The pregnant woman pressed down on the wife, and the cousin collapsed into the prince's arms.

The next day, Rouge went to the kitchen and spent the afternoon peeling and grinding the almonds to make an almond custard.

The recipe for this almond milk was taught to Su Wanrou by her maid, Zhou Mama, who specifically instructed her to filter it several times to ensure there were no residues before presenting it to the Crown Prince.

The finished almond milk is as white as mutton fat, and when served in a thin-walled white porcelain bowl, it exudes a refreshing aroma.

Rouge withdrew her gaze and said to the maid beside her, "Let's go."

_

The study inside Heyingxuan

Pei Jingnian was painting. The woman in the painting was wearing a moon-white silk dress, the fabric as soft as a thin mist. Under the moonlight, she raised her snow-white face, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, her eyes brimming with tears. Her beauty was breathtaking and captivating.

Pei Jingnian's brush hovered in mid-air for a long time, seemingly immersed in it. Then, he suddenly became breathless, put down the brush, and wanted to crumple the paper into a ball, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it.

He just sat in the chair, staring blankly at the display shelf in front of the desk.

After a while, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket, stared at it closely, and after a moment, as if he had made a decision in his heart, he was about to call the servant in.

Just then, Mo Yu's voice came from outside: "Young Master, Concubine Rouge requests an audience."

Rouge? Pei Jingnian was slightly impatient, wondering how Rouge had the audacity to come to Heyingxuan to find him.

"not see."

Hearing those cold words from inside the room, Rouge felt a chill in her heart. Although her timidity had always been partly feigned, she, as a maid, was not entirely fearless in the face of Pei Jingnian.

But remembering Su Wanrou's warning, she took a deep breath and said, "Your Highness, I have made you an almond custard. Please try it."

Hearing her voice tremble slightly, Pei Jingnian sighed inwardly, for this almond milk was Zhou Mama's specialty sweet soup, which he had eaten countless times in Jinlan Courtyard.

Now that Rouge has returned, it's obvious who's behind her.

If we don't accept this almond milk, I'm afraid he'll find other ways to bother him.

Thinking this, she pulled out a piece of paper to cover the painting on the desk, then tucked the handkerchief into her sleeve and said, "Come in."

Yan Zhi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but her heart was still pounding. Mo Yu opened the door to the study for her. She kept her eyes straight ahead and did not dare to look around. She simply lowered her head and walked to the desk, placing the white porcelain bowl on it: "This is my first time making this. Please forgive me if there are any shortcomings."

Despite not daring to look around, Rouge noticed, with her gaze lowered, that a corner of a handkerchief seemed to be peeking out from Pei Jingnian's sleeve.

That handkerchief...it looks so familiar, and the corner that's showing is embroidered with a frost flower.

Rouge suddenly felt annoyed at herself for having such excellent eyesight; she had discovered a woman's handkerchief hidden in the young master's sleeve.

Judging from the color of this handkerchief, it definitely doesn't belong to the Crown Princess.

Whose is that? Why does it look so familiar?

Her heart raced, and she couldn't stop the memories from flooding back. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind: This...this isn't Shen Yunshuang's handkerchief?

She had seen her use it at the banquet where she was taking a concubine that day!

A storm raged in her heart. How could Miss Biao's handkerchief be on the young master's table?

Did the young master pick it up? Then why didn't he return it? He even hid it in his sleeve.

Was it given to the young master by the young lady? Then wouldn't that mean... a secret exchange?

Rouge felt that the amount of information was too much, as if it was beyond her capacity to handle.

Fortunately, she has always been intelligent and has a good ability to hide her emotions, so Pei Jingnian did not notice anything amiss.

Pei Jingnian's attention was naturally not on Rouge. His gaze swept over the bowl, and he said coldly, "Now that it's been delivered, you may leave."

Rouge's original plan, or rather Su Wanrou's original plan, was for her to use the pretext of delivering soup to ask Pei Jingnian to go to her room.

Now, her thoughts have changed.

Although she was born a maid, she found it difficult to bring up the matter of seeking pleasure.

Fortunately, things took a new turn for the better.

Therefore, Rouge didn't say anything more, and simply replied in a low voice, "Yes."