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

Shen Tingjiao resisted the urge to pull her hand away. "Actually, I overheard some things when I came over just now. If you ask me, Sister Jing, you don't need to worry about this."

She leaned closer and whispered a few words in Jing Yuyan's ear.

At first, Jing Yuyan didn't take it seriously, but gradually her eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly, "That's right, she should be punished like that!"

On the other side, Shen Lingyi was still being carried back to the tent by Pei Heng.

The banquet was held outside, quite a distance from the innermost tent, and he walked slowly, almost as if on purpose.

She kicked the man with her calf. Pei Heng paused for a moment, then said, "Stop fooling around."

Shen Lingyi pouted, "It's because Your Majesty is walking too slowly. It would be bad if someone saw us."

Pei Heng dismissed it, "Even if they saw it, they could only lower their heads; how many would dare to look?"

Just then, a female relative of an official happened to pass by; she was the wife of the Marquis of Chengyang.

She originally disliked the manners of merchants, and even more so, she disliked willful and capricious women like Shen Lingyi. In the past, when rumors were rampant, she often used Shen Lingyi as an example to teach her own daughter.

Unexpectedly, while he was away from his seat due to an upset stomach, he bumped into Pei Heng and Shen Lingyi.

His Majesty even condescended to let Shen Lingyi ride on his back.

Lady Chengyang's eyelids twitched. Just as she lowered her head, she heard Pei Heng's words and immediately raised an eyebrow.

No, Your Majesty, you shouldn't say that in front of her.

Finally, we arrived at the tent. We drew the curtain, shutting out all outside views.

An oil lamp was lit inside the tent, making it extremely bright.

While others came here with trepidation, Shen Lingyi acted as if she were home. Seeing the unused fruit on the plate, her mouth was dry, so she picked one up and started to eat it.

While eating, she said to Pei Heng, "Not long ago, I saw a eunuch who seemed a bit suspicious."

"Hmm?" Pei Heng responded softly, his heavy nasal tone inexplicably alluring.

Shen Lingyi paused, coughed, and said, "I can't quite put my finger on it, but it just felt strange. It was like he was hiding something."

Shen Lingyi only realized that this spring hunt had another purpose when she recalled Wei Chengrui's words of admonition that day.

Although Wei Chengrui was vague, she guessed something.

The only thing that could concern both him and Pei Heng was the remnants of the Wan clan.

Both men had a grudge against the Wan family, so they were of one mind as ruler and subject on this matter.

Thinking of this, Shen Lingyi looked at Pei Heng again and asked, "Your Majesty, when will your curse be lifted?"

"I need to ask you that," Pei Heng said.

Before the news from the palace could reach them, Shen Lingyi came to hunt, so they knew nothing about it.

She frowned, looking puzzled, and asked, "What does this have to do with me?"

Shen Lingyi quickly racked her brains, wondering if something had gone wrong with Qing Le.

After entering the palace, Qing Le quickly distinguished himself in the Imperial Medical Academy, and the matter of Pei Heng's Gu poison was entrusted to him.

But Shen Lingyi felt it was unlikely. Qing Le was young, but reliable. It shouldn't be a problem with him.

Could the problem lie with myself?

Seeing her lost in thought for a while and frowning for a while, Pei Heng flicked Shen Lingyi's forehead, which earned him a glare from her. He then calmly straightened up and said, "Stop guessing."

He coughed, as if trying to cover something up: "Qingle will tell you when we get back."

Shen Lingyi was displeased. "We've already come this far, why are you still hiding things?"

She bit the man's hand lightly with her teeth, clearly annoyed.

Pei Heng chuckled and said, "What are you doing, biting like a kitten?"

Shen Lingyi glared at him, her eyes sparkling but without a trace of ferocity; instead, she was incredibly handsome. "It's revenge. Who told His Majesty to only say half of what he meant? Doesn't he know that saying half of what you mean is the worst thing?"

After saying that, she even solemnly listed out those characters in storybooks who died halfway through their sentences.

Pei Heng had never read storybooks before, but he listened with great interest. "It seems that the General's Mansion is indeed not strict. Look at you, spending all your time on this kind of thing. You're wasting your time on trivial things."

Shen Lingyi was unconvinced, "But just now, His Majesty was listening so attentively."

Pei Heng said, "I haven't seen it, so naturally I take it seriously."

These words surprised Shen Lingyi for a moment.

Pei Heng himself was not very self-aware; what ordinary people considered a pastime seemed dispensable to him.

However, considering the environment he grew up in, even though Shen Lingyi was bullied by the old lady, she still had her parents to support her. What did Pei Heng have?

The late emperor favored the second prince and ignored him completely.

A slight ripple stirred in Shen Lingyi's heart, but she had to show it on her face as she wrapped her arms around Pei Heng's neck.

Pei Heng let her stay and let her lean into his arms.

"Your Majesty, I feel sorry for you," Shen Lingyi said, her voice lowering. "You have been working so hard for the country, rising early and retiring late, that your health has deteriorated."

As she spoke, she brushed her hand across the faint bluish tint under his eyes.

Pei Heng grabbed the girl's fidgeting hand and said irritably, "I went hunting at night and didn't sleep well."

Shouldn't she know best whether he's in good health or not?

Shen Lingyi's wrist was grabbed, and her weak and helpless body leaned against him, a position that was extremely alluring and suggestive.

She could sense that Pei Heng's eyes had darkened.

In the end, he simply placed Shen Lingyi's hand down and tucked her into the blanket, wrapping her up tightly. "I'll take you out tomorrow, so go to sleep early."

Shen Lingyi nearly jumped up. "Is Your Majesty truly serious?"

She was incredibly bored after being detained for so many days.

"When have I ever lied to you?" Pei Heng tucked the blanket in. "Alright, go to sleep."

Shen Lingyi hadn't recovered yet, so Pei Heng didn't intend to touch her.

Tonight I was just thinking about her, and when I saw that Shen Lingyi had left early in the morning, I thought of going out to look for her, but I didn't expect to see Shen Lingyi and Wei Chengrui together.

Thinking of this, Pei Heng couldn't help but glance at the woman on the bed.

Shen Lingyi had already closed her eyes. The warm light fell on her face, and even the fine downy hairs could be seen clearly.

He looked at it for a while, then looked away.

Fine, considering she's not feeling well, I'll let it go this time.

Shen Lingyi slept at Pei Heng's place for one night. The tent was filled with a faint scent of ambergris all night long. She was already used to this smell, so she slept quite soundly.

The next day, I got up very early.

The sound of horses' hooves kept coming from outside. Shen Lingyi changed into her riding clothes and led Zhuxing out.

That day, she and Wei Chengrui fell off the cliff together. Zhuxing was still on the cliff, but it ran fast and the wolf did not catch up. Only the horse's hind leg was slightly injured.

Shen Lingyi breathed a sigh of relief upon learning the news.

The Star Chaser has been with her for many years, and if she could, she certainly wouldn't want to replace it.

She'll take care of it until it dies when she gets old.

Xiao Sha was selecting palace servants and guards to accompany him on the hunt when he saw Shen Lingyi's attire and hesitated.

"Is Miss Shen dressed like that also going?"

"Is it not allowed?" Shen Lingyi's hair was styled in a simple bun, without any hair ornaments. "His Majesty promised me personally."