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

The princess's gaze met Lin Zhizhi's, but she didn't see anything wrong in those watery eyes.

Perhaps she was overthinking it; Lin Zhizhi was just lucky.

Thinking this, the princess gradually relaxed. "Xiying's mistake was unintentional. The prince has already punished her. You should get along well with her. Show your face in front of the prince more often recently so that he will stop being angry with you."

"I understand."

"Lin Zhizhi, now that you've become the prince's concubine, you're no longer the pampered child you were at home. You'll become a mother sooner or later, so you can't continue to be willful and reckless."

"Yes."

The seemingly casual suggestion prompted Lin Zhizhi to think deeply.

Every word the princess said had a deeper meaning; her heart had already leaned towards Xiying, which meant she no longer trusted her.

Lin Zhizhi didn't expect to be able to easily deceive the princess; they hadn't completely broken off relations yet.

Since the princess doesn't want her to be busy with these things, then these things must be good for her.

She went to the shop to work for the prince. If it weren't for her involvement, the two audacious concubines, Liu Gulan and her husband, would have been able to act so recklessly.

If they truly used that shop to embezzle and accept bribes, the fate of that royal family wouldn't be much better than in their previous life.

Lin Zhizhi originally thought that the Wangfu would eventually be destroyed, all because of Liu Gulan.

It now appears that the matter involved many parties, including the princess.

Why did the princess stop her from going to the shop? Was it simply because she wanted to get rid of the concubine completely?

Lin Zhizhi massaged the princess's body, and dared not stop without orders.

She only felt a soreness in her palms. The princess was just leaning there, pretending to be asleep, as if she was unaware of everything.

It wasn't until another close maidservant came to remind her, "Your Highness, it's time for dinner. The Prince has sent word that he will be coming to eat."

Lin Zhizhi then realized that she had been pressing the massage button here for a full hour and a half.

"This servant takes her leave." Lin Zhizhi tactfully withdrew.

"Have you forgotten what I said before? I like your dutifulness, just like your mother."

These words sent a chill down Lin Zhizhi's spine. Was this a way of using her parents to warn her?

"This servant..."

"Stay here. Your relationship with the prince needs a chance to improve. Serve him well."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Lin Zhizhi seemed not to understand the meaning behind the princess's words. She was overjoyed and, noticing the unfriendly look in the eyes of the maid beside her, her expression became even more smug.

This maid had served the princess closely for a long time and had also been given the opportunity to serve the prince, but she did not win the prince's favor.

The princess was already dissatisfied with her, and she was anxious. Just then, the princess helped Lin Zhizhi again.

Lin Zhizhi served dinner to her, her fingertips already weak, trembling slightly as she carried the plates.

Cen Jingyi glanced at her, then ignored her.

Lin Zhizhi glanced at the princess several times, her plea for help evident in her words.

The princess had just begun to speak when she said, "Recently..."

"One should not speak while eating or sleeping."

"..."

Now the princess was at a loss.

Lin Zhizhi was secretly delighted, but her face still showed a wronged and gloomy expression.

Her hands slowed down, and while serving the dishes, she accidentally dropped a bean onto Cen Jingyi.

She hurriedly knelt down, "Your Highness, please forgive me."

"Your maidservant hasn't served anyone in a long time, why are you so clumsy?" the princess scolded. "It's all my fault for not teaching her properly."

It seemed that only after she mentioned it did Cen Jingyi realize, "It really has been a long time since I've seen her."

"It's still my fault. There aren't many women in the household to begin with, but I haven't had the energy to make them serve Your Highness properly."

"There are instructors in the manor who have all learned etiquette, so why do you need to worry about it?" Cen Jingyi put down his chopsticks and bowl. "Since you haven't served her for a long time and are therefore rusty, you will serve the Princess Consort her meals for the next few days until you are proficient."

"Yes."

Lin Zhizhi looked at the princess with a troubled expression. Seeing that the princess shook her head, she reluctantly got up and stepped back.

The prince didn't come over for the two days she was punished, and it was clear that the princess was in a bad mood. Fortunately, he didn't continue to make things difficult for her.

However, when the women came to the mansion, they did not want Lin Zhizhi to get close, and instead asked her to go to the outskirts of the capital to buy odds and ends.

Lin Zhizhi sighed. The prince had not agreed to see Fang Bin, and the princess had forbidden her from contacting the imperial merchants, which made her feel somewhat frustrated.

When she returned to the palace after shopping, she bumped into Li Dan, who was preparing to return home.

Seeing Lin Zhizhi's disheveled appearance, she knew that she had been suppressed by the lady of the mansion. At this moment, she leaned closer and said a few intimate words: "I received your letter and came here to look for you all day. I didn't expect to see you now."

"This servant has just returned from purchasing the items."

Who would send their personal maid to do the shopping?

Li Dan understood and comforted her, "Let's get together another day. I haven't been having a good time lately, and I really haven't had time to invite the sisters for a small gathering."

Lin Zhizhi quickly agreed, and then heard Li Dan say with a smile, "The handkerchiefs you brought before were quite nice. Many of the sisters want to buy more, so bring some more over next time."

"Really?" Lin Zhizhi's eyes lit up. "Thank you so much, Sister Li. You've really helped me a lot."

"We're all sisters, no need to talk about these things. I have other matters to attend to at home, so I'll take my leave now."

Li Dan concealed the cunning in his eyes, and the two of them moved apart, only then did the smile that was overflowing in his eyes subside.

Lin Zhizhi knew what Li Dan was up to; it was just that recently too many high-ranking officials and dignitaries wanted to get something through that shop.

This not only blocked Li Dan's path to interacting with his concubines and establishing relationships with them.

She also wanted to keep a close eye on these officials, in case they actually dared to spend money to contact the prince or the concubine's father.

If she handed the information and evidence to the Fifth Prince, her position in the household would be completely secure.

At this moment, in Cen Jingyi's study, the princess seemed to be in a good mood, sitting there with a gentle expression.

Then the prince spoke up: "Well done. If you are still feeling well, you can go out and move around more."

"I know, but the women who have come this time are all concubines from various mansions. They will always feel uncomfortable with me there."

"In that case, let Feng Yao handle it."

Cen Jingyi's words did not sway the princess. "I also think that Sister Feng is more suitable."

No matter what the two of them were like, the princess never showed any dislike for the concubine.

"Today I overheard the ladies discussing the handkerchief that Lin Zhizhi sent earlier. It seems that Young Master Liu is indeed very talented, and his designs are quite popular."

Cen Jingyi hadn't chatted with the princess for a long time, so when she mentioned this matter, he glanced at her a few more times.

After a while, he said, "Your health is not good, so you shouldn't worry too much. Take some time to visit your mother; she always thinks about you."

"I know."

In fact, the imperial concubine never liked her and was more satisfied with Feng Yao, a daughter-in-law from a better family, as her daughter-in-law.

In recent years, Feng Yao has fallen out with her family and has not given Cen Jingyi much care, so the imperial concubine's favor towards Feng Yao has faded considerably.