After becoming pregnant, the cold-hearted nobles all went mad.

The next morning, when Shen Lingyi paid her respects to the Empress Dowager, it was noticed that something was off about her face.

When the Empress Dowager inquired, she simply smiled and said, "Perhaps I slept with a stiff neck last night, hence the slight marks on my face."

However, with such keen eyesight, how could the former not see that the delicate lips had been ravaged, resulting in slight redness and swelling?

Thinking of what Rongxin had said last night, the smile in the Empress Dowager's eyes faded slightly. She looked at the woman in front of her with scrutiny. "Last night, I originally wanted to reserve a side hall for you in Shou Kang Palace, but I heard from Fuquan that the Emperor had already made arrangements."

She sighed deliberately and said, "I've watched the Emperor grow up since I was a child. He's thorough in his dealings, but he lacks a bit of compassion for people. I hope I haven't wronged you?"

Shen Lingyi's eyes flickered as she thought of the soft murmurs from last night.

Pei Heng thought she was asleep, but she was actually pretending.

"No, His Majesty arranged for me to stay near his palace last night because he was worried about gossip."

The Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief and exchanged a glance with Rong Xin.

Last night, Rongxin's investigation was incomplete; she only saw palace servants coming and going near the Zichen Palace. If they were just living in the empty palaces around there, that would be fine.

In the end, it was just a false alarm.

Granny Rongxin turned her head and put on a smiling face, changing the subject and bringing Shen Lingyi some milk buns from the grassland.

During their casual conversation, Shen Lingyi also learned a few phrases of Mongolian.

Laughter and chatter drifted from inside the hall. Xu Yanqing paused, asking the palace attendant beside him, "Who is inside?"

The palace maid only replied that it was a woman who had recently gained the Empress Dowager's favor and had come to the palace to accompany her.

"Why have I never heard of this before?"

Xu Yanqing racked his brains but couldn't think of any woman from a prominent family who had won the Empress Dowager's favor. If word got out, it would be disastrous.

Those ministers, their eyes gleaming with greed, would surely seize the opportunity to urge His Majesty to take a concubine, since the Empress Dowager would vouch for him anyway.

He was suddenly curious and quickened his pace as he entered the hall.

The fragrant aroma wafted onto the girl's face, making her skin as white as jade. When she smiled, her eyes sparkled with light, drawing one into the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

Xu Yanqing stopped in shock.

Rong Momo spotted him with sharp eyes and had a very good impression of the Crown Prince, who often visited the Empress Dowager. "Your Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."

"Yan'er, you've come at the right time. I've long heard that you and Lingyi are acquainted. Now that you're here, you can tell me how the two of you met."

"Mother, I..."

Xu Yanqing's mind was in complete turmoil, unsure whether it was because of Shen Lingyi's appearance or because of that fleeting glimpse he had just caught.

Fearing that the sharp-eyed Empress Dowager would see through his disguise, he had no choice but to sit down.

Noticing Xu Yanqing's stiffness, a hint of doubt flashed in the Empress Dowager's eyes. Then she heard Shen Lingyi take the initiative to introduce, "Speaking of which, His Highness the Crown Prince saved my life back then, and I still haven't repaid that debt of gratitude."

"There's such a thing?"

Xu Yanqing frowned slightly, unsure of what Shen Lingyi was trying to say. "The horse farm is in chaos, and the horses are out of control, which could injure innocent people. I was just doing my best."

Shen Lingyi took a sip of tea, concealing the amusement in her eyes.

She took the initiative to approach him, and the loss of control of the horse was also a carefully planned event.

The Empress Dowager intended to bring the two together, but after a few words, she excused herself by saying she was dizzy and sent them to the martial arts arena to have Xu Yanqing accompany Shen Lingyi on horseback.

"My horsemanship is not good enough, and I'm afraid it will trouble Your Highness," Shen Lingyi declined.

Granny Rongxin walked ahead, her dress rustling, and she smiled brightly. "It's alright, just consider it practice. If you're good at it, you can use it in next year's spring hunt."

Not far away, Pei Heng, who had just come out of the Golden Palace and was on his way to Shou Kang Palace, paused.

Fuquan, not one to mince words, exclaimed in surprise, pointing at the two people walking ahead: "Isn't that the Second Miss and His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"I can see it."

Pei Heng's eyes flashed like daggers, and the eunuch immediately dared not utter a sound. The man stared at him with needle-like eyes for a long time before suddenly lifting his foot and following him.

After leading them to the training ground, Rong Xin left.

The palace servants selected good horses from the stables and sent them over. Considering that Shen Lingyi was a woman, they specially chose a relatively docile ponies.

Compared to Xu Yanqing's imposing dark horse general, the contrast is simply too obvious.

Shen Lingyi raised an eyebrow and pointed at his horse.

"Why should I ride this one? I want that one."

"This…"

The palace servant hesitated, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. He had met Shen Lingyi a few times, and in his memory, she had never been so difficult to talk to in front of His Majesty and the Empress Dowager.

How could the palace servants know that Shen Lingyi always treated people differently based on their status?

That's just her nature; what she does in front of others is just a facade.

Xu Yanqing looked at her quietly, pondering what had made Shen Lingyi decide to stop pretending in front of him. He then said, "Take that horse back. I will handle it."

"Yes."

So the chestnut pony, which had only been out for a few minutes, was brought back to the stable in its original condition.

Xu Yanqing mounted his horse with swift, clean movements, his robes fluttering. He reached out to Shen Lingyi and said:

"Come up."

As soon as Shen Lingyi went up, she was instantly pulled into the man's arms.

Xu Yanqing's aura enveloped her. This aura was different from the faint ambergris scent; it was cool and refreshing, like white plum blossoms blooming on branches, crisp and sharp.

"I don't know what you're trying to do. If things are exposed, I won't help you."

Shen Lingyi knew perfectly well what he was warning her about, but she blinked and pretended to be clueless. "What is Your Highness saying?"

"You want to be His Majesty's concubine," Xu Yanqing gritted his teeth, just saying those words was a huge challenge for him, "Why should I help myself by finding a completely unrelated stepmother to take the place of me?"

Even now, he still believes that Shen Lingyi's ambition is only to become a minor imperial concubine.

Shen Lingyi didn't explain. The horse galloped up, and her flowing black hair emitted a faint fragrance that lingered around the noses of those behind her.

"Your Highness made a mistake in one sentence, and it's not entirely unrelated."

"We were clearly accomplices, how can you say we have no connection?"

"Whoa!"

Xu Yanqing abruptly pulled on the reins to rein in the horse, his gaze sweeping over the girl's smiling face with a scrutinizing look. He was startled, feeling as if his ambition had been seen through.

While he was still lost in thought, Shen Lingyi's bright eyes looked past him and straight behind her, "Your Majesty!"

When Xu Yanqing met Pei Heng's eyes, her heart skipped a beat.

Pei Heng watched as Shen Lingyi dismounted and rushed to his side like a fledgling bird returning to its nest. He lowered his eyes and said, "The Crown Prince did not attend the morning court session today."

Xu Yanqing lowered his head and said meekly, "Since there was nothing important to attend to at the morning court, I went to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager first."

Pei Heng didn't say anything, but looked at the black horse and said, "I remember, this horse was tamed by you two years ago. When it was first sent from Liangzhou, it was a wild and unruly horse."

"It took several months of repeated training with whips and hammers before he finally became more obedient."

"Unfortunately, he's still a wild horse at heart, and he's different from a domesticated one."