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

Cen Jingyi stared intently at Lin Zhizhi. "Do you have anything to say?"

The matter of the epidemic she mentioned earlier has not yet been resolved, and only one day later, she has been caught up in the controversy again.

Lin Zhizhi's face was pale, as if she had just been pulled out of the water. She looked like she had just recovered from a serious illness, and her voice was weak and feeble: "This servant is truly innocent. This servant has never seen the fabrics given to her by the Princess and the Consort."

"I know I am not worthy of wearing such rare and precious fabrics. It is not worthy of my status. If word gets out, it will only make me a laughing stock and annoy people."

"This servant is grateful to the Princess and would never dare to have any other thoughts."

She wanted to explain further when Liu Gulan came to her door, bringing with her the account book she had kept.

She could tell that Liu Gulan had come with ill intentions. She bowed respectfully, her face filled with indignation, "This Lin Zhizhi is truly despicable, she has made a complete mess of the accounts."

Upon seeing her arrive, the princess was somewhat nervous. If Liu Gulan confirmed that Lin Zhizhi stayed at the shop every day, wouldn't that indirectly prove that Lin Zhizhi had no time to contact the Crown Princess's people?

Then my body gradually relaxed, and the shop was bustling with people, making it easier to pass on messages.

Lin Zhizhi ignored Liu Gulan and said softly, "If it is truly because I have displeased the Crown Princess, and because of me I have angered the Imperial Concubine and the Prince, then I am willing to give all the rewards I have received to the Crown Princess and the Imperial Concubine."

"This matter should be handled by me. There's no reason to take back something that's been given as a reward," the Princess interrupted Lin Zhizhi. "We're not playing games with you. Don't be willful. Perhaps the Prince and I have spoiled you too much; how did you become so ill-mannered?"

Lin Zhizhi was still kneeling there, as if whatever she said would be an excuse to find fault with her.

Liu Gulan felt truly relieved. Just as the concubine had said, if the princess were truly dissatisfied with Lin Zhizhi, she would never have such good luck again.

Cen Jingyi, his expression gloomy, tossed the accounts aside and looked at Liu Gulan, "I am currently dealing with family matters, please excuse me."

The tone sounded unfriendly, and Liu Gulan didn't know why it was like this. She thought that if the concubine hadn't been confined to her quarters, Lin Zhizhi would probably never have a chance to turn things around now that she was here.

He had no choice but to leave reluctantly, without even having the chance to point out any problems with the accounts.

It seems that Cen Jingyi doesn't care whether Lin Zhizhi colluded with the Crown Princess. This farce has dragged on to this point, and Lin Zhizhi feels that she can't move forward at all.

They had no choice but to brace themselves and face the impending storm.

This left her feeling somewhat uneasy and depressed. Even now, Cen Jingyi didn't fully trust her, let alone intentionally show her any bias.

She felt a sharp discomfort in her stomach, her nose stung, and her eyes reddened again, but she refused to shed a tear.

The princess remained unmoved, her eyes fixed on Cen Jingyi. She also wanted to know what Lin Zhizhi's status was in the prince's heart.

"According to you, the person who offended the Crown Princess was that maid named Yueqi?" Cen Jingyi frowned slightly. "The same was true for Xiying before. Since she is a maid who has not been taught manners, she should not be taken out."

Upon hearing this, the princess tightened her fingertips slightly.

The prince's heart still leaned towards that concubine.

It seems that Lin Zhizhi is no longer under her control, yet her face carries a gentle smile.

She was unwilling to directly confront Lin Zhizhi right now, so she suppressed her surging anger.

Why has she never received such treatment despite serving the prince for so many years? What kind of bewitching potion has Lin Zhizhi given Cen Jingyi?

Does Your Highness really trust Lin Zhizhi that much?

Could it be that all of Lin Zhizhi's actions during this period were entirely for the Prince's benefit, without any selfish motives whatsoever?

She didn't want a higher rank, didn't want her parents to have a better life? Didn't she let the prince find even the slightest fault in her?

The princess spoke in a way that was as gentle as a spring breeze, "It was my fault; I should have given Yueqi a better talking-to."

"Before leaving, the Princess Consort told me to be careful. It was my fault. I didn't know that Lin Zhizhi was so vicious. She didn't care about the Prince's Mansion at all and pushed me directly towards the Crown Princess." Yueqi's head was pressed tightly against the ground. She knew that only the Princess Consort could save her now.

"What should you do with Yueqi?" Cen Jingyi asked again, but no longer involving Lin Zhizhi.

"Since the Crown Princess wishes to pray for the well-being of her unborn child, it is truly inappropriate for blood to be shed today. Yueqi has learned her lesson. It would be better to punish her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall and repent for what she did today."

This is clearly too lenient a punishment, and it seems more like an attempt to cover it up.

Cen Jingyi said, "It seems that the Princess Consort has been neglecting her duties for a long time and is too soft-hearted, which is why she has allowed the maids in the courtyard to go out and cause trouble one after another. In the end, I, the Prince, have to bear the blame for the crime of lax governance and plotting against the imperial heir."

If this matter is investigated, the princess will also bear responsibility. Moreover, some people are still saying that the reason why the prince's family cannot have children is because she, as the princess, is preventing them from having children.

If the imperial physicians hadn't come and treated Cen Jingyi in turn beforehand, public opinion would probably still be on his side.

Cen Jingyi had treated the princess in the same way before; their way of getting along always seemed strange to people.

Lin Zhizhi could sense that Cen Jingyi was dissatisfied with the princess for some reason, which was why he seemed somewhat indifferent and distant.

She really didn't know what the princess was thinking. If the prince knew that the lack of offspring in the mansion was related to the princess, he would definitely not keep her around.

That must be some other reason that Lin Zhizhi is unaware of.

The color drained from the princess's face. "Your Highness is always so suspicious of me. I find life here in this mansion utterly boring. I'd rather be raising cattle and sheep in a remote village."

The obvious resentment in his tone made Cen Jingyi's face stiffen for a moment before softening. "It's not that I don't believe you."

"Then what do you mean, Your Highness? Do you think I deliberately allowed my maid to provoke the Crown Princess? Am I that kind of person?"

The princess has never been competitive since she married into the royal family, which is why she allowed the concubine to manage the household affairs.

Cen Jingyi was also aware of the situation, but he felt that he had sent the princess to see his mother, and this incident had occurred so soon after their meeting.

The princess seemed to realize that her words had been a bit harsh, and said with a troubled expression, "That's not what I meant. I was just frightened and didn't mean for it to happen like this."

As Lin Zhizhi watched the two of them go back and forth, the solemn atmosphere from before dissipated. The princess could make people lose their temper simply by yielding.

The tightness in her chest felt even more bitter now, clearly she was the one who was framed by Yueqi and used by the princess.

At this moment, she could only kneel here and await her fate. Even her rebuttals seemed pale and powerless in the face of the princess's statement that she was frightened.

In the end, the prince did not punish the princess. This time, he picked up the object heavily but put it down gently, just like the imperial concubine had done before.