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

She was able to conceive under the princess's care and escape danger multiple times.

Today, Liu Gulan was originally sent to take advantage of the recent incident in the palace and kick someone when they were down, but the prince brushed her off with a few words.

Even Liu Gulan was kicked out, and she was told not to get involved because it was a family matter.

Feng Yao gritted her teeth, her heart filled with resentment. "This little slut has truly won the prince's favor. If the prince really wants to punish her, a few strokes of the cane will make her miscarry."

"Don't do anything to the child in her womb now," Granny Li said. "There's no child in the mansion, and now the Imperial Concubine and everyone else think it's because the Princess Consort didn't allow it. If you, Master, interfere, everyone will think it was you who did it, and the Princess Consort will suffer injustice but never complain."

"I'm really not willing to let Lin Zhizhi give birth to the child like this."

If Lin Zhizhi gains power through her son in the future and then climbs over her head, that would be truly infuriating.

"In two days, the master's confinement will be lifted. The most important thing now is to continue managing the household affairs. No matter what, Lin Zhizhi is still a slave maid, and that cannot be changed. No matter how much she gains status through her son, she cannot stop the master from becoming a princess."

Granny Li rarely spoke so bluntly. Feng Yao's expression stiffened, and she came to her senses. "I almost fell into her trap again. She always likes to push one or two people out and hide behind them to do those shady things."

After spending so many years together, Feng Yao had come to understand the princess's temperament to some extent.

"If it was intentional, then this person is truly terrifying. Now that I think about it, even she didn't know that Lin Zhizhi was pregnant. She wanted to use Lin Zhizhi to deal with her master, so she should suffer the consequences herself. However, this old servant believes that the reason Lin Zhizhi was able to get pregnant is because both the prince and the princess needed a child."

However, this child cannot be born to Feng Yao.

"What do you mean by that?"

"The princess is not in good health, but there should be an eldest son in the household."

"Alright, alright, so that's what you're thinking. How could I let her have her way? Go find Liu Gu first thing tomorrow morning, he'll surely have a solution."

Because Granny Li suddenly had a change of heart and allowed Lin Zhizhi to take two more days off.

She was always on edge, while the princess came to see her every day, ostensibly to prevent anyone from harming the child in Lin Zhizhi's womb.

Not only did he give her countless instructions, but he also wanted to transfer happy Ying over to take care of Lin Zhizhi.

Lin Zhizhi found an excuse to reject her, unaware that Liu Gulan and the concubine were in cahoots and had already set their sights on her.

However, with the system's assistance, the food and supplies delivered these days have been able to prevent them from causing trouble.

To Lin Zhizhi's surprise, the things the princess sent were indeed fine.

After seven days of peace, the prince summoned her. The princess was also present and thought the prince wanted to summon Lin Zhizhi to his bedchamber.

Immediately, feeling uneasy, he followed her there. As soon as they entered the study, he said, "Your Highness, Lin Zhizhi is newly pregnant and it is really not advisable for her to have sexual relations. If Your Highness really wants someone to serve you in bed, Xiying and Yueqi are just right."

Cen Jingyi had a serious expression, and even though the princess had come along, he didn't say directly what he wanted to see Lin Zhizhi about.

"I have something to ask her."

This was clearly meant to prevent the princess from hearing it, and the princess hesitated, not daring to linger and offend Cen Jingyi.

The atmosphere in the study felt oppressive. Had Lin Zhizhi done something wrong that angered the prince?

The princess was secretly delighted, but outwardly she still showed concern and protectiveness, standing in front of Lin Zhizhi.

He spoke forcefully, a rare occurrence: "Lin Zhizhi is currently pregnant and is not suitable for punishment. Whatever wrong she has done, please spare her punishment for the sake of the child in her womb."

"When did I say I would punish her?" Cen Jingyi frowned, then restrained his imposing aura and appeared somewhat calm.

"I have misunderstood. It is rare for a child to be born in the household, so I am naturally a little nervous."

Cen Jingyi lowered his eyes. "You care too much about what others say, trying to prove that the inability to produce an heir in the manor has nothing to do with you. I know about this. You are not well, so there is no need to worry about this. No matter what others say, you are still my queen."

Upon hearing this, the princess was moved and said, "Your Highness."

Lin Zhizhi watched from the side, then subconsciously stepped back, leaning her back against the wall.

The cold touch calmed her down a little; was this a warning to her?

If these words were said to a concubine, they might cause a slight ripple in her heart.

Lin Zhizhi has been through too much, and those cruel memories still torment her day and night, causing her to wake up from nightmares from time to time.

The fact that the princess deliberately displays her unshakeable position will not shake her resolve.

However, she still had to make a reaction, at least to let the princess see her pained expression.

Having achieved her goal, the princess bowed and withdrew.

She also reminded Lin Zhizhi to take good care of her health, which was indeed in line with her usual virtuous and gentle nature.

Seeing that she lingered for a long time and was unwilling to leave, the prince's expression became slightly impatient.

The princess was puzzled. If it wasn't for her to serve the emperor, then why was the prince looking for Lin Zhizhi?

Could there be something wrong with the shop?

She then quickly rejected the idea, and Xu Mama personally oversaw the shop, reporting any disturbances to the prince.

I heard that the shop hasn't had any customers in the last two days.

Those buyers who originally harbored ill intentions dared not come over to try and become familiar with the shop after learning that the prince's men were temporarily managing it.

Fearing that Cen Jingyi would discover their intentions, they nipped the relationship in the bud before it even began.

The princess pondered the matter, but still couldn't figure out why. She only felt that there was still something between Lin Zhizhi and the prince.

That's why Lin Zhizhi was able to conceive successfully.

This is roughly the advantage of being a servant born into the household; they can easily gain Cen Jingyi's trust.

The princess gritted her teeth. It seemed she needed to increase the dosage, otherwise once Lin Zhizhi's pregnancy was stable, this little bit of stuff on her body wouldn't be able to affect her anymore.

At this moment, Lin Zhizhi was allowed to sit in a chair. She lowered her head, only peeking out a small part of her head, as if she was being difficult.

Cen Jingyi seemed to sense something and his mood improved slightly.

He then spoke up, saying, "I sent people to investigate, and the letter has been sent back. Just as you said, that area has been infected with the plague, but that imperial merchant lied. The plague is not under control and is even showing signs of spreading."

Cen Jingyi deliberately emphasized the words "royal merchant" and "lying" because he was dissatisfied with Lin Zhizhi's previous nonsense.

This little thing couldn't be hidden from him at all. When Lin Zhizhi looked up, she put on a smile and said innocently, "We should send someone back quickly. It wouldn't be good if they caught the plague."

"You still have the mind to care about others? Take good care of the child in your womb. I will be heading south in a couple of days."

"Your Highness, are you going in person?" Lin Zhizhi asked in surprise, then remembered the epidemic prevention ability rewarded by the system. "Why don't you let this servant go with you?"