When Xie Chang'an returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the family was having breakfast together.

"Oh, the Crown Princess, what brings you here?" Xu Jingjing said sarcastically.

"I know my sins are grave, and I have come to beg forgiveness from my ancestors, grandfather, grandmother and mother!" Xie Chang'an knelt on the ground decisively and said in a deep voice.

Xu Jingjing continued to mock him, "You actually know that you've committed grave sins, that's really something!"

"Have you had breakfast yet?" the old lady asked.

"Your Majesty, it has already been used in the palace," Xie Chang'an replied.

"Then go to the ancestral hall and kneel down to reflect on your mistakes," the ancestor said calmly.

"Yes!" Xie Chang'an replied, then got up and left.

In the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, once someone enters the ancestral hall to reflect on their mistakes, it means that family discipline will be applied.

Since marrying into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the Duchess has only been attacked twice, both times by Xie Shaoling. Both times, Xie Shaoling beat her so badly that her back was covered in blood and she had to lie in bed for several months to recover.

"Mother, it's wrong for Chang'an to like His Highness the Crown Prince, but this marriage was bestowed by His Majesty and is the wish of all the people. It shouldn't come to the point of resorting to family law, should it?" the Duchess advised.

"What he did deserved to be killed, but considering that he hasn't committed a serious crime yet, we'll spare his life for now. No one is allowed to plead for him," the old lady said sternly.

"Don't worry, Madam, I won't plead for him. I'll take care of it myself and won't hold back," Xu Jingjing said quickly.

The Duchess looked at Xu Jingjing with disbelief, "How could you, as her mother, be so heartless? If you cause any harm to Chang'an, how will you explain it to Shaoling in the future!"

“Mother, it is precisely because Shaoling is not here that I am carrying out this family discipline on his behalf. If Shaoling were here, he would have done it himself, and I wouldn’t have needed to do it.”

"Mother, don't worry. I have failed in my duty to raise my son. I will accept my punishment after we have finished fighting Chang'an," Xu Jingjing said to the Duchess.

"Chang'an only liked someone he shouldn't have liked. It's not some heinous crime. Even His Majesty didn't punish him. Why do you insist on beating him?" the Duchess questioned.

"You'll also go to the ancestral hall later. We'll have breakfast now," the old lady said, glancing at the excited Duchess.

After being glanced at by the Dowager, the Duchess was forced to calm down, but she was still indignant for her beloved grandson.

"How can I possibly eat anything right now!"

The old lady ignored her and ate breakfast as usual.

When she put down her chopsticks, everyone else did too.

"Grandmother, let me help you." Xu Jingjing walked to the old lady's side and helped her up.

The group went to the ancestral hall, where Xie Chang'an was kneeling obediently in front of the ancestral tablets.

"Xie Ping, take men and guard outside the ancestral hall. No one is allowed to approach," the Duke of Zhenguo ordered.

Xie Ping, the steward of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and also the commander of the Duke's guards, immediately went out.

"Chang'an, since you have come to plead guilty, then tell me, what crime have you committed?" the old lady asked.

"Firstly, I shouldn't have disregarded his status and responsibilities and insisted on dragging him into this mess just because I liked His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Secondly, I shouldn't have used unusual phenomena to spread nursery rhymes and prophecies in order to be with His Highness the Crown Prince, causing panic among the people and turmoil in the country," Xie Chang'an said without hesitation.

He was fully aware of the consequences when he did these things, and he had already planned to confess to his family and accept punishment after he got what he wanted.

"You actually spread the nursery rhymes and prophecies?" The Duchess looked at Xie Chang'an in shock, and had to admit that she didn't know this grandson at all.

"Chang'an, you're so foolish!"

She finally understood why her grandson had to take the initiative to admit his mistake, and why her grandmother and daughter-in-law insisted on hitting him.

That beating was well-deserved!

"Dragging His Highness the Crown Prince into this mess has shaken the very foundation of the Great Yuan Kingdom! The consequences of spreading nursery rhymes and prophecies are even more severe. If this matter had not been handled properly and prevented from triggering a civil unrest, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would never have been able to cover it up for you!"

"Even if this matter does not lead to more serious consequences, once His Majesty finds out, not only will the entire Duke of Zhenguo's mansion be implicated, but the entire Xie family will also be implicated!"

"In order to be with His Highness the Crown Prince, you actually treated Dayuan as a chessboard and the people as pawns. Do you think you deserve to die?" the old matriarch asked sternly.

"The great-grandson deserves to die!" Xie Chang'an replied firmly.

But he doesn't regret doing it.

His plan was indeed far-reaching, but in fact, nursery rhymes and prophecies were not widely spread outside the capital city; the main focus was on the capital city.

With the Imperial Guards, the Imperial Household Army, and 200,000 well-trained guards in the capital, the situation was under control.

Although the situation is under control, the panic and crisis brought about by nursery rhymes and prophecies are undeniable.

As Xie Chang'an himself said, he was deeply sinful.

"If it weren't for your two lifetimes—your actions that have brought disaster to the country—the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would never have tolerated it!"

"The great-grandson is willing to accept the punishment!" Xie Chang'an said.

"Jingjing, you will be in charge of enforcing the family rules. Everyone else will watch and take this as a warning. Anyone who goes astray will suffer the consequences!" The old lady's voice was very authoritative.

Xie Chang'an took off his shirt and lay down on the bench.

Xu Jingjing picked up the wooden board and struck it hard.

She used at least 70% of her strength in that strike, and the moment it hit, a bloody welt appeared on Xie Chang'an's back.

Xie Chang'an grunted and clenched his fists tightly.

The pain of a child being struck is felt in a mother's heart. Xu Jingjing also felt sorry for her son, but when she thought about how Xie Chang'an completely disregarded the lives of his entire family and the safety of the people of Dayuan, she felt that Xie Chang'an deserved to be hit.

We must strike hard.

After only a few blows, Xie Chang'an's back started bleeding.

It hurts terribly, a pain that cuts to the bone.

But seeing his mother wielding the paddle with red eyes, Xie Chang'an felt somewhat happy.

In his previous life, he had also been punished by family law when he decided to seek justice for the unjustly killed heroes of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

His mother did not stop him, but she personally gave him thirty lashes and then removed him from the Xie family genealogy.

Because the Xie family cannot produce traitors or rebels.

At that time, his mother also hit him with red eyes.

The same scene, but completely different fates in two different lifetimes.

In his previous life, only he, his mother, two aunts, and his grandmother remained in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. They all left him later, leaving him all alone. But this life is different; all his relatives are alive.

Although he was given a second chance at life and could plan ahead to change his family's fate, Ye Jingchen's contribution to the successful preservation of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and the Xie family was indispensable.

Ye Jingchen saved his family with him, changed his fate, and also let him experience the feeling of loving and being loved.

In his previous life, he had no family, no lover, and all he received was a cold, hard throne.

But in this life, his family and loved ones are by his side, and his life is very fulfilling.

He was quite satisfied with the beating he received; he did so willingly.