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

Unlike her previous splendid attire and adorned hair with jewels, Su Wanrou was dressed exceptionally simply today. She wore a dark blue soft silk cross-collar ruqun, the color of which was restrained and soft, without any bright red or pink hues. The cuffs and waist of the skirt were also simple and clean, showing the dignified demeanor of the matriarch.

Because Shen Yunshuang had previously suffered a miscarriage, many things were delayed, and Pei Jingnian also had a lot of official business piled up. At this moment, he was at his desk in the study reviewing documents.

Outside the study, Mo Yu saw the Crown Princess carrying a food box from afar. Although she was surprised, she did not dare to be negligent. In any case, Su Wanrou was the proper Crown Princess, and no one could change that.

When Mo Yu came inside to announce the arrival, Pei Jingnian, though still troubled by Chun Tao's matter, ultimately did not embarrass Su Wanrou in public.

Su Wanrou stepped inside slowly, her face full of gentle smiles: "Your Highness, I personally made crab roe hibiscus cake today, which is your favorite dessert."

As she spoke, she opened the food box herself. The crab roe hibiscus cake inside was as white as solidified jade and had a wonderful aroma. It was clear that a lot of thought had been put into it.

Pei Jingnian remained indifferent, not even raising his head, and said, "Just put it there."

Su Wanrou's smile froze. She was now certain that Pei Jingnian was indeed angry with her, just because she hadn't gone to see a concubine.

She suppressed her smile, lowered her eyelashes, and added a touch of grievance and weakness to her tone: "I have come today for two reasons, firstly to deliver some refreshments to the young master, and secondly to personally apologize. Chun Tao was originally a maid serving in my courtyard. I thought she was clever and capable, so I thought I would send her to Ningxiang Pavilion to help Sister Shen. I never expected her to be so audacious and even offend Sister Shen's pregnancy. It was all my fault for misjudging people. Please punish me, young master."

As soon as she finished speaking, she lifted her skirt and knelt directly on the blue brick floor.

"Shuang'er is pregnant and already quite vulnerable. How could you send such a treacherous girl to Ningxiang Pavilion? What exactly are you planning?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wanrou was shocked and her face paled. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears. "Your Highness, I know you are angry, but you must not wrong me like this. When Sister Shen came to the manor, I saw that she was not well-attended, so I assigned my own servants to serve her. Not to mention that Sister Shen was not pregnant at the time, Chun Tao was always well-behaved when she was in Jinlan Courtyard. How could I have imagined that she would become so arrogant after arriving at Ningxiang Pavilion? My intentions at the beginning were good."

Listening to her earnest words, Pei Jingnian put down his pen and pondered for a while. He didn't have a deep impression of the maid Chun Tao. He thought that Chun Tao had pretended well because Su Shi was strict in Jinlan Courtyard. But when she arrived at Ningxiang Pavilion and saw that Shuang'er was good-natured, she became bolder.

As Madam Su said, that girl had impure thoughts, but she didn't show them in Jinlan Courtyard. She really didn't have the ability to foresee things.

Thinking of this, his anger subsided by a third, and his brows relaxed slightly: "Since you are so considerate, why did you delay coming when Shuang'er was in labor? Even Mother came all the way from Fuxi Hall, don't tell me that your Jinlan Courtyard didn't receive the news!"

Hearing that Pei Jingnian's tone had softened, Su Wanrou knew that her earlier tearful outburst had had an effect. Her eyes darted around, and she wiped her tears with a handkerchief, saying, "These past few days, I've been busy with household affairs. It's early summer, and the flowers, plants, and trees in the garden need pruning and maintenance. Every single detail has to be recorded. I've been working non-stop for several days, and that day I simply couldn't keep up and went to bed early. Unfortunately, my sister went into labor that day, and although the servants received the news, they couldn't bear to wake me, so I didn't have time to go..."

What she said was reasonable and well-founded. Pei Jingnian also knew that his wife was capable. His mother was in poor health, and since she married into the Marquis's mansion, she had been in charge of the household. Over the years, she had never made a mistake.

Although the Marquis's mansion was small, it had a lot of work to do. Su Wanrou may not have made any great contributions, but she certainly put in a lot of hard work.

Thinking of this, he sighed and said, "Get up."

Su Wanrou was helped to her feet by her maid. She wiped away her tears with a handkerchief and then said, "I was very worried when my sister had a miscarriage. I have already found ginseng and bird's nest from the private treasury. My mother prepared them for me before. They are very nourishing and I want to send them to Ningxiang Pavilion. I thought that my sister is carrying the young master's child and her body is delicate. She needs to take some nourishing food to ensure a safe pregnancy."

When she mentioned sending something to Ningxiang Pavilion, Pei Jingnian frowned slightly. After all, Shuang'er was pregnant, and he had to be careful.

But when he heard Su Wanrou mention her mother, Pei Jingnian's heart trembled. He had suffered a sudden illness when he was young, and it was the head of the Imperial Medical Academy at the time, who was also Su Wanrou's maternal grandfather, who saved him and allowed him to recover.

The Pei family has always kept this kindness in their hearts.

Therefore, when Pei Jingnian passed the imperial examination, he could have married a princess or a county princess, but he chose the daughter of the Su family.

After Su Wanrou married into the Marquis's mansion, he did not take any concubines, only two maids.

If it weren't for the exposure of the contraceptive soup incident... Su Wanrou would still be a generous and considerate virtuous wife in his heart.

Seeing Pei Jingnian hesitate, Su Wanrou bit her lip: "Is Your Highness worried that I might have tampered with the things? I am unfortunate and have not been able to bear you any children. When you were pregnant, I was indeed envious and jealous, but now I have come to terms with it. No matter who gives birth to the child, it is Your Highness's flesh and blood, and I will definitely treat it as my own."

Hearing her say that, Pei Jingnian put aside his grudges. Since Su Wanrou had said she would send tonics, she wouldn't use any underhanded tactics with them.

If he continues to obstruct, it may only create further discord.

He doesn't ask for much now, only that the household be peaceful and that Shuang'er give birth to her child safely.

"It's good that you can think positively. These past few days, Shuang'er's pregnancy has been unstable. If you want to send her away, you can do it in a few days."

Su Wanrou's fingers clenched slightly, then relaxed in an instant, and she respectfully replied, "This concubine understands."

_

A few days later, Su Wanrou took ginseng, bird's nest, donkey-hide gelatin and other tonics to Ningxiang Pavilion.

Shen Yunshuang remained in bed to rest during her pregnancy, and even when Su Wanrou came in person, she did not get out of bed.

Upon entering Ningxiang Pavilion, one immediately senses its difference from other places. All the windows are draped with white silk gauze curtains to block out sunlight and prevent the summer heat.

Therefore, even though Ningxiang Pavilion did not serve ice, it was still extremely refreshing.

Passing around the screen, one could see Shen Yunshuang leaning against a silk cloud pillow, her black hair, as black as satin, casually draped over her shoulders. Because she was in bed resting during her pregnancy, she was only wearing a light pink nightgown, and her round belly was particularly noticeable under the plain silk brocade quilt.

A maid stood to the side, holding a white silk fan and gently fanning herself, as if making any more noise would disturb the fetus.