"Your Majesty, why don't you take a rest?"

They had been walking for almost half an hour, circling the garden twice. Seeing that there was no sign of them stopping, Granny Jiang gently pulled Lin Yuqiao's arm and hesitated before speaking.

Lin Yuqiao was still in a bad mood, and walking did not help relieve it. Instead, her legs cramped up a bit. When she saw that Jiang Mama was holding her, she took a breath and stopped.

"Hmph, let her be jealous to death, I won't say anything."

"Now is the time for you to take care of your health. You should think more about the children."

Granny Jiang wiped the sweat from her forehead and patiently offered her words of advice.

Lin Yuqiao was in a bad mood because the Crown Princess had suddenly summoned her to the main courtyard at noon and caused a scene.

Since confirming her pregnancy, the Crown Princess had made an exception for her, exempting her from paying her respects. Now, being suddenly summoned again, Lin Yuqiao was quite bewildered.

As soon as she entered the room, she saw that it was already full of people, and there were even two unfamiliar girls standing behind the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess sat in the center with considerable presence, instantly giving her the feeling of being interrogated by three judges.

After the ceremony, the Crown Princess warmly rose and personally helped Lin Yuqiao to her seat, taking her right arm.

“My sister is pregnant. We’re all family, why do we need so many formalities?”

Hearing the Crown Princess's words, Lin Yuqiao felt her teeth ache.

Since so much formality is unnecessary, why wait until she's already squatted down before stopping her?

While inwardly criticizing the Crown Princess's hypocrisy, Lin Yuqiao responded with a fake smile, "Everyone knows that Your Highness is kind and forgiving. Even if you don't mind, I still have to follow the rules, don't I?"

After she was seated, she looked at the Crown Princess. The fact that she had been specially summoned and that everyone had been gathered meant there was something to discuss.

In the silence of everyone, the Crown Princess took the teacup brought to her by the maid, took a few sips, closed the lid of the bowl with a slight flick of her fingers, and gently placed it on the couch before speaking.

"My sister hasn't been out for a long time, so she probably hasn't seen His Highness's new concubines. I thought that since my sister is pregnant, she should move around more, so I asked them to come over so you could see them."

After the Crown Princess finished speaking, she gestured for Zhen'er and Ji'er behind her to go and greet Lin Yuqiao.

Glancing casually around, Lin Yuqiao saw the undisguised gloating in Baili's eyes, and she immediately realized that the Crown Princess was deliberately trying to make things difficult for her.

Since being named Crown Prince, Liu Heng has rarely visited the inner palace. He was really busy for a while, but after moving to the Eastern Palace, Liu Heng occasionally started staying overnight in the inner palace, but only at Lin Yuqiao's place.

Because Lin Yuqiao had a prenatal phobia attack, she would almost always be in tears, imagining herself having a difficult childbirth, which made Liu Heng worry about her every day.

Later, Li visited her more often, and her mental state improved. However, her belly started to swell again, and he could see the baby's movements through her stomach, which still worried him. Therefore, Liu Heng would visit her whenever he had time, and he would also stay overnight in her courtyard.

This not only greatly displeased the Crown Princess, but also caused others to harbor resentment in their hearts.

Lin is really trying to monopolize the inner court. It's fine if you're healthy, we can't beat you in looks or youth. But you're heavily pregnant and can't serve the Crown Prince, yet you're still hogging the reins, preventing them from even getting a sip of soup. Is that reasonable?

So when everyone learned what the Crown Princess meant, they all responded enthusiastically, united to go and support her, and also to watch the fun.

"Get up, you have good manners. Your Highness, why didn't you say so earlier? I didn't bring any gifts for them."

Seeing Zhen'er and Ji'er bowing respectfully before her, their movements neat and graceful, revealing their delicate and fair necks, Lin Yuqiao's lips twitched slightly. After calling out, she looked at the Crown Princess with a half-smile.

"There's no rush, we can add it later when we have time. It's good that we've seen the person now."

Seeing Lin Yuqiao's unpleasant expression, the Crown Princess's mood improved, and her smile became even more graceful and magnanimous.

Knowing full well that these two people were just trying to annoy her, she still had to give them a gift. This feeling was stuck in Lin Yuqiao's throat, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Your Majesty is too polite. It doesn't matter whether I see you or not. What matters is winning His Highness's favor."

Why offer a gift? She wouldn't even give me a sunflower seed shell!

Lin Yuqiao looked critically at the round-faced girl in the lotus-colored brocade shirt, thinking that her smile had a cunning look. The girl with the oval face and slender waist looked like she was scheming.

She doesn't even like these kinds of girls, so it's no wonder Liu Heng would be interested!

"I knew Consort Lin would be jealous. Look at what you're saying. Everyone knows His Highness only goes to your courtyard. How can anyone else have a chance to please His Highness?"

Lady Baili found Lin Yuqiao's phrase "pleasing His Highness" particularly grating. Everyone knew she was pleasing His Highness, yet she insisted on showing it off. Therefore, she was the first to speak up in support of the Crown Princess.

