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

"I asked, but no one knows. From what the servants said, the Princess specifically ordered that it be kept secret."

After changing his clothes, Liang Yunqian immediately went to Deshan Hall to inquire about the situation.

Princess Rui took out the red paper figurine and talisman directly.

"I suppose you've already heard about Shen Yingzhu's underhanded tactics, so I won't go into details, will I?"

Liang Yunqian, standing with his hands behind his back, glanced at the talisman but didn't even pick it up to examine it closely. He simply said coldly:

"Shen Yingzhu is my concubine. Even if she has committed a crime, it is my responsibility to deal with her. You should not make decisions on your own!"

"Yunqian, don't you understand? She's cast a spell on you, that's why you dote on her and protect her so much. I can't let you see her again, otherwise you'll be bewitched by that vixen Shen Yingzhu again!"

A layer of frost settled between Liang Yunqian's brow bones, and his voice was as cold as the north wind of winter.

"Who said Shen Yingzhu was pregnant before? Now they're saying she uses witchcraft? Aren't you contradicting yourself?"

After clearing her throat, Princess Rui covered her mouth with a handkerchief, clearly feeling uncomfortable.

"That's what the Taoist priest said. I had no choice but to try it for the sake of your offspring and the position of heir, but who knew she would use evil magic. Now that she is pregnant with your child, I cannot punish her, so I can only send her to the villa."

His long, slender fingers clenched into a fist, placed behind his back. Liang Yunqian took a deep breath and patiently asked,

"Which villa does Shen Yingzhu live in? I have something to ask her."

"Don't worry about that. The nun said you can't see her again, lest you get infected again. Just wait until she gives birth next year, and I'll bring the child back myself."

"She is now carrying my only child, and you actually sent her to the villa? What if someone sabotages it? If something happens to the child, I will lose my position as heir apparent, and you will likely lose your position as queen consort as well!"

He wasn't the only one who thought of this issue; Princess Rui had also considered it.

"Her whereabouts are a secret, unknown to others. She is guarded there, and everyone in the villa is trustworthy, so you can rest assured."

How can Liang Yunqian feel at ease when he can't find any trace of her?

"I can only feel at ease when she's under my watchful eye!"

His attitude surprised Princess Rui.

"Shen Yingzhu used such methods on you, shouldn't you despise her? Why are you still concerned about her whereabouts? You should care about the child, not that vicious woman!"

It certainly sounded like solid evidence, but this situation couldn't help but remind Liang Yunqian of the previous incident involving the sachet and sleeping potion.

At that time, all the evidence pointed to Yingzhu, and he even thought that Yingzhu was the culprit. But in the end, it was found that the real culprit was Qiuhe, and Yingzhu was wronged.

Having learned from this experience, Liang Yunqian will not repeat the same mistake if he encounters a similar situation again.

"With such a big incident, I naturally have to find her and get to the bottom of things, to prevent anyone from slandering her like Qiuhe did."

"This isn't slander, it's the truth! The item was found at the bottom of her trunk, and she couldn't deny it herself. The birth dates on it are indeed both of yours, and you are indeed too infatuated with her."

She's pregnant, and you still went to her room. This is so different from your usual self, and it matches the symptoms of the Heart-Connecting Mantra the Taoist nun mentioned.

"You can believe in Buddhism, but don't be superstitious about those evil sects and heretics. This matter isn't that simple; I will investigate thoroughly!"

Liang Yunqian questioned Yingzhu's whereabouts again, but Princess Rui refused to answer.

Without further ado, he left first, then immediately ordered Lian Chuan to arrest the people in Princess Rui's courtyard and interrogate him about Shen Yingzhu's whereabouts.

However, the man was tight-lipped and, despite being beaten black and blue, still insisted that he didn't know.

Even if they couldn't find anything here, Liang Yunqian wouldn't give up and would continue to order people to search.

The Prince's mansion does indeed have many villas, but if Princess Rui dared to send someone away without letting him know, then that villa is probably not one of the ones he is familiar with.

"Focus on investigating all the villas under the Princess's name. Search them one by one, and report back immediately if you find anything!"

The guards received the order and split up to search for Shen Yingzhu's whereabouts.

In the plum garden, Yingzhu tossed and turned all night. She couldn't sleep comfortably in the house without a heating system, the charcoal was not burning evenly, and the atmosphere inside was not good.

Normally, she would have tolerated the hardship, but she was pregnant and the weather was so cold that even with a hot water bottle and two quilts, Yingzhu still couldn't get warm.

Her biggest worry was that if she caught a cold and developed a fever, seeing a doctor would be a very troublesome thing.

