Prince Rui discussed with her personally, but rather he sent Consort Li to deliver the message, making Princess Rui even more unwilling to swallow this insult.

"As the saying goes, first come, first served. The prince has already given his approval to Yunqian taking a concubine. The banquet has been prepared, and the day after tomorrow is the day of great joy. How can we suddenly change it?"

In my opinion, we should let the fourth son wait a bit and hold a banquet for him after the New Year.

Consort Li covered her mouth and chuckled, "Sister, you're wrong. It is indeed a happy occasion that Yingzhu is pregnant with Yunqian's child, but it is more important for our Prince to recognize his son."

After all, the prince is the master of the palace. How could Yun Qian possibly overstep the prince's authority? What kind of logic is it for a father to give way to his son?

Consort Li's attempt to use Prince Rui to pressure the Princess Consort is indeed a tricky matter.

Seeing that Princess Rui was frowning and silent, as if weighing the pros and cons, Yingzhu had already guessed what Princess Rui was thinking, so she took the initiative to speak:

"I am deeply grateful for Your Highness's consideration for the young master and me, but there is no need to rush into taking a concubine. After all, my pregnancy is not far along, so it is alright to wait a little longer."

If Princess Rui were to bow down to Consort Li, she would lose face. Therefore, Yingzhu took the initiative to bow down, which can be considered as preserving Princess Rui's dignity.

"Yingzhu is indeed a sensible and good girl. I like your ability to see things clearly and to consider the big picture."

Consort Li smiled with satisfaction, saying that Yingzhu had no choice; this decision was merely to preserve a semblance of dignity.

Although Princess Rui was dissatisfied, she did not dare to disobey Prince Rui's wishes and had no choice but to comply.

"Then we'll follow the prince's arrangements, but I won't interfere in this matter. Since it's my sister who's handling this, you'll have to give Yunqian an explanation yourself."

Consort Li is an elder; how could she be afraid of the Crown Prince?

"I'm glad you don't mind, sister. I'll handle things with Yunqian."

After the matter was settled, Consort Li rose to take her leave.

When she reached Yingzhu's side, Consort Li glanced at her.

"By the way, you absolutely must attend the welcome banquet for the fourth brother, otherwise people will mistakenly think that you are dissatisfied with the banquet and are deliberately refusing to come out of spite."

Yingzhu didn't say anything, but Consort Li gave her a warning first.

Seeing Consort Li's expectant expression, Yingzhu guessed that Consort Li must have heard rumors that Song Xingzhou knew her, which was why she made a special announcement to have her attend.

After Consort Li left, Princess Rui was so angry that she slammed her fist on the table.

"I don't think this was necessarily proposed by the Prince. It's more likely that Consort Li instigated it and interfered! What benefit would Consort Li gain from the Fourth Prince entering the manor? Why is she so biased towards him? Isn't she afraid of affecting her son?"

Yingzhu speculated to herself, "I guess Consort Li thought that the Fourth Young Master's blindness wouldn't pose much of a threat to the Fifth Young Master, which is why she didn't take it seriously. Plus, this matter could be used to oppose the Heir Apparent, so she did her best to make it happen."

"I knew she had bad intentions. She's always going against us, mother and son. I'm sorry to have troubled you. The banquet we had planned for you was canceled at the last minute, which has embarrassed you."

Princess Rui initially planned to hold a birthday banquet for Xu Fanglin! But that was changed, wasn't it?

Princess Rui would change her mind whenever it involved personal gain, but this time it wasn't her initiative; she was outmaneuvered by Consort Li.

Yingzhu saw through it all but didn't say anything. She offered a few words of comfort before leaving.

On the way back, Qingfeng sighed repeatedly, lamenting her misfortune.

"The banquet was just about to be held, and now it's been canceled. What a pity!"

The bamboo groves along the roadside were a blend of yellow and green, standing in clusters between heaven and earth. Yingzhu, walking on the bluestone path, had a solemn expression, but it wasn't about this matter.

