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

Xu Fanglin, wiping away tears, made a point of correcting her, "Mother, the Crown Prince hasn't held a banquet for her to take a concubine yet, so Shen Yingzhu isn't officially a concubine yet!"

Only after she reminded her did Princess Rui recall this point.

"That's right. Yingzhu's identity has not yet been revealed, so a concubine is even less qualified to use red charcoal."

On her way here, Yingzhu had already guessed that Princess Rui must be looking for her about the red charcoal. She was completely bewildered.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! I come from a poor family, have never seen red charcoal, do not know the rules of red charcoal, and have never asked the Crown Prince for red charcoal."

Given her lowly status, it's understandable that she hadn't seen it before; Princess Rui's anger subsided for the time being.

"Whether it's your intention or not, you can't use this red charcoal. Someone, go and take away the red charcoal from Wenzhuxuan and replace it with ordinary charcoal."

Xu Fanglin, standing to the side, appeared to be crying while covering her face with a handkerchief, but in reality, she was laughing triumphantly.

She couldn't easily give away what Liang Yunqian had given her, and she certainly couldn't let Xu Fanglin succeed!

Yingzhu spoke softly, "But the Crown Prince said that I am pregnant and more sensitive to smells, and this charcoal is smokeless and odorless, making it more suitable for me."

Xu Fanglin was most annoyed by Shen Yingzhu using her pregnancy as an excuse.

"The other concubines all use ordinary charcoal, so why can't you use it? Are you just being picky?"

Yingzhu wasn't being pretentious at all; she was just thinking of having some ordinary charcoal as a backup, and she didn't expect Liang Yunqian to give her red charcoal.

But since Xu Fanglin is so calculating, Yingzhu should do her best to win him over.

"The Crown Prince already has difficulty conceiving, and I am blessed by God that I was able to get pregnant. I imagine that it will be even more difficult to keep the Crown Prince's child, so I naturally have to be careful."

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is only thinking of the child, not me. Please understand his good intentions. He wants to protect the child and his position as Crown Prince!"

Yingzhu ignored Xu Fanglin and only turned to Princess Rui to express her opinion.

After careful consideration, Princess Rui realized that what Shen Yingzhu said made some sense.

Doctor Xue did say that Yun Qian had not fully recovered and that only those who were pregnant could have the chance to conceive. Even if she did conceive, she would have to take good care of herself. So it seemed reasonable that she used red charcoal.

Seeing that Princess Rui seemed to be softening and remained silent for a while, Xu Fanglin immediately made a statement.

"Don't you have an underfloor heating system in your house? Why do you need to use charcoal?"

Yingzhu said calmly, "Servants are always negligent. In the past few days, the floor heating stopped working in the middle of the night. It would be more convenient to have charcoal on hand."

"Mother, Yingzhu is exaggerating! You have already made an exception for her, but she is ungrateful and instead takes advantage of the situation, becoming increasingly arrogant and insisting on using red charcoal."

If the other concubines and maids in the household saw this, what would they think? If everyone used pregnancy as an excuse to demand exceptions, wouldn't things become chaotic?

Xu Fanglin was a master of exaggeration, making the matter sound very serious, so Yingzhu wouldn't be fooled.

"These red charcoal pieces were allocated to me from the Crown Prince's allowance, not specially allocated to me. In terms of rules, the Crown Prince has not overstepped his bounds."

Besides, I only use it indoors, I don't display it outside, so who would specifically come to my house to check my charcoal? Unless someone deliberately spreads this around.”

As she finished speaking, Yingzhu's gaze fell on Xu Fanglin, intending to tell Princess Rui that if anyone spread the word, it would be the Crown Princess!

Unable to win the argument, Xu Fanglin couldn't swallow her anger and could only resort to arguing about status.

"This is not just about Hongluotan. It is a major issue concerning rank and status. She doesn't even have a proper title, yet she uses the status of a crown princess. Where does that leave me, the principal wife?"

"Mother, the rules are set in stone. We cannot make an exception for her alone. If word gets out, people will think that the rules of our Prince Rui's mansion are chaotic! Even worse, they might think that the heir is favoring his concubine over his wife!"

The two women each had their own reasons, and Princess Rui felt a headache coming on.

Just then, someone came to report, "Your Majesty, someone from the palace has arrived!"

Why would someone suddenly arrive from the palace at this hour? Princess Rui immediately stood up. "Did they say what it's about?"

"Eunuch An didn't say, he only said it was an imperial edict from the Empress Dowager."

Princess Rui, without asking any further questions, immediately straightened her clothes and went out to receive the imperial decree, with Xu Fanglin and Shen Yingzhu following closely behind.

Eunuch An read the imperial edict in a soft voice: "Shen Yingzhu is beautiful and intelligent, dignified and well-mannered. She is hereby bestowed upon Prince Rui's heir, Liang Yunqian, as a concubine. It is hoped that you will serve the heir wholeheartedly and continue the family line."

Princess Rui thought it was something important, but she never expected that the imperial edict was actually for Yingzhu!

Xu Fanglin found it hard to believe. It was just a common occurrence for the Crown Prince to take a concubine, so why did it alarm the Empress Dowager?

Zhou Zisu, who had been drawn in by the spectacle, also found it strange.

"Usually, only when a noblewoman becomes a concubine of a member of the royal family would an imperial decree be issued as an exception. But Shen Yingzhu is of lowly status. What right does she have to receive an imperial decree from the Empress Dowager?"

Princess Rui gave her a wink, intending to warn Zhou Zisu that Eunuch An was still here! She shouldn't talk nonsense.

They weren't the only ones surprised; Yingzhu, kneeling on the ground, was also stunned.

