The clingy concubine ran away, and the sickly prince lost control.

"Miss, why are you doing this?" Yinxing said, helping Cui Rou wash the blood off her hands.

The young master is truly heartless; he actually threw a teacup at the young lady.

The young lady had never been treated like this before.

Ultimately, it's because the young master has another woman by his side, and his heart has hardened towards the young lady.

"If I don't do this, will he remember my kindness?" Cui Rou deliberately didn't dodge, and even squatted down to pick up the sharp teacup shards. She wanted Pei Shiyuan to remember that he hurt her and feel guilty, so that he would remember her forever.

"The young master naturally remembers Miss's kindness. Right now, he's just blinded by Concubine Luo. Why don't you be more magnanimous, Miss? Once Concubine Luo has conceived, you can talk to the old lady and ask her to move out of Linfeng Residence. That way, the young master won't be bewitched by her," Yinxing said.

"The young master won't consummate the marriage with her, so how could he be blinded? Is it because Brother Yuan really doesn't like me anymore? Is it because I kept delaying marriage before, but now that I'm saying I'll marry him, he doesn't care anymore?"

Cui Rou's hands were wrapped tightly in white cloth, like a rice dumpling, and her ten fingers could not move. Yin Xing used a handkerchief to wipe away her tears.

"My lady, the old lady has already said that the young master's refusal to consummate the marriage is because he doesn't want to have children, but it doesn't mean that he doesn't have feelings for Consort Luo. Think about it, Consort Luo lives in the side room and is always around the young master. Which man wouldn't have feelings for her?"

Yinxing seemed thoughtful, then continued, "The young master is of noble character and would not be like those dissolute young men who think of sex whenever they see a woman. But how can a man and a woman be alone together every day without feeling anything?"

Cui Rou's eyes were deep and unfathomable. Come to think of it, the Crown Prince had targeted her several times after Luo Qingyan arrived; he had never been harsh with her before. The first time they met, Yinxing had only slapped Aunt Luo, yet the Crown Prince had beaten Yinxing so badly that she was barely alive and had been bedridden for a long time.

Pei Shiyuan had never been harsh with Cui Rou before, because he was busy with official duties and hadn't paid attention. When he learned that Cui Rou was arbitrarily punishing the servants in the mansion and behaving arrogantly, he only said a few words. After all, matters of the inner quarters should be handled by the old lady.

However, Luo Qingyan was different; she was his shield. Cui Rou raised her hand to slap Luo Qingyan, which was tantamount to slapping him in the face.

The flames of jealousy consumed Cui Rou's reason. After much thought, she realized that the prince's attitude towards her was not as good as before, and it must be related to Luo Qingyan.

Cui Rou bent down and pressed her hand to her chest: "Yinxing, what should I do? I can't be magnanimous, I'm so heartbroken, my heart aches so much."

She felt Pei Shiyuan's heart was leaving her, and tears streamed down her face like a burst dam.

"Miss, don't cry, don't cry, let's think of a solution together."

"Sigh!" Ginkgo lowered her eyes and sighed softly. Her young lady was so devoted. Although she didn't want to give her body, it was only natural. If the young master were to pass away one day, she would still be a virgin and could marry into a good family. But if she consummated her marriage with the young master, would she still be able to marry? Even if she did, she wouldn't be able to marry a good person.

Right now, if the young lady doesn't want to lose the prince's heart but also wants to preserve her innocence, then she can only find someone to win over the prince's heart for her.

"Miss, why don't you arrange a personal maid for the young master? As long as this maid is your person and often speaks well of you to the young master, bringing you two together, the young master's heart will definitely not stray; it will only be with you."

"Really?" Cui Rou looked at Yin Xing with tears still wet on her face.

"This servant thinks we can try this method."

From the palace to the mistress of a secluded household, it was common for women to use beautiful concubines to keep their husbands' hearts. Even poor families would take the initiative to arrange for their husbands to take concubines in order to please them!

Ginkgo nodded slightly.

"Then who should we turn to?" Cui Rou was born into a prominent family, the Cui clan of Qinghe. How could she not know the ways to secure the emperor's favor? But those were methods used by older wives. She was still young, full of longing for love, and could not accept such a thing. But she had no other choice but to do this. As long as her brother Yuan's heart was still with her, that was enough.

Yinxing rolled her eyes and replied, "Miss, why not Xiaodie? That girl is quick-witted; sending her would give us a better chance of success."

Cui Rou brought a total of six maids to the Duke's mansion to serve her.

Xiaodie is one of them.

Yinxing recommended Xiaodie because Xiaodie was her best friend, and when something good happened, she would naturally prioritize her own people.

"Alright! Call Xiaodie over."

Now, only Ginkgo is truly for her benefit.

Dusk fell.

Inside Linfeng Residence, Luo Qingyan had gone into the side room after Pei Shiyuan got angry and hadn't come out.

She could clearly sense that Pei Shiyuan's hostility outside had diminished considerably.

He found Cui Rou annoying because of her.

She didn't want to be in the way, but the old lady asked her to keep the child.

The task is not yet complete.

Pei Shiyuan was suffering from a churning stomach because he had no plum and almond cake to eat, but he was still in a good mood because he saw Luo Qingyan hiding in the room and not coming out for a long time. It seemed that she had experienced the bitterness of serving others. Not only did she not dare to think about having children, but she also did not dare to get close to him. That was good.

He only needed Luo Qingyan to stay put and act as a shield, so that the old lady would not look for another woman to carry on the family line.

Meanwhile, Luo Qingyan looked out the window at the setting sun disappearing its last vestiges of red.

She shook the small medicine bottle in her hand, weighing how much to use that night.

More, more. Luo Qingyan held the medicine bottle with her delicate fingers, gently shaking it as the powder fell little by little into the tea. She then stirred it well and set it aside.

Pei Shiyuan didn't want to see her right now. Luo Qingyan could only wait until dinner time to serve Pei Shiyuan his meal and, incidentally, get him to drink his tea.

The process went smoothly. During dinner, Pei Shiyuan unknowingly drank the tea that Luo Qingyan had mixed.

Luo Qingyan smiled, knowing she would need to prepare herself properly and take a nice bath.

"What kind of look is that?" Pei Shiyuan's stern voice rang out, and Luo Qingyan realized that she was actually drooling over the memory of the firm, hard mass on Pei Shiyuan's abdomen on their first night together, and the unforgettable feel of it.

Did her eyes give her away? Luo Qingyan immediately stepped back, lowered her head, and pretended to be obedient: "Your Highness, please forgive me, I was so hungry that I lost my mind."

I need to quickly appease Pei Shiyuan so that things will go more smoothly tonight.

Hungry?

Pei Shiyuan then remembered that Luo Qingyan had been eating with him recently, and today she was probably frightened by him and didn't dare to sit down to eat.

But not wanting to give her a chance to get too cocky, Pei Shiyuan ignored Luo Qingyan and finished his own meal before saying, "I'm done eating, you can eat!"

Considering that Luo Qingyan was decent at serving people, he didn't touch the dishes she liked.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Luo Qingyan sat down and began to eat earnestly. The food at the Duke's mansion was the best she had ever eaten; she never got tired of it.

She needs to eat more, as she will need to expend a lot of energy at night; that's what the fire-avoidance diagram says.

"It's like he hasn't eaten at all." Pei Shiyuan turned his head to the side. He couldn't understand how someone could eat so heartily when they were alone.

After finishing her meal, Luo Qingyan went back into her side room.

Pei Shiyuan glanced at the door of the side room with satisfaction. His temper had worked; the girl didn't dare to cling to him anymore.