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

The way he called her "Zhizhi" was affectionate, but it didn't express any trust that she hadn't been fooling around with outsiders.

It was the princess's duty to inquire about the affairs of her concubines, and Lin Zhizhi was someone she had recommended. Cen Jingyi looked at the cleaning woman and said, "I had slept with Lin Zhizhi the night before the records were kept. Did you notice anything amiss while you were cleaning?"

"Your Highness, this old servant was unaware of this matter. I did find bloodstains on the bedsheets, which looked like human blood, but I did not know that a woman had spent the night in the room. I thought the bloodstains were from Your Highness's hidden injury, so I did not inform the Princess."

The cleaning lady in Cen Jingyi's room was his person, so her words were naturally credible.

The princess's eyes flickered, clearly surprised that things hadn't gone as she'd expected, but she concealed her thoughts at the moment.

She said softly, "So it seems Zhizhi is indeed a virgin. But she was originally a maid in the front hall, why did she enter the inner room?"

The concubine hadn't expected to be involved in what happened that day, and immediately began to wonder if she had made any mistakes in her actions.

Her gaze was fixed on Cen Jingyi, observing his reaction.

Lin Zhizhi said, "Your Highness, I was under the influence of a drug and was not in my right mind at the time. I don't know why I ended up in Your Highness's bed."

At this moment, Lin Zhizhi's father said, "This servant found some medicine residue while cleaning up the leftovers. The effects of several of the medicines were similar to my daughter's symptoms at the time, so I recorded them down for Your Highness's review."

He took something out of his pocket and handed it to Cen Jingyi.

Every day, the garbage thrown out of the mansion is recorded by a designated person, and even if the process is handled with utmost care, it is still burned and destroyed.

If you're determined, you can still find traces.

Cen Jingyi casually took it, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the concubine sit up straight.

She quickly leaned back in her chair, as if none of this concerned her.

The princess felt a pang of sadness, seeing that Lin Zhizhi seemed completely unaware of the situation.

The only person who can command Lin Feng, the old steward, is the Prince.

The fact that a concubine's affair with another woman could cause such a disturbance at her place in the middle of the night always left her feeling uneasy.

The concubine's methods were truly wicked. She originally wanted to ruin Lin Zhizhi, but she made many mistakes and ended up making things worse.

They really think everyone is weak and easy to bully, letting her manipulate them without daring to resist.

All these years of pressure on her as the principal wife should be enough.

Cen Jingyi looked at the concubine and said, "Why did Mu Yuan in your courtyard burn these harmful medicines and throw them away with the medicines you usually take? She's a maid you bought from outside, so do you know where she got these things?"

These things are hard to buy; they won't be sold through official channels.

Those shady merchants lurking in the corners are all lawless individuals.

If Mu Yuan were to negotiate with them and others were to witness it, the entire Prince's Mansion would be implicated. Even if she were punished, Cen Jingyi would still be affected.

"I don't know why she would do this." The concubine swayed as if she had been wronged. "I only thought Mu Yuan was clever, so I kept her by my side. She wasn't brought from my home; she was a maid purchased by the Prince's mansion and checked by the steward."

Although Lin Feng was not in charge of purchasing maids, he would always take a look before they entered the mansion, and at the very least, he would investigate their backgrounds to make sure they were innocent.

This can be considered an oversight on Lin Feng's part as the housekeeper.

"This servant verified her identity according to the law and confirmed that Mu Yuan had obtained official guarantor before allowing her to enter the manor. If the concubine has any doubts, she can file a lawsuit against Mu Yuan for deceiving the emperor and forging her identity." Lin Feng was not afraid of the concubine's filth at all. He was serious about his work and liked to leave himself room for maneuver, otherwise he would not have been kept in the manor for so many years.

The concubine, already feeling guilty, was unwilling to make a big fuss. She said, "She's just a maid; we can easily dismiss her. Why make a scene at the government office and let everyone know?"

"The concubine is as domineering as ever." Cen Jingyi's expression was cold. "I think you not only look down on these servants, but you don't even respect me."

Seeing his anger, the concubine immediately rose and bowed, kneeling on one knee, saying, "It was my fault for speaking out of turn. Because the servants in the courtyard had committed such a shocking and shameful act, I was so anxious that I spoke nonsense without thinking. Your Highness, please calm down."

Lin Shangya, who was standing to the side, was completely stunned. She had originally intended to completely ruin Lin Zhizhi.

How did things develop like this?

He secretly resented that Lin Zhizhi always had someone protecting her, but when he looked up, he met his second uncle's cold gaze and was immediately terrified.

Everyone has their bottom line. Even though the family kept asking for money, Lin Feng wouldn't say anything.

But how could he possibly allow outsiders to conspire to harm his daughter?

The princess looked impatient but remained silent.

The prince confronted his concubine, seemingly wanting her to confess.

When Mu Yuan was brought here by the old woman, she was still asleep.

I just thought that Lin Zhizhi was having an affair with a man and that she was bound to be in big trouble, but what did this have to do with her?

Seeing the old woman's sharp expression, she sensed something was wrong.

Seeing the concubine kneeling there, the atmosphere around her was really oppressive. When she was thrown to the ground, she curled up and knelt there.

When his gaze fell upon the concubine, he only saw the warning in her eyes.

My body trembled involuntarily as I awaited my fate.

The prince asked, "Why did you buy these medicines?"

Medicine? What medicine?

Mu Yuan looked bewildered and said, "The concubine has been taking care of her health, hoping to conceive as soon as possible, and has even sought out many folk remedies. This servant sometimes goes out of the manor to buy these things, just hoping that the concubine's health will improve quickly."

She would secretly use the connections provided by the concubine to purchase harmful items, and at this moment she felt uneasy.

When the prince placed the names of the medicines and some dregs in front of her, Mu Yuan's first reaction was disbelief.

These were all paid from the concubine's private funds, never recorded in the accounts, and never seen by anyone.

They were very careful when disposing of the dregs of the medicine, mixing them with the medicines that the concubines often used to regulate their bodies, and discarding them in batches.

How could they be so clearly laid out in front of her? It was as if her every move was being monitored.

Fearing she would be implicated, the concubine slapped Mu Yuan across the face and said, "Why did you buy these harmful things?"

Mu Yuan was still confused about the situation, but she knew that if the concubine was mentioned, her whole family would be doomed.

Looking around, she saw Lin Shangya trembling in the corner and her heart sank. She said, "I hate Lin Zhizhi for being outstanding in every way, and I've always had a bad relationship with her. I was afraid that she would block my path to becoming a concubine, so I tricked her into drinking the potion and sent her to the prince's bed so that the prince would despise her."

There's only this one thing related to Lin Zhizhi and the prince recently.

Mu Yuan simply couldn't understand why Lin Shangya wanted to harm Lin Zhizhi and cause such a commotion.

Why was she ultimately dragged into this and made the scapegoat?