The Eldest Princess, having been severely reprimanded, no longer dared to speak a word out of turn. Consort De directly ordered her confinement for three days to recover from her injuries. She was also made to copy down the rules she had spoken of that day.
"Your Ladyship, the Eldest Princess is still crying," the servant said, utterly exasperated. She had been crying for a long time.
"Let her cry if she wants to. What can I do? Would she not cry if she's in pain? What, do you expect me to apologize to her and coax her? If I really did that, how would I be able to discipline her in the future?" Consort De ate pastries sent by the imperial kitchen with great leisure.
"Here, this one is quite delicious. Take it to her. If she likes it, she’ll definitely stop crying," Consort De pushed the pastry beside her hand.
"I haven't raised children, so I don't understand these things. If she really cries non-stop, just tell her that I will discipline her again later. She'll surely stop then," Consort De picked up another piece of pastry.
However, it had to be said, this was quite effective. After tasting the delicious food, the Eldest Princess indeed quieted down a lot. She truly was just a child.
"Does Your Ladyship dislike the Eldest Princess?" Wenxi, Consort De's personal maid, asked while pouring tea for her.
"She's not my child, why should I like her? And that Yang Zhaoyuan, I've always disliked her. She acted so arrogantly before when she was pregnant, I remember it all too clearly. But she's gotten her comeuppance now," Consort De's expression was unreadable, neither happy nor angry.
"But... do you think he's silly? Why did he go stir up trouble at the Andian Palace?" Consort De asked, with an expression of disbelief at how foolish someone could be.
"Perhaps he thought Consort Shu was easy to bully, and that His Majesty still favored Consort Shu as before," Wenxi replied.
"Tsk, His Majesty is also... how could there be such a sudden change? He's too lenient with this Nan Zhiyun now. She's practically climbed over my head," Consort De said, looking indignant.
Wenxi found it somewhat amusing. "Why should Your Ladyship be angry? It's not worth it to harm your health. Even if Consort Shu is favored, she has no children. But Your Ladyship already has an Eldest Princess."
"He has no children, but she's favored now, and she'll have them sooner or later. As for the Eldest Princess..." Consort De truly felt disgusted.
"Can I rely on her? Look at her now. In my opinion, it'll be good enough if she doesn't hate me, anger me, or oppose me in the future." Consort De had no intention of relying on a child; it would be a miracle if she could.
"Forget it, I can't be bothered with her anymore. Go and instruct someone to call a physician to check her injuries. I don't have the time to deal with her now; I have an appointment with the Noble Consort." Consort De no longer wanted to debate.
"Yes..." Wenxi responded. Her Ladyship and the Noble Consort had been close since childhood. Well... it was hard to say if they were close, considering her Ladyship's sharp tongue. She was quite chatty, which often earned her many 'eye-rolls' from the Noble Consort.
In the evening, the matter of Consort De disciplining the Eldest Princess reached Yu Jingchen's ears. Nan Zhiyun was also informed, as Yu Jingchen had spent the entire afternoon with her.
After hearing this, Nan Zhiyun thought Yu Jingchen would be angry. After all, Consort De was not the Eldest Princess's birth mother, yet she had been so harsh. And it was only the first day. What would happen in the future?
To her surprise, Yu Jingchen casually said, "She should be disciplined properly."
Nan Zhiyun: "???" What did that mean? Even if she needed discipline, wasn't this too harsh? The Eldest Princess was only six years old, a girl, and had been hit nearly a hundred times with a ruler. She would likely be unable to move for days. Consort De was not her birth mother, and treating the Eldest Princess this way would invite criticism.
"You don't understand?" Yu Jingchen saw the look on Nan Zhiyun's face and knew what she was thinking.
"I don't quite understand," Nan Zhiyun replied honestly.
"You may not have seen the Eldest Princess's current state much. Although I rarely see them, I am aware of their activities. The Eldest Princess... is an embarrassment," Yu Jingchen's tone was gentle, yet it inexplicably carried a chill.
Indeed, in his previous life, the Eldest Princess had been arrogant, willful, lawless, and self-indulgent, relying on her status. She treated human lives as worthless and was cruel in her methods.
It was a good thing that someone could control her now, so he naturally wouldn't interfere. If it were up to him, these punishments would be nothing; he would be even harsher. As a princess of a nation, she should naturally have the demeanor of a princess.
Nan Zhiyun listened and said nothing. When she was young, everyone doted on her. She had never been punished, let alone beaten. Therefore, she felt that a little girl should not be treated this way.
A child was still young and could be taught well. If she was pushed too hard, her future might not be so good, and if she developed psychological trauma, it would be even more regrettable. As a mother, it was more important to show care. If a mother was always strict and intimidating, the child might feel that the mother didn't care about her, and would not feel close, or dare to be close.
"Yun'er, what are you thinking about?" Yu Jingchen asked as he saw Nan Zhiyun lost in thought.
"Nothing," Nan Zhiyun lowered her head and gently placed her hand on her lower abdomen. Her movement was small, but Yu Jingchen noticed it.
Recalling their conversation from the previous time, Yu Jingchen's heart ached. He reached out from behind Nan Zhiyun, embraced her, and held her hand as it rested on her abdomen.
"Nan Zhiyun..." Yu Jingchen said her full name.
Nan Zhiyun's heart trembled slightly.
"We will have one, okay?" Yu Jingchen was worried that this would become a knot in Nan Zhiyun's heart.
"It was all my fault before. You can be angry, but don't keep it bottled up," Yu Jingchen felt a dull pain in his heart.
"Your Majesty, why can't concubine have her own child..." Nan Zhiyun's voice was low and disappointed.
"It's not that you can't have one. We will have one, okay? It was because I was not good before, so I made mistakes," Yu Jingchen hugged Nan Zhiyun tightly.
Nan Zhiyun did not reply. She used to have dreams, dreams where she heard a child's voice calling her 'mother'... She didn't know what it meant, but she always felt sad with it.
"If Yun'er likes children, we can have them too. Let's take our time, okay? Your body is not well right now, so it's not suitable for a baby. But once your body has recovered, you can have as many as you want. Okay? Let's wait a little longer," Yu Jingchen continued.