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

Young Master Wang stood up and immediately began to curse, "Who's so blind?!"

He was the cousin of the Left Minister, who was highly valued by His Majesty. Naturally, people who were related to him held extraordinary positions.

This young master Wang was one of them. Relying on the power of the Zuo family, he acted arrogantly and domineeringly, disregarding the imperial examinations and even trying to take advantage of the chaos. As a result, he was caught red-handed by the upright Gu Qinghong.

Unfortunately, the examiner was from a faction supported by the Zuo family, which is the main reason why he hasn't been imprisoned yet.

After Shen Lingyi had someone help Gu Qinghong up, she listened to his explanation of the whole story and was puzzled.

Most people would have kept their tails between their legs by now. What's wrong with this young master Wang? How dare he act so arrogantly? Does he have no brains?

In fact, Young Master Wang could be even more brainless than she thought.

Young Master Wang, who had been angrily getting up, instantly turned his anger into lust and infatuation upon seeing Shen Lingyi's stunning appearance. "You, which family's young lady are you? Tell me, and I'll spare you this time."

Shen Lingyi showed no intention of speaking, but Shaoyao stepped forward and said, "My family is the second young lady of the General's Mansion, and she was personally bestowed the title of Princess Pingyang by His Majesty. How dare you offend the Princess!"

Young Master Wang's face turned pale.

He knew about the second young lady of the General's Mansion, and he knew even more about the Princess of Pingyang County.

This guy is even more arrogant than me, yet he always has people protecting him. In short, he's someone you can't afford to mess with.

His legs were already trembling, but Shen Lingyi didn't even look at him. She ordered the guards she had brought with her, "Take him to the government office and say that he cheated on the imperial examination."

"Yes."

The guards took the person away, and the crowd fell silent for a moment. Shen Lingyi did not want to be watched like a monkey show, so she called Gu Qinghong and got into her carriage.

Gu Qinghong was initially awkward about getting into the woman's carriage, and said to Shen Lingyi, "You shouldn't let a man from another family into your carriage."

Shen Lingyi said, "Then will you go down now?"

Gu Qinghong choked, seeing that her face was completely expressionless and flushed red, he finally realized that he had been worrying unnecessarily, and that she didn't care at all.

Shen Lingyi had no time to care what a pedantic scholar was thinking. She unfolded the water conservancy map she had brought out and said, "I will send this map to His Majesty on a chosen day. As for that young master Wang who caused you trouble, I will also help you punish him."

Gu Qinghong was taken aback, and said with guilt, "Miss, you have helped me so much... but I have nothing to repay you with."

"Don't be so happy yet," Shen Lingyi interrupted. "I'm helping you not without expecting anything in return. You should have known whose side you were on when you accepted the General's Mansion's offer."

Gu Qinghong stood up, her face flushed, her fingers trembling: "You! How can a woman like you not think about how to be a good wife and mother, but about these other things?"

"I thought you were a kind-hearted woman, but I was so wrong about you!"

Shen Lingyi looked up at the angry man and found it amusing: "Does being kind mean you have to suffer in silence? Saving someone is an act of kindness, it doesn't mean I owe you anything."

Gu Qinghong couldn't refute it, and her face turned even redder than before.

Shen Lingyi wasn't angry at being scolded to her face. She knew Gu Qinghong well; he was a complete pedantic scholar. He was capable, but his arrogance and haughtiness made others dislike him.

His family once pooled their money to hire a learned Confucian scholar to teach him. But because his mother secretly gave him a gift, he made a huge fuss, feeling that a teacher who accepted bribes was not a good teacher. In reality, this was an unwritten rule.

If you don't give gifts, why should people share all their knowledge beyond what's in books?

The old scholar was stubborn and returned the tuition fee, refusing to accept the student. When word got out, Gu Qinghong became a hot potato that no one wanted to take on.

Gu Qinghong's talent lies in this: he managed to learn it all by himself.

Peony angrily rebuked him, "Don't forget, it was our young lady who saved you just now. You've wasted all your education; don't you know how to be grateful?"

Gu Qinghong was rendered speechless by those words.

In truth, he knew that agreeing to go with Shen Lingyi was tantamount to selling himself to the General's Mansion, but he clung to a sliver of hope, thinking that Shen Lingyi seemed to be a kind-hearted woman.

If Shen Lingyi knew what he was thinking, she would definitely say that she had never been kind-hearted and that she couldn't accept such praise.

"Alright, put him down when we get to the private residence."

Only after Shen Lingyi spoke did Shaoyao swallow her anger.

But when he threw the person down, he still had a bit of a temper, especially thinking about how Shen Lingyi had kindly lent him the house, and he not only didn't appreciate it, but also criticized her young lady.

Peony snorted coldly and muttered, "Without our young lady, you are nothing."

Gu Qinghong's face turned pale.

Shen Lingyi instructed her to deliver the water conservancy map to Eunuch Fuquan in the palace. Just after she gave the order, she saw Jiang's maidservant going to the storeroom to fetch medicinal herbs.

"Ning Madam, don't they get their own medicine from outside?"

Ning Mama turned around and was taken aback. Seeing Shen Lingyi getting off the carriage, she sighed, "This time it's not the old lady who's sick, it's the general."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lingyi immediately tensed up.

Ning Mama comforted her, "It's not a big problem, it's just an old ailment that's flared up. The general has a chronic illness that didn't flare up last year, so we thought he was cured. The madam was even secretly happy about it, but who knew that it would flare up again this spring."

Even so, Shen Lingyi was still worried that her father's old illness would flare up and he would definitely not be able to go on the spring hunt. However, given the Emperor's order, her father would not refuse even if he was in pain.

Even if I have to endure all this pain, I will definitely go.

We need to think of a way.

Shen Lingyi's true thoughts were not revealed on her face; she simply nodded to the nanny and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Nanny."

She turned and left. It was only after a long time that Ning Mama realized something was slightly wrong. Shouldn't the Second Miss go and see the General?

On second thought, she realized that perhaps Shen Lingyi had something more important to do.

Ning Mama was right; Shen Lingyi had something more important to do: to go to the East Palace to ask Xu Yanqing for help.

Upon arriving at the Eastern Palace, they were naturally stopped and questioned.

"I'm here to see His Highness the Crown Prince." Shen Lingyi's composed demeanor made the guards of the Eastern Palace exchange bewildered glances. Did His Highness the Crown Prince know this woman?

The guards, not daring to be careless, ran in to inquire, and a moment later came out looking somewhat disheveled. They quickly let the man in.

Stepping through the lotus-shaped door of the rear hall, Shen Lingyi saw Xu Yanqing, who had just come out of the study. He was so worried about the recent affairs of state that his brow was throbbing with pain, and he only looked up after a moment when he heard a sound.

"The guards said you urgently need to see me." As he said this, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

As far as he knew, Shen Lingyi had just come out of the palace, so she hadn't come to see him for Pei Heng.

Whatever the reason, it was enough to satisfy Xu Yanqing. Her first thought was of herself, not her good father.