In the Yongfu Palace, Zhen Si was leaning on the noble consort's couch talking to Madam Luo. As Zhen Si's due date approached, her health had deteriorated significantly due to the harmful medicines she had taken, leaving her haggard. Her feet were so swollen that she couldn't wear shoes. Every day, she would just lie on the couch with little activity.

"Your Highness, you can't stay inactive like this all day," Madam Luo said as she slowly stirred a bowl of bird's nest soup with gold-threaded enamel. "I heard the imperial physician say that lack of activity makes it difficult to give birth. Your Highness is carrying a big baby this time, so you'll suffer more during childbirth if you continue like this."

Zhen Si lazily leaned on a soft pillow and said slowly, "Mother, I know what you're saying, but my feet and legs are really swollen and I can't bear it. I can't walk a few steps without feeling bloated and sore. Just looking outside makes me dizzy."

Madam Luo handed the bird's nest to Zhen Si and sighed, "You didn't take good care of yourself in the first few months, so now you're suffering like this."

Zhen Si snickered without saying a word. A palace maid turned around from behind the screen, bowed her head respectfully and said, "Your Highness, Noble Consort Li is here. She brought some tonics and trinkets, hoping to see you."

Madam Luo frowned slightly and said, "Her Highness needs to rest and nurture the fetus. How can she see anyone? Go and tell Noble Consort Li that Her Highness has just taken medicine and gone to sleep. Please ask her to come another time."

"No need," Zhen Si said as she took a jeweled hairpin from beside the couch and coiled her hair up in a few strokes. She tidied her clothes and said, "Let Noble Consort Li come in."

Madam Luo was not very reassured and looked worried, "Your Highness, why bother? Have you forgotten what your father told you?"

Zhen Si shook her head, "She's determined to see me. Can I avoid her today and then avoid her again tomorrow? It's better to make things clear today to save trouble later."

Before she finished speaking, Noble Consort Li entered with a group of palace maids, smiling, "I heard that you haven't been feeling well recently, so I came to see you." Noble Consort Li looked at Madam Luo beside her and frowned, "Today is not the day for you to enter the palace to pay respects. Why are you here?"

Madam Luo bowed and said, "Greetings to Noble Consort Li."

Zhen Si didn't get up either. She slowly stirred the bird's nest porridge in her hand with a silver spoon and said, "Aunt also knows that I haven't been feeling well recently. The Emperor said that having my own mother by my side might make me feel better, so he specially permitted my mother to enter the palace to accompany me at any time. The Empress Dowager also knows about this. Oh, I forgot, Aunt was recuperating in the Linzhi Palace before, so you didn't know."

Noble Consort Li was about to lose her temper after being interrupted by Zhen Si a few times. Remembering her purpose for coming today, she forcibly suppressed the anger in her heart and managed a smile, "It's my ignorance."

Zhen Si smiled, "Aunt, please sit down. Forgive me for not being able to get up to greet you. My body is heavy and I feel uncomfortable as soon as I get up."

Noble Consort Li had no choice but to sit down. Madam Luo also sat down beside Zhen Si's couch. For a moment, there was no conversation. Noble Consort Li smiled and said, "Today, I had them tidy up the storeroom and found a lot of good medicinal materials like bird's nest and ginseng. I don't use these things often. Leaving them there will just make them lose their medicinal properties, so I had them pack them up and send them to you."

Zhen Si glanced at her indifferently and said, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Aunt. I don't lack these things here either."

"I know you don't lack them. In the end, it's my care for you," Noble Consort Li touched the hairpin beside her temple and paused before saying, "My life is hard. Now my son is not by my side either. In this palace, you're the only relative I have left. If I don't give these things to you, who else would I give them to?"

Zhen Si chuckled, "Aunt, you need to be careful with your words. Aren't the Emperor and the Empress Dowager your relatives?"

Noble Consort Li was angered by Zhen Si several times and wanted to lash out, but thinking of her current situation, she had to suppress it bitterly. She smiled, "I misspoke. Your cousin has really had it tough. Isn't it all for the sake of the Zhen family? Come to think of it, aren't we all doing this for the Zhen family?"

