The concubine, a former cannon fodder, becomes pregnant, and the childless prince spoils her rotten.

The concubine no longer targeted her as before, seemingly not taking her, a mere maidservant, seriously, and was only concerned with talking to the prince.

Although the prince rarely responded, his attitude softened somewhat.

Lin Zhizhi lowered her eyes to hide her confusion, when she heard the concubine say, "I happen to have a shop in my dowry. Although the location isn't great, neither of you has ever run a business before. You can try it out. Even if it doesn't work out, it will at least reduce your losses."

Liu Gulan is arrogant and has already made money from some designs. Now she is competing with the city's top embroidery shop, wanting to make a name for herself.

Who would have thought the psychological gap would be so big? She really had never done business before, but giving her a small shop on the outskirts of the city and assigning her a maid who only knew how to keep accounts was like sending a beggar away.

I just feel that this noblewoman has a narrow vision; she can only see these petty gains and doesn't understand investment.

Feeling stifled, she became somewhat aloof, thinking that since she was just a concubine, there was no need for so much formality.

Lin Zhizhi knew that the concubine wouldn't be so kind as to give away her shops willingly; she probably had some bad debts that she wanted them to take the blame for.

If money is earned, then everything is easy to discuss; the concubine will always find a way to profit from it.

If the business loses money, then a portion of the discrepancies in the accounts will likely fall on the shop's shoulders.

But Lin Zhizhi was of low status and had no reason to refuse, so she just stood there.

In her previous life, she had no chance to participate in it at all; she only knew that the business of the Prince's Mansion had failed.

The concubine had already emptied the household coffers, causing the household to be frugal for a long time, and they couldn't even afford a decent gift for the Empress Dowager's birthday.

The prince faced criticism, and the prince's mansion declined further, making her life in the mansion even more difficult.

Seeing that Liu Gulan did not respond and the disdain in her eyes was so obvious, the concubine snorted coldly.

He was just a scholar who hadn't participated in the imperial examinations; it was unknown whether he had any real talent or learning, yet he dared to act arrogantly in front of her.

Lin Zhizhi was delighted that the two disliked each other, and as soon as she looked up, she met Cen Jingyi's eyes.

Seeing his wink, Lin Zhizhi braced herself and said, "This servant dares to try. With Young Master Liu's talent, he will surely be able to open this shop and share the burden of the household."

It's unclear what the prince was planning, but he refused to personally intervene and mediate.

The concubine asked displeasedly, "Do you think I'm incompetent in managing the household affairs, and that I earn less money than a mere maid like you?"

"This servant dares not." Lin Zhizhi knelt down accordingly.

Then the prince said, "Since the concubine is so knowledgeable about this, why don't we try it together? It would only cost about ten thousand taels of silver."

This amount made the concubine stiffen; it was roughly the amount of money that had been embezzled from the household.

If she were to interfere, how could the blame be shifted? So she said, "How would this concubine know about these things? I'll only delay Your Highness further."

Only then did Liu Gulan say, "Then why don't you hand over the land deed for that shop to us? That would make things easier."

The concubine had disliked Liu Gu for a while, and now she was so angry that she almost couldn't breathe.

A hint of resentment flashed in her eyes, but when she looked up at the prince again, she was filled with grievance and astonishment.

"Your Highness, this is my dowry. If it were given to a mere concubine or a scholar of unknown origin, it would be a disgrace to Your Highness."

Others would only laugh at Cen Jingyi for being incompetent and coveting the dowries of the women in the mansion, making him unable to hold his head high in front of others.

Liu Gulan frowned. She only thought that this concubine was petty and narrow-minded, but she hadn't thought about these things.

Seeing that the prince did not object, she felt more confident and said, "Only the four of us know about this. If others find out, who else could have spread it?"

"You!" The concubine glared angrily, wishing she could skin the scholar alive. She felt that the scholar was even more detestable than Lin Zhizhi.

The concubine was simply spoiled and acted recklessly because she was pampered by her family; she was not truly stupid.

The prince had no reason to side with outsiders, yet he remained silent.

If he hadn't tacitly approved, how would Liu Gulan have dared to be so presumptuous in front of him, bossing him around like that?

Remembering Granny Li's previous advice, the color drained from his face.

This was a warning to her; if she wasn't careful, she wouldn't just miss one night's audience, but she might never have the chance to serve the prince again.

She didn't want to cry and beg her family for help, so she made a bold statement that once she set her sights on the prince, she wouldn't need her parents' support.

She's only been gone a few years and her life has turned out like this. How can she have the face to go back?

Her dowry was substantial, but it only went out and never came in, so it would eventually run out.

Lin Zhizhi lowered her eyes and remained silent. Liu Gulan's personality was the same as that of the concubine; both were assertive and unyielding.

Despite her deep reluctance, the concubine had no choice but to sway back to retrieve the land deed.

After her slender, fair fingers gently placed the paper on the table, she disregarded Liu Gulan's presence and leaned against the prince.

She whispered in his ear, "It was my fault, Your Highness. I hope you will not be angry with me."

Having achieved her goal, Liu Gulan naturally wouldn't disturb their affectionate moment any longer, and instead glanced at Lin Zhizhi, who was standing there.

She felt a headache coming on. This silly maid was doing business with her, and she really felt that the future of their business was bleak.

If even the concubines in this household are so petty, how much better can a lowly maid be?

Ultimately, he was not valued. Everything in the Prince's mansion was kept simple. The emperor's own son looked less important than the wealthy families in the city.

We need to build more connections as soon as possible to escape this impoverished place.

Lin Zhizhi could see the disdain in her eyes; in her past life, she had always suffered contempt and disdain.

In addition, her reputation for sleeping with men was widespread, and without anyone to protect her, she suffered much suspicion and malice.

Meanwhile, Liu Gulan, who held several trump cards and maneuvered among powerful officials and princes, was riding high.

She could only catch a glimpse from afar in the corner, enduring the disgusted stares of those around her.

I never dared to imagine that one day I would be noticed by someone like that.

Now that she had an equal opportunity, she suppressed her excitement and served him at the right moment.

Seeing that the concubine was about to act coquettishly in front of her, Liu Gulan had no chance to tell the prince that she didn't want Lin Zhizhi's help, so she could only leave angrily.

After everyone left, Cen Jingyi dismissed the concubine and casually pushed the land deed towards Lin Zhizhi.

Although once this shop is opened, anyone with a little investigation will know that a prince is standing behind it.

However, the court had explicitly prohibited competing with the people for profit, so how could Cen Jingyi openly run around for this shop?

The concubine would never go to the government office to transfer the land deed, but since the prince gave her this, it meant that she was more trustworthy than Liu Gulan.

All the previous efforts were not in vain.

Perhaps they wanted Lin Zhizhi to have time to manage the shop and balance the accounts, or perhaps they didn't want her to continue to embarrass the prince.

In short, Lin Zhizhi's shifts decreased, and she could even be described as having a more relaxed schedule.