The bathroom was specially made. Bamboo pipes were connected from the back and led to the same place as the boiler of the underfloor heating system. Hot water would come out directly when turned on. Yin Zidu didn't like to be served by others and always did everything by himself wherever he was.
But Shen Yuning was pregnant. If they were together, Yin Zidu would do everything for her.
At this moment, only one candle was lit in the bathroom. Yin Zidu couldn't see Shen Yuning's expression clearly, but he intuitively felt that she was not happy.
He explained softly, "Yuning, I've rejected everything from the imperial sister - in - law."
After pondering for a long time, he added, "Yuning, maybe because I wasn't raised in the palace. I've been wandering in the civilian world since I was a child and have seen many ordinary couples who work together to raise their children. I never thought of taking concubines and can't accept any other woman except you."
Seeming afraid that Shen Yuning wouldn't believe him, he stepped forward, got closer to her, and said seriously, "Yuning, in this life and in this world, I only want you."
Shen Yuning should have been deeply touched, but there was only panic in her heart.
He was serious, and so was she. But what about others?
The Yuming Hall was extremely magnificent, even more so than the emperor's bedroom. The Yu Prince's Mansion was grand and imposing, just like a mini - version of the imperial city. The regent held the power of the court and had absolute say in the court.
And she, Shen Yuning, was the prince's favorite. She served as a female official and interfered in the court affairs. She even made the prince empty the entire national treasury for her.
If all these charges were laid on them, what would happen to her? And what about him?
She believed that he would protect her, but what if he was also in the center of the whirlpool?
The queen, the virtuous and kind - hearted queen who treated her like a younger sister, why did she want to harm her?
Shen Yuning was in a complex mood. She opened her mouth, wanting to tell Yin Zidu everything, but how could she say it?
Say that the queen wanted to harm her? This was just her speculation.
Yin Zidu might be too tired. He fell into a deep sleep soon after getting into bed. If you listened carefully, you could even hear his snoring.
But Shen Yuning couldn't fall asleep. She opened her eyes and turned to look at him. He was too tired. All the burdens were on his shoulders, and there were few capable people in the court. Those censors who were always eager to submit memorials were mostly good at talking but useless when it came to doing things.
She always thought that they were united and could face the outside world together. But she never thought that there were people trying to drive a wedge between them.
As the saying goes, "One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers." The emperor and the regent were not the two tigers in this mountain, but she and the queen were.
If the emperor passed away, the queen would be a nominal empress dowager, while she would be the regent's consort in control of everything.
Moreover, judging from the emperor's current intention, he didn't seem to want to pass the throne to the eldest prince. Otherwise, why had he not crowned the eldest prince as the crown prince for so long?
She had never thought deeply about it before. Now that she did, it sent a chill down her spine.
The queen was the adopted daughter of the Zhuang Prince's Mansion. The Zhuang Prince's Mansion had a high status, but they were not power - hungry. The princes of previous generations were all carefree and ignored court affairs.
In contrast, the Xue family she relied on was a prosperous and well - known century - old aristocratic family in the capital.
If they confronted each other directly, the queen would surely be no match for her.
So, the queen had taken so many actions, gradually infiltrating into her life. If it weren't for tonight's casual conversation and her extra thoughtfulness, she might never have thought of these things.
What should she do? How could she fight back?
Shen Yuning didn't know how she fell asleep. When she woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky. She was startled and quickly called someone in.
It was Bihuan who came in. She served Shen Yuning with a beaming smile as she got up, "Your Highness, don't worry. The prince got up early this morning and told us not to wake you up. Moreover, he also sent someone to the Ministry of Justice to ask for leave for you."
After the quarrel between the prince and the princess last time, the princess left for the Marquis's Mansion in a huff, which really scared the two slightly informed maids. Now that they saw the prince and the princess reconciled, they were naturally overjoyed.
Shen Yuning felt a bit of a headache. She had just said it casually last night, just wanting him to stop bothering her. She didn't really want to ask for leave and sleep in.
But now, seeing the situation, it was not appropriate for her to go to the ministry and say that she had overslept.
Shen Yuning got up helplessly and asked, "Where is Lütao?"
Bihuan whispered, "Lütao told Nanny Shuang that she went back to the Marquis's Mansion to get something."
Shen Yuning was puzzled. Bihuan and Lütao were her personal maids. What could be so important in the Marquis's Mansion that her personal maid had to go and get it?
Bihuan then said, "Lütao won't be here for a few days. But Nanny Shuang said that Liuzhi and Liutiao are also smart. When Your Highness goes out, you can take them with you."
Liuzhi and Liutiao were the maids the queen gave to Shen Yuning after she entered the palace. They were diligent and smart, not gossiping maids. They were of ordinary appearance and didn't like to get close to the prince. As time went by, Nanny Shuang also thought they were quite good.
However, Shen Yuning had become vigilant yesterday and realized that the queen wanted to harm her. How could she now rely on the maids given by the queen?
She frowned and said, "Go and bring Lütao back. I'm used to having her around and not used to others."