Noble Consort Li tried hard to steer the conversation towards Chu Shaoruan, but Zhen Si didn't take the bait at all. She just nodded and said, "Of course. If it weren't for the Zhen family, I wouldn't have entered the palace. It was all thanks to Grandmother and Aunt helping me."

"Si, I know you still hold a grudge in your heart about what happened back then. But think about it, you didn't actually marry Chu Shaoling. You entered the palace as the Emperor's consort and even became pregnant with the imperial heir. Now you're on equal footing with me. You didn't get the short end of the stick, right?" Noble Consort Li really couldn't stand Zhen Si's sarcastic remarks and tried to persuade her, "You have the Empress Dowager's protection and the Emperor's favor now. What more could you ask for? If you hadn't entered the palace that day, at most you would have married a son from an aristocratic family. Could you have the life you have now?"

Seeing that Noble Consort Li's words were becoming more and more inappropriate, Madam Luo quickly interrupted, "Noble Consort Li, why bring up those old matters? Her Highness is already so heavily pregnant now. What's the point of talking about those things? Her Highness can't be agitated. Noble Consort Li, it's better if you leave first."

Noble Consort Li turned her head and glanced at Madam Luo, smiling, "I remember in the past, Sister-in-law always followed Mother into the palace. At that time, Sister-in-law wouldn't say a word. How times have changed. Now Sister-in-law is so sharp-tongued. Indeed, your backbone has hardened. Amitabha, I pray that Consort Zhen's baby this time is a boy. If she gives birth to a princess, won't Sister-in-law's imposing manner today be in vain!"

Zhen Si chuckled. She knew that Noble Consort Li couldn't hold back. It was already not easy for her to say those few words to her in a friendly manner. Zhen Si sat up and said slowly, "Aunt, are you here for the Second Prince? You want me to help, right?"

Noble Consort Li quickly nodded, trying hard to squeeze out a hint of a smile, "In the end, we're all one family. Help your cousin, and in the future, he won't forget about you. As long as you let your cousin return to the imperial city, I can give you anything. When Ruan'er becomes the Emperor in the future, won't you be the Imperial Noble Consort? There's a lot to look forward to from him. With your help in saving him today, Ruan'er will definitely not mistreat you in the future."

"Aunt, you're thinking too far ahead," Zhen Si interrupted her coldly. "Let alone becoming the Emperor, it won't be easy for him to live until the Crown Prince succeeds the throne in the future. I dare not pin my hopes on him. Besides, why should I pin my hopes on him? Don't I have my own child?"

Zhen Si gently caressed her bulging belly and smiled, "A child of one's own is still the best, isn't it?"

Noble Consort Li had been trying to persuade Zhen Si for half a day to no avail, and had to endure her attitude. Seeing Zhen Si's belly and thinking of her own son suffering in the temporary palace, jealousy and resentment welled up together. She said angrily, "What kind of talk is this?! Why can't Ruan'er become the Emperor? It's all thanks to me that you were able to conceive the imperial heir. Now you have the nerve to show off in front of me! If Ruan'er was still with me, why would I need to come to you!"

Zhen Si laughed loudly and raised her hand, smashing a bowl of bird's nest porridge to the ground. She angrily shouted, "You've finally spoken your true thoughts, haven't you? Aunt, you've really planned everything out for me! It's thanks to you that I was able to conceive the imperial heir? If I didn't know about the past, I would have truly appreciated you! First, you wanted me to marry Prince Qin, then you lifted me into the imperial harem. When you saw that I was pregnant, you pushed me into the lake to drown me and my child. Is this the good life you've given me?!"

Madam Luo helped Zhen Si stand up and confronted Consort Li face-to-face. "Just because you're a concubine, you think everyone wants to be one?! If it weren't for you all, if it weren't for you..."

Zhen Si seemed to recall something and her eyes instantly turned red. She wished she could devour Consort Li alive. "How did I end up like this?! Zhen Bihe, you've ruined my entire life! Now that your son is under house arrest, you've come to me? Let me tell you, it's too late!"

