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

Yingzhu couldn't deny it; she lowered her eyes sadly and gave a bitter smile.

"That's true. Young Master, you've lived a life of luxury since you were a child. A thousand taels is nothing to you. You simply don't understand what this amount of money means to ordinary people."

We could never earn this much in a lifetime. This is a rare opportunity, so we should seize it.

"I thought you had your reasons, but it turns out you're just as vain as I was. You'd even break off an engagement for wealth and status!"

Liang Yunqian's gaze toward her was filled with undisguised contempt, like a sharp blade slicing into her heart.

She did have her reasons, but her reasons and hatred all stemmed from the Xu family.

Xu Kaishan, Xu Fanglin, and the princess are all sources of Yingzhu's suffering!

If she wants to take revenge in this life, she can only rely on Liang Yunqian's influence to weave a web step by step.

Her delicate nose twitched, and she looked as if she was about to cry. "Your Highness, you may not know this, but I had a marriage agreement, but my fiancé went to join the army, and two years ago I received news of his death."

"I couldn't bear to break our engagement, so I've been taking care of his mother all these years. But my mother is ill and needs medical treatment, and it's truly difficult for me to support two elders alone. Coincidentally, the Taoist priest said I'm destined for pregnancy, and the Prince's mansion promised a thousand taels of silver for the birth of a child. I was forced to agree because of my livelihood..."

Yingzhu's tears came suddenly. As she wiped them away, she seemingly unintentionally raised her tear-dampened eyelashes.

"Whether the young master thinks I'm vain or greedy, my goal is that thousand taels of silver. Is being greedy bad? At least I won't covet the young master's heart."

Yingzhu suppressed the bitterness in her heart. She neither proved herself nor explained, but instead quietly turned the tide in a way that was unfavorable to her.

Liang Yunqian walked towards her step by step, unmoved, his eyes still filled with frost.

Did he believe her, or was he questioning her?

Liang Yunqian raised his long fingers slightly, and through the gauze scarf, grasped her delicate chin, saying in a cool voice:

"Very well! I dislike greedy women, but I hope you have the self-awareness to know that!"

The previous engagement was detrimental to Yingzhu's reputation, so she simply revealed the news of her ex-fiancé's death, taking the opportunity to admit her greedy reputation, which dispelled Liang Yunqian's concerns that she had ulterior motives.

Having given his warning, Liang Yunqian left.

After leaving Lan Zhaoyuan, Liang Yunqian ordered in a deep voice, "Continue to investigate Shen Yingzhu's fiancé and see if he is alive or dead."

The guards obeyed and left. Liang Yunqian held the embroidered tiger cat in his arms, gently stroking its soft fur, a cold glint flashing in his dark eyes.

He wouldn't readily believe Shen Yingzhu's words; he needed to verify them before making a judgment.

Meanwhile, Qiuhe was still kneeling outside. Although she was wearing cotton clothes, her hands and feet were still freezing cold.

Just then, Dongzhi came to deliver the medicine, and Qiuhe immediately grabbed her, saying, "Good sister, go and remind Yingzhu that she has just entered the manor, and winning people's hearts is the most important thing. Don't let her bully others by taking advantage of her power."

Dongzhi didn't want to get involved, but considering the consequences, she went inside and offered a few words of advice.

"It's cold outside. If she kneels there and causes something bad to happen, wouldn't that just cause you trouble? As the saying goes, you have to consider the owner before you beat a dog. She's already been punished, so why don't you let her get up? She owes you a favor after all."

Qiuhe is not the kind of person who appreciates kindness!

In her past life, she mistreated Yingzhu, causing Yingzhu to fall ill. Xu Fanglin turned a blind eye to the matter. Later, when Princess Rui learned of this, she punished Qiuhe.

Qiuhe cried and admitted her mistake. Yingzhu softened and forgave her, thinking that Qiuhe would restrain herself. But she never expected that Qiuhe would become even more outrageous!

"A heartless person cannot know gratitude. This is the Crown Prince's order; I cannot intervene."

Yingzhu whispered in her ear, and Dongzhi was surprised for a moment. After a moment of thought, she guessed Yingzhu's intention.

"Okay, I understand."

After she drank the medicine, Dongzhi took the bowl and left for the Crown Princess's room.

"Just now when I went to deliver the medicine, I saw Qiuhe kneeling in the snow. When I asked, I learned that the young master had punished her, and the culprit was Shen Yingzhu!"

"This servant advised her to spare Qiuhe this time for the sake of the Crown Prince's wife, but she actually dared to use the Crown Prince to bully others! She has only served the Crown Prince twice and she's already abusing her power, even daring to punish your head maid. I'm afraid she'll become even more arrogant in the future!"

Xu Fanglin was leaning against the couch, holding a lucky gourd-shaped hand warmer.

The small stove was warm and cozy, but these words made Xu Fanglin's eyes grow cold.

