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

Yingzhu looked in the direction of the sound and saw Liang Yunqian, whose tall figure was accentuated by a star-gray brocade robe. The bamboo pattern embroidered with gold and silver threads on the shoulders was elegant and noble, and it shone brightly when illuminated by the candlelight.

"It seems my timing is off; I've interrupted your lesson to discipline my woman?"

Liang Yunqian stood with his hands behind his back and glanced at Qiu He.

Qiuhe was so frightened that she immediately knelt down, "It's not that I didn't give you the mugwort water, it's the people in the kitchen..."

Before Qiuhe could finish speaking, Liang Yunqian interrupted her, "If you can't solve the problem, report it promptly, instead of sitting here mocking and ridiculing!"

Yingzhu gently advised, "Young Master, please calm down. It's just a small matter. I can wait a few more hours without any problem."

Liang Yunqian raised an eyebrow and saw that Shen Yingzhu's hair was not styled in a bun. Her dark black hair was half-tied up and loose behind her, with two strands falling to her shoulders as she curtsied, making her look gentle and serene.

But her face was covered by a veil, revealing only a pair of doe-like eyes that shone with starlight as her eyelashes fluttered.

"Why is your face covered by a veil?"

On the first night that Yingzhu broke out in a rash in her previous life, Xu Fanglin urged Liang Yunqian to come and visit her.

Xu Fanglin wasn't concerned about her; instead, she wanted Liang Yunqian to witness Yingzhu's ugly state with her face covered in red rashes.

Yingzhu anticipated that he would come tonight, so she covered her face with a veil in advance and then took the opportunity to mention the mugwort water so that Liang Yunqian could see how Qiuhe was slacking off.

"The red rash on my face is unsightly, so I covered it with a gauze scarf. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Xu Fanglin had just mentioned this matter, and Liang Yunqian already knew the whole story.

"Your rash is caused by Tripterygium wilfordii, which is truly an undeserved misfortune. There's a small kitchen to the south where you can boil mugwort water for yourself."

"Your Highness, that's the Princess Consort's small kitchen to the south. She's been making pear syrup lately and uses it every day, so she's always busy."

Qiuhe hurriedly reminded him, and Liang Yunqian slowly turned his head, his voice cold and his expression solemn.

"What do you mean by the Crown Princess's Little Kitchen? All the houses and furnishings in Prince Rui's residence belong to the Liang family, not the Xu family!"

"The pear syrup that the Crown Princess made was for the Princess Consort, so I dared not delay it. That's why I spoke up."

Qiuhe, fearing the prince's wrath, continued to try to explain.

Yingzhu silently rebuked Qiuhe for being tactless; seeing Liang Yunqian getting angry, she shouldn't have said anything more and insisted on clarifying and reasoning.

First they mentioned the Crown Prince's wife, then the Princess Consort, completely ignoring the Crown Prince Liang Yunqian.

Liang Yunqian's brow furrowed. "So it's for the Princess Consort! That certainly can't be delayed. Fortunately, I also have a small kitchen where Shen Yingzhu's mugwort water can be boiled."

Qiuhe was stunned. She thought she had successfully stopped Shen Yingzhu from using the Crown Prince's small kitchen, but the Crown Prince actually gave his own small kitchen to Shen Yingzhu.

Yingzhu almost burst out laughing, but luckily she turned her head in time and covered her face with her handkerchief, thus hiding her laughter.

This situation already satisfied Yingzhu, but to her surprise, Liang Yunqian actually said something else.

"That small kitchen is a bit far from your residence, and it's inconvenient to carry hot water back and forth in winter. Also, ordinary wooden tubs are not suitable for medicinal baths. I've taken medicinal baths before, and those tubs were specially made. You can go to my bath room from now on."

Isn't that really unnecessary?

In fact, Yingzhu did not intend to go to Liang Yunqian's private room, but then she thought that Qiuhe would definitely hold a grudge about what happened today and would complain to Xu Fanglin.

If they secretly tamper with her medicinal bath water, Yingzhu will still suffer.

