The servant looked pitiful, but couldn’t avoid answering the master’s question. He trembled as he repeated, “Master Liang, it’s the one you invited to the mansion before, the Husband of Lady Shen Meng.”

Initially, Liang Jue often visited the mansion, and they thought the master was genuinely a homosexual. Later, when it spread that the Third Prince liked Shen Meng, they once thought it was just a tactic for the Third Prince Xue Ning to get close to Liang Jue.

But later, when even the Empress was going to arrange a marriage for the Third Prince, they realized they had misunderstood. In fact, the Third Prince Xue Ning used Liang Jue to get close to Shen Meng.

They also felt sorry for their master. It was hard enough to fall in love with someone, but she turned out to be a married woman. If their relationship wasn’t good, it would be fine, but Shen Meng seemed quite affectionate towards Liang Jue, so much so that she dared to refuse the Empress’s marriage proposal.

The servants naturally heard about what happened that day. It was only because the Third Prince pleaded for mercy that the Empress let the matter slide. Since then, Xue Ning had been staying at the mansion, trimming flowers, playing with the talking mynah bird, everything seemed peaceful and harmonious, as if nothing had ever happened.

But everyone in the mansion knew that this calmness was just a facade hiding beneath the storm. Their master didn’t have the thought of giving up.

Not only did he not give up, but he also intensified his efforts, closely following the news from the Shen family. Any slight movement, the mansion would be the first to know.

“When did this news happen? Why are you only reporting it now?!” Xue Ning’s eyes suppressed anger, his black pupils seeming like the center of a storm.

“It… it happened yesterday. Someone saw Lady Shen Meng and Master Liang at the clinic yesterday. According to the doctor who examined them, Master Liang was diagnosed with pregnancy. They said you were resting at that time, so that’s why they’re reporting it to you now.”

The person reporting the news trembled with fear, unable to conceal the anxiety on his face. They all said the Third Prince had a bad temper, but he also hated lies the most.

He could only try to be tactful while telling the truth. This wasn’t originally his job, but none of the servants dared to let the Third Prince know about the bad news, so they pushed him to be the scapegoat.

Xue Ning snapped the flower branch in his hand, and the jade-like branch oozed out red juice, as if it were bleeding.

He lowered his eyes, his expression dark, his voice unsettling, “What are you afraid of? Do you really think I’ll eat you?”

The servant hurriedly explained, “Your Highness, I’m not afraid of anything with your kind demeanor.”

Xue Ning didn’t take the person’s words seriously, only asking, “You said she accompanied him to see the doctor yesterday. When she found out that person was pregnant, how did she react?”

He wanted to know if Shen Meng was happy to find out that she was still with him.

The servant stammered, “Reporting to Your Highness, the doctor said that Master Liang was completely stunned at the time, showing extreme joy. Shen Meng, on the other hand, seemed relatively calm, not like someone experiencing motherhood for the first time.”

In fact, the doctor also mentioned that Shen Meng seemed quite happy, but this statement was forcefully omitted by the reporting servant. He valued his life and dared not say everything.

“She wasn’t very happy, huh? Then do you think she feels that the person who’s bearing the child for her isn’t good enough?” Xue Ning’s murmured voice was not loud, but the room was too large and quiet.

Even the sound of a falling needle could be heard clearly, so understanding his words was not difficult for the reporting servant.

Who would disdain their own child? The servant thought this way but hypocritically echoed, “I think so.”

Xue Ning’s expression seemed to relax a bit, then the servant said, “Your Highness… your hand!”

The broken flower branch of the jade beauty was too sharp. Not only did it exude juice, but it also pierced his finger. Its juice was originally milky white, but when mixed with Xue Ning’s blood, it looked like the branch was bleeding.

Xue Ning casually tossed the flower branch aside, turned his back, and gestured for him to leave. “You may leave now.”

He wasn’t blind; the person was trembling like a sieve when speaking to him. He had no intention of taking his life, but he couldn’t possibly be in a good mood.

The servant thanked him and hurriedly left, seeming as if there was a ferocious beast chasing him from behind, making Xue Ning feel even more annoyed.

Liang Jue’s pregnancy with Shen Meng’s child greatly shocked him. Shen Meng’s rejection of the Empress’s marriage decree was also within his expectations. After all, the matter came too suddenly. The Empress had even consulted with him beforehand, and he felt it was inappropriate, let alone Shen Meng, who was not informed.

