The city patrol posted a notice seeking a masked man named Xu Chuan. A reward of one hundred taels of silver would be given to anyone who provided clues, and one thousand taels of silver would be given to anyone who caught him.

However, after the notice was posted for three days, not only was no one caught, but there wasn't even the slightest clue.

Are you kidding me? Someone who dares to hang the heir of the Duke of Maoguo on the city wall is someone that ordinary people can afford to mess with.

If you run into them, just pretend you didn't see them and walk around them, okay? Otherwise, you might make money but not live to enjoy it.

That day, after breakfast, the weather was unusually not so hot. Shen Wan was bored, so she watered the flowers in the yard. She used a water ladle to scoop water. Yin Shuang and Hai Tang were worried that she would get tired. Shen Wan suspected that in the eyes of the maids, she was made of tofu dregs.

As I was watering the peonies, a young maid in a light pink dress entered and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor has lifted Princess Shouchun's confinement..."

Shen Wan raised an eyebrow.

Princess Shouchun sneaked out of the palace and chased after two thugs who stole her purse. She was arrested and taken to the city patrol office. The emperor hadn't originally intended to confine her for long, but before the time was up, he lifted the confinement.

As Shen Wan pondered this, Yin Shuang asked aloud, "Why did His Majesty lift Princess Shouchun's confinement?"

The maidservant replied, "It seems that the Empress learned that the delegation from Xiliang that came to celebrate the Emperor's birthday included not only the Crown Prince of Xiliang, but also Princess Nanyi of Xiliang. It is said that Princess Nanyi is not only extremely beautiful, but also skilled in dancing. The Empress was worried that Princess Nanyi would take advantage of the birthday celebration to ask to dance with the Emperor's princesses, so she asked Consort Wang to urge the princesses to practice dancing. Consort Wang then reported this to the Emperor and pleaded with the Emperor on behalf of Princess Shouchun, asking her to prioritize her dance practice. As a result, the Emperor lifted Princess Shouchun's confinement."

In her previous life, the princess of Xiliang did indeed perform a dance at the emperor's birthday banquet and then asked to compete with the princess of Da Chu.

However, Empress Song was self-aware and did not dare to let Princess Shouchun make a fool of herself on stage. Instead, she pushed her out, knowing that losing would bring shame to Great Chu, while winning would make her a target for the Western Liang princess.

But Empress Song didn't just find out today that Xiliang had sent Princess Nanyi to offer birthday greetings. In her previous life, Empress Song knew three months in advance and tormented her to death, forcing her to practice the Green Waist Dance. In this life, without her as a shield, Shen Wan was really curious who Empress Song would use to deal with this for her daughter, Princess Shouchun.

Empress Song's visit to Consort Wang was probably not to lift Princess Shouchun's confinement, since the Emperor's birthday was approaching and it would naturally be lifted then.

Empress Song was probably setting a trap for Consort Wang. Even though she was under house arrest, she knew to be wary of the Western Liang princess's antics. She informed Consort Wang in advance so that she could prepare a countermeasure. If the Great Chu lost face, Empress Song could then sow discord in front of the Emperor and get the Phoenix Seal back.

Consort Wang was also clever; she went directly to plead for Princess Shouchun, saying that if a competition were to be held, it should be Princess Shouchun who goes first.

Princess Shouchun is superior to Princess Nanyi. Even if the Emperor doesn't acknowledge Consort Wang's contribution, he is absolutely right. If Princess Shouchun loses, Empress Song cannot cause trouble for Consort Wang.

The power struggles within the imperial harem are often bloodless and deadly.

Shen Wan smiled, genuinely looking forward to the Emperor's birthday.

She scooped up a ladle of water and continued watering the flowers.

Just as she finished watering half a bucket, another maid rushed in from outside. She must have run all the way to Moyuxuan. A fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead, and she said breathlessly, "Your Highness, Princess Huai'an is pregnant!"

Shen Wan was taken aback at first, then a surge of joy welled up in her heart.

It's a pity that my father and elder brother are not in Kyoto, otherwise they would be overjoyed to know.

The fact that Princess Huai'an was pregnant was a top priority for the Marquis of Pingyang's household. With her father and elder brother away, she had to be extra attentive.

Shen Wan immediately sent a maid to the front courtyard to deliver a message and prepare a carriage, as she wanted to return to the Pingyang Marquis's residence.

Princess Huai'an was pregnant, so she couldn't go back empty-handed. Shen Wan went to the storeroom and picked out some bird's nest and cordyceps to take back with her.

Shen Jing and Shen Du were not there. Shen Wan had gone to see Princess Huai'an, so Xie Jingyan did not accompany her and asked Chen Feng to lead men to escort Shen Wan back.

The carriage traveled smoothly all the way until it stopped in front of the gate of the Marquis of Pingyang's residence.

After Yinshuang got off the carriage, she helped Chenwan down.

After entering the mansion, they went straight to the small courtyard where Princess Huai'an lived.

Without any maids stopping her, Shen Wan went straight into the room. Princess Huai'an was lying on a small couch, her face pale. Fourth Madam and Shen Wei were also there.

Shen Wan walked in and said, "Why is your face so pale, sister-in-law? Are you having trouble with your pregnancy?"

Princess Huai'an shook her head, feeling weak.

The fourth wife answered for her, "The doctor came to check on her. There's no problem with the pregnancy, but she has severe morning sickness. She vomited on her way back from my fourth room, when she passed through the garden..."

Princess Huai'an was quite bored staying alone in the Marquis's mansion. Fourth Madam and Shen Wei were good at needlework, and Shen Wan was also skilled at needlework. So Princess Huai'an went to find Shen Wei to watch her embroider her wedding dress and teach her how to embroider a handkerchief or something. On her way back from next door, when she passed by the garden, the usually elegant fragrance of the flowers felt cloyingly sweet to her throat. She couldn't help but cover her mouth and gag, and then she vomited.

When the news reached the ears of the Fourth Madam, she was nearly scared to death. She quickly dropped the account books in her hand and rushed to the mansion to see what was going on, fearing that someone had drugged Princess Huai'an in their residence. Fortunately, it was morning sickness, not an upset stomach, and certainly not poisoning.

Fourth Madam still felt lingering fear when she thought about it. Princess Huai'an said, "I'm sorry to have worried Fourth Aunt."

Fourth Madam laughed and said, "If I had known you had morning sickness, I would have been happy, not worried."

A blush rose on Princess Huai'an's pale face.

Her period was usually very regular, but this time it was a few days late, and she wondered if she was pregnant. However, she didn't have morning sickness or any other discomfort, so she didn't think much of it and didn't call a doctor. After all, it was too early to tell, and besides, it wouldn't matter if her period was a few days late. But she hadn't expected that she would have had any signs before, and when she did, she would vomit and feel like she was going to die.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!