Zhen Si was furious. Leaning on Madam Luo, she panted angrily, "I know what your intentions are. You want me to plead for Chu Shaoruan, right? Yes, now that I'm pregnant, His Majesty indulges my every request. If I were to beg, even if he can't be released, there would at least be some benefits. But let me tell you, it's good enough that I'm not harming him! You want me to save him? Keep dreaming!"

Consort Li had never been scolded so harshly to her face. She was stunned for a moment before reacting with anger. "You've really grown wings, haven't you? You think I'm begging you? Think clearly. If Ruan'er falls, the Zhen family is finished. When the nest is overturned, no egg stays intact. When that time comes and you become the daughter of a criminal, how impressive can you be? Consider carefully if you want a respectable maternal family to support you!"

Hearing this, Zhen Si laughed. She helped Madam Luo sit back down and shook her head with a smile. "Aunt, you're still so foolish. If His Majesty hadn't favored you so much these past years, I really wouldn't have imagined how you managed to fight until today. Having just lost the Emperor's love, you've fallen to such a state, hehe."

"Who told you that if Chu Shaoruan falls, the Zhen family will be finished?" Zhen Si rested a hand on Madam Luo's arm and chuckled. "If Chu Shaoruan falls, if you fall, the Zhen Manor still has me to support it, and the child in my belly. As long as I am safe, the Zhen family will be fine. Oh, I misspoke. By Zhen family, I don't mean the current one headed by Grandfather, but the Zhen Manor headed by my father Zhen Binwen and my mother Luo Shanhong."

Seeing Consort Li's panicked face, Zhen Si felt much better. She smiled, "Grandfather lost his official position long ago. It's only because my father is filial that he's allowed Grandfather to be in charge. But for some matters, it's better to let those with higher ranks make the decisions, isn't that so? Aunt, Grandfather may be your father, but he's not mine."

Consort Li tried to steady herself and pointed at Zhen Si and Madam Luo with a trembling voice. "You, you actually want to establish your own household..."

Zhen Si chuckled. "Of course. We don't have the fortune to enjoy Aunt's grace, but we always have to bear the consequences of your misdeeds. It's truly unjust. Wake up, Aunt. Now, the one with the highest rank in the Zhen Manor is my father. And my position in the palace is far better than yours. Do you still expect us to remain in a subordinate position?"

Consort Li was completely flustered. Everything she relied on was slipping away one by one, and Zhen Si had cut off her retreat. For the first time, Consort Li felt so panicked. She muttered in a low voice, "You can't treat me like this, you can't. You actually want to replace me... You can't... I'll go tell Father..."

Zhen Si smiled. "When the Second Prince completely loses hope, let's see if Grandfather comes to curry favor with me or continues to stay on your sinking ship, hehe."

Consort Li was so anxious she could barely stand steady. The more she listened to Zhen Si, the more flustered she became. After mumbling a few more sentences, she leaned on her maid and staggered away.

Madam Luo looked outside with some worry and turned to Zhen Si. "Your Highness, why tear off the facade?"

Zhen Si sneered. "If we don't tear it off, she'll always think there are benefits to gain from me. Let her wake up now. Don't let her think she can still deceive me. Besides, I wasn't the one who tore off the facade first. The moment she dared to make an attempt on my life, she should have understood that if I escaped alive, I wouldn't let a single one of them off!"

"Amitabha, mentioning the day you fell in the water makes my heart ache. Thank the Heavens you were unharmed." Madam Luo gently patted Zhen Si's hand with pity. "After learning about what happened to you, your father said that we can no longer wholeheartedly risk our lives for the Second Prince. Not only do we gain no benefits, we even have to sacrifice our own daughter and grandchild. It's thanks to your good fortune, my child, that falling into the lake in such weather didn't harm you..."

Zhen Si gazed outside and said after a long while, "Actually, it wasn't my good luck. No, I suppose it could be considered my daughter's good fortune, to have encountered such a kind-hearted person then."

"You're too kind-hearted!" Chu Shaoling said, looking at the shattered pieces of the hollow carved jade vase in the brocade box. "You broke this?"

