“Mother!!!!” Barging into her parent’s room, she did not know what was going on, but she hoped that the physician was not there to give any bad results.

”Ning’er.” Hearing her mother, Lin Ning rushed to her mother’s side, sensing that she was laying down in the bed that both her parents slept in together.

“Mother, are you okay?” Holding her mother’s hand, she hoped that it was nothing too serious.

“Ning’er, you are going to be an older sister!” Hearing her father say, it made everyone look at the couple with confusion and shock all at once.

“Huh???”

“Mother, is that true?” Lin Ning looked to her mother, not knowing if that was the case or not.

“En, you are going to be an older sister.” Her mother said. “I know that it does not make sense for someone by age, but it seems as though we have been granted another chance for another child. I did not think that it would still be possible. I am thirty-eight, but it seems as though I was given another by this late age.” Her mother giggled slightly which they all did not know what else to include or say.

“It truly is a miracle. You are three months old right now. It would be best to keep a close eye on your condition till then.” The physician told them all that they were still trying to process everything that they were hearing.

“I’m glad that you both will have another child. I get to spoil my little sibling that is going to be born in the next six months.” Lin Ning felt happy that her parents were finally going to have another child after so many years. She was going to have to be a responsible older sister once her new sibling was born. ‘It is a bit late though. Mother had me when she was eighteen, and now she is having another child at thirty-eight. I wonder what happened.’

“We don’t want to spoil them too much. It will only bring more trouble for us.” Hearing her father say, Lin Ning giggled to know that her father did not want her to spoil them too much that they would rebel at him.

“I got it.” Ling Ning was not going to be able to see her siblings' faces, but knowing that they were alive and well was enough for her.

***

The second prince’s princess consort had seen her spy had died which she did not know who would have done it. She knew that Lin Ning did not have the ability to have anyone under her orders that would kill for her. Even Lin Ning’s parents would never be able to put on such a cruel death. ‘Who could have killed my spy?’ She tightly held her hand in a fist which resulted in her nails digging into her palms. ‘Would my husband know?’ She thought this time, feeling a bit fearful that he may have found out that she had been getting rid of women who tried to come after him. “Anyone there?!” She shouted, hearing a few of the maids enter her room.

“Yes?”

Seeing the maids enter, she decided to see if Lin Ning was really the woman who was helpless. “Send an invitation to Lin Ning.” Hearing that, the maids did not understand why the second prince’s princess consort was sending an invitation to have Lin Ning visit her. ‘What are you hiding, Lin Ning?’ She did not want to doubt anything about her rivals who could be a snake waiting for its opportunity. ‘I will pull that mask off of you.’

***

“What?” Lin Ning had been living her peaceful life for the past couple of weeks when she heard that the second prince’s princess consort had invited her to the palace. “Are you sure it’s for me?” Asking the messenger again, Lin Ning did not know how she was invited to see the second prince’s princess consort when she did not even know them the slightest bit.

“The second princess consort has invited you to come and see her. She wishes to know more about you and listen to your songs.” The messenger said again, making Lin Ning find it too suspicious.

“You can leave. Tell the Second princess consort that I will accept the invite and that I will bring my zither.” Lin Ning could sense that the second princess consort was seeing her as her rival. ‘This is bad. Out of all the people, I have to get involved with the second prince’s princess consort. Who would have guessed?’

“Young miss, would you like for us to come with you?” Hearing Qin Yun, they were ordered to protect her and even if she told them to not go. They would still go, but they would be hiding from a distance to protect her.

“No, I feel like it will make the second princess consort suspicious of me.” Lin Ning sighed, feeling that things were already taking a turn.

“Suspicious?” Xia Ling questioned, seeing how their young Miss might actually be far sharper than they knew it.

“En, the second prince does not have any other concubines in his harem and only has a princess consort. This is enough to tell me that this woman is very possessive of her husband. It would be best to not make her too cautious of me or else she will take action.” Lin Ning did not want anything to happen during this time, especially when her mother was still pregnant.

The three shadow guards of Cao Peizhi looked at each other, nodding they knew that they needed to report this to him.

***

Cao Peizhi had been busy with handling matters that involved the crown prince and the hunting event that was soon going to take place in a few weeks. “Master, the second prince’s princess consort had invited Miss Lin to the palace. Do you wish for us to look into what she may be planning at this time?” Shi Men had been given the report, going back to tell his master that the second princess consort was very suspicious.

“What did Miss Lin say about the invitation?” Cao Peizhi asked.

“She agreed to go and see the second princess consort.” Shi Men replied. Cao Peizhi had stopped looking at his papers in front of him, getting up, he knew that he needed to see what the second princess consort was planning this time.