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

She was reminding Lin Zhizhi that even if she was wronged, she was still a servant.

Behind the concubine is her father. If her father were to find out, he would probably only try to downplay the seriousness of the matter.

The act of colluding with foreign enemies became a matter of punishing his daughter because of a servant.

I imagine Your Highness must also consider whether there are certain things you should or shouldn't do.

Cen Jingyi naturally understood the implied meaning, and his expression immediately turned ugly as he stared at the concubine for a long time.

He said, "Then I will punish you by confining you to your quarters for a month to reflect on your actions, and you must not repeat this mistake."

Despite the grand display, it was merely a minor punishment to serve as a warning. Lin Zhizhi lowered her head and tightly gripped her clothes.

It was already a pleasant surprise that the prince was willing to step in and resolve this matter tonight; she couldn't ask for too much.

However, it has now been proven that she was indeed framed for climbing into someone's bed, so the prince will no longer dislike her.

The princess's gaze fell on Lin Zhizhi out of the corner of her eye, her fingers stroking the warm jade beads on her wrist.

Although she intended to spread the news that Lin Zhizhi was not a virgin, she never expected that the prince had already consummated his relationship with Lin Zhizhi before that.

Judging from the prince's attitude tonight, he trusts Lin Zhizhi very much and has never suspected that Lin Zhizhi had an affair with that servant.

After punishing the concubine, Lin Feng's faction will likely be given important positions.

Fortunately, she had a good relationship with Lin Zhizhi beforehand, but Lin Zhizhi had never used the things she gave her.

If I really am pregnant...

The concubine was startled by the prince addressing her by her full name and dared not refute him any further.

She could only secretly rejoice that her embezzlement of funds from the treasury had not been completely exposed.

She was too hasty in searching for the account books; she should be more careful in the future.

This Lin Shangya is also untrustworthy; how dare she try to frame her?

Cen Jingyi ordered his men to drag the servant away, presumably hoping to pry something out of him.

But before the guards could pull him up, he had already breathed his last.

When I lifted his head, I noticed his lips were purplish-black, indicating that he had been inactive and had taken poison long ago.

The sudden death caused the servants to scream in alarm.

Lin Shangya was so frightened that she jumped up and ran far away.

Lin Feng limped forward to check on him, and only after confirming that he was dead did he say, "It was my oversight that allowed such a person into the manor."

Cen Jingyi nodded, "There are indeed some shady characters who have entered this mansion. We should clean them up properly."

"Yes."

Cen Jingyi would not personally punish someone as insignificant as Lin Shangya. He entrusted the power of life and death to Lin Feng, wanting Lin Feng to ensure that Lin Shangya and her aunt would not appear in the Prince's mansion again.

Lin Feng had served in the manor for many years, so of course he knew what the prince meant.

Having achieved his goal, Cen Jingyi turned and left, leaving a room full of people who had just realized what was happening and instinctively looked at the concubine.

Granny Li's face was grim, and she said coldly, "Why aren't you going home to rest so late? Those who are on duty should go to their posts, don't gather here."

The concubine's body went limp, and she was still somewhat dazed.

How did things turn out like this? The prince was clearly after her.

Granny Li whispered a reminder: "The Princess Consort is here."

The concubine then looked at the princess sitting calmly in the main seat. She showed no schadenfreude, but it was precisely this nonchalant attitude that made people grit their teeth in hatred.

You must be ecstatic inside, right?

"It's getting late, so I won't bother Your Highness any longer. I'll take my leave now," the concubine said. She was unsteady as she stood up, but thanks to Granny Li's quick thinking, she was able to avoid losing her composure in front of others.

The princess looked at Lin Zhizhi with a gentle expression and said, "Mu Yuan's purchase of that insidious poisonous fang is an unforgivable crime. She is not only harming you, but also the prince. She must not be allowed to remain in this manor."

Upon hearing this, Mu Yuan trembled all over, her expression filled with fear as she looked at the princess.

The women in this household are all under the Princess's management. With her saying this, she certainly won't sell her to any good place.

The two had been fighting for years, and the princess would not miss the opportunity to weaken the concubine's power.

Although Granny Li's previous actions prevented the concubine from receiving more severe punishment, they did cause the prince to harbor resentment towards her.

It will likely be difficult to mend the relationship in the future.

The concubine was well aware of all this, but she felt it was all a mess. Originally, she only wanted to get rid of Lin Zhizhi first, and then look for the account book.

Unexpectedly, they couldn't find any information about the ledgers and got themselves into trouble because of that idiot Lin Shangya.

Kneeling on the ground, Mu Yuan knew that if she did nothing, she would probably lose her life. At this moment, she crawled on her knees toward the concubine and said, "Save me, concubine, save me, I don't want to die."

The concubine's face was gloomy at this moment. She was already in dire straits, so how could she have the energy to care about Mu Yuan?

Granny Li pulled the person up and whispered in her ear, "The concubine has always been generous to you, so you can rest assured about things at home."

The concubine was not easy to get along with, as Mu Yuan had said on her first day of service.

A maid was slapped thirty times and made to kneel in the cold winter courtyard after being doused with cold water for sneezing while cleaning.

That night, the person developed a high fever and did not survive, while the other servants seemed to be used to it.

At that moment, Mu Yuan knew that she had not found a good master and that sooner or later she would follow in the footsteps of that little maid.

The concubine often beat and scolded her, but as long as she was alive, these grievances meant nothing.

But she never expected this day to come so soon; she was still young, not even twenty years old.

It would be a great injustice to ask her to die now; she looked at Lin Zhizhi with hatred in her eyes.

Seeing that she remained calm and composed, without a trace of regret in her eyes.

In an instant, she was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. She had always done things in accordance with the concubine's wishes, and she had no idea that she had offended Lin Zhizhi to this extent.

Even knowing she was going to suffer, it didn't stir up the slightest ripple in her heart.

He then gave a bitter smile. Now Lin Zhizhi was a concubine and was being pampered by the prince.

No longer a maid of equal status to her, how could she possibly empathize with her just because they were in the same situation?

Naturally, they wouldn't be afraid to follow in her footsteps.

Once upon a time, Mu Yuan was proud of herself for being able to please the concubine, and her life was more comfortable than that of most maids.

She often competes with Lin Zhizhi, wanting to prove that she is much better than Lin Zhizhi.

So what if she's pretty? So what if she's spoiled by her parents and has some influence in the household?

She's still not as clever as her, and not as good at pleasing her master. Compared to her, Lin Zhizhi has received far fewer benefits over the years.

Only now do I realize that some money you may have the life to receive, but not the life to spend.

Lin Zhizhi looked at her father and saw that his figure was somewhat hunched because of his limp.

A pang of sadness gripped my heart. In my past life, after the concubine disposed of my parents, the matter of the accounts was completely buried.

Mu Yuan's actions went unnoticed. She guessed what the concubine was thinking and bullied Lin Zhizhi by taking advantage of her position, even trying to disfigure her.

Later, new women entered the household, diverting the concubine's attention, and Mu Yuan became her henchman.

Her hands were also stained with blood. Lin Zhizhi once witnessed her beating and killing a young maid who had just entered the mansion, simply because the maid looked somewhat similar to her.