Anyway, she hadn't gained any advantage from befriending the Lin family, so she didn't care to try and build a relationship with them anymore.

Lin Yuqiao glanced at Baili Shi. She couldn't hold back so quickly. Didn't they want to be close sisters before?

"Why should I be jealous? They're just two concubines, nothing more. Besides, it's none of my business whichever courtyard His Highness wants to go to. I can't just push people away like that."

Zhen'er, standing behind the Crown Princess, darkened upon hearing Lin Yuqiao refer to her as a "plaything." Even if a concubine's status was lowly, it was still unacceptable to say it so blatantly.

Jill was also feeling down, but her face remained expressionless, as if she hadn't heard anything.

The Crown Princess also found Lin Yuqiao's words offensive, as if they were a slap in the face. Even if she was a concubine, she was still someone from her own household, yet Lin dared to look down on her like that; it was clear how arrogant she was.

“My sister is so straightforward. How could you say that? What nonsense are you talking about? They are all people who serve His Highness. My sister should at least show some respect.”

In the Crown Princess's heart, Lin Shi was actually no different from Ji'er and Zhen'er, except that she was a concubine of higher status. Therefore, her words also carried a hint of disdain.

Moreover, the Crown Princess felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. In the past, the Crown Prince would spend most of his time in her courtyard every month, but now she could hardly even see him.

"As Your Majesty has said, I am a straightforward person, and now that I am pregnant, I don't think things through when I speak. Please don't take offense, Your Majesty."

After Lin Yuqiao finished speaking in a dry tone, she made a move to get up and apologize, but her movements were slow, and she was just waiting for the Crown Princess to stop her.

In fact, the Crown Princess really wanted her to complete the ceremony, but she always maintained a reputation for being virtuous in public, and with so many people watching, she couldn't go too far.

"Don't be so polite, little sister. I didn't mean to blame you at all."

After exchanging pleasantries, the Crown Princess changed the subject and said earnestly to Lin Yuqiao, "Sister, you are now quite pregnant, and it is inconvenient for you to serve His Highness. You should be more magnanimous. His Highness is usually tired from being outside. Why don't you persuade him to visit the other sisters more often, so that His Highness can relax a bit?"

Pshaw, she's pregnant and it's even more tiring for her, why don't you let her relax a bit too?

Lin Yuqiao was completely enraged by the Crown Princess's words. She cursed inwardly, but continued to force a dry smile, keeping her head down and refusing to speak.

Even if the Crown Princess went to great lengths to take two concubines, what good would it do? Liu Heng had already promised her he wouldn't touch anyone else, so no matter how much she did, it was useless.

"We women have always valued chastity, obedience, and virtue. We should not be petty or jealous, so that we can have a good reputation before and after our death."

She remained silent, but the Crown Princess continued to persuade her, speaking in a grand and eloquent manner.

Everyone else was just there to watch the show, but Baili couldn't resist trying to get noticed, chiming in, "That's right, Your Majesty, you should be more magnanimous."

With these words spoken so openly, Lin Yuqiao could no longer bear it. She took a deep breath and raised her head.

"Your Majesty, it's not that I'm being petty. I've advised His Highness that now that he's pregnant, the other ladies are all watching me and want him to go out and about more, since I'm too conspicuous. But His Highness just can't rest easy. He says he can't be at ease unless he comes to see me. I really have no other choice. I can't just force him to go even though I know he doesn't want to see anyone."

These words were so harsh that everyone present turned pale upon hearing them, wishing they could tear her apart.

After speaking, Lin Yuqiao even let out a mock sigh, a gesture that nearly made the Crown Princess's eyes red with anger. The Crown Princess's hands, hidden in her sleeves, trembled slightly.

What does she mean by that? Does the Crown Prince think the rest of them are nothing, that he doesn't even want to see them?

Of course, Liu Heng never said this; Lin Yuqiao made it up herself. But the effect was too good; the Crown Princess fell silent after hearing it. However, the side effect was also obvious: it raised the level of hatred in the room to its highest point.

"Since Your Majesty has made this request, then when I see His Highness, I will try to persuade him again. However, as you know, His Highness has never been interested in women. In his heart, offspring are much more important than those wretched concubines."

With her posture at its highest, Lin Yuqiao smiled gently, her eyes sparkling, her face, slightly fuller due to pregnancy, exuding even more charm.

“I know you’re a good person, and it’s never wrong to be more generous.”

The Crown Princess's response was dry and unresponsive; she felt uncomfortable even looking at Lin Shi again.

After an awkward silence, the Crown Princess dismissed everyone and sent them home.

Although she hadn't lost, Lin Yuqiao was still resentful and somewhat fearful. Being the public enemy in the inner quarters was no easy task; the Crown Princess's use of the excuse of being virtuous and magnanimous to suppress her made her feel trapped and unable to advance or retreat.

She still had some doubts about whether Liu Heng could withstand such an offensive. Immediately, she reminded herself not to let her mind wander; she needed to calm herself down first.

