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

When the Fifth Prince glanced at her, he thought to himself that she had a good figure, but he didn't forget to mock Cen Jingyi, "Seventh Brother's family doesn't have to worry about the women harming their bodies when they have children, they can be quite carefree."

That's really harsh; it's utterly outrageous.

The Crown Prince was in a bad mood and said coldly, "What nonsense are you talking about? Have you forgotten Father's daily admonitions to be kind and respectful to your elder brothers? Even if you are worried about the concubines in your household, you should not take your anger out on your seventh brother."

The Fifth Prince snorted coldly, "If it weren't for the people in your room bumping into Zhou Shi, my poor child would have been born in just over two months. Now that it seems unlikely to be saved, you won't even let me say a few words? The Crown Prince is far too biased."

"The women also said that their collision was an accident, and besides, Xiu Chan has just lost her child and is still unconscious. Why are you taking your anger out on me?" The Crown Prince still looked worried.

Lin Zhizhi stepped behind Cen Jingyi, while Xi Ying stared intently at him with shining eyes. After bowing, she deliberately showed her face and said, "Your Highness, did you call me?"

Her voice was too abrupt; who would dare interrupt the conversation between the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince?

Xi Ying seemed to have only the prince in her eyes, and could no longer care about anything else.

All eyes turned to her; her clumsy attempts to win favor only evoked disgust.

Cen Jingyi frowned slightly but did not respond.

The Fifth Prince, however, glanced at her a few more times. With his sharp eyes, he confirmed that there was no romantic tension between happy Ying and Cen Jingyi, and then lost interest in her.

Ignoring her words, he turned to the Crown Prince and said, "Your Majesty, you are mistaken. How could I dare to express dissatisfaction? It is merely the woman's side of the story; the specifics of what happened are still unknown. I am anxious, and Your Majesty, having just lost your child, should understand best. Don't you agree, Seventh Brother?"

Lin Zhizhi had long known that the Fifth Prince and Cen Jingyi had a strained relationship, but she never expected that when the two met, they would be targeted like this.

happy Ying also realized that the Fifth Prince was no good person, and immediately said, "This matter is very clear. This servant also saw them huddled together, while the other concubines were clinging to pillars for fear of drowning. It was this servant who rescued the two of them, otherwise, who knows what kind of injuries they might have suffered. What does that have to do with the Prince?"

Lin Zhizhi opened her mouth slightly in astonishment; she couldn't believe that happy Ying would be so bold.

It's one thing to argue with her, but does Xi Ying forget her status and dare to talk back to the Fifth Prince?

Could it be that she did this on purpose?

The Fifth Prince did not hold a grudge against a mere maid. She claimed that she was the one who saved her, and punishing her would only make him seem unforgiving and ungrateful.

"Seventh Brother's family has taught him very well the rules."

"My abilities are naturally inferior to those of my fifth brother."

What do you mean by that?

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, the Crown Prince intervened, saying, "The situation of the Zhou family is still unknown. It would be disgraceful for the royal family to start arguing first."

These words silenced the two of them, and the atmosphere grew increasingly somber.

Seeing that the prince ignored her, happy Ying felt somewhat discouraged, and her sullen mood was easily written on her face.

Aunt Zhou's child ultimately could not be saved. When the midwife arrived, she saw the tiny feet that had turned purple and could only shake her head.

Fortunately, Aunt Zhou's life was saved by the precious ginseng, but the medicinal material was so rare that even the imperial merchant looked worried.

The Fifth Prince's face darkened; it was someone from his own courtyard who had eaten the ginseng.

Just then, Dou Xiuchan woke up and, upon hearing the terrible news, began to sob softly.

She was already in poor spirits, and now that her sisters were by her side, they supported her trembling body.

"I've been feeling hot and have a poor appetite these past few days. I initially thought it was just the weather, but I clearly had a child before, I should have realized it sooner... My poor child, once again, has left me."

Dou Xiuchan lost her composure; her long, cascading hair was casually draped over her shoulders, and her eyes were red-rimmed.

But she didn't see the Crown Prince come in to look at her, and she felt even more grief-stricken.

Recalling the scene before she fainted, she asked, "What about Aunt Zhou?"

"The baby couldn't be saved."

The lake sank during a dangerous swim, and neither of their children survived. Someone has to take the blame for this.

The crowd dispersed, and the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince rested in the pavilion.

These women had already explained the situation clearly in their words.

Dou Xiuchan has now woken up, but Aunt Zhou is still awake.

Lin Zhizhi originally thought that this was none of her business, but Li Dan was already taken away for questioning, her face ashen.

Just as she was about to leave, she saw an old woman from the Crown Prince's palace approach with a forced smile. "Are you Lin Zhizhi, young lady?"

"Yes."

Please move to the next room.

She followed behind the old woman, and as she approached the pavilion, she heard Li Dan's voice, "Although the rudder is old, the boatman had inspected it beforehand and informed me, which is why I dared to let him set sail. Someone must have deliberately damaged the rudder to prevent the boat from turning, which is why it collided with the merchant ship."

If Li Dan insists that happy Ying was responsible, the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince will blame her, and so many women will be implicated.

More than ten lives were nearly lost, and given the powerful forces behind these women, the prince will likely be held accountable.

Lin Zhizhi was thinking of a solution, but she never expected that the reason she was called here was something else entirely.

The crown prince looked at her, his face calm, but his question sent turmoil through Lin Zhizhi's heart.

"Xiuchan said she was standing steadily, but you pushed her towards Zhou Shi, causing both of them to miscarry. The situation was too chaotic at the time; the other women only said that you were all huddled together, and only you managed to escape unharmed, hiding among them. Is this true?"

Cen Jingyi lightly tapped the stone table with his fingertips, the crisp sound amplified several times.

Li Dan said the ship broke because of happy Ying, while Dou Xiuchan said the two of them miscarried because Lin Zhizhi pushed them.

He chuckled softly. Such blatant targeting and blame-shifting—did they really think he was someone to be manipulated?

The Crown Prince's face was somewhat grim. "Seventh Brother, do not defend the woman in the room. If this matter escalates and the ministers remonstrate, even Father Emperor will not be able to protect you."

"Then let them go and offer their advice, saying that the maids in my palace, in order to punish me, one killed my brothers' children and the other wanted to kill many women."

Lin Zhizhi had seen the prince act this way before at the government office.

The sarcasm in his words was palpable, and the Crown Prince was losing face.

Dou Xiuchan, who was being supported by others, spoke with tears in her eyes: "I have been pregnant twice, but both times I lost my babies. I am truly heartbroken and somewhat resentful of Lin Zhizhi who pushed me back then. If Your Highness insists on showing favoritism, I have no choice but to accept it. I just feel sorry for my unborn child."

The female relatives of the princelings muttered in a low voice, "I did see Lin Zhizhi and Sister Dou pulling and tugging at each other at the time."

"Actually, I saw it too."

Seeing this, Li Dan said, "Xi Ying had a quarrel with Zhou Shi earlier and was slapped twice. It was my oversight that allowed her to hide on the boat. My sisters and I often get together and such a thing has never happened before, but this time... And Xi Ying is very strong, able to support two people directly, so she could probably break the rudder."