Actually, it wasn't that she couldn't do without Lütao. She just didn't want Liuzhi and Liutiao to get too close.
Bihuan paused for a moment, touched her nose, and explained, "Your Highness, actually Lütao went to the Marquis's Mansion to hide."
"Went to the Marquis's Mansion to hide? What did she do?"
Bihuan continued, "That day, when you and the prince had a dispute, Lütao couldn't control herself and scolded the prince. At that time, because you were in a bad mood, the prince didn't say much. But Lütao has been scared all the time, afraid that the prince would remember her disrespect that day and punish her when he saw her."
Only then did Shen Yuning vaguely remember that she had cried very hard that day. Xuanzhi was scared, and so were her two maids.
The corners of her eyes and eyebrows curved up, "It's okay. With me here, the prince won't punish her."
Bihuan shook her head repeatedly, "Lütao is just afraid that you will have another argument with the prince because of her, so she said she wanted to go back to the Marquis's Mansion to avoid it."
Shen Yuning opened her mouth to say something but suddenly closed it. This was an opportunity.
The queen wanted to deal with her, but she didn't have to be in a hurry. But her child in her belly would be born in about four months. The queen couldn't be patient.
She used to be in the dark. If she was harmed, she might not even know it. But now, since she had analyzed the queen's thoughts, all she had to do was figure out her actions.
Shen Yuning's hand stroked her belly. This was her child, the child of her and Xuanzhi. Of course, she wouldn't take the risk. She couldn't afford to take the risk.
However, the queen didn't know that she had already figured everything out. Before, the queen was in the dark and she was in the light. From now on, it would be the other way around. She would surely find a way to expose the queen's true face.
Shen Yuning raised her head, "Ask Nanny Shuang to come in."
Nanny Shuang was an old servant who served Shen Yuning. But after Shen Yuning was driven out of the Marquis's Mansion and was in a difficult situation, Nanny Shuang and several other personal servants were punished by Xue Yujiao for various reasons. Although Mrs. Shao took pity on them and found a way to send them to the manor, even there, they had to do the most menial and heavy work.
Bihuan and Lütao recovered quickly because they were young, but Nanny Shuang's health had deteriorated significantly. Shen Yuning only asked Nanny Shuang to manage the courtyard for her, and gave other things to others to do.
Moreover, during the years when Shen Yuning left the Marquis's Mansion, she was self - reliant and didn't need servants, which was very convenient. Usually, Bihuan and Lütao were enough.
This time, calling Nanny Shuang made her feel extremely uneasy.
Seeing this, Shen Yuning just smiled and asked, "Lütao can't come back for now, but I can't always have only Bihuan by my side. Nanny Shuang, who do you think is more suitable to be transferred here?"
Nanny Shuang knew that the princess didn't like a bustling environment now and probably didn't want to keep both Liuzhi and Liutiao. She replied, "This servant thinks that Liuzhi is more steady and Liutiao is more lively. They are both good."
Shen Yuning nodded, "Nanny has done a good job in training them on weekdays."
Nanny Shuang quickly shook her head, "No, no, no, Your Highness. It's not this servant who trained them. They came from the palace and are very capable by themselves."
Shen Yuning let out an "oh" and asked, "I don't remember what they did before they came to serve me?"
Nanny Shuang smiled, "I heard that they used to be the queen's personal maids. This servant even sighed at that time that the queen really loved Your Highness. She was afraid that you wouldn't get used to living in the palace, so she even sent her personal maids. And because they weren't familiar maids, after they followed Your Highness, they were originally second - class maids in the Yuming Hall. It was only recently that the prince was afraid that your pregnancy was heavy and asked for more people to serve you, so they were transferred to be by your side."
Shen Yuning's eyes narrowed. The queen really "loved" her. Giving her personal maids? Then why were there still so many maids around the queen now?
She was really not simple.
Nanny Shuang asked doubtfully, "Your Highness, is there something inappropriate?"
Shen Yuning pursed her lips and smiled, "Maybe I'm just being over - suspicious. I always feel that the queen shouldn't be so kind - hearted."
Nanny Shuang knew very well that her own princess was not a competitive person. She would always endure things if she could, and only fight back when she couldn't. She didn't think about whether the queen was really kind - hearted or not. She just thought that if the princess said so, she must have found some flaws.
She immediately frowned, "Your Highness, if so, this servant won't let them come to serve you. This servant will go to the Marquis's Mansion today and ask the eldest mistress to find a suitable one for you."
The Xue Mansion was in a complete mess recently. Mrs. Sun was more than eight months pregnant with her third child and was about to give birth soon. Then there were also two married daughters. Mrs. Shao was busy looking for midwives and wet - nurses and didn't dare to make a single mistake, for fear of choosing someone unreliable and causing trouble in the future.
Shen Yuning shook her head faintly. Now that the queen was showing her virtue and kindness, she wouldn't take action without full certainty.
And it wasn't easy to find something with full certainty. Otherwise, why had it been more than half a year since she got married, and the queen had only made some false moves and didn't even dare to touch a single hair on her?
"Let Liutiao come. But, I'll have to trouble Nanny to keep an eye on her."