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

Lin Zhizhi was actually trying her best to suppress these feelings, only thinking about surviving and not daring to ask for too much.

It turns out that some things can feel so bittersweet when you see them with your own eyes.

Yueqi, standing beside her, dared not look around. She had already sensed something was amiss, but at this moment she could only cling to the princess as a lifeline.

If the prince were truly willing to heed the princess's advice, she would survive today.

The feeling of being on the verge of life and death is unbearable. Yueqi still has no intention of vying for favor or rising in rank; she only feels that this palace is truly terrifying.

Seeing that the prince's attitude had softened, the princess spoke up: "If Your Highness insists that it was my fault and Yueqi's fault, and that Lin Zhizhi did not instruct Yueqi to harm me, then let it be handled according to Your Highness's wishes. Severely punish Yueqi. I've only suffered some injustice, and I've gotten used to it over the years."

Cen Jingyi knew that she had tolerated Feng Yao time and time again. She had saved Feng Yao's life, yet she had made things difficult for Feng Yao in the mansion.

When guilt arises, he can no longer blame the princess.

The words that were about to come out were: "Since you are unwilling to punish Yueqi, then let's just let it go today."

Forget it.

Lin Zhizhi looked up at him, but ultimately said nothing.

Then let her bear all of this completely and suffer this injustice?

The princess noticed all this, concealed her joy, and said again, "Your Majesty likes Lin Zhizhi very much and is also concerned about how her mother is doing in the mansion. She only hopes that I can find some women of higher birth to come."

Lin Zhizhi felt their gazes and respectfully replied, "The Imperial Concubine has taught me many things. I know I will not overstep my bounds and will certainly abide by my duties from now on."

Cen Jingyi's expression was strange, as he felt there were many hidden meanings in those words.

Why would a woman of humble birth, who was constantly vying with the Empress, advise Lin Zhizhi not to compete with the Princess Consort?

I don’t know if she really didn’t, but I felt that her figure kneeling there was getting thinner and thinner, as if she would collapse at any moment.

He had originally wanted to ask her if she harbored any intention to have Yueqi harm the princess, but he swallowed his words back.

Lin Zhizhi felt physically uncomfortable; she had been kneeling for far too long, and her emotions were in turmoil.

At this moment, she was only thinking that she absolutely could not let the prince believe that she was the one who did all of this.

Her voice trembled weakly, "This servant was unaware that I would be entering the palace today. The preparations were hasty, which is why I displeased the Imperial Consort. I did not mean to do this. The Imperial Consort has already reprimanded me for the Crown Princess's actions. If I had noticed Yueqi's actions earlier and stopped her, that wouldn't have happened."

"Does Mother really say that?" Cen Jingyi's brows furrowed even more. Lin Zhizhi wasn't a fortune teller, so how could she know what Yueqi's next move would be?

Such obvious predicament is in line with the mother's personality, so it seems that Lin Zhizhi also suffered a lot of grievances in the palace.

Cen Jingyi picked up the account book. Feng Yao and Liu Gulan had been plotting to drive Lin Zhizhi out of the shop, and the account book had probably been tampered with.

He just didn't expect that even the princess couldn't tolerate him, and went so far as to bring up his mother to pressure him, attempting to promote the newcomer to the position.

"This servant dares not speak recklessly." Lin Zhizhi felt her vision darken.

The princess also sensed something was wrong and asked, "Is Zhizhi feeling unwell?"

[Warning: The pregnancy is unstable. Please protect the fetus in your womb.]

Just as she saw the system warning, Lin Zhizhi seemed to see Cen Jingyi get up with some surprise, and the princess with a complicated expression, before she completely lost consciousness.

When she regained consciousness, she was lying in her room, with the princess by her side.

"Go quickly and inform the Prince that Zhizhi has woken up." The Princess Consort's eyes were full of joy when she saw Zhizhi open her eyes. "Zhizhi, you were pregnant. Why didn't you tell me sooner? I had no idea and made you kneel for so long without any sense of propriety."

It was happy Ying who went to summon people. When Lin Zhizhi saw the princess and Yue Qi, she felt a surge of nervousness.

She finally breathed a sigh of relief when her mother's concerned face appeared.

She felt the princess tightly grasp her hand, and after suppressing her emotions, a look of surprise appeared on her face. "I'm pregnant?"

"She's only just reached full term, which happens to be around the time I arranged for you to meet the Prince."

"I must thank Your Highness, for it is thanks to you that I have the opportunity to bear Your Highness's child."

Lin Zhizhi felt a sharp pain in her palm. When the princess heard this, she instinctively tightened her grip.

Seemingly unaware of what was happening, she said softly, "Zhizhi, you won't blame me for not speaking up for you, will you? In that situation just now, if I hadn't been careful, I would have been disliked by the Prince. This matter involves the palace, with both the Imperial Concubine and the Imperial Heir. I could only protect myself and was powerless to save you."

Knowing what the princess was thinking, Yueqi spoke up, "If you blame me for implicating you, there's nothing I can do. The princess can save me, but you can't."

That's the truth; Yueqi isn't afraid of offending Lin Zhizhi at all.

At this moment, he was even more furious that Lin Zhizhi was pregnant. Originally, the prince was planning to continue to investigate, but when she fainted, the doctor came over to congratulate her, and the prince was so happy that he forgot everything.

Lin Zhizhi's face was still not good. She felt that the fragrance on the princess was too strong, but she couldn't escape it.

Fortunately, my mother opened the window. It was getting dark, and a cool breeze blew into the room, instantly dispelling the unpleasant smell.

She forced a smile and said, "This servant is truly terrified and has no idea how to refute this."

Unexpectedly, the pregnancy was already exposed before the full term was over.

"It's good that you don't blame me. You're a blessed person, and the child came at just the right time. His Highness will surely not have the heart to blame you. If you feel that I have done anything wrong, you can tell me directly. There's no need to harbor resentment in private. We are all members of this household, serving His Highness together. We shouldn't have any grudges against each other."

These words sounded very nice, and they further confirmed that Lin Zhizhi instigated Yueqi to harm others because she harbored resentment towards her.

Before Lin Zhizhi could reply, happy Ying's loud voice came from outside the door, "This servant thinks Lin Zhizhi's complexion is still not good. Your Highness, please go and see her. She will surely be very happy."

Cen Jingyi did not respond, but quickened his pace.

There had been no good news in the household for a long time, and now Lin Zhizhi was suddenly pregnant. He couldn't quite describe how he felt.

He had overheard the conversation between the Princess and Lin Zhizhi, but had no intention of pursuing it further. He said, "You should focus on your pregnancy and avoid unnecessary travel. As for the shop, let Granny Xu keep the accounts for you. That way, we can find out what mistakes are in the ledgers."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhizhi panicked. She had barely managed to save her parents' lives and didn't want them to be involved anymore.

Before she could even open her mouth, happy Ying said casually, "You should rest well. The baby in your belly might be twins. This blessing from heaven refers to the prince's child."

In an instant, the expressions on the faces of everyone in the room changed.