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

If this was the purpose of the princess bringing Lin Zhizhi here, then she would surely be very happy to see the scene before her.

Lin Zhizhi had tried many times to protect the prince's reputation, yet now she was being reprimanded by the imperial concubine.

She felt a tightness in her chest, and the imperial concubine in her memory who was grieving over her mother's death seemed to truly despise her.

When he looked up, his eyes were already red, and he stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence.

Seeing her like this, the imperial concubine became even more furious. "What grievance do you have now?"

She was exactly like those concubines in the palace who loved to act, stirring up some unpleasant memories for the imperial concubine.

Her tone was now even colder and harder, "Since you're a maid, then stick to your duties as a maid and don't dream of becoming a mistress. If you really give birth to a child, then give it to the Princess to raise. Does the Prince's heir really want a maid as a mother?"

"This servant understands."

The imperial concubine reprimanded her for a while before her frustration subsided considerably. She no longer wished to speak to the princess and sent them back to their residence quickly.

The princess had no interest in paying attention to Lin Zhizhi anymore. Yueqi's face was extremely pale, and she was filled with anxiety.

She knew she would be punished when she got back, and she remembered that happy Ying had been beaten with a board before, and how even someone as strong as her almost died.

If those fifty lashes had landed on her, she probably wouldn't have survived until today.

She knelt in the carriage, sobbing softly, and said, "This servant really didn't mean it, and never thought of harming the Princess, nor did I collude with the Crown Princess."

However, this statement is rather weak and ineffective.

The princess asked slowly, "So you mean... the imperial concubine is getting senile?"

How could they dare to say such things? Lin Zhizhi quickly got up and knelt down. If this reached the ears of the imperial concubine, they would all be punished.

"This servant dares not," Yueqi sobbed softly, still shaken by the fact that she had almost been beaten to death by the imperial concubine.

A slight hatred arose in her heart, but she quickly hid it away.

At this moment, Yueqi truly yearned for a position of high rank and power. She realized that even a high-ranking imperial concubine could act so recklessly.

The princess saw through her thoughts at a glance, but did not offer any further guidance at the moment.

She simply patted her chest, as if she had been frightened, and said, "Don't drag me into this again, you almost killed me."

Judging from his expression, he wasn't going to pursue the matter any further.

Yueqi stopped crying and smiled, feeling a little more at ease. She said, "The Princess Consort is much kinder than the Crown Princess. Actually, when I accidentally bumped into her, she pinched me hard."

After saying that, he lifted his clothes, revealing bruises all over his body, which looked truly horrifying.

However, Yueqi dared not bring this up in public.

Lin Zhizhi, who was standing to the side, was really surprised that the princess could still be so patient despite the severity of the situation.

Why aren't they dealing with Yueqi? Is it because they don't want to do it themselves, or are they using someone else to do the dirty work?

The princess seemed oblivious to Lin Zhizhi kneeling there, and continued to instruct Yueqi, "You must not act so boldly again in the future. I cannot protect you in front of the Emperor and Empress. Why did you suddenly ask me for help? Who instructed you to do this?"

Her words were persuasive and guiding, as if she were leading Yueqi to reveal the person behind the scenes.

Yueqi was somewhat bewildered, then glanced at Lin Zhizhi kneeling beside her.

He immediately replied, "It was Linzhi who told me to do this."

The princess looked surprised, seemingly not expecting Yueqi to make such a statement.

His gaze towards Lin Zhizhi changed. "I have always treated you well, why have you harmed me like this? And when did you become involved with that Crown Princess?"

"This servant wouldn't dare. If I were the one colluding with the Crown Princess, why would the Crown Princess let Yueqi go?"

"What do you mean by that?" Yueqi's eyes sharpened instantly; she understood immediately that Yueqi was not as foolish as Xiying.

He had come to his senses by now and knew that if the dirty water had been splashed on him, he would not have been able to get through the day safely.

This matter will not end so easily.

The real challenge begins after we return home; if things aren't handled properly...

Lin Zhizhi never expected that the princess would still want to involve her, probably because she felt that it would be difficult to explain the situation after the incident at the palace had escalated to this extent.

She was the princess's scapegoat and a source of controversy; aside from initially introducing her to the prince, she didn't gain any real benefit.

However, she could not find a reason to blame the princess. It was as if all of this had nothing to do with the princess. It was just that Yueqi resented Lin Zhizhi and wanted to drag her down with her.

Seeing that Lin Zhizhi remained silent, Yueqi became even more anxious and aggrieved. "Your Highness, please understand, this servant truly had no opportunity to leave the manor, much less contact the Crown Princess. It was Lin Zhizhi who frequently visited the shops, which gave her a chance to speak privately..."

The princess nodded. "Although you have no evidence, what you say makes perfect sense. Lin Zhizhi, what do you have to say?"

"Without evidence, this servant will not admit it."

At this moment, the princess was thinking of something else: if offspring could protect the mother, then compared to the crown princess, Lin Zhizhi, who was able to extricate herself from the situation time and time again, was more like a blessing and protector.

The princess asked, "Are you dissatisfied with me?"

"This servant wouldn't dare," Lin Zhizhi replied calmly, as if Yueqi's framing meant nothing to her.

This seemed to indicate that they had something to rely on, causing the princess to raise an eyebrow, feeling that everything was going wrong that day.

Having something on his mind, he remained silent.

Without her saying a word, Lin Zhizhi and Yueqi didn't dare to get up and simply knelt back into the mansion.

Cen Jingyi had already heard about what had happened in the palace, and now he waited for their return with a dark expression.

Seeing the princess bowing with two maids, he said, "I sent you to see my mother, and you went to cause trouble? You were always so composed; why are you acting like this today?"

Before the princess's carriage had even returned, Cen Jingyi had already heard rumors that he harbored resentment towards the crown prince and had attempted to murder the imperial heir. Immediately following this, he heard that the crown princess was pregnant with twins, and that the blessings bestowed upon the world would ensure good weather and abundant harvests for the Yuanyang Kingdom.

Even if that wicked prince were to harm her, he could not harm the Crown Princess's health.

All of this news came from the Fifth Prince's residence. Cen Jingyi sent people to suppress the public opinion, but he was also furious because of it. He was just waiting for the Princess Consort to return and give him an explanation.

The princess recounted what had happened, and Na Yueqi once again accused Lin Zhizhi.

The scene from before repeated itself. Lin Zhizhi just looked at Cen Jingyi with a wronged expression. Seeing his expression as dark as ink, she then stopped talking.

She calmly explained, "This servant did nothing."

"It seems I haven't done a good job. The fine fabric I gave Lin Zhizhi refused to use to make clothes. Now she's wearing outdated styles and complaining to the Imperial Consort, showing that I haven't taken good care of the people in the household. But Your Highness needn't worry about this; the Imperial Consort has already reprimanded me."

The princess looked sad, as if she was upset about Lin Zhizhi's actions but couldn't bear to punish her.

All of this became Lin Zhizhi's fault; she was ungrateful and not only failed to appreciate the princess's introduction, but also caused all this trouble with the imperial concubine.