It would be better to follow Liang Yunqian's suggestion; they certainly wouldn't dare to do anything bad in the prince's private quarters.

Thinking of this, Yingzhu readily agreed, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness."

In her previous life, Qiuhe had also neglected her in the same way, not following the doctor's orders, and sometimes not having the mugwort water, which caused Yingzhu's rash to be delayed for a long time without being cured.

Xu Fanglin kept urging her, saying that having offspring was important, and told her to serve Liang Yunqian with her face covered in red rashes.

Even if they forced themselves to have sex, Liang Yunqian couldn't develop any feelings for her, and he would leave as soon as it was over.

At that time, Yingzhu was timid and cowardly, and she would only swallow her anger when she was wronged.

But tolerance won't change her situation. She has to seize the opportunity Xu Fanglin has set for her and climb out of it to turn a dead end into a way out!

Qiuhe repeatedly argued with him and failed to perform her duties diligently, so she was fined two months' wages and made to kneel in the courtyard for an hour.

It's the dead of winter, snowing! Wouldn't it be terrible to kneel outside like that?

Qiuhe looked at Yingzhu with a wronged expression and whispered, "Yingzhu, I spoke inappropriately today. Please plead with the young master for me!"

"I'm just a maidservant, not a mistress. How dare I try to change the prince's mind?"

Yingzhu mocked her for repeating her words, looking helpless.

Seeing that her pleas were useless, Qiuhe glared at her hatefully and reluctantly knelt outside.

With her gone, the room became a bit quieter. Yingzhu poured a cup of tea and placed it on the table in front of Liang Yunqian.

"I've heard about the Thunder Vine incident. Thanks to you today for uncovering the truth. What reward do you desire?"

Liang Yunqian sat down gracefully, picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and Yingzhu truthfully said:

"Your Highness has already bestowed a reward during the day, and I am deeply grateful. I dare not covet a double reward."

"Each person can receive their own, there's no conflict. Just tell me what you want."

Since he insisted on rewarding her, Yingzhu wouldn't stand on ceremony.

"This servant wishes for a chance to go home and visit my mother."

It seems that she herself is not among the wishes she makes.

Was she genuinely confused, or was she using this opportunity to show her filial piety in front of him?

"First you sought benefits for your brother, and now you want to go home? Don't you think about yourself at all?"

Yingzhu helped her younger brother Shen Songyan because he was really sensible.

"When Songyan was not studying, he would go out to do odd jobs to earn money to supplement the family income. The servants would keep the money he gave them and not want to spend it, but he would secretly buy them rouge, jewelry and new clothes, and he would not allow the servants to suffer any grievances."

The mother and younger brother did not leech off the slaves; they were the soil from which the slaves flourished. Even if the land was barren and not fertile, they would do their best to shelter the slaves from the wind and rain.

Xu's father is a heartless man, and Yingzhu can only support her younger brother. Only when her brother becomes successful in the future can she and her mother have a better life.

"Really?" Liang Yunqian's eyes flashed with suspicion. "Then why did they sell you to Prince Rui's residence?"

The person who sold her was Xu's father, not her mother and brother.

However, her conflict with the Xu family is a secret, and she cannot reveal it until she is absolutely certain.

After a thousand thoughts raced through her mind, Yingzhu had already found an excuse.

"The Princess Consort of Rui has said that anyone who can give birth to a child for the young master will receive a reward of one thousand taels of silver. I wanted that one thousand taels of silver, so I took the initiative to serve the young master. It was not because my family forced me."

"You sold yourself for a thousand taels? I heard you had a fiancé fighting abroad, and you even broke off the engagement to get into Prince Rui's mansion?"

When the engagement was mentioned, Yingzhu felt a tightness in her chest.

She had been engaged, but Xu's father used her mother and younger brother to blackmail Yingzhu, forcing her to come to Prince Rui's mansion.

Yingzhu had no choice but to break off the engagement.

Xu's father deliberately kept this a secret, fearing that the Prince Rui's mansion would find out. How could Liang Yunqian possibly know?

Did Xu Fanglin reveal this? Or did Liang Yunqian suspect her background and secretly investigate her?