With Alin’s pregnancy, and now her brother and Qiaoqiao also expecting a child, after her initial joy, Shen Xihe couldn’t help touching her abdomen.

“Zhenzhu, check my pulse,” Shen Xihe suddenly commanded.

The palace had regular imperial physicians checking wellness pulses, which had to be recorded in the Imperial Medical Bureau’s records. Since Shen Xihe’s marriage, the Eastern Palace had become more relaxed about this, as she had brought two medically knowledgeable subordinates. Occasionally, when the Imperial Medical Bureau encountered difficult cases, they would even consult with Zhenzhu and Sui Axi.

The Eastern Palace thus maintained good relations with the Imperial Medical Bureau. The physicians would simply ask Zhenzhu for case records. Zhenzhu checked her wellness pulse every ten days, and ten days ago there had been no pregnancy. A month had passed since her agreement with Xiao Huayong.

She was getting somewhat anxious.

Zhenzhu came forward in response. As her confidante, Zhenzhu understood her mistress’s anxiety and was especially careful and thorough, but in the end, could only silently shake her head at Shen Xihe.

Feeling disappointed, Shen Xihe couldn’t help asking, “Where is His Highness?”

“The Crown Prince left the palace early this morning, saying he had matters to attend to and would return at night. He instructed me to tell Your Highness not to wait for him for the evening meal,” Zhenzhu quickly replied.

She nodded absentmindedly to show she understood.

Looking up at the jade-green branches against the azure sky, with the bright sun warm but not scorching, what should have been a pleasant spring day left Shen Xihe inexplicably listless.

She wasn’t usually one to be melancholy or easily affected by circumstances. Noticing her low spirits, she turned to instruct Zhenzhu: “Find me a riding outfit. I’m going horseback riding.”

Since the last time when she had gone riding after being angered by Xiao Huayong, she had discovered that galloping freely could truly disperse her troubled thoughts.

After several laps around the riding grounds, the dejected feeling in her heart dispersed. While bathing, Shen Xihe suddenly remembered something, and after her bath, she went to her fragrance room.

She had seen a fertility-enhancing fragrance formula in a perfume manual. She had smiled it off at the time and never tried making it, but suddenly felt inspired to try it out. She immersed herself in the fragrance room, only emerging for the evening meal, and after dining and digesting briefly, Shen Xihe returned to the fragrance room.

Xiao Huayong returned under cover of night through a secret passage, so others didn’t know he had left the palace. Not finding his beloved wife upon return, he asked Zhenzhu and learned that Shen Xihe had taken Hongyu to the fragrance room all day and hadn’t yet emerged.

He guessed she must be working on some new fragrance formula, otherwise his wife wouldn’t be so absorbed.

Already accustomed to this, Xiao Huayong didn’t investigate immediately but unhurriedly took a bath before seeking Shen Xihe. They met at the fragrance room door, where Shen Xihe told him she was going to bathe and turned away.

At this point, Xiao Huayong hadn’t noticed anything unusual about Shen Xihe. When he returned to their chambers and routinely asked Tianyuan about Shen Xihe’s activities that day, hearing that she had gone riding, he sensed something was off.

Shen Xihe neither particularly liked nor disliked horsemanship and archery. Though she had put in effort when first learning and now showed proper form, she preferred tranquility and rarely went riding alone, except for that one time.

“Did anyone send messages today? Did anyone enter the palace seeking an audience with the Crown Princess?” Xiao Huayong grew concerned.

Tianyuan also became alert, thought carefully, and shook his head with certainty: “I stayed with the Crown Princess throughout.”

Xiao Huayong frowned in contemplation until Shen Xihe returned to the room still slightly damp from bathing. He studied her expression, which showed no signs of displeasure.

“You… have something to tell me?” His eyes had followed her movements all evening as if glued to her.

Xiao Huayong shook his head: “Do you have something to tell me?”

Shen Xihe also shook her head: “Nothing.”

Xiao Huayong looked at her carefully again, unable to guess anything, and had to ask: “I heard you went riding today?”

“Yes.” Shen Xihe lifted the bedding and lay down.

Xiao Huayong quickly followed, lying on his side to gaze at her: “Is something troubling you?”

Shen Xihe couldn’t help smiling – he knew her every move: “Yes, brother sent a letter saying Qiaoqiao is with child. Thinking about how Qiaoqiao and Alin will both be mothers, I felt somewhat envious.”

It was more that she hadn’t detected a pregnancy pulse, and at that moment Xiao Huayong happened to be away, which had briefly dampened her spirits.

She couldn’t tell Xiao Huayong this truth – he had finally let go of his “short-lived” worries, and telling him would bring back his concerns.

Hearing this, Xiao Huayong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He reached out to pull Shen Xihe into his embrace, leaning close to whisper in her ear: “Let’s try harder!”

But just as his hands started to wander, Shen Xihe stopped him: “I don’t want to these few days.”

After speaking, she pushed Xiao Huayong away, turning to escape his embrace while pulling up another quilt to cover herself. Lying flat, she smiled slightly: “Let’s rest early.”

With that, she closed her eyes.

The formula said to abstain for several days before using the fragrance, and she hadn’t finished preparing it yet.

Xiao Huayong stared blankly at his wife, who had closed her eyes and was sleeping peacefully with a relaxed expression. Several times he moved his lips but swallowed his words.

He also turned over, lying with his hands behind his head, staring at the canopy, wondering if he had unknowingly angered his wife, or if he was overthinking.

To say she was angry seemed unlikely – she wasn’t one to give someone the cold shoulder when angry.

To say she wasn’t angry – since their marriage, she had never slept under separate covers!

Clever as he was, the Crown Prince couldn’t figure it out. The next day, seeing his dark eye circles, Shen Xihe was startled. She showed him the same care and concern as always, he could feel that.

“How did you end up like this?”

“It’s the first time since our marriage that we’ve slept under separate covers – I couldn’t sleep!” Xiao Huayong complained pitifully, not caring that Zhenzhu and Tianyuan were present!

Shen Xihe: …

Xiao Huayong looked at her expectantly.

Shen Xihe sighed helplessly: “It was my fault. We won’t do that tonight, but you must behave yourself.”

Shen Xihe kept her word. Though they shared covers, she firmly refused to let Xiao Huayong touch her. If not for her maintaining her usual pleasant demeanor toward him during the day, Xiao Huayong might have overthought things.

Several days later, Xiao Huayong had to go out again, returning once more under cover of night. Just as he reached their chambers, Zhenzhu stopped him at the door: “The Crown Princess has retired. A fragrant bath has been prepared for Your Highness, please follow me.”

Xiao Huayong followed and found today’s bath different from usual. The subtle fragrance was particularly soothing. When he entered the bedchamber, he was enveloped by a fragrance that didn’t make him feel hot or uncomfortable but mysteriously stirred romantic thoughts.

At that moment, a soft body pressed against his back, arms encircling his waist. In the misty, candlelit room, her cool voice was especially alluring: “Tonight, I’ll make it up to you.”