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

What angered Aunt Zhou even more was that she had noticed Lin Zhizhi's bad temper when they were on the shore.

It's only now that I realize that as long as it doesn't involve the Prince's Mansion, Lin Zhizhi is completely submissive to my insults, like a block of wood that won't retaliate.

Seeing that she could not achieve her goal, she looked around and finally sat back down in her seat, feeling embarrassed.

Perhaps her intentions were too obvious, because the people sitting next to her moved over.

I just feel that Li Dan has really brought along a troublesome person; it would be truly unlucky for anyone to get involved with him.

Lin Zhizhi now confirmed that there was a problem with the fetus in her aunt's womb this week. Her gaze swept over the mandarin duck picture in her hand, and her lips were tightly pursed.

Li Dan then waved to her, feeling even more resentful.

These questions failed to get any information out of Lin Zhizhi, and the atmosphere became so tense because of Aunt Zhou's meddling.

She couldn't bring herself to suggest going to the Prince's mansion again, as the gossipy sisters she had invited hadn't even had a chance to put in much effort yet.

Now that he has taken Lin Zhizhi's things, it is clear that he genuinely likes them and is even more ashamed to make things difficult for her today.

It's unclear whether Lin Zhizhi was just incredibly lucky or if it was intentional.

Feeling somewhat annoyed, she found Aunt Zhou even more displeasing.

"Sisters, please have some tea and snacks. We've been chatting for so long, our mouths are dry. Don't just stand there like that," a concubine from the Junhou mansion said awkwardly, somewhat regretting bringing up the topic and causing so much trouble.

At this moment, no one dared to move, because Dou Xiuchan had not yet spoken.

Her expression remained unchanged, her gaze fixed on the handkerchief in her hand, as if she hadn't heard Aunt Zhou's insults.

Lin Zhizhi sat upright, minimizing her presence.

She didn't know Dou Xiuchan's purpose in coming here, but she felt that this person was not someone to be trifled with.

Now the concubine from the Marquis of Jun's mansion dared not say anything more, feeling ashamed and her cheeks burning. She regretted not sticking her neck out earlier.

Aunt Zhou was also very uncomfortable, and she kept shifting her body as if she were sitting on a nail.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Dou Xiuchan asked.

"This..." someone hesitated.

Only the princelings dared to speak up: "Sitting here is boring. The boat is already in the middle of the lake. How about we play some games instead of drinking tea?"

Dou Xiuchan picked up a cup of tea and took a small sip.

After she put down her teacup, she said, "Then let's play something easy."

Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief, and the atmosphere relaxed again, but it wasn't as comfortable as it had been at the beginning.

Lin Zhizhi held the handkerchief she hadn't given away, her mind filled with mixed emotions.

Although Dou Xiuchan was a concubine, she was only half a rank lower than a secondary consort, which was not enough to make others regard her in this way.

It is because she came from the Eastern Palace, was the Crown Prince's concubine, and might become someone who is above all others in the future, that she is so highly respected.

Lin Zhizhi remained vigilant, observing the expressions of these women, and upon closer inspection, she discovered that most of them shared similar tastes.

Dou Xiuchan's simple and unadorned nature was made even more refined by these jewels and jade ornaments.

At that moment, happy Ying, who had been hiding somewhere, suddenly appeared and shouted, "The rudder is broken! We're going to crash!"

How could this wooden boat withstand such a collision? Whether it was true or not, the crowd immediately descended into chaos.

Lin Zhizhi had a bad feeling and quickly dodged into the crowd to avoid bumping into others.

They initially thought happy Ying was bluffing, but soon after, the ship suddenly made a loud noise and began to rock violently.

The surroundings were now in complete chaos. Lin Zhizhi watched as Aunt Zhou looked around and then suddenly lunged at her when she spotted her.

Lin Zhizhi cursed inwardly and quickly dodged to the side, but felt someone grab her shoulder.

She didn't care about anything else; she turned around and left her original position.

Only then did she realize that the person behind her was Dou Xiuchan, the one who had grabbed Lin Zhizhi's shoulder earlier.

The surroundings were in complete chaos, with screams mixed with cries. We were in the middle of the lake, and there was nowhere to escape in our panic.

Many people bumped into each other, and all that could be heard was Aunt Zhou wailing, clutching her stomach, "It hurts... my stomach..."

Dou Xiuchan was also knocked to the ground in a disheveled state. She felt as if her lower back had hit a chair, and her whole body ached terribly. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

For a moment, Lin Zhizhi was unsure whether Aunt Zhou was after her or Dou Xiuchan.

Clinging tightly to the pillar, the others pulled at each other, barely managing to control the chaotic situation.

"Water! The ship is taking on water!" happy Ying shouted again.

The one who couldn't swim trembled with fear, sobbing, "If I had known this ship would sink, I shouldn't have come."

Aunt Zhou was in even worse shape; she was in so much pain in her abdomen that she couldn't hold onto anything as the boat tilted.

They rolled to the side with Dou Xiuchan, and the scattered tables and chairs hit them quite hard.

At this moment, no one dared to rescue them. Lin Zhizhi frowned slightly, her hands unconsciously clenching tightly.

The crowd surrounded her, and although she wasn't physically assaulted, she was unable to move.

If this continues, the ship will really sink, and I'm afraid everyone will die here.

She searched for Xiying's shadow and saw Xiying panicking and about to help the two people up, but she lost her footing and tumbled together again.

Aunt Zhou was in so much pain that she couldn't make a sound, and a lot of blood was gushing out from her body. She knew she couldn't save the child.

Lin Zhizhi was filled with unease, unsure whether Xi Ying's actions would implicate the Prince's Mansion.

She felt as if she were enveloped by something, surrounded by dark clouds.

The boatman rushed over, saying, "Ladies, please don't gather here! We've collided with a royal merchant ship. Luckily, their ship isn't damaged and they're willing to give us a ride back to shore. Let's escape for our lives!"

He left those words and led the way, and everyone hurriedly followed. Lin Zhizhi was pushed and shoved onto the boat.

The boatman, drenched in sweat from his work, watched with a heavy heart as his boat gradually sank.

"This trip has been a huge loss, and I don't know why we're so unlucky. We checked the rudder before setting sail, and it was perfectly fine. How did it break?" The boatman explained to the merchant, wiping sweat from his brow with his sleeve.

"Your boat is quite old; it's time to replace it. Be careful not to offend those important people."

The two sides seemed to know each other beforehand. Upon hearing this, the boatman's face was full of worry. "If these noblemen really intend to offend me, what should I do?"

"Could someone have deliberately broken it?"

"A boat full of women, where did they get such strength?" The boatman could only accept his bad luck and hope that these noble people would let him go.

Aunt Zhou and Dou Xiuchan were helped out by Xiying. She said indignantly, "How could you just stand by and watch them die? Didn't you know they were in so much pain they couldn't even walk? Did you intend to leave them at the bottom of the boat to drown?"

All three of them were covered in lake water, and their hair was disheveled, making them look quite pathetic.

Aunt Zhou held her belly, relying entirely on happy Ying for support.

Still shaken, Li Dan had no choice but to take charge: "Is there a ship's doctor? We must save the baby in her womb!"