However, this feeling of unease lingered throughout the afternoon, and even exercise couldn't dissipate it.

After resting in her room, Lin Yuqiao took out her needle and thread, intending to distract herself with something else.

What are you embroidering?

She embroidered for a while, then rested, until Liu Heng came in the evening, and only then did she finish embroidering a rough outline.

Holding her work, Liu Heng only saw a white blur. After looking at it for a while, he still couldn't figure out what the pattern was.

"It's milk cake."

Leaning back against Liu Heng, Lin Yuqiao pointed to the pattern and explained it to him.

When she successfully completed a craft project, she focused all her energy on her hands, and over time, any unpleasantness was temporarily forgotten.

She came to terms with it; her own happiness and contentment were the greatest reward she could give to the Crown Princess.

Liu Heng was quite knowledgeable and had seen all kinds of needlework. Embroidery of flowers, grass, mandarin ducks, mountains and rivers was nothing new to him, but this was the first time he had ever heard of someone embroidering pastries.

Therefore, Liu Heng sat down as well, placed her half-finished needle and thread on the table, and couldn't help but laugh at her strange idea.

"Naigao is my cat. I used to have a cat when I was a child."

Who would actually embroider a piece of milk cake? Couldn't he tell it's a cat?

Feeling confused by Liu Heng's laughter, Lin Yuqiao explained earnestly.

Oh, so it's a cat? No wonder he vaguely sensed ears in the pattern. But her embroidery skills were truly terrible.

Liu Heng remembered seeing clothes she had supposedly sewed for her future child, and he felt sympathy for her unborn child once again. He resolved to continue trying to persuade her to give up the idea.

Fortunately, she didn't do the traditional, virtuous thing of making clothes for him; otherwise, he would have been even more distressed.

“Look, this is milk cake. Later, she got a little sick, so my mother had it moved out. She never came back.”

Lin Yuqiao took out the purse with the milk cake pattern embroidered by Granny Jiang and the others, which she had kept all along, and showed it to Liu Heng.

Looking at the lifelike kitten with its snow-white fur and blue eyes, Liu Heng stroked her belly and asked, "Are you thinking about the cats you used to have?"

Lin Yuqiao nodded and touched the milk cake on her purse.

"I'll never see Milk Cake again; she was the only cat I ever owned. But when I have kids, they can raise kids and play with me, so it'll be the same."

Also, the same?

Liu Heng felt like facepalming again. Can raising a child be the same as raising a cat?

"Don't talk nonsense! The child will be upset if they hear it."

Now his child can hear what adults say, knows he's there, and occasionally even responds through his belly. Witnessing the growth of a new life so intimately for the first time, Liu Heng felt it was magical and felt an even stronger bond with his child.

Therefore, he was somewhat displeased when he heard Lin Yuqiao compare cats to children.

What's the difference?

Although Lin Yuqiao had seen her nieces and nephews in their infancy, she didn't have much of an impression of them. She only remembered that they were very small, with their eyes tightly closed, wrapped in bright red swaddling clothes.

After becoming pregnant, she kept having images in her mind of the adorable babies from TV commercials: chubby, white, and giggling with drool when teased. She thought that in terms of cuteness, they were pretty much the same as milk cakes.

"Ziping, you're valuing the child more than me now!"

Lin Yuqiao watched as Liu Heng gently touched her belly, and after being kicked, she became even happier. She pouted and complained.

Is this person even jealous of their own child now?

"Competing for attention with your child, aren't you ashamed? You're still not grown up, am I going to have two children in the future?"

Liu Heng shifted the person's position, holding them on his lap, and found the possibility somewhat amusing.

"If you'd like, I can call you Dad too!"

Lin Yuqiao quickly followed up, staring at him with wide eyes, blinking, and said meaningfully.

"They're getting more and more unruly, daring to say anything!"

The person in his arms couldn't stop laughing just from imagining things, and was giving him a malicious look.

Liu Heng felt utterly powerless. He had always been self-disciplined and cautious, and he was extremely proper in both matters of the bedroom and politics. Even in matters of the mouth, he couldn't stand her rambling and random talk.

He lifted Lin Yuqiao down and made her stand up, then slapped her bottom twice.

“You are going to be a mother soon, so you must set a good example for yourself so that you can teach your children well in the future.”

"I understand. I'll try not to say anything carelessly in the future."

After being beaten, Lin Yuqiao obediently admitted her mistake.

Seeing that his expression relaxed, she stuck out her tongue and pounced into his arms again, rubbing her face against his neck.

Sometimes, after a while, she felt that Liu Heng had influenced her to be abnormal.

She actually found his restrained and conservative old-fashioned nature, his serious and earnest lecturing, incredibly endearing.

"You!"

The rubbing on his neck made him feel a little itchy, and Liu Heng felt as if a kitten's tail was brushing against his heart.

He hugged her again, placed his hand on her stomach, and patiently waited for the baby to occasionally raise its hand or kick to communicate with him.