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

Cen Jingyi was not annoyed by the rejection, and his attitude towards her was clearly different from that towards Na Xiying.

Fortunately, Xi Ying seemed oblivious, her face still filled with admiration as she said, "This servant knew Sister Lin was amazing. This servant even saw the Fifth Prince staring at you in a daze, and even the Crown Prince glanced at you a few more times because of what you said. But the most amazing one is still the Prince. Sister, you like the Prince the most, don't you?"

Lin Zhizhi's expression changed slightly. She felt the atmosphere in the carriage was heavy. She immediately knelt down and bowed. "This servant dared not overstep her bounds, and I have never paid attention to how the other princes viewed me. At the time, this servant only thought that this matter should not involve the Prince's Mansion, so I said a few more words. However, no one paid attention to my words. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Xi Ying seemed genuinely unaware that she had misspoke, and asked in confusion, "Why did you admit your mistake, sister? Isn't being liked a good thing?"

Lin Zhizhi remained unmoved. Just then, the carriage stopped, and Cen Jingyi got up and walked straight away without glancing at her again.

Whether it was an excuse or something else, Lin Zhizhi had already fallen out of favor, witnessed by happy Ying.

happy Ying spoke blankly in her ear, "I'll put in a good word for you. Don't be sad. I think the prince still values ​​you."

Her help would only cause more trouble. Lin Zhizhi pleaded, "Then please, sister, don't let the prince dislike me. I don't want to..."

"Leave it to me."

happy Ying skipped off the carriage and quickly caught up with Cen Jingyi.

After a long while, Lin Zhizhi got off the carriage with a pale face. She looked as if she had suffered a great shock, which had even alarmed her parents.

She rushed over and took her back to her room, her mother gently comforting her: "With your parents here, even if you are kicked out of the manor, you will have a way to survive. Don't think too much. I see you've lost a lot of weight recently. Serving the emperor is mentally exhausting. You've never been a particularly bright child, but recently you've made your mother look at you in a new light."

This isn't comforting at all! Lin Zhizhi smiled bitterly, "Mother, I'm fine, just a little tired. But thinking about the Prince and the two princes still makes me feel scared."

Given the circumstances, one wrong move could have led to utter ruin. The fact that Xiying wasn't beaten to death on the spot can only be attributed to her good luck.

Lin Zhizhi has been feeling increasingly tired lately, and has also been frightened repeatedly, so she always has to kneel down to pay her respects.

She felt discomfort in her abdomen at that moment, but fortunately the system did not issue any warnings, indicating that her fetus was still healthy.

Lin Feng then spoke up: "I heard that the Prince lost his temper with the Princess and had happy Ying beaten fifty times, so that the Princess would teach her proper manners."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhizhi's heart skipped a beat. "Dad, what do you think about this?"

"He reaped what he sowed. In truth, Your Highness knows everything." Lin Feng has served the prince for so many years and truly understands Cen Jingyi's temperament.

If things hadn't gone too far, he wouldn't have shown the princess the slightest disrespect in front of the servants.

"It's being said in the manor that the princess has been unjustly implicated by the foolish Xiying. The prince's actions have really damaged the harmony between husband and wife. The princess dares not speak out and can only suffer injustice."

Lin Feng was the most well-informed; he knew everything that had happened within the manor.

If my father were still alive in my previous life, the rumors in the mansion wouldn't have escalated to that extent.

Mother frowned at this moment, "If news of the Princess's grievances reaches the palace, the Empress will inevitably summon the Prince again and make him get closer to the Princess."

Even if Cen Jingyi was unwilling, he would not disregard the Empress's advice.

But how could such a practice not disgust Cen Jingyi?

Lin Zhizhi spoke softly, "Is she doing this on purpose? Is that why she feels that Father's usual actions in helping the Prince are really in the way?"

"Some things are better left unsaid, so you can live longer." Lin Feng stared at the door. "It's a good thing you've angered the prince now. He won't favor any other master for a while. And after the incident on the pleasure boat, the imperial concubine won't keep urging the women in the household to have children."

The prince will not take any new concubines in the short term, and since Xi Ying has been punished, the princess, being so intelligent, will certainly not support her again.

[Congratulations, host, you have successfully overcome the crisis and protected your unborn child, gaining immunity to the epidemic. You will be immune for a short period. Duration: 7 days.]

With the epidemic looming, Fang Bin still hadn't responded. If he couldn't get through to Fang Bin, he would have to rely on the imperial merchant.

Lin Zhizhi's brows furrowed with a hint of worry, but her expression relaxed once she saw her parents safe and sound by her side.

At this moment, in the princess's courtyard, she looked at Xiying, who was on the verge of death. She had not originally planned to abandon her after this one time.

Unexpectedly, she acted so recklessly that she truly angered the prince.

"Did you bring this on yourself, or did Lin Zhizhi set you up?" the princess asked coldly, her usual calm and composure gone.

Clearly, he was annoyed because he hadn't achieved his goal immediately and had been reprimanded by the prince.

happy Ying felt pain all over her body. She wanted to rest in her room for two days, but was forcibly carried over by the old women in the princess's courtyard.

Hearing that the princess was not concerned about her injuries and even asked if Lin Zhizhi had done it, she felt a pang of discomfort.

She whispered, "Lin Zhizhi is a good person. She even spoke up for me. I don't know why Your Highness is angry."

The princess immediately regained her composure, and apologized softly in a gentle voice, "Please don't blame me for my harsh tone. Your Highness took your anger out on me for no reason. Are you alright?"

"This servant is unharmed."

"Then tell me the whole story, without omitting any details."

happy Ying struggled to speak, and would faint after saying a few words. The princess would wake her up, and she would vaguely recount what had happened.

"How could the rudder have been damaged so suddenly?" The princess frowned. "This is too strange."

"This servant is unaware. They are all framing this servant. Only Lin Zhizhi believes this servant. She is truly a good person."

"She didn't want the Prince's mansion to be implicated because of you, so she had to protect you. If you were even a fraction as clever as her, I wouldn't have to worry about this."

Unfortunately, people who are too clever are hard to control. Lin Zhizhi was too good at disguising herself, which made her lose a step in the game.

She was just getting cocky when she slipped up and the concubine really got what she deserved.

With such a person by her side, the princess could hardly feel at ease.

happy Ying suddenly realized, but could no longer utter a sound.

"So, does Lin Zhizhi really refuse Your Highness's suggestion and allow me to comfort the frightened women?" The princess suppressed her joy.

She wanted Xiying to offend people, whether it was the Fifth Prince's household or other female relatives.

As long as happy Ying causes trouble, and she is one of her people, she will definitely be able to reclaim some of her power in managing the household affairs and properly appease the female relatives who have been offended.

She never expected things to escalate to this extent. Fortunately, she hadn't rushed to ask for the money because she noticed the prince's unusual demeanor. So this is what happened.

She sent Xiying to participate, which brought shame to the Prince's mansion. Being scolded a couple of times was already considered lenient.

The princess felt at ease. With Lin Zhizhi's previous recommendation, even if the prince was angry with her, he would eventually relinquish power.