The words "geese return south" left the eldest prince speechless.

He wanted to say that he had made a mistake and that he would treat everyone equally in the future...

But now that the Empress has said that, it doesn't seem right either.

"It is my fault. I failed to manage the affairs of the household properly. Father and Mother, please calm your anger."

"What exactly happened?" Shu Chengfeng frowned. "Can't your wife be a little more sensible? How many things does the Empress have to do every day?"

"Alright, Your Majesty, please don't keep criticizing. I am the Empress, and it is my duty to take care of these matters. However, Lady Xu has just suffered a miscarriage and is not in good health. She came in looking pale, and it worried me as well."

Yan Nangui waved his hand: "You are the eldest son. Your father has no legitimate son, so you are the most honored one. How can you not set a good example for your younger brothers? It's only been a short time since your wedding, and you've already caused such a mess. It's true that your wife came to the palace to find me. As the mother-in-law, if I don't take care of her, who will? It just shows that you two are not communicating well."

"She's a woman, your wife. It's normal for her to come to you when something happens. You should comfort her. Even if you don't believe what she says, you should talk to her slowly and investigate gradually. At least she's your legal wife, and you should show her the respect she deserves. If you cause such a scene because of a concubine, what will outsiders think of you? How can they know who's right and who's wrong in your household? In other words, are things in the inner quarters so clear? Even if your legal wife does something, sometimes you still have to be tolerant, don't you?"

"Your Majesty's reprimand is very true. I am ashamed and fearful. I will definitely change in the future." The eldest prince's face turned red.

"You don't need to imitate others; just imitate your father. As for me, the Empress, I have a bad temper and don't allow anyone to provoke me easily. You should imitate your father's treatment of the late Empress, who was also your mother who raised you. She made her own mistakes back then. For the sake of stability and to maintain the rightful position, didn't your father make concessions many times? Even your father, as the Emperor, had to make concessions. What about you?" Yan Nangui said.

Shu Chengfeng coughed and said, "What are you talking about?"

Yan Nangui simply smiled at him and said nothing.

Consort Ning then hurriedly said, "Your mother is absolutely right. You are such a simple-minded child. No matter who you favor, how can you neglect your principal wife? Now things have come to this, it's not only ugly, but also heartbreaking. She has already miscarried, so go back and tell her to take good care of herself. No matter what happens in the future, you must take care of her first. Make sure she has a son or daughter first. As for that Rong'er, she is not a good person, so don't be lenient with her either."

In fact, according to Consort Ning's opinion, such a vile person should be beaten to death.

But she didn't dare to say it.

His Majesty didn't mention it, nor did the Empress. Her insistence on beating and killing seemed so strange.

The eldest prince was truly reluctant to part with Rong'er and was also afraid that his father would execute her.

They were also afraid that the Empress would say such a thing.

He breathed a sigh of relief since they hadn't said anything yet: "Yes, Your Majesty, I will make proper arrangements when I return. It's also Yao's fault; she must be punished." The eldest prince said.

Consort Ning glanced at him with disappointment, but said nothing more.

"Your Highness, the imperial family is not like an ordinary family. Because you are all of noble birth, there are bound to be many people and many matters to deal with. Ultimately, the affairs of the inner court depend on how you balance them. But it's impossible for you to manage everything perfectly. That would only backfire. So, you just need to set a bottom line. No matter who it is, if they cross that line, they're out of luck. At other times, you can turn a blind eye. No one expects you to be completely impartial in the inner court."

"It's your prerogative to favor one of your wives or concubines. Everyone has preferences, but if you can't manage the relationship between your wives and concubines, that's your fault. Do you understand what I mean?" Yan Nangui said.

"Your subject understands, and thanks Your Majesty for your guidance," said the eldest prince.

"Your mother is right. I don't have much more to teach you. This is the first time, and I hope it will be the last. If you can't even manage things at home, you won't be competent in anything else either," Shu Chengfeng said.

"Yes, Father is right. Your son will take this as a warning and will not repeat the mistake." The eldest prince's heart skipped a beat.

"Alright, let's send your mother back now. You two can have a good chat," Yan Nangui said.

Consort Ning rose and said, "Then I shall take my leave. Thank you, Your Majesty and Your Highness, for your trouble."

Yan Nangui nodded, and Shu Chengfeng also nodded slightly.

After the mother and son left, Shu Chengfeng said, "It seems you have a pretty good opinion of me?"

“It’s alright. Back when you were in the manor, even though you doted on Su Tong, at least the water in the backyard wasn’t so bad,” Yan Nangui said.

"Tsk, why does this sound like something else to me?" Shu Chengfeng leaned forward and asked.

"Oh, just a little jealous now and then. After all, you could be jealous of my ex-husband's awful state, but Su Tong is beautiful and well-educated, so it's not too much for me to be a little jealous, is it?" Yan Nangui said.

Shu Chengfeng's lips twitched: "You have such a sharp tongue."

"I thought you were going to have him deal with that concubine," Shu Chengfeng said.

"Why did I bring this up? Why didn't you say anything?" Yan Nangui rolled her eyes.

“You are his mother, why can’t you say it? As the emperor, is it appropriate for me to keep an eye on such a small matter?” Shu Chengfeng laughed.

"What are you talking about? He likes her, so what can he do with her now? When you were young, if the Empress Dowager had asked you to deal with Consort Su, would you have agreed?" Yan Nangui laughed.

"Alright, alright, stop talking. I've figured it out. You're doing this on purpose." Shu Chengfeng said speechlessly.

Yan Nangui laughed and pulled him up, saying, "The weather is nice, let's go for a walk."

Although it's winter, it's not very cold today, and the sun is shining brightly.

When the eldest prince arrived at Yufu Palace, Lin Lingyi was sitting in the sun on the corridor.

Upon seeing him and Consort Ning return, she hurriedly stood up and said, "Greetings to Consort Ning, and greetings to the Crown Prince."

"No need, little sister is sunbathing," Consort Ning smiled.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I've been sitting for a while now and was just thinking of going out for a walk. I won't disturb you any longer, my sister and the First Prince." With that, she led her people out.

The maid whispered, "I wonder how things have turned out. The Crown Prince doesn't look too good. But Consort Shu doesn't seem to notice."

“She’s such a shrewd person, how could you possibly see through her? I guess nothing serious happened. If something really had happened, he wouldn’t have come here,” Lin Lingyi said.

The girl nodded in agreement, thinking to herself that it made sense.

In the Jade Hibiscus Palace, Consort Ning sighed, "What can I say about you?"

"Mother, I will handle it. Don't worry about it, I'll deal with it as soon as I get back." The eldest prince was also getting tired of hearing about this.

"I'm asking you, what are you going to do with that vile woman? Your father didn't say anything, so you're just pretending nothing happened?" Consort Ning was furious at his attitude.

"Mother! I understand. I'm married now, I'll handle it, so please don't worry." The eldest prince frowned: "It's just a small matter, I'll take care of it when I get back. I said, Rong'er deserves to be punished if she's wrong. And she will be punished."