If Shen Meng had agreed to the marriage at that time, she would have been seen as a vain person by the world and despised by the Empress. So her refusal allowed him to tell himself that Shen Meng might not be infatuated but perhaps was considering her own future and reputation.

But now that Liang Jue was pregnant with Shen Meng’s child, apart from the childhood hugs, there was no further intimate contact between him and Shen Meng. Yet Liang Jue! He was now carrying Shen Meng’s child, such a cute little life, possibly a lovely daughter.

She would have Shen Meng’s tender and affectionate eyes, Shen Meng’s fair skin, a pleasant voice, and even carry Shen Meng’s blood. But the child wouldn’t come from his womb, but Liang Jue’s. She would also flow with Liang Jue’s blood and sweetly call Liang Jue “father.”

He wanted to delude himself, but the child shattered his illusion. This would truly be a presence he detested, but fortunately, the child had not yet been born. He could still snuff out its existence in the cradle.

Thinking this, Xue Ning felt somewhat better. He also needed to think about what methods would make his beloved Miss less sad and distressed.

For some reason, after getting pregnant, Liang Jue always felt somewhat uneasy. He wrote a letter to his family, roughly saying that he was pregnant and very happy.

Shen Meng treated him well, but for such a long time, he hadn’t gone home to see his parents and older sister. He missed his family.

Apart from other matters, which were just some daily routines, he mentioned his concerns at the end of the letter and also requested his father to send over two experienced midwives.

After all, it was his first time being a father, and he wasn’t very clear about many taboos. He was always worried about the legitimacy of hired midwives. If they did anything suspicious, there would be nowhere for his child to cry.

Soon, two people from the Liang family were sent over, reassuring him in the letter to take good care of himself and to live well with Shen Meng, warning against recklessness now that they had their own household and no elders to oversee them.

The reply letter was ordinary, but Liang Jue noticed something amiss. When Shen Meng came back, she saw him flipping through a piece of paper, the edges of which were crumpled from his handling.

Seeing how absorbed he was, when Shen Meng approached him, he hadn’t noticed her presence until she coughed lightly. “What are you looking at so intently?”

Startled by her, Liang Jue nearly fell off his chair, but Shen Meng quickly steadied him.

After recovering from his fright, Liang Jue patted his chest. “When did you come back, wife? I didn’t even notice.”

Shen Meng touched his belly. “Just stood nearby for a while. Have you had your medicinal food? You’re now carrying two lives, you can’t starve yourself.”

“I’ve eaten. I’m craving Tang Ji’s chestnuts. If you come back early tomorrow, could you bring some on your way home?”

“If my husband wants it, there’s nothing I can’t do.” Shen Meng rubbed his belly and asked, “Was it behaving today, or did it trouble you?”

Liang Jue smiled sweetly. “The baby is still small, it’s well-behaved. I didn’t feel any discomfort.”

After learning about his pregnancy, Liang Jue didn’t dare to do too much. Moreover, with no one like Shen Li at home to bother him, he delegated most of the matters to the steward. And since it was still early in his pregnancy, the fetus wasn’t fully formed and wouldn’t bother him much.

Shen Meng then redirected the conversation. “As long as it’s not causing you trouble, my husband should relax. You seemed very focused just now; I came in making some noise, yet you didn’t notice. What were you looking at?”

“It’s nothing, just a family letter written to me.” He handed the letter to Shen Meng. There was no need for any secrets between husband and wife.

Shen Meng glanced at the letter a few times but found nothing particularly special.

“If you miss home, you can go back to visit. I don’t mind.”

“It’s not…” Liang Jue hesitated, but he didn’t intend to hide anything from Shen Meng. After organizing his thoughts briefly, he explained.

“My father has always doted on me. Knowing that I’m pregnant, he surely would have come to see me. But not only did he not come, he didn’t even write a letter. And the two people sent over this time are also strange, as for my older sister. I always feel like she’s hiding something from me. My wife, as you serve in court alongside my older sister, do you know if anything has happened?”

Shen Meng thought for a moment. “I’m not very sure, but both of them do seem somewhat unusual lately.” She considered for a moment. “How about this? In a couple of days, it’s a rest day. I’ll accompany you to take a look.”

Liang Jue softly agreed and kissed Shen Meng on the cheek. “My wife is so good to me.”

He felt relieved, but little did he know that when he returned home, he nearly miscarried on the spot.