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

The princess dismissed everyone except Lin Zhizhi, and gave her a bag of silver to tide her over.

Seeing this, she immediately knelt down, knowing that the princess was willing to help. At this moment, what she wanted most was for her to surrender. She squeezed out two tears and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for saving my life."

The princess said in a low voice, "I went to the storeroom today because someone told me that rats had been born there. I was being used."

The words implied a suggestion: Lin Zhizhi's aunt was a cleaning lady in the Princess's residence.

The princess probably knew the truth, but she didn't say it outright and kept observing Lin Zhizhi's reaction.

Seeing that she was completely lost and just kept repeating, "My mother wouldn't steal anything."

The princess helped him up with satisfaction, lifting him up and saying, "The prince will surely like you. Tell me honestly, are those marks on your body from having sex with men?"

Lin Zhizhi knelt down again, and said in fear and trepidation, "This servant dares not. Mu Yuan has harmed me so much that I may never be able to get married again. I might as well just throw myself into the river and commit suicide to avoid disgracing my parents."

She was extremely ashamed and indignant, which seemed genuine. However, considering that she remained calm in the face of danger today, and mentioned both the imperial concubine and her mother, who was an elder in the household, in her words, it was remarkable that she had not been flustered.

Seeing that the situation was favorable, she did not press her advantage and instead persisted in attacking the concubine without any evidence, as if she was worried that if the prince was biased towards her because of the wet nurse, the concubine would harm her even more severely.

Therefore, the princess only believed half of what she said, saying, "Mu Yuan's behavior is too much like her master's. Rest assured, I will definitely not let her do evil again."

With just a few words, he shifted the focus to the concubine.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Lin Zhizhi made a gesture to kowtow, but the princess stopped her and then brought up the important matter, "Would you be willing to become the prince's concubine?"

Lin Zhizhi was flattered and overwhelmed by the words, and said humbly, "This servant dares not..."

With many thoughts on his mind, although there were risks involved in getting on the princess's side, he had to protect his family and couldn't afford to break ties with her for the time being.

"Although you and the Prince are of different ages, you are quite familiar with each other. No one has been born in the Prince's residence. This is also due to my poor health. I hope you can share my burden."

"This servant is willing. The princess saved my life and my mother's life. I am willing to do anything for her."

The princess wanted to use her to keep the concubine in check, but her life in the mansion would definitely be difficult in the future, but she had no other choice.

When Lin Zhizhi returned to her residence, she saw her anxious mother and asked, "Why did you go to the storeroom?"

"Your uncle suddenly fell seriously ill and needed money to save his life. The pre-New Year's bonus for the household had not yet been distributed. Your aunt told me that she was only using the portion that originally belonged to us to help with the emergency. I panicked for a moment, and besides, she said that I was an old member of the household, so the prince would definitely not blame me."

At that moment, I was too anxious to think of anything else, but by the time I realized what was happening, I had already run into the princess and was unable to defend myself.

Lin Zhizhi knew in her heart that it couldn't be as simple as her aunt's casual remark. Perhaps the princess already knew something was amiss, but she still got involved.

"Mother, please be wary of your aunt and the others. Don't make a fuss yet. I have my own plans."

"I know." The mother took out an account book from her bosom, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then said softly, "There's something wrong with these accounts."

"Mother, give this to me, and you must never mention it to anyone else." Lin Zhizhi involuntarily tensed up. This was the thing that had killed her mother. This matter must not be known to the concubine. She needed to think about it carefully.

At dinner time, the princess's maid called her over to serve her.

I don't know where my aunt got the news from, but she was "strolling" around the neighborhood with my cousin Lin Shangya when she bumped into Lin Zhizhi and asked with concern, "Are my second brother and sister-in-law alright? It's all my fault. I shouldn't have asked my sister-in-law for help. If she had, she wouldn't have gotten into this mess."

The two of them entered the household to help out through their parents' connections, and had not yet been registered as slaves. Their ulterior motives were written all over their faces.

Since Lin Zhizhi had the opportunity to get close to the prince, she wanted to rise to a higher social status and have her cousin Lin Shangya serve the prince in her place, becoming half a mistress.

Seeing that Lin Zhizhi was in a daze and did not reply, her aunt was secretly pleased and said, "How can you serve the prince and princess when you look so lost? You made a big mistake during the day, and if something happens now, you and your parents will not be able to save your lives. It would be better to let Changya serve you. She is thoughtful and will definitely not be punished."

"The princess specifically requested me, so there's no need for you to trouble yourself, Aunt."

Seeing that Lin Zhizhi was no longer as accommodating as before, her aunt felt uneasy and secretly cursed her for being ungrateful.

Having gained nothing from the situation, he stopped forcing a smile and, not wanting to make a fool of himself any longer, left with Lin Shangya, his face grim.

Lin Zhizhi was brought before the prince but was merely a background figure. Seeing that she did not try to attract the prince's attention in an affected manner, the princess was even more satisfied with her. She was indeed a sensible person.

He spoke at the opportune moment: "The Imperial Consort has summoned the Prince many times, surely because she is still pondering this. Look at Lin Zhizhi, with her graceful figure and full hips, she can certainly share the burden for the Imperial Consort."

The topic of offspring came up after the meal, causing Cen Jingyi to frown. Remembering his mother's instructions from earlier that day, he did not refuse the princess's request.

However, the person chosen by the princess made him hesitate. Lin Zhizhi, who had repeatedly said she did not want to coerce him, and the little maid who had cried and begged him to punish her in broad daylight to save her mother, had managed to get close to him again in just half a day through the princess.

Could it be that his only goal is the title she once rejected?

The princess saw him staring intently at Lin Zhizhi and assumed it was because he was attracted to her beauty. Suppressing her unease, she got up and left.

Even if she doesn't help find the person, new people will still be sent into the household. It's better to choose someone who is all looks and needs to rely on her.

In the end, only Cen Jingyi and Lin Zhizhi remained.

"If you wanted to be my concubine, why did you refuse before? Why didn't you mention me when you were humiliated in broad daylight?"

Is it to make him feel sorry for you because of our years of friendship?

In her past life, Lin Zhizhi went around proclaiming that the marks on her body were left by the prince, trying to prove that she was not a promiscuous person.

Unexpectedly, this also ruined her and the prince's reputation, giving the concubine the opportunity to destroy the account books and falsely accuse her of destroying the accounts for her mother's sake. As a result, she was punished with twenty strokes of the cane and almost became crippled, which also left her with a chronic back pain.

Although Cen Jingyi stopped Consort Feng from selling her out of consideration for the family's years of service to the Prince's mansion, he was extremely disappointed in her.

She lived a life of quiet defiance until the incident at the Prince's mansion, and foolishly believed that the princess who told her the truth but never allowed her to get pregnant, and her aunt's family who benefited from her but betrayed them, were good people.

She couldn't let the prince become suspicious of her again. "I was so scared at the time that I didn't know why I appeared in front of the prince, nor did I understand why the prince acted that way. I dare not accept any more rewards from the prince."

Seeing that her frightened appearance didn't seem fake, Cen Jingyi frowned and pondered. At that time, Lin Zhizhi's expression was dazed. When he was sober, he did ask her why she was there, but she didn't respond when he called her name.