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

As Cen Jingyi's carriage drove further and further away, the maidservant beside the concubine, a stranger, was now diligently fanning him.

Because she still holds the power to manage the household affairs, she does not show any fear in front of the princess.

She spoke up, "The sun is getting increasingly hot. Your Highness is not well, so please don't suffer here. This steward is really taking a lot of effort, and Your Highness doesn't know much about the household affairs. Why not leave everything to me? It would be more convenient for me if you wish to interact with the ladies from other households, wouldn't it?"

Her words revealed her sense of superiority; with Cen Jingyi absent, she was even less afraid of the princess.

She clearly still harbors resentment over the previous incident where the princess attempted to seize control of the household affairs while she was under house arrest.

The princess looked even more frail at that moment. "I have indeed been overworked lately and am feeling quite tired. I have only managed to come here to see the prince off. Since you are willing to worry about my situation, it is truly wonderful."

These words immediately drew Feng Yao's attention to Lin Zhizhi. The princess had only been busy taking care of her lately; what else could she be doing?

He snorted coldly, "Since you're so lucky, then keep it safe and don't come out and get in other people's way."

Lin Zhizhi dared not speak up; if she were to interrupt the conversation between her masters, she would not gain any benefit from it.

It's best to keep a low profile for now, lest these two people target you.

Fortunately, they remain at odds, wary of each other vying for control of the household affairs.

Having lived in the mansion for so many years, Lin Zhizhi naturally knew how to assess situations, making it difficult for Feng Yao to find fault with her.

Now even more annoyed, she said curtly, "This concubine takes her leave."

She turned and left without paying any attention to the princess above her.

The princess was used to all this, and at this moment she only showed a wistful expression before walking towards Lin Zhizhi.

"Don't get into a conflict with her. She's probably still holding a grudge about why you were grounded before. Although this matter seems to have nothing to do with you, if it hadn't escalated back then, she wouldn't have been involved. She's not a reasonable person."

"This servant understands," Lin Zhizhi replied. "Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness."

"There's no need for such formalities between us sisters. Now, as long as you can safely give birth to the child in your womb, I have no other requests." The princess's gaze softened as she gently stroked Lin Zhizhi's belly.

The month is still early, so we can't tell much yet.

Lin Zhizhi always felt that there was something in the princess's gaze, as if she was eyeing the child in her womb.

As she returned to the courtyard with the Princess, she took the initiative to say, "This child is very fortunate. I've noticed how much the Princess has been looking forward to his arrival, and he's received a lot of care from her lately. I was thinking, if the Princess doesn't mind, why don't you become this child's godmother?"

Upon hearing this, the princess's expression stiffened, and she said, "Lin Zhizhi, have you forgotten the rules? I am the mistress of this household, and I am the mother of this child. In front of outsiders, you should also call me Mother."

Lin Zhizhi already understood, but now she looked annoyed and said, "This servant has never been pregnant and has never thought about these things. I misspoke and hope Your Highness will forgive me."

"How could I blame you?" The princess smiled again, but her gaze toward Lin Zhizhi held a hint of scrutiny.

This maidservant managed to get pregnant right under her nose, and now she dares to pretend to be innocent and ignorant, trying to fool her.

Thinking to herself, she escorted Lin Zhizhi back to her residence, saying only, "You are currently living in the same courtyard as the maids, which is really too simple. When the Prince returns, I will discuss with him about arranging a proper courtyard for you."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Lin Zhizhi said with a beaming smile. "May I bring my parents to live with us?"

His tone was still somewhat cautious, and he looked at the princess with hopeful eyes.

"Of course."

Lin Zhizhi naturally wouldn't actually let the princess escort her back, and the two parted ways halfway there.

When she got back, she saw her mother waiting for her with Fang Qiao, who was a little shy.

Fang Qiao, who was initially a little nervous, smiled when she saw Lin Zhizhi and called out in a clear voice, "Sister."

She seemed to want to run over and be hugged, but stopped after taking two steps. "Daddy said that my sister is pregnant, so I can't bother her."

She was already well-behaved, obedient, and endearing, and her current appearance melted Xu Jie's heart. She immediately took a plate of pastries from the table and said, "Here, have some. Whose child is this? This morning, a man named Fang Bin brought a child to the shop. I saw that he was carrying Liu Gu Gongzi on his back, as if he was ashamed to be seen in public. He asked me to bring the child to you."

Xu Jie was initially hesitant, even suspecting that Fang Bin might want to abandon the child.

But seeing that the relationship between the father and daughter was not so strained, and that Fang Qiaosheng was really cute and adorable, he decided to raise her as his granddaughter. So he brought her back.

"The prince's friend asked me to look after him for a couple of days," Lin Zhizhi replied. "I can't let Liu Gu know; he has ulterior motives."

This led Xu Jie to misunderstand. She had heard of some shameless people who liked these things, and immediately pulled Fang Qiao into her arms.

"That Liu Gu looks respectable, how come he's a beast in human skin? How old is this girl, how could she..."

"Mother, you've misunderstood. It can't be these things," Lin Zhizhi quickly explained. "In short, don't let Liu Gu know that this child is in our courtyard, and don't let the concubine or the princess see him either."

Xu Jie finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fang Qiao, who was in her arms, blinked her big eyes. Although she couldn't understand what they were saying, she could feel that they were good people who would protect her.

They became even more affectionate, and she sweetly called out, "Grandma."

"Yes..." Xu Jie responded repeatedly, her eyes beaming with joy.

Lin Zhizhi enjoyed a few comfortable days, and the concubine made no move. However, Liu Gulan began to visit the mansion more frequently.

Lin Zhizhi often met with her, and she already knew that Lin Zhizhi was pregnant, but she was very confused.

As if to prevent Lin Zhizhi from staging an accident, they always kept a great distance from her.

In Liu Gulan's memory, no one in the Prince's Mansion could get pregnant. This Lin Zhizhi was really strange and powerful. Now she just wanted to get rid of this hidden danger as soon as possible.

The more she learned about this world, the more she felt that Cen Jingyi must have some tricks up his sleeve to have survived this long, and the more she wanted to befriend him.

This led her to loathe Lin Zhizhi, who had repeatedly ruined her plans. She already disliked the ways women in the inner quarters competed for favor, and now she was even more afraid that Lin Zhizhi would use the poor child in her womb to do something.

I have a feeling that this child came about suspiciously, and that it might not be able to be saved.

Moreover, the concubine would never allow Lin Zhizhi to give birth to the eldest son of the royal family before her.

Even if we were to make a move, we had to do it in a place where no one was watching, and we absolutely couldn't let Lin Zhizhi find any leverage over us.

Lin Zhizhi had no intention of talking to her at all; she merely nodded when they met and then walked away.

She just hadn't expected that the concubine and Liu Gulan would act so quickly, as if they were afraid that the prince would return early.