After a agonizing night, when I woke up the next day, I still couldn't find Liang Yunqian.

He must have heard about this after he returned home last night, right? But he didn't come looking for me.

"It seems that the Crown Prince has already believed the Princess's words and is convinced that I put a spell on him."

Qingfeng was combing her hair. "I don't think so. You've been with the prince for a long time, and he's been treating you better and better. He's also gradually come to understand your character. I don't think he would easily believe what others say."

Yingzhu looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes devoid of any light.

"Then why doesn't he come over? He could at least ask me something, but he won't even see me. He's probably already sentenced me to death and is convinced that I'm the real culprit who cast the curse."

As she spoke, Yingzhu's voice choked with emotion.

"He still doesn't trust me. All that talk about trust, about standing by me in case of trouble, it's all a lie! Every time something happens, I'm the first person he suspects..."

Seeing Aunt Shen so distressed, Qingfeng kindly comforted her:

"That shouldn't be the case. Perhaps it's because it's the end of the year and the Crown Prince is busy with state affairs. He'll come to pick you up once he's finished."

Hopefully, he really was held up by political affairs.

Since no one came, Yingzhu couldn't just sit and wait to die; she had to figure out who the real killer might be.

"Who put that talisman at the bottom of the box?"

Qingfeng counted on her fingers, "In our courtyard, there are only this servant, Shuanglu, Granny Liu, and Xiaolinzi. Xiaolinzi is not qualified to enter the inner room, but the rest of you can enter the house."

"Of course I trust you. I know you wouldn't harm me. It's most likely Shuanglu or Granny Liu who's involved. But who ordered them?"

"Could it be the Princess? The Princess instructed the Crown Prince not to go to Wenzhu Pavilion, but he insisted on coming to accompany you. The Princess was so angry that she staged this play?"

"That's possible," Yingzhu said thoughtfully, recalling the events of that day.

"But it was the Crown Princess who suggested sending me out of the manor. Perhaps she was the one who orchestrated this behind the scenes."

"And then there's Aunt Zhou. The young master favored you twice, and Aunt Zhou holds a grudge. It might have been her idea."

As for Miss Zhao, she's only after the position of Crown Princess, so she probably wouldn't bother to harm you. Besides, she's a guest; it wouldn't be easy for her to cause trouble in the mansion.

The mistress and servant were speculating about various possibilities, but because Yingzhu had been expelled from the palace, she was temporarily unable to investigate and verify them.

She was unwilling to be slandered like this, but to clear her name, she had to return to Prince Rui's residence.

But most of the people in the Prince's mansion disliked her and didn't want her to go back. No one cared about the truth; they just echoed what others said.

The only person who might be able to help her is probably Liang Yunqian.

He was probably too busy yesterday to come, but let's see if he comes today!

From sunrise to sunset, until dark clouds gathered and a strong wind picked up at dusk, the wind howled through the cracks in the windows and doors.

Several hours passed, but she still didn't see the figure she was hoping for.

No matter how busy he is, doesn't he have time to see her?

Without even asking her directly, they're going to convict her?

Qingfeng had always thought that the young master would definitely come today, but to her surprise, he still hadn't come even after dinner.

She dared not mention it again, for fear of upsetting Aunt Shen.

In fact, Yingzhu wasn't sad at all; she even felt that it was how it should be.

Liang Yunqian was inherently suspicious and doubtful of her. His sweet words were just empty flattery when he was in a good mood or when he had desires for her. Only she took them seriously.

She should have expected this situation, so why be disappointed?

Look, she doesn't even have the right to be disappointed. She can only comfort herself again and again, telling herself not to have any more hope for Liang Yunqian, so that she won't feel bad.

A strong wind howled in through the cracks in the window, which was a bit drafty. The room wasn't very warm even with charcoal burning inside. Yingzhu curled up in the quilt, feeling a chill on her forehead.

She was covered up very warmly, but she still felt cold all over and shivered involuntarily.

Before long, she felt hot all over again, and this alternating hot and cold sensation was extremely agonizing for her.

Yingzhu guessed that she probably had a fever, but it was the middle of the night, and she didn't want to bother Qingfeng. She also couldn't get anyone else in the plum garden to do anything, so she could only endure it for the time being and wait until dawn.

Half-asleep, I heard footsteps at the door.

The footsteps were unusually steady, unlike Qingfeng's. Could it be Liang Yunqian? Had he come to visit her?

Yingzhu opened her eyes groggily. Only a single candle lit the room, making it difficult to see clearly. She vaguely saw a tall figure leaning towards the tent, and heard a familiar voice filled with urgency.

"Yingzhu! I've finally found you!"