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

The princess often used feeling unwell as an excuse to rarely visit the palace.

Now that there was no reason to refuse, she agreed and took Lin Zhizhi to the palace the next day.

Upon hearing the news, Lin Zhizhi hurriedly took out the best piece of clothing from the closet. However, it was a style from three years ago and looked outdated now, which proved that although she kept accounts at the shop, she had never profited for herself.

The pastel pink color made her skin appear even whiter, and her every move lacked the composure expected of a woman; she simply looked like a pretty girl.

Lin Zhizhi knew that the imperial concubine disliked frivolous attire. As for why the princess asked her to enter the palace together, it was probably to attract the imperial concubine's attention.

The princess saw her like this but didn't say much, only telling her to hurry up and not keep the imperial concubine waiting.

However, Lin Zhizhi could sense that her attitude had softened considerably.

Although he did not have the opportunity to enter the palace alone with the princess in his previous life, he heard that when one of the concubines in the palace was pregnant, he was summoned by the overjoyed princess.

The princess accompanied her there, and the princess praised the concubine highly. The concubine was also full of hope that she would give birth to the child in her womb.

Not long after, an accident occurred, and he died under the hooves of a mad horse, taking the lives of himself and his unborn child.

Disliking an imperial concubine might not necessarily lead to execution, but incurring the wrath of a princess could truly result in a violent death.

Lin Zhizhi acted like a naive maid who had never seen the world before, recalling her first time seeing the palace in her previous life.

He dared not speak loudly, but only gazed at the princess, while being drawn to the surrounding buildings.

Compared to the prince's mansion, the imperial palace was naturally magnificent and grand.

The princess had been observing her closely, and all of these reactions were within her expectations, nothing unusual.

Fortunately, he knew how to control his temper and was just observing.

Although Lin Zhizhi wanted to follow Fang Bin's previous advice and obtain the protection of the imperial concubine, the timing was not right.

Having already devised a plan, he now followed closely behind the princess.

The maidservant beside the princess was Yueqi, who had previously shown hostility towards Lin Zhizhi. She reached out and stopped Lin Zhizhi.

His eyes held a warning, but considering the current situation, he refrained from speaking out.

The nanny beside the imperial concubine led the way, her attitude was respectful, but there was always a hint of aloofness.

However, the way he looked at Lin Zhizhi was somewhat different.

When the group arrived at the princess's residence, the old nanny gave them some advice, "You're dressed too flamboyantly today, so keep your mouth shut when you go in. No matter what the princess says, you don't need to argue, just listen."

The old woman knew exactly what the princess was thinking; she was only speaking up because of Lin Zhizhi's mother.

Lin Zhizhi immediately bowed and said, "Thank you, Granny."

She entered the Imperial Concubine's residence with the Princess Consort. In her previous life, she had only been there once, when the Imperial Concubine only inquired about her mother.

Upon learning of her mother's passing, she was overcome with grief and could tell that her mother was not favored. She merely instructed her to get along well with the prince and then ceased summoning her.

The imperial concubine was looking at the cloth tiger in her hand at the moment, and seemed not to have heard the report.

A quarter of an hour later, he turned to the princess and said, "This cloth tiger was originally prepared for the imperial grandson, but now the fabric has faded somewhat. It was made from silk that the emperor had bestowed upon us years ago, and a skilled craftsman made it. The silk threads are extremely smooth and difficult to preserve, it's such a pity."

"I have been thinking about this matter, and I have found a beautiful maid to be my concubine. But when I mentioned to Your Highness that I would take another concubine, Your Highness always refused."

"Since he refuses, then you should find a way to make him agree. What kind of princess are you? You can't even do this little thing right." The princess casually tossed the cloth tiger aside.

His expression was displeased. "Since you're not feeling well, don't come here so often, lest you fall seriously ill when you go back, and the Prince comes to blame you again."

When they first got married, Feng Yao took a fancy to the prince and insisted on marrying him.

The imperial concubine wanted the princess to abdicate, not only because of her poor background, but also because of her poor health; even the imperial physicians said she would have difficulty conceiving.

The prince was unwilling to disobey his mother, but he also did not want to betray the princess's kindness.

This led to a very strained relationship at the time. Feng Yao frequently sought excuses to enter the palace, hoping that the imperial concubine would help her marry the prince as soon as possible.

The prince, citing the princess's poor health, reduced his interactions with the palace.

This situation only eased after Feng Yao successfully became a concubine.

The imperial concubine naturally did not resent her son, but she found the princess even more displeasing.

The princess knew she would be subjected to such difficulties upon her arrival, and now she felt even more embarrassed and dared not refute them.

She simply lowered her head and said, "It is my fault for being so disobedient. The Prince has always respected Your Highness and has never dared to disobey you."

"I think he's quite daring."

The princess dared not respond rashly, and at that moment she shifted her body, deliberately revealing the figures of Lin Zhizhi and Yueqi.

Her voice was soft and gentle, "I still remember my duty. These are the concubines chosen for Your Highness. They are all in good health and I believe they will become pregnant soon."

Yueqi had done her best, and upon hearing these words, she couldn't help but feel nervous and shy, so she quickly performed a deep bow.

Lin Zhizhi also knelt down.

The imperial concubine frowned as she looked on, her attention indeed drawn to the sight. "She is indeed pretty, but beauty is ultimately a tragedy. The eldest son of the Prince's mansion must be born to someone of sufficient status."

Despite being a slave maid, Cen Jingyi suffered because her maternal clan was not powerful.

Since the imperial concubines could not choose their birth, they wanted to find a mother with a good family background for the imperial grandson.

Upon seeing the person chosen by the princess, she felt that she had come deliberately to provoke her.

Then she spoke: "This maid is Xu Mama's daughter. The prince still remembers how his wet nurse served him and the empress back then, and he always talks about her."

The imperial concubine raised an eyebrow, then her expression turned slightly displeased. How could Xu Mama, an honest and upright person, have given birth to such a frivolous daughter?

Then she thought of how Xu Mama's child died shortly after giving birth, and how she got the opportunity to enter the palace as a wet nurse and serve by her side for several years, which was quite dedicated.

No wonder her son kept Lin Zhizhi by his side.

Unfortunately, she was reduced to slavery. If she could have given birth to a child, she would only be promoted to the position of a concubine.

The Empress was well aware of the Princess Consort's little tricks.

Seeing Lin Zhizhi hanging her head silently, her flashy clothes seemed to lose much of their charm.

"They're just two maids, why bring them before me? Could it be that they're already pregnant? Someone, go and fetch the imperial physician."

Lin Zhizhi never expected to reveal her pregnancy today, so her body tensed up instinctively and her heart jumped into her throat.

The princess was somewhat surprised and looked at Lin Zhizhi, who was kneeling there.

She thought it wouldn't be so easy for her to get pregnant, and she hadn't even had a few days of rest in the prince's room, yet she was still feeling uneasy.

If Lin Zhizhi is indeed pregnant, and the imperial concubine finds out about it...

She'll probably be protected by the imperial concubine, and she won't be able to find a suitable opportunity to make a move.

He dared not reveal his thoughts, but if he had known it would turn out this way, he should have consulted a doctor and taken Lin Zhizhi's pulse before bringing her here.