Wei Ji hadn't expected Chu Shaoling to know about this matter. He hemmed and hawed for a while but still didn't dare lie to Chu Shaoling. He lowered his head. "No."

Good, he still doesn't dare lie to me. Chu Shaoling tossed the brocade box aside and said coldly, "What does it have to do with you if the servants broke something? Why are you taking the blame for others?!"

Wei Ji wasn't sure if Chu Shaoling was truly angry. He explained in a low voice, "Shuncai, who cleans Your Highness's outer study, is quite pitiful. Because he was bought from outside, no one in the manor looks after him. The other servants all bully him and snatch his things, even his meals. I've witnessed it a few times. After I spoke up, they still bullied him behind my back. Yesterday, he ate too little and his hands were unsteady, so he broke this jade vase. I happened to be in the outer study looking for a book and saw it. I asked others and they said this item isn't an antique, worth about a hundred taels of silver. Seeing his pitiful state, I told Eunuch Wang that I broke it and went to the accounts room to compensate with silver."

Wei Ji carefully raised his eyes to look at Chu Shaoling. He originally thought it was a small matter, but who knew it would reach Chu Shaoling's ears. Could it be that Chu Shaoling cherished this item? Wei Ji looked at Chu Shaoling with trepidation and said softly, "Does Your Highness like this very much?"

In fact, Chu Shaoling didn't even remember that this item was on the shelf in the outer study. But seeing Wei Ji's fear, he said, "Naturally. This was given to me by the late Princess Gongsu and has been kept until now before being displayed. But who would have thought that within a few days it would be shattered."

Hearing this, Wei Ji felt guilty in his heart, as if he had truly broken the item. He said softly, "Then... then I'll go find a similar one? I'll piece this one back together and have an old craftsman carve an identical one, alright?"

Chu Shaoling laughed and pulled Wei Ji to sit on the couch. "There's no need to go to such trouble. If you accompany me for a good nap, I'll spare you."

Wei Ji finally realized that Chu Shaoling was just teasing him. He couldn't help but say in a low voice, "Alright, Your Highness, go to sleep. This servant will stand guard outside for you."

Chu Shaoling couldn't hold back his laughter and said, "Forget it, I won't tease you anymore. I've already forgotten when or who sent it. If it's broken, it's broken. It's no big deal." Chu Shaoling held Wei Ji and had him lie down, saying, "This is just to teach you not to be so kind-hearted in the future, lest you be taken advantage of."

"Shuncai is two years younger than this servant and is truly pitiful." Wei Ji was afraid of pressing on Chu Shaoling's hair, so he carefully smoothed it out. "This servant thought it wasn't a big deal, so he helped him out. How did Your Highness find out?"

Chu Shaoling smiled but didn't say anything. In this prince's manor, there was nothing related to Wei Ji that Chu Shaoling didn't know about. Chu Shaoling rubbed Wei Ji's head and said, "Since you pity him, I'll assign him to serve by your side. How's that?"

Wei Ji thought about it and felt it was appropriate. He nodded with a smile and said, "That would be great. Thank you, Your Highness, for your consideration."

Chu Shaoling turned to his side and gently stroked Wei Ji's back, slowly saying, "Originally, you could have just transferred him to your side. If you didn't say anything, I wouldn't have known, and we wouldn't have gone around in such a big circle for nothing."

Wei Ji smiled but didn't say anything. Chu Shaoling understood in his heart and said softly, "I told you long ago to treat this place as your home. Do as you wish. But you just won't listen and even consider yourself a servant here. You broke something and went to the accounting room to pay for it. Are you trying to anger me to death?"

Wei Ji felt warmth in his heart and lowered his eyes, saying, "This servant doesn't dare to overstep his bounds."

Chu Shaoling originally liked Wei Ji's adherence to the rules, but now he hoped that he could be more presumptuous and act spoiled. Chu Shaoling rubbed Wei Ji's head and said, "Forget it. The more cautious and well-behaved you are, the more I want to dote on you. You're just here to counter me."

Wei Ji's face turned slightly red, and he turned to bury his head in Chu Shaoling's broad chest.