"Actually, the banquet isn't that important; it's just for show. The Crown Prince initially planned to hold a banquet for me only to suppress the Crown Princess's schemes. What's truly important is the concubine-taking agreement."

With the marriage decree in place, the matter is set in stone. Without the official document and the formal banquet, things could easily change after the New Year.

"What should we do then? Is it going to be difficult to process the concubine-taking certificate before the new year?"

"That depends on the Crown Prince's attitude."

Yingzhu had originally thought that with the banquet, the matter of the concubine's certificate could be postponed, since the banquet would be a public announcement and wouldn't be easily changed. But now that the banquet has been canceled, she must get the concubine's certificate as soon as possible!

She whispered a few words to Qingfeng, who listened attentively and nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I've got it."

That evening, Qingfeng kept an eye on what was happening outside.

She secretly observed through the crack in the window until she saw movement, then Qingfeng immediately turned back to Aunt Shen's side.

"If this concubine-taking banquet is canceled, everyone in the manor will laugh at you. They say that if it is postponed for a few months until after the New Year, the young master will find a new love and will not take you as a concubine."

Yingzhu smiled indifferently and continued threading the needle.

"The Crown Prince is a man of his word; he wouldn't lie to me."

"That's hard to say. Now that the Crown Prince is gradually recovering, Princess Rui might take in new concubines for him. Who knows what the situation will be like when the new year begins!"

You must know that the prince has a limit on the number of concubines he can take. If the banquet isn't held, you'll lose your status, your monthly allowance won't increase, and others will point fingers and mock you. How will you live then! I'm truly worried about you."

Qingfeng explained the current situation to her, and the more she thought about it, the more worried she became. Just as she was lamenting, steady footsteps came from outside.

Qingfeng immediately turned around, and upon seeing the young master, she trembled with fear.

"Young Master? This servant greets the Young Master."

Liang Yunqian, who entered with his hands behind his back, stared intently at Qingfeng. "What did you just say? Who wants to cancel the concubine-taking banquet?"

Qingfeng glanced at Aunt Shen, hesitating whether she should speak or not. Yingzhu waved her hand, signaling her to go down first.

"It was Consort Li who said it, that this was the Prince's intention..."

As Yingzhu poured him tea, she gave him a brief overview of what had happened that day.

Liang Yunqian's gaze darkened. "Fourth Prince has only just entered the manor, yet he already acts so arrogantly, daring to disrupt the master's concubine-taking banquet?"

"I suspect it's not Fourth Prince's intention, but rather Consort Li trying to stir up trouble! Young Master, don't fall for her tricks."

Yingzhu handed him the teacup, but he didn't reach out to take it, instead coldly raising his eyebrows.

"Are you speaking up for him?"

As expected! No matter how sincerely she explained, Liang Yunqian would never fully trust her.

She might say something that would arouse his suspicion again, but the most important thing right now was to solve the problem. She wouldn't hold a grudge anymore, since she had a clear conscience.

"Even if the Crown Prince has doubts, I must tell the truth and not let their evil scheme succeed. Because I have said that I will only be loyal to the Crown Prince and stand with you through thick and thin."

"I've lost face because of this, but I know that face isn't the most important thing. The Crown Prince needs to find out who's really behind this."

Yingzhu calmly described the current situation, and after a moment's thought, Liang Yunqian's doubts were temporarily extinguished.

"I've been too busy lately and my mind is unsettled. I was overthinking it. You're right, Consort Li definitely has ill intentions; she must be stirring things up behind the scenes. I'll go talk to Father about the banquet; I won't make things difficult for you."

"I don't plan to fight for it anymore, since the prince has already agreed."

He's just regained what he lost, and he definitely wants to give them and their child official status as soon as possible. Everything else has to take a backseat. So at this time, you can't argue with him, or you'll be accused of fratricide.

She considered everything very thoroughly, but she only considered Liang Yunqian's situation and not her own.

"But if you don't hold a banquet to welcome a concubine, the people in the household will gossip and ridicule you."