Prince Rui’s eyes suddenly contracted. Although he tried his best to remain calm, his slightly trembling lips still betrayed his shock: “Third Miss has such ability?”

Li Jiǎo smiled: “Last year, Third Sister went to sea under the Empress Dowager’s edict. Before leaving the capital, she once said that my stepmother would give birth to a son. Your Highness should know that not long ago, my stepmother indeed gave birth to a younger brother…”

Li Jiǎo stopped there, but Prince Rui was moved.

Li Third Miss could tell whether the fetus in a woman’s belly was male or female—he absolutely must invite Li Third Miss to take a look!

This child—

Prince Rui’s gaze fell on Li Jiǎo’s belly, burning with intensity.

Heaven protect them, it must be a boy.

The deadline set by Physician Li had already passed, and he needed to work harder. Even if what was in Li Shi’s belly wasn’t a boy, with so many concubines in the residence, surely someone could give birth to one.

“Jiǎo, be patient and wait a few days. Since the Third Miss claims illness now, our Prince’s Residence cannot force the matter. In a few more days, I’ll go invite her again.”

“Mm.” Li Jiǎo nodded compliantly, a cold smile flashing briefly in her eyes.

She had already seen that Li Third simply wouldn’t give the Prince face. So let the Prince hit a few more walls—after hitting enough walls, even the best temper would give rise to resentment.

In the future, there will always be time to settle accounts.

As for the fetus in her belly—

Li Jiǎo lovingly stroked her belly.

She had conceived after just one time with the Prince, which showed that Heaven favored her. She believed that since Heaven’s will allowed her to conceive a child in one attempt, this child must be a boy!

Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and Prince Rui’s Residence sent people to the Li Residence to invite her again.

At this time, Qiao Zhao was talking with Chen Guang in the pavilion.

“Did you intercept people again today?”

“Indeed, those people are truly crazy enough—they try to sneak into the residence at least three times a day, but fortunately, we’ve stopped them all.”

“It seems the opposing force is considerable.”

Having such energy and manpower, the opponent’s strength was evident.

Combined with the currently available clues, those people should be the remaining forces of Prince Su, who had been recuperating for twenty years and were now preparing to make a comeback.

So what exactly was the purpose of that string of aloe wood prayer beads that made them so persistent?

“Third Miss, rest assured. Our people are all watching outside the Li Residence. Even with two shifts rotating, it’s more than enough. The other side can’t hope to slip even one person in!”

“I’m not worried about that.” Qiao Zhao smiled, unable to help thinking of Shao Mingyuan.

For this campaign, Shao Mingyuan had left nearly half of his guards for Chen Guang’s deployment—how could she not understand his intention?

“But you still shouldn’t go out. Although we’re protecting you, outside is ultimately not as safe as inside the residence.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t cause trouble for you all. Before your general returns, I’ll stay in the residence and not go anywhere.”

At this moment, the head maid Qing Yun hurriedly walked over: “Third Miss, someone from the Prince’s Residence has come to invite you again. This time it’s the Prince’s Residence Chancellor.”

Qiao Zhao stood up and said indifferently, “Each time they send someone with a bigger title. I’ll go take a look.”

The Prince’s Residence Chancellor was a proper Fifth Rank court official. To send him to invite a young lady showed that Prince Rui was determined to succeed this time.

Qing Yun stopped her: “Third Miss, this servant didn’t come to ask you to go over. Old Madam instructed this servant to tell you not to talk here anymore, as it’s easy for outsiders to see. Please hurry back to your room.”

“Grandmother—” A warm current flowed through Qiao Zhao’s heart.

Having an elder who stood in front when trouble came was her good fortune.

“Third Miss, please go back.”

Qiao Zhao nodded and returned to Yahe Courtyard.

Although she worried about how Grandmother would deal with the people from the Prince’s Residence, since Grandmother could give her, a junior, such trust at many times, she would naturally also trust her grandmother, who had weathered many storms, to handle these troublesome matters well.

Not long after Qiao Zhao returned to Yahe Courtyard, Fourth Miss Li Yān came over.

“Is Third Sister busy? I heard you’ve been embroidering these days.”

Qiao Zhao twitched the corner of her mouth and smiled: “Not busy. Fourth Sister, please sit.”

Li Yān didn’t sit down, her face slightly red as she said: “If Third Sister isn’t busy, could you go see my mother?”

“What’s wrong with Second Aunt?”

Li Yān looked somewhat embarrassed: “Just now Father and my mother had a few words, and Mother feels a bit uncomfortable. But she says there’s no need to call a physician. I’m somewhat worried about her health, and I was thinking if Third Sister was available—”

“Let’s go. I’ll go check on Second Aunt.”

Qiao Zhao followed Li Yān to Jinrong Courtyard.

When Liu Shi heard the maid report that Third Miss had come, she was surprised but quickly stood up. By this time, the two sisters had already walked in.

“Mother, I asked Third Sister to come examine you.”

Liu Shi glared at Li Yān: “You girl, how are you so inconsiderate? I already said it was nothing serious—was it worth asking your Third Sister over?”

“Second Aunt needn’t blame Fourth Sister. Since you’re with child now, being careful is right.” Qiao Zhao came to Liu Shi’s side to take her pulse. After a moment, she revealed a smile: “It’s fine. Second Aunt’s health is good. As long as your emotions don’t have major ups and downs, there’s no problem.”

Liu Shi also showed a relieved smile: “I said there was nothing wrong. This girl was just worrying unnecessarily.”

“Fourth Sister is also being filial to you.”

Qiao Zhao chatted with Liu Shi for a while, then stood up to take her leave.

“Yān’er, see your Third Sister back.”

Qiao Zhao waved her hand with a smile: “Second Aunt, why be so polite? Our residence is only so big—it’s just a few steps.”

Liu Shi didn’t continue the courtesy.

They say great kindness needs no thanks. The third Miss had helped her so much—there was no need for such formalities. Adding more to her trousseau when the Third Miss married would be the proper thing to do.

Qiao Zhao left Jinrong Courtyard and walked toward Yahe Courtyard.

The two courtyards were not far apart—just through the garden path.

It was already late March, and although the Li Residence garden was small, it was also bustling with competing blooms, especially the two magnolia trees planted beside the artificial hill, standing gracefully with flowers covering the entire trees.

Qiao Zhao walked through the flowers and willows with elegant steps, more eye-catching than the garden full of spring colors, attracting two sparrows who stared in a daze. Only when she walked close did they hurriedly fly up to the branches, shaking down many petals.

Qiao Zhao couldn’t help but smile. As she rounded the artificial hill, she suddenly felt darkness before her eyes and knew nothing more.

When she woke up again, Qiao Zhao didn’t immediately open her eyes. She closed her eyes and listened carefully for a moment, confirming that she was in a moving carriage.

What was going on?

Carefully recalling the circumstances before she lost consciousness, Qiao Zhao’s head throbbed painfully.

At that time, she had just rounded the artificial hill, then felt a pain in the back of her neck and knew nothing more. That is to say, she should have been attacked there.

So, who were the people who kidnapped her? That mysterious force whose true face had yet to be glimpsed, or Prince Rui, who was furious from embarrassment at not being able to invite her?

Even stranger was that Shao Mingyuan’s guards were watching all around the Li Residence—how was she knocked unconscious and taken to this carriage?

These thoughts raced through Qiao Zhao’s mind as she forced down her fear and slowly opened her eyes.

What met her gaze was pitch darkness. Qiao Zhao panicked a bit, reaching up to touch and discovering a black cloth covering her eyes.

She reached to untie the black cloth when a voice came: “You’re awake.”