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

Granny Li arrived just then, carrying a small package. Her aged eyes swept over the concubine.

Only then did he kneel on the ground and say, "This old servant found these things in Mu Yuan's room. It seems that she saw Lin Zhizhi successfully become a concubine and wanted to use the same trick again."

The package was opened, and inside were all kinds of medicines, all of which were still unprocessed.

The princess casually remarked, "This maidservant certainly has some money."

Mu Yuan felt her heart tremble. The money she received was given to her by the concubine, and its source could not be mentioned casually.

Now that all these things have been pinned on her, she absolutely cannot let things develop and shift the blame onto the concubine.

She looked at Granny Li and saw her nod almost imperceptibly, which reassured her somewhat.

If she dies here, the concubine will surely make proper arrangements for her family.

At this moment, she said, "It was I who stole the concubine's money to buy these medicines, hoping to become the mistress of the household. This servant knows her mistake."

Seeing that she had admitted it, the concubine stammered and collapsed to the ground, her beautiful eyes looking at Cen Jingyi.

Her expression was full of sorrow. "It is because I have spoiled these servants too much that they have become so audacious as to try to sneak into my bed, causing others to suffer this undeserved disaster."

As for Lin Zhizhi being accused of having an affair with a man and harming her cousin, what does that have to do with her?

Liang Linshangya wouldn't dare to step forward at this moment and bite back.

Even if Lin Zhizhi were to reveal now that she had feigned support, it would only offend the princess and make the prince think that she had harbored ill intentions all along.

"Since Mu Yuan purchased these medicines privately, we should sell her off directly. We cannot keep such a treacherous person in the manor." Cen Jingyi lowered his eyes and glanced at Lin Shangya.

Startled, she shuddered and buried her head even lower.

She hadn't dared to look at the prince before, but now that she was in close proximity, she realized how terrifying his aura was.

When they get angry, it's suffocating.

A pair of dark, bright eyes that seemed to see through all the secrets in people's hearts.

He spoke in a low voice, "You're saying Lin Zhizhi hired this servant to harm you?"

"Yes."

Lin Zhizhi felt the prince's gaze and immediately knelt down, saying loudly, "Your Highness, this servant does not know this person, and as for my cousin's claim that I had an affair with him, that is utter nonsense."

"You don't know him?" Cen Jingyi stared directly at her. "Then do you know that he secretly contacts the Fifth Prince's servants and sends out news from the manor every month?"

Lin Zhizhi shivered, only then realizing why the prince had been alerted tonight.

She looked at Lin Shangya in disbelief; she had actually found someone like this to slander her.

Lin Shangya had simply found someone, paid them money to do something, and had no idea about the Fifth Prince. But now she realized she had made a huge mistake.

He immediately said, "You saved me, Consort. I don't know anything. I only know that I gave you money. I did everything according to your instructions."

"You scoundrels!" the princess shouted angrily. The servants in the manor were colluding with the fifth prince, intending to harm the prince.

This matter is no longer a simple farce involving a maid and a servant having an affair.

Looking at Lin Zhizhi, he asked, "Were you involved too?"

"This servant was unaware of the situation," Lin Zhizhi replied obediently, though she herself was also surprised.

"You really don't know him?"

"I think she's unfamiliar, probably because we haven't met before. He probably agreed to my cousin's request because he thinks I'm a close attendant to the prince and know more. My cousin also often interacts with me, and it just so happens that she introduced me to the Fifth Prince's concubine."

Lin Zhizhi's previous statements were merely speculation, but once they are connected with the facts, they inevitably lead people to think more deeply.

Upon hearing this, Lin Shangya glared at her resentfully. Lin Zhizhi was trying to kill her by saying these things at this moment!

If it is proven that she colluded with the Fifth Prince, even the concubine cannot protect her.

The concubine seemed to have grasped something and hurriedly said, "This vile woman is trying to frame me. Your Highness, you know I've been dealing with rumors within the manor lately, and there's no way I could have passed the information on to the Fifth Prince. I have no reason to do that, Your Highness, please understand."

She once said that she and the Prince's Mansion were one, sharing both prosperity and ruin.

Lin Shangya didn't expect the concubine to want to get rid of her so easily. She was not Mu Yuan, and she didn't want to be killed like this.

He immediately said, "It was the concubine who gave me the money to do this. It was her. She gave my mother money before, and had my mother instigate my second aunt to take the money, and then asked the princess to go and arrest her."

She cried her heart out, kneeling before Lin Feng, "Second Uncle, save me! My mother was just confused and greedy for that money."

"You know my brother needs to take the college entrance exam, and the family simply can't afford it, so we've been driven to desperation."

"I don't want to harm my cousin, but I have no choice. If I don't take the money from the concubine, my mother will sell me to get the money."

"Second Uncle, please tell the Prince that I am acquainted with the Fifth Prince's concubine, but I have never had the opportunity to meet the Fifth Prince."

If she had the chance to climb such a high branch, she would have been eager to establish a relationship long ago. Why would she risk her life for a concubine for money?

The Fifth Prince's concubines had long seen through her restlessness and refused to introduce her to anyone.

Lin Feng looked at the concubine and said, "This old servant's family doesn't know how we offended the concubine, that she would try so hard to frame us and kill us."

The princess said, "I was so foolish that I had no idea about the cleaning lady in the courtyard and was used like this."

Lin Zhizhi's eyes also reddened. "My mother has been wronged. She only wanted to get her share of the money and had no intention of embezzling anything from the manor. Please, Your Highness, see the truth."

Lin Feng also knelt down at this moment, "Please, Your Highness, consider that this old servant has managed the palace for many years, working diligently and without making a mistake, and do justice for this servant."

The concubine felt a chill in her heart; she never expected that abandoning Mu Yuan would still involve her.

At this moment, she had no choice but to admit her mistake. "It was my fault for being confused for a moment. When I learned that Lin Zhizhi was favored by the prince, I was afraid that she would bewitch him, so I wanted to drive her and her family out of the manor. I never expected that she would use such despicable means and even collude with the fifth prince. Please forgive my unintentional mistake, Your Highness."

She would never admit to colluding with the Fifth Prince, and instead pinned all the blame on Lin Shangya.

The princess frowned and said, "How can you be so foolish and jealous?"

Cen Jingyi asked, "You delayed in distributing the servants' rewards, which caused widespread resentment in the mansion, yet you failed to appease the discontent in time; you also failed in managing the household affairs, which gave this servant an opportunity to take advantage of the situation and pass on the mansion's affairs to the Fifth Prince, almost causing a major disaster."

"If rumors spread outside that are detrimental to the Prince's Mansion, do you know the consequences?"

"If Lin Zhizhi hadn't noticed it early on, I would still be kept in the dark."

"Feng Yao, do you know your mistake?"

"This concubine..." The concubine wanted to say something more, but fearing that further investigation would expose the matter of the account books, she finally said, "Please punish me, Your Highness. I know I was wrong."

Granny Li spoke up at the right moment: "The concubine has been spoiled by the master since she was a child. It was just childish play. She didn't really mean to hurt Steward Lin's family."