"Daughters raised in humble families are petty and uncouth. Give them a little benefit and they'll become arrogant and forget themselves!"

She really treats her good fertility as a magic charm! She won't even give me face? Granny Cui, go and tell her I asked Qiuhe to come back and find something.

Granny Cui accepted the order and left. As soon as Qiuhe saw her, her eyes welled with tears. "Granny Cui, you've finally come! I was freezing to death! Did the Princess Consort send you to save me?"

Granny Cui waved her hand, signaling her not to speak carelessly, then entered the room without knocking, and said with her hands tucked in her sleeves:

"The Crown Princess's jewelry is missing. She has asked Qiuhe to go back and look for it. You have a rash on your face and cannot serve the Crown Prince. You should rest in your room. There is no need to go to Tingsong Garden tonight."

Granny Cui was warning Yingzhu not to complain to the young master.

This was the task Yingzhu specifically instructed Dongzhi to handle.

She instructed Dongzhi to tell Xu Fanglin about Qiuhe's punishment, and then to say a few bad things about Yingzhu to provoke Xu Fanglin.

Given Xu Fanglin's competitive nature, she will definitely step in to save Qiuhe, thereby highlighting the noble status of the Crown Princess.

This move is tantamount to challenging the Crown Prince's authority!

In her past life, Xu Fanglin repeatedly smeared her and drove a wedge between her and Liang Yunqian. In this life, Yingzhu will retaliate in kind.

She didn't stop her, letting Granny Cui take Qiuhe away.

A lawsuit should be filed, but she cannot be the one to file it.

We haven't settled the score with Xiao Chuanzi about the hot springs yet! Now's the perfect time to use him!

Yingzhu secretly observed, and when Xiao Chuanzi passed by, she deliberately walked over and pretended to bump into him.

"Xiao Chuanzi, are you not busy right now? Could you please pass on a message to the young master for me, saying that my rash is severe and I cannot serve him tonight, and that he should rest early?"

Xiao Chuanzi stared at her warily. "Where are your maids? Why are you ordering them around? I'm not one of your servants."

"Qiuhe was summoned away by the Crown Princess. She has served the Crown Princess for many years, and the Crown Princess cannot live without her."

Yingzhu sighed sadly, then pleaded kindly, "Last time I helped you deliver clothes to the prince, you won't lose out by helping me this time. If I ever rise to prominence in the future, you'll definitely benefit from it."

Yingzhu tried to lure him with benefits, and Xiao Chuanzi's eyes darted around for a while before he finally nodded.

She made this arrangement because she knew that Xiao Chuanzi was actually a confidante of Zhao Tangwei, the cousin of the Prince's mansion.

Zhao Tangwei is the niece of Princess Rui. If it weren't for the marriage agreement between the Rui Prince's Mansion and the Xu family, Princess Rui would have married Zhao Tangwei into the mansion long ago.

Even though Liang Yunqian had already married the Crown Princess, Zhao Tangwei was still unwilling to give up. She stayed at the Prince's Mansion under some pretext, hoping that she could still marry into the family.

It was Zhao Tangwei's idea that Xiao Chuanzi deliberately tricked Yingzhu into going to the hot springs that day.

Zhao Tangwei also hoped that Yingzhu would be rejected. In her previous life, Yingzhu had indeed suffered a great loss. Fortunately, she took precautions in this life and turned the disaster of the hot spring into a blessing.

Although she developed a rash, she uncovered the reason why the crown prince had no heir and was rewarded.

She has escaped danger and is now safe. Zhao Tangwei must be furious. If nothing unexpected happens, Xiao Chuanzi will hear what she said and tell Zhao Tangwei. Yingzhu can just sit back and watch the show.

Just as she expected, Xiao Chuanzi turned around and went to inform Zhao Tangwei.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tangwei's moon-shaped eyes lit up instantly.

"You exaggerated the story to my cousin, saying that the Crown Princess had transferred Qiuhe back and forbade her from serving Shen Yingzhu. Shen Yingzhu didn't even have anyone to run errands for her, so she cried and begged you to help her deliver the message."

In this way, Xiao Chuanzi wouldn't be considered meddling and could extricate himself from the situation.

He readily agreed and immediately went to Tingsongyuan to deliver the message.

In reality, Yingzhu longed for some peace and quiet, and she didn't want Qiuhe to stay here and spy on her, but for the sake of her revenge plan, she had to make a big fuss about it.

When Yingzhu got up to change her clothes in the morning, she first applied ointment to the front of her body, leaving only her back untreated.

Only when footsteps were heard did Yingzhu take off her clothes halfway.

When Liang Yunqian entered, he saw through the screen that Shen Yingzhu was sitting in front of the dressing table, struggling to stretch her long arm behind her back to apply medicine.

Her pink dress hung halfway on her arm, her narrow, delicate shoulders and slender shoulder blades faintly visible through the silk gauze screen.