Liang Yunqian only said he would go and process the concubine-taking document, without mentioning any imperial edict. She was completely baffled as to where this imperial edict came from, but she still respectfully accepted it.

"This humble woman kowtows to express her gratitude for the Empress Dowager's boundless grace!"

Just as she was about to kowtow, Eunuch An immediately stepped forward to help her.

"This is unacceptable. The Empress Dowager has instructed that since you are pregnant, all formalities are to be waived. Please rise, Consort Shen."

Qingfeng lent a hand and helped her up. Yingzhu stood still, and Princess Rui then invited Eunuch An inside for tea and presented him with a reward.

Eunuch An ordered his men to move all the gifts bestowed by the Empress Dowager into the house, presented the list, and then, after sitting for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, took his leave.

Seeing the imperial edict and rewards from the Empress Dowager, Princess Rui felt quite gratified.

"The Empress Dowager has already approved of you and even made an exception by issuing an edict to elevate you to the position of concubine. This is an immense honor! Since it is the Empress Dowager's will, no one in the household will dare to mention changing the heir apparent again."

Yingzhu stole the show today, and Zhao Tangwei was surprised but not jealous.

Anyway, her goal is to become the Crown Prince's wife. No matter how glamorous a concubine is, she is not the principal wife. She doesn't need to take Shen Yingzhu seriously.

Xu Fanglin, on the other hand, with her teeth clenched, probably already hates Shen Yingzhu to the core.

"Look at the Empress Dowager's gifts to Shen Yingzhu! She even personally betrothed her to my cousin as a concubine. This imperial decree is even more prestigious than a concubine-taking banquet! Princess Consort, you must treat Shen Yingzhu well from now on; she has the Empress Dowager's backing!"

Zhao Tangwei added fuel to the fire, enraging Xu Fanglin, who glared at Shen Yingzhu.

"She's the Crown Prince's favorite concubine, who would dare mistreat her? Shen Yingzhu, you really are a master of keeping quiet and accomplishing great things, managing to persuade the Crown Prince to petition the Empress Dowager for your sake?"

Zhao Tangwei was ostensibly speaking up for her, but in reality, she was deliberately provoking Xu Fanglin and sowing discord, making Xu Fanglin hate Yingzhu even more!

Yingzhu understood and wouldn't be smug about it.

"I was unaware of this matter. I did not know that taking a concubine could be done with imperial permission. The Crown Prince never mentioned it to me."

"I suppose it's because the Crown Prince feels guilty for not holding a banquet for me to take a concubine, and he's trying to make amends in another way!"

Speaking of this, Princess Rui felt a sense of satisfaction.

"Consort Li stirred up trouble by cancelling your concubine-taking banquet at the last minute. She deliberately curryed favor with the newly arrived Song family and their son, while suppressing Yun Qian. She probably didn't expect Yun Qian to be so capable, even going so far as to petition the Empress Dowager for your permission. This is quite a slap in the face for Consort Li!"

Princess Rui assumed that Consort Li was behind the whole thing, but Yingzhu thought it wasn't that simple.

It was most likely Xu Fanglin who stirred things up behind the scenes, informing Consort Li about her relationship with Liang Xingzhou; otherwise, Consort Li wouldn't have made that scene.

Xu Fanglin attempted to use Consort Li's power to suppress Yingzhu.

Yingzhu lost the concubine-taking banquet and was ridiculed, but she also turned misfortune into blessing and received an imperial decree from the Empress Dowager. In fact, this situation was largely due to Xu Fanglin's jealousy!

Xu Fanglin's attempt to suppress Yingzhu failed, and instead, she watched helplessly as Yingzhu was chosen as a concubine by the Empress Dowager, regretting her actions deeply!

If Xu Fanglin had known the Crown Prince would do this, she shouldn't have stopped him. She should have let Shen Yingzhu hold the concubine-taking banquet. Now that Shen Yingzhu has the Empress Dowager's decree, she'll have to think twice before making a move in the future.

Just as she was feeling frustrated, she suddenly heard Shen Yingzhu say:

"I have to thank the Crown Princess for bringing me into the manor and sending me to the Crown Prince's side. She said I was pregnant, so I should do my best to repay her kindness."

Yingzhu's words were very polite, but Xu Fanglin heard them as sarcastic and sarcastic.

Just as she was about to retort, Consort Li entered with a smile.

"I heard that Yingzhu received an imperial decree from the Empress Dowager. That girl is truly blessed! She became pregnant after only serving Yunqian for a month, and now she has been appreciated by the Empress Dowager. This is a joyous occasion!"

Sister, you must throw a banquet to celebrate Yingzhu's success!

Anything that Consort Li actively requests is bound to be bad.

Princess Rui's eyes flickered slightly. "We just held a banquet for the fourth prince a few days ago, so there's no need for another one today."

"That would be a grand banquet. If you don't want to go through that trouble, a simple family dinner will suffice. After all, it's the Empress Dowager's decree, so we should at least offer her some congratulations to show how much our Prince's Mansion values ​​Yingzhu. Yingzhu, don't you agree?"

Princess Rui's meaning was already very clear. In fact, Yingzhu was also unwilling to hold a banquet because the one who proposed it was Consort Li, who certainly had ulterior motives.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but the household is busy at the end of the year, so please don't make any more arrangements for me. Let's talk about it after the New Year!"

After a moment's thought, Xu Fanglin understood Consort Li's intention. Just then, Liang Yunqian returned from outside the mansion, and Xu Fanglin immediately stepped forward to inquire.

"Your Highness, you've returned just in time. Yingzhu has been betrothed to a concubine by the Empress Dowager, and everyone is discussing holding a family banquet to celebrate! What do you think?"