“Why would His Highness think that way? Your Ladyship, don’t let your thoughts wander.” Before Liuye finished speaking, Zheng Shi had already said, “I’m not letting my thoughts wander. This is exactly what he thinks. Tell me, since I moved into Yiqiu Palace, how many times has he come? Not once! He hasn’t even come to see Chengdao or Changning!” Ever since Ying’er was enfeoffed as Princess Changning, Zheng Shi had always addressed her by her title, unwilling to call that name that made her heart feel so cold.

Liuye sighed inwardly but still said, “With Xue Ju’s invasion, His Highness is busy gathering troops and naturally has no time to spare. This servant heard that His Highness rarely visits Changchun Pavilion either.”

Zheng Shi raised her hand, “You needn’t comfort me. I know His Highness’s thoughts very well. Remember this – whatever I do in the future, it’s those two who forced me to it!” The last sentence was almost squeezed out from between her teeth.

The news of Jirong’s pregnancy also quickly reached the Prince of Qin’s residence. Yunyi had Jixiang prepare a generous gift, and since Zhangsun Shi was inconvenienced and couldn’t get up, she combined Zhangsun Shi’s portion with her own and sent it all to the Eastern Palace. After exchanging pleasantries with Jirong, she finally left.

After stepping out of Changchun Pavilion, Jixiang said softly, “Didn’t Your Highness say that Consort Ji is not a good person to associate with? Why were you still so courteous to her? That ginseng root – even you yourself were reluctant to use it.”

Yunyi looked at the dark clouds slowly drifting across the sky and said calmly, “Regardless, she is still the Crown Prince’s side consort. If we were disrespectful, others would say the people of the Prince of Qin’s residence don’t understand propriety and would damage His Highness’s reputation. As for whether she’s good or evil, it’s enough to know it in our hearts.”

Jixiang nodded and was about to speak when someone coming from the side suddenly bumped into her, nearly causing her to fall. Fortunately, Ruyi was quick-eyed and swift-handed, catching her.

Seeing that he had bumped into someone, Ding Yang hurriedly said, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. This humble person didn’t do it on purpose. Please forgive me, Consort Yang and Miss Jixiang.”

Seeing him apologizing profusely to her, and recognizing him as Jirong’s servant, Jixiang couldn’t say much more. She rubbed the spot that hurt from the collision and said, “Never mind. Be more careful in the future and don’t walk so fast.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Ding Yang nodded repeatedly, then looked toward Yunyi, who said, “It’s fine. You may go.”

“Thank you, Consort Yang!” After repeatedly expressing his gratitude, Ding Yang hurried away. After he left, Ruyi discovered a handkerchief on the ground and said, “This person is really careless – he doesn’t even know he dropped something.”

Jixiang picked it up and examined it, laughing, “This handkerchief must be from some girl who gave it to him. Otherwise, why would a man carry such a handkerchief? Look, there are even characters embroidered on the bottom of this handkerchief.” Following the direction Jixiang pointed, they could indeed see a small character “秀” (Xiu) embroidered in one corner of the handkerchief.

Seeing that character “秀”, Yunyi had a feeling of déjà vu, as if she had seen it somewhere before, but for a moment, she couldn’t remember where.

Ruyi urged Jixiang, “Alright, stop looking at it. Hurry and return it to him.”

At this moment, Ding Yang had discovered the handkerchief was missing and hurried back. Seeing the handkerchief in Jixiang’s hand, his eyelids trembled, then he smiled and said, “It did fall here. Thank you, Miss Jixiang, for picking it up for me.”

As Jixiang handed the handkerchief back to him, she casually joked, “Is it a love token from some girl?”

Ding Yang’s face reddened slightly as he said, “Miss Jixiang, please don’t tease me. Looking like this, what girl would fancy me? I found this handkerchief and thought it looked quite nice, so I’ve kept it until now.” After saying this, he bowed to Yunyi again before leaving.

As Yunyi left the Eastern Palace, Ding Yang also quietly exited through a side gate and made his way to the stream on the east side of the city. Xiuzhu was already there, standing in the shade of a tree. Seeing him enter, she complained, “Why are you so late? You kept me waiting.”

“Before leaving, Her Ladyship had me handle some matters, so I departed late. I’ve been hurrying all the way here, afraid you’d grow impatient.”

Seeing he was indeed covered in sweat, Xiuzhu lovingly wiped his perspiration and said, “Alright, I’ll forgive you this time, but don’t be so late again in the future.”

Ding Yang pulled down her hand and smiled, “I understand. Even if the Jade Emperor himself stood in my way, I wouldn’t pay attention to him. That should be acceptable, right?”

Xiuzhu laughed at his words and playfully scolded, “You only know how to sweet-talk. I’m not paying attention to you anymore.”

After some playful banter, Ding Yang took out a box from his sleeve and handed it to her, saying, “Open it and see.”

Xiuzhu thought it was a gift for her and opened it with joy, only to find a yellowish-brown root inside. She asked puzzledly, “What is this?”

“Do you remember what I told you last time?” Ding Yang’s words made Xiuzhu’s face change, and her hands trembled slightly. After a long while, she said, “What you mentioned… is this thing?”

“Correct. This item is called pale bamboo leaf. It’s sweet in nature, bland and cold, with effects of removing vexing heat and quenching thirst. But because of its cold nature, it’s not suitable for pregnant women. You just need to put it in the Prince of Qin’s consort’s usual pregnancy-stabilizing medicine, brew it together, and give it to the Prince of Qin’s consort to drink. It will cause fetal restlessness.”

“What about the child…” Before Xiuzhu could finish, Ding Yang said, “Don’t worry. This amount of pale bamboo leaf won’t cause miscarriage. After resting for a few days, everything will be fine.”

After repeatedly confirming that the pale bamboo leaf wouldn’t really cause Zhangsun Shi to miscarry, Xiuzhu tucked it into her bosom. After a moment of tenderness, she looked up at Ding Yang standing behind her and said softly, “When you said last time that I was your beloved, was it true?”

Ding Yang embraced her and looked down, saying, “Of course it was true. What’s wrong?”

Xiuzhu bit her lip lightly and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, “Then… have you ever thought about our future?”

Ding Yang’s smile stiffened slightly as he said, “Why are you suddenly asking about this?”

Hearing this, Xiuzhu’s face darkened. She broke free from his hands and said coldly, “So you’ve never thought about it at all!”

“Of course that’s not true.” Ding Yang tried to take her hand, but she avoided him, so he could only say, “Look at you, your mouth is pouting so much you could hang things on it. Really, when did you become so fond of getting angry?”

Xiuzhu turned her head away, “I’m not fond of getting angry. It’s just that you don’t care about me at all.”

Upon hearing this, Ding Yang hurriedly protested, “Heaven and earth be my witness, I care about you so much. Saying such things really breaks my heart.”

Xiuzhu’s eyes reddened slightly as she said, “If you really cared about me, you wouldn’t avoid thinking about the future. Do you want to spend your whole life like this, only meeting every few days? Or do you want me to follow you nameless and without status for my entire life?”

“Nonsense. How could I think that way?” Saying this, Ding Yang ignored her struggles and forcibly pulled her into his embrace. “Ever since I met you, I haven’t stopped thinking about marrying you and being together day and night, not even for a moment.”